We had some late rain for the year today, hopefully that will help everything stay greener longer. I don't think that this Sundara Sock yarn will have any trouble with that. This colorway is evergreen over lime. Even though I have a few pairs of socks in the queue I'm already thinking that the next yarn I want to try is Sock that Rock by Blue Moon.
These socks should be very easy and very fast. Cast on 64 stitches of Lorna's Laces Sock in 'pin stripe', Size 1 aluminum double pointed needles. Knit 6 rows, yarn over knit two together for the seventh row, knit 6 more rows and then knit the live stitches onto the cast one edge. I'm planning an hourglass heal. The color looks good although I thought (wanted) the stripes bigger. The wool is very soft and fine.
Current works in progress:
Birch: Finished Knitting at three skeins and in the progress of a flexible handsewn bind off. There were/are 299 stitches. On average I can bind off about 20 stiches per sitting, it's so much more time consuming that the regular way i bind off.
Lorna's Laces Pin Stripe Sock yarn: Started socks in plain stockinette stitch with a picotte cuff. I'm wondering what the stripes will look like.
Bracelets: Still at the drawing board on this one.
Garden: Growing Pumpkins and Basil.
Finished. Whew. The particulars? Koigu KPPM, Color 415, kinda scotch thistle heather, Size 2 needles. Pattern: Retro Rib from Interweave Knits Favorite Socks. These have been sent to the Icy North for my sister. Hand wash only!
I found this photo in my album. It's of two knitted projects I made when I was 11. This is the earliest photo I have of anything I have knitted. This photo was developed in Oct 1979, but I seem to remember that I made these in the summer when my sister was home from college. The green one is a belt with a D ring (garter stich) and the red object is a very ineffective potholder in a basket weave pattern. I remember knitting these but not the kind of yarn. Obviously this photo was taken with a point and shoot camera with no marcro. it was probably 110 film and I probably only took one picture because film and developing weren't cheap for an 11 year old.
We are lucky to have three local yarn stores in Encinitas/Solana Beach. Black Sheep, Common Threads and Knitting by the Beach.
St Tropez in the Encinitas Lumberyard is a great place to go before or after shopping. ~900 block of Hwy101 (Closer to Black Sheep than Common Threads)
This is my favorite bakery/bistro in Encinitas. I lived in Santa Cruz for 7 years and I was spoiled there with high quality bakeries…Gail’s, Rebecca’s, Kelly’s, Beckmans, The Buttery and Emily’s. Ok, I digress, back to St Tropez. The have excellent croissants ($2.10), flaky not dry and not too buttery. The almond croissants ($2.45) are just above average and sometimes way too dry. Other tasty treats are the Custard Brioche and strawberry éclair (these tend to sell out early in the day). Hungrier for something more substantial? For breakfast they have egg and omelet dishes (~$7). Since I’m not an egg eater I can’t comment on those dishes but I do know that my husband has ordered the ratatouille omelet more than once and that the rosemary roasted potatoes are excellent. Sometimes I get a grilled panini. I like the Monaco or the St Tropez panini. These are big enough to share and come with a small salad. They have a full menu of salads. I particularly like the goat cheese salad. Finally the best thing about St Tropez is the large patio for people watching, paper reading and or course knitting. St Tropez does not serve espresso due to limitations in their lease by Starbucks. If you like Starbucks though, it's is next door.
Making Beads.
Making an effort to finish Birch.
Staining and sealing IKEA kids table and chairs.
Completing Taxes
Looking for new furniture: Couch x1? x2?
Getting ready to go back to work tomorrow.
I don't know what possessed me to pick this project from Knitty. It took forever! Size 0 needles, lots of stitches, cables, knits, purls and on and on. I knit the cuff 1 repeat shorter than specified in the pattern and knit three repeats for the foot. I did do the cabled heel which was a big challenge, especially for the first sock. I purchased the Lorna's Laces Sock wool in Feb 2007 and finally finished this project in the last days of Feb 2008. For some months I didn't knit much on these socks, but with laid off time winding down I wanted to get these done and off my list so I put a concerted effort into these.
Best New Sock Yarn Source 2008: Hazel Knits
That's the award I'm giving Wendee of Hazel Knits. This one is Chocolatier color code 115. It's hard to find interesting brown yarn that I like. After the Cable Net and Retro Rib socks are done then I can start new socks! I figure I have 11 hours of knitting to finish the second Cable Net sock (foot and toe remaining ) and half that for the retro ribs (heel, foot and toe remaining of second sock). So, plenty of time to think of what pattern I will start with the Chocolatier. I first saw this color of yarn at Rayleen. thanks for the tip!
2008 Review
Even though I felt like I was always knitting it seems like I didn't knit that much last year. My finished projects were:
1 Felted Bag: Wobbly Circles Tote
3.5 pairs Socks: Embossed Leaves, Jaywalker, Lang Jawoll cotton, One CableNet sock
1 Child's Jacket: Cable Yoke Jacket
1 Scarf: So-called-scarf
1 Cardigan: TuttiTwist Cardigan reknit the sleeves, seamed and stitched (still need buttons)
Most of my time was spent knitting the CableNet sock...Ah, about 3 months. I knit a lot of it while watching season 1 and 2 of 24 and the rest in the car about a half hour every weekday morning. I have less than half of the second sock done so maybe about 2 months more...
2008 Forecast
Socks: Second Cable Net sock, retro rib, others?
Scarfs: Finish Birch, Start River
Rowan Glace Cardigan
Use Rowan Biggy Yarn for intended cardigan or improvise something else
Mini Felted bags
Sewing: Box Project Totes
Jewelry: Glass Beads to use to make Bangles and Bracelets
At first I started knitting this wool (Koigu KPPM 415) as plain socks with size 1 needles and in fact finished one sock before I figured out I don't like the result. Too small and not stretchy. So, I started the retro rib socks from Interview Knits Favorite Socks. I will knit the leg part longer than I usually do and hope I will have enough yarn.
Got some Koigu KPPM dye code 415 for socks. I still deciding on the pattern and will probably do a rib leg with a short row heel or maybe a pattern from the Interweave knits Favorite Sock book or ?
The so-called scarf was a easy knit. Two skeins of Mano del Uruguay in the Granite colorway on size 11 needles. Length? About 6 ft. I didn't keep track of when I finished this. I quickly started a pair of Plain Koigu socks. I started last wednesday before Thanksgiving and am almost to the toe. No pics.
After my swatching with the Biggy Wool and not getting the results that I wanted, I wanted an easy knit . So, last weekend while my husband was getting some skateboard parts I popped into my LYS, Common Threads. I looked at the big wool patterns and found none that I liked for the biggy wool and then got two skeins of Manos del Uruguay in colorway 108 Granite to knit the so-called-scarf that has been on my mind to knit for a while. I probably could have used the biggy wool to make this scarf but I've wanted to try the Manos for a while and this is the perfect project for it. The pattern is easy to remember and suits the yarn. One thing about the yarn. I had to rip out a few times after yucky color pooling in narrower widths than specified in the pattern and the yarn gets a bit ratty after that. Just so you know. These are US size 11 bamboo needles from Clover.
I got this Biggy Wool from Cucumber Patch on Ebay for a gem of a price and after knitting so many things with tiny yarn I want a break from tiny . Great! I got the gauge with the recommended needles, US35s, for the pattern above (Fitted Zipped Jacket) ...except, I don't like the look. It looks very 70's in a bad way. knida Macrame'ish...fingers easily slipping through the holes. I tried smaller needles, US19s, and like the look better but now I don't have the right tension. So this is what I have done so far...i) set it aside for a week to think about (well really I cast it aside in dismay because I finally am knitting the pattern with the yarn it specifies and I don't like the look), ii) look for another pattern with this yarn. Now I am thinking about reworking this or another big yarn pattern for tighter gauge OR giving up on a big yarn monster sweater and making monster slippers from the stitch N Bitch Nation book for me and XY. In the meantime I've still got my cable net sock #2 stalled out and want an easy project.
I finished my Toxic Jaywalkers this weekend. I just had to finish the toe and that seemed to take a while to get to because i was falling asleep every night at around 8! The pattern was Jaywalkers from Mag knits. Size 1 boyle dp aluminum needles. Vesper self striping sock yarn from Knitterly Things in the Toxic colorway. The socks came out ok but they are a little tight going over the heel.
I'm up to 2.5 repeats on the leg of my 2nd cable net sock.
We have been home bound for the past two week days because of the massive brush fires. Many people have had to evacuate. Many homes have burned. We were going to go to the my in-laws but they have just as much smoke and it is less trouble to look after our son here. The fire came very close miles-wise to our house but we live in the middle of town so it was unlikely to come this far. we were ready to evacuate if needed. One of our friends had part of their horse corral burned but the house is said to be untouched. Many of his neighbors lost their houses. He hasn't been able to go back. It seems the 'worst is over' now but it is still smokey and ashy.
Not much knitting goes on when looking after our son, even with the two of us. He is an active little guy. I did crochet this thing for a japanese craft kit/purse kit from MakeMake. fun, but what purpose???
No photos, but a little progress. I finished one Jaywalker sock and have knit the leg and heel of the second sock. These don't take long at all and the pattern is super easy to remember.
Not so much progress on the second cable net sock...Usually my husband and I carpool but we had to drive separate all week so no car knitting and then a few days I did errands at lunch so no knitting. Maybe next week.
I've been accumulating lots of fabric from here and there on and off the web and I want to get down to sew. mostly bags. With our son, we are have been accumulating little kits of equiment , like to-go bags, that we need for certain activities. So that we can leave the house fast when we can.
I started to make Jaywalker socks from MagKnits with my Toxic Vesper Sock Yarn. Eww, the lime green is shocking. These will be fun socks to wear around the house in the winter. Big news here at Whirlstrom Studio I got a wool winder. It makes neat yarn cakes!
I finally got some self striping yarn from Vesper. The toxic colorway was the last stuff left, but I like greens and browns. The green is super neon not seen since the 80's. It will fun to watch these stripes form. i will probably knit plain stockinette socks with this. I had thought about dying my own self striping yarns because there are some great tutorials out there but I would rather knit or ... sleep.
Plus I got some Lorna Lace's sock yarn from my favorite seller in the colorway pinstrip. I didn't ask if this was a self striping yarn but it will be neat if it is.
I also got two books on socks, Sensational Socks by C. Chruch and Favorite Socks from IK knits.
I'm still slogging away at the Cable Net socks from Knitty with Lorna's Laces socks in ceder. I do a row or two on the way to work but most days after work I'm too spent to think and knit. I'm past the gusset have made it a dozen rows of the foot. Will I really be able to knit the second sock?
Last weekend after dinner at our favorite japanese/hawaiian noodle place in Oceanside with my husband and in-laws, I dashed into JoAnn's and grabbed a bag of PomPoms with the idea that I would make a mobile. I used some 24 guage stainless steel wire that we had around the house. It was in a coil so I had to sort of make it straight. Then I strung the pompoms using a needle and thread, tied all the parts together and balanced away. My son loves this mobile especially when it moves in the breeze. This looks better in person than in the photo and looks a better than I thought it would, which is not usually the way quick projects work.
Progress on the cable net socks is slow. Somehow it took me a week to figure out the row setup for the heel flap. I had a tough time decoding the complicated instructions. Knit row 1 of chart C between the redlines 2 times. lots of other writing. except for size C should knit beyond the red line. Oh and by the way skip a cable crossing in the first row only.
For my newest project I picked CableNet Socks from Knitty. Crazy! So far I've knit almost three repeats of the leg chart. I would have been a lot futher (two more repeats plus cuff) if I hadn't thought that I knit it wrong and ripped it all out! Ouch. My husband, son (10 month old) and I are all carpooling to work and daycare on most days, so I've been able to knit about an hour a day. Not bad, except this is three weeks of knitting. Yup that's right three weeks/three repeats. I figure it will take another 4 weeks to finish this sock and then another 7 to finish the second. Maybe I'll get faster? I like this yarn, Lorna's Laces Socks in Ceder, that got on ebay from Birds 'N Yarn. This amount of knitting time is really giving me good value of hours per dollar spent on project/yarn. That's the way I think about shoe and clothing purchases too. If something is expensive I can rationalize it if I will wear it everyday or at least once a week for a year.
The background material is my new ironing board cover from Target. It looks a lot better than my old stained blue one!
My 75+ year old neighbor has the most amazing roses. These are two of his roses that have fragrance. I love the contrast of the the super frillly pink rose and the simple 5 petal red rose.
My paper flowers are done. My little son loves to look up at them. Sometimes he giggles and sometimes it helps him burp. There are twenty flowers hanging on my living room ceiling. 10 of the ones made with petals and 10 of the fringe ones.
Also done are a pair of socks out of Lang Jawoll cotton super wash. I expected to get one pair from a skein since I like short socks, but they were heavily cabled so they used a toe over one skein. I can make a simple pair of plain socks with the remainder of the yarn. The varigation of the yarn makes the cables hard to photograph.
edited to add details of socks:
Yarn: Lang Jawoll Cotton Superwash 49% wool 35% cotton 16% nylon purchased Spring 2004/EBAY
Needles: Size 1 Al dpn
64 stitches. 2x2 rib. no cuff. Cable every third row. Hourglass heel. Stockinette sole and toe.
If I made them again I would cable every 4th or 5th row and continue cable through the toe.
My idea is that I can finish one knitted project a month. I have been doing this since October, mostly socks but still that's progress. This month I was working on a cardigan from a pattern in Knitting on the Edge by nicky epstein called Tutti Twist. the body and collar were already done but I wasn't happy with the sleeves. I reknit the sleeves in the largest size and sewed the pieces together. Today I steam blocked it and I am pretty amazed with the transformation. The fabric went from a thick boring knit to a light drapey material. I still have to fold over the facing on both fronts and sew in place. I can do that in probably two evenings. Plus I need buttons. The bigger issue is: I planned this sweater prebaby and I doesn't quite fit (see below) as loose i would like. I have been lucky to be able to go to the gym a lot in the last month and I can feel the results but i still have a long way to go before most of my clothes fit again. In the next year if there is a choice between knitting and exercising I will have to choose exercise.
I used less than 10 skeins (50 g) of Patons Blue Bell 5 ply crepe yarn purchased in Australia. Size 6 US clover bamboo needles. I like the straights but hate using the circulars. I think the yarn cost $30 AusDollars.
The following are the projects I've got lined up in my stash. There are 10 total. Not too bad considering I barely knit last year. Well and plus the stuff that is in progress (a sweater, a scarf and a purse). The projects are
Socks: 2
Sweaters: 2
Scarves: 4 (I hardly wear scarves so may want to rethink those projects or make as gifts)
Baby Blanket: 1
Felted Bags: 1+++
1) Rowan Cotton Glace in Spice. I want to make a cardigan from this. I was thinking about Serrano from Knitty but am not sure about the gauge and will have to swatch. Purchased Midyear 2005? from Cucumber Patch on EBay.
2) Lang Jawoll Cotton for socks. This yarn has been with me all the way to Australia and back. I started a sock but then got distracted and ripped it out. I will probably make some plain socks from this. Purchased Midyear 2004 from EBay. I don't remember the seller.
3) 50 g of Marta's 2 ply merino destined for a lacy scarf. Branching Out Scarf from Knitty? Or something plain? IPOD holder? Purchased at Marta's in Melbourne Dec 2004.
4) Lion's Cotton Ease in white. I planed on Sitcom Chic cardigan from knitty but since it is unlikely that i would wear a sweater this white, this yarn may be better as a baby blanket. Purchased Midyear 2005 from JoAnnes
5) Rowan Kid Silk Haze. Thinking of River from Rowan Magazine 38. Pruchased MidYear 2005 from EBay.
6) Patons Classic Merino: I have many skeins of these to make More felted Bags!!! I am also thinking of making some Monster Slippers from Stitch and Bitch Nation. They have this yarn at Michaels and I usually use my 40% off coupon to get these.
7) Rowan Kid Silk Haze: This was the free kit with the Rowan subscription for 2005. I probably won't make the kit scarf.
8) Rowan Biggy Print in Red for a fitted Zipped Sweater from a free pattern off the Rowan site when I was a member. Puchased on Ebay from Cucumber Patch March 2007.
9) Lorna's Laces Sock Yarn in Ceder for Cable Net socks from Knitty. Purchased on Ebay Febuary 2007.
10) Be Sweet Boucle Mohair in Tomato from Noble Knits in Oceanside closing sale March 2007. For Twisty Scarf from Scarf Style.
Many Knitters are writing about their piles of unfinished projects and I have been wanting to do this too. The beginning of the year is a great time to sort through the past!
First Up Tutti Twist Cardigan from Knitting on the Edge. The photo in the book made the cardigan look so cozy and I had some brown wool (Patons Bluebell)I got on my trip to Australia. I knit most of this while carpooling to work with my husband.I started the cardigan in JULY 2005, knit all the pieces and noticed that the sleeves looked suspiciously small. This is what I have knit already.
My plan to finish the cardigan is to read some tutorials on sleeves in knitty, figure out where i went wrong, knit the sleeves, block and assemble. It shouldn't take too long...
Second is Birch from Rowan. I am making a modified rectangular version of this wrap. It was started Nov 2005. So far I have knit about 2.5 balls of the Kid Silk Haze, but I stopped knitting this when it got too hot in the summer. One thing I don't like about knitting this is it leaves brown mohair fuzz everywhere. I need a good week to work on this to finish the knitting. I already purchased the blocking wires from Knitpicks and can't wait to experience the lace transformation.
Third is Sophie. I finished this purse Dec 2005 but have thought since then that it needed something. I made this doodle and at first I thought about embroidery but then I was browsing though some patterns on the KnitPicks web site and saw some needle felting that looked a lot like my doodle.
This post took forever to put together. At least I learned how to put in links.
Pattern details:
Interweave Knits Spring 2006
Needles: Size 7 circulars
Yarn:
2 skeins denium blue Patons classic Merino
< 1 skein each leaf green, purple, olive and grey. All Patons except grey which was Lion brand wool
The big news here a Whirlstrom Studio is I am out of my day job due to corporate restructuring. Yuck. I really liked all the people I worked with and was going start some interesting work. Now I have to start at a new job again. I am planning to put this time to good use. First things: job search and interview talk preparation. Second: organize home office and start playing soccer again. It could take a while to find a job or it could happen right away. Maybe I'll have time to learn movable type a little in this time span.
I am making good progress on the Wobbly Circles Tote. i am now up to about row 80 out of 104. Since I am knitting the tote in the round I plop all the different bobbins of yarn inside and while not neat at all, I don't have to worry about chasing after them. I knit the odd rows and purl the even rows to accomodate the Intarsia. To deal with the beginning and end of each row I tried a technique I found somewhere on-line that references Fall 03 interweave knits. It goes like this "use a yo and a decreae at the end/beginning of each round to reverse directions. The beginning of the round is on the 1st stitch of one needle and the end of the round on the last stitch of the other needle." For me that seemed to leave the fabric a bit weak where the yarn over occured so I changed to knitting (or purling) to the marker that indicated the start of a new round, then knit (or purl) the first stitch past the marker. Then turn work to start the new round, skipping the last stitch knitted (or purled). Wow! that was hard to describe. I now have a new found respect for pattern writers. Anyway, the result was a bump where the round begins and ends which is OK for this project but not for one that will not be felted. The 'real' technique left no bump but looked weak and I wouldn't want that for a project that wasn't felted either. hum. Perhaps best to knit flat and sew up properly.
I started knitting the Wobbly Circles tote from interweave knits Spring 06. I am using Patons classic merino. The background will be new denium and the circles leaf green, royal purple, grey and brown. I got those bobbins from knitting in la jolla way back in April in preparation for this project. I am not going to knit the front and back separate as instructed but rather knit in the round. Each row will be knit in a different direction knit or purl otherwise the strands from the intarsia will be on the wrong side of the motif. We'll see how it works
Happy New Year!
Since I have been back to work after maternity leave (2 months) I have been sick about half the time. This includes the last week of the year that we get as vacation. I was really looking forward to exercising and getting some baby proofing done around the house during that time. My husband is super sleep deprived. We are just a complete wreck. On the bright side our son is happy and giggly. We switched from a preschool type day care with lots of kids to a home day care with about 5 kids. Maybe we won't get sick as much. Ha Ha. The doctor and everyone else said we will be sick for about 2 years and then be super immune. Ugg.
There has been some knitting! I finished the Embossed Leaves socks from Interweave Knits Winter 05 in Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino in colorway 300. I made the leg and foot shorter since I am so short. I used crystal palace bamboo double pointed needles size 2
My next project is Wobbly Circles Tote from IK Knits Spring 2006. I'll be using Patons Classic Merino that I have in my stash. I've never done intarsia so this will be a good first project since it gets felted in the end.
I like the idea that people are going to be knitting from their stash this year. I'm not planning on participating in this but I do want to use the yarn I have so I can buy new yarn for new projects and knit them while the excitement of planning and buying is still there. I find it is not as fun for me go into my supplies to make something I planned one or two or ten years ago.
cheerio!
I managed to complete this stocking for our son XY. It's his first christmas. The stocking is hanging on my road bike that we've converted into an indoor trainer with bookrack.
The pattern is from the 2006 Holiday Interweave Knits
I used under 1 skein each of
Patons classic Merino in Leaf Green and Bright Red. (223 yds/204 m per 100g)
and just over 1 skein of
Dale of Norway Heilo in color 7562 (100 m per 50 g)
I used size 7 US needles.
As of Oct 31st I was turning the heel on these socks knit from Koigu. I started work that week after 12 weeks of maternity leave and haven't had time to blog since. I did however finish these socks Nov 4th. There was some pooling that looks much worse in the photo. Of course the first pattern I used with this wool did not pool at all but was too tight to get over my heel. These fit a little loose and I don't know how that is going to work with shoes.
Here is what I did:
64 stitches 2x2 rib
US 2 double pointed needles
3 inch cuff
2.25 in heel flap, row 1 s1, k1 row 2 s1 p rest
picked up 22 stitches on each side of heel flap
gusset decreases k2g and ssk everyother row
I haven't worn these socks yet because we had a heat wave with temps in the high 70s low 80s. it should cool down this week.
I'm glad I sorta participated in socktober fest. I made 2 pairs of socks, Broadripple out of trecking XL and these Koigu simple 2x2 ribs. There was a lot of great info and links on www.lolly.com and I will be going back to read to get better at knitting socks.
As you can see from the sidebar I joined Socktober Fest. Nothing like waiting to join everybody else.
I started knitting with the Koigu and it is fabulous and worth it...Dah...that's why so many people like it! So smooth and soft with no stray fluffy hairs. I am using a slipped stitch pattern called "Classy Slip-Up' from the Knit Socks! book by Betsy Lee McCarthy I checked out the library. These socks shall be named the Koigu Slip-Ups. The sock is turning out pretty dense. I also checked out Nancy Bush's Folk Socks for some educational reading.
The leg, heel and gusset are done on the first sock. I've made a fair amount of progress since I figured out how to knit while holding the baby. He's almost three months old now and such a fun little guy. I'm not saying that everything is easy. We are definately sleep deprived and do not have the life we used to have but I think he is classified as an easy baby. I'll be back to work before I know it. I hope day care works for us.
I splurged and got my very first Koigu at Common Threads after eating at Raul's taco shop in Encinitas. I read a lot of other blogs and am sometimes amazed by how much of what I know is expensive yarn is purchased and stashed. Since each knitted object takes so much time, maybe it is right to use only the best materials. Although I still like Patons classic wool for felted bags. Anyway back to the Koigu. It's colorway 503 and I plan on knitting another pair of socks. I haven't decided on the pattern but I am looking at a neat selection of sock pattern links here: Knitting Underway http://knittingunderway.blogspot.com/2006/10/winning-socks_10.html. If I don't find my next sock there I'll have to hit the local library for some sock books.
I guess I am an unofficial participant in Socktoberfest so I will answer the questionaire:
when did you start making socks? did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
March 2004 in Las Vagas on vacation with my husband and parents. I thought myself using a pattern from the Twisted Sister Sock Workbook.
What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
Varigated green Jawoll superwash. I still wear them but not in the summer because it is too hot. the cuffs are a little fluffy looking but they still look OK.
What would you have done differently?
Paid more attention to the hourglass heal instructions. I ended up with big gaps that I stitched together later. I think something might be wrong with their instructions...
What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
I haven't knit enough socks to have a favorite.
Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
Knit Knit Knit. I use DPNs but want to try magic loop and two circular methods.
Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
I have knit both and the flap turned out better, no gaps, but I like the hour glass look a little better.
How many pairs have you made?
4. Including two pairs of baby booties.
Yeah! I made progress and finished the Broadripples. They turned out to be fraternal twins because I did not have the patience to go though the rest of the skein to see if I could get the identical sequence to the first sock. I tried a little and at least the greens and darks sorta match up.
Pattern: Knitty
Yarn: Trekking XXL solorway 100
I liked this pattern. It was well written and easy to follow. I am not so sure about the the yarnovers in socks. My feet are so white they show right through.
Ok I'm giving away how old I am but last weekend I went to my 20 yr high school reunion. I wasn't sure if I'd be up to going because XY is 2 months old and doesn't sleep through the night. My husband and I are pretty sleep deprived and going to the reunion involved a 2.5 hr drive and a sleep over at my mom's. But since I didn't go to my 10 year reunion, and sorta regretted it, we went.
The reunion was at a country club that wasn't there when I went to high school. That area used to be citrus or avacado groves. About a hundred people showed up out of a class of 400. Most of them were people I knew but hadn't seen or heard about for 20 years. The worst part of the reunion (this will make me sound really old) was the music was too loud and I had a hard time talking loud enough for people to hear. I had to give up after a while so I didn't get to talk with as many people as I would have liked. Some people looked the same or even better than HS and a majority (myself included, thank you pregancy weight gain) I wouldn't have recognized without a name tag. 20 years seems like yesterday but it is really a long time. I can remember my HS graduation then working that summer at Kmart before heading off to UCSD like it was yesterday.
Thanks to the car ride I was able to knit the leg of my second Broadripple sock. I knit the heel flap and started the gusset today.
I have made progress on the Broadripple sock despite frogging my first attempt which I had knit all the way past the heel! Why did I have to frog? I tried it on and could barely get it on over my heel because my cast-on was way too tight and inelastic. At first I thought, 'No, just keep knitting. It will be OK.' But during a midnight feeding of our 8 week old son, 'XY', I was thinking about the problem and that the sock wasn't right and I should redo it. So at 1 am I frogged it and then looked at my books and online for the appropriate cast-on. I ended up using the long tail cast-on with size three needles. My first attempt used the cable cast-on and size 1 needles. I wanted to knit the rest of the sock with size 2 needles and wouldn't you know it I have these size double pointed needles: 000, 00, 0, 1, 3, 4, and 5 but not 2. This meant a trip to the LYS, Black Sheep, in encinitas. I only had time to go to one store and this one has the easiest parking. They had one set of size 2 dp needles. I am used inexpensive aluminum needles and they only had a 10 dollar set of bamboo needles. They feel really good and are super smooth. I just hope I don't snap them when I knit too tight.
A lot of baby stuff comes in little plastic bags with zipper or snap closures and I have been using them to store project in as shown above. This one was from a change pad cover from Pottery Barn.
Here is a pic of the Trekking XXL colorway 100 I am using to make the Broadripple socks. It's going to a challenge to knit while holding a baby.
11-30-05
I think it was around this time that I went to the Melbourne StitchNBitch at the Borders in the Jam Factory. They are extraordinary knitters. I've yet to get involved in knitting meetuups in my own home town although I did go to two at the beginning of the year. One day I'll go to a north county meetup unless I hear the siren song of knitting at home on the couch first.
So what have I knit? Sophie, by Julie Anderson for Black Sheep Bags out of Patons Classic Wool in Red. I used about 1.5 skeins and modified the pattern
slightly. I roughly followed the pattern. I cast on 55 stitches for the base and knit 38 rows for the base and then picked up stitches around the base to
start the sides. I decreased as the pattern described loosely every 10 rows for 60 rows and then knit a ittle bit more before I cast off. The strap is of two 3-stitch icord twisted as described in the pattern. Here she is prefelted.
Over the Holiday wee
