Monkey

The first of the two socks is done, making this officially my first ever sock. Now I must restrain the urge to wear it without its cohort. This photo stretches out the lace nicely.

And there it is sans pied. It's not as pretty that way, but c'est la vie. Everyone needs an empty sock picture, right?

Anyway, I'm exhausted. Shouldn't have gotten up so early (and stayed up to watch the news/school closings with evangelistic zeal). I'll be glad when Friday comes.

Wouldn't it be nice?

If school were canceled? -30°F to -45°F wind chill. I have so many layers on that I probably won't be able to put on my boots. I still have a feeling I'm going to freeze. If there are no more posts in the next 48 hours, presume that I am dead and frozen at the bus stop or somewhere between the bus drop-off point and my building of enslavement.

Monkey Socks

Still working my way through the first monkey sock. The ladies at the store said it's looking good, so I'll take their word for it.

Sock Surgery

And here we see a bit of "sock surgery" (i.e. careful and selective tinking and re-knitting... one must call it something cute or one might go insane during this tedious, time-consuming process). I didn't want to frog the seven or so rows (especially not with the lace work over two needles) to undo the mistake (i.e. not paying attention to the pattern and decreasing every row instead of every other row), sooo here we have it. That's what the poor little sock carcass looks like right now. I still have another needle to do this with too. Le sigh.

Revamp

Alright. I'm going to be revamping the look of this blog, so if it looks odd, it's probably because I'm tweaking things I don't know how to tweak. Excellent.

Do I have to?

AccuWeather.com tells me it's -1°F (-19°C) with a "real feel" of -21°F (-30°C) due to wind chill. Why am I going out in this? Oh yes. Four hours at $8 an hour and 75 minutes of Latin (approximately -$23 an hour).

On the bright side, I've turned the heel on the first of the monkeys.

Continue to blame Ravelry...

So I'm still spending most of my free computer time on there or pattern hoarding (thus neglecting the blog). Here's the 3rd (?) attempt at the VW hat for Ashley. I like the way this one's turning out, so pishaw on the original pattern.

Blame Ravelry

I've been a bit lax on posting, I know. I recently received my invite for Ravelry, so I'm spending most of my excessive free time on there instead of on the blog. My apologies. Later today I'll try to get some pictures and so forth up with what I've been doing.

Maybe I'll keep this...

The stranding portion of the hat is done. Woo! I'm determined to get this thing finished by Sunday.

Otherwise, not much in the mood for words, so move along.

Heel Warmers

Threw this together tonight as a "test drive" for top-down socks before I get to the heel on my nice sock yarn. These soon-to-be slipper socks are made from some surprisingly soft acrylic yarn squirreled from my grandmother's stash (into mine). I have so much of this particular color--no dye lot, even--that I could make dozens of pairs. I also have lots of hunter green if anyone is interested. Maybe I'll even attempt stripes! Anyway, no more freezie toes in this apartment!

My New Pet

I have decided that it would be unfair to have a sole pet yarn. In lieu of this, I will allow myself (should the need arise) a pet in each "weight class." Thus, here is my fingering weight pet. Schaefer Yarn "Anne" 60% merino wool superwash, 25% mohair, 15% nylon. 560 yards of hand-painted goodness. Pet pet pet.

Bears and so on and ripping

First I would like to share this adorable teddy bear with you. He was waiting for me outside of my bedroom door this afternoon beside a card and a little tub of sour gummies. She had found out from my blog (as all I could squeak out without crying as I headed into my room for a nap was "Read my blog") about Tasha. Isn't she sweet? The teddy bear is probably about twice the size of Penelope (my 15 lb. panther-like house cat), yet Penelope seems to think it's still a toy meant for her. She drags it around, albeit awkwardly, by the back leg. Anyway, thank you, Ashley. It means a lot to me.

Moving on...

Working my way around the cuff for Jake's hat. The sloppy looking part there is the fold point, not just a series of awkwardly-worked stitches.

Notes on the socks:
I've cast on and worked a few rounds with that Plymouth "Happy Feet" (colorway 12). I'll get a picture up once it looks like something.

Also, in regard to those socks I posted earlier, I realized several rounds in that I had screwed up the 2x2 ribbing. I ended with k2 on one dpn and then went on and k2 on the next dpn when I should have p2 (and I did this on two of the three dpn "intersections"), so I ended up with two stupid 4-stitch ribs amongst the 2x2. Grr. Rip!

Tasha, We Love You

This is the "relieved" e-mail I received from my mother:

11:18AM
megan-dont give up on her yet--start praying-they are not going to put her down at this time--she is VERY constipated--they are going to sedate her and "clean her out" then they will do the blood tests-there is a chance she may be okay


Now I just received this:

11:49AM
Punkin:
You might as well know, the vet just called dad and Tasha is being put down--they found scar tissue in her due to diabetes or maybe a thyroid condition or there are various other things--the vet said she will never be able to go to the bathroom normally and will never be able to lead a normal life--its for the best even though it is so hard

I'm trying very hard not to cry at work.



Rest in peace, Tasha. 1991?-January 14, 2008.

Tsocks

So here we go with my first sock (in a dark mourning color, for I mourn the first sock that I attempted to knit--all the way to the heel and decided I didn't like something... went to fix it... dropped stitches... didn't want to pick them up... picked up a few... said some bad words... ripped... tragedy... sobbing). Hopefully this one will turn out better than it's predecessor.

Tasha

Tasha, one of the family kitties we've had since I was 5 or 6, is going to visit the vet today. She hasn't been looking so great for the past few weeks and we suspect some sort of organ failure (she's quite old). She still eats and drinks enough for a horse (as she always has), yet she continues to lose weight. We'll likely have to put her down. I wish I could be there to say goodbye at least.

Frustration

I didn't like the way the VW hat was turning out (again), so I ripped it (again). I'll give it a go after I do some math because 90 sts is a tight squeeze with my knitting. Grr.

Ahoy

The Marsan Watchcap is finished! I like the swirl pattern that the SSK decreases created at the top of the hat. Not much else to say as I just woke up and haven't started functioning per se. For the record (again), this hat was made with Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool.



The VW hat is coming along nicely. The pattern isn't very good for stranding (in my humble opinion) as it tends to leave rather long floats, but I can't imagine doing intarsia with it. I'm tempted to rip down to the bottom where the CC begins and just float it all the way around the inside when it's not being used. Hrm. Decisions decisions. Maybe I'll get around to taking a picture of it later when I'm not being lazy.

The State of Things

Numerus Primus:
The VW Hat

I've begun the hat using my circular needles alternative pattern to the straights, and so far so good. I suppose I've just jinxed it now. I'm working with stash yarn here (craftily packratted from my grandmother's--who stopped smoking this last Monday after 40+ years, might I add--stash into mine). I believe it's Caron Simply Soft, but I'm not 100% sure on it. I should have been more careful when I went through and washed the attic aroma out of all of my new acquisitions. I have all the labels. I have all the yarn. I just don't have them together. I ramble.

Numerus Secundus:
The Marsan Watchcap

Finally off onto the dpns with this one. I'll be glad once it's over. I'm a bit clumsy with the weight of these dpns (I like the wee little #2/2.75mm or even, heaven forbid, #0/2.0mm ones). If I weren't so poor, I'd mosey over to get some pretty, colorful, aluminum Boye needles... so nice and light. Again, I ramble. Anyway, I hope to have this finished sometime today. The yarn is Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool. Yeah, yeah, cheap, mass-produced yarn. Bite me. It was $8.99 for the skein, albeit a massive 465 yard skein. I had a coupon to get rid of and it was one of the few things at Joann's that was 100% wool. Virgin wool. So fresh, I think I'm finding pieces of straw/hay/plant matter in it. Seriously.
Publish Post
Numerus Tertius:
Jake's Hat (which I am refusing to call by the pattern's name)

I count this as 1% because I rolled the yarn (black, oxford grey, and fisherman) into balls. Yes. That's the first step. Baby steps, guys. Baby steps. Why did I roll the nice, neat center-pull skeins into balls, you might wonder. Well, I let's just say I consistently have trouble finding the center-pull end of the yarn in Lion Brand's skeins, so in my vain attempt to find said needle-in-a-haystack end, I ended up more or less gutting the skein. So, rather than have this mess of yarn to try to shove back inside the skein, I opted to just roll it. There you have it. Ramble.

But on to why I'm really posting...

I bought this beautiful sock yarn yesterday from ye olde belov'd LYS. It's made by Plymouth, although it's not on their site yet. I love the colorway, and I'd contemplate making it my new pet yarn, but my baby alpaca is still softest. Anyway, the line is called "Happy Feet," and it's a soft, smooth 90% superwash merino and 10% nylon, so it should wear well.

I've never knit socks before, so I'm torn about this. Should I just dive in, or should I practice other socks first? I want these to turn out just right, so I think I'll polish off a few from stash yarn first. Patience, Megan. Patience.

It's about time!

Thus far I've been getting by with some dumbed-down mishmash of English for knitting and Continental for purling, managing to control tension by gripping the yarn in a (-n apparently) consistent manner with the four fingers of my right and left hands (respective to each style). This has been working fine and dandy, but it's slow and said technique doesn't allow much room for picking up the pace. So I figured it's about time I made an effort, a marked effort, to learn one of those by-the-book methods that enable knitters to cruise through a pair of socks in a day (although, to be fair, that's Irish Cottage, but whatever). I've opted for Continental since the knit is so damned slick and I (more or less) have the purl down already. It's a tad awkward getting my left hand to cooperate since I'm a righty through-and-through, but that's to be expected at first. So, here we go. I'm going to force myself to use Continental (as slow and clumsy as I may be at it) from now on and rid myself of my mishmash ways!

RIP Sheldon

Alright, so I got through the rear end of Sheldon, i.e. all the increases, knitting, and up to the decreases for the neck, and I decided the kfb increases just looked too messy. Thus there was much ripping and Sheldon's little bottom is no more. Perhaps I'll try him again another time with M1L instead and see how that looks.

Sheldon's Butt

There ya go. Cast on Sheldon's lil bum. I'm sure he's feeling violated right now.

VW Hat

I've modified this pattern for knitting on circular needles.

VW Hat

Materials

• 1 skein worsted weight yarn (MC) – 3.5 oz. should be adequate
• 1 skein worsted weight yarn (CC) – you should only need a few yards
• 16” #7 US circular needle
• 4-5 #7 US dpns
• 1 yarn needle

Gauge:

• 20 sts/26 rows = 4” in stockinette stitch

Directions

• CO 91 sts
• sl 1^st cast-on st to left needle, k2tog, pm (total of 90 sts now)
• round 1: *k1, p1* repeat *-*
• rounds 2-8: *k tbl, p1* repeat *-*, creating 1x1 twisted rib (approx. 1 ½” brim)
• rounds 9-22: St st; begin pattern on first row (approx. 3 ½” from top of ribbing)
• pm every 10 sts (9 markers)

Decrease (switch to dpns when necessary)

• round 23: St st around, k2tog before every marker (81 sts)
• round 24: St st around, k2tog before every marker (72 sts)
• round 25: St st around, k2tog before every marker (63 sts)
• round 26: St st around, k2tog before every marker (54 sts)
• round 27: St st around, k2tog before every marker (45 sts)
• round 28: St st around, k2tog before every marker (36 sts)
• round 29: St st around, k2tog before every marker (27 sts)
• round 30: St st around, k2tog before every marker (18 sts)
• round 31: St st around, k2tog before every marker (9 sts)
• cut yarn, leaving a 24” tail; thread tail onto needle
• draw tail through rem sts 2x and pull tightly
• thread tail to inside and weave in all ends

I've fixed my own errors in "translating," but I may have missed some. Please let me know if you encounter any.

Irish Cottage Knitting

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee does some super-speedy knitting called Irish Cottage Knitting. If you watch this video, it's no wonder she can finish off a pair of knee-high socks in a day. Oh and by the way, that is her knitting. The woman slowing it down and narrating a bit is from AntiCraft, I believe.

Progression of the watchcap...

The second of my Marsan watchcaps is back onto the needles officially tonight. I had started it when I finished the one for my dad (I need to get pictures), but then the hats for the siblings became the priority, so this got shoved off onto a stretch of wire to hold the stitches. Cheap stitch holder?

The cuff is inside out there as I continue to knit through the rest of the cap. The 1x1 twisted rib is just emerging.



Here's the cuff flipped up because I can't get enough of that 1x1 twisted rib.


Now to get the other projects cast on...

I just found a replacement for my pet yarn...

Produced by Windy Valley Muskox, this "qiviut" yarn is supposed to be the Cadillac of yarns. At $83.00 a ball, it might be more than a Cadillac. Nevertheless, if some loving soul cared to send some my way...

Mom's Scarf

My first scarf knit on 10 ½ (6.5 mm) straights (same idea as Jake's scarf). Nothing but garter stitch.


I like the texture of this yarn. It has "natural" black fibers (presumably from the wool?) randomly interspersed in it, giving it a raw wool look.

Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick 86% acrylic 10% wool 4% rayon bulky weight #402 "Wheat"

Jake's Scarf

Simple garter stitch black scarf for my brother. I knitted this on size 10 ½ (6.5 mm) needles rather than the suggested 13 (9.0 mm), so the stitches are nice and tight. Folded in half lengthwise, it looks like a regular scarf. Unfolded it covers the lower part of the face. In Wisconsin, it's always safe to be ready.


Just a somewhat blurry close-up of the stitches.

Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick 80% acrylic 20% wool bulky weight #153 "Black"

Adam's Hat

I like the random pattern this yarn made. The hat is the same hat which I used for Alicia's. I chose the 1x1 twisted rib for the band. However, since I made this one first, I just accepted the given earflap pattern (except I did it in 1x1 rib to match the band) and you can see that the ear faps just aren't as nice looking. Despite the way it may look in the picture, the flaps are the same size.

As you can see there, the k2tog really only works for one side.

I like the star pattern the seven right-leaning decreases made at the top, so I thought I'd take a picture of that too.

Lion Brand Vanna's Choice 100% acrylic worsted weight #201 "Woods Print"

Alicia's Hat

Variation on Kitty Schmidt's "Official Kittyville Hat" from Stitch 'N Bitch by Debbie Stoller (New York: Workman Publishing, 2003). I believe the pattern is also available online for free.

I opted for a twisted 1x1 rib for the band rather than the seed stitch, which didn't look very nice in this ombre yarn. I also used stockinette for the ear flaps with the k2tog for the right edge and ssk for the left edge, which made a flatter, more triangular shape. I like this better than the k2tog on either side that the pattern called for.

Ignore that white little fuzzy there. I'm fond of this star pattern like on Adam's hat.

Bernat Berella "4" 100% acrylic worsted weight #02431 "Tapestry Ombre"

Luskentyre

I came across this last night while looking for a Fair Isle hat pattern for my brother. I could't help but drool over the stranding here (not sure if it's Fair Isle or not, so let's be technically correct until then), but it's amazing.

Here's a link to more images of the finished sweater:
http://wendyjohnson.net/knit/luskentyre.htm

Dreaded first post...

So I've decided to create a blog to "document" my knitting progress. I'm not good at keeping up with blogs, so we shall see.