Northern Socks

An Old FO

2008-08-19T16:24:00.003-04:00

This is the re-worked hat in Manos de Uraguay, doubled, which has been languishing unpublished for a few months now. The first time, I knit it about two inches too big, and had to endure it constantly slipping down over my eyes. I frogged the whole thing and started over, using the first hat as a big test swatch. Now it fits perfectly and looks way too cute. Can't wait for it to get cold enough to wear it. Did I really say that? I hate the cold. Good thing I now have a wonderful, warm hat that stays on my head without sliding all over the place.

2008-05-20T14:57:00.005-04:00

These just finished:

Pattern: basic sock, 1X1 rib

Yarn: Paton's Kroy, Colour 54567- Paintbox

For: Jon's feet

Notes: I still don't love how this yarn worked up- I find it too blotchy for my tastes, but others aren't so picky.
Nice to get my hands into something a bit rough for a change.

Speaking of rough, these are coming along slowly:

My gauge is a uneven, but c'est la vie!

This is something I started a little while ago, and haven't done much on lately:

It's a top-down hat form Barbara Walker's Knitting From the Top in some chunky Malabrigo we found a Needles and Pins in London, for 50% off. I'm nervous about it being too big or too small, and the ribbing not being the right size- either not springy enough, or too big, or too small. It's an
experiment. Luckily the cold, cold weather is over, and this won't be wanted until next winter.

And this is the time-sensitive project, a baby blanket for early July. I know I have lots of time, but baby blankets seem to take forever.

Misti Cotton (83% Peruvian Pima Cotton, 17% Silk). Hope it doesn't pill up too badly. The pattern is the Bunny Hop Blanket. I made a chart to work from , and find it much easier to follow. I'm just getting used to it.

WIP's, as promised

2008-05-09T12:05:00.006-04:00

My favorite current project:

Apparently Kureyon Sock is a love it or hate it yarn- me, I'm lovin' it.

Below is good old reliable Kroy, in the paintbox colourway. Love it on the ball, don't love it so much worked up, though others do. Next I'm planning some nice quiet colours to knit up into socks.

Sweater progress- yesterday:

and today:

My first real blocking experience.

I was listening to an old Stash and Burn podcast (check archives for April 3, 2007) on finishing, and heard about finishing as you go, rather than saving it all up 'til the end. Thought that as this is my first seaming experience, that might be a good idea. I put the front and back in the bathtub with tepid water and let it soak a few minutes, then pressed out the excess water into towels, then fit and pinned it. The unblocked pieces were much longer and narrower that the blocked size. My row gauge might be a bit off. I am curious to see what this looks like when it dries. Will have to wait until Sunday night to find out, as I'm off to London this weekend. Still have half a sleeve to knit up, but look forward to learning to mattress stitch the side seams and pick up around the neck.

London, Ontario, that is, not England.

Two Pairs

2008-05-08T11:26:00.005-04:00

These are now keeping Jon's feet warm

Pattern: Basic sock
Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot, color Yellowstone
Needles: 2.75 mm bamboo

Notes:
The yarn pooled quite differently on the two socks, which gives them an eccentric look as a pair.
I love this yarn and so do Jon's feet.

And these are on my feet

Pattern: basic sock, k3p2 rib
Yarn: Austermann Step, with jojoba and aloe; colour 4? I call it Denim Stripe- it's darker than in the photo in real life
Needles: 2.5 mm bamboo, I think.

Notes: the yarn softened and fuzzed up slightly with washing. Will my feet be soft and smooth from the jojoba and aloe? Or is it just a marketing thing. Time will tell.

Have WIP's, will post when I get another moment .

FO's and WIP's

2008-04-04T12:26:00.012-04:00

I've been knitting, though not posting, and here's the proof.

Finished these a couple of weeks ago:

Yarn: Trekking XXL, colour 283
Pattern: Basic sock pattern with Picot edge and Lace Rib stitch from Barbara Walker
Needles: 2.75 mm bamboo, I think

Notes: Probably would not use this stitch again for socks. I found it time-consuming, and the socks look nice, but not enough to warrant the time

Also finished these a little while ago:

Yarn: Manos de Uraguay, colour unknown ( I frogged an unfinished scarf from last winter for the yarn

Pattern: Hat- Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker, Handwarmers- basic mittens, just not all of them

Needles: Bamboo, can't remember the sizes

Notes: I doubled yarn for the hat, which makes it nice and warm, but it's a bit big, and falls down over my eyes. I might frog the whole thing and start over. I love the spring colours.

Then there's this clever reversible hat:

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca 50% superfine alpaca, 50% Peruvian wool Colours 4287 and 4278

Pattern: Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top. One row of YO, K2tog at the colour join.

Notes: This hat is a bit small- I may frog it back and re-do it, possibly with just one colour and a contrasting brim. I have started the Corazon Mittens from Knitty, in the same yarn, my first stranded knitting project, but frogged it all back as my tension changed halfway through, when I changed how I was holding the yarn, and I also found some great tutorials on YouTube that show how to catch the floats.

In Progress: Jon's Valentine Socks in Mountain Colours Bearfoot, in Yellowstone. He was thrilled to see the first sock finished.

Exciting news- I started my first sweater! The back is nearly finished. It's 3XChic from

Knitty

That's all for today.

Hasta manana

Been a While

2008-03-27T17:35:00.005-04:00

Valentine Yarn

2008-02-22T16:08:00.004-05:00

My Sweetie got a lovely hank of Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Yellowstone on the 14th.

Like molasses in January

2008-02-15T10:02:00.010-05:00

I've been working away at these, as you can see, but it's slow going. The lace part of the Lace Rib stitch is finicky. And the Picot edge slowed me down too. But I'm happy to be making progress

While checking out a new (to me) podcast, Stash and Burn, I found this great scarf pattern in the show notes. It's from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the Yarn Harlot's blog

I had this 100% silk yarn from Estelle, that I had been trying to cajole into a little drop-stitch shoulder-shawlette type thing, but it really wasn't working, and it had been lying around looking sad until I had to put it away in a box. When I saw this pattern, I thought it might do for the yarn, and lo and behold, a little frogging of the entire former work, a little cast on and a few rows later, and voila! It has a wonderful weight and drape, and it's knitting up fast. I do need something more instantly gratifying to give me a break from the picky-ness of that lace rib.

Still craving stockingette and simple ribs. Going to get into some more Mountain Colours Bearfoot next. Uh Huh.

Not Socks

2008-02-12T10:21:00.001-05:00

Obviously.

This is a washcloth. Sorry, Spa Cloth. Actually it is an opportunity to practice cables.

Pattern: Inspired Allover Cable Spa Cloth from Creative Knitting magazine, March 2008

Yarn: Patons BumbleBee Baby Cotton Colour 02131

Finished size: 71/2 X 7 inches, approx.

Needles: 4.00 bamboo and one 4.5 bamboo DPN (for cables)

Notes: The yarn was awful to work with- stiff and stuck to the needles. Is all cotton like this? there must be some that's nicer to work with. I had hoped that washing the cloth might plump up the fibre, but the opposite happened, though I was able to shape some of my irregular tension a bit, to make it more square. A quick knit, and in the process I figured out how to cable without a cable needle, so feel pretty smart.

I have eaten all my words about knitted washcloths in the "why would anyone bother?" vein. It's a great way to learn a new stitch. It is fairly instant gratification. You get to feel smart and productive with very little effort. I may be starting to get it.

Yes, I have also re-committed to the pink Trekking Lace Rib socks. I have no other projects on the go at the moment (!). I really want to get these puppies on my feet. Here's the progress to date:

Could it be?

2008-02-11T12:47:00.002-05:00

Yes, another pair is finished. This has got to be the fastest pair of socks I've ever knit up.

Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Wilderness

Needles: Brittany Birch 7 1/2 " (3.0 mm)

Pattern: Vogue Knitting Garter Heel Socks from Ultimate Sock Book, with Eye of Partridge heel flap substituted for the garter heel.

Notes:

I love the yarn I love the pattern. However in this case, I find that the pattern distracts from the yarn, rather than showing it off. And vice versa, the yarn distracts from the pattern, so the pattern gets a bit lost. I wouldn't put this combination together again. Would knit this yarn up in Stockinette Stitch another time. Would knit this pattern again too, but in a plainer yarn. It was fun to knit up something so fast, though!

Now, this week, back to the pink Trekking lace rib socks. They've been out to pasture the past week or so, and now I want to finish them right up. Not sure what I will cast on next. I have a trip to London next weekend, and a gift certificate at a yarn shop there. I will try to stay loyal to the lace rib until then.

Craving stockingette stitch and K3P2 rib.

Another pair in the bank

2008-02-05T11:50:00.001-05:00

Finished these off yesterday and now they are on my happy feet!

Yarn: Trekking Pro Natura 75% superwash wool, 25% bamboo colour 1603

Pattern: Hourglass Eyelet from Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

Needles: 2.75 mm bamboo

Not much progress on the pink Trekking Lace rib, but I cast on the gorgeous Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the colour Wilderness, using the pattern for Garter Heel socks in Vogue Knitting's Ultimate Sock Book, but will probably do and Eye of Partridge heel instead. Not sure how the garter heel will hold up- it doesn't seem that sturdy to me. Using 3mm needles it's knitting up fast.

Could it be?

2008-01-31T17:11:00.000-05:00

I want to be clear that this is not a gauge swatch; it is a pattern swatch.

It's Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Wilderness, and a cable rib pattern. The strong lines of the knit columns between the cables overpower the cables. Not sure it's the best use for this yarn-I'm hankering for cables on socks, but not sure this is the way to go. I'm leaning away from it, though clearly undecided.

In other news, this:

has progressed to this:

and this:
That's all I have to show for today.

Moving a Bit More

2008-01-25T11:32:00.001-05:00

These are the two sock projects I have on the go.

I did frog back to the picot edge of the pink Trekking XXL and am glad I took the time to straighten it out. No more lumps. However, I decided to abandon the Traveling Leaf Eyelet pattern . It was too complicated to knit in public after all. I finally settled on the Lace Rib pattern, also from Barbara Walker, which, although it does have an SSK , is otherwise pretty easy.

Am I the only one who has trouble with SSK's? They really slow me down.

The Trekking Pro Natura in the lovely browns is also progressing. I have already knit the heel flap, and frogged the heel flap. I thought it looked a bit narrow when I was knitting it up, but somehow didn't bother to check the stitch count until I was finished the whole thing this morning and counting the first row of the heel turn. Still loving the yarn, though, and happy to be knitting with it.

I did get sidetracked yesterday with some Paton's Kroy in Crayola. So far I've never had more than two pairs of socks on the go at one time, because it just takes too long to finish anything, but the cheery Crayola colours and fond associations with childhood finally broke through my admittedly thin resistance, and I was hooked. I couldn't think about anything else, and I couldn't walk away.

I cast on for a toe-up sock, using the method in VK Ultimate Sock Book, Anklets pattern, but became frustrated with the M1R stitch. "With LH needle, lift strand between needles from back to front and k." I couldn't get the RH needle into the loop to knit. So after a valiant effort, I frogged it.

Then I cast on and knit 16 rows of K3, P2, and a few rows of stockinette. I thought I'd do a basic sock- can't go wrong with that, eh? But I didn't like how the colours worked up- too regular and patchy. So I frogged it.

Then I thought a bit more pattern might disguise the colour repeat issue, so I cast on for the Garter Heel Socks, also from VK Ultimate Sock Book. I knit a couple inches and then held it up to my leg to check the size, and found out it was going to be quite a bit too small. So I frogged it again and sensibly put the yarn away.

Then I knit the some of the too-small heel flap, and went to bed.

Not the most productive day of knitting, but I did figure out that two pairs of socks is enough, especially when you're enjoying knitting them. Is there anybody out there who could use some Paton's Kroy yarn in Crayola?

Moving Right Along

2008-01-22T10:29:00.000-05:00

Worked late into the night to finish these for my brother's birthday on February first. I'm so glad I frogged back to the heel flap- it made a much better sock.

Yarn: Paton's Kroy in 54733 Grass Green and 54008 Muslin

Needles: 2.75 mm bamboo DPN's

Pattern: Chevrolace Socks from
Knitty

Except that I used a K3,P2 rib in place of the lace.

Notes: Paton's Kroy yarn gets my respect. It's a bit stiff and the strands split easily, and in my experience it tends toward felt , but it's sturdy and inexpensive. It's sock yarn to keep me humble.

I've also been working at this:

from Trekking Pro Natura, made with 75% wool and 25% bamboo. I love the variegated browns in the yarn- it's quite natural looking. It's also a sturdy yarn, and I'm happy with the stitch definition of this Hourglass Lace stitch, from Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns. I got the inspiration from the Tsock Tsarina. She is a sock design goddess.

And I cast on this last night:

More Trekking- this time XXL. It's my first Picot edge, and I'll have to frog it back, as I've already done the first few rows of the eyelet pattern wrong, and the knitted-down edge of the picot is a bit lumpy. I was going to do something easy, like a simple rib ,or straight stockinette, something I can do in public and not mess up, but the yarn called out for a feminine touch, so I am going with Travelling Leaf Pattern, also from the Barbara Walker Treasury. It's a fairly simple eyelet pattern- I should be OK.

I hope.

Both these new cast-on's are for moi. Hurrah!

The Green Frog

2008-01-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

Is there something fishy looking about this pair of socks? Look carefully. Yes, there is.

Let me tell you the story.

The story is not about the stripes; it's about the other sock- the one without stripes.

This is a new pattern for me. It's Chevrolace , from Knitty. I wanted a toe-up sock that had a gusset and heel flap, but this pair are for a man; the lace just wouldn't have been appreciated, so I substituted a K3-P2 rib for the lace.

In spite of doing the (minimal and simple) math, I had to frog out the gusset and heel flap on the first sock.

Twice.

The first time the foot was too short, the second time, ridiculously too long. The third time, I got the foot length right.

But then I did the heel flap wrong. It's supposed to be in Eye of Partridge stitch, but somehow I forgot to do that, even though I had done it correctly the first two times, and ended up knitting the thing in stockingette stitch.

I thought it would be OK. I thought no one would notice. I thought I could live with it. I carried on up the leg and cast off. Sock One Done.

Well, when I got to the heel flap on the second sock, I thought I'd just do that old Eye of P. heel, and see how it looked. I knew I'd either be frogging the flap, and knitting it again in stockingette to match Sock One, or I'd be frogging the whole leg and heel flap of the first sock. Here's what happened:

Yes, Sock Two is finished (I threw in three clever-looking sporty stripes, just for fun.). Sock number one is now frogged back to the beginning of the heel flap.

I *will* get these done. They have an early February deadline. I like to finish knitting projects well ahead of deadlines. Other types of projects (like housework and resumes) I am content to leave in any old unfinished state up to and even occaisionally beyond deadlines, but not knitting. I'm a slow knitter- can't handle the stress of last-minute knitting.

The thing about frogging is that I don't really mind it too much, because I love to knit, and frogging just means more knitting. How can that be a bad thing?

First Frog 2008

2008-01-14T16:33:00.000-05:00

Cast on 60 stitches of lush Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome in Wild Cherry, completed 16 rows of K2tbl, P2, and checked the pattern only to find I was supposed to cast on 64 stitches.

I'm supposed to be doing something else today anyway:

I need to turn the heel here at home where distractions are limited. Then I can finish the leg anywhere. More about these another day.

But now I can do the Wild Cherry ribbing anyhwere, can't I? Long as I can count to 64.

First FO 2008

2008-01-14T13:47:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Garter Heel Socks from Vogue Knitting The Ultimate Sock Book

Yarn: Regia Silk, colour 070 (55% Merino, 20% Silk, 25% Polyamide)

Needles: 3.00 mm Brittany Birch

Notes:

I enjoyed working with this yarn; it has a nice feel to it and works easily. It's smooth and even.

It seemed to me that the pattern worked up quickly, too; that's perhaps due to the larger needle size.

These are a birthday present for my grandmother, who will be 96 at the end of January. She is tiny, and has small feet, bless her.

Socks for Baba

2007-10-18T17:58:00.000-04:00

Working on socks for my grandmother for Christmas. She is 95 and in a home. She's pretty strong and healthy, considering she weighs about eighty pounds soaking wet, but her memory isn't what it used to be. I have the first sock finished and the second one started.

Yarn: Trekking XXL colour 185
Pattern: basic cuff>toe, using Roman Stitch from Barbara Walker Second Treasury. four rows stockingette then two rows of K1P1 ,and repeat all six rows.

I've sorted out why they recommend knitting socks at a slightly tighter tension than you might normally knit. When I tried on the first few pairs I made, they got all loose and baggy. Not quite the effect I was going for. So this pair is sturdy and tough, and the Roman Stitch gives a nice nubby texture. I'm happy with the design. It's the first time I ventured out from a ribbed leg on my own.

Will post a picture as soon as I get some batteries for my camera.