Yarn Club & WIPs

I got into the Vamp Yarn Club that Fresh from the Cauldron is running. I am looking forward to it.

The interesting thing is that they already show the various colorways. I get to pick the ones I want. So I won't end up with colorways that just aren't my thing. So I am pretty happy. *smile* I am doing the bimonthly one, so I will get 3 shipments.

I know two of the colorways I want are Volturi & Fangstasia. I know, shocking. *laugh* Not at all my colors. *smirk*

I am waiting to see what the dyer comes up with for the three remaining Anne Rice vamp colorways. I suspect she is going to go with eye & hair color like she did with Claudia. But I am not sure. I also think the Michael Corvin colorway is something that Paul would like. So that might be my third selection.

I really wish I could do the RainyDaysWoolyDogs's GothSocks Sock Club. I might even do both but the RDWD one is pay upfront. And I can't really afford that right now. If it were a month by month, I would do it. I really need to order some of their yarn sometime though. I keep meaning to and by the time I get to it, the colorway I want is gone. They have a Romantic Goth colorway that I love. *smile* I would love to see them do that in roving! I think that would be beautiful.

On the knitting front, my Brigit socks are 99% done. Seriously. I have bound off half of each sock! *laugh* I almost finished them last night, but I knew it would take a while longer. And the last thing you want to do is rush a sewn bind off. I really want socks that will actually fit when I am done. *grin* So I was good and put them down. They should be off my needles tonight for certain.

I wound the Spirit Trail Fiberworks Helen yarn in Harbor Fog this morning. I suspect it will be a good yarn. I am worried it might be a bit splitty, but it is hard to tell yet. It is going to be socks for my hubby Paul. The designer for the March KAL for Sock Knitters Anonymous is Cat Bordhi. I have been wanting to try another of her sock patterns from New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I did the Coriolis socks from that and they were interesting. I figure the beauty of the book is that I can always figure out the exact right size for the socks which is nice.

I also cast on a Chevron Lace Scarf from this pattern. I am using the Tempted Hand Painted 80% superwash merino/20% Cashmere Fiber I spun for it. I think it will look nice with the color changes. It is a simple 2 row repeat. So that makes it pretty quick. I should have this done for spring, should it decide to come anytime soon!

Happiness Is a Long Weekend with Fiber

I am pretty happy. I took off last Thursday & Friday as well as this Tuesday. So I got a super long weekend.

Friday was my birthday. My husband bought me a POUND of black alpaca roving! He bought it from someone in Minnesota/Missouri/some M state in the middle. *chuckle* He found it through Localharvest.org. He was trying to find something close, but that is about the closest he could find. It is yummy stuff. *sigh* It has some pre-drafting done so it should be lovely to spin!

Thursday I asked Paul if he wanted to go up to the Adirondacks which is always pretty unfair as questions go. I don't know if he has ever said no! *laugh* We are still going up Columbus Day so I didn't know if it was really feasible. But we decided that if we brought groceries and didn't eat out much we should be good. So we head off Friday morning.

In the car on the way up, I finished the Argosy Scarf in Unique Designs by Kathy Handspun. I *really* need to take some pictures of it. But I want to wait until I block it. Which if I am good should be tonight. But I don't honestly know. It is already 6:30 pm and I haven't left work yet. So we shall see.

I like the pattern a lot and think it works well in Kathy's Handspun. I am hoping it will look even better after it is blocked. *crosses fingers* I will post more details when I get the pics done.

I have some Scout's Swag Superwash/Tencel Sock Yarn in Socktoberfest that I got from a trade with Silvercat. It has some orange in it which really isn't my colors. But I figured I really should do them up for Halloween. (There is also greys & purples which definitely are my colors! *smile*) So after finishing the scarf, I cast on the Zombie Socks. (Ravelry only pattern)

I wasn't sure if the pattern wouldn't be way too busy for the yarn. But I really like the way it is coming out. I got about 6 hours of knitting on the way home on these as well. I really like them.

The pattern has drop stitches which isn't as scary as I feared. I think these will be fun. Though the drop stitches do cause gaps. And I do wonder if they will indeed be warm enough for Halloween! But just have to see.

Saturday I stopped at the Adirondack Woolery in hopes of picking up some more roving. No luck. It was during their hours. But my guess is that the women who run the place were away for the long weekend. Too bad as I really want some more of the grey sliver roving and maybe some other stuff. Their prices were good so I will stop by over Columbus Day weekend.

Paul and I walked around the Newcomb Visitor Interpretive Center.

We did the Sage Jr. trail (yellow) and most of the Sucker Brook Trail (blue). There is part of the Sucker Brook trail that you skip to make a longer loop. I think we did the Peninsula Trail (green) a couple years ago. And I know we did the Rich Lake Trail (red) in the past as well. It was a beautiful day.

Though of course, fiber was still lingering in my mind. So I asked Paul if he wanted to wander off to Lake Placid. Luckily, he can be bribed with the lure of some tasty Ubu at Lake Placid Pub. (And I was smarter than to every think about yarn shopping *after* the beer... I need every bit of willpower I can get! *grin*)

On the way there, we stopped at Adirondack Yarns.

in Lake Placid. I really like the place. I stopped there last year. That is where I got hooked on Catalina yarns last year.

This years addiction may become Great Adirondack Yarn Co. *sighs lustfully*

I got this lovely Great Adirondack Yarn Co yarn. It is called Silky Sock. There were a lot of lovely colorways. I decide I wanted the Charcoal colorway.

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It is 70% wool, 20% silk, 10% nylon.

This yarn feels so yummy. The silk makes it amazing to touch. I kept rubbing it against my face. Can't wait to see how this knits up.

I also got some Schaefer Yarn Lola in different purples.

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It is 100% Superwash wool. I got some Lola at Rhinebeck last year and love it. It was th first superwash wool I purchased to see if it would irritate me. It definitely doesn't. It is super smooshy and soft.

Mind you, this is thicker so it definitely makes house socks/winter boot socks. But I love my Lola socks in the reds. So when I saw they had the Lola I had to get some more. The purple is brighter than I normally would get, but I really like it.

Sunday & Monday were a whole lot of spinning.

Most of the time was spent spinning the Adirondack Woolery natural wool carded with colored fibers into singles.

It is 6 oz. of natural colored wool carded with colored fibers. I purchased this at the Adirondack Woolery over the July 4th weekend but this is the first I have spun it.

I am spinning this for my mother-in-law for Xmas. I was going to create a 2-ply it with the same fibers. But given the random colors and the combos that could happen, I think that is a bad idea. I am going to pick up some other fiber to pair with it. But I don't know what yet.

I could use a grey easily as there it a lot of grey in the blend. But then there will be large segments that are all grey and I am not sure I want that. If it were for me, I would default to my beloved black. *laugh* I need to hold this against some reddish brown fiber. I don't know why, but I think that might really work well. I need to find the right one, but I am hoping to find something that would work.

Also, I am *very* tempted to go with something much softer. I found some of the wool in the blend is nice and soft. Some was hard with a lot of tight crimp. So I would like something else to balance that out and make a nice yarn. I am leaning towards alpaca. But I am not sure yet.

I also finished plying the Ember superwash wool from Etsy.

I got this roving from The Ranches Angoras aka theranch Etsy shop and had created the singles for the Tour de Fleece. I had already plied part of it but was glad to finish plying it.

This is my first 3-ply yarn. I am hoping to use it for socks. I will have to see if it has enough give or if I will need to do something else with the yarn.

So all in all it was a great long weekend filled with fiber. Hooray!

Spring Socks

I just finished these yesterday. The timing is kinda perfect given it is the first day of spring. The colors are definitely on target for that. And I am wearing them today.

Cast On:
March 3 2008

Finished:
March 19 2008

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Pattern:
Combo of
Basic Sock Pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns
http://www.amazon.com/Knitters-Handy-Book-Patterns-Interweave/dp/1931499047/
&
The stitch pattern of Ladder of Life socks
http://www.interweave.com/knit/files/ladder.pdf
both by Ann Budd

Made for:
Me - 9 1/4" circumference & length

Needles:
US 3 / 3.25 mm Knitpick Options & Harmony
2 socks on 2 circs method

Yarn:
Sarah's Yarns 100% Bamboo
http://www.sarahsyarns.com
Handdyed by me
1.2 skeins = 120 grams / 342 yards

I combined two of the Anne Budd patterns. I took the # of stitches and design from her basic sock pattern in the "The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns". The stitch pattern is from her Ladder of Life.

The Ladder of Life requires 5 sts = 1”. Too large for most of my socks. But I figured the pattern would flatter the self-striping yarn I dyed. It is enough to keep me interested, yet simple enough to be a good knit right now.

Things are kinda crazed so I really wanted some comfort knitting. Something familiar yet also bright. I think this definitely fit the bill.

I cast on 64 stitches. However, I found it was too big. So I decreased the stitches to 56 so I could keep the pattern going. It also gave me a larger area over the calf which I tend to need.

I think I liked the hand dyeing I did more before I knit it. I think I didn't lay it out well. The stripping didn't come out even because of the yarn. I tried to match them but quickly gave up on that as they weren't lining up right. I need to figure out how to do it better next time. I think I understand what I did wrong. I think the piece I was using pulled in the more yarn I laid out. So that the length of the stripes was not consistent. I know how to fix that for next time and have the pieces to do it. So I hope my next self-striping attempt will be better.

The socks feel great on. They are very soft. And there is a nice sheen to the yarn. I am still concern about the memory of the socks. But I am hopeful that they will work well. I am finding they fall down a bit. But I suspect I didn't make the top tight enough. I still like them and suspect they will be ideal summer socks.

Pics...Hopefully....

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What To Do...What to Do...

A terrific woman from Ravelry did a swap with me. I sent her books, she sent me yarn. I am pretty thrilled.

The yarn is Scout's Swag Superwash/Tencel blend in the Socktober colorway. It feels wonderful. The colorway is definitely lighter than the one on Scout's site. But I think it is lovely. I am so thrilled.

I haven't heard back from the woman I got it from yet. But there were some beautiful stitch holders on a safety pin attached to the Scout tag. I don't know if they came with the yarn or if she sent them. I am hoping to hear back from her. I did try to take some close up pics, but they came out fuzzy. Maybe I will take some this weekend along with the letter markers I made for the Coriolis Socks (ravelry link).

Blogger is acting up and won't let me post the photos. So I am doing them in a seperate post. *grumblegrowl*

Finished Baudelaire Socks in Dharmafey Bamboo Dexter

Cast On:

January 26 2008

Finished:

February 14 2008

Pattern:

Baudelaire by Cookie A.

http://www.knitty.com/issuesummer06/PATTbaudelaire.html

Made for:

Me - Size 9 shoe, 9" at ball, 9 1/4" long

Yarn:

Dharmafey's Cosmic Fibers Bamboo Sock in Dexter Colorway

http://dharmafey.etsy.com

60% superwash merino/30% bamboo/ 10% nylon

1 skeins = 385.0 yards

Needles:

US 1 1/2 / 2.5 mm

Knitpicks Options and Harmony

2 socks on 2 circs method

I wanted to do something interesting with the Dexter yarn I got. The batch I got is mostly grey with some flecks of red. I had been looking at the Cookie A. patterns for the Sock Knitters Anonymous KAL for January. So when I went to my ravelry queue, I spotted the Baudelaire pattern. It is a beautiful pattern.

I wasn't sure if the flecks would obscure the pattern. But I don't think the flecks detract. I think the yarn works pretty well with the pattern.

I *love* the Bamboo Sock yarn. It is very soft yet nice and smooshy. I liked it so much I ordered a couple blank skeins to dye myself. They just arrived today, so I think it might be a weekend for yarn dyeing... Mmmmm....

I really like the Baudelaire pattern. It was definitely a good pattern and a pleasure to knit. The only part I loathed was the Front Cable Increase & Back Cable Increase for the larger size. You have to create 4 stitches while simultaneously doing a cable. I think it should have just had the increase without trying to twist them at that same time. There was a ton of swearing involved. But it only happens once in the pattern. So two sets of each and then no more. If I had to do it more than that, I wouldn't knit the pattern ever again. *laugh*

Overall, I like the socks. They are very pretty, yet the coloring of the yarn doesn't make them super girly which I like. *grin* Though Paul keeps saying the color is pink not red. *growls* I do not do pink! It is red. *chuckle*

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.

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!

New Pathways Formulas Spreadsheet & Numbers

It seems that the mround function I used in the original spreadsheet does not work on some computers as it is an add on.

I would still suggest using the original one if you can:
http://akasha.onmyweigh.com/data/new-pathways-formulas.xls

I have removed mround from one version of the spreadsheet:
http://akasha.onmyweigh.com/data/new-pathways-formulas-without-mround-function.xls

The original rounds to the nearest 1/2 #. The one without mrounding doesn't do that.

Though I have the negative ease numbers in there, it seems that according to Cat Bordhi on the Raverly board, the negative ease should be built in. She says if they are coming out too large, you measured the wrong part of the foot. She said the midfoot should be smaller than the ball of the foot. So I need to remeasure mine.

I still haven't settled on what I want to do from the book! I am tempted by the Jeweled Step pattern. But I really don't want my first pattern from the book to be one where I have to mirror the steps of the pattern. Though I do think it would look good in the Lisa Souza Mars Quakes I have. Hmmm... Suppose I could do the Wild Things first. But...but...but... *laugh*

Need
to
make
a
decision...

*smirk*

Productive Knitting Weekend

I am thrilled to say I got three project finished this weekend. The long weekend definitely helped with that. *smile*

I haven't taken pics yet. I am hoping to take some tonight. But I will be at a work conference tomorrow til Thursday. So I won't get to post them until probably Friday at the earliest.

The big accomplishment are my Jaywalkers.

Project:

STR Atomic 6 Jaywalkers

Cast on:

Wednesday, Nov. 14th

Finished:

Sunday, Nov. 25th

Pattern:

Toe UP Jaywalkers by Natalia Marek

http://azazello.org/nataliaknits/?p=36

Uses the original Jaywalker pattern heavily

http://magknits.com/Sept05/patterns/jaywalker.htm

Needles:

2 socks on 2 circs

Started with US 3 but went to a US 1 / 2.5 mm

One of each - Knitpicks Options & Harmony

Yarn:

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Mediumweight in Atomic 6

http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/colorway_detail.php?colorway_id=10&fiber_category=Animal&colorway_category_id=1

I have to say, I am torn with how I feel about these.

I really like the Socks That Rock yarn. The twist is nice. Knits up easily. It has a lot to recommend it. I can see why some people love it.

The thing I really disliked - the color came off on my hands while I was knitting with it. I ended up with rings around my fingers where I wrap my yarn for tension. And I got splotches on my fingers at the tips. Not great. I double checked on the STR forum on Ravelry. Seems this is common for them with dark colors. That is not what I expect from a pricey professional yarn. I have colored by own with dark colors and don't have the color coming off on my hands. So I was confused by it.

With the color bleeding onto me, I knew I had to wash them before I can wear them. I used a color fixative in hopes they will retain the color. It is weird though. When I washed them with some Synapol, the color didn't come off into the wash. So that is odd. I really wish I knew why they were behaving as they are.

Also, the colorway really isn't as dark & rich as I thought from the pics. There is a fair bit that looks more like a dusty rose than the burgundy shown in the image on their site. Also, I thought there was blue in it, when it is really green. Also, there isn't any black, only some grey. So while I like them, they won't be moving to my fav socks anytime soon.

I had some trouble with gauge. I did a gauge swatch. I thought I was right on the mark with the gauge. Seems I wasn't. The toe was so big I was going to be swimming in the socks. So I went down two needle sizes. It corrected the problem. So they fit in the rest of the foot. (Of course, I should have ripped out the toe and started again, but I didn't.)

Thing is the jaywalker pattern has next to no give. So that pulling the leg part over my heel is a bit of a challenge. They will go on, but not without a good deal of effort. I will be curious to see how they hold up given how hard they are to get onto my foot.

Overall, I am glad I did a pair of Jaywalkers. It was a simple pattern and easily repetitive so that was easy to knit. But there really isn't any give in the pattern itself. So I don't know if I will feel compelled to do another pair honestly.

I know next for me will be a Cat Bordhi pattern from the New Pathways book. I am definitely looking forward to that. Though they may have to wait til I finish ones for my sister in law's Xmas pressie or Paul's. I started swatching the Lisa Sousa Socks in Mars Quake this morning on size 3s. I suspect it is too loose on the 3s. So I will probably have to go to size 1 or 2s. The 2s are holding Paul's socks. I just finished with the size 1s for the Jaywalkers. But I really need to get started with Jennifer's socks if I want to complete them for Xmas. Just have to see I guess.

Project:

Drop Stitch Recycled Silk Scarf

Cast on:

Wednesday, Oct. 10th.

Finished:

Thursday, Nov. 22nd.

Pattern:

Double Drop Stitch Scarf by Amy Davenport

http://freshgroundknits.com/patterns/drop-stitch-scarf/

Needles:

Knitpicks US 8 Options from set

Yarn:

Recycled Sari Silk from Hunger Site

Have to say I picked the pattern as a way to burn through the recycled silk quickly. It is pretty rough and I really don't think I like the yarn all that much.

I am following the pattern except I cast on 48 stitches. Problem is that it is too wide for the 3 skeins I have. It only came out about 30"-35" long. So it is more like a shawl than a scarf.

I am going to give it to my sister Millie as a Christmas pressie.

Not really thrilled with it. But it is okay. I think my sister will like it. Definitely a good easy knit.

Project:

Cupcake Purse for My Niece

Cast on:

Wednesday Oct. 31st.

Knitting Completed:

Friday, Nov. 2nd.

Project Finished:

Saturday, Nov. 24th.

Pattern:

Cupcake Purse by Amy Gaines

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=5840116

Needles:

Knitpicks US 8 Options from set

Kit purchased on Etsy.com from AmyGaines.

Super fast project. Easy to knit.

I got the knitting pattern in a kit. The pattern on Ravelry says crochet, but she has both.

I knit it in the round so there is less seaming. Also, I did not sew the bottom it closed. I added two layers of stift felt to the bottom to make it more three dimensional.

Definitely a fun, quick project. Would do again if I ever have some who would enjoy the purse.

So it was a good weekend. Three projects off the needles. That is great.

Of course, now I am debating what to put on my needles! *chuckle* I know I need to start the socks for my sister-in-law Jennifer if I want to get them done in time for Xmas. We will do Xmas with them after the new year probably. But I need to start them.

I want to start a pair of socks with one of the Bordhi New Pathway patterns. I don't know which pattern yet. I know I want to knit the Lisa Sousa Socks in Mars Quake next without a doubt. Though I am a little tempted to do something else if I can't get the gauge on the 3s. Scary that I want more circular needles! Though on the flip side, I have the 2s in dpns. I *could* do a corealis pattern on dpns as the corealis really seems to require one at a time as there is a lot of slipping stitches from one needle to another. But I don't think I want to do that in the Mars Quake. I might try the sock yarn I got at the Etsy Trunk Sale for that. Not sure.

Decisions decisions. *chuckle*

Toe Up Socks in Schaefer Lola Done

Cast on:

Saturday, Nov. 3rd.

Finished on:

Sunday, Nov. 11th.

Yarn:

Schaefer Lola

Needles:

Knitpicks Options & Boyd Circulars Size 5

I am going to sure the small images on the page. My mother-in-law is still on dial-up. So I don't want to overload her with the images. And I will just give links to some of the images.

Front View:

Side View:

Other Views:

Side View of Pair

Flat

Flat Pair

Pattern:

I didn't use a specific pattern.

I used the Lifestyle Toe Up Socks as a guide.

The toe is done with Judy's Magic Cast-On. Though the YouTube video by Cat Bordhi was even more helpful.

I took the numbers from the Knitty Universal Toe Up sock recipe.

I looked at different sites for the heel I went with one that didn't require wraps. I think that was a mistake.

I did a garter rib on the top which will carry up to the leg. Took that from Sensational Knitted Socks.

This is a Frankenpattern! *grin*

Love the yarn! It is knitting up so fast. I did 6" of the foot in the first 48 hours. This is after spending a lot of time learning Judy's Magic Cast-On and frogging the toe once after it didn't go right the first time. It is also super cushy and soft. I know I will have to get more of it.

I really enjoy toe up socks. I like that I can tweak them as needed. It may be my new method for socks most of the time.

I will definitely find a new heel though. I got holes at the seam. Not good. I had to use the yarn to sew up the holes at the gusset. I am trying another method with the Toe Up Jaywalkers. And this method is a lot better. So I won't use the no wrap method again. Too much of a mess. Not that the one I am doing now is tough at all. It has a gusset and is worked nearly identical to a cuff down which I like.

I am wearing them again today. I really like them. They are kinda bulky, but I don't mind that. I suspect most people would say they are house socks, but I don't think of them as that.

Socks That Rock Atomic 6 Jaywalkers Cast On & New Pathways Book

I wrote part of this on Wednesday, then more yesterday. Just need to post this before dashing off to the EtsyFast sale!

I just cast on the Socks That Rock/STR Mediumweight yarn in Atomic 6 Wednesday morning. I was sooo tempted to cast something on Tuesday night. I had just gotten the latest Cat Bordhi book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One.

I was soooo tempted to change what pattern I was going to do. But I have other sock yarn. I can wait on the Bordhi patterns.

I was very tempted to do a pair from New Pathways for my sister-in-law Jennifer. There is a pattern called Rushing Rivulets. Part of her last name is Rushing. Also, the pattern could look great with the yarn I dyed for her.

Problem is getting it to fit. The Bordhi patterns all call for the midfoot circumference. Most sock patterns call for the foot circumference which is different. I have been looking at the numbers in the book. My sister-in-law Tee made Jennifer some socks so I have the more standard foot measurements.

I may take the stitch pattern to create the Rushing Rivulets and transfer it to a more standard pattern. I think that could work very well.

Here is someone on flickr's pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/malinkan/1690083495/

A flickr search on Rushing Rivulet shows more pics as well.

I still desperately want to do a pair of the Bordhi design. But I suspect it makes more sense to do them for me so I can tweak it as needed.

I am *definitely* loving the Bordhi book though. It is amazing. It has eight "new forms of sock architecture". Each of these has a few patterns written out patterns with pictures. And for the eight few forms are "master patterns". So you can take any design and tweak it to any size & gauge. I adore that sort of flexibility! I am so excited about it.

I am a big ol geek. I spent a good deal of Wednesday working on a spreadsheet with all the data in the various charts. This way I can just plug in the gauge, midfoot circumference & foot length and get all the figures I need for a Pathways pattern. Paul thought I was nuts. But I really do think it will save a lot of time in the long run.

Paul did proof it yesterday so I should share it soon.

Schaefer Lola Socks

Here are my Lola socks. They are my first pair of toe up socks. I got the Schaefer Lola yarn at Rhinebeck. I love it. But I wanted to make sure I used all of it so I am trying the toe-up method.

Yarn:
Schaefer Lola
http://www.schaeferyarn.com/

Needles:
Two US #5 circulars
Knitpicks Options & Boyd

Pattern:
I am not using a specific pattern.

I am using the as a guide.

Lola Socks Top - In Progress
Originally uploaded by akkasha

The toe is done with Judy's Magic Cast-On. Cat Bordhi has a great video on YouTube with how to do it. The voices are *very* silly. But it did teach me how to do it.

I took the numbers from the Knitty Universal Toe Up sock recipe which I put into a spreadsheet with the recipe on a second page so I can use the numbers again easily.

I am doing a garter rib on the top which will carry up to the leg. Took that from Sensational Knitted Socks. So in a way, it is becoming a Frankenpattern! *grin*

Lola Socks Heel - In Progress - Side View
Originally uploaded by akkasha

I decided to try the short row heel that doesn't require twisting & wraps. I found this tutorial with videos & pics. Though I have been struggling a lot with it. I ripped one heel out three times before it looked close to correct. I ripped the second heel out twice before deciding it was close enough for now. Not ideal honestly.

I have taken a pic of the first sock heel. Tried to get close up.

Lola Socks Heel - In Progress
Originally uploaded by akkasha

Love the yarn! It is knitting up so fast. I did 6" of the foot in the first 48 hours. This is after spending a lot of time learning Judy's Magic Cast-On and frogging the toe once after it didn't go right the first time. It is also super cushy and soft. I know I will have to get more of it.

I am really enjoying toe up. It may be my new method for socks most of the time. I like that I can know how much yarn I have left for the cuff. I can just keep knitting til I am going to run out.

Thing is, I think I need to either get some help with the heel or try another method. It hasn't been easy with this method for me. I am not sure if I haven't been doing it too loosely somehow. Maybe I should go down a needle size or something. I really don't know. I keep getting holes. But then I wonder if it isn't similar to my first socks. I thought the holes along the edge where huge. But they weren't. They don't even show up! I am not sure...

Ah well. I have to get some exercise in today. So I best get to it! The day is whizzing by!

Yummy Yummy Yummy

I am sooooo happy! I just got the Lisa Souza yarn I ordered! *happy dance*

I had wanted to try one skein of Sock! and one of Sock Merino. However, she would have had to dye the Sock Merino in a colorway I want. So I just got two in the Sock yarn. She would have shipped it early this week. But I was impatience so I figured I would just get it sooner this way. *grin* And she was kind enough to swap it and sent it out the day I order it. Great customer service.

The Sock has some nylon which is supposed to help with longer wear & greater durability. So I am not complaining. *smile*

I got the Wild Things & Mars Quake colorways. The Wild Things is so much more yummy than the image shows. Someone made the Monkey socks in this colorway. Shows off the gorgeous colorway.

Mars Quake has more light bits in it than I had hoped. But it is still really pretty. I like the colors a lot. Again, Monkey socks with the colorway... *chuckle* Seems a popular pairing for the Lisa Souza sock yarn.

I really love the yarn. I think it is soft enough that I won't have any allergy issues. *crosses fingers* I really hope that the superwash wool will not set off my allergies.

Lovely Fiber...

OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! My Socks That Rock showed up today. It is soooo pretty. It is also very soft.

I got a skein of the Atomic 6 colorway in the mediumweight superwash wool. It is so loverly.

I suspect this will be what I try the Jaywalkers pattern in toe up so I can use as much of the yarn as possible.

*in my best Kaylee voice* Shiny!

Only thing I don't like. The skein doesn't smell great. I can definitely tell they used vinegar. Doesn't seem like that is completely washed out. Not strong, but I did rub it against my face and can smell it. (I do the face rub to test it. If it is scratchy there, I suspect I won't react well.

Have to take pics tonight.

Alpaca Drops Cabled Socks Finished!

I am a very happy gal. I finished the Alpaca Drops cabled socks last night!

Cast On:

Sunday Oct. 7th.

Finished:

Tuesday Oct. 30th.

Pattern:

100-19 Socks with cable pattern in Alpaca

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=100&d_id=19&lang=en

Yarn:

Catalina Yarns Baby Silk in Claret

70% baby alpaca/30% silk

http://www.catalinayarns.com/pages/babysilk/babysilk.html

Needles:

2 circs - 5 size for the leg & a size 4 for the heel & foot

Used my Knitpicks and the Boyds. Like having the two different ones as I can tell them apart.

If you want to see the pictures larger, click on them. I have very large images on Flickr. But I didn't want the page to take eons to load.

Front View:

Side View:

Flat View:

I have posted the rest of the pics as links. I really don't want to overload anyone's connection. Paul took a lot of pics for me.

You can also click on the Flickr set and browse them that way.

Side Close Up

Flat View 2

Flat Single Sock

Front View 2

Back of Calf

Back of Calf 2

Top of Foot

Flat Single

I did these socks as part of the Ravelry Sock Knitters Anonymous Oct. sock knit along. (The ravelry links only work if you are on ravelry. But they will be opening to the public someday.) Happy to report I finished on time.

The cool thing is that the KAL has 2 months to complete the monthly challenge. So I could have taken until the end of November. I don't think I would have taken on this pattern if I had to get them done by today. So I took on something more complex as I knew I had the time to finish it.

It took nearly an hour to transcribe the chart & lay it out in Excel. However, I think it was well worth the time.

I was a bit intimidated by the complexity. However, it wasn't too bad. I just had to stay focused. So they weren't really mindless knitting.

The pattern is really beautiful. I love the color and they should be pretty warm.

I think there are a couple flaws in the pattern. In the M.3 chart,it says 16 rows. In fact it is 18, just like the M.1 pattern right beside it. It also appears that in the 11th row from the top of M.2, one of the knit stitches is in the wrong spot.

I should post the chart & the written out directions I made for this soon. It could be helpful to others. Though I should modify the pattern a bit with the notes I made. I tweaked it for two socks on two circs.

I picked up the yarn at Adirondack Yarns in Lake Placid, NY. I got it while I was up there. Tee had mentioned that there was a book store in Saranac Lake that had some alpaca yarn. The guy at the store said alpaca shouldn't set off allergies. So I stopped by when I was up there. I did a test swatch and it didn't bother me after having it on for 3-4 hours. So I was thrilled to find I am not allergic to alpaca.

I confess, I think the yarn was a bit too fluffy for the pattern. It would probably have shown much better with a different yarn. However, I really do love the yarn, the color and the way they came out. So I am happy with the socks.

I don't know if these socks will wear well at all. It may not be plied tightly enough. Also, they may not have enough memory to stay put. But I don't care. I like the way they came out. I will just have to be sad if they wear out.

I really want to find some good alpaca sock yarn! These feel wonderful.

Dyeing & Reskeining Issues

I am consistently having some of the same issues when I am dyeing. I really need to figure out if it is something I am doing or if it a product of the dyes I am using.

I had been using Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes. I think they are working very well.

The problem is they seem to take forever to rinse out. It takes several hours. I am soaking them for 15 minutes, then swishing them around, trying to work the dye out for under the tied points. I empty the sink and do it again. I generally have to do that 5-6 times before the water is light enough that I can wash it.

Then I wash it with Synthrapol. I have to wash it at least twice with this. Again, there is even more color coming out as I rinse it.

Then I wash it with Milsoft. This softens the fibers and gives back some of the feel the yarn had. But there is still color coming out during this part of the process as well.

This all takes 4-5 hours. So if I want to dye, I have to have a complete weekend at home. Saturday is dye day, Sunday is wash day.

So all that is done, right. It is done. Right? Nope.

Now comes the nightmare of reskeining/making balls of the yarn.

Thing is, I haven't had an easy time of this either. I had hoped the swifts would really resolve this issue. It didn't.

I suspect part of that is about the way I have been tying up the skeins. I have been tying them all together. For instance, with this last batch there was 3 different pieces of yarn. I think it is a big problem that I tied them together. So they get tangled into each other. So it makes a mess. I suspect that is part of the issue. The next batch each length of yarn will be tied off separately.

I also fear that part of it is about the way I wash the yarn. I am trying to get the dye out from under the tie points. I think that by moving it around with my fingers, it is tangling the yarn under the tie points. Thus making a mess of it.

Here is a pic of the tangles:

This only happened at the tie points. Not at the parts where the yarn was loose. So I think that by working at those points, it is making things worse.

I really want to make this process better. I do love dyeing yarn. I love creating interesting colorways and playing with the colors. It is very free form and a lot of fun for me.

The problem is that I am not sure it is worth all this time and frustration. Every time I am pulling out my hair by the end of the reskeining/ball process. I spend hours untangling yarn. And it doesn't seem to make any sense.

I keep wondering if it isn't something in my process that is doing this. I can't imagine anyone would dye yarns in small batches to sell if they go through all this.

But part of me just keeps wondering if this isn't more about the fiber reactive vs. acid dyes. And also wool yarn vs. cotton/bamboo/etc.. I am hopeful that there is something in my process I can change so that this doesn't continue to be such a headache.