Oops!

Or is it?.  I’ve been trying to follow the Knit From Your Stash 2007 thing from over at Wendy Knits! 

I pretty much follow the rules she has posted except that I say its ok to buy yarn for gifts IF I ABSOLUTELY don’t have ANYTHING to use from my stash or I have yarn for “trade.”  For example, my grandmother’s shawl is knitted with yarn I bought after I exchanged some unused extra skeins from other projects in at my LYS (yes, I am lucky that my LYS lady will take skeins back).  Ends up that it was nearly an even swap.

And I follow the idea that sock yarn doesn’t count.  Well, the other day I bought enough yarn to make 2 pairs at said LYS.  Then tonight I picked up the socks I started early this month that were going to be my Feb socks but I knew I wouldn’t make it so I switched to the BVI socks.  Anyway, I knew I wouldn’t have enough yarn to do the Cable net Socks (I’m using Knit Picks Essentials Pumpkin), so I was just going to reduce the number of repeats in the cuff.  Tonight I decided that that is ridiculous and got online and ordered another skein.  Hopefully the lot color won’t be terribly off.  But, of course, it would be a crime to only order 1 skein of yarn!!!  Unheard of!!!  Don’t worry, I didn’t order $45 worth to get the free shipping!!!  But I did get 6 more skeins; 3 of Essential Tweed Inca Gold and 3 of Gloss Concord Grape.  I’m learning that 2 skeins isn’t nearly enough if you do an intricate pattern.   So it wasn’t that bad!

And, as you may know, the first Socks that Rock (for some reason my computer won’t connect to www.bluemoonfiberarts.com) kit gets mailed out!!!  But one can always use good old fashioned solid sock yarn, right?  Right!

So, nevermind!  There is no oops.  Talked myself right out of that guilt.

Update!!

I have renewed faith in our postal system…Grandma’s blanket arrived. Turns out that her regular carrier (a family member…yes, its a small town) was out last week so the sub evidently wasn’t sure of the normal procedure for a 95 year old Grandmother of way-too-many-to-count (she actually became a great-great last year!). So all is well and I am told that it is being featured on the back of the living room sofa!! Woo Hoo!

I’m so relieved (and lazy)!

I’m just going to copy what I wrote on these on the Sock a Month KAL 3 because, well, like I said above with a few more comments.

These are “Frankenstein” socks, really. I started with Booga J’s How to Picot Cast On for Socks . I love the clean finish of the picot edge, and I think it adds a lot to socks that aren’t a typical rib.  In hindsight, if I knew I wasn’t going to have the sock cuffs any longer than they are I would have casted on fewer stitches for the edge and then increased for the lace section.  No big deal, though.

Then I moved onto Shazzas Feather and Fan Sock Pattern .   Honestly, I only used the pattern for the number of stitches to cast on and the general feather and fan stitch repeat pattern.  Of course, that was pretty much the whole pattern BUT you’ll see that the heel is different (and probably the toe but I never looked).

I did the afterthought heel out of possible necessity–I didn’t know if I would have enough yarn for the heels and toes. I recommend this site: http://www.dawnbrocco.com/techniques.html. My heels fit like a dream!  I will admit that the socks look funny when they aren’t on my feet.  A friend asked, “do your heels really stick out that far.”  Well, yes, thank you for asking! 

OK, the yarn was Colinette’s Jitterbug in color # 138 (Lagoon, of course!). It is very nice yarn although a little on the short side when it comes to yardage (only 267 meters in a 100g skein) by my limited experience.  I might have had a 1/2 ounce left over.  I guess I’m too use to those 400+ meter sock yarns.

I used Addi Natura size US1 40″ on the body until it broke (midway through the first sock) and then switched to the same needle but only 32″.  I used INOX US0 29″ on the heels and toes.   All Magic Loop, of course.

I really enjoyed making these and even though it took me a little over 2 weeks (I think) they are really fast.  Shout out to Bethany for letting me visit her in England where I got this yarn and, therefore their name.  I christen these my BVI Socks.

A finished object

Forever-ago I saw this pattern and thought that it would be perfect for my friend, Kathleen.  And then I thought that it would be a great gift for Christmas.  And then Christmas came and went.  But I got inspired again and decided to go on with it.  If anyone would understand my procrastination, Kat would. 

Its the Headline News: Cabled Newsboy Cap from SnB Nation. The yarn is Cascade Yarns Pastaza in color #67.

It was fast and easy (but don’t tell Kat that). 

trying something new

I’m really frustrated with Blogger.  I find it very hard to get anything to be where I want it to be.  But I know that it could just be me.  I thought I would try another blog site to determine if I just need to put up with pictures in the wrong place and huge blank areas.

The post I was trying to put up is this:

Well, so far it seems to be more user-friendly.

OK, so I’m bummed cause the throw you see above might not ever be seen again.  I mailed it to my grandmother last Monday and she hasn’t gotten it!  Even with all the ice we’ve had, I can’t believe it would take this long.  I’m so sad!

In memorial, a couple more shots of it:

pattern: Heirloom Baby Blanket from Crochet Today Magazine (Aug/Sept ’06)

yarn: Plymouth Dreambaby DK

hook: G (one size larger than called for because I wanted it to be a sizable lap blanket)

This is the second time I have made this pattern.  The first was for a friend’s baby and I sent it off so quickly that I didn’t get pictures taken.  Just squint and imagine a soft antique pick.

Alright, off to see how this posts and think about if I’m going to switch.