me and mine and yeah.

One of the first things I ask people who meet my son is, "do you think he looks like me?" In my mind, the answer to this is a resounding yes-- that he is my clone and oh goodness I didn't know they'd gotten that whole asexual reproduction for humans thing down yet. Most people are honest with me and say no, or tell me something sweet like its obvious he is my son (because he's hanging off my breast or armpit, but whatever)... I think a lot of this stems from my mom, a taller than paul white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes (me: dark hair and eyes and undertones of yellow and not pink). She would be accosted approached in the malls of my first hometown, stopped by strangers asking "where she had adopted us from," which bothered her enough to tell these stories to me over and over; told strangers with a chuckle, "they look just like me right?!" when our "exotic" looks would garner comments from onlookers when I was old enough to remember.

So even though my son may not look like me (except maybe in disproportionate head diameter), he is MY SON in the little things. Like carsick things.

(Queasy readers can skip on down to past the photo of the wheel! Fair warning, but I won't be too graphic.)

See, I can't go on the rides at the county fair that spin you around and around, the apple core rides? Yeah. Sick all over, which totally sucks for the people inside with me cos its spinning. One of my very earliest memories was going to McDonalds with my daycare and noshing on chicken nuggets and orange soda, climbing in the "teacups" and... yeah. I *know* this stuff. A spontaneous cartrip north to see the redwoods when I was newly pregnant ("c'mon! we'll never get to do this stuff when the kid's here!") was sprinkled with about 7734 stops on the winding side roads to be sick-- at the time I blamed it on the pregnancy and not the cartrip.

I should have known better.

I took the same roads this past weekend to pick up my wheel (!!), to Mendocino; Highway 128 is my official inanimate nemesis (this week). It truly wouldn't be so bad except, you know that whole thing about my son being my son? He starts squirming and crying in his carseat, and I turn to comfort him... yeah. All over himself, and I'm heartbroken to have passed on this weak stomach gene-- moreso since he doesn't understand why he feels sick. We still have miles to go before we sleep are slated to hit Mendocino, and I sit in the back and comfort my son who is just beside himself (he's quite picky about being clean, and I'm sure this was just shocking to him). It starts to get to me too, and before you know it it's like the scene from Stand by Me, the freaking pie eating contest? Total domino effect.

Anyway :) I can laugh now but ugh. At least my kid got a brand spanking new "Mendocino Environmental Center" tshirt out of it, and we got to see the coast.

Oh yeah, and I got a wheel out of it, too! :)



I've been "spinning" up miles and miles of yarn barf (hah! you thought i was done!)... The guy (yeah, a guy! and he was wearing a mycology lovers' tshirt, yum! if only i were 21 again) gave me a white fleece, dirty but not badly (a little dirt, definite grease, but no sticks or poo or anything like that)-- I asked him if I had to clean it up (not wanting to take it, thinking it would be just a lot of work and not a lot of help for newbie me) and he grabbed a bit, started spinning it and said I could if I wanted, but I could spin in the grease and not to be afraid of it. So I have, and its pretty cool!

He sold me about a pound of another fleece, this one's straight off a jacketed sheep and very neat... ($15, not bad!) I haven't tried spinning it yet.



So of course there hasn't been too much in the way of knitting here. I'm up to the leg of my bright stripey sock...



I hate k2p2 ribbing, it seems like it takes forever when its supposed to be "simple." My master plan is to use 1/2 of the yarn and start another, but I may get bored with it and cut off the cuff "early."

I also started a scarf; Midnight Purls posted a free pattern ("diagonal lace scarf") that really caught my eye and I knew I had the right yarn for and would be great car knitting (sans yeah yeah yeahs though!)...



I'd bought this beautiful merino/tussah silk handspun from Grace but had no idea what to do with it-- it had the most wonderful smell though, smelled like an old lost love (literally). It sat on my desk til the smell evaporated, then went into the stash for me to think about... seeing MP's pattern reminded me of it right away.



This is just over 2 oz/half of the yarn, and about +30". I think I'll block it when done to help it lay flat, but otherwise I don't think I'll pin/stretch it, I like how it looks now.



No progress on the thighhighs, I'll admit to yall I'm a little intimidated at placing the increases up the leg, so they've been languishing here on my desk. They'll definitely be done though, sometime.

Otherwise, a dear (non-knitting) friend is right... spinning is cutting into my knitting time, so there's likely going to be less to talk about here as I try to conquer this new (frustrating!) thing :)



...ps! to all users of blogger (like me!) who use blogger's image hosting (not me! i use flickr), fyi-- blogger is blocking all external referrers from posting their images. this means for those who use rss readers (like me-- bloglines fan here), we cannot see pictures you post anymore thru an aggregator. some bloggers may elect to publish only a partial feed which requires readers to click into the blog to view the whole post so that's not really a big deal to yall, but for those who want their readers to be able to read via rss and not have to necessarily click in (like me!) this is a major pita... just fyi and you may want to look at external image hosting if it bugs you/you didn't know. i emailed bloglines about this ages ago but they didn't respond past "we're looking into it," and when i saw the post at knittyboard (scroll down to last few entries) it jogged my memory and wanted to share :)

i puked on myself in mendocino* and all i got was...

a new-to-me wheel.



*more later, still feeling carsick effects and have a not-mine wedding tomorrow.

btw,



elmo on a washer!

i love this toy torture, i'm glad i can blame it on kristi's contest. i have also won the official "crazy neighbor" award this week, no doubt.



have a great rest of the weekend yall :)

"seriously."

...yall need to come over to my place and rub my tummy*, cos I am on some freight train of luck here again.

First, I was the grand prize winner over at the Vintage Knitalong...! I won a skein of Helen's Lace, so on top of reading all about spinning yarn I've been ogling shawl patterns... maybe a half pi shawl? Or a rectangular shawl from JennyRaye's master list? The entrelac stole just featured on Margene's blog? Too.many.choices. This is so going to be the way I am diving into knitting lace, with a decadent yarn compliments of purrl. :) (The KAL is still going strong, more patterns listing and more posts... head on over for some black and white knitting love.)



Then, I see that my blog was nominated under the "best sock blog" category over at the Addict's Choice Knitting Blog Awards-- Major Categories... !!! Thanks to those who nominated me and have voted :) I see lots of intarweb friends in lots of categories, congrats to yall too-- nice to be among your company! (There are several posts about the awards on Lucia's blog: Major Categories; Minor Categories; Best Overall Knitting Blog -- the difference in categories is the # of nominated blogs within each. Check them all out, voting ends August 31!)

Finally it looks like all may be a go for my new to me wheel...!!! (eeee!! i am a squealer in real life, too!) I so much appreciate all the time and effort that went into the comments about it; I've printed them out and read them over and over and really appreciate all of the advice. I have an appointment to check it out this weekend, wish me luck :)

Reminds me, I'm looking for some spinning books and/or fiber to get me started/learning on-- if you're interested in swapping for some sock or other yarns drop me a line in the comments or via email. List at the end of the post^

I *should* tell you I've been working furiously on my black lace thighhighs, but its not the case. I've been too overwhelmed w/ reading about spinning, so I cast on for a wonderfully mindless pair of socks to knit as I read...


Toe up, 60 st cast on sock
help from Simple Socks: Plain & Fancy
Started: August 15, 2006
Henry's Attic Kona Superwash, 7 sts/inch
dyed with kool aid & easter egg dyes
US 2 (2.75mm) dpns, 4

I feel the slow pull of the toe up camp, and I love it. I didn't even think about top down when I decided I wanted to knit a plain stockinette sock, I just did the toe and kept on keeping on. Its odd, I never ever thought I'd prefer knitting toe up, but it just feels so intuitive. I'm not a total convert yet though. Yet.

Non sequitur segue:


Tinky Winky on a ledge!!

:)

For Kristi's contest. She's giving away a copy of the pattern for her luminous Sarcelle shawl and a skein of the yarn it calls for, how can I resist? :) She's also said multiple pics are allowed, so expect to see some more toy torture here before the contest's end on August 20.

***

Random links I have saved...

* What You Make It is looking for artists (incl. knitters) to share their artwork and the space they create in for their online zine. (via the Make It blog).

* For entrepreneurial knitters... don't use Flickr for commercial purposes, or you risk having your accout shut down (and pictures ostensibly lost)!!! I heart flickr (i need to upgrade to the pro account, but that's like, 2 skeins of koigu! you're ill when you start seeing the commercial world in sock yarn valuation...)

* I voted in the Amazing Lace challenge #5 for Laurie... not only was her entry lace socks, but she created a sock wall over at Choka on It and helped get "sock" up there on the concordance board. Super grin when I see that.





***

^ I have some random, sock pairs worth of yarns to swap for fiber and/or spinning books...
- Interlacements tiny toes in (solid) blue, (solid) grey
- Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Sand Ridge
- Sheep City USA DK Superwash in blues
- Austermann Step in Whisky (#9, #9, #9...)
- Wildfoote in Geranium
- Cherry Tree Hill endlots in Supersock and Super Glitz
(most of these can be seen in this post, I have other pics as well)

non-sock:
- Hemp/wool in curry yellow -- 8 skeins? (I forget how many, about that though)
- Knit Picks Merino Style in dusk, 4
- Rowan Calmer in light blue, 1
- Malabrigo in blue.white.orange, 2 (same batch but wildly different coloring, one much mroe white)
- Handpaintedyarn.com bulky 6-ply, curacao, 1
- more but the kid's asleep next to the stash and baby sleep > swapping :)

lmk if you want more pics, non-smoking/pet household. sorry to pander, but i really enjoy the idea of making the stash a bit smaller in order to bring in stuff for a new hobby :) oscillateATEgma1LDOTcom or in the comments.

edit, 8/19: thanks for all the emails yall! i was able to swap for some great books & fiber so i'm going to take this down... if you're still looking to swap for something still listed above, feel free to drop me a line but i'm not in desperate states anymore. thanks again! :) -- @.


***


* at my grandparents' home, there was a 3 ft. tall sculpture of the Buddha atop a cabinet, carved from a single piece of brown-black stone. the base was squared and you could see the feet "growing" out of the stone and into the sculpture-- the Buddha is a laughing one, standing with his arms above his head, belly full on out, a shift/robe tied at his waist. his earlobes were long and drawn out, almost to his chin, and his eyes were closed in laughter. a small ring of beads was held in his closed hands, and as they were above his head and gravity is what it is, it hung against his palm and came to the curve of his wrist before turning up and back again into his hand.

i asked my grandmother why there was a statue of grandpa and not her.

Advice needed, spinning wheels + beginner = ? (Ashford Joy)

I find it highly amusing that the moment I write that I wouldn't have much to say in the near future and then go and immediately post again. :)

Really though... I have a question/s for yall, esp. those who know spinning. Notice that pic there? Ashford Joy single treadle? Yeah.

Yeah.

So I have the chance to buy a used wheel, and... I know nothing about spinning. I dreamt about it last nite (among other things), waiting to hear if I could buy this or not. There's no way I'd buy a new wheel, couldn't afford it-- but I am looking at a used ashford joy for not nearly retail... Its a perfect size for my tiny place, and I find the Joy visually pleasing. I know there are some other great wheels out there, but if I'm going to get one *now,* it will be this specific one (because of the initial investment is within my reach but really isn't on comparable wheels).

But... I know nothing about spinning! I mean, I'm totally fascinated by it, would love to... Man.

So, onto some real questions.

If I haven't mentioned it before, I know nothing about spinning :) I've never even touched a wheel before. I'm buying the wheel from someone I don't know-- is there something I should "watch out" for? I mean, ergh. I don't even know what to ask! I mean, I'd imagine someone would take care of their wheel-- is there a way a total TOTAL n00b can "test" if it works? Is it possible to buy a bum wheel? Are there parts I should look at to see if they need replacement?

Here's a pic of the wheel...



It looks a bit different than the Joy pictured above-- were there different/older models of the Joy? Is this a good or bad thing?

Do you think I can learn on my own, with some books and help online? I think I'll try and look for a class or something locally, but I don't think I'll have too much luck in that straightaway.

I'm mainly interested in lighterweight yarns (I know it won't happen right away), but are they really possible on the Joy? I see it says it can do fine weight yarns, but don't know if it *really* can.

Am I crazy to start with a wheel?

Any favorite books/links/online information on spinning? I know, broad question... I've been reading the forums @ Knitters Review & knittyboard, but think I need a "hold my hand" walk me thru sort of thing to start with. (I'm going to make some tea and go looking online as soon as I finish this post...)

...blah blah blah. I spent all last nite reading about spinning and know nothing, I still don't know if I'm going to buy it or not. It's quite a ways away as well... a day trip. Hm. (I want it though!)

All comments (even ones that tell me I'm nuts) are welcome & appreciated :)




...ps, today's the last day to sign up for the Mystery Sock KAL!

Onwards y upwards...

...something about slow & steady winning the race?



Progress so far on my thigh highs inspired by the Vintage Knit Along, no increases done (yet). Be sure to get posts and comments in over at the KAL today, its the last day for the Miss Personality Contest over there! :)

Sorry about blurry pics, its a bit overcast outside (my light source). Fabric stretched reaches just where the calf muscle juts out, approx. 9.5" stretched. Off the needles, the fabric is about 8" (from "fold" of short row heel to work on needles). My foot is 9.25" long and the unstretched foot is 8.75"-- like I said earlier I am using the vertical stretching to help "pop" the lace panel and also to simulate stretched, fitted stocking fabric (though the foot is very similar to "regular" feet in my socks).



I placed a faux "seam" up the back of the leg-- when I started the short row increases at the heel, I placed 2 purl sts at the center of the leg and have been carrying it upwards. I think its more visually interesting, and will serve as a good marker for me to place the increases around (on each side).



I wanted to take a pic of the stockinette for the color, but what's more apparent is how non-sock like the fabric is, quite loose. (You can see the sole of my foot beneath the fabric). I'm using the Henry's Attic Kona Superwash fingering, 2,240 yd/1 lb on US 1.5 (2.5mm)... its too bad its so open, because the fabric is very soft. I wonder if I need a US 0 for regular socks... or if I just need to make some more soft, loose socks :)



Pic of stockinette against window light. Nothing doing-- its just hanging from the needle, I didn't stretch it. (Better illustration of what I mean for open fabric on these needles.) I think the fabric is perfect for stockings though...



Final pic of the stockinette fabric unstretched/on the needles. 8 sts/inch.

I expect posts to slow down around here since this is the only project I'm working on (and its so boring to see the same thing over & over, esp. when its neverending!), but I wanted to say thanks to everybody for the comforting comments about my bad mom day last week. All of them made me feel better (so did time & healing!)-- the one that really struck me was from fairygodknitter: "It's kind of like knitting something that gets frogged a million times and has moments that look like crap until you block it out. Kids are tougher than we are."

:)


(asleep on the *edge* of the couch, lots of pillows underneath. good thing, he tumbled in his sleep and kept right on sleeping.)

this is one of those days...

...where i apologize in advance for being all over the place.*

My knitting hands in action, for the random contest over at Jerry & Maxy's place (have you entered yet? all the cool kids are doing it :))


i can't believe i'm outing myself in photo as a finger pushing knitter, but there you have it. how the hell am i going to learn holding 2 strands of yarn with the same hand for fair isle? ergh. and anyone wanna guess the movie playing in the background? 7 am, mini me asleep fare. *and*-- (lots of "ands", i'm feeling a mood to irritate the gramma queens today. my excuse? a bachelor's degree in english from cal = i can talk bad ingrish all i want; the canon and i are tight like that. mah party vein, fo sho.) ...i am also a rabid nail biter. they're not bleeding today, but the day is still young.


my hands at rest. you can see i'm feeling cheeky, having taken these before monkichi was awake. ha. farking hubris.

oh yeah, my feet aren't (that) dirty, teva tan lines.

A pic of the stockings i'm working on...


one feet, two feet.

The plan is to work one's leg til I have the calf shaping done, repeat the next. Work again til the knee decreasing is done, repeat. The "sock" portion as they are are pretty close to my normal sock knitting, its the leg that's going to be tough (how much "negative ease," how much stretch.) I'm going to hold off on increasing for a bit, so I can tell just how far I can push it/pour my legs into these things to get a nice tight fit without screaming for mercy.

I do notice that when I knit lace socks (not that I'm a lace expert or anything), that the most important part of getting the lace to pop isn't horizontal blocking/stretching, but vertical-up the leg stretching. I've noticed it in these too (I neglected to take a pic of them on, one of those days things again)-- so part of the goal is to place the increases along the stretched route of the leg, praying the not-yet-purchased garter will help me in keeping them stretched onwards y upwards.

***

Beginning sheer randomness (I do try to do the segue thing, but again, just one of those days)...

I've meant to take pics of my Red Cross Knit Kit, had it on my desk for a while. WhipUp had a writeup about it and reminded me...


Red Cross Sock Knitting Kit
4 oz wool "olive drab" yarn, 4 plastic w/ metal rod inside double pointed needles, one pattern, one plastic darning needle.

Nice idea, I dig the box. The yarn is nice (it is soft), the closest it reminds me of is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock:


Lorna's -- Bold Red (not true to color)
Red Cross -- Olive Drab

The LL has the nylon content, none in the RC yarn. I don't know if the RC is machine washable or not (doesn't say). The RC has less loft, but simulating tautness they're quite similar. Now that I look at them together (the Lorna's was sitting on my desk, waiting to be Baudelaire... now I need to find a new yarn I think, Interlacements Tiny Toes in solid red for the bauds instead...? I want red socks on the needles next)-- they look kinda good paired off. I wonder if I can find a white Lorna's and perhaps do the "red cross symbol" on a sock cuff or throughout a sock? (who am i kidding? i can't even hold yarn correctly. do they make a white lorna's? eek, no more yarn spending... the box is almost too heavy for me to move now.)

(edit: of course lorna's has a "white" yarn-- natural. argh... simply sock yarn co., a vendor after my own heart, has it in stock. somebody stop me please... why am i ogling allison's site *again*? :))

I don't see myself knitting this yarn with the needles they enclosed. I'm not a snob about plastic needles-- they're size 5! The pattern calls for 7 sts/inch, I have no idea if I'd get 7 sts/inch on US 5's with Lorna's, but its just madness :)

An upclose of the side panel:


"As legions of servicemen and servicewomen answered their country's call during the Second World War, they were joined by more than 7 million American Red Cross volunteers, who worked at home and overseas to provide comforts and necessities for American soldiers and prisoners of war. As part of that effort, knitters from shore to shore took up their needles to make millions of socks, caps, and sweaters. Join the American Red Cross as we celebrate the tireless bands of an extraordinary generation and knit a bit of their history."

Now I feel a bit bad in not knitting the pattern :)

***

... and here i slip into total randomness about stuff I want to do, eventually...

* I've joined the Mystery Sock KAL...



...haven't chosen a pattern yet.



* I'm contemplating SOCK WARS...



(the girl from auntie has a great question about it though...)



* I'm going to make some dpn protectors a la Sherry's TOO FREAKING AWESOME diy teK (for reals, check this out)...



*Did you notice the word "yarn" made the Choka On It "top 100" words concordance, from my last contest I'm guessing? I did, so I'm going to go and try to write up some more couplets containing the word "yarn", maybe try and get "sock" on there too. Come join me :)





* I'm going to nominate some blogs for the "addict's choice" knitting blog awards... (I've already done one-- I love "let me explaiKnit" though I love lots of others, too-- that one just popped up in my head when I read about the awards...)



* I'm gonna stalk etsy and hope to see some knitters in their etsy/CRAFT magazine contest (submissions due August 21!... dig Jess Hutch's robot army on the front cover of the new mag!)



*I'm going to write my indigo girl a letter, cos I've stopped and started half a dozen of them.



...and I'm gonna go lay down.

**

*one of those days... I fully don't expect sympathy, but as this blog is a bit of a release for me, today its definitely one-- I feel a lot better here at the end of this post than I did up there at the beginning. Day started fine... til my kid and I were playing on my bed and he jumped/bounced over my body (as I held onto his hands), and he hit the wall/window. Hard. On a metal outcropping. Gash, thought-there-would-be stitches, my-god-is-that-skull fear. He's fine. Cried a lot less than me. Big hole in the head, still. Definite scar material. My heart's broken.

Fast forward to snacktime, I turn my back and he's gotten on his toes and into the utensil drawer. (New thing.) 1 second later he's waiving a serrated bread knife with a 7" long blade like a freaking jedi lightsaber. No joke. Its kinda (almost) funny now, because I say "no!" and reach for it, its a game and he starts to run. And I just die inside, following my train of thought. Again, he's fine-- no harm no foul except to my too tense heart. New drawer locks are being purchased instead of my much-needed nap when this is done.

Lunch is over, mister-mister walks into the edge of the table. Hard. This is in addition to falling all over clean socks (white cotton ones, thanks!) atop hardwood floors he's pulled from the sock drawers to dance on, twice.

See, he has a bad day and I have an absolutely worse one. I just, yeah. Someday remind me to tell you about the "v for victory" on his forehead. Don't worry about us, this is just my feeble attempt to explain away my rabidity and my scatteredness... and also to thank you for listening and giving me an outlet for something unrelated to the bad-mom-day I'm having.

We're fine, and no pics of his more-bumpy-than-usual head forthcoming. :)

Fainting in coils.

You say cthulhu.
I say the fisherman's wife ain't got nothing on me.
(Especially after this weekend with my favorite tentacle wielding toy ;))



Nautie from Knitty Spring 2006
Started: August 5, 2006
Finished: August 7, 2006
Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Mist - Fog - Pumpkin
US 6 dpns, 4

Anne is to blame for midnite nauti-ness. This was too fun to knit... no mods except for the dpn size, wool, and stripes every 4 rows instead of every row. I did try it every row and it was just a huge mess. Every 4 rows was a good pace for me-- row 1: change color & coil shell, row 2: stuff, row 3: knit, row 4: m1.

Oh! And I picked up and knit the "head" on the inside edge of the shell instead of knitting it seperately and sewing it on.

I have a bunch of all colors left over, even this is a big toy. I'd guess I have enough for 2 more nauties... I'm glad I bought all of those random balls of WOTA just for quick obsessive knits like this (and lending them out to friends who want to learn to knit! Once an enabler, always an enabler...)



The coiling wasn't perfect, but hey! Its a kids toy. (At least in this house.)

I love knitty. Every issue should have one sock pattern from Cookie and one toy, and I'd be happy. :) (Isn't it awful amy must hear stuff like this from the 376,894,097 people who read knitty? It'd drive me to drink. Or leave the house.)



Another side pic.

I tried being all cute and hang it in the trees for pics, but its a little windy and nautie is a spinna at heart (while i'm a speakerhumper, made in heaven!)... only good pics of one side. So I took a small movie of the spin (Hosted HERE) with my digicam, uploaded it to the 1st site that popped up when I googled "avi hosting," and there you go. I dig the idea of knitting in motion :)

Reminds me I need to get my hands in motion for Jerry & Maxy's knitting in motion contest...

***

Nautie was actually a little diversion from my latest obsession, black wool thigh high stockings on black wood needles...



These are the pair inspired by the Vintage Knitalong hosted by purrl... They're actually going very quickly. I have one foot and a few leg repeats on one, and started the second. I wanted to knit them both at the same time to be able to keep the size/increases the same, but really wanted to knit them in the round (I've been on a dpn kick lately)... so this is my compromise.

I'm super happy with the henry's attic lightweight yarn I dyed, its very soft. I'm knitting this at a looser gauge than I'd normally choose for this yarn (US 1.5-- 2.5mm, it is almost too holey for me at 8 sts/inch), but it makes for a really soft sock. I'm not as worried about wear with these, can't see wearing them enough to wear them out. I'm feeling a bit reticent to knit another tight gauge sock right now too, the toddler Wyvern was koigu on US 0's and is like iron, and not in a good way. So I'm avoiding and praying feet don't grow for a few weeks while I finish these :)

I used black & lilac acid dyes, and its *just* a bit interesting in tonal variation-- but I don't think you'd see it unless you look (or have a great eye!!)

Phew. One more thing! :) When I was winding the yarn for these (I split an 8 oz hank in half), I took a pic of my favorite DIY knitting "thing..."



My "swift"-- toddler high chair back :) Actually works really well, the regular chair depth is too deep for me, but this was one of those serendipity discoveries that just makes me grin. The unexpected, super good things are always the best... at least they have been lately :)

What's *your* favorite do it yourself knitting thing?



confidential to indigo anon-ner: do i know you? my email's @ the bottom of this page if you want to drop me a line.

Mailbox knitting

(eta... check out the "random knitting theory" contest over @ Jerry & Maxy's place... :))


Thanks to Eleni's headsup, I was able to stalk Interweave's Hurt Book Sale this year with a "list" in hand and get everything I wanted (notice a trend?)...


The Art of Fair Isle Knitting, Ann Feitelson
Folk Knitting in Estonia, Nancy Bush
The Children's Collection, Alice & Jade Starmore

The books were 50% off retail (I saw only the Weldon's Practical Needlework 10 volume collection for 75% off), you didn't know how "hurt" the books would be and were warned with a 3 week shipping estimate. Mine arrived Tuesday (I wasn't home to greet my UPS man though), so it was only a week from order to shipment arrival-- not bad :)

The sale's not great if you're looking for only one book, when you figure in the shipping (4.95/1st book, 1/each add'tl.) and compare to Amazon. The Feitleson Fair Isle book was 17.48 + 4.95 = 22.43, where Amazon has it for 22.02 + eligible for free shipping. I approached the sale with an eye to the books I wasn't able to find for a good price direct from Amazon, namely Folk Knitting in Estonia & The Children's Collection... I knew I could buy FKiE from Nancy Bush's Wooly West (+ free autograph!) and TCC from Virtual Yarns (the Starmore enterprise), but both purchases thru Interweave's sale were less expensive.

(Grumperina just posted a link where you can get Folk Knitting in Estonia for a good price new; I've been watching the ebay listings for the book & they regularly go over retail... maybe since people don't know you can buy from Nancy Bush herself for the retail price + shipping?)

The books weren't very badly "hurt" at all...



The worst was the Art of Fair Isle, which had a small slit/indentation in the front cover that made an impression on the hardcover inside (the cover isn't torn but just indented), perhaps from a knife opening a box and this was the 1st on top?



The edges of all were slightly scuffed as well, nothing I wouldn't pass over at my local bookstore myself. Interweave has a high bar for its books (pretty cool!), these aren't really badly hurt at all. The Folk Knitting in Estonia book is the 1st edition like Stacey's-- the Juta stockings directions are incomplete (I've been borrowing my library's copy til now), I need to poke around for errata, not sure what else needs updating.

I also received my acid dyes...


One pound of Henry's Attic Kona Lightweight Fingering for thigh high stockings
(+ Sodor aquarium car for scale, this is my favorite of the Thomas the Tank Engine cars)

I went ahead & dyed the entire pound-- just so I wouldn't have to worry about running out. The extra will be good for something! I've decided to go toe up on them, so I can use the lace panel that I really like... I'm going to use the stocking formula Severina referred to in making hers in order to help me see where to place the increases... I like the shaping of her finished stockings quite a bit. (She is also the designer of the Asphyxiation pattern in The AntiCraft's new edition, I love it. Need to learn to crochet. Someday.) I think my alterations will officially take these out of the vintage knitalong category though :)

Closeup...



I like the "pouf" of the yarn once dyed and washed.

And finally (I promise)... finished one toddler Wyvern sock...



20 gm of yarn goes a long way for little feet.

A pic of the new-to-me m1 increase from my last post...



You can see the ridge of lifted sts along the center of the photo and also to the right hand side. Also, another shot of the short row heel from Simple Socks: Plain & Fancy... no wrap and turn, no holes. :)

Off to go wind a monster ball of black yarn...

Toddler socks, finished and in progress

Ah, love the toddler socks. (Hate taking pics of said toddler without a flash!) :)



Toe up toddler k2 p2 socks
(Thanks to Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy!)
Started: July 26, 2006
Finished: July 29, 2006
Opal Krokodil colorway #31
US 2.5 (3.0mm) dpns, 4
24 grams total

This was the leftover yarn from my "recent" Yarrow ribbed socks... I knit them toe up using Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' book Simple Socks: Plain & Fancy to make sure I used all of the yarn. My bumblebee's foot is 5.5" long and 6" around (blocksocks!), and I used the Susanne's ebony US 2.5 (3.0mm) 4" double pointed glove needles and got 8 sts/inch. I ended up w/ 48 sts total for the foot & leg, knit the instep with k2 p2 ribbing for 5" and started the heel (which made a foot of 6" in length... I usually make the toddler socks without negative ease but with ribbing on the instep, and a little longer in the foot for my ease in getting them on a squirmbot and making them last a little longer on ever-growing toes), then a k2 p2 cuff til the yarn ran out.

I'm awfully pleased at how quick they were. I haven't knit a pair of toddler socks in a long time, since I like to use dpns for them but the 7" ones just feel gigantic on the tiny socks and I've been avoiding it-- so the 4" are awesome. I am now wanting a pair of Susanne's ebony double points in US 1.5 (2.5mm) 4" length. I liked the sharper tip of the Susanne's, too... I didn't hurt myself with it (finger pushing knitter!) but I found it helpful when doing the somewhat awkward p3tog tbl for the short row heel & toes.



I also really liked the dpn length since the socks were so portable, more than any others ever. I put the tiny ball of yarn in my back pocket and could even slip the little sock on needles back there (and I didn't really worry about snapping the solid ebony needles either, but I didn't sit down or anything!)... I took it to Ikea (Ikea + Sat afternoon crush of bodies = panic attack time for me, the sock got worked on a lot as I avoided the crowds as much as I could), and to a park while little man played and I was bowled over. Smells like victory! :)

I liked this pair so much I started another...



Wyvern (toddler sized!) sock
Started: July 29, 2006
Koigu (kpppm), color P323 101
(not sure about the colorway #/dyelot)
US 0's (2.0mm) dpns, 4

Like I said, I was trying to ride the "glove length" needle wave and tried swatching the koigu on the US 2.5's, but the fabric was too open for my taste. My next choice were my US 0 Brittany in 5", nice length.

Note: "were."



2 needles bit the dust. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I mean, should I really be trying to knit with 2mm wood needles in the first place? Incidentally, I knit the foot of my left leaning cloverleaf sock on these needles, they were bendy but I didn't break them then. I wasn't doing anything weird or anything, thry both broke during the knit plain rounds of the instep pattern... too much decrease action makes britt a brittle needle. I've already emailed Brittany to have them replaced... though I don't see myself using them much in the future if they are.

I used the 48 st CO again, toe up with the same PGR method, and am using Marnie's "S" sized directions for the instep (26 st repeat), with 22 stockinette sole sts. Since I'm using such smaller needles and was getting 8 sts/inch in stockinette in the brittanys, the difference will fit the little one's tiny feeties. I did have a change in gauge when I switched out the needles though-- the metals are resulting in 8.5 sts/inch. Shouldn't be a problem though, its at the heel where I switched out. I will have to try this one on him when its done and see if I need to change the CO for the 2nd sock though, adding a few sts to the sole or something.

The pattern also pulls in so the fit should be good across the top. I am using a new (to me!) m1 increase I read about on Knitter's Review Forums-- lift up the st below the live st on the left hand needle and place on the L hand needle, knit this new st thru the back loop. No holes, and it results in an interesting "line" of sts when worked on top of each other in succession/EOR (I'll take a pic of this later). The KR link discusses places where it can be used appropriately, as it affects the subsequent fabric.

The colorway may be too dark for this pattern... something to think about as I choose a yarn for Theresa's Here There Be Dragons socks... Yahaira sez dragon skin socks are hott and all and seeing these Wyverns work up again, I'm closer to making a pair of the HTBDs for myself with that superman heel and toe. (I also bought Eunny's Chuck's Cabled Socks pattern, I'm still debating the colors though, that one will be on the back burner of the brain a bit.)

Back to the metal dpn grind :)


(bradyphrenia said in my flickr comments that she thinks I knit a lot of socks... where I bow to Alyssa's 6 PAIR she knit in JULY!!) :)

Yarrow ribbed socks in Opal finished

Drunken lightning style socks.



Yarrow ribbed sock from "Knitting Vintage Socks" (Nancy Bush)
Started: June 14, 2006 (?)
Finished: July 26, 2006
Opal Krokodil, colorway #31
2 socks on 2 circular needles, US 1.5 (2.5mm)
76 gm total

Whew. The song that never ends, they just went on and on my friends... I drug this pair out on purpose by whining about it so much. It wasn't that bad, just terribly tedious... and me making it out to be worse dragged it on even more.

I knit them (in part) for reasons rather than having finished socks on my hot little feet-- I wanted to try the Opal yarn, I wanted to try the heel & toe from the pattern that I hadn't tried before.

As for the heel:


German heel...

...which meant stockinette with a purl (garter?) seam down the centre, and a purled 2 st border ("...to last 3 sts, p2, k1"-- k1 for the flap pick up). I worked a purl border on my STR baby cable rib socks too, I think its a neat detail... need to remember to try it again. It makes the heel seem less wide (this one seemed really wide since it was just stockinette coming off of the rib pattern), and looks neat (prolly would look cooler with a less bold yarn like Dave said way back then.)

The German heel isn't just different for the flap though, its the turn, which to me left a too-holey of a result:



It's not that bad really, I was pulling the fabric in this pic to really show them off. The heel is worked by decreasing 2tog and then turning and slipping the st holding the worked together pair and continuing. Not bad and I'm glad I've tried it, but not really something bangup. I did like the garter border though, and the seam down the centre is neat too :) (forgot to take pics of that!)

The French toe, one word? Weird.



Looks normal, kinda. Something's off though... what could it be?

When in doubt, turn her over. (Sage advice here people!!)



For the moment, ignore the toe-nipple action please :)

The French toe is worked like a flat toe-- like, k1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 turn across the top/bottom of the foot. Except the french toe is divided over 3 needles and decreases are done 3x not 2. You've got 6 sts dec every 2 rounds instead of 4, and its decreased down to the point where you draw the yarn thru the x amount of sts you have left. Hence, nipplage.

Anyway. I did think it was weird that the pattern said to stop work 2.5" shy of the toe, since this obviously eats up more sts than a "normal" toe and I generally give myself 2" to work those, but hey! I really wasn't thinking and just wanted these darn things off of the needles so I soldiered on-- too short. I think :) You're supposed to dec to 12 sts and pull yarn thru, I dec'd to 6 so my toes are prolly more pixie-pointy than the sample. I'm not one to avoid kitchenering but if you are, this may be a good toe for you... I kept that weird 3rd "seam" on the bottom of one sock and on the top of the other (^see above), just for kicks.

Total non-segue, cuff is 6" long where pattern called for 8.5". I had 24 gm left over (used 76 total), and a 10.25" foot (heel to tip of point! :))... either could have been easily increased, though maybe not the full 8.5" cuff and 10"+ feet.

As for the Opal? I like it. Not like love, but like, like. :) I like the base yarn a lot (I heard you can buy it undyed from GetKnitted.com, about $12 USD shipped and 10 for about $81 shipped on sale), I think its just the patterning/color that doesn't grab me. I also heard that USA cats may see rising Opal prices soon at your favorite sock yarn store (and prolly other stores too, but Allison is cool enough to keep a blog for me to read and stay current on so I know ahead of time about SSYC stuff like that and can plan my next shopping attack). SSYC has like a million other things I covet, incl. that handpainted Opal! Now that stuff may snog my opinion totally on its ear...

I do like the Opal enough I've already started a pair of toe-up toddler socks, PGR style, in the 24 gm I have left over from this pair, so I guess that's saying something :)

Previous posts on Yarrow ribbed sock in Opal Krokodil 31:

July 10, 2006
June 23, 2006
June 19, 2006

psst! purrl... if i could knit with my toes, don't you think i'd lambast entertain yall with a photo series and mundane, 50000 word writeup? :)