Somebody buy me a lottery ticket! (y dyeorama memeorama)

Somebody buy me a lotto ticket... first with winning a GC to Make1YarnStudio, and now-- I got an email from knitty today, and I'll have a pattern in the summer 2006 extremities issue!

I should go for chinese food tonite just to read my fortune. (I live within a few blocks of like, 6 fortune cookie companies... they sell broken ones by the bag!)

Yowsa.

***

Back to reality... went to Imagiknit today for their annual sale! What a fun store, and full of staff who didn't growl at my son (who had a blast flirting with a crazy pretty employee and "picking out yarns..." His favorite? Mango Moon recycled silk (or was it banana silk?) in bright orange. He is my son, you know :)

While I didn't pick out any silk, I did bring some sock yarns home (none were on sale, or I could have done some real damage!)


Koigu premium painters palette merino
175 yd/50 gm, 100% merino wool
colorway p450, dyelot 87

One skein is less blue than the other, but both are the same colorway/dyelot number.


Trekking xxl
100 gm/420yd, 75% superwash wool 25% nylon
colorway 100, dyelot 4202

The koigu is for, well who knows :) and the trekking? For Margene's Trekking Along KAL, natch! It doesn't start til June 1, which is good for me since I have odds and ends to finish before then, but since I have drooled over this colorway for forever and scored the last ball at imagiknit, I thought it was meant to be. (I often have these delusions when surrounded by so much yarn.)

Also picked up...



Folk Socks, since I've wanted it forever and had never actually seen it in person til today. I don't think I'm up to the colorwork (yet?), but with all of the Henry's Attic Kona Superwash lightweight I have on order, I may try my hand at it soon. Maybe :)

As delightful as Imagiknit is, I think my favorite LYS remains the one closest to me, Article Pract in Oakland... lots of koigu, louet gems, lorna's laces, susanne's and lantern moon ebony needles (ebony needles are still on my wishlist; every time I look at them I can imagine snapping them... I noticed one of my aluminum US 2 dpns has a bend in it). I guess you have to leave home to appreciate it :)

In other acquisition news, I had another great knittyboard swap... trading the purple/pink/gold henry's attic kona superwash I dyed with easter egg dyes for some Paton's Kroy in regatta blue...



I've had 4 skeins of that hip hop (the jacquard in the middle) in my stash for forever, to make Devan from Knitty Spring 2004 for the bean. I decided on a whim to post an ISO for the regatta blue, thinking it would match well with the hip hop-- and hey! it worked :)

I love the interweb.

The kroy is nice yarn-- baby bear has several socks in the patons kroy, and it has washed up unbelievably well, kept its color, held up to repeated batterings on the playground, softened up nicely and is super inexpensive (relative to say, uh -- stuff I bought today!)

I think I'm going to put Starsky away til the weather cools, to make space in my knitting in-box... its too warm for now, and I think I could knit the kroy cardi as a "big" project instead. I also have my shimmer shrug from Knitty Winter 2003 to finish too, its getting warm enough for it :)

***

Dye o rama memorama ahead (feel free to tune out!)

I am waiting for my yarn from Wool2Dye4 (the henry's attic kona superwash fingering) for my pal... I think I'll go with the easter egg dyes since I have so many! I did place an order for some acid dyes from the yarn coop on yahoo groups, but I don't think it'll get here in time...

Onward y upwards!

Questions specific to this swap:

Your favorite colors?
orange, blue, white, black, purple, red

Preferred yarn weight (Fingering, Sport, DK, maybe even Worsted)?
fingering, sport/dk (anything from us 0-2 needles)

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn?
multicolored, but i do dig those multi-tonal/"almost solid" colors too, especially for some reason in red

If your buddy is able to do so, would you like a variegated, self-striping, or self-patterning yarn?
sure!

Would you be interested in a wool blend sock yarn (nylon, tencel, silk, acrylic, alpaca, etc.)?
sure, again!

Imagine the perfect colorway. What would you name it?
Oy, have to think about this one! Next post! :)

What was the biggest appeal to you for joining this dye-along?
I've never joined a secret pal thing, and this is a small enough scale for me to really have fun with and not be too taxed about the timeline and requirements. I also wanted to try out more dyeing since I've had fun with koolaid and easter egg dyes, and get requests to dye colors that aren't normally within my *ooh* range.


General yarn/fiber questions:

Have you dyed yarn/fiber before?
Yes, koolaid and easter egg dyes using superwash yarn.

If so, what’s your favorite dye and method?
I liked both the koolaid & easter egg dyes, since I'm a klutz and have a 2+ year old-- so food grade appeals to me. I am going to try acid dyes sometime, though!

Do you spin?
No, but truly admire those who do and drool over their creations :)

Have you knit socks before?
Yup.

Do you use sock yarn for just socks or in other patterns too?
Mainly socks.

What are some of your favorite yarns?
Uh, equal oppotrunity yarn hoarder, as long as I can knit it into socks. :)

What yarn do you totally covet?
Schaefer Anne, Socks That Rock... (I could go on but its embarrassing how much I like sock yarn)

Favorite patterns?
I really like stitch patterns to design socks around.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object?
Barbara Walker's learn to knit afghan, and "the great american aran afghan"

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)?
Addi circs (but I own pretty much an entire set). I covet ebony dpns in sock sizes, and have been on the lookout for metric sized dpns (2.5mm & 3.0mm) for socks. I love my simple metal sock dpns too and can never have enough of them :)

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be?
Superwash! Machine wash and dry, definitely.
Some crazy ugly colorway only a mother could love, too :)

A dream (swatch headwrap) deferred, whip up y handspun yarn

Dream Swatch headwrap (PDF!!)
Started: May 10, 2006
Finished: May 11, 2006
Cherry Tree Hill Superglitz (endlot millend from ebay)
US 5 dpn's, 2
Used 50 gm total




(unblocked)


(unblocked)

I'm in love with my IK headband, and thought I'd ride high with a new head thing when I saw Wendy's blog post and free (PDF!!) pattern... I picked the wrong yarn :) I don't have anything super luxe in the stash as this sort of thing deserves, and I think it must have been a fog in my brain that said that yellow brown purple red green and glitter would come together and look great on me... :)

Needless to say I hate it, but eh, what can you do. I'll try the pattern out again when I have a great yarn to do it in... I don't like the color(s), basically; the yellow really makes my own yellow (1/2 japanese) undertones cry for mercy. The superwash is a little much too, I'm thinking it'd be warm if it ever made it outside.

The Cherry Tree Hill Super Glitz is a sneezing cousin of the CTH Supersock... seems like they only have a granduncle superwash in common. I found it splitty, which is a shame since the pattern can be eyes-free-- and the hand, while not scratchy or hard, left something to be desired (could be cos I set down Hedera to work on this, could be that a strand of glitter isn't the softest thing in the world!) It did wash/block into a softer fabric than the pre-blocked fabric, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it for socks. I have a lot more of the super glitz that I'll eventually work into socks, and don't have a real complaint about it except the splittiness.

I started the whip up whiplash project I blurbed about-- while its in progress I don't have any real shots, but I did want to show off a few...





The yarn is from SantaCruzHandspun ... and I love it. :) Isn't it beautiful? I think I'm going to be super pleased with the result, and gosh darn it if I don't visit Grace's retail site daily to see if there is any more new yarn...

Speaking of new yarn, heading off to Imagiknit in SF this weekend for their annual sale, 200 yarns at up to 30% off... haven't been before, but it seems like I could do some serious damage there. So much so that I am going to abstain from joining the Sundara sock yarn club, the Posh Yarks UK sock yarn club (cashmere/merino! eek!!) and even the re-opened Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock club (that gets you one less skein than the members who signed up for the annual plan get, but you pay the same price they did)... To tell the truth, I'm waiting for BMFA to launch their "real" site and then I'll go shopping there-- I want to see their colorways, and don't want to google around trying to find them all. I know, I can (a few favorites from blog browsing-- banded agate; hard rock; azurite... plus all the eye candy from The Fold-- seal rock, amber waves, mesa, sedona, seastone, lucy in the sky... and even a few listed on BMFA-- carbon dating, alina...) but I'm one of those have-to-see-it-all-to-decide truly irritating shoppers who can't make a decision and has to see everything that's possibly available before finding peace in my choices... (I'm going to be a terror @ imagiknit, I know...)

Off to my whipup project. I hope I'm not the only knitter who enters :)

Yarn contest winners :)

Sorry to make yall wait, got caught up watching killbillvol1... (last time i saw this, i was mucho preggo. when she clutches her empty stomach and cries, i bawled in the theatre...)

Please congratulate the winners, picked with the help of random.org--

Sock! by Lisa Souza for Heide (#14)

Sock! Merino by Lisa Souza for Dave (#3)

Yay! I'll shoot off an email to yall later tonite, or email me at oscillateATEgmailD0Tcom -- let me know your color choice and address and I'll usps them out right away :)

Congrats, this was super fun for me. I need to think of another contest now!

***

A real post later (not much content), but I will say I'm working on an entry for whipup's whiplash project, where they issue a crafty call to the online void looking for a weekend submission to dominate that week's theme.

Theme this week?

YARN.

Yup. Yarn.

You know you wanna!!!

Hedera, handspun, happy yarn serendipity!

(Looking for the sock yarn contest?)

***

Shut. UP.

(My seriously embarrassing "catch phrase"...)

I am the lucky, lucky winner of a $100 gift certificate to Make 1 Yarn Studio, from the draw for Warming Grace! omigoshomigoshomigosh. I don't even know where to start, looking over their in stock list, I am just, yeah. I have no idea. For like 10 minutes I was convinced I needed a drop spindle, but I think that will be a bad choice around these parts, at least until baby boy decides to "learn some decency." :)

And almost as cool as an unexpected $100 yarn spree... (not as cool cos I was waiting for it so hard!)-- handspun sock yarn. Yup.


Borealis sock yarn
from SantaCruzHandspun.com
100% romney wool
150 yd/3 oz, US 2-4

And cos I've been hoarding it, waiting for the perfect pattern...


Waratah yarn
also from SantaCruzHandspun.com
85% merino wool, 15% tussah silk
115 yd/2 oz, US 7-9

Gratutious pic, hoping they're breed into more handspun...



The sock yarn will be toe up, devising a simple stockinette pattern using Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts... I want to go toe up to get as much of a sock out of this yarn as I can :) ... and stockinette to really let the yarn show off. I think I'll echo the socks Alison did for her sockapaloooza pal and work a cable up the back of the leg... have to break out the stitch pattern books to find *the one* :)

The Waratah yarn was going to be a hat, but... I really suck at hats. Really really. And it is soooo soft, it needs to be a scarf or something I can cuddle-- I was thinking a DNA scarf, (no neck ribbing, just working the cable)... though I don't have a lot and I'm not sure it will be enough. Really though, I may be content to just let it sit here in my knitting in-box and drag it out every once in a while to let sit on my shoulder and rub my cheek :) (It smells good, too!)

I'm pretty hard up to be talking this way about yarn. Almost as bad as food network... (allez cuisine!)

Man, after all that, my Hedera's aren't nearly as thrilling, eh?

Well, yeah they are!


Hedera from Spring Knitty 2006
Started: May 4, 2006
Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, millend from eBay
2 socks on 2 circs-- US 1.5 (2.5mm), 24"Addis

I can't get a non-shaky shot to save my life today, it seems!

I'm at the gusset decreases, and have worked the pattern as written except for picking up the stitches at the sides of the heels-- now, I always pick up the back loop of the slipped stitch with a seperate needle and then knit that loop tbl. So I've done that, *and* I've knit the following stitch round tbl as Cookie directs in her pattern, makes a cool twist at the side (I'll post a pic of that next time, easier when I've gotten further on the foot).

This is a really neat pattern. The twisted rib stitch really makes the delineation between the lace panels stand out, without becoming part of the pattern itself...



I love how its used in both this pattern and Pomatomus; it always is so tight looking, and really stands out (literally).

Also, I think its cool how the heel is worked:

Next Row [WS]: Sl 1, [p1, sl 1] to end.
Next Row [RS]: K all sts.

It creates a slipped stitch on the beginning and the end of the WS, instead of staggering the slipped stitches like most heel flaps are worked. I was reminded of Jason's post about the different placements of heel flap selvages when working the heel... I have always worked the staggering slips on heels, and don't really notice a difference, but its something *novel* which I love. (Can anyone can tell me a practical, non-aesthetic reason a non-staggered heel is best? I could imagine there is a tiny twist and non-evenness, but I've never noticed anything...)

I've used the CTH Supersock before, this yarn too (I bought an endlot from ebay ages ago)... but I don't remember having the pooling. I don't mind, but there you go-- Cherry Tree Hill supersock pooling (I like to say, "spiraling") at a 60 stitch cast on when using US 1.5's :)

A few corrections from my last post are in order, too...

I spoke too soon about the twist of the Henry's Attic Kona lightweight... I received an email from the retailer today & they're out of stock of their house brand Supersock. Sheila said that the Henry's Attic Kona Superwash lightweight actually has a *tighter* twist than the Wool2dye4 supersock, so I'm hoping it will be okay for socks (since I switched my order from 2 - 8 oz skeins of Wool2Dye4 supersock for 3 - 8 oz skeins of Henry's Attic Kona Superwash Lightweight...) If not, I've been looking for a good fingering weight yarn for the heirloom baby aran set pattern from Interweave Knits Summer Spring 2004 (also available from Lisa Lloyd Designs)... but I really want it to work out for Dye O Rama!! Fingers crossed...

Also, I *still* haven't looked over the PGR bazaar sock pattern (PDF!!) from Summer 2006's Interweave Knits-- but I saw that its sized for a women's 7-8, but with a 7.5" foot circumference. Eh? Pic shows kids wearing the socks... dunno, weird. My foot is too wide for the pattern, and baby bear's is too slight (I think the circ is more appropriate for kids feet, right?) When I get it printed out I've got to figure out if there's a way to up or downsize it for one of us :)

Anywho. Back to Hedera and trying to decide what serendipity awaits at Make 1 Yarns for me... :)

Molly's Headband finished

(Sock yarn contest?! Look here...)

***

Molly's Headband (PDF!!)
(available for free download from Interweave Knits Summer 2006)
Started & finished: May 7, 2006
Crystal Palace Creme (50% wool, 50% silk, dk weight)
US 6 dpns, 2
Used 20 gm of 50 gm hank


Hard to take a pic of your own top of the head.



Quickie FO... Cast on last night/early AM watching Kung Fu Hustle (I love movies like this! In the same vein as Gabriel Garcia Marquez love... why do American movies with CGI use their graphics only to extend the world of super reality-realism? I liked Shaolin Soccer better though...). I only used 20 gm, so I have enough to make another :) Though I only have one head :(

This is pretty cool of Interweave Knits to offer so many online patterns for free, and not just for subscribers-- though it chimes in perfectly with the editor's letter from last issue about the Sunrise Circle jacket (PDF!!) being online and the competition the print mag necessarily faces in regards to space and what it can offer (specifically in reference to online knitting mags like Knitty or MagKnits that have "unlimited" space to offer patterns, etc.)

Sorta segue... Amy (knitty's editor) is asking for your choice of the top 5 knitty patterns of all time... what a chore! I picked mariah, clapotis, obey/andre, pomatomus and anouk... and a special wow shoutout to the hoover blanket article. They're all that kinda wowed me when I saw them... I couldn't decide btw mariah & starsky, but the rest were ones I just was like-- yeah, *that* one. Its interesting poking thru the knitty archives, lots of stuff I'd seen before but hadn't considered, but now am-- and others I loved before but don't do much for me now. Eh, as life.

Back to the free IK stuff, I haven't looked closely at the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts bazaar kids socks (PDF!!) *yet*, but I'm hoping they include a version of her short row heel & toe (which is my favorite short row heel/toe-- short row + wrap shudders into looseygooseyness and holey purl pickups when it comes within 5 feet of me...), I think everyone who hates short row heels/toes should look at PGR's method and try it out (I learned from her book Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy). The kids bazaar socks are so cute too, I'm thinking I'll dye some small bits of yarn in solids and make mini me a pair-- I ordered some superwash from Wool2Dye4 for the Dye O Rama swap, *and* I've heard from my swap buddy (hi! if you're out there!) too... too fun. I think its pretty rad that the person I'm dying for asked for pretty much the opposite of what I wanted... kinda the point perhaps, stretch our limits?

I was going to buy the new Kona Superwash in lightweight from Henry's Attic for the swap, but after talking to Stacey and with the Wool2Dye4 peoples (who are great sellers, btw-- super communication)... it doesn't sound like tis great for socks-- too loose a twist. Bummer since the price is great ($11/8 oz) and I do so like the "regular" Kona Superwash... Oh well.

I've been meaning to post this too, Stacey asked about the Openwork Slip Stitch pattern from my Warming Grace squares-- almost all of the stitch patterns were from Mon Tricot's 1500 patterns book, June 1985 edition.

Openwork slip stitch:
Mult of 4 + selv.

Row 1: K
Row 2: *P4, wrn to m 1*
Row 3: *Letting the "made" st of the previous row drop, wl.fwd to m1, sl1, k3, psso*
Row 4: P

wrn= wool or yarn round needle
wl.fwd= wool forward or yarn forward

To make this a totally non sequitur post... I started knitting Hedera in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock... now at the heels and what a fun pattern! :) More pics and talk of Hedera later/tomorrow?, the sun is shining and it will be a long rest of the day ahead...

Basketcase Socks finished, come welcome the twins...

(Sock yarn contest? Look here...)

***

Basketcase socks
Started April 28, 2006
Finished May 3, 2006
Henry's Attic Kona Superwash, dyed with easter egg dyes
US 2 dpns (2.75mm), set of 4
120 gm yarn total

The one on the left is Belial, the one on the right-- Duane.









I dig the pattern, and as always love the Kona Superwash... though I'm not sold on the color combination here. (I outlined what I did to get these colors and stripes in this post.) The stripes didn't get too lost in the pattern stitch, either.

I followed the pattern exactly, except continued the pattern across all 30 sts on the instep where Dave used 18. (I meant to follow the pattern...!) My 30 st instep pattern worked out like this:

row 1 & 2: k2, p2, (k10, p2) twice, k2
row 3 & 4: k2, p2, (k2, p6, k2, p2) twice, k2
row 5 & 6: k2, p2, (k10, p2) twice, k2
row 7 & 8: k8, p2, k10, p2, k8
row 9 & 10: (p6, k2, p2, k2) twice, p6
row 11 & 12: k8, p2, k 10, p2, k8

The socks weighed in at 120 grams exactly, cutting it super close except that I dyed this batch in 4.5oz increments-- given my ability to cut it way too close (or not at all) with the Kona. The cuff is about 7" long (including the 2" k2, p2 rib at the top)... you can keep the cuff shorter by cutting the ribbing at the top down if you're worried about running out of yarn-- the pattern is stretchy enough to keep the sock up on the leg no problem. (Fwiw, I have a 9-9.5 women's foot). I like the look of the 2" rib at the top though, its unusual.

I did wonder if I really *did* use less yarn using combined knitting for the purl stitches... a cheapskate way to save yarn? :) I am happy with the result though, and will defintely use it again for ribbing-- either in the round or not.

I'm trying to convince myself to pick up the entrelac socks again... I realize I didn't cast on the top loosely enough and since its a long cuff, its a bit tight at the calf. I'd really hate to frog them for all the work that has gone into them already... Ergh.

I really really like the look of the the Broken Cable Rib socks from the Interweave Knits subscriber section... they didn't really stand out to me til I saw them knit up on Knitting the Blues and was super impressed how they turned out in the lighter yarn-- the broken cable pattern really stands out. If I knit them, it'll be on 2 circs to combat second sock syndrome... I'm thinking cherry tree hill supersock or nature's palette-- don't know if I have enough NP to make it though-- the pattern calls for Regia Fadig 4 ply, 230yd/50 gm... the Hand Jive Nature's Palette yarn is 185 yd/50gm... I think they'd look great in the light purple NP I brought back from the Knit and Crochet Show, though... maybe I'll push it or work a short row heel (I've been wondering if they do use much less yarn than flap heels do?)... don't really want a contrasting heel/toe though.

I also want to knit Hedera, but the yarn I'll use (Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in a green colorway) still has beads on it... I frogged the beaded Glad Ragg sock from the Yahoo Six Sox Knitalong group, and for some reason I haaate dragging the beads across the yarn so just haven't done it. Cara said she beaded her amazing Diamond Fantasy Shawl using a crochet hook instead of prestringing... which would open up like a world of possibilties, don't you think?

New socks, or old socks... next time :)

Squares, socks, sari silk... alliteration twitterpation.

(Are you looking for the sock yarn contest? Link here... Please leave couplets on *that* post's comments and *note* they are supposed to flow from the choka in progress! Read more on ChokaOnIt... and if you've already entered, thanks! I'm having a blast reading them, and think I should run contests more often!)

***

Aside from reading couplets, I finished up knitting my 5x5 squares for Warming Grace...


Clockwise from top left:
Sock/dk handpainted superwash, loop rib stitch
Henry's Attic Kona Superwash dyed with easter egg dyes, fountain stitch
Henry's Attic Kona Superwash dyed with easter egg dyes, Irish moss diamond stitch


Clockwise from top left:
Henry's Attic Kona Superwash dyed with easter egg dye-- doubled, mistake stitch I "discovered" :)
Santa Cruz Handspun "Prancer" 100% wool, fisherman's rib stitch
Rowan Calmer, openwork slip stitch


Clockwise from top left:
Santa Cruz Handspun "Prancer" 100% wool, stockinette stitch
Santa Cruz Handspun "Prancer" 100% wool, "Branching Out" pattern from Knitty
Santa Cruz Handspun "Prancer" 100% wool, "Clapotis" pattern from Knitty

Isn't Grace's yarn (from Santa Cruz Handspun) beautiful? :) It was perfect for the Warming Grace project, and it was super nice to knit it into something that will be precious to someone like the final blankets will be. I already have more yarn on order from Santa Cruz Handspun, and haven't even photographed 2 skeins that still are hanging out on my desk, waiting for inspiration to strike... (I had a pic of the Prancer skein but accidentally deleted it...)

These squares were fun, but the most fun was after they had been blocked and dried; my son had *the* best time playing with them on the tabletop as I was packaging them up for Canadia... its inspired me to be on the lookout for afghan/knitted block books to make an afghan for him. (Barbara Walker's Learn to Knit Afghan Book? I saw a couple of great squares on Jason's blog... any other recs for afghan/knitted squares in books?) It'll be one of those ongoing projects, a sqaure or two at a time-- can I sew them together at different times? Cos I know babybear will lose them if I let him play with squares for too long a time.

I think I'm going to use the Merino Worsted from Interlacements I bought at the Knit and Crochet Show for the afghan squares. I have 2 lbs of it incl. the variegated 8 oz skeins, but I think the BW Learn to Knit book calls for like, 5 lbs... I don't want to make a big afghan, but something the kid can drag around and I can put into the wash, so it may work...

I also sent in a skein of Brooks Farm Fourplay for the Warming Grace drawing... (same kind of yarn I used for my Odessa hat #2)



Aside from the squares, I've worked pretty much just on the Sunburst Sling bag...


Sunburst Sling bag, almost 10 triangles (almost complete, one side)


Up close

The sari silk is so hairy. I don't not like it, but can see myself knitting this in .. banana silk? Something else in the future. Great pattern.

I haven't worked on the "step above" entrelac socks from Knitter's Magazine, Summer 2004 since my last entry about them... It is a fun pattern, will look great when done, but... it doesn't *feel* like I'm knitting a sock! Silly I know, but true. I'll finish them, but in the meantime I cast on for another sock...



Basketcase Socks
pattern compliments of Dave
started: April 28, 2006
Henry's Attic Kona Superwash, dyed with easter egg dyes
US 2's, 7 sts/inch

I couldn't get 7 sts/inch on US 2's when I knit the Wyverns, but now do. Weird, but good...

The start date is correct, too (yesterday!). I just have powered thru them, and it felt great. As nice as knitting the squares and the sari silk purse was, I missed knitting socks. I'm already thru the gusset decreases, and just have the length of the foot to complete. The cuff is a little longer than my usual fare (7" or so to top of heel), but I'm digging my Child's Shell socks with their long cuffs, so maybe it'll be a new thing for me.

I have knit the instep with the pattern all the way across the 30 sts, where Dave only uses 18 sts in patt on the top of the foot (I meant to follow the pattern to the letter, oops)... My instep worked out like this

row 1 & 2: k2, p2, (k10, p2) twice, k2
row 3 & 4: k2, p2, (k2, p6, k2, p2) twice, k2
row 5 & 6: k2, p2, (k10, p2) twice, k2
row 7 & 8: k8, p2, k6, k4, p2, k8
row 9 & 10: (p6, k2, p2, k2) twice, p6
row 11 & 12: k8, p2, k 10, p2, k8

Otherwise, pattern is followed exactly :)

I like the color of the yarn, but I don't think I necessarily like them together like this... don't know. I *do* really like the Kona Superwash again-- what fast knit socks! Anyone else have dk weight pattern recommendations (aside from Sensational knitted socks)? I just have a ball knitting them and finishing a pair so soon.

I taught myself "combined knitting" for this pattern to help make my ribbing look better, with all of the knit/purl action going on. Combined knitting or combination knitting (how I'm using it in the round) is worked on purl stitches-- instead of wrapping the yarn counterclockwise once the needle is inserted thru the front loop as usual, the yarn is wrapped clockwise (I wrap it, Annie "scoops" it) and the resulting purl stitch uses less yarn, and makes ribbing look much neater and less wonky when the purl meets the knit stitches. It creates a twisted stitch, so on the next round you knit/purl (whichever is called for in the pattern) tbl... and if its a purl st you'll be purling tbl while wrapping the yarn clockwise again :)

It sounds weird, and took several rows to get used to, but I can totally see a difference in my ribbing. Here's an up close pic-- the 1st 5-7 rows were my regular knit/purl, afterwards is the combined knitting in action (about after the 1st orange row).



You can see near the top where the ribbing is wonky. It would clear up in blocking or in the wash, but the difference (to me) is noticeable in the lower rows, no weird knit stitches previous to purl stitches. (I admit I photog'd the worst example I could find in the ribbing.) Basketcase is a cool pattern to practice combined knitting on, since you're not always purling/knitting in a column so its more interesting than straight rib and I think it definitely looks good.


Look ma, no holes!

Compliments of C. Schurch's advice in Sensational Knitted Socks for picking up extra sts at the gusset to eliminate any holes. I dig the look of different textures here.

One more pic (I promise)...



Joann's having a knitting and crochet needle 40% sale, and they sent a 50% off coupon I used on the book... The super tiny crochet hook is to learn how to get beads on yarn without prestringing them (I can get this hook thru 8/0 and 6/0 beads, but haven't tried hooking yarn with it yet), and I gave away all of the other hooks I had to Building Futures with Women and Children before realizing how handy they come for picking up dropped stitches... The dpns pretty much complete my collection-- now I've got to find a dpn and circ needle organizing solution other than stuffing them in gallon sized ziplocs. There's great stuff over at etsy and I just can't decide what I want (or come to terms that I want all of it!) :)

Phew. Back to the sock, been away too long!

Sock yarn contest inside! You know you want to play :)

Neat, Lisa Souza just linked me on her blog :)

To celebrate (and to help keep my sock yarn stash in check), I'm holding my very first contest!

Since I'll be holding off drawing a winner for 2 whole weeks (May 11!!), the prizes are aptly 2 skeins of Lisa Souza sock yarn from my stash :) I'll draw 2 winners, one for a skein of Sock! and one for a skein of Sock! Merino, winner's choice from the colorways pictured below.

Details on contest at bottom of post.

Y yarn pr0n, tho its been flashed before...


Lisa Souza Sock! yarn
75% Superwash wool, 25% nylon
4 oz, 488 yd
Petroglyph colorway


Lisa Souza Sock! yarn
75% Superwash wool, 25% nylon
4 oz, 488 yd
Bird of Paradise colorway


Lisa Souza Sock! Merino
560 yd/4 oz
100% merino superwash
South Pacific colorway
(new rockstar labelling!)


Lisa Souza Sock! Merino
560 yd/4 oz
100% merino superwash
Little Devil colorway
(new rockstar labelling!)

I've knit and enjoyed the Sock! yarn before, and it has worn well thru many overzealous wearings and washing/drying cycles since. I haven't used the Sock! Merino yet but they have been overly squeezed for the past few days to enjoy the merino cushyness :) I think both are an incredible deal in the "sock yarn world"; for the cost ($14 for the Sock! and $16 for the Sock! Merino), the superwash/machine washability, and also for the skein size-- 4 oz vs the 100 gram "standard". I was able to knit a full pair of Nancy Bush socks in Sock! without fear of running out or having to alter the pattern length, and you know how the Knitting Vintage Socks patterns have super long cuffs and how I have big feet. I'm excited for others to try it out, too... especially since a lot of the comments from my post about visiting the Knit and Crochet Show were about how good the Sock! Merino looked.

***



To make the contest something more than a comment cattle call and something kinda fun, go contribute to the world's longest poem at ChokaOnIt.com and afterwards, come back here & copy/paste your 2 line couplet you've submitted IN THE COMMENTS TO THIS POST. (Please read about how to contribute to the world's longest poem here first...) No yarn - sock - knitting references required or even encouraged, just your 7-5 that goes with the flow of the poem already in progress.

I'll draw 2 names *randomly* from the comments to *this* post (that include a couplet uploaded to ChokaOnIt) on May 11 (prolly during boogerbear's afternoon nap, things really don't work on a timetable around here) and will post the winner then. Easy peasy! One entry per person, one winner for Sock! and one for Sock! Merino-- winners to choose their colorway choice from above pics. Have fun, spread the word, come out of the woodwork & leave a couplet comment :) You know you want to!

Thanks for playing with me :)

Two frogs in two days... new koigu, bearfoot.

New to me, anyway. I love swapping on knittyboard :)

I usually swap for books and mags, but since these will go into my flickr stash album, thought I'd share.


Mountain Colors Bearfoot, larkspur colorway
60% superwash wool, 25% mohair, 15% nylon
350 yd, 100 gm

and cos I can't get enough red in my life...


Koigu Premium Painter's Palette Merino
colorway p602, dyelot 66
100% merino
175 yd/50 gm

I swapped a skein of the Schaefer Anne (the darker pearl buck) and the fleece artist hercules for these, good swap imo :)

And for the bad news... 2 frogged items in 2 days! Here's hoping that all of my purchases from the Knit and Crochet Show aren't cursed...

(bad pics, taken under floros before ripping commenced...)



Yes, the sari silk bag I wrote about yesterday... nothing really wrong with it other than there is *no way* I would have enough yarn to complete it, and that it was much larger than I thought it was (would have been about 22" across, enough for my kid to curl up in!) The short row triangles weighed in at 50 gm each, and with only 750gm of silk to start with and 20 triangles + straps... not possible.

Still, I'm not that upset about this one since I've restarted the medium sized bag and have gotten further than I was here (at least in number of triangles)... it is much quicker with only a reduction of 12 co sts. It will also be a much more manageable size for me, who never carried a purse (except to job interviews) until I bought my first "diaper bag" (an eagle creek parent backpack)... I don't really know how I'll use it, as if I leave the house or anything, but I just have always dug the look of this pattern.

The sari silk also frogged easily... except its even hairier now :)



The Nautilus hat. I thought I'd frogged it, but it was just a dream. It still bugs me sooo much! I just can't get a hat to fit correctly. I am half toying with the idea of finishing it and felting it, but then, who knows if it will be big enough... This progress didn't take me more than an afternoon, so its not the time but just my frustration with hats.

Isn't it huge? What was I thinking? (Other dpns inserted so it could be tried on).

Knit and Crochet Show Spring 2006, the second.

Knit and Crochet Show market take two...

I couldn't help myself, the market being so close to me and me with an empty Sunday and the possibility of more than yarn. I headed back to the show, had the best time in ages (notwithstanding the fact the yarn was the same as it was on Thursday), and wish I could be so free to go out like this all of the time.



I picked up an 8 oz hank of Henry's Attic Kona Superwash from Caila Handknits... I have no more undyed yarn since my easter egg dying explosion, but only got the one since I think the next Henry's Attic I want to try is their new Kona Superwash fingering/sock weight (its what I'm planning to use for Dye O Rama, myself). But $10 is a good deal for the 8 oz and I'm sure I'll find *some* use for it. :)



I also bought the "sunburst sling bag" pattern from JustOneMoreRow.com -- and 3 balls of sari silk from YarnPlace.com ($6.50 for the pattern, $6 each for the sari silk on sale-- on Thursday it was $8). The sari silk is soft and quite pretty, and heavy-- the balls are 8 oz+ each, enough for a large size sling bag.



My progress on the sunburst sling bag-- 2 triangles of 10. Two of the sari silk balls are very similar in color where one is more blue/red, so I think I'll stack the triangles like this: light 1 - red - light 2 - red - light 1 - red - light 2 - red - light 1 - red ... same with the other side, assuming I have enough red... never seem to have enough red. I'm to the point where I need to start a new triangle, so I'm going to weigh the ball before & after to guesstimate how much each takes and make sure this works out.

Is this the hairiest sari silk you've ever seen? Hard to see on the body but you can see on the edges the lengths & quantities I mean. I've not knit with it before, and have read it is hard on some hands (not mine), can be scratchy (no), can shed like a rabbit in heat (not yet), twisty (no problems so far), but is soooo hairy! I think I'll take a pair of scissors to it once its done, just to take the shag factor down a notch. Aside from the hairyness, I think its pretty cool... the fabric its making is perfect for a bag (would be sooo heavy as a garment though!), and is knitting up pretty quickly. I am planning on lining the bag, maybe a fusable interfacing since I have no sewing skills to speak of... though I know nothing about fusible linings, either :)

I started and frogged a hat from the Colinette Skye from my earlier jaunt to the KaCS market on Thursday; I used Marnie MacLean's Nautilus hat pattern with eyelets, and its huge. Huge even for my head, and certainly huge for my mom's head (who has a somewhat smaller head than me, but bigger hair.) I didn't get gauge (4 sts/inch)... instead I got 5.5sts/inch on US 7. So I decided to make the large size... eh, no. I was almost done and had to frog the whole thing. No matter, its a quick easy knit and I'll restart it as soon as I stop being so mad at myself for never being able to knit a proper hat.

I also knit it on dpns, which was far less awful than I thought it would be... Marnie's pattern is a top-down one (one of my requirements, since I wanted to make a longer hat and didn't know how far the yarn would take me), so working the circumference on a small # of sts and then working up is far easier than the time I tried to knit a hat on dpns from the bottom up (& quit and went on circs instead).

Back at the market, I went to see all of the booths again but nothing grabbed me as "essential". I did spend quite a long time at the Interlacements booth, sorting thru their specials table-- sometime between Thursday and yesterday they added a whole bunch of "Northwest territory" yarn (mohair, acrylic, weird twisty looking yarn) to the table and as I was looking for that unfound, extra grey skein of Merino Worsted under the acrylic pile (and any other superwash that may have grabbed my attention), another shopper looked at me and said I radiated calm. Heh, I told her it was being surrounded by all of the yarn, since I couldn't say I was drunk on conversation.

I headed back to Lisa Souza for more Sock! Merino, but again didn't want to duplicate any colorways I already had (though I did hold onto a skein of purple/black for an unseemly amount of time before wishing it well and setting it back down). I was on the lookout for Lantern Moon ebony dpns in US 1 & 2, but didn't find any...

I miss the beard, too :)

Knit and Crochet Show Market 2006 (pic heavy)

First with the pics, then with the yakyakyak below...

Knit and Crochet Show 2006, Spring
Market Preview
Thursday 4/21/06

Interlacements


Merino Worsted
100% superwash merino
560 yd/8 oz
4.5sts/inch on US 8
Desert Lichen colorway 208


Merino Worsted
100% superwash merino
560 yd/8 oz
4.5 sts/inch on US 8
Chairman of the Board colorway 217


Merino Worsted
100% superwash merino
560 yd/8 oz
4.5 sts/inch on US 8
limited edition colorway
These 2 looks closer to my eye than the pic, if I use them together in a sweater for mini me, I'll switch colors every few rows. I should have picked up the 3rd, lightest skein and made a sweater for me :)

I love Interlacements' show specials. $15 each for 8 oz hanks of superwash that I will wrestle into socks (even though they're listed as worsted). I love these new colors as well.

I was the only one and had time to pick and choose these skeins, where at Stitches I couldn't even get near their sale bin to even look. They also had Oregon worsted (100% wool, feltable), a few rick racky looking skeins of rayon? cotton?, a hank of green lace. All were 8 oz, but it was mainly the Oregon & Merino worsted out on special. They had their normal offerings too, but I earmarked their booth to graze on the specials bin.


Full Thread Ahead



Cherry Tree Hill Supersock
420 yd/4oz
100% luxury fingering merino
Potluck -- waters
This pic is a little darker than in reality... we're overcast today and I can't get a good, light pic.

$18 show specials for CTH Supersock, although most vendors sell these "potluck" dyelots at about $18. They did have a few of the normal colorways in addition to the potluck ones, but not many and none called out to me. I was hoping to get some African Grey supersock but they didn't have it.

I made a special stop here since HoJo (owner) is a presence at Knitter's Review Forums and I dig that kind of attention to knitters and the online community. Oh, and b/c I wanted supersock :)

This is the new labelling for Cherry Tree Hill, which now states the sock yarn is hand wash in cold only-- before (same yarn I'm 99% sure) was listed as machine washable. The base is Louet Gems pearl (as it is for Koigu) which says it is machine wash & dry, but I have had problems w/ CTH fading in the wash, so perhaps they changed the labels for that. (No felting problems though, personally.)


Carolina Homespun



Nature's Palette
by Hand Jive Knits
185 yd/50 gm fingering weight
100% merino
Odd duck colorway #1, dyelot 116

I think this yarn is so cool... dyed with natural dyes. I'll use it in a pattern that specifies Koigu as they're the same weight... I may like this better. :) Hand wash only.


The Knitters Studio



Mountain Colors Mountain Goat
230 yd/100gm
55% mohair, 45% wool
5 sts/inch on US 6-8
Rich Red colorway

I actually thought there was goat in this til I brought it home and photographed it :) It will make some interesting, warm socks... I must say despite the fact it has the same composition as the wool/mohair I bought from Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks at Stitches, it is not nearly as soft or is close to the luster of the CRD wool/mohair. Just an observation. I love the color.

The Knitter's Studio was also selling at 20% all purchases over $1 Thursday & Friday, too.


Caila Handknits
(no web presence?)



Noro Cash Iroha
40% silk, 30% lambswool, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
40 gm/100 yd
Color 83



Colinette Skye
163 yd/100gm
100% wool
Florentina colorway (?)



Crystal Palace Cream
50% wool, 50% silk
135 yd/50gm $2!!

I never go into these kind of booths (bags of yarn for sale), but they drew me in as no one was there and they had some interesting stuff. Apparently they sell discounted, discontinued, somehow orphaned yarns for quite a discount... They had a bunch of bags that I actually considered buying despite the fact I just can't get in gear and finish Starsky (much less pick it up and work on it!)... merino dk superwash 10 balls, $30. Debbie Bliss merino dk 10 balls, $40. 2 hanks of Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace, $25 each (I almost picked these up, but I don't/can't knit lace, and I think there was a dye smudge or dirt/something wrong w/ the one colorway that appealed to me). Boxes of discontinued Colinette, other discontinued fancy looking yarns that I have no idea about but a more seasoned knitter probably would. They also had ziploc'd bags with a few matching skeins-- the Noro Cash Iroha above is 2 & 1/2 balls (40 gm normal weight, the ball is 30 gm) for $15. The Colinette Skye on its own was $5 (will make a big hat for my mom, who apparently likes big hats and has been paying someone an arm and a leg to *crochet* giant, chenille hats for her... ergh!). The Crystal Palace Cream was $2 (they had an oddball $2 box, which of course I dug into with both hands!)...

This was a cool booth. I have to say if you have allergies or squeemies, it may not be for you... the Colinette had a few stray white hairs interspersed (pet hair?), same for the Noro (but who knows what you find in Noro, anyways). I don't care, its homeless yarn that needed a home :)


Foxyknits



Koigu Premium Painter's Palette Merino
100% merino wool
175yd/50 gm
28 sts/4 inches on US 3
colorway P714D, lot 68
The nearer skein is closest to the color

I was pleased that I wasn't bodyslammed like I was in the Foxyknits booth @ Stitches this time :) Actually I had the entire place to myself practically... perfect for me :) I wanted to pick up another colorway, but nothing really called out to me. I also resisted the urge to go thru their "mini skein" boxes-- not a deal if you use it for socks (.22/gram, same price as regular full skeins) and I still haven't used the minis for baby socks that I bought from Stitches last time... but it looked like they had some pretties and oldies in there. I looked over the solids but wasn't impressed... perhaps I am not the fan of Koigu that everyone else is. (I do think this colorway is very pretty though, it jumped out at me!)

Lisa Souza



Sock! Merino
100% superfine merino superwash
560 yd/4 oz
8 sts/inch on US 1-2
South Pacific colorway



Sock! Merino
100% superfine merino superwash
560 yd/4 oz
8 sts/inch on US 1-2
South Pacific Little Devil colorway (thanks Dave!!)


Like I said for Stitches, Lisa Souza is the best sock yarn deal of the market. $16 for 560 yd/4 oz of superwash, handpainted merino that is tdf soft. I'm totally on a "big" skein kick lately too, and really appreciate the size/generosity of these skeins. She said (she's sooo nice too!!) that her Sock! yarn was going to be slightly heavier gauge-wise soon, but she would continue winding the skeins to allow for extra yardage (I think she said 4.2 oz will be the new skein size, to offset the difference in yarn weight). That's rad.

And the colors!!! I wanted to pick up more than I did, but I didn't want to duplicate the ones I already had in stash (I almost bought another mahogany since I used it for the Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern), but held off.


Sheep City USA



100% merino superwash
280 yd/4 oz
4.5sts/inch on US 3
Sunwashed Ocean colorway

Very pretty, and I like the colorway despite not having much blue in my stash. Its a little lighter in person and has a bit more white in it than in the pic. They had very pretty handpainted yarns (others beside the superwash, too), but every hank but this one was 8 oz and I only wanted a 4 oz size. It was a good deal too, $13. More soft, heavier weight socks on the way.

***

I didn't mean to, but it looks like my purchases have a definite purple bent to them. Strange as I never thought of myself as a purple girl, but why not :) I'm in a red phase, too.

Of course, this wasn't Stitches in size or scope, but it was a very nice selection of quality vendors, a much slower pace than the frantic Stitches market, and everyone seemed much happier here (vendors and buyers)-- perhaps just because it was not as high paced or heavily attended. I'd say it was close to empty, but this was only the market preview and perhaps it will be busier over the weekend (and cheaper!! I paid $15 entrance!!), but I had a great time (obviously).

If you go, check out the 8 oz Interlacements specials table, the new Lisa Souza Sock! Merino (you'll understand when you squeeze it and when she doesn't charge you tax! ...perhaps I was just lucky though...), and if you're looking for either sweater quantities of dk wool and/or Colinette on sale (or small lots of odd, beautiful yarn graced by a few strands of pet hair), Caila Handknits. Full Thread Ahead is also sporting those glow in the dark lighted needles, if that's your bag or if you just want to feel like a Jedi. The crochet hooks at Dodo's Design are gasping for breath beautiful (I don't crochet), and the ones at Asciano Fiber Arts Tools are fall on the floor in admiration amazing (I think Dodo's were less expensive, but different woods, both beautiful). Newton's Yarn Country has its usual 50% "only" on Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday sale, with wool and wool/cashmere laceweight that almost sucked me in (along with acres of novelty yarns that just hurts my brain to think about but was drawing crowds of oohers and aahers). Angora Cottage had some of the nicest staff ("come in! touch, see, feel!" ... just what knitters love to hear) and pretty rovings and yarn. Lots of great vendors-- see them all here.

My only beef was with TKGA/the entirety of the market preview tonite... just little irritating things that had nothing to do w/ the vendors but means I probably won't go back again (though I wanted to take munchkin and my mom to see).

Have fun if you go! Don't get a parking ticket! If you go on Saturday &/or Sunday, there's a garage on Clay Street that is free on the weekends, a few blocks down from the convention center, driving away from the downtown center and away from the water/marina. (It's across the street from the Calfornia state bldg on Clay and... 12th? Btw 12th & 13th, I think. Big plastic printed sign, free parking on the weekends.)

Thanks for looking :)