Works in Progress

Project:
Baudelaire Socks in Dharmafey Bamboo Sock Yarn in Dexter Colorway

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Cast on:
Saturday, January 26th 2008

Pattern:
Baudelaire by Cookie A.
http://www.knitty.com/issuesummer06/PATTbaudelaire.html

Yarn:
Dharmafey's Cosmic Fibers Bamboo Sock in Dexter colorway
60% superwash merino/30% bamboo/10% nylon
http://dharmafey.etsy.com/

Needles:
Knitpicks Options & Harmony needles in US 1 1/2 / 2.5 mm
2 socks on 2 circs

Wanted to do something interesting with the yarn. But also found that the yarn was mostly grey with some flecks of red. So I picked the Baudelaire pattern. It is a great pattern.

I am not sure if the flecks will obscure the pattern. It may a little, but I think it works.


Project:
Alpaca Top Down Raglan Cardigan

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Cast on:
Monday, Jan. 21st 2008

Pattern:
Sure-to-Fit Cardigan by SpinCraft Products
http://spincraftpatterns.com/index.php?cPath=53&osCsid=5d6ce158ba1603d7b1eb22f9a42e8264

Yarn:
A Touch of Twist Peruvian Alpaca in Black
http://www.atouchoftwist.net/

Needles:
Knitpicks Options US 5 / 3.75 mm
Will use 3 or 4 for ribbing & collar

Purchased Yarn at:
NY Sheep and Wool fest in October 07

Finally casting on the alpaca I got at Rhinebeck. The pattern is designed to fit various sizes.

I goofed. I didn’t see why it said to not do the collar when starting. So I started with a rib for the collar. Turns out it wanted to do it after the increase so it would attach differently. I frogged it and started fresh. Figure that it is better to do that early rather than later.

Good news is that it is a mindless knitting project. So I can do it while watching Bollywood and such as I don't have to look down at it.

Long Overdue Pics of Hubby's Xmas Socks

I meant to post these a while back. But just finally got around to taking the pics.

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Pattern:
Sock Pattern Generator
www.panix.com/~ilaine/socks.html

Yarn:
Opal Rainforest Frosch/Frog

Needles:
Knitpicks size 2 circs

I made these socks my hubby Paul for Xmas. They were slow going as I only worked on them when he wasn't around. So at work and sometimes at home if he isn't there.

Wish they had been a complete surprise. But I wasn't thinking and showed him the Lime & Violet Chorewars site. Which of course is where I labeled what I was working on for lunch... *groan*

Yummy Yummy Sock Yarn!

I just got the sock yarn I ordered! It is very yummy and very squishy.

It is the Dexter colorway in Bamboo Sock (60% superwash merino/30% bamboo/10% nylon). It was dyed by Carrie aka Dharmafey of the Socks in the City podcast. She posted about it on Ravelry. She also has an Etsy shop. Though I think she is doing the Dexter colorways by request, not just listing them on her Etsy page.

Here is a pic of hers of the Dexter colorway:


My batch is seems to be a light grey overall with smaller patches of red here and there. Personally, I like it better than the one she pictured which has white in it.

She has a bunch of her colorways on her flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dharmafey/sets/72157603576877947/

I can't wait to see how it knits up. I think it will be largely a grey sock with flecks of red in it.

I am hooked on the show Dexter as well. Paul and I have been watching it (though we are only about 6 episodes in, probably will watch some more this weekend). It is really delightful. Definitely dark.

I can't see how they will edit it to show it on CBS. There is too much profanity and some nudity as well. I think they are going to hack it up to a point it will be unwatchable.

Monkey Socks in Lisa Souza Sock Yarn

Cast On:

Saturday, January 5th.

Finished:

Tuesday, January, 22nd

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Pattern:

Monkey by Cookie A.

http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter06/PATTmonkey.html

Yarn:

Lisa Souza Sock!

75% Superwash Wool/25% Nylon

http://www.lisaknit.com/yarn/animalfibers/sock.html

Needles:

US 1 1/2 / 2.5 mm - one Knitpicks Options & one KP Harmony

Done 2 socks on 2 circs

I decided to do a Cookie pattern for the Ravelry Socks Knitters Anonymous January KAL. I think it was a good match with the yarn.

I was worried however about the size. I had read in someone else's comments that they did this pattern for a size 9 foot and it worked fine. I did not find that to be the case.

The leg of the sock is pretty tight over my foot when I pull them on. So I was kinda worried. But my gauge was dead on according to my swatch.

I ended up tweaking them as I went along.

I turned the heel, but instead of reducing to 32 stitches for the bottom of the foot, I decreased to 40 stitches. Then around midfoot, I decreased again, and so on every 1/2" or so til I got down to 32.

I found they fit the foot well that way. They are snug enough, but not super tight. They are still challenging to pull the leg over my heel. However, they are nowhere near as bad as my Jaywalkers in that regard. I am beginning to think I just have a massive heel. laugh

I definitely like the pattern a lot. I am tempted to make another pair but do a different increase so there isn't a hole from the YO.

Punny Knitting Humor

I am not a fan of puns as some of you know. But I figured some of you are.

http://www.limenviolet.com/blog/?p=1894

Much silliness.

Bat Pillow Complete

Just wanted to share the pic of the completed bat pillow:



I think it came out okay. I should have used a much finer gauge of yarn for it. But other than that, I like it. Turns out the image is actually a Gorey drawing. Makes it all the more fun.

I need to tweak the pattern and then share it.

Pattern Thoughts and Suggestions

I am trying to figure out what to do with the Lisa Souza hand dyed superwash wool I have. I have knit a swatch but can't seem to determine what pattern to do. I am leaning towards the doing something with the Wild Things color way first:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=wild%20things&w=11372712%40N04

It is some really pretty dark colors. Purples, blues and some lighter greens. All very pretty.

I also have the Mars Quakes colorwar:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=11372712%40N04&q=mars+quake&m=text

I like both a great deal. They are beautiful yarns. But I realized that I have already knit two pairs with reds and blacks. So I figure it is time for another color. *chuckle* (Mind you, I wear the ones I have all the time. I have my Ravishing socks on today that are the cotton/lycra self-patterning yarn I dyed.)

I am having a hard time finding sock patterns that don't have lacey bits!

There is a knit along this month in one of the Ravelry groups for Cookie A. patterns - http://www.cookiea.com . I am really thinking about trying one of her patterns. She has some amazing ones.

I keep looking at the Monkey pattern from Knitty:

http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter06/PATTmonkey.html

Have anyone tried this one?

I also like her Pomatomus pattern:

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTpomatomus.html

I think that would be next to impossible with the 2 socks on 2 circs method I love so much. And I fear second sock syndrome a lot.

I am seriously tempted by her Twinkle Toes pattern that is from a Knitty Gritty episode:

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_5419748,00.html

The beauty of that one is that it is toe up so I can use all the yarn and not have a lot left over. I am still *terrible* about judging when I need to start the foot when I am doing top down. With Jennifer's top down Xmas socks, I had 1/3rd of the yarn left because I started the heel too soon.

I admit, I am also still sorely tempted to do a Cat Bordhi pattern from the New Pathways book. there are some great patterns. There just aren't any I can clearly see in the yarn I have. Or the gauge I am getting. So it is hard. Suppose I should go home and knit yet more swatch. I was knitting on 2s, but it seems that it might be better on 1s. Not sure.

Though I was confused to discover that my 1s and 2s are actually 1 1/2s and 2 1/2s according to what I read. I thought I was getting 1s & 2s. But Knitpicks list 2 of each size. So I picked up the 2s to match the bamboo needles I got for Paul's socks before switching over to 2 socks on 2 circs for his socks. They are labeled size 2 - 2.75 mm. So that is what I got. *shrug*

Decisions decisions. So many patterns. So little time. *grin*

Either way, time to get home. Paul is probably beginning to wonder where I am and I haven't even left the office yet. It has been one of those days. Way too long!

NOTHING on My Needles! *gasp*

Currently I have NOTHING on my needles! *gulp*

On Ravelry, I am saying that the pillow is only 95% done. But it is cast off. So not on my needles! I just haven't actually sewn it to fabric & stuffed it yet. I *have* to finish that this weekend. I need to get it mailed off to her.

Rushing Rivulets Socks in Undertow Bamboo Yarn

Cast on:

Saturday, Dec. 1st

Finished:

Monday, December 31st

Pattern:

Stitch Pattern -

Rushing Rivulet

by Cat Bordhi

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rushing-rivulet-riverbed-architecture

Basic Sock Recipe -

Basic Sock Pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns

by Ann Budd

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1931499047/

Yarn:

Sarah's Yarns 100% Bamboo

http://www.sarahsyarns.com/SY100PctBamboo.html

Used about 100 grams (I dyed 150 grams and have about 54 gms left)

That should be around 285 yards (260.6m)

Needles:

Knitpicks Option & Harmony US 1 1/2 / 2.5 mm circulars

Done 2 socks on 2 circs

I am really thrilled with the Xmas socks I did for my sister-in-law Jennifer. I suspect she will like them. Though I am kinda nervous about them. My sister-in-law Tee sent me Jennifer's measurements for the socks she made for her. So I think they will fit.

I stopped the toe about a 1/2" shorter than Jennifer's foot. So they are 7 1/2" in length when Tee told me Jennifer's feet are 8". I thought about redoing it. But I tried them on my feet which are 9 1/4" long and much wider. I *could* wear them. I can pull them on my feet and they have enough give that they would fit. So I am not terribly worried that they won't fit.

I am hoping Jennifer likes them. *crosses fingers*

I did cut out some white cardboard to put inside to show off where the holes were in the pattern. I don't know if that shows off well in the photos.

Definitely click on the image for more detail. I have a much large size on flickr.

2nd Attempted at the Tomten Sweater

There are a few more pics as well:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?s=int&w=11372712@N04&q=tomten&m=text

Cast on:

Cast On: Monday, Dec. 10th

Finished:

Around Dec. 20-23. Wish I had marked it at the time.

Pattern:

Modular Tomten Jacket from Knitting Without Tears

by Elizabeth Zimmermann

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0684135051/

Yarn:

TLC Heathers in Teal (though more blue) with Barn Red accents

http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Medium+Yarns/TLC+Heathers.htm

Used about 1 1/2 of the blue & less than half skein of red

Needles:

Knitpicks Option US 9 / 5.5 mm circular from set

I can't believe I forgot to post these pics. I really meant to while I was on vacation but I forgot. I really don't get online much when I am home. I had to push myself to post about the Trouble with Tomtens. *laugh* It was the mobius sweater! Thanks Tee for helping!!

I also had a bunch of trouble with the zipper. I got one zipper in the city. Great. Double zipper so that it could be zipped at top and bottom. Cut to size. All good.

I tried to adhere it with crazy glue and nearly screwed up the entire sweater!! *sigh* I got it off, had to soak it with nail polish remover to try and get the glue off. Then I washed the sweater to get rid of the terrible smell. The good news is that it is machine wash & dry. *grin*

So I went out to get another zipper. Found one at Wal-Mart after searching several places. Turns out that it was the kind that was sewn closed on the bottom. So why did it say universal zipper?! *pout*

Three was the charm. Got another zipper at a Joanne's. Though the closest Joanne's was a good ways from home. And I was fighting crud. Paul offered to go get it for me, but I knew that wasn't fair to him. So we also got a bit more shopping done before Xmas while we were out. So that was the up side.

Bat Pillow

Cast on:

Not sure honestly. *scratches head* Think around the 17th or 18th, maybe later.

Cast Off:

Around Dec. 29-30. Wish I had marked it at the time.

Can't say finished til I make it into a pillow. Need to add it to fabric & stuff the pillow.

Pattern:

Chart created using KnitPro website -

http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/

Image taken from -

http://www.wonder-shirts.com/images/bat_moon.jpg

Basically the pattern was created by tweaking those.

Yarn:

Bernat Softee Chunky in black & white

http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=softeechunky

Nearly all the black and about half the white were used.

Needles:

Knitpicks Option US 9 / 5.5 mm circular from set

The image is an Edward Gorey drawing. I took it and tweaked it a lot to make it solid areas of black & white. Originally, I had some areas to highlight the wings, but I found it wasn't helping with the image. So I changed the bat to solid black. I think it worked out better that way, but honestly, I am not sure.

I want to post the chart here. I meant to bring it into work but I keep forgetting. The KnitPro website outputs to a pdf. However, it had various greys in the image as it doesn't seem able to clearly tell that there were only two colors in the original. So I went over the chart with white out & a black marker to make sure it was good.

I also added lines for each 10 stitches and put stitch markers to make it easier to count off the stitches. I found that helped me to have less of a headache with counting.

The piece is a mix of intarsia and fair isle knitting. I carried the yarn where it was less than 7 stitches, but I did intarsia when it was a larger area. Overall, I think it came out okay. There is definitely a bit at the edges of the moon where it looks raised because I pulled a bit too much. But honestly, it works. It looks almost intentional as it rises up a little.

I would not do a graphic chart with such a thick yarn again. The stitches are too large. But I wanted to get this done for Xmas. I knew it would be kinda late, but not too late if I did it in a bulky yarn.

Problem is that even going down a needle size, the stitches are not tight enough. I should have gone down at least 1 or 2 more to get it tighter. So I will line it with fabric on both the front and back. I had intended on knitting the back as well. But given the front has to be fabric lined, I am not going to bother with knitting the back panel. Lazy I know. *grin*

I hope Karen will enjoy it honestly. I never really know what to get her. She is kinda challenging to buy for in that I can find her a lot of things she would like, but not a lot that will grab her. So I figured she might enjoy this as she likes bats. (Most people know she likes elephants and it has gotten to the point where she has too many.)

Overall, I like the bat. Kinda tempted to do a smaller one for me sometime.