Mystery!

*Warning! Spoilers ahead!*

I've never done a mystery knit along before since it's hard for me to follow most knitting patterns blindly. Changing large and small details is usually the name of the game. I just can't help myself.  This time though, I decided to not worry so much about the small stuff and let Leethal do all the work. I don't even know what I'm making...except that it's an accessory of some sort. I could peak but where's the fun in that. Guessing is half the adventure.

The first clue arrived last Thursday and it wasn't long before I cast on. It helped that I had already surveyed the stash and knit up a swatch. Anyway,The pattern uses a waving rib and suggests randomly moving the 'waves' up and down, or side to side as I've been seeing it, without any set repeat. I couldn't help but make a game out it since Lee also pushed the concept of game knitting awhile back. For this pattern, I didn't stick to any particular show just general tv watching. Commercial Break (or fast forwarding through one)? Changed direction. Changed the channel? Changed direction. New show coming on? Changed direction. I did knit, just a little bit, along with the shows I was watching too.

Mythbusters: Myth intros, high speed video, "confirmed or busted", and explosions (of course)

Good Eats: Puppets, explanations, new recipes, and whenever something comes out of the oven

The Simpsons: The couch gag, pop culture references, guest stars, and internal monologues

The first clue was a pretty quick knit so I'm catching up on my gift knitting until this Thursday and clue #2 rolls around. Can't wait.

P.S. Stayed tuned for something awesome tomorrow.

Settling In

Yeesh! Has it really been 2 weeks since I lasted posted? Shame on me. 

Anyway, thanks for all the advice and commiseration with the last post. It's nice to know that I'm not to only one trying to keep up with the day to day.

Being the list maker that I am, I wrote down everything important that I wanted to do. This list included everything from spending time with family and friends, to blogging, playing with the cat, and relaxing with video games. At first, this was just supposed to be my wild wishful list. I thought I'd take a second look at it and cross a few items off later; however, everything seems totally doable and I don't want to cut a thing. Fortunately, I've settled into my ever changing schedule and I'm actually getting things done without falling behind too much. My wild list doesn't seem so wild now.

It should be no surprise that knitting is on my wild list of priorities. One of my many current projects is this pair of socks. They were supposed to be a birthday present almost a month ago. I didn't meet that deadline or finish this pair for my Sock-A-Month challenge. At this point, I think it's safe to say that that challenge bit the dust. Still, I'm slogging through them and, since I'm working on the cuffs right now, they shouldn't take too much longer.

Blogging is on my wild list too. You should be seeing a bit more of me around here.

September Socks

Pattern: Charade Socks by Sandra Park |

Ravelry

|

Yarn: Lion Brand Sock-Ease - Lemon Drop

Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) DPN's

Date: Sept 3 - 27, 2010

@Ravelry (public link)

Back when I lived in New Jersey, school always started right after Labor Day and I came to think of September 1st as the start of Fall. Who goes to school in the summer anyway? It wasn't until I moved south and school started in early August that I did. Even after years of heading back to school in August, August is still summer and September is still Fall. So, I happily contented myself with casting on for a pair of woolly socks with the mistaken thought that cooler weather would soon arrive. How wrong I was. It wasn't until the Equinox, September 22, that the temps weren't in the triple digits. Today, my thermometer read 67 degrees which feels almost chilly. Maybe woolly Fall socks weren't a bad idea after all.

Besides from being woolly, these socks are YELLOW. They're so yellow that they practically give off their own light. If I hung one from each of my shoulders, I could probably read by the light they give off. They are that yellow. The photos make the yellow less apparent. Do not believe them.  They lie. As for the pattern, I used Charade which works wonderfully well with all that yellow. Plus, I've wanted a pair ever since I made the boy some. Woolly, yellow, Fall socks for the win.

P.S. I found that the easiest and fastest way to fix a missed yarn over in this pattern is, on the next row, to knit into the front and back of the stitch where the yo should have been. Once the pattern is worked on the next row, no one will be able to tell the difference. 

Pattern: Laddered Cloths

It started innocently enough with a trip to the store and the random urge to walk by the yarn. I just so happened to see a lovely ball of innocent cotton yarn with an innocent name, York Town. It was light blue, dark blue, and red. I was quite smitten and I promised myself that, if I bought this yarn, it would not be buried in the stash. Indeed, the ball was out of my stash quickly but it did take me a few tries to come up with the right pattern. This pattern happened to include US 6 needles, slipped stitches, a lot of garter, and only 2 rows. It also looks like a series of ladders.

The Laddered Cloth | Ravelry | Download | 

It turned out to be such an easy knit that I had to dig through the stash to make a few more. So, next up there were a few washcloths...

...and then a coaster for the boy.

After all this knitting, there's slightly less cotton in the stash, another towel for the kitchen, and a few gifts waiting for the right occasion. Oh, innocent ball of yarn, you've been quite helpful. Hopefully, I have a few other skeins of your ilk hiding in my stash. 

RIP

...one of my favorite sock knitting DPN's, a 2.25mm Harmony.

I'm sorry I rolled over you with my chair - several times - before I realized you had decided to roll off my desk. I'm also sorry that I thought that cracking sound meant something was wrong with my chair. Really, I am.

Your absence will be felt whenever I turn the heel of sock and don't have you to hold my middle stitches. At least you won't be alone since I snapped one of your brethren in my purse a few years back.

Good bye, my trusty friend. I hardly knew ye.

Surprise Stash

Every so often, I get The Urge. The Urge follows not the logic that I have plenty of yarn already. Numerous visits to my obsessively cataloged stash page on Ravelry mean nothing. More often then not, there's no project to buy for. Just the want, nay, need for more yarn. Most of the time I can fight off the beast but Thursday was hard since I happened to be at knit night and sitting next to the wall o' sock yarn. Thankfully, I managed to get out the door with less yarn than I came in with.

When I got home, The Urge was far from squelched but it didn't last too much longer as I got several, belated birthday presents. The first was 2 skeins of Fingering 55 by Claudia Hand Painted Yarns. Eventually, you'll see this yarn again as a pair of socks.

The second gift was two skeins of Plymouth Happy Feet. I've really enjoyed this yarn in the past and am beyond thrilled at having enough for another pair of socks. The colors are a bit out of my normal range but they've really grown on me. Now, I just need to find the right pattern.

Now, the coup de gras, two skeins of Malabrigo Sock in Stonechat. This yarn is not destined to be a pair of socks but rather a shawl of gigantic and cosy proportions. The problem with this is that I'm having a hard time choosing a pattern. On the top of my list is the Textured Shawl Recipe and Stephen Wests' Pogona. Neither of them are heavy on the lace and I can easily make them larger which is what I like about them. I still can't make up my mind though. Any suggestions for a fingering weight shawl that'll use 880 yards? I could really use the help.

Before I go, Thanks B! The yarn and all of its potential is awesome. Plus, you've silenced The Urge and I can't thank you enough for that.

2 and counting

A few weeks ago I decided to reacquaint myself with the awesome-ness that is my local library. It wasn't long before I found myself in the craft section and perusing a nice selection of knitting books. One of the books I pulled out was Hat Heads by Trond Anfinnsen. I've seen it before in my local bookstore but the urge to buy just never popped up. So, Hat Heads ended up back on the shelf until I gave it a second look at the library. I was still a bit ambivalent about the book but now I had time to spend a few more minutes to read through it. The story behind the whole hat project was inspiring and so were the charts. Once I had my library card, Hat Heads finally came home with me. 

Torunn | ravelry |

It didn't take me long to pick a hat and cast on. What happened next was a perfect storm of knitting. The patterns were fun and a perfect use of the yarn I'd picked up a few days before. Once I started, I couldn't stop knitting. I knit so much that my hands started to hurt; however, they hurt more when I didn't knit so I just kept going. Soon, I had 2 hats to send off but I'm not done yet. There are only 5 or so more patterns I want to make before the library gets its book back. Time to renew it for another couple of weeks and get back to the needles.

Mostafa | ravelry |

A Hitch

A couple days ago I was feeling rather pleased with myself. I had finished the first bit of gift knitting and was ready to start the next project. Late one night I wound all the yarn, 2 skeins of Noro Kochoran,  and cast on for the Oscilloscope Shawl from the Fall 2010 KnitScene. When I went to bed, things were going well. It wasn't until Knit Night and a full repeat later that I began to have doubts. Singularly, the yarn and the pattern were beautiful. Together, not so much. The yarn was so fuzzy that it obscured all the details in the pattern. Plus, after 30 mins of knitting, it looked like a big, white cat had decided to wallow on my clothes. Not a look that I generally go for. So, after a few minutes of hesitation, I ripped everything out. It took quite a bit longer to get all the angora off of my clothes.

Now, I'm not sure what to do. Should I knit a different shawl with the yarn? Should I even use the yarn at all? Should I just knit a nice pair of fingerless mitts and be done with the whole thing?

Pattern: Alternates.V2

Pattern: Alternates.V2 | download | Ravelry |

Yarn: Knit Picks Telemark - Cream and Tidepool Heather

Needles: US 3 (3.25mm)

Date: Aug 1-20, 2010

@Ravelry

I'm going to miss August even if it did bring along 100+ degree temperatures. It's the end of summer and the last hoorah before Fall which always seemed to bring a bit more work. I wanted one last chance to be lazy and relax with my knitting before I turned into a knitting machine for the holidays. These socks were the perfect vacation. They knit up fast in sport weight yarn and, a plus, I'd already come up with the pattern. 

Continuing with the lazy, relaxing theme, I followed the pattern to the letter...for the first couple of inches anyway. What I found so interesting with the first pair was how different the socks became when I knit the toes in different colors. With this pair, the green toe was just so much more appealing (also, the white toe definitely wouldn't stay white). So, I ripped out and started over with green. It wasn't until I reached the cuff that I realized how much this changed the socks. Instead of hanging out mid-calf, these socks were almost knee highs - even with my generous calfs. Such a happy accident and I adore this pair of socks. 

Course, I can't keep the knee high love to myself. So, I've updated the original pattern and it's now available to download.  Maybe in the next few months, I'll have to update this pattern again since I have enough yarn for another pair that should go over my knees. 

Overflow

Lately, I've had so many ideas in my head and no idea how to get them on to paper. Never mind knitting them up. It's just variation over variation and I can't decide on the best place to start. The whole thing is exhilarating and annoying all at the same time.

Maybe this yarn will give me a bit of direction. Right now I'm focusing on 3 balls of Valley Superwash and a skein of Araucania Itata. They're both destined for very different pairs of socks. Now if only I could decide which pair to start on first. Bah.

The Gauntlet

It is undoubtedly Summer. The temperatures, while cooler, are still in the 90's. Air conditioning is still my friend. Ice tea is still a daily requirement. So, why am I thinking about Christmas?

Oh yeah.

Gift knitting. It's not just for Christmas but also a slew of birthdays. I like to refer to this time period, the end of August through December 25, as "running the gauntlet." Course, putting this way makes it sound like some horrible ordeal but I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it. Plus, I've figured out who deserves to be on my knit list and who doesn't. There's nothing worse than putting a lot of time and effort into making something that the recipient couldn't care less about or appreciates* too much to actually use. That's an important lesson to learn.

Anyway, back on the subject at hand, I have a spreadsheet with the who's, the what's, and the deadlines. I even have most of the yarn. Now I just have to keep myself accountable and on track which I plan to do with this blog. The first bit of accountability involves a skein of Ultra Alpaca which is already quite a bit smaller. Knitting with it has been great and I'm making good progress too. Let's hope the rest of the gifts go so smoothly.

*That's a rant for another time though.

Two July Socks

Pattern: Prototype

Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta - Black and Red

Needles: 2.5 mm and 2.25 mm

Date: July 3 - August 5, 2010

@Ravelry

If you've been following this blog for a bit, it should come as no surprise that I love socks. I love knitting them. I love wearing them. I love browsing sites for socks I'd never knit. My sock drawer is actually 2 drawers, well, 3, if you count the one dedicated to the socks I've made. What's more, I have a great love/obsession with every kind of toe sock. Tabi socks, where the big toe is separate from the rest, are a personal favorite. They're fun to wear and, even better, they're fun to knit. 

I'm not the only one in the house who loves tabi socks and this pair is for him. The challenge of these socks wasn't their large size. The challenge was starting completely from scratch. Other toe up tabi patterns have hard seams between the toes or just sew up the gap. Neither of these techniques quite appealed to me. Plus, I needed a pattern that would fit a US 14 foot at a gauge of 9 sts/in. Didn't have much luck finding that. In order to get what I needed, I came up with my own pattern and it's a pretty good start. However, it's not quite ready to be released into the wild. Tweaking aside, the finished pair has gotten the official seal of approval and another pair isn't too far off. Just not this month.

A July Sock

July 31st has come and gone and there's still an unfinished sock on needles. I did manage to knit a gusset, turn a heel, work a heel flap, and knit 1.5" of ribbing; however, before all that, I also had to rip out most of a gusset, a heel turn, and a heel flap. Bah. Hopefully, I'll be less error prone on the second sock and finish it over the next few days.

Of course, all the ripping and the poor, lonely sock on the needles didn't stop me from casting on for another pair. It's only been a two days and I've already reached the cuff on a striped sock. Gotta love sport weight yarn.

Bunny and Bear

Beatrice and Bernard the Inseparable Bunny and Bear by Rebecca Danger (Ravelry) 

Patons Classic Wool - Lemongrass

US 4 (3.5mm) needles

July 16 - 18, 2010

@ravelry

Part of the reason why the July socks aren't finished yet is that I've been knitting other things. There have been hats, washcloths,  a hand towel, a blanket, and this cute bunny and bear pair. I was at knit night when their cuteness finally overwhelmed me and I had to get the pattern right then. Once I had the yarn, the knitting was quick work. Even the fiddly parts. The only problem is that I can't decide what to name them. Any suggestions?

Generally, I find that the hardest part of making toys is naming them but that won't stop me from making more. Next on the list is Maddox and the legendary Loch Ness monster. Also, an octopus. 

Challenge!

Where did July go? Anyone know? 

There's less then a week until August and this month's socks are nowhere near finished. So, I'm putting the rush on. I've got 5 days to knit 2 gussets, turn 2 heels, knit 2 heel flaps, and work a bit of 2x2 rib. Let's not even mention binding off or weaving in ends. Blarg.

Will I make it? Only time will tell.

50%

Harris Tweed Socks by Ali Green (Ravelry)

Patons Kroy FX - Clover Colors

US 1 (2.25mm) needles

June 1 - July 2, 2010

@ravelry

At the end of last year, I took stock of of my yarn - specifically my sock yarn. The grand total: 36 pairs worth. I knew I had a lot but the number was still a bit shocking. So, in order to shrink the stash, I decided to knit a pair of socks each month in my own personal Sock-a-Month KAL.January saw a completed pair of socks and so did February, March, April, and May. The Harris Tweed socks, or Hairy as I like to call them, are my pair for June. 

The pattern and the yarn turned out to be a perfect combination for the summer. My toe-up version of the Harris Tweed pattern was simple enough to knit while either enjoying air conditioning or venturing out to Vulcan for World Wide Knit in Public Day. The yarn also added enough interest to keep the 4 row repeat from getting boring. Even having to buy a third skein wasn't that bad since I could just make taller socks.

So far, my Sock-a-Month plan has been going pretty well. I've knit 6 pairs of socks and pruned the stash a bit. Maybe, come the end of July, I'll even have a seventh pair to show off.

Bobbilicious

Rayski Scarf by Jane Ellison (Ravelry)

Noro Iro - 85

US 10.5 (6.5mm) needles

May 19 - July 14, 2010

public page @ravelry

This scarf is no stranger to the knit night at my favorite LYS . In fact, it is so frequent a visitor that it got a nickname: Bobbilicious. It's all bobbles all the time and I love it. I also love the fact that I didn't have to knit any real bobbles or I would never have finished (or started). 

Despite how complicated the scarf looks, the knitting was pretty easy. I read a few books while working the first few feet and the last few feet got me through the after effects of a root canal. I have to love the scarf just for that. The yarn helped too. Even the knots and the vegetable matter didn't detract from its colorful goodness. I'm looking forward toward pulling the scarf out in the Fall when the color will be a welcome sight and when wrapping one's self in wool will actually be comfortable.

Pattern: Sapling

Sapling | ravelry |

Nichol was one of the first friends I made when I started at a new high school in a new state. We've continued to be good friends through college and beyond. All told, it's been seven years since we met and, during that time, I learned to knit and she learned to crochet. So, several months ago when she proposed crocheted goodness in exchange for knitted baby goodness for her soon to be born nieces, I jumped at the chance. One of the requests was a hat. I didn't want to make just any hat. It had to be special. Soon, there were several ideas floating around in my head - stripes, short rows, lace - before I decided on a cute leaf motif. After all, it was almost Spring. After a bit of trial and error, both hats were finished and just in time for two little Spring babies.

The hat is knit from the stem down and uses a variety of techniques: knitting, purling, working in the round, yarn overs, a variety of lifted increases, decreases, and EZ's sewn cast off. The pattern isn't written for any specific way of knitting (DPN's, Magic Loop, 2 Circulars, etc) so you can easily use your favorite method without translation. 4 stitch markers are necessary whichever method you choose. Plus, yardage is minimal. The hat uses far less than one skein which makes for great stash busting of that errant, leftover yarn.

$6.00

Also, many thanks to the test knitters for their help: Jeme, Angela, Lena, LPetiteTricoteuse, Kimberly, and Evelyn.

_______

Errata: In printed versions of the pattern (through 6/5/2011), Row 21 of the 0-6 month size is incorrect. It should read - Row 21: *p2, k2, p2, LLinc, LRinc, p2, k2, p2, ssk, k3, k2tog*

The digital version of the pattern has been updated and is correct.

Pattern: An Octopus No More!

Hemlock Ring by Jared Flood | Ravelry | with my own Extended Chart | Ravelry | download |

Cascade Eco+ in Highland Green (2.75 skeins)

US 10.5 (6mm) needles

August 9, 2009 - June 3, 2010

@Ravelry

uzzah! My blanket actually looks like a blanket and not a very hungry octopus. mostly... Getting it that way was a long and drawn out process that involved a bathtub, a 8' x 6' swath of insulating foam, a few hundred pins, string, several hours, and a good portion of my living room floor. Blocking and the waiting for the blanket to try was definitely worth the time and effort since, in the end, I had a warm, cosy blanket that's big enough for a queen sized bed. I can see this being the only blanket I'll need for the rest of the summer.

Blocking and finishing aside, I've spent a lot of time working on this blanket. While I'm glad that it's finally completed, I also miss it since I can't knit on it anymore. It's not like I don't have several other large projects to fill that hole with - a super long Dr. Who scarf, or that other blanket I just started. Ahem... Eventually, I'm going to give Girasole a chance to fill that hole too and it's much larger than a Hemlock Ring.

Part of the reason I spent so long knitting this blanket was because I wanted more than a lap blanket. I wanted it to be big enough for a bed. So, once I'd finished off the existing increases, I figured out how the pattern worked, made up another chart, and got back to my knitting. From my wanderings over Ravelry and interwebs, I know I'm not the only one who wants more than a lap blanket. At the top is my extended chart for your own giant Hemlock Ring or giant, hungry octopus. Have fun.

It Waits...

...like a hungry octopus. I just know that it's waiting for the perfect time to pounce and gobble me up. There will be no escape either since there's no way I'm going to risk snagging, or worse - cutting, all that knitting. There is hope though since I'm going to try and get him first. Tomorrow I'm going to the nearest big box building supply store for enough foam to hold him. Then he'll be wrangled into the tub and stretched to within an inch of his life. Here's hoping I survive that long.