Constant distractions are the name of the game lately. My DD (3.5 years) and DS (almost 1.5 years) have been wonderful. They have also been wonderful distractions. For the second time in two days I have found a major error in my Cleopatra's Stockings.
This is a beautiful pattern married with some truly lovely yarn in shades of blue and purple. Traveling stitches cross and recross up the instep and the back of the leg reminiscent of ribbons laced around the foot in ancient sandals. At my Monday night knitting group I got to the top of one of the crossings and found I had one spare stitch on one side and three spare stitches on the other. Ack!
After some diagnosis, I determined the error.. over twelve rows back. (Actually I'm still not sure exactly what I did wrong, but I know exactly where it was.) Since this pattern uses traveling stitches and this error offset those twisted stitches, my problem crossed over almost 14 stitches in those twelve rows.. one entire DPN. I winced at the mere thought of dropping an entire DPN back twelve rows and pulling back up stitches on these teeny-tiny-size-0 needles. Furthermore, not only was the problem going to involve a massive amount of re-knitting on that one panel of the sock, but because I am doing this on two sets of DPNs at the same time, I made the same mistake ON BOTH SOCKS. Horror! Maybe it would make sense to drop back that much for a sweater, but these are socks. How much are people really going to notice?
If it had been a smaller mistake, I might have tried to cover it up. I fussed at it for fifteen minutes, trying to figure out if I could twist one stitch over two to make up the difference or some other 'fix', and just couldn't get it to work. That angle was just wrong. It was going to show and it was going to bother me every time I wore the socks. So I pulled out my super-small needles (one set of 00's and one set of 000's) and wove them into the row just before the problem.... and then ripped out a couple hours of work. Whee.
Then yesterday, as I closed in on getting back to where I had been before Monday night, I found I had knit in yet another mistake. This time it was only one side of one sock over eight stitches. I grabbed a spare needle and laced it down the lower edge of the traveling stitches (to save me pulling up those stitches) and then dropped out the rest and knit them back up. I wish I had taken a picture of all the loops of hanging yarn and extra needles stuck in every which way. It was impressive if I have to say so myself. The gauge is just a wee bit wonky through that section, but I think it's going to pull itself nice and even after one wearing of the sock.
After this practice "tinking" I'm feeling rather proud of myself. My knitting friends think I'm a bit crazy. I'm earning a title of "process knitter", "perfectionist", "OCD", or perhaps just flat-out insane. I just know that I like for it to be correct, and I'm willing to practice any skill that will let me get it that way.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Sweet Stockinette Slippers
To keep things a bit more organized I've decided to move this to its own post. I fell in love with Sockpixie's Magic Slippers, but purling in the round drove me nuts. I decided to convert her pattern to (nearly) all knitting. There is one round of purling to accent the change from the sole to the uppers.
Here is my version:
Sweet Stockinette Slippers
Suggested Yarn: Approximately 1/2 oz fingering weight
Gauge: 7-8 sts/inch in stockinette stitch
Needles: Size 1 (2.25mm)
Note that the sole is knit in garter stitch, knitting back and forth, but the upper is knit stockinette in the round. If you need a bigger bootie, knit a longer sole and pick up as many more stitches at the transition as are needed.
Sole:
Long-tail cast on 7 stitches and knit 2 rows.
Repeat the next 2 rows until you have 15 stitches.
R1: K1, K1f&B, knit till 3 stitches are left, K1f&B, K2
R2: Knit
Knit even in garter stitch until work measures 2 1/2 inches from cast-on (30 rows)
Repeat the next 2 rows until you have 5 stitches left.
R1: K1, K2TOG, knit till 3 stitches are left, K2TOG, K1
R2: Knit
Transition:
Keep the remaining 5 stitches on your needle. Pick up and knit to a total of 60 stitches.
I use 4 dpns. I usually distribute the stitches for the upper in this manner:
3 (of the 5 sole sts) + 12 (from side) = 15
12 (from side) + 3 (pick up from toe) = 15
3 (pick up from toe) + 12 (from side) = 15
12 (from side) + 2 (of the 5 sole sts) + 1 (pick up between last 2 and next 3 of the remaining sts, this puts yarn in center of the heel) = 15
You'll notice this gives you 30 stitches per side, evenly divided from the center of the toe and heel.
Once you have all the stitches set up as you like, purl one round to transition from the garter-stitch sole to the stockinette upper.
Upper:
R1 (and all odd rounds): Knit
R2: K24, K2TOG, K8, SSK, K24
R4: K23, K2TOG, K8, SSK, K23
R6: K22, K2TOG, K8, SSK, K22
R8: K21, (K2TOG 3 times), (SSK 3 times), K21
R10: K18, (K2TOG 3 times), (SSK 3 times), K18
R12: K15, (K2TOG 3 times), (SSK 3 times), K15
R14: Bind off knitwise with lace bind-off.
(Knit first stitch, knit second stitch, slide left needle into the front of both stitches on the right needle and knit together. Continue until one stitch is left on the right needle. Pick up and knit from underneath the first bound-off stitch. Pass the second stitch over the new one. Pull the loop out long and cut a tail. Sew in end.)
Here is my version:
Suggested Yarn: Approximately 1/2 oz fingering weight
Gauge: 7-8 sts/inch in stockinette stitch
Needles: Size 1 (2.25mm)
Note that the sole is knit in garter stitch, knitting back and forth, but the upper is knit stockinette in the round. If you need a bigger bootie, knit a longer sole and pick up as many more stitches at the transition as are needed.
Sole:
Long-tail cast on 7 stitches and knit 2 rows.
Repeat the next 2 rows until you have 15 stitches.
R1: K1, K1f&B, knit till 3 stitches are left, K1f&B, K2
R2: Knit
Knit even in garter stitch until work measures 2 1/2 inches from cast-on (30 rows)
Repeat the next 2 rows until you have 5 stitches left.
R1: K1, K2TOG, knit till 3 stitches are left, K2TOG, K1
R2: Knit
Transition:
Keep the remaining 5 stitches on your needle. Pick up and knit to a total of 60 stitches.
I use 4 dpns. I usually distribute the stitches for the upper in this manner:
3 (of the 5 sole sts) + 12 (from side) = 15
12 (from side) + 3 (pick up from toe) = 15
3 (pick up from toe) + 12 (from side) = 15
12 (from side) + 2 (of the 5 sole sts) + 1 (pick up between last 2 and next 3 of the remaining sts, this puts yarn in center of the heel) = 15
You'll notice this gives you 30 stitches per side, evenly divided from the center of the toe and heel.
Once you have all the stitches set up as you like, purl one round to transition from the garter-stitch sole to the stockinette upper.
Upper:
R1 (and all odd rounds): Knit
R2: K24, K2TOG, K8, SSK, K24
R4: K23, K2TOG, K8, SSK, K23
R6: K22, K2TOG, K8, SSK, K22
R8: K21, (K2TOG 3 times), (SSK 3 times), K21
R10: K18, (K2TOG 3 times), (SSK 3 times), K18
R12: K15, (K2TOG 3 times), (SSK 3 times), K15
R14: Bind off knitwise with lace bind-off.
(Knit first stitch, knit second stitch, slide left needle into the front of both stitches on the right needle and knit together. Continue until one stitch is left on the right needle. Pick up and knit from underneath the first bound-off stitch. Pass the second stitch over the new one. Pull the loop out long and cut a tail. Sew in end.)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Spoiler Warning
I've added pictures of the finished project to Flickr. I have buried them deep in my photostream and added them in a new group (called "Spoilers") and unless you want to spoil your Christmas gift... DON'T PEEK!!
For everyone else... This is a great project. The pattern is lovely. The yarn is scrumptious. I blocked it twice to get it PERFECT. Yum.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Goodness, gracious.. I got it DONE!
Last week I had a very nice time working on a couple of projects while my DH was away on business. It was a fortunate happenstance, in that I over-committed myself to Ravelympics projects, and having several hours a night to myself to knit made it possible to finish my booties, hat, shawl and washcloths.
That left the sweater.
I originally added the sweater as an afterthought on August 7th (all projects needed to be in by August 8th) as a "just in case" idea. After that I figured I should have added my Christmas knitting as a "WIP Wrestling" entry and finished it up. But as I had not, and this was in the queue, I went for it instead.
The yarn for this project was purchased at Stitches With Style in Newark, Delaware. If you're ever in the area, GO THERE. It is a wonderful store with a huge selection and crazy-friendly people. I had a great time knitting there while we were visiting our family. (I was given a "mom's afternoon off" and that's where I chose to go--a lucky pick on my part from a Google search on the area.) At any rate, when browsing through their selection I came across a pile of kits put together in Ziploc bags. Each included a book (Baby Cashmerino 2, by Debbie Bliss) and enough yarn for a particular project out of that book. In this case it was three balls of cream and three balls of coral-pink Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn (Merino, microfiber, cashmere blend). And this stuff is just dreamy to touch.
I had knit up my practice-socks from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters using a ball of periwinkle-colored Baby Cashmerino I had picked up on sale, so I knew it was lovely and fun to use. I also want to knit a couple of sweaters for myself, but I'm leery of starting one while I'm still loosing weight. A baby sweater seemed like a fun place to start, and the price was right for the kit.
I used a cabled cast-on to start each piece. After knitting the back, I realized that if I "cheated" I could save myself some weaving in of the ends. So on subsequent pieces I cast on and then knit the first row the opposite way instead of exactly following the directions (knits for purls and vice versa). When done this way, your first row is actually the right (front) side of the work, rather than the wrong (back) side.
This let me slide the whole thing across my circular needle and start again with the right-side-facing on the second row. This is important because on the second row, you switch to the main color and knit five rows. If you don't get tricky like I did, your two ends of yarn are on opposite sides and you'll have to cut the CC to start the next row. Instead I was able to bring the CC up the side and just begin knitting the stripes.
The back, left front, right front, and sleeves are knit separately and then joined together with mattress stitch. I was pretty pleased that I wove in ends and blocked as I went along. Basically each day I knit one section, wove in ends as I went along wherever possible, and then soaked it through and stretched it out to block overnight. I ended up with a towel filled with pinned-out pieces all ready to be put together.
Once the front and back are joined at the shoulders, you pick up the appropriate number of stitches and knit the collar and button-band, then set in the sleeves. The "appropriate number" of stitches is a pain in the rear to spread out evenly across the front of the work. I resorted to math and a spread-sheet to plot out when I needed to skip a row in picking up stitches to make it all match up evenly. Then I had to DO it and that involved pulling out picked up stitches a few times until I got everything even.
I moved the button holes up two stitches from the bottom because it felt like the lowest one fell awfully close to the edge of the work. We'll see how that works out over time.
And last, I ended up ripping out my collar's bind-off. I tried a lace-bind-off first. After laying out the completed cardigan I was extremely unhappy that the very-stretchy bind off was bulkier than the ribbing, and made it fan and ripple. I went back and put a simple slipped-stitch bind off instead. It's very clean and looks lovely.
I got done just under the deadline to finish things for the Ravelympics. My post is up, and my Olympic knitting is done! Now back to our scheduled projects for the year!
That left the sweater.
I originally added the sweater as an afterthought on August 7th (all projects needed to be in by August 8th) as a "just in case" idea. After that I figured I should have added my Christmas knitting as a "WIP Wrestling" entry and finished it up. But as I had not, and this was in the queue, I went for it instead.
The yarn for this project was purchased at Stitches With Style in Newark, Delaware. If you're ever in the area, GO THERE. It is a wonderful store with a huge selection and crazy-friendly people. I had a great time knitting there while we were visiting our family. (I was given a "mom's afternoon off" and that's where I chose to go--a lucky pick on my part from a Google search on the area.) At any rate, when browsing through their selection I came across a pile of kits put together in Ziploc bags. Each included a book (Baby Cashmerino 2, by Debbie Bliss) and enough yarn for a particular project out of that book. In this case it was three balls of cream and three balls of coral-pink Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn (Merino, microfiber, cashmere blend). And this stuff is just dreamy to touch.
I had knit up my practice-socks from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters using a ball of periwinkle-colored Baby Cashmerino I had picked up on sale, so I knew it was lovely and fun to use. I also want to knit a couple of sweaters for myself, but I'm leery of starting one while I'm still loosing weight. A baby sweater seemed like a fun place to start, and the price was right for the kit.
I used a cabled cast-on to start each piece. After knitting the back, I realized that if I "cheated" I could save myself some weaving in of the ends. So on subsequent pieces I cast on and then knit the first row the opposite way instead of exactly following the directions (knits for purls and vice versa). When done this way, your first row is actually the right (front) side of the work, rather than the wrong (back) side.
This let me slide the whole thing across my circular needle and start again with the right-side-facing on the second row. This is important because on the second row, you switch to the main color and knit five rows. If you don't get tricky like I did, your two ends of yarn are on opposite sides and you'll have to cut the CC to start the next row. Instead I was able to bring the CC up the side and just begin knitting the stripes.
The back, left front, right front, and sleeves are knit separately and then joined together with mattress stitch. I was pretty pleased that I wove in ends and blocked as I went along. Basically each day I knit one section, wove in ends as I went along wherever possible, and then soaked it through and stretched it out to block overnight. I ended up with a towel filled with pinned-out pieces all ready to be put together.
Once the front and back are joined at the shoulders, you pick up the appropriate number of stitches and knit the collar and button-band, then set in the sleeves. The "appropriate number" of stitches is a pain in the rear to spread out evenly across the front of the work. I resorted to math and a spread-sheet to plot out when I needed to skip a row in picking up stitches to make it all match up evenly. Then I had to DO it and that involved pulling out picked up stitches a few times until I got everything even.
I moved the button holes up two stitches from the bottom because it felt like the lowest one fell awfully close to the edge of the work. We'll see how that works out over time.
And last, I ended up ripping out my collar's bind-off. I tried a lace-bind-off first. After laying out the completed cardigan I was extremely unhappy that the very-stretchy bind off was bulkier than the ribbing, and made it fan and ripple. I went back and put a simple slipped-stitch bind off instead. It's very clean and looks lovely.
I got done just under the deadline to finish things for the Ravelympics. My post is up, and my Olympic knitting is done! Now back to our scheduled projects for the year!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Leafy greens!
Admittedly not my favorite vegetable to eat (give me green beans or broccoli first, any day!) This is one pretty, leafy-green hat! The pattern is Knitty's Foliage, with a number of modifications of my own, of course.
For starters, this hat is not knit with bulky or worsted-weight yarn as the pattern calls for, but with the leftover Mediumweight Socks That Rock from my Leafling socks. That makes it a heavy fingering weight yarn, just short of DK. I did several gauge swatches, and put my math to use figuring out how to make this work.
I didn't have enough leftovers to double the yarn and knit as written, plus I was really hoping to take advantage of the very pretty color-shifts which I hoped would stripe. I could knit the pattern as written, but on US3s, and come up with a child's hat. The original states its finished size as 17" stretching to 24" (that's a dang stretchy hat!). My guestimating put the as-written-but-fingering-weight-version at about 15" (or less) but stretching back to 19".
My other option was to expand the crown chart, which I ended up doing in a spreadsheet. I ended up with 33 stitches per needle, down to 32 stitches per needle after the last row of the crown (you decrease one stitch per needle on the very last row--a detail I almost overlooked when reading the pattern). I repeated the lace-pattern three times for the body of the hat and... ran out of yarn!
A hurried plea to my sock-club's group on Ravelry yielded a kind gift of another person's left-over yarn (39 grams) to finish off the hat. In the meantime I worked on the Diamond Fantasy Shawl, finishing it up just as my emergency gift arrived. As I picked up the instructions to start up the hat again I noticed something odd--the decreases did not look the same as all those I had done before. I double-checked the instructions, knit a little more and scowled at myself. Slip one, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over.... yes. That matches. But it just doesn't look right .. what did I? Oh. Dear. Another project I had been working on just before the hat used a different double-decrease. Slip two as if to knit them together, knit one, and then pass both slipped stitches over the knit stitch... did that do it? Oh, yes. It did. Drat.
Rather than reknit the whole hat, I worked one round where every five stitches or so, I dropped one down and fixed my s1k2psso to the original decrease I used.
One more repeat of the lace pattern and I started the ribbing. For a while I toyed with doing a k2p2 rib. I really am not a fan of the "look" of a k1p1 rib. In the end I decided to stick with the pattern, mostly. I ended up extening the decreases of the lace-pattern into the ribbing. It's subtle but looks nice.
The body of the hat is just a tad long, but looks nice rolled in the front, framing my face a bit better than just a round-fit hat. I'm really pleased with the outcome and looking forward to sending my yarn-angel a little gift in thanks!
For starters, this hat is not knit with bulky or worsted-weight yarn as the pattern calls for, but with the leftover Mediumweight Socks That Rock from my Leafling socks. That makes it a heavy fingering weight yarn, just short of DK. I did several gauge swatches, and put my math to use figuring out how to make this work.
I didn't have enough leftovers to double the yarn and knit as written, plus I was really hoping to take advantage of the very pretty color-shifts which I hoped would stripe. I could knit the pattern as written, but on US3s, and come up with a child's hat. The original states its finished size as 17" stretching to 24" (that's a dang stretchy hat!). My guestimating put the as-written-but-fingering-weight-version at about 15" (or less) but stretching back to 19".
My other option was to expand the crown chart, which I ended up doing in a spreadsheet. I ended up with 33 stitches per needle, down to 32 stitches per needle after the last row of the crown (you decrease one stitch per needle on the very last row--a detail I almost overlooked when reading the pattern). I repeated the lace-pattern three times for the body of the hat and... ran out of yarn!
A hurried plea to my sock-club's group on Ravelry yielded a kind gift of another person's left-over yarn (39 grams) to finish off the hat. In the meantime I worked on the Diamond Fantasy Shawl, finishing it up just as my emergency gift arrived. As I picked up the instructions to start up the hat again I noticed something odd--the decreases did not look the same as all those I had done before. I double-checked the instructions, knit a little more and scowled at myself. Slip one, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over.... yes. That matches. But it just doesn't look right .. what did I? Oh. Dear. Another project I had been working on just before the hat used a different double-decrease. Slip two as if to knit them together, knit one, and then pass both slipped stitches over the knit stitch... did that do it? Oh, yes. It did. Drat.
Rather than reknit the whole hat, I worked one round where every five stitches or so, I dropped one down and fixed my s1k2psso to the original decrease I used.
One more repeat of the lace pattern and I started the ribbing. For a while I toyed with doing a k2p2 rib. I really am not a fan of the "look" of a k1p1 rib. In the end I decided to stick with the pattern, mostly. I ended up extening the decreases of the lace-pattern into the ribbing. It's subtle but looks nice.
The body of the hat is just a tad long, but looks nice rolled in the front, framing my face a bit better than just a round-fit hat. I'm really pleased with the outcome and looking forward to sending my yarn-angel a little gift in thanks!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The magic of blocking
You'll hear it time and again... blocking lace is pure magic. A (maybe) pretty tangle of color becomes a defined work, holding it's own shape through the process of some strange alchemy of water and wool and a whole lot of pins.
A triangular shawl is an odd sort of torture. Casting on, there are only a few stitches. The first few rows hum by, the pattern starting to take shape and you can happily see the finish line easily in sight. That finish line somehow retreats further and further into the distance with each row, with each measly little stitch added. Just two stitches. Every other row. Wait... now that's 24 stitches more per pattern repeat? And I have to do this six times (or ten for the whole shawl)?? 'Scuse me while I get out my calculator... ack!
And yet somehow, I made it to then end--and then had to do an I-cord bind-off! Well, that at least went faster than I thought it would and gives a very lovely edge.
The Rare Gems colorway I picked up at Black Sheep Gathering merged with the Diamond Fantasy pattern perfectly. It is a deep, dark black with deep dark purple over most of its length, but here and there a spark of coral-pink or white peeks through. Part of me really wanted to see it as a sock, but I think in the end the shawl was the right choice.
A triangular shawl is an odd sort of torture. Casting on, there are only a few stitches. The first few rows hum by, the pattern starting to take shape and you can happily see the finish line easily in sight. That finish line somehow retreats further and further into the distance with each row, with each measly little stitch added. Just two stitches. Every other row. Wait... now that's 24 stitches more per pattern repeat? And I have to do this six times (or ten for the whole shawl)?? 'Scuse me while I get out my calculator... ack!
And yet somehow, I made it to then end--and then had to do an I-cord bind-off! Well, that at least went faster than I thought it would and gives a very lovely edge.
The Rare Gems colorway I picked up at Black Sheep Gathering merged with the Diamond Fantasy pattern perfectly. It is a deep, dark black with deep dark purple over most of its length, but here and there a spark of coral-pink or white peeks through. Part of me really wanted to see it as a sock, but I think in the end the shawl was the right choice.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Diamond Fantasy Scarf
I just can't resist toting stuff out into the back yard when the weather is as lovely as it has been lately. The grass is a gorgeous green and quite thick and comfy for lounging (or taking pictures). The kids love playing around and I get a bit of knitting done--or not.
My next Ravelympic project is progressing nicely. It's amazing how much knitting you can get done when you have three hours without interruption every night. I haven't actually been knitting that whole time (things like dishes and housework do interfere). But since my DH is unavailable for distraction through this Friday, I'm sure to get lots more knitting done.
I have finished the initial chart and three more repeats of the pattern. There are three more repeats to go, for a total of six repeats of the pattern in the "scarf" size of this pattern. It would be ten repeats if I were making the entire shawl, but I don't have enough yarn for that. Each repeat increases by 24 stitches, so it's hard to say when you're half done. I've never been able to calculate that sort of thing in my head and it's not worth it to break out the heavy-hitting equations when I could just sit down and knit some more.
I'm looking forward to being finished and blocking this baby this weekend!
My next Ravelympic project is progressing nicely. It's amazing how much knitting you can get done when you have three hours without interruption every night. I haven't actually been knitting that whole time (things like dishes and housework do interfere). But since my DH is unavailable for distraction through this Friday, I'm sure to get lots more knitting done.
I have finished the initial chart and three more repeats of the pattern. There are three more repeats to go, for a total of six repeats of the pattern in the "scarf" size of this pattern. It would be ten repeats if I were making the entire shawl, but I don't have enough yarn for that. Each repeat increases by 24 stitches, so it's hard to say when you're half done. I've never been able to calculate that sort of thing in my head and it's not worth it to break out the heavy-hitting equations when I could just sit down and knit some more.
I'm looking forward to being finished and blocking this baby this weekend!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
So close to a FO...
This pattern is just knitting up wonderfully. I am using the Foliage pattern from Knitty.com. I'm using fingering weight yarn on size 3 needles (when the original pattern calls for worsted or bulky on 7s or bigger), and I expanded the chart for the crown another six rows without much effort. Eventually I may post that chart, here.
The yarn I'm using is a heavier fingering weight known as Socks That Rock Mediumweight. The colorway is "Lucky" and it is the remainder of my yarn from the sock-club kit for March. Amazingly enough, I was left with a full 1/3 skein after knitting a pair of socks--that'd be 50g remaining from a 150 gram skein. Not too shabby. It calculates to about a 150 yards. I thought it would be enough for a fairly lacy hat. It almost WAS enough. But not quite.
As I turned the crown and started on the body of the hat I weighed my ball of yarn. After one repeat I weighed it again, and started calculating. After another repeat I weighed it once more, just to be certain. At that point I knew I had exactly enough for a third repeat of the pattern--when I wanted to do four. And ribbing to finish. ACK!
I rifled through my stash. The only other Mediumweight yarn I have is my skein of Faulty Dyer (which I won with my Hat for the Moon). I appealed to my sock club group on Ravelry, asking for opinions as to whether or not it would look good finishing off the hat (probably) or if I could get someone else's left over Lucky.
And it turns out that I am lucky! A kind fellow-sock-club-member said she'd drop her remainder in the mail on Monday. Even if it takes all week to get here that should be plenty of time to finish off this project before the end of the Olympics.
In the meantime, the next project is begun! My Diamond Fantasy Shawl is cast on and has a whopping 17 rows--and considering that's the point of a triangular shawl/scarf, it's hardly anything at all. Still the yarn for it is gorgeous and it's a nice change from the hat. I think I'll probably get a washcloth done some time this week, too.
But that hat is gonna bug me, sitting on the shelf unfinished.
The yarn I'm using is a heavier fingering weight known as Socks That Rock Mediumweight. The colorway is "Lucky" and it is the remainder of my yarn from the sock-club kit for March. Amazingly enough, I was left with a full 1/3 skein after knitting a pair of socks--that'd be 50g remaining from a 150 gram skein. Not too shabby. It calculates to about a 150 yards. I thought it would be enough for a fairly lacy hat. It almost WAS enough. But not quite.
As I turned the crown and started on the body of the hat I weighed my ball of yarn. After one repeat I weighed it again, and started calculating. After another repeat I weighed it once more, just to be certain. At that point I knew I had exactly enough for a third repeat of the pattern--when I wanted to do four. And ribbing to finish. ACK!
I rifled through my stash. The only other Mediumweight yarn I have is my skein of Faulty Dyer (which I won with my Hat for the Moon). I appealed to my sock club group on Ravelry, asking for opinions as to whether or not it would look good finishing off the hat (probably) or if I could get someone else's left over Lucky.
And it turns out that I am lucky! A kind fellow-sock-club-member said she'd drop her remainder in the mail on Monday. Even if it takes all week to get here that should be plenty of time to finish off this project before the end of the Olympics.
In the meantime, the next project is begun! My Diamond Fantasy Shawl is cast on and has a whopping 17 rows--and considering that's the point of a triangular shawl/scarf, it's hardly anything at all. Still the yarn for it is gorgeous and it's a nice change from the hat. I think I'll probably get a washcloth done some time this week, too.
But that hat is gonna bug me, sitting on the shelf unfinished.
Friday, August 8, 2008
And... they're off!!
I whipped out my first FO of the Ravelympics today, and I'm thrilled to be on my way to many completions!
On Thursday I received a very polite request to make up a pair of my baby booties for a baby shower coming up next week. We agreed on a fair exchange for them and I decided that if I was going to work on these in the middle of the Ravelympics, they darned well better be an official project, so I quickly added them to my list.
The pattern is a simple but lovely one and originates from Sockpixie. I've designed a simple variation on her all-garter-stitch booties, converting the uppers to stockinette. They still create a super-cute bootie, and they are much faster (and in my mind easier) to knit.
(9/5/08) I have moved my version of this bootie to its own post here.
On Thursday I received a very polite request to make up a pair of my baby booties for a baby shower coming up next week. We agreed on a fair exchange for them and I decided that if I was going to work on these in the middle of the Ravelympics, they darned well better be an official project, so I quickly added them to my list.
The pattern is a simple but lovely one and originates from Sockpixie. I've designed a simple variation on her all-garter-stitch booties, converting the uppers to stockinette. They still create a super-cute bootie, and they are much faster (and in my mind easier) to knit.
(9/5/08) I have moved my version of this bootie to its own post here.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Check out the Widget!
I've been seeing Ravelry progress bars on other blogs for a while. I signed up for it several months ago, but couldn't figure out how to incorporate the code into Blogger.
Finally, someone posted the trick of it, and I got my widget to work! Now you can watch (with awe, I know!!) as I blast through my Ravelympics projects.
Hahahahaha. Right.
Still, enjoy the widget. I know I do!
Finally, someone posted the trick of it, and I got my widget to work! Now you can watch (with awe, I know!!) as I blast through my Ravelympics projects.
Hahahahaha. Right.
Still, enjoy the widget. I know I do!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Getting Ready for the Ravelympics
As the Olympics swiftly approach, I am laying aside my current (secret!) project knitting, and working on a bunch of swatches for new projects.
This year is the first "Ravelympics". A group on Ravelry has developed to encourage us all to finish challenging projects over the course of the Olympics! I have, of course, gotten in way over my head on this idea. But in a way that was my plan from the start.
From the Ravelry Group Page I stole a bit of the overview:
In some ways, any project at all is a challenge for me. It's very tricky to find time to knit. Because if this I signed up for several! It does make an odd sort of sense, because they are all small projects. A true challenge would be a large stole, or a full sweater, neither of which I am prepared to commit to at this time. Because of my disappointment with my no-longer-fitting shrug, I've sworn off sweaters until after Christmas (when, hopefully, I will have achieved my weight-loss goal and be working on maintaining, rather than loosing more). And a shawl or stole--lets just say I want a challenge, but I don't want to go insane!
My first project will be to use up the 1/3 skein of Lucky yarn I have left over from my Leafling socks. I've swatched this yarn several times now on different needle sizes, and read around on patterns. I will be making Foliage. I found a couple of people that have done this in a lighter weight yarn than called for in the pattern (bulky or worsted), and in the end I expanded the chart in the pattern to 25 rows. This should accommodate my stitch/row gauge with the much lighter weight yarn.
My second project will be Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy Scarf. This project can be done as a shawl as well. But I've had some gorgeous Socks That Rock yarn earmarked to make the smaller scarf instead. I wasn't going to buy any yarn at the Black Sheep Gathering this year, but I couldn't walk by a few of the Rare Gems at the Blue Moon Fibre Arts booth! I think this will make a stunning scarf.
My third project will be a baby sweater kit I picked up while visiting my in-laws in Pennsylvania. I have sincere doubts I will make it this far, but since the spirit is to push your boundaries, I figured it was better to have a project that might fail, than to stay safe-and-sound under my limits.
In addition, when I get too tired of big things and need a "pick me up", I signed up to do several washcloths. If any (or all) of these don't get done, I could care less. But I know me, and I might as well get credit for the mini-projects I like to do in between bigger ones. Some days you just need something you can whip out FAST.
I know I'm in over my head. I'm positive I will finish the hat and a couple of washcloths. I'm hoping to get the scarf done as well. And if I finish the baby sweater, you can count me a true Ravalete!
Wish me luck!
This year is the first "Ravelympics". A group on Ravelry has developed to encourage us all to finish challenging projects over the course of the Olympics! I have, of course, gotten in way over my head on this idea. But in a way that was my plan from the start.
From the Ravelry Group Page I stole a bit of the overview:
What is it?:
The First International Ravelympics Summer 2008 are open to any knitter or crocheter on Ravelry ready to challenge themselves to complete a project (or projects) within 17 days during the Summer Olympics.Not to be confused with the Knitting Olympics which take place every four years, just like any other Olympic sport and will be orchestrated by the Yarn Harlot.
Concept:
You must cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics (Aug. 8)- and finish before the Olympic flame goes out (Aug. 24). That’s 17 days. Would you rather work on your burgeoning WIPs? Then join up for the WIPs Wrestling. All other events are for newly cast on projects!“Rules”:
The project must be a challenge for you to complete in 17 days.
No casting on before Opening Ceremonies commence in Beijing.
Finish before the flame goes out.
You may swatch before the games. (I consider this “training.”)
In some ways, any project at all is a challenge for me. It's very tricky to find time to knit. Because if this I signed up for several! It does make an odd sort of sense, because they are all small projects. A true challenge would be a large stole, or a full sweater, neither of which I am prepared to commit to at this time. Because of my disappointment with my no-longer-fitting shrug, I've sworn off sweaters until after Christmas (when, hopefully, I will have achieved my weight-loss goal and be working on maintaining, rather than loosing more). And a shawl or stole--lets just say I want a challenge, but I don't want to go insane!
My first project will be to use up the 1/3 skein of Lucky yarn I have left over from my Leafling socks. I've swatched this yarn several times now on different needle sizes, and read around on patterns. I will be making Foliage. I found a couple of people that have done this in a lighter weight yarn than called for in the pattern (bulky or worsted), and in the end I expanded the chart in the pattern to 25 rows. This should accommodate my stitch/row gauge with the much lighter weight yarn.
My second project will be Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy Scarf. This project can be done as a shawl as well. But I've had some gorgeous Socks That Rock yarn earmarked to make the smaller scarf instead. I wasn't going to buy any yarn at the Black Sheep Gathering this year, but I couldn't walk by a few of the Rare Gems at the Blue Moon Fibre Arts booth! I think this will make a stunning scarf.
My third project will be a baby sweater kit I picked up while visiting my in-laws in Pennsylvania. I have sincere doubts I will make it this far, but since the spirit is to push your boundaries, I figured it was better to have a project that might fail, than to stay safe-and-sound under my limits.
In addition, when I get too tired of big things and need a "pick me up", I signed up to do several washcloths. If any (or all) of these don't get done, I could care less. But I know me, and I might as well get credit for the mini-projects I like to do in between bigger ones. Some days you just need something you can whip out FAST.
I know I'm in over my head. I'm positive I will finish the hat and a couple of washcloths. I'm hoping to get the scarf done as well. And if I finish the baby sweater, you can count me a true Ravalete!
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Little Valentines
Another sidetrack from my current project, I whipped up a quick Valentino Bear. This little project has been waiting patiently in the sidelines to be slipped in between some others and the impending arrival of a new family member finally pushed me to get him done. Valentino's "sister", Valentina, is intended as a gift for the newborn (when she arrives) and Valentino is for her lucky big brother! Valentino is modeled here by my DD, who came out to help me take a few photos while her little brother was sleeping.
I'm looking forward to packaging these up with a couple of really fun DVDs.
The project this usurped for a day is another gift in my bag, this one for Christmas, for Mom... so I'm not quite sure how to blog about it. Too many pictures, and, well, I know I couldn't resist the temptation to peek!! So for now, that one stays under wraps, to be blogged at a later date. With any luck I'll wrap it up quickly and move onto some more Socks that Rock! The July package should be here any day now and I'm watching my mailbox with much anticipation.
I'm looking forward to packaging these up with a couple of really fun DVDs.
The project this usurped for a day is another gift in my bag, this one for Christmas, for Mom... so I'm not quite sure how to blog about it. Too many pictures, and, well, I know I couldn't resist the temptation to peek!! So for now, that one stays under wraps, to be blogged at a later date. With any luck I'll wrap it up quickly and move onto some more Socks that Rock! The July package should be here any day now and I'm watching my mailbox with much anticipation.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Washcloth Saga
Back in February I picked up a hobby knitting machine by Singer. The Machine Knitters group on Ravelry was a huge help, talking about different options available--most of which were far outside my need and price-range. Even the Sweater Machine available at Ben Franklin (and JoAnne Fabrics) was far more than I really wanted.
I wasn't really sure if machine knitting would be a "thing" for me. After all, I do enjoy the process of knitting. Even more I enjoy the finished product, but using the machine illustrates to me that I do really like the tactile activity of knitting.
Still, that said, it's a handy bit of equipment.
I love my hand-knit washcloths. In fact, a washcloth is the very first project I ever made. My grandmother and mother visited soon after I moved to Oregon, and they brought with them bamboo needles and Peaches 'n' Cream yarn, and a new knitter was created. Unfortunately, my nice, clean washcloths seem to end up in a ball in the bottom of the sink far too often. It doesn't take long before they start to stink. Vinegar and bleach do some to kill the smell, but invariably it comes back.
Today I figured I'd try a machine-knit washcloth. It took about ten minutes to get the hang of the machine again. After that it was hardly another ten before I was binding it off and cleaning up the cast-on edge. It may or may not take over my hand-knit cloths for a time, until I run out of socks, shawls and other projects to finish that deserve more personal attention. A hand-knit washcloth still has more personality (and at my gauge is a bit firmer-made than this machine-knit version) and it doesn't take terribly long to make one. Still, it's time I'd prefer to put into other projects right now.
And maybe a in a couple more years I may manage to train DH to not leave my hand-knit goods balled up in the bottom of the sink!!
I wasn't really sure if machine knitting would be a "thing" for me. After all, I do enjoy the process of knitting. Even more I enjoy the finished product, but using the machine illustrates to me that I do really like the tactile activity of knitting.
Still, that said, it's a handy bit of equipment.
I love my hand-knit washcloths. In fact, a washcloth is the very first project I ever made. My grandmother and mother visited soon after I moved to Oregon, and they brought with them bamboo needles and Peaches 'n' Cream yarn, and a new knitter was created. Unfortunately, my nice, clean washcloths seem to end up in a ball in the bottom of the sink far too often. It doesn't take long before they start to stink. Vinegar and bleach do some to kill the smell, but invariably it comes back.
Today I figured I'd try a machine-knit washcloth. It took about ten minutes to get the hang of the machine again. After that it was hardly another ten before I was binding it off and cleaning up the cast-on edge. It may or may not take over my hand-knit cloths for a time, until I run out of socks, shawls and other projects to finish that deserve more personal attention. A hand-knit washcloth still has more personality (and at my gauge is a bit firmer-made than this machine-knit version) and it doesn't take terribly long to make one. Still, it's time I'd prefer to put into other projects right now.
And maybe a in a couple more years I may manage to train DH to not leave my hand-knit goods balled up in the bottom of the sink!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Fastest knit yet
I finally got off my duff and got back on track with my Sock Club socks for this year. I'm three months and two packages behind, and the next comes mid-July so it's certainly time to get going.
So it's happy for me that the March shipment was Socks that Rock in the Mediumweight style. Mediumweight comes in at a heavy fingering or perhaps Sport weight yarn. I haven't ever knit with Sport, so it's hard for me to say definitively. It is noticeably thicker than the Lightweight, tho, and makes a significantly different sock.
This colorway is called "Lucky" and arrived appropriately near St. Patrick's Day this year. It has a wonderful spring to it. I'm using size 2 (2.75mm) needles and they seem HUGE. It's amusing how relative our perceptions can be. I got used to working on 0s and now everything else seems really big in my hands. But going to 0s (from knitting hats on 11s) was pretty crazy, too!
The sock pattern is named "Leafling" and it meshes wonderfully with the colorway. There is a very subtle striping that could have easily been pooling or flashing. It would have been had I worked the sock over the suggested 60 stitches. However, after knitting the cuff it became clear that even the "small" size for this pattern was going to be huge.
The upside of being behind the rest of the club is that everyone else has already figured this stuff out. I was able to find someone else's (thingwhatsqueeks on Ravelry, are your ears burning?) commentary on working the sock over 54 stitches. While I could have figured it out myself, it went much faster to read her notes and jump in from there, especially with how well she wrote it up.
Another user on Ravelry did a great modified toe, but I decided I didn't quite like it. So I made my own. The decreases for the toe start in the pattern itself and near the very end I added additional decreases on either side of the pattern. It came out lovely.
I'm already well into the second sock and anticipate finishing them this weekend.
So it's happy for me that the March shipment was Socks that Rock in the Mediumweight style. Mediumweight comes in at a heavy fingering or perhaps Sport weight yarn. I haven't ever knit with Sport, so it's hard for me to say definitively. It is noticeably thicker than the Lightweight, tho, and makes a significantly different sock.
This colorway is called "Lucky" and arrived appropriately near St. Patrick's Day this year. It has a wonderful spring to it. I'm using size 2 (2.75mm) needles and they seem HUGE. It's amusing how relative our perceptions can be. I got used to working on 0s and now everything else seems really big in my hands. But going to 0s (from knitting hats on 11s) was pretty crazy, too!
The sock pattern is named "Leafling" and it meshes wonderfully with the colorway. There is a very subtle striping that could have easily been pooling or flashing. It would have been had I worked the sock over the suggested 60 stitches. However, after knitting the cuff it became clear that even the "small" size for this pattern was going to be huge.
The upside of being behind the rest of the club is that everyone else has already figured this stuff out. I was able to find someone else's (thingwhatsqueeks on Ravelry, are your ears burning?) commentary on working the sock over 54 stitches. While I could have figured it out myself, it went much faster to read her notes and jump in from there, especially with how well she wrote it up.
Another user on Ravelry did a great modified toe, but I decided I didn't quite like it. So I made my own. The decreases for the toe start in the pattern itself and near the very end I added additional decreases on either side of the pattern. It came out lovely.
I'm already well into the second sock and anticipate finishing them this weekend.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Others have said it, and still more will, but Cat Bordhi is a genius. She spent the time, effort and research and deciphered entire new ways of putting socks together. Her techniques are still catching on around the sock-designing world and it is really fascinating to see the bits and pieces show up in patterns.
I very much enjoyed putting together her two pair of practice socks. They're sized for infants and done on DK-weight yarn (5 sts/inch) so calling it a fast knit is a vast understatement.
I've had a couple done for a while now, and decided to finish off the ball of yarn knitting the second sock of each so that they could be given away as a pair, rather than just sitting around doing "nothing" (other than looking darned cute). I used a single ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (cashmere, merino, microfiber blend) in a periwinkle blue. It was the last ball of a particular dye lot at our LYS and they mark those down significantly--perfect for experimental knitting. The yarn is just luscious.
The book itself is pretty interesting and I recommend it as a good read--if you're the kind of person that likes to read knitting books that is! The side-panels are good resources of tips and tricks that can be taken into any other project. Cat's left and right increases are very easy once you get the hang of them, and quite attractive. Her method to conceal wraps works well and is explained with great images to convey all the details. I'm not sure the patterns themselves do a whole lot for me, but they're a lot of fun to look through!
The practice socks are entirely worth the effort. I'm pleased to have done them, as I've already put what I learned from them to use in my own designing, and in patterns I've received recently from other designers employ Cat's techniques.
I very much enjoyed putting together her two pair of practice socks. They're sized for infants and done on DK-weight yarn (5 sts/inch) so calling it a fast knit is a vast understatement.
I've had a couple done for a while now, and decided to finish off the ball of yarn knitting the second sock of each so that they could be given away as a pair, rather than just sitting around doing "nothing" (other than looking darned cute). I used a single ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (cashmere, merino, microfiber blend) in a periwinkle blue. It was the last ball of a particular dye lot at our LYS and they mark those down significantly--perfect for experimental knitting. The yarn is just luscious.
The book itself is pretty interesting and I recommend it as a good read--if you're the kind of person that likes to read knitting books that is! The side-panels are good resources of tips and tricks that can be taken into any other project. Cat's left and right increases are very easy once you get the hang of them, and quite attractive. Her method to conceal wraps works well and is explained with great images to convey all the details. I'm not sure the patterns themselves do a whole lot for me, but they're a lot of fun to look through!
The practice socks are entirely worth the effort. I'm pleased to have done them, as I've already put what I learned from them to use in my own designing, and in patterns I've received recently from other designers employ Cat's techniques.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Pain and Humor under the Frog
Okay, so maybe the title makes no sense. I tend to get whimsical or poetic at odd moments and who knows if it translates.
My poor not-so-little Anastasia socks hit the frog pond once again this afternoon. I took them with me to share with friends at our usual Friday morning activity. All well and good. I put them on, strutted around, and then peeked down at the right sock and said, "Huh. Why are the back decreases here on the side of my leg? Let me just TWIST that around and... huh. That's not right."
So I took them off and gave it a good look and--sure enough--I put the calf decreases up the inside edge of my leg, instead of the back. They were 90-degrees off! ACK! It seems when I wasn't paying attention I chose the wrong pair of needles as the point of the 'heel' and just worked all my decreases without ever checking. Ooops.
I debated for a while. Could I possibly just wear them this way? It'd be humorous. I could show off my little mistake and laugh. Yah. Sure I could. When I got home, in when the needles just below the decreases and out came the yarn. What a shame, since I washed them yesterday as well. The yarn had its memory and it was QUITE crinkly. Still, re-knitting isn't so bad and I managed to get the whole cuff done in the course of the afternoon, getting a row or two in when the moment presented itself.
It's a good thing, because I really wanted to wear them tomorrow to go by the Black Sheep Gathering in town and show off my first almost-design!
My poor not-so-little Anastasia socks hit the frog pond once again this afternoon. I took them with me to share with friends at our usual Friday morning activity. All well and good. I put them on, strutted around, and then peeked down at the right sock and said, "Huh. Why are the back decreases here on the side of my leg? Let me just TWIST that around and... huh. That's not right."
So I took them off and gave it a good look and--sure enough--I put the calf decreases up the inside edge of my leg, instead of the back. They were 90-degrees off! ACK! It seems when I wasn't paying attention I chose the wrong pair of needles as the point of the 'heel' and just worked all my decreases without ever checking. Ooops.
I debated for a while. Could I possibly just wear them this way? It'd be humorous. I could show off my little mistake and laugh. Yah. Sure I could. When I got home, in when the needles just below the decreases and out came the yarn. What a shame, since I washed them yesterday as well. The yarn had its memory and it was QUITE crinkly. Still, re-knitting isn't so bad and I managed to get the whole cuff done in the course of the afternoon, getting a row or two in when the moment presented itself.
It's a good thing, because I really wanted to wear them tomorrow to go by the Black Sheep Gathering in town and show off my first almost-design!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Anastasia on a Misty Night!
I love finishing projects. There are times when I get bogged down and I just have to do something small and quick in order to get something DONE. Completion makes my day.
So, now my day is awesome! I finished the last eight rows of 2x2 ribbing on my Anastasia knee socks and bound off. I think I might have bound off knitwise on the first sock, and purlwise on the second, but right now I'm not going to think about it!! I put them on and then fiddled around trying to get a good picture with my camera. It's harder than it sounds like, getting angles and flash and focus to come together. My poor little remote died on me and it makes it that much trickier. Right now I'm focusing on a chair, hitting the "10-second-delay" and running to swap myself in for the chair. Woo.
The details:
I did not use a short-row toe, but rather Judy's Magic Cast-on. I'll be trying a short-row toe soon for a Rockin' Sock Club sock, but I've really enjoyed Judy's and I'm happy I used it here. I also took the reinforced heel used in Knitty.com's Widdershins sock, and a couple of other versions of the same heel I found elsewhere, and recalculated it for a 60-stitch sock (50 heel sts after gusset). I didn't do it quite right, but knew there might be a gap and when I finished the heel I simply picked up a stitch in-between my heel and instep on both sides and knit it together with the following stitch. Viola! No gap.
Starting mid-calf I put in one stitch in each pattern-section (between eyelets). That's four stitches in a round and approximately 1/2" increase in circumference. I did that three total times, at the end of the last three pattern repeats. Each pattern repeat goes up the leg 2" so it was a nice gradual increase.
I brought 1x1 twisted ribbing down into the spiral, giving the ribbing a saw-tooth transition against the spiral. It looks VERY nice. Then I ran out of yarn. At that point I switched over to Koigu KPPPM and did another few rows in the 1x1 ribbing.
To give the top a little extra bounce, I switched to 2x2 ribbing. I decrease two stitches every four rows, making for a pretty little pattern on the back of the calf. This countering of the earlier increases makes for a very shapely and well-fitting sock.
1. Anastasia knee socks, 2. Another pose, 3. Calf decreases, 4. Original Sock, 5. Foot detail, 6. Twisted rib cuff, 7. Hand-dyed "Misty Night", 8. Another glamour shot, 9. Knit Picks Bare Yarn sock-block
So, now my day is awesome! I finished the last eight rows of 2x2 ribbing on my Anastasia knee socks and bound off. I think I might have bound off knitwise on the first sock, and purlwise on the second, but right now I'm not going to think about it!! I put them on and then fiddled around trying to get a good picture with my camera. It's harder than it sounds like, getting angles and flash and focus to come together. My poor little remote died on me and it makes it that much trickier. Right now I'm focusing on a chair, hitting the "10-second-delay" and running to swap myself in for the chair. Woo.
The details:
I did not use a short-row toe, but rather Judy's Magic Cast-on. I'll be trying a short-row toe soon for a Rockin' Sock Club sock, but I've really enjoyed Judy's and I'm happy I used it here. I also took the reinforced heel used in Knitty.com's Widdershins sock, and a couple of other versions of the same heel I found elsewhere, and recalculated it for a 60-stitch sock (50 heel sts after gusset). I didn't do it quite right, but knew there might be a gap and when I finished the heel I simply picked up a stitch in-between my heel and instep on both sides and knit it together with the following stitch. Viola! No gap.
Starting mid-calf I put in one stitch in each pattern-section (between eyelets). That's four stitches in a round and approximately 1/2" increase in circumference. I did that three total times, at the end of the last three pattern repeats. Each pattern repeat goes up the leg 2" so it was a nice gradual increase.
I brought 1x1 twisted ribbing down into the spiral, giving the ribbing a saw-tooth transition against the spiral. It looks VERY nice. Then I ran out of yarn. At that point I switched over to Koigu KPPPM and did another few rows in the 1x1 ribbing.
To give the top a little extra bounce, I switched to 2x2 ribbing. I decrease two stitches every four rows, making for a pretty little pattern on the back of the calf. This countering of the earlier increases makes for a very shapely and well-fitting sock.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Frogging - Poor, poor Anastasia!
Anastasia has met her maker--me. I pulled back to the increase, completely frogging the cuff and transition. I'm not looking forward to re-knitting 1x1 twisted rib! But it just wasn't working. The sock slouched within minutes of its first trial. Her mate has the first increase at the 4th repeat of the pattern, and another at the start of the 5th repeat (the new transition).
I also found some yarn that perfectly matches the colors I dyed--which is frankly amazing. The downside is that it is Koigu KPPPM (is that really a downside?). Amusingly enough, one of the Koigu is twice the cost of the KnitPicks Bare. They also don't have exactly the same texture--but I'm going to go with it anyway. The Koigu is white and flecked with the whole range of shades of blue I dyed. I think it's going to look gorgeous as the cuff.
I'm going to take the left sock with me tonight to knit and see if I get to the end of the Bare and into Koigu. I have a new chart with plans to decrease and switch to a 2x2 rib at the top in order to cling around the knee and stay up. Here's hoping it works!
I also found some yarn that perfectly matches the colors I dyed--which is frankly amazing. The downside is that it is Koigu KPPPM (is that really a downside?). Amusingly enough, one of the Koigu is twice the cost of the KnitPicks Bare. They also don't have exactly the same texture--but I'm going to go with it anyway. The Koigu is white and flecked with the whole range of shades of blue I dyed. I think it's going to look gorgeous as the cuff.
I'm going to take the left sock with me tonight to knit and see if I get to the end of the Bare and into Koigu. I have a new chart with plans to decrease and switch to a 2x2 rib at the top in order to cling around the knee and stay up. Here's hoping it works!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Twin Magic Slippers
A very good friend of mine saw my earlier baby slippers and asked very nicely if she couldn't get two pair for her friend, due to have twins in August. I, of course, said 'SURE!' and then promptly set about several other projects in the meantime (not the least of which was the Icosa Ball, and we all know how long THAT little project took!).
Fortunately, she's pretty relaxed about the whole thing, and I took pains to reassure her that they would be done.
However, I'm not sure these will work. Well, they'd work for me because the darned little slippers are cuter than a button! But they're not knit out of the sock yarn my friend bought specifically for the purpose. In fact, I might be taking that yarn back to the store if she likes these.
Instead, these four slippers are knit out of the remnants of my Little Twisted Socks (eggplant colored Reynolds Soft Sea Wool) and the leftover green from the Icosa Ball (ShibuiKnits Sock yarn in the Seaweed colorway). I got the idea from the fact that the Shibui is nearly the exact same color as the yarn she picked out, but there clearly wasn't enough of it left to make four full booties. The textures of the two yarns are significantly different. The Reynolds is slightly heavier fingering, and possibly even sport weight. Still, the two mesh wonderfully, since the heavier yarn does well as the 'sole' of a shoe.
I'm going to poke around and try and find the perfect buttons to finish these little lovely things off!
Fortunately, she's pretty relaxed about the whole thing, and I took pains to reassure her that they would be done.
However, I'm not sure these will work. Well, they'd work for me because the darned little slippers are cuter than a button! But they're not knit out of the sock yarn my friend bought specifically for the purpose. In fact, I might be taking that yarn back to the store if she likes these.
Instead, these four slippers are knit out of the remnants of my Little Twisted Socks (eggplant colored Reynolds Soft Sea Wool) and the leftover green from the Icosa Ball (ShibuiKnits Sock yarn in the Seaweed colorway). I got the idea from the fact that the Shibui is nearly the exact same color as the yarn she picked out, but there clearly wasn't enough of it left to make four full booties. The textures of the two yarns are significantly different. The Reynolds is slightly heavier fingering, and possibly even sport weight. Still, the two mesh wonderfully, since the heavier yarn does well as the 'sole' of a shoe.
I'm going to poke around and try and find the perfect buttons to finish these little lovely things off!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
One done!
... and the other nearly so. I knit these sequentially, and the second sock is done until the final repeat of the spiral, so there is only the spiral with increases, and the cuff left to knit. No second sock syndrome for me!
I'm really happy with how they've turned out. The sock is quite pretty. The yarn has a very 'tweeded' effect from dying the two strands next to each other. Where the strands touch, the dye doesn't take as much, leaving lighter spots throughout.
This sock is knit toe-up, starting with Judy's Magic Cast-On. The spiral pattern is from Pepperknit.com, called Anastasia. The gusset was made using Cat Bordhi's LLinc and LRinc, and the heel is a slip-stitch flap extrapolated from several other patterns. It's not quite right, but a couple of picked-up stitches on the last row closed a possible hole before it could be an issue.
The cuff is my own design. I didn't like how abrupt the cuff was in the Anastasia pattern, so I extended it down into the spiral pattern below, and went with a 1x1 twisted rib all the way to the top. The final spiral increases 1/2" and the rib another 1" to fit the calf.
Unfortunately they came out just one inch short of a true knee-sock. I may yet have to pick up the stitches at the top and use another yarn to extend them a bit further. I am thinking of decreasing at that point over the bulk of my calf and using a 2x2 rib to make it more elastic and keep the socks up. Just a test-wear of the one sock proves to me that as-is, it is going to be a challenge to keep them on.
I'm really happy with how they've turned out. The sock is quite pretty. The yarn has a very 'tweeded' effect from dying the two strands next to each other. Where the strands touch, the dye doesn't take as much, leaving lighter spots throughout.
This sock is knit toe-up, starting with Judy's Magic Cast-On. The spiral pattern is from Pepperknit.com, called Anastasia. The gusset was made using Cat Bordhi's LLinc and LRinc, and the heel is a slip-stitch flap extrapolated from several other patterns. It's not quite right, but a couple of picked-up stitches on the last row closed a possible hole before it could be an issue.
The cuff is my own design. I didn't like how abrupt the cuff was in the Anastasia pattern, so I extended it down into the spiral pattern below, and went with a 1x1 twisted rib all the way to the top. The final spiral increases 1/2" and the rib another 1" to fit the calf.
Unfortunately they came out just one inch short of a true knee-sock. I may yet have to pick up the stitches at the top and use another yarn to extend them a bit further. I am thinking of decreasing at that point over the bulk of my calf and using a 2x2 rib to make it more elastic and keep the socks up. Just a test-wear of the one sock proves to me that as-is, it is going to be a challenge to keep them on.
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