this is why i wanted to spin in the first place

Dyeing, spinning, and knitting a pair of socks for someone who gets it and gets as excited in receiving as I do in giving.

Gentleman's Fancy Sock stitch pattern, toe up PGR style with a short row heel...



...and a non-patterned sole that won't quit.



Love.

(Almost as much!)

purple holiday gifts

Strangely, all of the last minute holiday gifts (actually finished before the holidays) were purple. Lucky color?


Stanley the Penguin
knit from KnitWhits kit, pattern by KnitSonya
US 8, Louet Riverstone kitted yarns and yardages

I *love* this toy. Not just because my son picked it out himself and asked me to make it, or that it took just a few late nites after he'd gone to bed to finish, but... it's just so cute and round :) Doesn't hurt that he loves it, too.



I like toys a lot, but it's always the finishing that gets me. I really think the make or breakness of a good looking knitted toy is the finishing-- too often mine are weirdly stuffed, unintentionally akimbo, an eye higher than the other... So I was a little nervous when I found out the front (white) belly panel wasn't intarsia, but knit separately and seamed on. Not that I look forward to intarsia or anything, but more than finishing :)

Happily though, the belly panel seaming went okay (at least for me!) and gives the penguin even more of a 3d feel. The only other parts added on were wings and feet (and how cute are those feet!!)


the beanness of the body makes me ridiculously happy

The pattern had a good tip for adding weight to the bottom of the body before seaming closed-- since I had a good amount yarn left over from the kit, I used it for weight and the penguin stands on its own.

Overall the pattern is great! Since there is no intarsia or anything difficult, I don't think anyone would have a problem making their own Stanley (finishing notwithstanding!) :)

My son's also gotten to that age where if he asks for something handknit outright (read: not 'do you want me to make you a new sweater?'), I need to make it because unless its socks or toys, he's not having it. I'm glad he likes mittens (and that I actually had one done from last year when I tested out the then-new Noro Kureyon sock yarn via Article Pract).




Sorenson Kauni cardi-inspired toddler mittens
Noro Kureyon sock and Louet gems pearl

I have a crazy amount of that little ball left-- you can see the purple fading from dark to light, but the other colors were untouched (and still, more purple remains). I think I'll use it again for more wee mittens, stranding it since I think the straight Noro Kureyon sock will be too scratchy for little hands. Paired with the Louet Gems and fulled in hot soapy water, the mittens are nice and soft-- no excuse not to wear them aside from the beautiful weather lately.

And for those who can wear handknit (socks) in any weather...


PGR toe up socks
Ellen's Halfpint Farms sock yarn, US 1's (2.25mm)

I'd forgotten how amused I am seeing my feet look like a camel's when I take these pics :)

twofer

Two being better than none and all...


Handspun toe up PGR socks
Fiber from fromthewoolroom.etsy.com -- 70/30 sw wool-alpaca
US 1 (2.25mm), 64 sts
Started: ?
Finished: May 2008

Not much to say about the socks, I like them a lot but have been knitting them a stolen moment at a time for so long I forget most of it :) Just my favorite/go-to knitting pattern from Simple Socks and some handspun that started life as an awesome 70/30 superwash merino-alpaca fiber from fromthewoolroom.etsy.com. I was really happy to see how both heels (unintentionally) got that sock monkey look...



and how my splitting of the fiber pretty much resulted in the stripes I was hoping for...



I like them a lot, but they kinda pale next to these.


Ribs and Seeds socks by Alyson Johnson
yarn by theyoyo.etsy.com
(and my awesome knitting bag by japanesehandmadeetc.etsy.com in the background)
US 1.5, 2.5mm dpns, 5
Started: April 2008
Finished: May 2008

Super fun. Rilly, see?

Business in the front...



...party in the back.



My dusty upbringing is just aching to be introduced :)

Looking at these I can see a glaring error I didn't before :) But eh, they're socks. Rad socks, but still!

I haven't knit a pattern in a "commercial" (non-handspun) sock yarn in a long time, and haven't knit from a pattern in longer, but this pair has me wanting to do more of both. I really like Alyson's liberal use of reverse stockinette-- I think it's so interesting, and that this pattern would look great with a non-jarring handpaint to show off that pretty wrong side we don't celebrate enough. The yarn Alyson's dyed is excellent as well-- I bought the yarn for the color, and knit up it doesn't disappoint.

Neither does that little happy seam when picking up heel sts thru their front loops...



...or the possibility such dressy ankles bear.



I actually have been playing around with some new sock knitting, patterns and not, and am really liking it :) Perfect season, too to get back into it ;)

Til then!

surprises all around

Handspun American Maid socks
from Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy
Roving from dyeabolicalyarns.etsy.com
US 3, 3.25mm dpns-- 4
Started: January 2007
Finished: 24 January 2007

Were they unexpected because I haven't knit socks in so long, or for some other reason? :)

I usually do have a Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy sock somewhere idling for the right moment of spare time and stockinette crave... I was updating my Ravelry project notebook and actually counted-- there are 14 pair of socks in there based on Ms. Gibson-Roberts' heel/toe recipe, not counting times I've switched in her heel into another pattern. (!!) I have lots of knitting books but none get as much use as that one does around here :)

I'm sure I'd only knit them if I could keep spinning such striking yarn...



I still can't believe how deep the reds are in the Dyeabolical Yarns roving. I like the blue, but love red-- but I never buy red roving for fear of pink. This red didn't even run when the yarn was rinsed and set in hot water (I always abuse the yarn a little, not fearing the felt it's kinda fun!)... though I really thought the blue and red would create a line of purple somewhere between my brain-eye talk.



I've been spinning a true fingering weight yarn lately, but the dk is so fun and so fast to spin and knit that I may try and spin some heavier ones soon. At only 48 sts around, these socks fly off the needles and are a nice cushion of warm against the lingering cold.

Speaking of the cold, yall will get a kick out of this. Mom came by the other day as I was leaving to run errands... she pointed to the unoriginal (handspun) hat on my head and said (I swear)-- "Oh, and I need to put an order in for a hat, like that to go over my ears, but in black." Oy.

She is my mom though, crazy is and does all, and I can do a hat. (And goodness knows I had the yarn.)


Koolhaas hat by b r o o k l y n t w e e d
Interweave Knits Holiday 2007
Malabrigo worsted, black
US 7 & 8 Knit Picks Harmony 48" circular (magic loop)
Started: 14 January 2007
Finished: 16 January 2007

It turned out great, if I do say so myself :) I couldn't get the true black of the yarn in pictures, and couldn't capture a good shot of the top to save my life, but it was way fun and way fast. It fits well; the Malabrigo must have a longer column gauge than the listed yarn though-- I thought I'd have to add another repeat to get it stretched down over my ears, but the women's size worked just fine and would have been a little too long had the ear covering part not been requested.

I did try and eke out another toddler sized Koolhaas from the leftovers... didn't quite work for my big headed boy, but would fit a baby/2 year old. I had *just* enough yarn with 16 fewer sts, 3 repeats and a hasty decrease at the top-- no matter. Some bobble headed baby will fit in it, I'm sure :)

Speaking of... So. My family (not me!! i wish, yadda yadda) is welcoming a pair of twin boys in the near future and of COURSE I have a burning desire to knit a set of baby surprise jackets for them, even bought some GORGEOUS deeper than pictured turquoise and orangy yellow Colinette Jitterbug from Article Pract for the task. After scanning Ravelry I'm pretty sure a skein each will suffice... My problem? I was planning on doing an applied i-cord bindoff in the contrasting color on each (so, yellow will get the blue icord, blue will get the yellow) and thought that was freaking brilliant!

True to form, now I'm staring at the skeins trying to decide if it's too matchy matchy.

The colors do look great together though.

Ergh. Anyways! Have a good one, see you soon!

lemonade...

Instead of doing lots of intended things (etsy friday, secret knitting, listing new freshwater pearl stitch markers in my etsy shop), my past week was sidelined by the crazy rain here in the bay area (mom had a leaky roof!!) and my son's first bout with the flu ever-- meant lots of no sleep for me and lots of juggling, but thank goodness for our hobby... it calmed my nerves quite a bit over the past few days.

During the night hours where I'd watch my redfaced son try to suffer thru sleep, I worked on my Casino shawl project.


Casino Shawl by Anne Hanson of knitspot-- petite size
Elann's Lana Cash
Started: 28 December 2007
US 6 (4.0mm) Knit Picks Harmony needles, 48"
faceted freshwater pearl knitting stitch markers from zero.etsy.com

I know, doesn't look like much! :)

I started this shawl soon after Christmas for someone close to me who needed something akin to a comfort shawl... something to be wrapped up in where each stitch was made with a good thought of warmth and love. Of course, my mind flew instantly to anne's pattern shop and I remembered how much I liked this shawl when she debuted it a while back. It's interesting and not mindless-- one of the things that scares me about lace is the monotony of patterning and my tendency to get bored with the familiar, but the casino shawl is "knitted lace"-- patterning on both sides; the WS patterning is simple but it's not just "purl across." There is a provisional caston for the upper edge's border, but the side borders are knit as you go so I'm not as intimidated as I thought I'd be.

The Lana Cash (not carried currently by elann, the link above is to my short review of it; 70/30 wool/cashmere) is a 2-ply of black and brown with white tweed flecks; I worried that the shawl would look too... shabby? in this yarn, but figured it would be more wearable on more occasions than something dressier like a solid or silk blend. I also really liked the way the Lana Cash ended up after a good warm water soak-- it feels like rowan felted tweed and gained quite a bit of softness, so we'll see in the end :)

I did keep making some sort of mistake on the row 18-row 1 transition so I put it down for truly mindless knitting...


Handspun American Maid BFL socks
roving from dyeabolicalyarns.etsy.com
Started: Jan ? 2008
US 3 dpns, 4

Another pair of handspun socks based on Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Simple Socks method, another beautiful showing of handdyed roving from etsy sellers. I'm still amazed at how red they are (and this is the more blue skein)-- I shy away from buying red roving destined for socks since it usually drafts finely into pink, but this is red-red and you guys know what a red fan I am :) The blue also holds its own, not purple which is a nice change for me.

You can see what I mean here from last time-- my long draw spinning's becoming less fuzzy in yarn and FO from the last pair, which looks better but doesn't feel as good on the foot. I'm definitely a feel-girl, so I may start to try and make some more fuzzy yarns :)

In the wake of the week I also started spinning the 50/50 rovings from my last dye session-- I dyed 2 oz of 70/30 sw merino/seacell and 2 oz of 80/10/10 sw merino/cashmere/nylon together, intending on spinning them into singles and plying together to see what they'd look like in a finished yarn.

The seacell blend:


"Mercutio" colorway

I usually don't like on-the-bobbin shots since mine always come out blurry and weird, but I tried since I really want to get pics of how the different fibers look individually to compare to the finished yarn plied together. The seacell in the blend didn't take the dye (I use acid dyes), and my method of dyeing will often leave white spots of undyed roving, so the finished singles were almost ethereal in their shine-- fog stains of the original colorway. I bet if spun into a thicker yarn you could see the streaks of whitish seacell, but here it just lends a sheen to the overall single.

I have come to the realization that I don't really like yarns with sheen/shine, but I really like spinning tencel-seacell-*-cel fiber blends. I'm hoping that plying with the merino/cashmere single will leave me with a yarn I can enjoy knitting into socks... I'm getting nervous about running out of handspun sock yarn for my mindless knitting :)

*Finally* regarding diverted time, I did manage to make lots and lots of new knitting stitch markers for my shop, though I am wrestling with the weather for better pics. New shapes for old favorites (tiger's eye stone bricks, silver leaf jasper in square pillows), new pearl/garnet combos and amethysts to be listed sooner than later. I will be restocking regularly over the next weeks-- I have a lot of sets that I just haven't even taken pics of yet.

Okay! Little boy MUST be feeling 100% better because he's crawling all over me, so miss you and talk to you soon :)

holiday knitting

Handspun Blue Faced Leicester (superwash) socks
roving from pigeonroofstudios.etsy.com -- blackthorn
more woolen than not-spun, 2 ply dk weight
Started: 23 October 2007, walkaround
Finished: in time for Xmas 2007
US 3 dpns, 4

I did a lot of holiday knitting (for me) this time around, everything having a special place in my heart. These socks I carried around with me for months, sneaking in rounds standing in long lines at the grocery store, waiting at the broadway curb, fighting sleep on the red couch in the living room... wherever I could sneak in the reified prayers of love and longing onto my needles I would. At this point, knitting's a reaction of my hands; the thoughts while knitting these instead were love, wishes of warm feet and a good year ahead and behind.



They're so simple though... but just between you and me? After conquering lots of technique, yarns and FOs it feels the best to just knit... round around round, left alone in the circularity of silence and reaction, reflex. I love learning and trying new things but it's the home of stockinette, the simplicity of things, the calm after the storm in one's arms that I find true solace and joy in. It is the simple pieces that shine in my heart because I'm not thinking of patterns when I knit, but the loved ones they're intended for.



I feel spoiled being able to not only knit gifts, but to use yarn I've spun myself for it. Relatively, this is one of the older yarns from my handspun sock yarn stash and lately I'm spinning a long draw that has more tension in the singles, less soft and poufy, much less fuzzy/woolen looking than this one was. As much as I like the look of smoother/worsted spun yarns, both in pictures and in that nagging sense in the back of my mind that my yarns like these are less "professional" than the slick examples across blogland... lord they are warm. And fuzzy soft. And a joy to squish your toes around in. Perfect for colder weather than the one I'm enjoying (pray no rain today for me-- my son's getting a shiny new red bike that I didn't handmake ;)), for those times one needs to feel held and warm and loved.



I only worry they're too similar to a better photographed pair, despite being dk to the fine fingering of the previous. Too much purple, too easily influenced, too eager to please. Doesn't matter, doesn't matter since both come from the same place in me, that same reaction that has become reflex with time, deeper seated in my heart and hands.

Merry Christmas. Miss you.

:)

beginning of the end

I think that talking about holiday knitting jinxes me (could it be that I waited so long to start? maybe... :)) But again I have these high hopes to finish projects for my loved ones for the holidays, starting with the things I set down a year ago!


Cable and Rib Scarf by Knitspot.com
Patons Classic Merino, "grey mix"

It's the scarf that never ends! It looks really nice though (Dave knit this pattern up last year, more cushy in Cashmerino!), about halfway thru? I read somewhere that a scarf should be as long as the recipient is tall... my uncle towers over me at over six feet so I hope this isn't true :)

I also wanted to knit the Hemlock Ring blanket for my grandma, and started an Elizabeth Zimmerman Mystery Blanket for my son as practice...


Mystery Blanket from Knitter's Almanac (April)
Malabrigo/Handpainted Yarn worsted, "pollen" colorway
US 10, 60" Knit Picks Harmony circular needle

..and realize how little I enjoy knitting on an ever-growing circular blanket. Even at 60", my needle is too short for the project and I still have over half a ball of malabrigo to go til its done. So, I'm thinking about using the yarn (Interlacements Merino Worsted) to make Totally Autumn instead... thoughts? The 2 hanks are slightly different, so I'll alternate every pattern repeat for a slightly striped look.

Next year will be the big blanket project and I'll start early-- Knitter's Great American Aran blanket! Excited, but need to find a good wool first.

Still though, this will be a sweet holiday blankie for my son-- handwashable as it is :) (The above picture is actually my entry for the "How much can you stuff in your Piddleloop bag?" contest running at Ravelry-- contest ends Nov 12th... check out my hott grommet action!)

And, just between you and me-- the sock mojo came roaring back Tuesday afternoon and I had this sock done before sleep that night!


Handspun sock, based on Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' method
Handspun BFL yarn, "blackthorn" colorway-- roving from pigeonroofstudios.etsy.com
Started 23 October 2007
US 3 dpns-- 4

Something dirty to be said for inspiration striking, but again-- I'm worried for the jinx too much :)

Til then...

i worked it all weekend

...at least i have a new pair of socks to show for it.* :)


Toe up simple socks, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' heel and toe
64 sts CO, 14 st space at heel/toe
Mountain Colors Bearfoot, "mystic lake"
US 1.5/2.5mm dpns, 4
Started: 25 July 2007
Finished: 11 August 2007

Lately I've been trying, as boring as it is, to keep one big project, one sock project, and one walkaround sock project on the needles. (So right now-- Hanami, Mona sock, and PGR socks living between worlds.) I keep hearing the sirens' call for new projects and am trying to trick myself using some flute before the flautist thing (if I finish Hanami, maybe I have some business thinking about Celtic Icon or Tangled Yoke Cardigan, etc.)

I keep "stealing time"/walkaround socks on the needles like these stockinette ones for long waits at the post office, on the bus, while reading and/or daydreaming... I don't have to look at my hands or even think about a pattern, feels good like soothing an addiction or sleeping next to someone you love. I don't usually take pics of these kinds of socks til they're done, they move so slowly and I'm apparently an impatient type of girl. :)



I really like the yarn (Mountain Colors Bearfoot). Like, a lot a lot. It's thick, fuzzy and warm-- I can imagine these being a great cool weather pair to wear. I'd also guess they'd wear well with their nylon *and* mohair content (did I read somewhere, someone reinforcing heel/toes with laceweight mohair instead of woolly nylon/reinforcing thread? somewhere.) This skein has sat in the stash for a while though, always too dark for patterned socks-- but now that I've become gung ho about knitting plain vanilla PGR socks, I can see a bigger dent in the stash being made already with yarns I can't quite match a pattern to.





The color's also nice, no pooling at 64 st CO/8 sts inch (US 1.5's). Your mileage may vary, on the k2p2 rib at the top, I noticed that the bright orange started spiraling around. I really wish Mountain Colors didn't have so many dark (value wise) colors, I could easily see Bearfoot becoming a left field, barbeque pizza favorite otherwise. The photos were taken amidst full weekend summer sin, darker colors than lit like this.



Still a PGR heel/toe, click for big and no holes at the turns :)

Miss you already, the time always too short. Need to work on that.


* "...without the box," yay!

simple stockinettes

I felt like I hadn't completed anything in ages (despite the time invested in Hanami), so I banged out the stockinette on the go socks I always seem to have around.


Handspun stockinette socks, toe up
76 st CO, 14 st between toe/heel (Priscilla Gibson-Roberts short row method)
2-ply handspun from superwash merino roving, hand dyed by me for my etsy store
US 0/2.0mm dpns, 4
Started: late May? 2007
Finished: July 20, 2007

Nothing like a surprise deadline to squeeze it out of you. I wasn't really feeling the yarn, I feel like I spun it way too thinly (and it was a reminder that I still am not able to control the weight of the yarn I am spinning, and that it varies across the superwash merino I spin the most of). I am however really pleased with how the colors turned out... I dyed the roving with 3 shades of purples, and love the ultimate effect of the colors on themselves and against the white background of the roving.

I am still a huge fan of Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and her short row method...





Both the toe and heel are hers, as well as the cuff bindoff. I haven't mentioned before, but my way of knitting the short rows, at least the order, is different than PGR's. On the first row of turning the heel/toe (when working the YOs together), I knit to the 1st attached pair of sts, knit into the 1st st (a live st, not a YO), turn, YO and purl to the next pair. I then purl into the attached st, slip the next 2 sts separately as if to knit, replace & p2togtbl. Turn, YO and work as written. I also omit the YOs at the ends of the needles, opting to either pick up the bar and m1 or by picking up lower sts as directed by Charlene Schurch in Sensational Knitted Socks.

Purlwise has a wonderful pictorial you can follow as you read PGR, as Simple Socks can be a little confusing at times.

My favorite picture of these socks:


(for what's seen and not.)

I'll be back tomorrow with a picture and color heavy post, but for now a quickie...



See you then! :)

almost knitting

just barely!


Pomatomus in handspun 3-ply superwash bfl
roving dyed by Pigeonroof Studios, "nightshade"
Started: June 16, 2007
US 2/2.75mm dpns, 4

Still my favorite pattern, and I do love the yarn. Summer's here though and the heat just makes me want to spin instead of finish up wool socks :) I really do like this pattern in handspun-- mine's never as even as commercial yarn and in patterned socks it just jumps out, the thick/thin (even if its not apparent, I'm just supercritical about it.) In Pomatomus though, the twisted stitches and the patterning don't really show the thinner/thicker spots in the yarn-- and its just a delight to see the detail of yarn stand out in the twisted stitches.



The color's fun too-- this single sock reminds me of an iceberg for some reason. At the heel, the yarn turned much darker and I can't wait to see how the other one shapes up colorwise.

Better detail of the darker colors on the sole in stst...



I've also put in almost all the time I need for this sock:


Handspun superwash merino sock, based on PGR's "Simple Socks"
roving dyed by zero.etsy.com, "the color"
Started: late May? 2007
US 0/2.0mm dpns, 4

I'm not feeling it, though the color is fun. Knitting these on US 0 has just taken the wind from my sails-- its just a consistent reminder my handspun singles were too thin to begin with. The ugh is mitigated by the fact I knit a good chunk of these by the light of "Deadliest Catch" while waiting up expectantly, so it keeps me sailing on :)



Back to my wheel :)


(i've recently switched to uploading pics full size to flickr and using their "medium" resized photo for blog posts-- its smaller than the quarter sized one i used to use. any input-- is it too small? i feel like it is and i can't see details i want to highlight, but can't really tell if i'm just being too picky. i would love your input if you had any!)

since i'm all about adventure

socks on caltrain!


Black Purl toeup socks, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' method
76 st, 14 st space btw heel/toe
Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Black Purl colorway
US 0 (2.0mm), 4 dpns
Started: 11 May 2007
Finished: 19 May 2007



I feel so silly... why am I the last to know how wonderfully Lorna's knits up?! Yes, its superthin, but on US 0's the fabric is so nice and smooth! I think it must be the nylon content I'm enjoying-- watching the fabric, I know that these will take a beating (like the Opal socks, and my two pair of Lisa Souza Sock! socks-- all with nylon content). Its been on my mind lately, as every pair of my merino socks has holes... I have wide feet and insist on forcing them into shoes that aren't wide enough, rubbing little holes into socks at the widest point of my foot just below the toes. I need to darn them, but the weather's getting so that all I want to wear lately are my stinky Tevas... no socks needed so not on my radar right now.

Anyways! Back at hand, I love LL! But hate every colorway except the one above! :( Any nylon-content sock yarns out there you love?

[edit, 5/6: i am SO mad! one day of admittedly hard wear on these socks, and a hole appears. officially retracting the love... :( ]



Of course I love PGR's toe up sock method too... you can always check out my PGR label/tag to see all of the socks that (recently) fall into that category-- post-Blogger beta, of course. With stockinette off my back, I may go thru this week and start tagging/labelling my older blog posts, I love tags far too much. I also finally broke down & bought the flickr pro account, so I'll be organizing photos into projects over there and joining some groups (like Cookie's Sock Creations). AND (last one) I'll finally have time to play with Ravelry... :)



I think I've beaten out the stockinette urge... hopefully it lasts the 6 weeks. :( I do have another project otn, and finished another...



More on those later.