Froggin'

I just started my first sock-club's socks. The yarn is fabulous. It's from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, and I won't spoil anything by posting colors, weight or any other details.

That said, I finished the ribbing on both socks (I'm knitting on two sets of DPNs and doing each section in series, so.. rib, rib, leg, leg, heel, heel, etc). The colorway has pooled something awful. That means that even though the colors vary through the yarn, similar colors are "stacking" up on one side, and the rest are striping on the other. The first sock looked like it might manage a slow spiral, but the second is an even slower spiral! And looking at the direction that spiral is moving, I think that's going to die with the addition of 2 stitches as I start on the leg.

I think I'll frog the pair of 'em and start over on smaller needles. There goes a good hour's work! Oh, well. We had a good bedtime with the kids tonight, so that made for some nice quiet knitting time for me. Hopefully I'll get some time again tomorrow.

Puppy In Hat

Puppy In Hat
Originally uploaded by Project Pictures

After finishing my Little Twisted Socks, I knew I had one more thing that absolutely needed to be completed before I could wind up my Socks That Rock yarn and get going on that project. Here it is...

The lovely two-tone, intarsia-in-the-round baby hat, created by Fidget on Ravelry.com. She didn't have a pattern for it, but was happy to PM back-and-forth on a couple of points, and then I just improvised using her finished-object pictures as my 'pattern'. I also relied heavily on an article I found on let me explaiKnit's blog. I didn't get the hat knit exactly as Fidget did it, but I did knit it on a circular needle, in the round. The front color join is done by wrapping the yarn, and the back is managed using the yarn-over method.

If I must say so myself, the hat is cute as a button. I used Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo yarn (80% bamboo, 20% wool). It's made for an August newborn, and hopefully Mommy and Daddy will love it as much as I do. And baby, too, of course!

Little Twisted Socks

Little Twisted Socks detail
Originally uploaded by Project Pictures

My Little Twisted Socks are done! Just in time to start a new project--Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Socks that Rock".

The STR package arrived today, and I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, but it's gorgeous and I can't wait to give it a try.

I'm going to work the next pair of socks simultaneously, although not two-on-two-circulars. I was able to keep the first pair of socks I'd ever done even by swapping them on and off of my 'good' bamboo needles after each stage (cuff, leg, heel-flap, heel, foot, toe) leaving the other on some cheep metal needles while resting. I didn't do that for the Twisted socks, and my second sock is a wee bit smaller and (to my eyes) obviously knit more tightly. Ooops! I guess my gauge got smaller as I got excited to finish.

It's not tragic. Both socks fit, and you have to look pretty hard to see the difference. I just know it's there and it will probably always bug me just a little bit (kind of like the mistake on one heel that no-one will ever see unless I point it out will bug me, but not so badly I want to frog 'em and start over!!).

In the end, it's a gorgeous pair of socks. And I'm going to have more gorgeous socks! How wonderful!

Secret Santa Project

Reynolds Soft Sea Wool
Originally uploaded by Project Pictures

This year (that is to say merely a month ago, but in 2007) I participated in a Secret Santa exchange through Ravelry.com. It was wonderfully well run and I was overjoyed to get my hands on some yarn I'd never seen before. In fact, I've been all over town since, and have been completely unable to find Reynolds' Soft Sea Wool.

It's a shame I can't get it locally, since it's really lovely and sproingy. I've started knitting a pair of socks designed by Debbie O'Neil called "A Little Twisted Socks" which are intended to introduce the knitter to twisted stitches.

And it's "so far so good". I'm a couple inches in, and being able to get the mini-cables to twist just fine. I'm not doing it exactly as the instructions suggest, but that's hardly important since the method I am using makes me comfortable and reasonably quick (and, of course, twists the stitches properly).

More pictures to come, eventually.

It's done! It's done!

Sugarplum Shrug, front
Originally uploaded by Project Pictures

So, here is my very first sweater, ever. And only my second knitted-lace project. And I just LOVE it!

The alpaca is buttery soft and warm as well. I like it much better than the Rowan Kidsilk Aura that was suggested for the pattern. I think that much fuzz would have driven me batty. I can't even stand to have my own hair loose around my face.

I'm thrilled to get it done. Now I'm on to knitting my Little Twisted Socks, and maybe a hat out of the only handspun I've ever done.

Sugarplum Shrug, blocking

Sugarplum Shrug, blocking
Originally uploaded by Project Pictures

Oh, I'm so excited! I'm blocking it! Yay!

The diamond-lace edging is done and I blocked it out on my ironing board, so I'm down to piecing this together once the body is dry. Right now it's pinned out on my living room floor with a fan on it to speed up the process.

I'm looking forward to shrugging it on, tomorrow!

Shrug, Troix

The main body is done! I bound off about 10 minutes ago, and then spent the rest of the time running my hands happily over the soft cloth. The next step is the edgings, which feel like they could take as long as the rest of the work! We'll see.

I'll have to figure out a new goal, as well, since getting merely one pattern repeat done each night won't get me anywhere for at least a month, and I'd really love to wear the shrug before the weather turns.

Here's hoping!

Shrug, Part Deux

The shrug is going really fast! I have a goal of at least one full repeat of the pattern each evening, and that's going well. It's also nice that I feel comfortable putting it down after that one repeat, rather than feeling driven by it. Tomorrow I'm on my last full repeat, and then I go back to the more narrow width, which should finish even faster.

Then I get to knit the diamond-border for the whole thing. I have a feeling that will take longer than I think.

Sugarplum Shrug lace pattern

Sugarplum Shrug lace pattern
Originally uploaded by Project Pictures

I'm maybe 50% into my Sugarplum Shrug from Interweave Knits' Holiday Gifts 2007 and I'm still loving it. The yarn feels almost buttery between my fingers, and I like to pull out what I have done and just run my hand over it.

I'm feeling a bit apprehensive over some wording in the pattern, tho. The pattern starts at one width, goes for about 4", and then you cast on more stitches and continue in pattern for a while. The instructions say to go about 17" from the cast-on, but it doesn't specify if that's the original cast on edge, or the secondary cast-on edge. I'm leaning towards 17" from the beginning of the work, but I'm hoping for some feedback on Ravelry.com to give me more confidence in that.

At any rate I have a couple more repeats before hitting my first 17" mark, and that should take about two days. I'll figure it out then, hopefully!