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!!) :)

Wyvern complete!

Wyvern done!

Started January 21, 2006
Finished January 25, 2006
Henry's Attic Kona Superwash, koolaid dyed (orange)
US 3's, dpns

This pattern was so fun and just flew. I'm sure it had to do with the gauge of the yarn as well; I got gauge on US 3's (pattern called for 2's), but the column gauge had to have been way off too-- I have a sz 9-9.5 foot and only got thru 3.5 repeats of the pattern before I started the heel, and did 7 repeats total (the author had 11 total repeats). I also only knit 4 rnds of p2, k2 at the cuff.

Bound off using US 6's, and they're super comfy.

This was only the 2nd pattern (Pomatomus was 1st) that I knit using a chart-- I had a fear of charts til now. I also pretty much taught myself short rows with this pattern, which is a huge reason why I love knitting socks... I just dive in and hope there's a tutorial online to help with any snags. In this case the 1st sock I knit has some funky holes on the purl side pickups for the shortrows; this month's Interweave Knits had a tutorial/refresher on short rows and I found their illustrations quite helpful (so no wonkiness on the 2nd sock as far as short rows are concerned).

This last picture is the huge quantity of yarn I had left over. :) I weighed out 4 oz on my kitchen scale, but its terribly unreliable (only for guesstimates) so perhaps there was less than 4 oz. Still, what a thrill to make it-- I think sock knitters get some sort of jolt in watching the sock yarn dwindle on the second sock (I know I did)...

Wyvern started

Wyvern started...

Started Janaury 21, 2006
Kona Superwash, koolaid handdyed (naranja-- details here)
US 3's, dpns
M size

With 3 starts to the short row toe, I finally got it rolling and it seems to be going pretty quickly. Although, the purl short row side seems to show holes and I can't figure out why... Perhaps I'm being too picky since they're not super noticable, and maybe because I struggled a bit picking up the purl side wraps.

I also noticed the toe seems long on my foot, perhaps 2.25" long-- which isn't long-long, but looks it. At least it does with only these few patt repeats under my belt.

The sock reminds me of the koi and koi pond my grandfather built in his backyard, goldfish styling.