Other nifty new knits

First off, I haven't mentioned yet that I'm now officially a prize-winning knitter. A Wonderful Wallaby baby sweater I knitted for my cousin's little son and the shawl below both won first place ribbons at the Prince William County (Virginia) Fair! I need to take a photo of the sweater before I give it to my cousin.

The shawl is Great Cosmos, a pattern from Moonrise Lace Knitting. I bought the kit at Stitches East in 2005. The yarn is Zephyr Wool-Silk laceweight in Lilac. The shawl was knitted from the center out to the end of the eyelet moon section, then the wide border was knitted on. The whole thing was done on a size 5 Addi Turbo circular. The shawl is actually more than a square. When folded, it has a bit of a butterfly wing shape, which keeps it on the shoulders. It was a fun knit, not particularly challenging to me, but time-consuming. All....that....border.... The end product, though....lovely. I wear it a lot.

I spent much of Labor Day weekend blocking stuff. My parents have an enormous deck, so I took my puzzle-piece blocking boards with me and took advantage of the space. First, I blocked this lovely:

This is the Dayflower Daydream from the Knitter's Book of Shawls and Scarves, knitted in Lacey Lamb on a size 3 Addi Turbo circular. The color looks mottled in the photos because the yarn is soaking wet in spots. I pinned this out without wires because of the scalloped edge, and it was already dry by the time I finished, so I had to dump water on it and smoosh it in to re-wet the thing. It's actually a gorgeous shade of coral, and the yarn is incredibly soft. I added an extra repeat of the main body, so I had to buy a third ball of yarn to finish the border (that was an adventure in itself, because at the time nobody local carried it. Suddenly, one store did and ordered it for me). Again, with the insane knitted-on border, this time in the same pattern as the body. I will try to get a photo of it dry and on me to show off the color.

Next is a not-too-exciting scarf. Blue Sky Alpacas alpaca/silk, charcoal grey, in their free Opera Scarf pattern. I finished this ages ago but hadn't blocked it. It's nearly Isadora Duncan-worthy, yet the pattern called for another skein of yarn and three more feet of length! The little intruder at the right is MacDuff (Duffy), my dog-brother, the world's cutest Westie.

And then there are my finished Rockin' Sock Club June socks--Solstice Slip in Firebird.
This is what the fifteenth bucket of rinse water looked like when I was preparing to block a shawl made from Zephyr Wool-Silk laceweight in Emerald. Yes, fifteen washes, and it never did stop bleeding. I'm a little afraid to wear the darned thing. It was a lot more Emerald when I started. Now, it's more like Grass. We are not pleased.

The shawl in question is Emerald Isle, from Goddess Knits. It was an enjoyable knit, completed on straight bamboo needles in size 5. My Knit Picks chart holder came in very handy! I did use wires on this one, because it needed a nice, straight top edge and needed a lot of tension on the points to pull them out stiffly.

I leave you with another cute dog photo. Duffy again, still trying to be helpful or, more likely, wondering if maybe somewhere there's a bug to chase around the deck.

New Socks!

(cross-posted from the Sock A Month Knitalong)

This is my pair of "Cleopatra," the first kit from the Flock Sock Club. Patterns are written by the Tsarina of Tsocks (Lisa Grossman), and the yarn/kits are supplied by VanCalcar Acres. The kits will be available to non-club members next year. They are all challenging and interesting, with wonderful hand-dyed yarn. See how the blue and gold don't quite look solid? That's because they aren't--they are beautifully mottled like the lapis and gold on an Egyptian funerary mask. Each sock has a lapis/gold bead/scarab necklace. The snakes and snake headdresses get red glass bead eyes, but I need to find a beading needle to attach them. The heels and toes feature a papyrus motif. Truly nifty. I knitted the socks on Knit Picks size 1 circulars and the I-cord snakes on an Addi Turbo 3mm circular.

Ravelry and more

I got my Ravelry invite a couple of weeks ago, but I just started uploading info yesterday. I wish my apartment had actual natural lighting, because I would like to take photos of my yarn stash and works in progress. Alas, I'm on the ground floor. My front (bedroom) window is at ground level. While my living room sliding door and dining room window are about six feet above ground, there are enormous trees behind my building, so the back rooms are always in shade. Normally, I love the trees, with their pretty birds and psycho wall-climbing, Flying Wallenda-imitating kamikaze squirrels, but I would like sunshine on my balcony to allow container vegetable gardening and bright light stash photoing. Reason #2164 why I need a house.

Anyhow, back to the point. I'm ariadnesthread on Ravelry. Stop by if you're there.

My Monkey Swap THREE MonkeyPal is going to get some cute MonkeySwag. I went MonkeyHunting at Barnes and Noble last night, with great success. I also bought books. Sigh. One Skein finally snared me (I've looked at it a million times before). It might have been the knitted cupcakes. I picked up Donna Leon's mystery Death at La Fenice, which I've also been meaning to read. I got two new street maps of Venice (does the irony of Venice street maps amuse anyone else as much as it does me, or am I just totally weird?). I'm attempting to write a fantasy novel set in late medieval/early Renaissance Venice (or maybe my own fantasy version of Venice), so the maps are for research and continuity. I already had one, but it's gone missing. I really really want to find a way to justify a writing research trip there, because I only visited once, for my seventh birthday (it was only a few hours' drive from where we lived in Germany). That was mumbledy-mumble years ago, so I only remember snatches of it. We took my best friend and our dachshund. I remember very clearly chasing pigeons in San Marco Square with Tanya and Schnappsie. I already asked Dad to get out the slides he took so I can watch them again, and my coworker loaned me the ones he took in the '80s.

Oh, and I bought the cute little Sew Easy: Bags boxed set of cards. I have been collecting cute fabric (Repro Depot is deadly good) and want to make sock knitting bags from it. Of course, I need to dig out the sewing machine and wash/press all of the fabric before I can do anything else. I ordered sock monkey fabric from RD and hope to make MonkeyPal a bag as well as the socks.

Finally, I bought a new CD. I've always loved Bach, but somehow I've never actually listened to the Goldberg Variations. Yesterday, I read this review of a newly released (yesterday) recording of them by Simone Dinnerstein. Intrigued, I bought it. I haven't listened to it yet, because my %$^&* iPod is dying. It's about four years old now, and I think the battery is going. I tried to sync it on Saturday without realizing the battery was low, and instead of syncing, it went haywire. This being the second time it's done that, I see a trend. I need to save up the $$ for an 80G video 'Pod. I have about 36G of music, audiobooks, and podcasts already, so I can justify the space if not the expense. I have a Shuffle I got free from Audible, but trying to mix music and podcasts on it and listen in a coherent order is really annoying. I'm in the middle of trying to restore the 'Pod of Doom right now.

Tonight, at the weekly Knit Happens knit night, I bought The Best of Interweave Knits. Yes, I have a bunch of the issues already, but there's a lot of good technical info in the book as well as patterns. And it'll keep me from trying to remember which issue the darned Icarus shawl pattern is in when I finally decide to go back to it (I'm making it in yummy-soft Alpaca With A Twist "Fino," but it's in a shade of pink I really don't like. If it doesn't grow on me by the time the shawl's done, I'm going to overdye it).

I'm only a few inches and a strap from finished on my Y2Knit sling bag kit (see much earlier post), so I'm going to go work on that for a bit before bed.

Monkey Sock Swap THREE Questionnaire

The basics:
Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? High intermediate to expert. Cables, lace, and colorwork don’t scare me.

The measurements:
Shoe Size: US Ladies 10-10.5
Foot circumference: 9.25 inches
Foot length: 10.5 inches

Yarn Preferences:
What colors do you love? Jewel tones and flower colors. Purple, green, blue, pink, magenta, red.
Do you prefer solids or variegated? I like both!
Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? I prefer wool. Blends are fine (like wool/nylon). Cotton with stretch is also fine.
What colors would you never wear? Not a fan of orange, brown, or too much yellow (small amounts of these in a variegated yarn are fine).
What are your favorite brands of yarn? Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock, Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, All Things Heather, Yarn Pirate, sKNITches…..Big fan of indie dyers.

Are there any new brands you would like to try? Wollmeise, ScoutJ, any other indie dyers.

Cookie A. Patterns:
Which of her patterns have you already knit? Monkey.
Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don’t already own? I have Flicker and Gothic Spire already. I would love to make Twisted Flower.

Other pertinent information:
Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US? I am open to either.
Do you have any allergies? Can’t handle smoke. Otherwise, no.
Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals? I have a lap cat, and I often knit at my parents’ house, where there’s a lap dog. NO smoke.
Are you on Ravelry yet? If you don’t mind having new friends, what is your Ravelry name? I have an account but haven’t used it yet (gotta take photos!). I’m ariadnesthread.

Socks! And more! With photos!

I finished yet another pair of socks last week, and I finally have photos of them and the previous two pairs. First, the pair finished at the tail end of June:

Cider Moon Glacier yarn in colorway Andromeda, size 2 Inox dpns. I used the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts toe and heel. It was a good thing I made these toe-up, because even with such a short cuff (done in Feather and Fan), I had to use a few yards of black sock yarn (doubled) to bind off the second sock's top. Glacier is sportweight and a short skein. With my size 10.5 feet, I think I need to stick to fingering weight and 400-yard skeins! To its credit, the yarn is soft, easy to knit, and beautifully dyed. The colors are saturated and deep. I got a skein of one of CM's fine fingering superwash wool yarns in a peppermint colorway, and it's gorgeous, too.

Next, at long last, are my sKNITches socks, finished in mid-July. This yarn was great to work with--very fine, very soft, dyed with just a bit of mottling within each color band. I just love the elaborate self-striping. I highly recommend this yarn! Oh, the stats: colorway is sKNITch, size 0 Inox dpns, Priscilla G-R toe and heel, toe-up. I have enough yarn left over for at least a pair of baby socks--it was a 400+ yard skein.

Last, my second July pair, finished last week. I think these socks could be seen from space! The yarn is Regia Cotton Surf color 5412, knitted on a size 2 40" Addi turbo circular, Magic Loop method. The pattern is a free one (Tidal Wave) from Southwest Trading Company, designed to be used with the company's TOFUtsies yarn. I have a ball of TOFUtsies and started a pair with this pattern, but the yarn and I did not get along. It felt too papery and had too little give for my taste. The Regia, however, was very nice. It's cotton, wool, and polyamid, but it feels fairly soft. I might use size 1s if I were to knit it again, but it still looks and feels nice knitted up. I don't think this colorway is available any more. I got mine at Maryland Sheep and Wool....in 2005, I think, but it might have been last year.

Last but not least is the lace above. My cousin Allie is getting married on Saturday. Her bridal shower was on June 30, and I decided to knit her something special. I dived into my lace books and pulled the pattern from The Lacy Knitting of Mary Schiffmann and knitted a garter for Allie. I used DMC #12 perle cotton in ecru on size 0 Knit Picks dpns, then I wet-blocked the heck out of it over night. The pattern is "Nellie Latimer's Mother's Lace," and I added the faggoting lace section near the straight edge so I could run a crocheted lace through to tie the garter. I made the tie from blue #12 DMC on a size 10 steel crochet hook. As I wrote in Allie's card, the garter is old, new, and blue--the lace is a pattern at least 50 years old, it was newly knitted, and the tie is blue. I was really pleased by the positive reaction it got, especially in the nice thank-you note I received. That's the reaction I love to get from knitted gifts! I'd do it anyway, but appreciation is so nice. Which reminds me....I still need to graft 12 stitches on a Wonderful Wallaby for Allie's older sister's adorable 16-month-old son! He's a big boy, but I made a size 4, so it should still fit in fall.

What's on the needles now? Still need to block Emerald Isle shawl. Rockin' Sock Club Inside Out, still. Cleopatra #2, finally. Solstice Slip (Rockin' Sock Club kit #3). Panda Cotton in Periwinkle, simple boring sock. BMFA Mom socks, on hiatus due to fit issues. Mystery Stole #3, in black Misti Alpaca laceweight with red seed beads. Dishcloths to go with Allie's wedding gift for Saturday. I've been obsessively crocheting mesh stitch shopping bags in Lily Sugar 'n Cream (two new ones done, another started).

And on top of all that, I'm still reading Harry Potter Book 7. I guess I'm dragging my feet because it's so intense and frenetic....I had put the book down for about five days, but I read a couple of chapters with dinner tonight.

Hogwarts Sock Swap TWO Questionnaire

Signups for Hogwarts Sock Swap TWO started on July 14th. If you're interested, check out the blog and e-mail the Deputy Headmistress as instructed. Sign up quickly, because space is running out fast!

Here are my answers to the official questionnaire:

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

Ravenclaw.

2. Shoe size?

Ladies' 10-10.5, on the wide side at the toes, high insteps.

3. Foot Length?

10.5 inches. When knitting for myself (regardless of toe-up or toe-down), I start the heel or toe shaping at 8.5 inches.

4. Foot Circumference?

9.25 inches (I like socks that actually measure that, without negative ease).

5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
a. Knit Picks, size 0 or 1, 6 inches.
b. Inox, size 0, 6 inches.
c. Brittany birch, size 1-2, 4-5 inches.

6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?

Definitely. Been dying to try the new Lantern Moon Sox Stix, any wood, any size, any length. I prefer 4- to 6-inch sock needles in sizes 0-2. I'm open to any material at all.

7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?

I am a Ravenclaw. I guess that aesthetically I prefer the movie colors, but I would be perfectly happy with either colorway. I leave it to my pal's discretion.

8. Allergies? Do you have any? Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals?

I can be a bit sensitive to mohair in spinning fiber and yarn, but only if it's really loose and floofy and could get up the nose (the bit in Schaeffer Anne, or sock yarns like it, does not bother me at all). I'm rather sensitive to smoke. I am not allergic to any animals.

I do have a cat who likes to be on my lap while I knit. I frequently visit my parents' dog and knit around him. My knitting will not be exposed to any smoke.

9. Are you an international participant (outside US)? Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?

I'm in the U.S. I would be willing to have an international pal.

I'm getting excited already!

I do still exist....

Not swallowed by my yarn stash yet, though you wouldn't know it from the frequency of my posts. I really need to keep up with the blogging. A lot of the issue is forgetting to take photos of stuff during daylight hours.

So, what's new? Let's see.... This will be the Fall of Fair Isle. I'm taking an all-day FI class at Knitters' Day Out (September 15-16, near Harrisburg, PA). Then I'm taking Beth Brown-Reinsel's 12-hour (two full day) FI class at Stitches East (October 11-14, Baltimore, MD). I'm also taking Bavarian Knitting at Stitches--a three-hour class on Sunday. I hope my brain and fingers are still intact after all the two-color knitting!

I've wanted to make a Fair Isle or Norwegian sweater forever. So far, I've only done a headband and two hats. Oh, and half of a sweater with stranded work at the bottom and on the yoke. I rock the textured stitch work, but I feel like I tie myself in knots when stranding. I have done intarsia (socks for Dad, which look awesome). The Fall of Fair Isle is my way of forcing myself to just get over myself and do it. I know I have the skill already, but I haven't practiced it enough.

I decided that my first project foray after the classes will not be for me. Believe it or not, having it be for someone else is an incentive for me to get it done. Crazy girl that I am, I told my dad that I'd make him a Dale of Norway ski sweater if he buys the yarn (note: Mom has lots of handknits--socks, scarves, hats, shawls--but refuses to tell me what kind of sweater she'd like, so I quit asking).

Naturally, Dad picked a Dale that has a lice pattern in the body, not just stranded work at the yoke and sleeves. Ah, well. At least he picked a pullover and not a cardigan--less steeking to deal with on my first real try. I told him I couldn't guarantee when he'd get it. His response? "Just make it before I die." I think I'll manage that....helps that I expect him to be around forever.

I finished a shawl a few weeks ago, but I still need to block it (and several others finished a while ago!). This one was the Emerald Isle Shawl from Goddess Knits. I made it in Zephyr wool-silk laceweight in the Emerald color. Photo when I've blocked it.

What else? Finished a pair of socks in Cider Moon Glacier, "Andromeda" color. It's a good thing I made them toe-up! I decided to do feather and fan lace on the cuffs, but I only got three inches of cuff on each before I ran out of yarn! In fact, I still need to scrounge some black sport weight wool to finish the last 1/4 of the second sock's bind off, because I ran out of yarn. I was pretty disappointed--the yarn is gorgeous, soft merino, and I just love the colorway, but I really hoped for more cuff length. That said, if you wear a size 8, you should be able to get decent cuff length. I wear a 10-10.5. Sigh.

I did finish my sKNITches green and purple striped socks, and they are very cute. Plenty of yarn there! I have a nice little bit left over for mini-sock earrings, sock blocker keychain socks, baby socks, or whatever.

Oooh, something else I almost forgot. My dad and I went to the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis in June. On our last day, we had a few hours to kill before our flight. I had asked the Lime & Violet message board for yarn shop recommendations. People made great suggestions, but only the Mass. Ave. Knit Shop was within visiting distance for us. My indulgent dad was more than willing to go to it. We actually arrived before the store opened.

The store is enormous compared to what I'm used to in the Washington, DC, area. Lots of room to walk around, and a nice feeling of openness. The overall selection was good, with a lot of variety. The quantity of sock and laceweight yarns wasn't particularly big, but it was of good quality--Koigu, Lorna's Laces, Artyarns, Interlacements, and at least a couple of other big brands I can't remember right off. I got some Interlacements Tiny Toes and some Artyarns. There were a few gorgeous skeins of Interlacements laceweight merino, and I bought two. I had to have Poppy Fields--I have Toasty Toes in that colorway, and it makes me drool. Red, purple, and orange yumminess. I also got a pretty skein in watercolor pastels that had no name on it. That was all the yarn. What I really indulged in was patterns. The shop has a big room with tables I imagine are for classes. On the tables around the edge of that room are sale items--yarn and patterns. The sale patterns....oh, mommy. I got about eight Dale of Norway books, not one of which was more than $6. All of the out-of-print Olympic and ski team sweater books I'd been pining for? Yeah, I got 'em. Most were $3 or $4. I also got a non-sale-priced booklet of Fair Isle Christmas stocking patterns, a Noni felted flower pattern, and a couple of mitered sweater patterns. Excellent haul.

The ladies in the shop were very nice. They were ready to help, but they were happy to let me browse to my heart's content (Dad and I were the only customers at opening time on Monday morning). The store also has a nice sitting area with a sofa, so Dad sat and did e-mail on his Blackberry while I wandered for an hour. To top off the very nice experience, my purchases were placed in a fabric-y shopping back printed with the store's logo and information. Nice touch, which also made it easy to slip the goodies into the space I'd saved in my suitcase. If you're in Indianapolis, I definitely recommend this shop. It's a teeny bit tricky to find, so be sure to look at the map on the web site.

I'll stop here, because I have to do another post with my information for Hogwarts Sock Swap Two (I have been reading the blog for Swap One and was excited to get on board for Two). I really will try to be a better blogger, with pictures and everything.

Oy, I'm a bad knitblogger

It's another No New Photos post, but I was feeling guilty for not updating in nearly a month!

What I'm Knitting

My Yarn Pirate merino/tencel "Daisy" socks are finished. Lovely, shiny yarn in very happy summer colors. I'm pleased.

I finished Sock #1 of my sKNITches, Cherry Tree Hill Jaywalkers, Socks That Rock Monkey, and Socks That Rock Inside Out pairs. Yay, me! Jaywalker #2 is nearly finished, Monkey #2 has ribbing and one pattern repeat, and Inside Out #2 has a toe and three inches of foot. Progress is good.

The Fleece Artist "Parrot" sock got too boring to deal with, so it's in Time Out for a while. I've been sewing in ends of the Sushi Wallet sushis whenever I think of it, but each little sushi has six ends and has to be sewn nicely to lie flat, so they're a bit fiddly. The Berocco Suede and its complete lack of elasticity started to bug my hands, so the pink/green/tan bag is on hold for a little while.

My latest new project is a lace-front mitered square tank top in Elann's Sonata Print yarn. The free sweater pattern is here, and I'm using the Rose Garden colorway. The yarn is nice--it's pretty much the exact same yarn as all of the expensive cottons (Cotton Classic, etc.), at least as far as I can tell. I love mitered squares to start with, and this pattern really makes the most out of the variegation in the yarn. The colors are nicely mixed and jumbled with no pooling or stripeyness. The shaping is cool, too. The tank laces in the front, so it's all done in one long wraparound piece. You knit seven rows of squares on one size needle (starting at the bust and working down, effectively), then three more rows in increasing needle sizes. You then turn the whole thing over and work squares and triangles upward to make the straps. I'm tall, and my squares seem just a little on the small side, so there's a good chance I'll add a row or two of squares. I bought enough to make the Pacific Waves Shawl (which is actually shown in the color of my yarn). I can always cannibalize that for more tank top yarn if I need it.

Miters make it feel like you're really getting somewhere. At my writing group meeting last night, I got about ten squares knitted! The whole sweater will take a while, but each little square is its own miniature finished object.

Ah, the psychology of knitting.

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Last Saturday, I went to the festival with Alison. She drove, which was great (thanks again, Ali!). I Jaywalker knitted all the way there. We were in line at The Fold's booth (for Socks That Rock) before 8:30. I was relatively good--I was only there for colorways BMFA doesn't have on its site now and for something Mom Appropriate. I got both.

One BMFA note--Even though some colors aren't on their site, no colors are actually officially retired, and they may come back if Tina decides to dye them again (this is not necessarily true of sock club colors, I believe). I've been really good and still haven't ordered any more STR since the new colors went up.

Other Festival goodies.... New Golding spindles--one laceweight, one heavier. I had been craving this one for years and finally got it. I got some pale blue merino to spin, one skein of sock yarn from Tess', two little felting kits to do for my mom (strawberries, for her kitchen), alpaca socks and honey for my dad (early Father's Day gifts), a bit of Suri alpaca roving from A Paca Fun Farm, one ounce of violently brightly dyed Wensleydale wool and one ounce of matching merino/Tencel from Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm (I will probably ply them together or make something half in one and half in the other), some blue/turquoise thick and thin cotton yarn for a tee shirt sweater, one skein of laceweight Cherry Tree Hill merino, a nightshirt with sheep on it, a pair of socks with sheep, and at least one other random thing I'm forgetting.

I did use some restraint, believe it or not. I mean, I didn't go home with an alpaca or an angora rabbit or anything! Miss Nell Cat would not approve, nor would the apartment management company. I do have a fiber festival rule--I don't buy things I know I can get from one of the four (!) local yarn shops I frequent or from an online retailer I already shop with. I try to stick to the unique, the handpainted, the leaps-out-and-grabs-me.

Stitches East

Registration for Stitches East opens on Monday. I'm trying to decide if I should sign up for classes. I went in 2005 and took two six-hour classes with Beth Brown-Reinsel (Fair Isle Tams and Arans in the Round). Beth was awesome, and the classes were great. I told her it was my all-Beth Stitches, because the only other thing I did was shop! So, this year, what is the number one class on my list? A 12-hour (!!!) Beth class called Construction Techniques for Fair Isle. I am seriously thinking I should take it. I've thought for years about tackling a Fair Isle sweater, but I know I could use the confidence building this kind of class would give me.

If I don't take that class, maybe I'll go for Beth Walker's Aran, Fair Isle, Norwegian, and Bavarian classes. All four are methods/styles I want to do more of. I might take the Bavarian even if I take the Construction Techniques 12-hour. Decisions, decisions.

The good thing is that, at least in theory, I can stay with my parents and drive up to Baltimore each day. I say "theory" because it's still an hour-plus drive each way, plus the un-fun of Baltimore parking. I need to look into the possibility of light rail (stay with parents, drive to rail).

New photos!

I promised them, and here they are. I forgot (again) to take pics of my Cleopatra sock, but the rest of what I wrote about are shown below. The Milinda Pullover needs some more lace repeats before it's ready for its closeup.

The Yarn Pirate merino/tencel Daisy colorway, SKS Bluebell Lace ribbed pattern:

My as-yet-unfelted Sushi Wallet, with its cute little sushi tray package and zipper condiment packet included. Yes, that's all leftover yarn (except the little bit of red it'll take to sew up the sides). Know what's funny? I've never tried sushi.
I had prominsed myself I wouldn't start any more socks until I finished at least one pair. I violated that today, because Michelle at The Sweet Sheep started a Monkey sock knitalong. See Michelle's blog for more information. I couldn't get a very good photo, but this is my Monkey two repeats (after casting on at the end of an episode of BBC's Robin Hood and watching one episode of House). It's Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in Little Bunny Foo Foo, knitted on size 2 Inox dpns. This yarn is totally a milk chocolate Easter bunny with a pink ribbon bow! I figured that a shaded brown was a great compliment to a pattern named Monkey. Trust me, it's a whole lot prettier in person, largely because it will benefit a lot from blocking. The pattern is fun and very easily memorized.
My generic stockinette Fleece Artist Parrot sock continues to grow...
...as does my Cherry Tree Hill Gypsy Rose Jaywalker.

This is my Y2Knit Sling Bag in Berroco Suede:

Last but not least, here is a preliminary shot of my Ripples Top. I believe the yarn is Capri, a cotton/rayon blend from the nice ladies at Wool In The Woods. The color is discontinued--I got a bargain bag for a very nice price, and it was the perfect amount for this sweater. I took a bias knitting class with Missy and Anita (the WITW owners) at Knitters' Day Out, and they were a hoot and a half. I have their felted Duchess Bag kit to knit. The colors in the sweater below are really soft and pretty. The rayon is sort of twisted in with the cotton, giving the whole thing a very subtle sheen.

Sigh--Blue Moon provided a lovely colorway update just in time for my birthday (which was yesterday). Not a good thing when I'm already feeling self-indulgent. Stop me before I rock my socks again!

I promise new photos soon!

I really have been knitting, but it seems like I'm never home when it's light outside. My first Cleopatra sock is all knitted and just needs finishing (sewing in ends, sewing down bits). It has some challenging parts, so I'm taking a little break from the pattern before I start the second sock.

Jaywalker #1 has at least half of its foot done now. Still pretty, still fits well.

sKNITches sock has a heel and an inch of cuff. You can't see it in the earlier photo, but both the lavender and the purple have subtle shadings. The yellow-green looks like it should glow in the dark. I've decided that if you coated Knit Picks pointy dpns with the non-stick stuff that's on Inox dpns, you'd create the Absolutely Perfect DPN.

I haven't made any more progress on the All Things Heather butterfly sock. It's at SO fine a gauge that one pattern repeat seems to take ages. Temporarily back-burnered.

The second Inside Out sock is about three or four inches long. I needed a break from all that ribbing, so it's been languishing, too. I think part of it is also color. I felt a need for Project Spectrum-y pinks, greens, and yellows, so I've been indulging in them.

The Fleece Artist Parrot sock has a heel and half a gusset. I worked on it while in line last night at the post office (mailing my taxes), but I only got four rounds done! The line moved amazingly fast.

Still-unphotographed Daisy Sock #1 is completely done, and Daisy #2 is two inches along.

The Ripples Top? Done except for sewing in the yarn ends. I think it used at least six skeins of yarn, a couple of which had knot joins in them, so there seem to be zillions of ends. I need to finish sewing so I can block and wear it! Of course, the weather has been nuts here in Virginia.

Yesterday was my birthday. I had never before seen SLEET on my birthday! Bizarre.

I did take a break from socks....I have done some work on a really cute bag kit from Y2Knit. I bought the kit at Knitters' Day Out last September and have worked on it a little bit off and on. I discovered once again that Berroco Suede has so little give that my hands hurt after I work with it for a while. Last night, I did all of the knitting for a Sushi Wallet while I watched part of the History Channel's show about the French Revolution (maybe it's my medievalist's training, but the FR still ticks me off. It all went way too far). I need to sew up the parts and felt them. I may try hand-felting them in the sink, because my apartment building's washer does not allow me to use hot water, and I don't know when I'll visit Chez Parents next. My wallet is in the Burgundy, Pink, and Grass colors. I saw the Aqua, Sea Blue, and Celery kit when I bought mine at Springwater Fiber Workshop, but something about blue sushi is squicky to me. I'm making the six-little-sushies version. I think I actually have enough yarn left over to make a striped wallet too! I'll just need to get a zipper. If I run out of yarn, I have a bit of leftover Cascade 220 (which is what's in the kit) from another project, so I can throw in some black or more cream.

I also started a Milinda Pullover from White Lies Designs, using a gorgeous handpainted alpaca sportweight from Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm. I bought the yarn and the pattern at Stitches East 2005 and finally decided to start it. I'm using Lantern Moon straight needles for a change, and I like them a lot. The sweater pattern is lovely. If I worked on it and nothing else, I think it would go quite quickly.

Well, that's more than enough text without photos. I will try to get some up soon.

More Sensational Knitted Socks arrived!

I just picked it up from my apartment rental office this morning, so I only got to glance at it while stuck at an interminable traffic light on the way to work. I can say that I like what I've seen so far a Whole Lot!

I'm very ticked off, though, and mostly at myself. I slipped the book and some papers into my backpack to bring into the office. A little bit ago, I pulled it out to find that I'd snagged it on something when I put it in, leaving a CREASE across the lower back corner of my brand-new, virgin book. GRRRRRRR.

I'm finally done the gusset decreases on my first Jaywalker. I'll try to snap a photo later tonight, along with one of the Bluebell Lace (SKS) sock.

I was thinking about how little love I've been giving my lace-shawls-in-progress lately, so the other night I pulled out one to work on (Emerald Isle from www.goddessknits.com in Jaggerspun Zephyr, color Emerald) and put in about six rows. I hit a tangle in the yarn and ended up having to cut it out, so I did a sewn join for the first time. Naturally, because the universe works that way, not five rows later, there's an actual joining knot in my ball of yarn. Yay, another sewn join to do (sigh).

Then I remembered a sweater I started last year. While on the way to Knitters' Day Out 2005, my friend and I stopped at The Knitting Basket in Chambersburg, PA (we always stop there and at The Mannings). We spotted this bargain bag of Wool In The Woods cotton/rayon blend dyed in gorgeous watercolor shades of green, lavender, and blue. My friend held it up and said, "It's a bag of YOU!" I had to buy it, not least because it was 1) cheap and 2) enough for a T-shirt style sweater. I started knitting the Cabin Fever "Ripples Top" pattern (http://www.cabinfever.ca/P252.html) some time last year. After getting the whole body done (it's bottom-up, in the round to the armholes) and one shoulder sewn, I had set it aside, I think to do holiday knitting. Realizing the other night that 1) it's spring and I crave spring colors, 2) the darned sweater is nearly done, and 3) it would be nice to have a me-made sweater I'll actually wear, I pulled it out of Knitting Cold Storage. Last night, I sewed the second shoulder seam and picked up and knit the neckband. Now I only have two top-down in the round short sleeves, and it's done! The sweater's really cute, and it fits (yay for 3x1 ribbing, because the yarn is not at all stretchy and the ribbing gives it some shape).

I have more summery yarn to turn into a sweater. I have several skeins of Tess' Designer Yarns (http://home.gwi.net/~tessyarn/) microfiber ribbon in lovely deep turquoise to purple shading that I really need to knit up. I haven't decided what pattern to use, but I'm actually thinking about a second Ripples Top. I also have the Cabin Fever Tank Top pattern, but I don't wear tank tops without something over then (which explains why I still haven't worn the lovely Silky Wool Elsebeth Lavold tank I knitted last year). I will probably swatch the ribbon one Ripples is done.

Only five weeks until the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! Yay! I need to start my budgetary planning now.... I may have to impose a No Sock Yarn rule on my S&W purchasing. I can get enough of that during the rest of the year (and I have been).

Socks in Progress

Here are some of my works in progress. All socks this time. It's really hard to take photos of lace shawls in progress that don't make the knitting look like an unfortunate mess. I have a baby sweater knitted and partially assembled, but I need a nicer spot to lay it out for a photo than I can achieve at the moment. So, I give you socks with captions below each.

Plain stockinette toe-up knitted with instructions from Priscilla Gibson-Roberts's "Simple Socks Plain and Fancy." The yarn is self-striping in pale lime green, lilac, and grape. It's sKNITches, in a very fine (thin) merino, and I ordered it from http://thesweetsheep.com. I'm using size 0 Inox needles. This one's been back-burnered because I need to be careful about when I start the heel. I love the PGR short row toe and heel method, but the first pair I made with it came out too long.

The sock above is All Things Heather merino sock yarn in "Easter Basket." I love that happy pink, purple, and green combination. Seriously, just looking at this sock makes me smile. The pattern is an upsized-to-fit-me version of the Fiber Trends "Blossoms and Butterflies." I'm doing the butterfly lace. I had started the blossom version years ago with the Lorna's Laces "Happy Valley" that became my SKS Baby Cable Ribs pictured earlier, only to discover just how small the only size provided in the pattern is. Based on my gauge swatch and foot measurements, I added an entire lace repeat, and now it's going to fit perfectly. It's amazing what five additional years of knitting experience teach you, isn't it? Needles here are Susan Bates size 0s. The needles are fine, but I don't like the 8 inch length. I prefer the 6 inch Knit Picks and Inox. The yarn did some interesting pooling on the ribbing, but once I moved to the leg (which changed the stitch count), it started striping in a very pretty spiral.

Above are my Rockin' Sock Club (http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com) "Inside Out" socks (the colorway is called "Monsoon"). The foot of the first sock fits beautifully, but the cabled ribbing came out way too tight. I'm going to knit the second sock all the way (with a leg that fits) and then fix the leg of the first sock. These look very weird on the needles, but the fit and feel are very nice on the foot. Needles from Knit Picks--size 1 for toe and heel, size 0 for foot, size 1 for original leg, size 3 for planned leg that fits. Oh, and this shows the true colors of my yarn. Non-flash photos make the greys look purple, but this really is a camouflage-ish yarn.

Above is "Cleopatra," the first sock from the Flock Sock Club. The design is by the Tsarina of Tsocks (http://www.tsocktsarina.com/) and can still be ordered through vanCalcar Acres (http://www.nysfarm.com/) if the club isn't sold out. Be sure to check out the other Tsarina designs there--they are nifty, and two are on sale in March to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. For a photo of the Tsarina's finished Cleopatra, see http://www.tsocktsarina.com/blog/?p=43. So very nifty.

Even though I've been knitting socks for years and have made at least two dozen pairs I can think of off the top of my head, I hadn't tried a Jaywalker (http://magknits.com/Sept05/patterns/jaywalker.htm) until this week. I had heard that the pattern ran tighter than stated, and I didn't want to adjust it. Well, a few days ago, I decided to jump in without thinking too hard about it. I started the larger size, and it's working out perfectly. I didn't check gauge before starting, because I half expected to have to rip the sock after a couple of inches, so I considered that my swatch. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill "Gypsy Rose," ordered from The Loopy Ewe (http://www.theloopyewe.com, tell Sheri I sent you). I liked the yarn in the photo there, but when I got it I was disappointed. It just looked odd in the skein (mind you, I love red and purple and grey, but it looked icky at first). I have to say that the sock is making me happy--it looks just how I was hoping it would. Yay! The only unfortunate thing is that it's a *little* too close to Red Hat Society-ness. I have nearly 20 years until I hit that demographic, thanks. The sock is on Knit Picks size 1 needles.

I started the Jaywalker on Wednesday evening, which is when I took the above photo. Last night, I got the rest of the leg and the entire heel knitted. Tonight, I picked up and started the gusset area, but then I had to start doing swatches for a class tomorrow. My knitting guild (Prince William Purlers of Northern Virginia) is hosting two classes with instructor Margaret Fisher (http://mysite.verizon.net/vzer0pd4/welcome.htm). We had her in last year, and the classes were a lot of fun.

Why, yes, I do own five sets of KP size 1s. And three sets each of 0s and 2s. Only one set of 3s, which I got to use with a hand-dyed cotton-and-stretch yarn but will press into service for the Inside Out cuffs first. I do need to get to those cotton socks so I have more for summer.

This sock (the last for tonight, I promise) is a basic stockinette top-down. My generic sock pattern is Ann Norling's. I used to do nearly everything on 64 stitches on size 2 needles, but I have converted to size 1s for standard sock weight yarn, so I had to switch to 68 stitches to accomodate the gauge difference. This sock is on Knit Picks 1s. The yarn is Fleece Artist "Parrot" from The Loopy Ewe. Nice yarn with good feel (similar twist to Socks that Rock or Cherry Tree Hill, but a fuzzier surface) and nice saturated color. This colorway is an interesting blend of screamingly bright red with pastel blue, green, and creamy yellow. I included both flash and non-flash photos because the true colors are somewhere in between. This is my "knitting while stuck in traffic" sock of choice because it's pretty mindless. I do have the heel flap knitted now.

Two in-progress socks are missing from the ranks above--a boring top-down ribbed sock in Knit Picks Essential "Midnight" for Mom (so boring I can barely make myself do even a single round on it) and a lovely Sensational Knitted Socks "Bluebell Lace" one in yummy shiny merino/tencel Yarn Pirate "Daisy" colorway (white, green, yellow, orange) from The Loopy Ewe (Georgia's own site is http://www.yarnpirate.com/, and you can see the Daisy colorway in superwash merino at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yarnpirate/400362420/). I'm down past the gusset on the first sock. I need to photograph that one outside, because the yarn is too shiny to show well with the flash.

I'll leave you now with Extreme Kitty Cuteness, courtesy of Miss Nell Cat, my resident feline lapwarmer/bedwarmer. Behold the cuteness that is the slightly fuzzy extreme closeup, followed by the cuteness of the face washing.

More finished socks!

I've been a sock-knitting machine for the past week. Tonight, I finished my Baby Cable Rib socks. The pattern is from Sensational Knitted Socks, and the yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Happy Valley," which may be a discontinued colorway by now. I've had the yarn for probably three years. I finished the first sock in November and started the second soon after, but then I snapped a needle (size 1 Brittany birch dpn--it broke right where the "1" is stamped in) and had to get more before I could finish the pair.

On to the photos! They're better this time. The first shows the colors more accurately, while the second shows the pattern more clearly.

And these are detailed shots of the cute little faux cable (it's actually a right twist--K2tog, leaving sts. on needle, K first stitch again). It was an easy pattern, but the skinny wooden needles got really flexible as the knitting went on. I think I'll be sticking to metal (or occasionally bamboo) needles for sizes under 2.

I do like the very embossed look of this pattern. Unlike traditional cables, it's stretchy just like standard K2 P2 ribbing.

I'm trying to decide which pattern from SKS to knit next. Most of my yarns are variegated hand-dyes or self-patterning mass-market stuff, so heavy patterns don't always work.

My next post might be some knits-in-progress. I do need to finish that second Cedar Creek sock before my knitting guild meeting on 5 March....

Look! It's an actual post! I had to--I promised Alison.

I apologize in advance that the photos aren't great. I'm still learning to do closeups with my camera, and it's hard to find a place in my apartment to stage said closeups. I ended up using clips and hangers to suspend the socks on the bathroom door. It turned out to be a little too reflective, but the carpeting is a little too beige. Experiments will continue.

I finished these socks a while ago, but I just sewed the buttons on tonight. They are Rock and Weave socks, pattern and yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The yarn is Socks That Rock mediumweight in "Jingle Bell Rock." Fantastic yarn, incredible colors, and a fun pattern. The cuffs are knitted in linen stitch with a picot bind-off, then stitches are picked up and knitted down to the toe like normal.

I found some very cute daisy-ish buttons to use on the cuffs. Daisies are my birthflowers (April baby), and they always make me happy. These are very happy socks and deserved happy buttons.

The next pair, finished last night, are in All Things Heather merino yarn (sportweight), colorway "Wicked," purchased from The Sweet Sheep. It's a really gorgeous, unusual hand-dye. The pattern is the generic toe-up feather and fan from WendyKnits adapted to thicker yarn and size 2 needles (from KnitPicks, whose 2s are a bigger than European/Japanese 2s). I used 56 stitches.

My goal was for these to be Valentine's Day socks. I didn't get to wear them on V-Day, but I did *finish* them on V-Day! Besides, I was iced in and worked from home, so nobody would have seen them.

Because of the colors and the finishing date, I have decided to dub these my "St. Valentine's Day Massacre Socks." :-)

I have the first sock and one inch of the second in another Blue Moon colorway and pattern (in their lightweight STR this time), and I was going to keep working on that second sock, but I realized that my coworker whose first baby is due on March 5 may not be in the office much longer. Baby girl to be needs booties! I have almost finished a baby sock in leftover Opal Petticoat yarn. If I have time, I'll make a few pairs in different leftover yarns. And then there's that Baby Surprise jacket I knitted on a whim a couple of years ago....it's in a girly variegated acrylic, and everyone in my family has been having boy babies. The sweater just needs seams and buttons....

First post!

I *had* planned to start this blog with a Finished Object photo, but that will have to wait until I get a decent picture of my Great Cosmos shawl.