Envy these socks!

Finished socks!

 

This is the yarn I dyed last weekend. My goal was to dye and finish a pair of socks for spring break-laundry be damned!

 Here is the heel detail. This was my fist toe up gusset which worked petty well. The pattern on the heel is from an old knitting book from 1915. It was supposed to form a diamond pattern - so clearly I got a bit off. I still like the way it works out. It incorporates yarn overs (yarn in front if you are from 1925) and slipped stitched. I'd like to play with it again and see if I can get it right. Either way, this made a nice cushy heel flap, so it is not quite correct, but I do consider it a success, seeing as I now have new socks and all.

I also tried to do the two at a time thing for the leg part. I can see why people like it...when you are done, you are DONE, which is very appealing. In all honesty I would have made these longer if I had been using my DPN's. I can roll much faster, and the circular needle is fiddly, and I am not so much on fiddly stuff. My cheapo circs don't really help[, so I probably ought to invest in a better pair of needles and try it again.

The basic yarn is KnitPicks bare which I rather like, soft, and my other socks I have done in it have worn well. With my Dahrma Trading Company order I get some Wildfoote Luxury Sock yarn. A bit scratchy before dyeing, but afterwards it softens up. My plan is to crank out a pair in that ASAP. That way I can compare how these socks and the Wildefoote wear over the next year. If it about the same then the Knitpicks is much cheaper. They both are 75% wool 25% nylon, so the race is on.

Of course this means (in my sad little math brain) that I cannot wear these socks again until I have the second pair, so they do not get over-used before the second pair is ready.

Green with Envy

My birthday present to myself this week - dyeing yarn.

This is with the new Jacquard iDye packs. Kelly green and royal blue. I live in a town with a huge college art program and all our local art stores had was the iDye stuff.

In fairness Plaza Art can do special orders for the regular Jacquard acid dyes, but I didn't plan this out so well. The order wouldn't get here until next week. Whoops.

So I've been playing with the iDyes until my order from Dharma Trading Company gets here.

Spring cleaning is almost done. If the laundry isn't washed by this afternoon it's not happening. Next two days I'll be up to my elbows in yarn.

Hyperbolic Coral Reef

We sent the day at the Natural History Museum today. Hands down our favorite museum. This was the first time we got to see the new human origins exhibit. While I miss the old dioramas, this one is really well done. Lots of interactive stuff for the kiddos and lots for the husband to read. I even got the heel flap on my sock done while they were all doing their thing.

This is a must see: it is a giant crocheted coral reef. I'm on my iTouch (free wiFi- thanks Smithsonian!) so I'll try to add more photos tomorrow. This thing is incredible. All sorts of materials were used. I spotted cassette tape and Noro in the mix. Huge hit.

Edited to add photo:

Links to Sock Sizes

Purely Utilitarian. I am doing some sock design and needed sock sizes:

• http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/footsize.html
• http://myjewelthief.typepad.com/myjewelthief_knits/2009/11/shoe-size-charts-for-knitting-socks.html
• http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/FEATsocks101.html
• http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/footsize.html

Wants and Needs

So lets be honest - I have NO extra time right now. My work pile is ridiculous. I even forgot about sending in cupcakes for little-sis' birthday last week. Don't even try peeking at my UFO pile, it might eat you.

I do not need one more thing to do/knit/plan for/shop for...

And I still want this book. Saw it last week at the bookstore. I don't really care much for royal weddings, but you can knit the Queen and her Corgies.

Zip - it

So March is proving to be wacky busy around here. Soccer has started, but we are not at the point where the weather is nice enough to sit and knit while the kiddos run around. More huddle and try to stay dry.

So I am behind on the knitting. And the grading, but frankly that is less important. Not that grades are due Friday or anything.

So next in the queue I need to finish up little-sis' monkey cardigan. Part of why I am stalled is the idea of doing the zipper. It sort of makes sense...anyway, here's a tutorial that seems to make it look much easier than I was thinking. We'll see.

Easiest Knitted Zipper Tutorial

If I don't get this done soon I am going to be in big trouble. I finished Big-Sis' Owlet over Winter Break. It goes faster when the kid involved doesn't want sleeves. And the pattern is all worked out for you.

Owlet Pattern by Kate Davies

Owlet Ravelry Page



Algebraic Anklets

OK, I realize that as a math major I have a bias to such things. This is the coolest thing ever - an algebraic formula for socks.

Expressed in terms of x. Heaven.

Algebraic Universal Sock Pattern

Dallas

Inspiration:

This is the view from my hotel room. I am thinking sock pattern.

March of the penguins

I just got this link from a student...she's in the process of applying for a knitting scholarship and is working on penguins. Isn't this cute??

Here's the pattern. The site has great pictures and directions.

Must not start new project....if I repeat it often enough it might sink in.

Fighting Start-itis

Must

not

start

new

project.

February Socks Done!

I have been doing the Self Imposed Sock Club on Ravelry this year. The idea is you bag up sock yarn and patterns at the beginning of the year, and each month you grab one and go. It has been great fun so far. My main problem is now I have a much longer list of have-to socks I want to make.

The yarn is Lorna's Laces in Unicorn Parade. I got it last month at the Knitting Sisters in Williamsburg. My favorite yarn store. Local (ish ). Great selection. Friendly.

Lorna's Laces Unicorn Parade

So I had planned on these becoming Jaywalkers. No offense to the pattern, but this yarn turned out to be much busier than I originally thought so they weren't a good match. When I bought it the blues and purples were more on top and the orange was not as visible, I have a backup yarn for that pattern, so I will get a pair of Jaywalkers.

So I frogged, and frogged again after trying basic toe up vanilla socks. I'm a math person and the random stripy-ness was bugging me. I know, I know, really it makes no difference. The socks are for big-sis, not me. And she's in shoes most of the time, and...anyway, it bugged me.

 So I came up with this pattern. It alternates regular stockinette with bands of slipped stitch patterns. Just enough to a) not be boring and b) break up the stripes.

Plus it required counting, so it made me happy.

Afterthought heel. Not the best picture but big-sis was getting tired of posing.

I plan on playing with the pattern again. It seems to work well with all the crazy variegated yarn I pick up but can't ever seem to find a use for.

Say Cheese!

My theme this year is "do it right" when it comes to my knitting, so I am working on technical details. Last few days I have been working on photography.

Well, working = reading about and wishing I had a better camera.

So basically pretending to take snappy pics.

In my reasearch I came accross this how to: http://www.conradhoffman.com/photographing_your_knitting.pdf 

Funny how when you Google something the answer is right there. Seriously worth the read. I need new lightbulbs.

Vicarious Thrills

So it is exam week, which has been unusually hectic this year. Generally I can get some knitting in while the kids test and I peer menacingly, but so far I have been swamped with work. Blah.

So some window shopping, if I can't knit I can pretend, right?

• Paradise Fibers I don't keep a bucket list, but an "empty nest" list of all the things I hope to have time for after my soccer mom days have passed. One is dying yarn. I have done a few projects, and I am totally ready to convert the basement into my own mini laboratory, but time and budget (and the husband) do not yet permit.

Needing Color

Typical gray January day here. I decided yesterday I needed some color to get me through the rest of the month so I cast on the Brandywine Shawl in Blue Yonder Stroll by Knit Picks. It is the happiest blue I can find right now. 

 The chart is pretty easy to follow so far - it took a bit for me to get that the first few rows were essentially garter stitich. Today my goal is to find a printer - trying to follow a lcae chart on my tiny iTouch is huting the eyeballs.

Comfort

Next in the Queue

So the queue feature in Ravelry might make it a bit too easy to imagine project after project...but once I finish Little Sis' mystery monkey sweater, and my Purple Thursday socks this is my next contender:

Brandywine Shawl

The Brandywine Shawl is by Romi Hill. I love the idea of some lace and a lot of garter - semi-mindless is good right now. Also she is donating $5 for every pattern purchased to Haiti relief. 

This past August The Husband spent a week in Haiti covering a local effort to bring Haitian college kids tot he US to finish their degrees. The entire college system was destroyed in the earthquake. The cause couldn't be better.



The Husband's Article on Haiti

Added: I must try this:

Beaded Bind Off

Miralda Done!

I finished last night, while watching Emma on PBS (sorry Superbowl - Jane Austin won).  Normally this kind of project would have been full of fits and starts, but since we've been snowed in for almost a week now I've had plenty of time to finish. 

The latest round was this past Saturday. Snow Friday, rain, then snow all day Saturday. We got 6 inches or so. Our total for this year is about 33 inches.

 Poor big - sis is ready to go back to school. We had a late opening last Thursday, but between the snow and the teacher workday after exams she's not been to class for a full day since Wednesday before last. She spent most of yesterday frantically making worksheets for herself, and getting the husband to create selling lists for her.

Little-sis is thrilled with all the time off, and would spend the rest of the year playing quite happily at home if given the choice.

 

Miralda

 

We've been snowed in since Saturday - 13 inches this time. The last winter with this kind of snow was 2000, but this time we've had two big ones. No that I am not totally fond of the short people, but it is proving to be a lot of time entertaining kiddos.

Yesterday we made marshmallows. Today I hope we can get out to the bookstore for a bit. Big - sis and I are reading our way through the Sisters Grim series. I had checked out books 3 - 5 before the storm, but t we're almost done. Right now we're both reading the fifth-tough to share.

Anyway, this is the yarn I got from the fiber festival at Montpelier back in October. It is the Classic Merino Lace from Knitting Notions in Green Apple. It is my favorite green.  I had bought a pattern to use with it, Lacewing, but on second look it is way more complicated than I thought. I've not done a huge amount of lace.

So instead I am doing Miralda from Knitted Lace of  Estonia. The thing I love about this pattern is that you cast on a bazillion stitches, then reduce each row making the triangle shape - also making it go faster. I had to pull out yesterday when the center diamond section got off by a good five stitches. Thus, the photos.

I am having one bit of a puzzle - the pattern uses a three-cross stitch that I cannot find described anywhere in the book - I am sure I can't find it. I did find it described on Things Soo Likes. 

Her description:

The cross is worked over 2 rows. On the first row you slip the first stitch purlwise, knit the next tow stitches together and then pass the slipped stitch over (so 3 stitches become 2). On the return row you insert a YO between the two stitches (so the 2 stitches become 3 again).

If this weather keeps up I should finish this week.

 

Happy Spring…Achoo!

Monday, March 26th, 2007

I truely have not meant to ignore this lonely blog the past few days. We’ve been in Williamsburg heping the parental units get their house ready for sale. They are moving up here near us. (Yay!)

The husband has now tiled their kitchen and master bath, hung new lights, plumed things…all sorts of general handyman things.
Moi? What have I been doing? My KoolAid sweater is almost done…I lost one ball of the purple yarn has disappeared, so I am having to improvise a bit.
I have also done some shopping for fabric for the girl’s spring wardrobe. I need to get cracking on this too, they have outgrown most of the rest of their clothes.

We now resume our regularly scheduled program

Monday, March 19th, 2007

Today was soooo much calmer. Kids survived school. I survived school. Thanks for all the lovely comments…I will catch up on responding, promise!
And this evening I got an hour to work on:

Sorry for the grainy photo…The camera doesn’t work so well indoors.
I started this while we were in Florida. This is a better shot of all the colors:

It is a bunch of Knit Picks yarn I over-dyed with koolaid. I was almost done, but the sleeves were getting tedious. I figure I have a few weeks left where I can use a lightweight sweater, so I might as well crank it out. It now has half a sleeve and a neck.
In the vien of sprint cleaning I am trying to finish a few things.