i have readers?

hi. i know you are still out there. well, at least i do now!

yesterday i saw 3 of my favourite knitters when i dropped into the shop to buy some wool wash. i got the mini-catch-up and they sent me home with wool wash that somehow one of them bought me (i am still trying to determine to which friend i owe a coffee!).

in honor of knitters and knitting friends, this post is all recently completed work. i was on a roll of creating things that have to live in a vacuum until they go to their new owners. after a bit of that, i turned selfish and began to make a few things for me.

first, some crochet!

Autumn Triangle
aka "Floaty Fall Scarf"
designed by Susan Jeffers
published in Crochet Today! Sept/Oct 2009

crocheted in 2 skeins of Koigu PPPM (100% merino wool, color P337) bought at K+S=B, with a size F hook.

started: 08.08.09
finished: 08.10.09

i never buy this magazine. never. i always hate the projects, or i like... one. maybe. this month i bought it for four projects. wow. go Crochet Today! i barely changed the pattern either! i just worked 15 fewer rows to make a smaller scarf with the quantity of yarn i had on hand.

i am on a stash yarn project kick, and i have enough stashed sock yarn to make about 12 pairs of socks. i am not as prolific when it comes to sock knitting as i am when it comes to sock yarn loving. now i am on a mission to find projects in fingering weight yarn to use my sock stash.

this is trickier than it sounds because i like hand painted sock yarns, but i am typically opposed to variegated garments and accessories. this scarf really fit the bill for something that looked good in a variegated yarn, used fingering weight, and is wearable.

i have already worn it! AC in meetings is brutal to me, so this is the perfect. can't wait until fall when i can wear it with my vintage brooch collection.

Licorice Allsorts Cowl
aka "Dragonfly Fire Cowl"
designed by Mia Valcarcel
published at her blog

knit in 2 skeins of Claudia Handpaints Fingering (100% merino wool, color: John B.) on size US 7 needles.

started: 08.11.09
finished: 08.12.09

i have been told that this does not look like red licorice allsorts, and in the picture i would tend to agree. in person that is what the colors remind me of. maybe i am just hungry!

this is incredibly fun. the Claudia's is bouncy and sproingy and doubled up and knit on a larger needle, the yarn is even more yummy. and soft! and it is a cowl! what more can one desire in life?

this was another project for stashed sock yarn. i like the doubling of this yarn because it blends the colors more than the yarn worked single. big bonus in my non-variegated book.

Eyelet Spiral Socks
aka Anastasia Socks
designed by MintyFresh
published at pepperknit.com

knit in 2 skeins of ShibuiKnits Sock (100% merino, color "Orchid")purchased at K+S=B, on size US 0 (zero) addi tubro circular needles.

started: Christmas 2007
finished 08.18.09

this is officially my longest running WIP. i have completed 98 other projects since i started this pair of socks. among those other projects are another pair of socks, two pairs of slippers, and two pairs of bootees. obviously it was not that i opposed knitting for feet. these just got off track.

i put them down (1st sock done, 2nd sock being imagined) when my cousin announced her pregnancy. i then knit a lot of her little boy, christmas gifts, blah blah blah. it gets harder to pick up a 2nd sock when you have had too many reasons to knit gifts instead.

last quarter i knit a different pair of socks on the train to the school. i decided this quarter i had to knit the 2nd of this pair, and my work commute is perfect. because the Red Line has had so many issues and delays, the 2nd sock was my saving grace. it proved a fine companion when i was in a day-long professional development session last week.

now the question becomes, more commuter socks? i am considering these.

coming soon: more sedately colored projects.

hop hop hop

i have a new favourite fiber: angora. it is warm, fuzzy, and comes from the cutest creature possible... a long haired bunny. i have recently knit two projects in this delightful stuff.

Bunny Toes
aka Angora Baby Booties
designed by Joelle Hoverson
published in Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

knit in 1.25 skeins of Spinnerin "Ballerina" (lipstick red, 100% angora) purchased at A Yarn Shop Marblehead, OH on size US 5 DPNs.

started: november 6, 2008.
finished: december 1, 2008.

these are incredibly cute, easy to knit, and take no time at all. i would have finished them the same evening i started them had i not run out of yarn. my gauge was correct, but i still ended up needing a little more yarn to finish

my mum was kind enough to get me a second ball at one of her local yarn shops. unfortunately the dye lots were different and the one cuff is a little off in color. i doubt the future baby who wears these will notice. if they do, then i have decided i don't like that kid or their parents who let their kid criticize a gift.

so there.


Bunny Flop
aka Floppy Toque.
designed by Cathy Carron.
published in Vogue Knitting, Holiday 2008.

knit in 12 skeins of ACA Supreme Pure Angora (ink black, 100% angora) purchased on Ebay and knit on size US 6 DPNs and circs.

started: december 5, 2008.
finished: december 7, 2008.

this hat is super warm. i love how fuzzy and soft it is, and i enjoyed knitting it as well. you work it from the top down and knit with two strands of angora held together. it is very dense and even thicker because the deep ribbing folds back on another layer of hat. delightful!

i really like the look of this hat, and i may make another one, but i would probably switch to brushed alpaca because angora is just a little too rich for my bank account. at least it would be if i tried to use it all the time!

skein-of-the-month

my first skein-of-the-month package arrived, and it has lots of fun goodies. first, the skein. i got 1 skein of Sheep Shop "Sheep 3". this is 325 yards of sport/DK weight 30% silk, 70% wool goodness. it is butter soft and delightful to touch. i would not have picked this color for myself, but this whole free yarn thing may be a nice way to expand my color point of view.

if i don't use it for myself, there are always gifts to be made, and i think this yarn would be fabulous for a hat and bootie set.

also included in my package was a pattern from the Sheep Shop for scarf knit in one skein of Sheep 3. it is called Silky Leaves Scarf, and they will be releasing it to the general public soon.

look at me... being all exclusive and stuff.

WEBS aso sent me a cute little retractable tape measure. yippee! enough about me.... my mom is becoming a sock knitter! and i taught her! look at her awesome progress!


i completed my first finished object of 2008, but i can't show it to you until february. soon i will get some of my tiny needle knits done and share--the hat is closing in! and i have some old projects that need to be revealed.

i have been knitting, honest!

i just have been too busy with tech to be able to post any updates. and even these pictures are a little behind because i have finished the first sock pictured here.

Baby Panda is modeling the sock as usual.

this is the Anastasia sock pattern from pepperknit. i am knitting them in ShiBuiKnits Sock in the "orchid" colorway. i am really excited about this pattern with this yarn because i have seen this yarn knit up in a plain sock, and it pools/stripes in a way that i am not fond of in this color combination, but the yarn-overs and knit two togethers break up the colors runs in a way that the striping is much prettier and less concentrated.

notice something else? yep. those are two circular needles. i decided to give my double points a rest and try these. i was mainly motivated by the fact that i have to knit fingering weight yarn on a size US 0 needle to get my gauge, and i tend to bend wooden needles smaller than a US 2. so i got myself some addi turbos for knitting fingering weight socks.

people keep asking me if i will go back to DPNs or stick with circulars and which i like better. i like them both. right now i guess i will pick what i use based on the gauge of the yarn. i can't afford to buy more circulars for sport/DK socks right now.

i have not cast on for the second sock yet because i needed a project in a different gauge for a little bit--change things up and all that. so i knit the first square of my Lizard Ridge afghan. then i ripped it out because i wasn't happy with the gauge or the way the Kureyon was striping.

i rewound the yarn into two balls and switched the ends i was working from to get a better color pattern, and so far it is looking much better. i also went down a needle size, and that is working much better too.

i'll post a picture of the square when it is finished.

aw, shucks.

i don't know what came over me. i was reading the first Knitting Daily post of the year, and Sandi asked the question--how will you be a fearless knitter in 2008? i just had to comment. before i even knew i had done it, i hit submit.

and she included me in the mini-round-up of inspiring fearless knitter moments. how sweet!

Yvette R. inspires because she pretty much wins the Fearless Knitter 2007 award, hands down: I tried to be a fearless knitter in 2007. I taught myself to knit last January and since then I have knit socks, cables, lace, my first fair isle project and a sweater I designed for myself! Um, Yvette? You did not just try to be a fearless knitter. You ARE a fearless knitter. AWESOME!!

full post here. i am touched. knitters are great people.

so how did i conclude i would be fearless in 2008?

argyle socks.
that's right. intarsia + socks = swoons of delight

no swoons of fear!

holiday finishing time

i used part of my holiday time to finish some projects. i brought more with me than i could ever get around to, but i am not disappointed by my progress.

first up...

Herringbone Scarf
designed by Allison Belvins
available at Tangle

knit in Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick&Quick (1 skein "lemongrass" 75% acrylic, 25% wool) on size US 19 needles.

started: december 19, 2007
finished december 22, 2007

i really don't like knitting with huge needles, but sometimes i cam abandon process knitting in favour of project knitting. i wanted the scarf, and i had yarn in my stash, so i sucked it up and knit on the broomstick needles.

i like the results for the most part, but were i to do it again, i think i would try to do some sort of edge stitch to make the selvage edges look nicer.

my second finished project of the holiday was the education of my mum on sock knitting. we knit mini socks together so she could knit a complete sock before starting a full sized pair.

i did mine in some scrap koigu, and hers is some scrap trekking. i wish i had taken some pictures of hers!

i think my mum now wishes i hadn't been the one teaching her. i am a task master, man. now she can feel sorry for all the students i had when i was teaching in grad school. at any rate, i hope she learned a lot!

i am starting to have a lovely little collection of these mini socks, so i need to work on an idea for displaying them. i am considering rigging up a little clothes line for them. we'll see.

let's all say it again... together!

kitty = huge geek

speaking of socks.... i finished a pair that had been languishing on the back burner since june.

Hand Basket Socks
designed by kittything
free pattern in the sidebar

knit in Rowan Calmer (2 skeins "onyx" 75% cotton, 25% microfibre) purchased at K+S=B on size US 4 and US 5 bamboo double points.

started: june 2007
finished: december 26, 2007


i first put these aside to a knit a larger pair in the same pattern. then they were put aside to knit holiday gifts. i decided to discipline myself and make sure they were completed before we rung in 2008. under the wire, but i made it!

i have not worn them yet, but i will probably report back once i do. my friend Miss Mar has a pair of Calmer socks, and she likes hers. i hope i have similar good luck with this yarn.

ahh.
yes, that is Baby Panda. he never got to model those socks, so i let him in on the final portrait. isn't he a sweetheart?

coming soon!
my latest project!
and the gifts i knit for my mum and could not post here!

too much to share

i have so much to share after my holiday trip to ohio that i cannot put it all into one post. well, i could, but it would be very long and tedious to download for some folks because this kitty likes to take pictures to share with the audience at home. this blog being primarily about yarny arts, i will start with the serious stash enhancement this holiday season brought to me.

i am well fortified against boredom during my upcoming yarn diet thanks to my generous friends and family! thanks, guys!


first we have a skein of Dream in Color Classy in the "Spring Tickle" colorway. (yes, i know i am obsessed with this green) this baby came from my pal madhatternalice by way of a gift certificate to The Loopy Ewe. smart man that guy.

i saw this over on wendy's blog, and i decided i needed to give it a try. it is labeled as worsted, but she has been able to knit it to a sport gauge for socks. on the hank, the yarn looks like a light worsted. very similar in thickness to our next friend....

this is a skein of Cherry Tree Hill Super Sock DK in the Fall Foliage colorway, also from my gift certificate to The Loopy Ewe. i bet you are noticing that i have ordered a lot of heavy weight sock yarns. well, yes. i currently have yarn for 11 pair of socks i will be knitting in 2008, and only 3 of those are not fingering weight.

i need something to change it up! a little instant gratification can be good for the knitter's soul.

this came from my dad. it is a skein of Plymouth Happy Feet i picked up at work when i bought his presents to my mum for him. call it a "finder's fee". only one skein because i am going to knit it up into the Purl Beret, not socks.

i am interested to see how this stuff is. it is very inexpensive (retails between $6-$7) and the colors are fun. i may have a new cheap sock yarn crack!


from santa in my stocking via my mum. this is a skein of RubySapphire Ruby Sock in the "Tamber" colorway. hand painted delight! it is wondrously soft and the color is one of my obvious favourites--pink and green combo. yum.



my mum and i went to her two LYS, and while out she bought me three skeins of Noro Kureyon. we don't carry Noro at the shop, so this is a little treat. i am going to use it in the Lizard Ridge afghan. i have a goal to knit one up for myself by the time i turn 30. gives me a couple of years to buy and knit all that yarn into squares.

from both of my parents--knitting books! we like to give each other books in my family. i got one for each of my parents this year, and they went a little crazy making sure my shelf got fuller too! i am very excited. i flip through them when i can't sleep. you know, the way people flip through the j crew catalogue.

kitty = big geek.


finally, a little gift to me from me. this is a skein of The Alpaca Yarn Co.'s Paca Peds in the "Harvest Time" colorway. my mum also got herself a skein of this yarn in their "Fireside" colorway. it was hard not to get that one for myself too, but i can live vicariously through her!

up next... the knitting i did while i was away! wheeee!

i utterly lack self-control

i managed to really get my in-progress numbers down, and then i run off and cast on for another project. i guess it could be worse.... coke.... heroin... pornography.

nope.
i'm hooked on projects.

here's this week's progress.
not very much because i have been in tech, and i have been unwinding by filing my finished projects on ravelry rather than messing up new things by crafting when too sleepy.


i did finish that thumb on the first fetching. i didn't cast on the the 2nd one yet because i am using the same fetching cuff needles on the cuff of my 2nd hand basket sock. i just freed them up, so i will be able to cast it on this weekend.


speaking of the hand basket sock... i am beyond the cuff and i have worked the first section of the pattern stitch. if i don't get these done this week they are coming along to ohio. i hope to get them done, however, because i want to take my ShiBuiKnits yarn along and knit a new sock.


this is the new culprit. i cast on for the Cross-Stitch Scarf from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. it looks a lot harder than it is. i'm enjoying it, and i think it will be a fun little project--even though i'm not a big scarf knitter.

coming up... which projects will go on holiday with me! time to plan my trip!

cables a-go-go

i met my needlework goal for the weekend. i was either going to finish my log cabin socks or knit the entire first ball of the Blue Sky Alpaca into the garter loop scarf.

socks!
ta-da!

these babies are soaking in my sink right now so i can block them. i should try knitting my socks two at a time on circulars. i try on the first sock i knit in a pair so many times that it always ends up stretched out compared to the second sock. i should also lay down the law and not let other people try the first one on. this happens more often than i like.

details....

Log Cabin Socks
designed by Anne Woodbury
published in Handknit Holidays

men's size knit in Plymouth Encore (2 balls #045 olive green, 25% wool, 75% acrylic) purchased at K+S=B on size 5 Crystal Palace Bamboo DPNs.

started: september 20, 2007
finished: november: 18, 2007

it looks like these socks took a long time to finish, but in fact they were very quick. i didn't touch them for the entire month of october... well... beyond picking up the casted on needles and moving them around my apartment hoping i would be moved to work on the 2nd sock.

i'm not a particularly fast or focused sock knitter so these took about a total of 6-8 days worth of knitting time. i will say... big needle socks are so fast! (compared to my usual socks) big man foot socks are not so fast. i bet in my size i could finish a pair of these in a weekend.

as a sock knitter i must learn to discipline myself to write down what i did on the first sock. i worked this pattern almost entirely as written until i got to the toe. i continued the cable pattern into the toe because it looked less bulbous than the plain toe.

somehow i have fraternal toes!
i thought i knit them exactly the same, but they look slightly different. maybe it is the stretched out 1st sock and not the knitting of the 2nd that looks funny. i dunno.

at any rate, i am starting to be less embarrassed by my Work In Progress count. two holiday gifts to go! it looks more and more like someone else may get to slide onto the last minute list.

unless i get selfish and knit my sweater instead. ooooh. sweater.

crisis averted

i am pleased to report that my downstream swap pal did in fact get her package. and she liked it! yay!

that being said, i don't know if i will do more swaps. this is not because of the ladies involved (they were great) but because the mailing and worrying and finger crossing involved. i also don't think i can devote the proper time to really using the swaps to full advantage for making new pals and such. i am all about my 2 new pals, but i really only had the time to get to know 2 people out of the more than 50 people involved in this swap.

i'm lame.
i mean, i am this way about ravelry too. it is neat and all, but i log on maybe every 10 days. i'm even worse with my crochet me account.

all this being said... i have a "casual" swap to introduce soon. stay tuned.

and just to show i really am making progress on the holiday gifts....

my father's second sock! yes, that is a turned heel you see. very much so. it is just begging for a gusset. i plan to give it one tonight at my stitch'n'bitch.

lovely little needle knits

as much as i like a quick project, i do love some sock-weight yarn. it makes a lovely fabric, and i seem to prefer my hand painted yarn in light weights. having ends of skeins hanging about after knitting socks, i wanted a project i could use these small yarn quantities to complete.

ta-da.
mini socks--dollar included in photo for scale. not entirely practical, but very cute. as set models and kittens prove--everything is cute when small. (well, not everything. teacup poodles. not so much.) in the future i hope to knit one of these after i finish each pair of socks. they are fun, fast, and a great way to hang on to a bit of wonderful sock yarn without simply leaving a scrap in the stash bin. these little darlings will probably also end up on my holiday tree.

in addition to tiny socks, i recently knit another small project out of koigu.

Heart Sachet
designed by Vicki Sever
published by Interweave Press
available for free on Knitting Daily

knit in Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (1 skein, 100% hand painted merino wool) purchased at Knit+Stitch=Bliss on size US 2 Brittany Birch needles.

started: october 25, 2007
finished: october 23, 2007

this was my first miter square/domino/modular knitting project. they are very popular in the shop i work at, so i thought i would give it a go and see what all the fuss is about. it was... okay.

what i told BossLady at the shop today was that i probably should have picked a project with larger yarn. the technique was a little tricky to learn on small dark yarn. and while it should always be about the process, i have to admit that i do think about the fact that by the time i finished the 14 squares of this little heart on size 2 needles, i could have finished 1/3 of a Rambling Rows Afghan on 8 needles.

still. it is cute, and i have one more little trick in my knitting arsenal. plus...koigu is yummy to knit. i think i have enough left to be able to knit a mini sock out of my leftover koigu. yum.

south by southwest

it takes me a flipping long time to knit a pair of socks. i just can't seem to stay devoted to a single pair long enough to have them done rapidly. there is always a side project dividing my time... or other socks. the good news is that i finally finished this pair, and almost all of the distracting knitting along the way was holiday gifts. okay, okay... i knit myself a sweater too, but.... shh. i can't do a lacy pattern in the dark.

the details.....

Southwestern Socks
designed by Wendy Johnson
pattern available at The Loopy Ewe

knit in Mountain Colors Bearfoot (1 skein of the "Sun River" colorway, 60% superwash wool, 25% mohair, 15% nylon) purchased at Knit+Stitch=Bliss on size US 2 5" Brittany Birch double point needles.

started: august 13, 2007
finished: october 3, 2007

i love these socks. the pattern was fun. the yarn is a yummy color, and i survived doing my first pair of toe-up. woo!

as usual, these socks are slightly fraternal. my cast-on toe was different for each sock. the first one, i used the figure 8 toe, and i was never entirely pleased with the results. for the second i decided to make-up my own toe that is a combination of the provisional cast on using a crochet chain and the knitting circularly of the figure 8 toe. i wanted it to not have holes, so i did a little trickery with my first round of knitting. what i did was sort of a combination of all three techniques wendy details in this knitty article.

am i a convert, you ask? maybe. i like toe-up and i like top down. i'm happy to build my socks either way. as a change of pace, i like the way the heel without a flap looks on this sock, but i can also in enjoy a good heel flap (i.e. the cabled flap on the log cabin socks).

i will say that i like grafting. i just think it is fun. i know some people hate to graft, so they prefer toe-up socks, but i would rather graft 16 stitches together than execute a stretchy bind off over 52 stitches.

anyway.... i mentioned the fraternal nature of the socks, and it goes beyond the cast on. i have 4 extra rows in the second sock. i know, i know, i am a fool, and i should have torn back, but i realized it one full pattern repeat before i began the ribbing... which is to say about 30 minutes before the sock would be bound off. i'm not sure if the extra rows came about by starting the gusset increases too late, or by forgetting to increase on some rounds, hence making more rounds of knitting go by before i reached the correct number of stitches.

either way, i tried the socks both on before deciding to proceed or tear out 60% of the completed sock back to the 2nd repeat before the gusset. what i discovered was that the +4 sock is actually great on my left foot, which is larger than my right foot. so i decided to make lemons into lemonade (be lazy) and leave the socks as is. fortunately the 2nd sock had some odd color pooling that helps identify it as meant for the left. yes!

on thursday i leave for my cousin's wedding. there will obviously be no updates in the later half of the week. i am hoping to be able to post a picture of the Manos Crochet Beanie i did up as a model for the store, and i would like to do this week's Fall Into Autumn topic. we shall see if i make it.

in mixed news.... i am taking no knitting with me to ohio. i refuse to risk my needles and sanity being stolen by an ego tripping TSA agent. i have heard too many horror stories at the store of agents who don't give knitters the option to mail the needles back to themself or put the project on waste yarn. the problem is that the TSA doesn't address knitting needles on their list of banned or restricted items. when you call them, they say it is up to the discretion of the agent.

they do, however, assure travelers that they can wear a gel padded bra through security or carry less than 3oz of personal lubricant on a flight. so i guess the mile high club is in, but knitting at 30,000 feet it out.

instead i plan to bring crochet projects. it is a good thing i am happily bi-craft-ual.

we'll get through this together

i have been very neglectful because i seem to only get busier and busier. here is the short version.

go see The Trial at Catalyst Theatre Company. there are some very good performances, and the show has some pretty (awesome) disorienting moments. some cast members claim it isn't tight enough yet, but i dug it.

the reviews are out for The Arabian Nights. Nelson was very sweet to us in The Post. we are a Potomac Stages Pick. and then DC Theatre Scene seems to have sent a gossip columnist to review a theatre show. everyone is allowed to have their own opinion about a show, but i think people will pay more attention to your opinion if you don't go in for name calling mixed with inane compliments like "Most of the ensemble had to memorize an extraordinary number of lines for their multiple parts, and they do an excellent job". i am at a loss....

7. numbers of days in a row i have worked in some capacity for the store. i'm tired. but i did make a cool store model (crocheted hat), which i can take a picture of on tuesday.

i am being thwarted by a lace edged hat pattern i am trying to knit for the store. this thing is going to drive me to distraction. i have frogged it three times. i am on attempt number four and i have had to tink whole rows twice already and tonight during the greenbay v. chicago game, i threw it in disgust. yes, i chose football over knitting. i'm looking up errata after this.... rar.

on a positive note, i finished my southwestern socks on wednesday night. go me. pictures and project details tomorrow. related to that, i was able to try the first completed log cabin sock on a large male foot, and it was perfect. and beautiful! yay cables. the receiver will have nothing to complain about. yay!

ps- picture is from the show.... knitting pics tomorrow.

three things...

first, i turned the heel on the second southwestern sock yesterday, and i am part way up the leg. i only have about 30 more rounds before i bind off. woot!

second, i got an email last night around 11pm from one of my work pals at the store.... my Fall Into Autumn swap buddy stopped by over the weekend! and she just then told me! (hehe. thanks, D.!) i was opening the show, so i wasn't working. both good and bad--i'm a little excited still that we have an anonymous swap and i want to wait until after my package arrives to know who my buddy is. but at the same time, how cool would it be to get to meet your pal--especially in a yarn store.

well, swap buddy...
i hope you had a good time at the shop and that everyone was nice to you. the pal who emailed me is very sweet, so i'm sure it couldn't be bad! she also said you bought something, so i hope you are enjoying your goodies!

third, we have a new Fall Into Autumn topic of the week....

Are there any recipes you especially enjoy having in the Fall? Any foods that are seasonal that you especially enjoy?

for me, fall marks the return to real cooking and the beginning of holiday food planning.

a few weekends ago i did a big stock up on cooking. i go back to the things you make in the oven and freeze them because this is a very busy work season for me. fall means baked zitti, veg. lasagna, and homemade mac and cheese are back!

my mum and i also start to talk about the Christmas Eve dinner. this is our big special occasion for me, and my parents. we have dinner on the 24th before doing the big family gathering on the 25th. we use the crystal and make a several course meal. so planning it is a lot of fun, and we start early. in fact, mum and i talked about a new recipe while it was still september!

tech burnout

i keep trying to start an entry, but then i stop because i am too tired or what i am writing about doesn't seem that important. or i would rather be knitting a sock than typing.

all valid reasons.

i've been working a lot to get my show up on its feet. evenings in the theatre, weekend chained to a sewing machine. even a costume design emergency. maybe i'll talk about that later.

i started another sock. yeah, yeah, yeah... southwestern socks are still sitting there, but at least the new pair is a holiday gift. i'm knitting the Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays. they are really easy and pretty fun. i get tired of cables sort of fast so i am starting early enough to be sure they get done by christmas. these socks go so quickly (they are knit in a worsted weight yarn) that i'm sure i won't have trouble getting them done. i have about an inch more to go in the cable pattern on the instep before i start the toe decreases.

these will be going on a male foot, and i hope i get the size right. i'm actually more concerned about making them too big--not too small! we'll see. this recipient is very "free" with his size opinions.

southwestern socks might be taking a longish break because i have a lot of holiday gifts ahead of me. i've taken care of all of my girlfriends whom i knit for, and i am pretty far along for my father. a couple gentleman friends still need presents and i have not settled on any of the projects i'm making for my mum. way to put things off!

to be fair, some of what i have put off are my crochet projects because i know i am fast with crochet, and i can crack out those presents very quickly (two hats and a toy).

pretty fall flowers

* * *

hi swap pal!
don't fret about me working at a LYS. i am easily amused by yarn and pretty things made for me. i am excited that you are getting to come to DC and enjoy the beautiful fall we are having. i hope it stays pretty for you!
i'm sure your "company" isn't interested in going to yarn stores, but if you get the chance, here are some to check out.... Knit + Stitch = Bliss (metro accessible, this is where i work) A Tangled Skein (fairly new, i have not gone yet) and Stitch DC (3 locations in DC. i think their prices are high)

work it!

it has been a long weekend in a cold, dark theatre, and my show is coming along nicely. we have photos tomorrow and then a preview audience tuesday! woot!

while the clothes are on stage and i can't do anything to them, i have been knitting. now from the tiny toe Baby Panda is modeling it looks like i didn't get much knitting done. yes and no. i didn't get much sock knitting done because i was knitting in almost constant darkness and lace chart + dark = no good for kittything.

instead i worked on my top down raglan sweater that knits on size 10.5 US needles and just has simple increases every other row. yay for stitch markers in the dark. i decided not to take a picture until i rejoin under the arms because right now the sweater looks like a big grey blob on a circular needle. the production manager and lighting designer were trying to figure out what the heck i was making (they guessed hat. funny funny hat.) and looked very dubious when i said a sweater.

i am 4 rounds from finishing my increases and then i have 12 after that before i join under the arms. so maybe tomorrow or the next day... we'll see. socks have a siren song, you know.

Warning! Content Only a Sock Knitter Could Love!

and i am happier with my 2nd toe-up sock than i was with the first and i have only knit one lace repeat after the toe! ha! i am happier because this toe is much better than my last toe which is a little loosey-goosey for my taste and has some twisted stitches. i know, i know. should have cast on again, but i had already tried three cast ons two or three times each so i just rolled with my best figure-8 cast on.

this time i did sort of a combo of the provisional cast on you would work for a short row toe and the working in the round after four rows of the figure 8. i am sure i didn't invent this bastardized cast on, but i don't know if it has a name or acceptance among sock knitters. i do know that it looks pretty and gets the job done.

now we return to the epic struggle... who will win? the sweater? or the sock? dun. dun. daaaaah!

inevitable

none of us can escape becoming our mothers. this is a kittything revelation of the week. my mother and i have the same hobbies. we laugh the same, and sound the same on the phone. we use the same odd-ball expressions in conversation. we look so much alike that people have told me i am my mother's "mini me". we are even unnatural redheads together.

now i seem to have become a bag lady like my mother. see. look at all of those. there must 8 or 10 of them there! i save them to carry projects in when taking a "real" or larger bag is inappropriate or ill advised.

this has to be the extent of it. if i stop people from throwing our things because they are a "nice box" or a "nice bag", smack me silly. i love my mom, and she rocks, but i can't start doing the one thing i can still make fun of her for.

i finished the first southwestern sock yesterday morning. i would have shown it off last night, but i had a binding off disaster.

this is my first toe-up sock, and i had never bound off a cuff before. well, i failed. there was no way my foot was going in that baby. so i cursed and moaned and researched for a bit. i thought i had settled on my new bind off technique, and then i switched. in the end it is done. i think i like kitchener stitch better than a stretchy bind off so we will see if i knit more socks toe-up.

i apologize for the strange photo. i couldn't get a good balance of seeing the stitch pattern, the true color and the entire sock. 2 out of 3 ain't bad. if you listen to meatloaf.

i reswatched for the second sock last night. casting on today! i also swatched for a sweater while i was too pissed off at the sock to try binding off again. also casting on for that because it is a more mindless knit than the lace pattern in the socks and i need something i can knit in the dark.

tech starts tonight! wish me well!

skeins from heaven

i received 6 skeins of Debbi Bliss Alpaca Silk from the yarn gods. the yarn is gold, so it isn't one of my usual colors, but it is so soft and lovely so i would like to do something with it. and in the world of gold yarn this is pretty nice. hrm.

AND i suppose i could use my graduate education and actually dye the stuff (or the finished piece). i didn't batik into the wee hours of the morning just to let all my dye skills languish.

here's the real problem. with only 71 yards on a ball, i have 426 yards to play with. decisions. decisions.

in entirely unrelated news, the blog will dial back a bit for at least a week. i'm headed into another tech week at Everyman Theatre, so i will be both busy and commuting to Baltimore.

in unrelated knitting news (the delay in photo is from work, however) i have turned the heel and begun the leg on my the first of my Southwestern Socks. they are really fun to knit. go see wendy and get your own copy of the pattern. or just be inspired by her summer of socks!

2nd sock syndrome

i have been accused of having second sock syndrome. you know... finish one sock and never knit the second. well, i am proving the naysayers wrong! i completed the 2nd half of two sock projects over the weekend. never mind that i had four single socks, and that means i still have two to finish. i'm half cured, i guess.

my real excuse is that i get bored working the same stitch pattern for too long. so don't expect the fourth basket weave sock for awhile! project details....

Hand Basket Socks
designed by kittything

knit in Rowan Calmer (2 balls #465 "Onyx" 75% cotton, 25% microfiber) purchased at Knit+Stitch = Bliss on size US 4 and US 5 Crystal palace Bamboo double point needles.

started: may 27, 2007
finished: august 9, 2007

so there they are. they took awhile to knit because i stopped working on them when my ex and i split. now they get tucked away in a drawer until they pick an owner. or i suddenly begin wearing a men's size 11 shoe. those of you who are clever will note the name of the socks implies their history. (they are basket weave and when i was knitting them everything went to hell in a hand basket. i'm too witty sometimes.)

i'm also posting the pattern for these babies. be forewarned! this is the first knitting pattern i have ever written. i am sure the smaller size is accurate, but some of my numbers may be slightly off on the larger size. this will teach me to write as i go instead of at the end.
the second finished project is my not-a-socks. i finished them up while i was working at the store on saturday. they helped me discover a new (to me) needle i love! the details...

Short Toed Socklets
designed by the folks over at Regia
(pattern downloads as PDF)

knit in Koigu Painters Palette Premium Merino (less than 1 skein of #857, 100% merino wool) purchased at Knit+ Stitch = Bliss on size US 2 Brittany birch double point needles.

started: may 26, 2007
finished: august 11, 2007

these were just an excuse to try out koigu and see what all the hype is about. i liked working in it, but i am not going to become a koigu nutcase. i will, however, continue to use the Brittany needles. they are perfect for a slick yarn like koigu. i am sure i will use them when i knit up the ShiBui sock yarn i have.

now that i finished up two pairs of socks, i decided to start another! because, you know, i need one more project.

but isn't the yarn yummy? it is Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Sunriver colorway. yum! i'm sure this super star will return soon.

bi-craft-ual and proud

there is never a dull moment here at Chez Kittythin(g). yesterday i intended to have a nice day devoted to catching up on all the rest i lost working so hard last week and the beginning of this week (many late nights and too much public transportation). all was going well until about 9:15.

kittything: (brightly) hiya!
thehairyape: um, hi. what are you doing right now?
kittything: i'm at home....
thehairyape: i think i need you to take me to the emergency room.

so i picked him up, and away we went. the up side of all this is that i now know Holy Cross is a good hospital to go to (if you must) in suburban Washington. the down side is that thehairyape has a corneal ulcer and a nasty case of conjunctivitis. in layman's terms: a boo-boo on his cornea and pink eye. he has ointment, a referral to a new eye doctor, and soon he will also have new glasses.

i bet you are asking yourself right now what any of this has to do with a crocheted sock. i'll tell you! i had ripped out the heel turn three times yesterday evening, and i was near on to giving up when i got the call... so i took the sock with me and forced myself to figure out the heel turn and flap while waiting at the hospital. as you can see from the photo, i am halfway through the flap! yay!

these babies are moving right along, and so far they fit like a dream. i'm starting to think, however, that i have a "sock speed". in numbers of days, they are working out to a similar pace as my knit socks do.... but i work on them less each day than the knits. maybe i have developed an artificial time line for socks.

anyway, i'm pretty pleased that my trusty old crochet is stepping up and serving socks well.