german stockings, stitch markers... blip on the radar

Its been so long, I don't even know how to start!

How about with some rainy day pictures...


German Stocking, pattern by Cookie A.
(edit... these are on the wrong foot-- easier for me to take them like this, but this is the right leg stocking. the left will be reversed.)

You may have noticed I've been away from blogging for a while. Its been a combination of things (mainly a touch and go relationship with my pc), but also this stocking :) I'm knitting a sample pair of Cookie's German Stocking for her retail booth debut at Stitches West this year-- I was just tickled red when she asked.



yes Virginia, it *is* hanging on for dear life. This is the XS size and I (ahem) am not... but I couldn't resist the 5 seconds these took. The proportions don't look right on my leg, but it doesn't stop my admiration for twisted stitches, movement, and just plain "wow."



Aside from the obvious wonder of the travelling cable, the heel is just... !!! She really has me thinking about the standard heel treatment-- and how boring it can be. Here you see the edge of the travelling cable down along the side of the heel, and here you see the faux seam down the back...



Lordy.

I love patterns that don't just plug a stitch pattern in that fits the cast on number. I also love when I don't see "repeat for second sock." :) These are really showstoppers, I think... without relying at all upon color or yarn (louet gems pearl) to carry the pattern, it still pops like a mofo. (That's not to say I've not already planned my fantasy pair when this whirlwind is over... in Fearless Fibers' superwash merino, sublime colorway.)

Speaking of etsy, my shop's also been keeping me surprisingly (and happily!) busy...



These are my new favorites... handmade paper beads (long strips of colorful paper taken from magazines and prints, rolled into a bead and varnished shiny and hard) that I've wrapped with copper colored wire. I also have made a few sets of row counters (that have already sold, I should have more up soon and have taken custom orders for them, too)... inspired by the German Stocking and its decreases for the calf shaping...


Grey freshwater pearl and turquoise row counter, 4-row repeat

I don't mean to make this a "look at my shop!" blog, but its been taking quite a bit of my time (in a good way) and I'm also quite proud of the response... I've sold over a hundred stitch marker sets since opening, way more than I ever thought possible, and it just... makes me grin and I like to share :)

(edit-- i just read that paypal is running a $15 rebate for $30+ purchases made thru march 31. its not only my accepted method of payment, but lots of other etsy sellers as well.)

I'm also thrilled that Cookie will be selling zerO stitch markers at Stitches this year... so on top of finishing the German stocking's mate, I'll be literally drowning in stitch markers up til Stitches (February 22-25) and my updates will prolly be just as sporadic. But the good things just keep on coming-- I *just* found out I had something accepted to Knitty so we'll have to have a contest to celebrate when the new issue rolls around! Pinch me! :)

(...and speaking of the mother of all sock yarn contests. April's giving away 30 skeins of sock yarn in February. Not a typo, thirty. Run, run, run.)

I missed you :)