Sunburst sling bag, back in the arms of a good friend

I've not started a new pair of socks! ::gasp::

I just have been mindlessly putting in a few rows into the Opal socks (still haven't finished the cuff!), and decided to finish up an old project-- the Sunburst Sling Bag from Just One More Row in Sari Silk.



I need to finish up the center bit (pulling the "valley" taut) and make a strap for it. (Oh, and seam it up!) The pattern calls for either a 3 st knitted I-cord strap and sewing the body pieces together as is, or for a wide 7 st long ridged strap/giant loop (like the body pieces) that the body is sewn onto. I'm going to go for the long loop, just b/c the weight of this bag is already pretty heavy and I don't see my shoulder being too happy trying to support it on a 3 st i-cord... I originally thought I'd make this bag's strap long (like the rest of the bags I have around that are usually just converted into diaper/toy hauling bags) but I will keep it shortish, I think.

I also want to still use some fusible interfacing to line the bag with... but I know nothing about it. My general conception is that it is an iron-on lining that will help give the fabric some stability. I know nothing about sewing and I really think this bag will do best with some sort of lining, but am a little nervous. I don't even know if I can buy it locally (I have a Joanns and a Michaels, maybe could hunt down a fabric store?), I worry it won't "fuse" to this "sari silk" and I also worry it may distort/melt the fabric... (I do plan on testing it before going all out!) :) Any advice on fusible interfacing out there? Brands, tips? :)



The sari silk is also still super hairy. You can barely make out the garter ridges from amidst all the fluff (and it confuses the crap out of my camera, too!) I bought this from Yarn Place at the Knit and Crochet Show in Oakland this past April and have to say I can't recommend it b/c of the hairiness... I've seen other sari silks knit up but none were like this. The "silk" also feels like rayon/poly too-- though its marked "silk" I don't really know if it is or not. I'm planning on taking a pair of scissors & trim some of the bushman down on both sides (with a dustbuster in hand to clean up!); if I don't I think it will make the interfacing even hard to get to stay on.

I really do like the pattern though. I finished one side in about 2 days or so... may be a good knit for some hemp/wool I have, or some orange banana silk! Nuts, I don't even carry bags :)

Even though I haven't been knitting any new socks, it doesn't mean I haven't eyed a few new *free* patterns up and down...

° Prachi has a sweet "cloverleaf" sock pattern (PDF!!) she's shared... and I particularly like that she reworked it so that the swirls of cloverleafs mirror one another. What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry, I ask you!*

° Marie has an equally beauteous Daisies sock pattern, for which I apparently have scads of Anne to knit it in :)

Any new sock patterns catch your eye lately?


* I have to try and use some of the Blake sometimes! Otherwise it'd just be Barney and Gumby quotes around these parts :)

Flash your sock yarn stash. (Pic intensive).

I'm a sucker for stuff like this, "flash your sock yarn stash"-- originated @ knittyboard. You know you wanna play too!! :)

Pic intensive!!

I originally guessed I had about 30 pr. worth of socks in yarn, but its more like... 75 pair. I am embarrassed to show yall this, but we're all friends, right? :)

Apologizes in advance for some not-so-clear photos, my little bumblebee was having too much fun trying to play with the yarn and kept bumping into me as he "rearranged" it over & over. There are better pics of each individual skein somewhere on this blog (they've all been taken before, I'm pretty sure.)

On with it then.


My sock yarn bin. It used to be just my yarn bin, but all non-sock stuff has been moved out. Granted, most of the stash is sock yarn... but 95L of socks is a lot.


Interlacements Tiny Toes, variegated
(mountain jewel, chairman of the board, stained glass)
185 yd/50 gm, 100% superwash merino


Interlacements Tiny Toes, solids
(pearl grey, blue, red)
185 yd/50 gm, 100% superwash merino


Top row: Schaefer Anne. Bottom row: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport.


Left: Henry's Attic Kona Superwash. Right: Cherry Tree Hill Super Glitz (dk) millend from ebay.


From top left corner, clockwise: CTH Supersock, Knit Picks Essential, Handspun on the Web sock yarn, (3) CTH Supersport/Dk merino mini, Tess Yarns' Super Socks.


Left to right: Interlacements Toasty Toes 8 oz, Interlacements Little Toes 8 oz (discontinued), purple & pink handdyed superwash dk/unknown


Left side: Interlacements Merino Worsted Superwash. Right side: Interlacements Toasty Toes 4-8-4 oz (?).


Left side: Lanett Superwash. Right side: top 2-- Shelridge farms soft touch ultra, bottom 4-- Shelridge farms soft touch heather.


Left side: Koigu premium painters palette merino, kpppm. Right side: top 2-- Koigu, bottom 4-- Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock.


Cherry Tree Hill Supersock millends from ebay, about 4+ oz of green, about 8+ oz of grey.


Left to right: Sheep City USA DK Superwash, middle pair-- Nature's Palette from Hand Jive Knits, Wildfoote.


Left to right: Mountain colors Mountain Goat, Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks Mohair/wool, Mountain Colors Bearfoot, top right: Fearless Fibers sock, bottom right: Trekking xxl.


Left side: Dalegarn Baby Ull. Right side top: Handpainted wool from Blonde Chicken Boutique, right side bottom: Handpainted Kona Superwash DK.


Clockwise from top left: Lisa Souza Sock! Merino, Artyarns Ultramerino 4, Diakeito DiamuseeFine, Henry's Attic Kona Superwash fingering lightweight.


From left: Socks That rock lightweight, STR mediumweight, STR light weight, Plain and Fancy Sheel & Wool Co. Single Sport Handpainted.


Left: My sock yarn leftovers bag (about 12" high, 8" or so wide, the bag Lisa Souza was packing her yarns into at the yarn market I saw her at). Right top: Unknown blue/white/purple 8 oz, Right bottom: Austermann Step.



...crazy, huh?

plain and FANCY new yarn, p-words done!

Hey, thanks yall for leaving me so many comments on Friday. Too cool, really. :)

***

Ever have a great day and then come home and it gets better? Not to brag, but that's how *my* Saturday went :) I came home tripping the light fantastic (not quite like tripping in my college years, but that's another topic for another time!) and I found this in my mailbox...


Plain & Fancy
Sheep & Wool Co.
(no web presence I can find)
Single Sport
400 yd, 4.5oz
[edit: "made in america from american wool"]
Fall Leaves colorway

Eek!! Margene (yeah, her! can you believe she mailed me something?! to my ADDRESS??! i'm a terrible dork, i know...) sent me this after drawing my name from her one word comment challenge... I said skyful. :) I know, its not a real word.

I think I will use the slip stitch pattern from Knitty's Crusoe pattern, going toe up and maybe a Judy Gibson "you're putting me on!" toe up heel flap so I can use an eye of partridge heel to fully get into the slip stitch love... I'm saving it for when it cools down a bit, but man, once it does... watch out! :) I love it. Its a single/one ply-- like Malabrigo for the FEET. Oy. It really is too pretty for words, so a closeup:



!!!

I love it. I think I said that already. Thank you Margene :)

Phew, and if that wasn't enough for a great weekend-- I finished my Pomatomii.


Pomatomus from Knitty Winter 2005
Started: June 9 (?), 2006
Finished: June 25, 2006
Lisa Souza Sock! in Bird of Paradise, 1 skein (with 22 gram left over)
US 2's for the leg (2.75mm), US 1's for the heel flap/foot (2.25mm)

We should play "what's under Aija's couch?" but, you really don't want to know.

As I said before, I extended the leg one chart repeat and was left with over 20 grams of yarn from the 4 oz hank of Lisa Souza Sock! Yay! I think I will be paring down on long cuffed socks for the time being though, they're a little too slouchy for ocd-me, both these & my evening stockings (not bad, but I'm just picky sometimes about the darndest things). Is it nuts I'm trying to find sock garters I'd wear with them? I love these socks though, and the pattern, and even the colors. I know they look weird, but you know... faces only a mother can love and all that :)

Here they are together, fraternal second cousins or something...



And a closeup of the stitch pattern, a few different ways:


Striping on leg of #2


Purple - white - green pool on back of leg of #1


Orange pool, on front leg of #1


Small striping on both feet

Of course, the orange shows the stitch the best. I think the purple/white/green is too busy to see any of it. But I do like the way it looks over striping, both the wide leg stripes of #2 and also the feet of both.

Hope yall's weeks are as good as my weekend was! :)


Previous posts on Pomatomus in Lisa Souza:
June 19, 2006
June 14, 2006
June 12, 2006

Previous posts on Pomatomus in Fleece Artist (1st time knitting the pattern):
January 3, 2006
December 28, 2005



ps, if you're reading this & haven't left me a comment before, say hi! :) trust me...

PSA: Socks, Friday

No knitworthy content today*, so I'm stealing a page from trek and declaring it a PSA: Socks Friday.

1) Have you seen Eunny's new sock pattern for sale? I want to use this and some black Louet Gems Pearl for it...



I worry though that the dark bits in the gold (they're dark blue, not black) will coincide w/ the black Gems and make the pattern not pop as much on the boundaries where the black & blue meet. I really like the idea of using this gold though... what do you think?

1a) Alpaca Fleece is having a Xmas in July sale, 15% off all in stock yarns (min. $20)-- which include Louet Gems Pearl. They stock Brown Sheep, Louet & more at good retail prices already.

2) Keep your eyes peeled and your paypal open for the upcoming Dragon Scale pattern from Theresa (The Keyboard Biologist). I've been waiting for this one, the heel and toe are superman.

3) Anne at Knitspot is helping to promote Claudia's MS ride in a major way. For each of her readers that donate ANY amount to Claudia's Knitters Against Multiple Sclerosis ride, she's donating another $10 on top of that (whatever the amount), AND is holding a drawing for some "Grandma's Blessing" Briar Rose sock yarn from the readers who donate as well. Of course, for each $10 you donate to Claudia, you'll get an entry in the world's largest prize pool, (or does that distinction lay with Cara's Spin Out fundraiser for Heifer International??) Take that, Ed McMahon!

I must stop fantasizing about poking older men with pointy objects.

4) Mark your calendars: Visit Snooze's Etsy Shop, Perchance to Knit, this Saturday 6/24/2006. She's having a storewide 50% sale... rovings, handspun, handdyed superwash sock yarns, meow! Only on Saturday, don't forget!

5) Reviews of the new Knit Picks Options needles are surfacing...
...nice review by Alyssa at Words & Wool
...nice review at All Things Heather
...upclose macro pic of Addi vs Options tip comparison, from Clara of Knitter's Review
...received and reviewed opinions at Knitter's Review
...asking KP's customer service for 16" & 40" cords at knittyboard (how about 2.25mm & 2.75mm??!)
...Knit Picks has had a surge of orders and are currently running 7-14 days late on filling, knittyboard

6) Speaking of Trek, have you swapped with her for a sock bag yet? She has some new fabric that is totally making me want to go raid the stash and swap again... I'm in love with both the new pink retro fabrics. Someone swap with her for those before I do, please :)

I do really like my sock bag though. To be honest at first, I thought it was a bit frivolous to have/need a bag for socks in progress. Now though, both of my current WIPs are housed in bags and I love it. Its very efficient in keeping yarn, needles, sock and pattern together in one place and it also reduces the eyesore of millions of little projects with pointy needles stuck in yarn everywhere. I love it. It is also very well made too.

7) "Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it." I never fancied myself a Daisy, but it totally slipped. No excuse, especially with The Fold and The Strawberry Tree (and probably others!) having solstice sales, *and* I even wished Stacey a happy official summer! (ST's sale is still on through Saturday.) How cool is it that yarn/fiber stores celebrate the solstice?

8) Watch this space for a knock your handknit socks off contest. Really. Soon.

9) Leave me a comment! Trust me.
Doesn't matter what you say, say anything!
Come out of the woodwork! I don't bite, unless you ask nice :)

That is all. Go swelter with your loved ones.


*Opal Krokodil 31 - Yarrow Ribbed sock is about 4.5" long. Ugh, my grandson is going to wear these at his college graduation by the time they're finished! Labor of love, let me tell you. Pomatomus the Second has one repeat of foot chart b down. Pomatomus the Elder had 3 chart repeats + 5 rows before toe decreases, so its not long but its too hot to knit. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of acid dyes for the Morale Booster/Builder Stockings. I've already decided to mod the top with a long 2" picot folded hem, slip in elastic between the folds, and k2tog the provisional cast on with the subsequent row for the top part. My jaw dropped when I read the stocking is 26" long before the heel is worked... Yall know they're like the equivalent of 2 giant sweaters, knit on US 1's, right? Oy. Crazy keeper of crazy land is right.

Blonde chicken birthday bash! Vintage legs!

In bizarro me world, I get presents on YOUR birthdays. Or so it is when I won a contest over @ Tara's blog and she sent me gifts to celebrate her birthday :) I almost feel guilty but I like the yarn too much!


Classic Elite Montera, 4 skeins 50% llama (!!)/50% wool
100 gm/127 yd

Its actually green but my camera isn't cooperating with me... maybe it doesn't like llamas or something.


Classic Elite Inca Alpaca, 100% sooooft alpaca
50 gm/116yd

Again, more green than this, but who doesn't like alpacas?? (Or Anthony Michael Hall for that matter?) :)

I'm thinking my son will have a SUPER awesome wool coat this winter, and I'll have some rockstar alpaca glovage going on. Or any other suggestions?


100% wool sock yarn, over 400 yd
greens, lavenders... pretty pretty feet will I have, yoda styling!! :) Yall know me and sock yarn!



Stitch markers. I am too lackluster of a wordsmith to describe how much I dig these... Tara collected the seashells HERSELF and beaded them into markers, for me. I can't begin to say how cool these are... I've already replaced the one in my Opal sock and will be reaching for these first for my upcoming projects.

And since we all love the yarn pr0n...



How'd you LOVE to get one of these in the mail? Blonde Chicken Boutique postcards for Tara's soon-to-be-launched online shop :) (For now, you can always mozy on over to her Etsy shop and partake there!) I love that center purple skein's variegation/not so solid color... very zen.

Thanks so much, Tara!!

Man. I can't top this yarn extravaganza with another shot of my Pomatomii in progress, so I'm not going to even try. I will go on and show yall what's going to be going on here over the next few MONTHS here though...



The Vintage Knitalong hosted by everyone's favorite bitch (!!), purrl of The Kitchener Bitch. She's been uploading way cool vintage patterns to her blog and look at these...



"Morale Booster Stockings."

Yowsa. I tried to resist, really I did, but so many of the KAL participants seem to be heading their way and I loved them at first sight. They're going to take FOREVER, starting with a 2" hem cuff that's FOLDED OVER... eek. And, just between you me and the gossipmongers, I am going to *seriously* have to upsize this pattern... as written it is for a woman with a 12" thigh circumference. Uh, yeah... no. :)

I'm going to use my Henry's Attic Kona fingering weight for this, dying up an entire pound to make sure I have enough. A little overboard but I'd rather not run out... I'll be using acid dyes for the 1st time, in red of course! I can't seem to get enough red in my life these days it seems ;)

Persephone, personified.

My family has always found it hard to buy me gifts. I was a super tomboy as a young girl* (so much so I'd get kicked out of women's restrooms and was asked almost daily about the nature of my gender by elementary school students), so not much in the way of clothing and dressup was a great pick. For my dad's part, he'd been on the ACME "gifted kid catalog" mailing list since I'd been branded some sort of oddity at age 3 and would send me presents from it for appropriate holidays. Favorites were always books, least favorites were puzzle games (I received a worse score on the LSAT's logic games than I would have if I'd simply guessed on each one). Most favorite was "Bulfinch's Mythology," a superthick volume of mythology and legends in prose form, gleaned from historical sources by some cat in the 1850's named, you guessed it, Bulfinch. My favorite bit of that book was the mythology section; at eight I would lay in bed when the lights were supposed to be off, reading about lascivious gods and the virgins who were turned into (insert inanimate object here) after rebuking their suitors... perhaps another perspective on how skewed I can be sometimes :)

I thought about this when gaping at my second Pomatomus sock... thinking if the first was Janus, this second was definitely Persephone (Proserpine, Proserpina)...





Persephone, daughter of Ceres (Demeter/the Earth), was "ravished" by Hades/Pluto/her great-uncle after he was struck by Cupid's arrow. Ovid (via Mandelbaum) does it best...

...In that grove,
Proserpina was playing, gathering
violets and white lilies. She had filled
her basket and, within her tunic's folds,
had tucked fresh flowers, vying with her friends
to see which girl could gather more of them.
There Pluto-- almost in one instant-- saw,
was struck with longing, carried that girl off--
so quick-- unhesitating-- was his love.

The goddess-girl was terrified. She called--
in grief-- upon her mother and companions,
but more upon her mother. She had ripped
her tunic at the upper edge, and since
the folds were loosened now, the flowers fell.
So simple is the heart of a young girl
that, at that loss, new grief is what she felt.

The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Book IV: 379-395
(Allen Mandelbaum translation, a post of favorites today!)

In short, dear Persephone was destined to remain Hades' wife (after you know, all of that rape and ravishing and all) for half of the year, 6 months, as she'd eaten six pomegrante seeds during her underworld stay. During those months her mother withdraws into herself, leaving the land barren and cold... and in her return Demeter causes the world to flourish again.

It's a stretch, but we've got some of that half and half, withdrawing receding returning action in this second sock. I still love it, they're both so freaking weird and wonderful.


from Bulfinch's Mythology, "The Rape of Proserpine by Pluto"
p 52

In other, non-mythology née sock news, these are looking mighty boring alongside their insane clown posse bretheren, above...



Opal Krokodil, color 31 (black & purple)
US 1.5 (2.5mm)-- 2 socks on 2 circs
"Yarrow ribbed sock" from Knitting Vintage Socks
...positioned precariously on jealousy soaked hibiscus flannel pj pants :)

These may well be a secret project they take so long! Oy, even with a little interesting rib stitch they are so boring (but, at least let me watch The Godfather the other day pretty much straight thru, so eh...) I picked the yarrow ribbed sock pattern since I wanted/needed something simple for this yarn and it has a heel and a toe I haven't worked before (German heel, French toe). I added on an extra repeat of the ribbing (72 sts) for a wider foot, otherwise its as is so far. I won't make the leg as long as the book calls for (8.5") though, to be conservative. I wound half the ball and cut it and would the other half... not sure of the striping but I wanted it to be at least close (not reversed, anyway.) Looks like drunk lightening bolts about now :)

I wanted to try the Opal after my last (negative? neutral at least...) post about it, a few boring thoughts ahead.

It is nice. I kinda get it now. :) It feels sturdy, like there won't be any holes in the near-near future, always a plus. It has a tighter twist than say the Lisa Souza Sock! (since I'm working them both at the same time, I'm bound to draw comparisons)-- which is good, again along the sturdy lines. I tried knitting it up on US o's (2.0mm) which would have been possible but made socks of iron and not in a good way... The 2.5mm was recommended by the ballband (I think! en deutche!) and its making a nice sock now. Perhaps if I pick up the new hiyahiya circular needles with their *american*/US sizing (!!) and nice cords/slickish needles I'd use a US 1 (2.25mm) on this yarn, but for now there's no way in 7734 I'd use dpns on this yarn-- I'd *never* finish the second sock. (Sorta segue: Have yall seen the new Knit Picks Options needles?? I want the dpn set! :) I think I'd make my fingers bleed though, I'm one of those finger pushing knitters. Always been a bit of a masochist tho.)

Part of my aversion is also the print/patterning of Opal yarns in general, lately I feel its silly to push a printed yarn like Opal into texture or stitch patterns, and it can just get so boring for me. I think I'm also not enthralled with their patterning (just from my perspective); I find the Austermann Step (PDF!!) more interesting as far as printed yarns go. But, I think I may pick up one of the handpainted Opal skeins with my next purchase from Simply Sock Yarn Company-- the base yarn is nice and is knitting up well (if not forever!) And Alyssa says it'll soften up nicely in the wash, too. I know the receipient will dig the colors of this yarn as well, so its keeping me strong and not winding any *more* yarn than "necessary".

...and in non-sock, well twice removed sock news...

The Yarn Harlot is coming to California! Too cool, I'm there. (Stalkers take note!) She'll be in Los Altos at Full Thread Ahead, owned by the Cherry Tree Hill supersock pusher Hojo :) BUT! Hojo only has 200 spaces and is requiring an RSVP via her website if you want to go-- no cost, just a save my seat! thing-- go on and rsvp now, there are 118 seats left as of this post.


*to fulfill a special request for someone i can't say no to... me as a young girl, photo of photo action again. yes, i was born a girl. but when faced with the question at this age of what i wanted to be when i grew up...

"a daddy."

Beer Haiku Daily contest entries (no knitting content)

beer with my knitting
a better thought not yet had
dropped stitches all 'round.

***

breastfeeding and beer
still cant wrap my mind 'round it
drunk on boobie juice.

***

For the Beer Haiku Daily contest (coupled with a bit of a knitting theme, to try and keep this place on track) :)

Go play here!

Un sumo pomo down!

One down, one to go!







Pomatomus from Winter Knitty 2005 in Lisa Souza Sock! Bird of Paradise colorway. US 2 for leg, US 1 for foot (fits fine, 8.25" foot circ).

(A "friend" asked why I have such elephantitis calves in these pics... they can be kinda ungainly its true, but I just realized it may be the top down, perspective angsty angles that add to it. Thanks b... I was sure to put this in the early bit of the post so you wouldn't miss it :))

I love this pattern, I think it may be my favorite. (What's yours?) I did extend the leg one repeat (4 instead of 3), and weighing the finished sock and yarn left over on my handydandy Soehnle Myra food scale, I will probably have 20 grams of yarn left over once the 2nd sock is knit. How rad is that? This is a long legged sock! Love big skeins of yarn!!

I didn't mean my last post to read that I don't like the Lisa Souza Sock! yarn, I really do. I am just fascinated at what a difference such a low stitch difference* can make in the fabric's character-- check out the striping action on the stockinette foot at 68 sts. It just stands for me as an example of how not every yarn is meant for every pattern (if you can't stand a pool or a swirl of color)-- at 68 sts this is a perfectly variegated yarn with a few orange stripes. Kinda like Socks That Rock too... I think it looks best when its worked up into a thin striping action, but its hard finding a pattern that will always hit that sweet spot CO #. (Anyone have a favorite STR colorway while I'm asking? I'm putting together a wishful thinking tenative order and was wondering what inspiration yall could throw my way...)

I dig the orange burst at the leg-- it shows off the pattern better than anywhere else on the sock. I had a fun experience with this sock yesterday-- I took it for a walk with my sock bag on my arm :) I went for a quick errand without mini me and knit as I walked, having a quite cool experience; not as hard as I thought it would be. I felt like a member of one of those towns full of knitters that Richard Rutt talked about in "A History of Hand Knitting," where entire townships knit as they did everyday things out in public. I also was struck with the strange parallel I made against what most people occupied themselves with in public, cellphones. Wouldn't it be rad if everyone knit instead of carried on meaningless private conversations in public, making yarn companies and pattern writers rich instead of the communication industry? Yarn stores on every corner instead of service providers? Hm, we'd have to have some sort of monthly yarn commitment, 2 year contracts, new needles with cameras for it to really catch on. Admit it, how many of yall would be tuning in to the Harlot's 24 hr knitting needle cam? Wendy's'd be impossible to watch, too blurry or sparky with that speed. :)

***

I love showing off the cool things that hit my mailbox...



Knit badges/buttons! I'm not knitta enuf to get a knitting tat, so these will have to do :)

I saw these on a bunch of blogs after MDS&W but Jodi hadn't put them in her etsy shop yet-- when she did I snapped these up :) You can probably also just email her direct to order instead of going thru etsy (what I did, since I wanted to combine shipping)... My sock bags look complete now, eh? :)

And for Eunny's mini argyle stockings, when (I hope not *if*!) she posts the pattern for sale...



Lanett Superwash from the Patternworks Summer Sale. I've never heard of this before, but at about $16 shipped for all of it I thought I'd take a chance and am glad I did. To me the colors look great together (the charcoal grey borders on a flecked black), and the yarn on the skeins is soft (and the labels are partly in Norwegian! ...such a dork...)

BTW (and congratulations for making it this far), HPNY Knits wins my keenest eyed reader around non-contest (or perhaps has a second degree of separation obsession with Thomas the Train too)... Percy *was* hanging out in my last post, holding a flippy heel down :)

...off to knit some more of that Opal up (no, I didn't just say that, did I?? I really have been all over the place in terms of starting projects lately...)


*edit: I also didn't directly point out the change in needle size as well, but I went from a US 2 on the leg to a US 1 on the foot, which would affect a change as well.

What a difference 4 sts makes... (and the difference is you)*

Growing up during Vegas summers, the only respite from the heat and from the interminable brown carpet inside digs of Ms D's (babysitter notsoextraordinaire) place was her backyard pool. Summer of 1984... the radio would blare, 12 kids would run around screaming on wet cement with nary an adult in sight, and every time the Pointer Sisters' song "jump" would come on, we'd throw ourselves in and out of the pool every time they would sing that summer pool word (jump!) It became a dizzy merry go round of chlorine and screeching, brown bodies and no winner.

If it could be, pooling would be a verb for all of that.

Now, if a picture could be a verb...



Not so bad, eh? You know my penchant for orange.

But the back...



Crazy eh? I should lie and say I've done 2 socks already, but no-- same sock, Janus-styling :)

I'm not one to complain about the nature of handpainted yarns, but I am glad the orange will be on the front of the cuff and not the back. I really don't like the green-white-blue-white single row action, its way too busy to my eye.

Crazier still, the difference only 4 stitches can make to a yarn's penchant for pooling...



(I forgot-- this is Pomatomus in Lisa Souza Sock! Bird of Paradise colorway).

There is only a 4 st difference (72 versus 68) between the number of sts on the cuff and what is the decreased # on the foot after the gusset shaping is all done.

A better non-patterned view:



This is the kind of variety I was hoping for on the leg-- it looks like it will remain stripey on the way down the foot. I'm 2 pattern repeats done with the foot, with at least 1.5 more to go.

I started the cuff on US 2's and knit 4 repeats (instead of 3) for a longer leg-- I was almost positive I would have enough yarn for a longer leg, and still pretty much ascribe to that view. I switched to US 1's for the heel and thereafter-- I think the 1's are better for this yarn, though the leg isn't bad at all. I just wanted a tighter knit stockinette foot and know the pattern will stretch well enough to compensate for the change in needle size.

The pattern on the foot is totally kicking my arse though, I've had to rip back several rows twice now. Its not the pattern, its me... first I forgot to account for the change in charts from leg to foot so I just kept knitting the leg pattern down the foot, and then I misplaced/misread a k2tog tbl in my knitting and carried the mistake over several rounds. The first time I knit this pattern was my 1st time using charts ever (I'd always handwrite dx out, crazy eh?), and stuck to it religiously. Now that I am more confident in reading charts and my own knitting to see what direction it will go, I think I have just been too confident and watching too much Iron Chef as I knit :)

***

In non pooling news, I still remain the luckiest blogger around lately. I was a winner over at knitspot's (of "we're knot taking it anymore!"/national yarn rant day fame) Stalk n Knit contest and got to choose my poison from Fearless Fibers' sock yarn wares!





Fearless Fibers
100% merino wool
410 yd/4 oz
gauge: 30 sts/4 inches on US 2
Sand & Sun colorway

Isn't it... *pretty*? The warm weather has softened my heart to colorways like these, and none too soon! I love it.

(The balled pic is more accurate, I think the green background of the hank picture makes the hank look darker. Just to my eye of course.)

Deb from Fearless Fibers (etsy link here, ebay link here) got this to me so fast I couldn't really believe it, so fast that I had no idea what the package at my door was since I wasn't expecting anything. I love that. :)

You may ask why its already balled up? When I still have a second Pomatomus to knit? And have a secretly balled up hank of Trekking waiting for me too?



(It wants to go trekking! See how the Trekking is hiding in my new sock bag from Tisha? She made it for me for just a few local postcards! Too cool. I have to try this whole leaving the house thing soon.)

I wound the Fearless Fibers sock yarn cos I just couldn't *not* wind it :) I'm throwing a pattern around in my brain for it, something totally decadent and girly and usually not me (that's changed so much lately that I can barely enunciate it anymore!)... I had to swatch and play with it. HAD to! It was literally keeping me up at night :) I do think it will be part of my next project-- though I think I have enough single socks around here to choke a pernicious knid, and the new knitty (extremities issue!) is due soon, and and and... :)

Happy knitting yall!


*there was the commercial that played on vegas tv all of the time when i was growing up... c & r clothiers i think-- the refrain went, "what a difference a day makes, 24 little hours. what a difference a day makes, and the difference is you..." there would be these cuts of sweaty, 80s type spandex workout bedecked, construction rugged, almost scruffy but not guys and as the commercial went on, the guys would be all transformed and non-shiny and shaved in suits when the "...difference is you" refrain would peak. yeah.