Saturday, October 31, 2009

In time for Halloween

I finished my second discovery socks in time for Halloween!

fruitnveg

I'm calling them the fruit and veggie socks because of the yarn colors. I used the cabling patter on the Lothlorien socks for one cuff (representing veggies) and a traveling vine with a couple berries and a leaf for the other cuff (representing fruit). I wore the socks to bed because I was so excited to finish them :) I also feel like they make good Halloween socks because of the witch-y colors.

The whole waste yarn instead of cutting worked out well, especially on the second sock, whose stitches I did not twist. No holes at the corners!

fruitnvegside

In other news, I finally took pics of some of the other socks I've finished lately:

Granity: the Caradhras yarn socks from the Lotr sock club:

granity

Super comfy - I really enjoy the weight of them, and they still fit in my Doc Marten's, so I can wear them to work.

Nine Walkers: the Fellowship socks from the Lotr sock club:

ninewalkers

I started these for me but ended up giving them to DP. (The fact that my husband will wear lace socks is pretty sweet, so I figured I'd encourage it.) I did these toe up with a flap heel, and I like the way the colors striped on the flap:

ninewalkersright

Groovy Autumn Socks: the Koigu socks that, again, I was making for me but gave to DP. In my defense, it was his birthday:

groovy autumn

and the nice tall leg:

groovy autumn closeup

These are silky soft and very warm. DP loves them - he wore them around the house for a whole week before he'd let me wash them. We tossed them in with the other laundry on cold and hung them to dry. The yarn is already pilling, and the color is washing out. The pic is after the first washing (I wasn't able to snap any earlier). Lovely yarn, but maybe I should only make things for the marital dyad with it. That way no one will complain about wash-ability.

In other news, we're going to Hawaii! DP's sister is getting married, and we're invited for the wedding, which just happens to be on an island in the Pacific. The fiancé is paying for a large chunk of our cost, so we couldn't pass it up. I'm pretty excited, since the last time I was at a real beach was 1995! I'm also scared of the flight - not the flying, but of the security. I don't do well with mean people.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Discovery sock - mark 2

I decided that I didn't like all the ends that I had to weave in with my discovery sock. It fit well, but I just don't like cut ends waiting to unravel, and with a contrasting heel and toe, I had 10 ends to weave in. I'm making another pair of discovery socks, and discovering what I can do to create less work for myself.

On the discovery sock, you run two lifelines one row apart and cut between them, unraveling all but the two stitches on either side of the row. For my sock, I knit to where I'd run my first lifeline, then knit a row of waste yarn so I wouldn't have to cut and unravel. However, rather than knit the waste yarn all the way to the end, I knit it two stitches in from both sides, so I have the two unraveled stitches on each side of the leg opening without worrying about cutting anything! It worked well, except I twisted one stitch and didn't notice it until about 30 rows later. Not worth going back for, but on the second sock I'll be more careful.

As they say, I love it when a plan comes together.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Amazing!

This jacket is amazing! Colorwork is not really my thing, but I recognize good craftsmanship when I see it. The button bands are so intricate...

I redid the headband, this time with 8 strands and size 15 needles - my achin' wrists!

pam headband

I cast on 6 with JMCO, knit 3, then knit the other 3 stitches interspersed, so I had a tubular-looking cast on edge. I increased up to 14, knit for a while, then decreased back down. The edge stitches are kept in garter and the body is stockinette. My main problem is that I don't have a button big enough to go with it! Check out the huge-ness of the stitches:

pam headband closeup

Friday, October 16, 2009

Do-over

I finished the headband for my sister in law, but I think I'm going to do it over. I increased too slowly, so it doesn't cover the ears. Argh.

Related, I used two skeins of Regia Silk/Wool in white and made an irritating discovery - they were both 4 grams short! That's 8 grams of yarn missing! I am quite peeved, and I think I'll avoid Regia in the future. It's too bad, because I cut my sock teeth on Regia yarns, but 4 grams per skein is too much.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

What a day

At least the discovery socks are done :)

discovery socks

and a closeup of the no-hole join:

discovery sock join closeup

My next scheme is to make a knit headband for my sister in law. She sent me a pic, so now I just need her head measurements and the type and color of yarn. It looks pretty easy (famous last words), and I think I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't find the pattern. It should work up fast.

I may also make a pair of pants for my sister's daughter. She loves her pink stretch pants, but it's getting too cold to wear them. I have some stretch wool that's not scratchy, so we might use that. They need to be thin, but warm, and that's the best thing I can think of.

I got the latest shipment from Foxfire, a soft blend of cormo, alpaca and silk. I haven't spun up any of the fiber yet, but I'm thinking of joining next year's club. Is that crazy?

I guess I'd better start swatching for that headband. I just hope she doesn't want it made out of cotton...

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sigh. Holidays.

Argh. Where have I been? I've been so busy, I hardly had time to think. This high holiday season was both mellow and completely insane, and I can't believe that it's finally over. This past weekend was Simchat Torah, and it went out with a bang (involving a last minute dash by me mere hours before services, a malfunctioning PA system, a broken door, and the lesson that those jeans from my sister really require a belt if I'm going to wear them in public).

I have been knitting, but guess what - I can't find the cord to the camera, so I can't transfer any of its pictures! I made a pair of socks for DP's birthday, and I'm almost done with another pair for my sister. I made my niece another winter hat - she outgrew the one from last year - and found out that my sister in law (the one with a 6 month old) is pregnant with another offspring! This, of course, will require more knitting, since there will now be 3 children small enough to be forced to wear the gifts I give them ;)

I just today bought Janel Laidman's new book, The Enchanted Sole, something I meant to pre-order but lost track of time. Some of the patterns look - let's face it - enchanting :) The Traveler and Tintagel patterns look especially compelling, though who knows if I'll actually make them or just use them for imagination fodder.

I also found a great essay from 1971, Why I Want A Wife. If you're a woman with a husband, read this. If your husband is great, then you'll feel better, and if he's a dope, then you'll feel validated.

I also have been hankering for some knitting buddies...there are no groups near me, and with the bus situation the way it is and not driving, I don't think that I'll ever be a part of one. But I kind of wish I was. Sigh.