2010 March Socks!

Finished these last evening :-) Specs:

Pattern: a varied rib over 72 st.
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in Blue Violet Multi
Needles: Size 1 [US]/2.25mm
Knit for: DD3

And then I started a practice pair (child sized) of socks, using Chrissy Gardiner's "Toe-Up!" and the Syncopated Rib Boot Socks pattern. I think I have enough leftover Louet Gems worsted to make a small pair. Like I said Practice.

Yes, I've completed several pair of toe-up socks, but not happy with the wrapped method of toes and especially not happy with wrapped heels. Chrissy says a different heel is needed for high arched feet.

Earlier March Socks

I mailed these socks to my sister in SC on Tuesday and she received them today. :-)

Pattern: Paton's Spiral Tube Sock pattern
Yarn: Paton's Stretch Sock yarn in Plum (click on "free patterns" tab)
Needles: 2 [US] / 2.75mm - two circs



ETA photo sister took w/ socks on feet via her cell phone:

March Madness Socks!

I knit like crazy last night while watching the NCAA basketball tournament games. I'll admit that I'm not much of a basketball fan, but each March I follow the Big Event.

Since I know nothing at all about the teams, I fill my brackets out after the winners are announced. Saves a lot of erasing or scratching out :-)

I finished a pair of socks last weekend, but can't use them for SAM9. So will blog about them later. DD3 had a birthday this week, but the timing is only coincidental.

Pattern: a varied rib over 72 st.
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in Blue Violet Multi
Needles: Size 1 [US]/2.25mm
Knit for: DD3

Oscar Knitting

I'm getting all set for an evening of Oscar watching and my plans are to knit -- SOCKS!

I know! Who woulda guessed? I've been working on a pair for my sister (mentioned at the bottom of this post.) I'm on the 2nd sock and just over 1/2 done with it. I'm sure there aren't many more stitches than in a "normal" sock, but these tube socks seem like they go on forever!

So, to change the pace, I've started a pair for DD3. They'll be top down, ribbed leg & instep, heel flap & gusset. These will be my March SAM9 socks. More about them later. Need to fix a cuppa Yorkshire Tea and then I'll get knitting.

Happy Oscar Watching to all :-)

2010 February Socks

My grandson called them "Weird." I call them warm. Got rid of a lot of little bits & bobs leftover from other sock projects. :-)

Curling and Purling

- and knitting, too.

I finished the Dove Moebius, but I'm very disappointed with it. How difficult are Ks and Ps and YOs? Well, actually my problem was with tension. I got gauge OK at the beginning, but while watching the various events, I lost focus on the tension. Many inches along I thought about frogging, but talked myself out of it figuring I could block it right.

Not going to bother blocking. (How do you block a moebius scarf anyway?) I'm going to to something I've never ever done before with a FO. I'm going to rip the whole thing out. (She takes a deep breath here.)

This project was going to be a Christmas '10 present, so I have time to figure out what I want to do. Reknit Dove or use a different pattern.

And then I looked at the Yarn Harlot's sweater. Makes my little, simple, but flawed scarf look mightily pathetic.

False starts

In the Olympic Games, too many false starts can get you disqualified. However, in the knitting Olympics, too many false starts just gets you closer to the Closing Ceremonies and less time to complete the project.

Argh. Friday evening, I cast on for the Dove moebius. I thought I had put a twist in it, but an inch of width later, I realized there wasn't a twist. Frogged. Cast on 159 sts again. Got 3 inches into the width and checked gauge again. Cor! Need a larger circ. AND... at this rate the yardage will give out before I cross the finished line, even with a larger needle. Frogged.

Cast on 159 sts AGAIN, this time on a size 9 circ. This looks better. But, I placed an order with Knit Picks for another skein of Andean Silk in Cream. Also ordered a book, Chrissy Gardiner's Toe Up!, because I'm still trying to conquer toe up socks.

Pre-Olympics FO

I was a test knitter for Kala over at Vegan Craftastic. Her Slippity Do Da Cowl is a quick & easy knit. Here's a photo of the finished project.

Yarn: Vanna's Choice in Purple Print and Dusty Purple.
Needle: Size 10 (6mm) 16" circular

No! NOT socks - Knitting Olympics Updated AGAIN

Changed my mind - no socks. I remembered another project I could do instead: the Dove Moebius Scarf & Hat. A free pattern at tahkistacycharles. Using Knit Picks; Andean Silk in cream.



I tried to post to Stephanie's web page about the change, but it's not showing up. Oh, well. She won't send the knitting police after me :-)

I just took a photo of the balls of yarn.

I owe, I owe, so off to work I go....

2010 Knitting Olympics

Change of plans. Not doing the Feb. Lady Sweater during the Olympics. Not since signing up for Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's 2010 Knitting Olympics. Rules state that the project has to be CO during the opening ceremony (was going to do that anyway.) Rules also state that the project must be finished before the end of the 2010 Olympics. That eliminates the sweater!!

So, I'll be doing socks for me :-) Yarn: OPAL Cotton 2008 in #2092, & using a "generic" pattern -- actually Stephanie's Step-by-Step Cheat Sheet for Socks (pg 144 of Knitting Rules.)

The socks will (and I emphasize WILL) be finished by February 28 - so they will also be my February SAM9 entry.

WooHoo!

I woke up early this a.m. with a sinus headache. The weather is changing - and not for the better. My first thought was, "Dang, I don't feel bad enough to call in sick at work." So, I got up, took some Rx and fixed a pot of strong coffee. Then I sat down at the computer to check emails & blogs. The first blog I checked was SAM9 and right at the top of the page I saw in Big Letters:

JAKKIMITCH

My first reaction was the same as I get when I look in the rear view mirror and see a squad car - Now What Did I Do?

It's all good, though! What I did was finish a pair of socks in January and post to the SAM9 blog. Yay! I won sock yarn & a circ. And I was just thinking last week that I need a pair of bright green socks. Double Yay!

OTN Update: One sock [refer to previous post] finished for my sister, 1" of second sock completed - that means 18" more till the toe decreases. :-| Photo eventually.

As Requested

My grandson, Buster, told me that he wanted mittens "outa the same yarn as my socks." Yeah, those Fern Rose Jacquards in the previous post. So, I bought a second ball of yarn, used double strands, and was able to match the color repeats fairly well. I didn't get a photo of Buster's mittens before he started wearing them. The mama says he loves the mitts and wears them all the time. He wore them over here a few days ago, but didn't want me to photograph them on his hands. So here they are - needing a good wash and a few fuzzy bits trimmed.

Sport said he wanted me to knit him a pair of mittens, too, but, he wanted to pick out different yarn. Surprisingly, he selected HL's I Love This Yarn in Boo Ombre. I used US 3 needles to get a tight fabric. This photo was taken before I gave them to him. He wore them to school last week :-)

Pattern: Panda Man's Paw Warmers as a guide.

OTN: another request (!) My sister in SC (recipient of a previous pair of socks) asked me to knit her a pair of tube socks. She sent yarn (actually enough for two pair) and pattern. Paton's Stretch Sock yarn in Plum & Paton's Spiral Tube Sock pattern (click on the "Free Patterns" tab.) She's tall, so I'm using the larger size -- knit 19" and then dec for toe. I've got 9" on the first sock done. Easy pattern, but 19"?? Hope the ball of yarn lasts!!

Grandsons' Socks

I knit these during November-December '09. I took the grandsons, separately, to HL and let them pick out the yarn for their socks.

6 yr old Sport selected Walk Away Sock Yarn in Pettitoes - a black, grey, white variegated yarn. 70% superwash wool, 23% polyamide, and 7% PBT [what's that?] This colorway fits him to a T.

I tried to steer 4 yr old Buster to several variations of blues, but he insisted on Patons' Kroy Socks in Fern Rose Jacquard. Funny thing...THIS colorway screams "Buster"! As I mentioned in an earlier post -- busy, bright, fun :-)

If you enlarge the photos, you'll see lots of nubs - they've been washed a lot.

First FO of 2010!

DD2 asked for socks - and picked out the yarn from the online photo at Knit Picks.

Pattern: generic rib - K6, P2

Yarn: Knit Picks' Stroll Multi in Pansy

Needles: size 1 [US] / 2.25 mm circulars

Knit for: DD2

She's happy with them. :-)

Also introducing Sock Blockers - a Christmas gift from my niece!!

Gotta hurry & get this posted. My ISP has been unreliable the past few weeks. Never know when it's going off line. Bummer.

Knitting keeps me out of trouble, too!

I like to knit (OK and crochet sometimes) to unwind after a hectic day. The big plus is that I've got something positive to show for all the time I spend on it.

While catching up with the Scotland news at the Beeb online, I found this. What a great project!