To All The Blogs I’ve Read Before…

I just wanted to say hey to everyone that I’ve not said hey to in awhile.  I have sporadically been reading all the usual suspects and a few new ones but have not always left comments.  I know you’ve all been there before and you understand.  Also, to those who have left comments on this blog…thank you.  I appreciate you taking the time to comment even though I have been lax in responding.  Again, I’m sure you have been there. 

Speaking of blog readers, have you ever checked out what people are searching when they happen to come across your blog?  What do they call it?  Search engine terms?  Some of them are so out there!  I sometimes, when trying to avoid something that really needs to be accomplished, will Google what they searched just to see what else pops up.  Oh, what a time waster. 

And how many of you find that you might blog a little less now that we have Ravelry?  Sometimes after I have entered everything on there I just can’t even think about putting it all on here.  Or vice-versa.  I know not everyone is on Ravelry…but it makes you wonder what will happen when Rav goes public.  It would be terribly tempting to just say “go here.”

With that said, forever ago I put these up on Rav.

Summer of Love Lace by JC Briar
US 1½ / 2.5 mm
Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock –Flower Power
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
couple of mods: Added my “signature” ribbing on the bottom, as usual.

The only other mod was to add a couple of short rows on the bottom of the sock right before starting the decreases for the toe.  I hoped this would add more length to the bottom of the sock so that the tip of the toe didn’t pull under when I wore them.  So far it seems to be working.  They are certainly some of my best fitting socks.

I’m thinking that if I finish one pair of my Socks that Rock Sock Club socks (say that 5X fast) every month that I will be caught up before too long.  I’m working on, and nearly finished with, Lenore.  That leaves 3 that I will have to do and, hopefully, only one more kit will arrive by then, if my math is correct.

Oh!  And the others I finished sometime ago….

Rainbow Socks by Susanne Kitzmann (from the now defunct Magknits )
US 1½ / 2.5 mm Yarn
Zwerger Garn Opal Saphir 6ply
Colorway 1201
Ingenious pattern. A little fiddly on 1 circ but the results are worth it.
Only a few mods based on length of foot.

And with that I will leave with a little *sigh* over the loss of a great free pattern resource, Magknits.  You will be missed.  In the meantime, if you are trying to track down some of the patterns before they completely disappear,…I have removed this link per the comment you will find below.  I have only the highest respect for designers and their intellectual property and feel that this is the right move.  This, however, is not a comment on what others choose to do on their blogs.  Did I cover my butt well enough?  She did a great job getting together all the links to the patterns ”in memoriam” to Magknits.

 

Oh, so close!!!

Just after midnight last night I finished these:

pattern: Belle Epoque from 2-At-A-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes
yarn: Jitterbug copperbeach
needles: 40″ Inox 2.5mm
mods: none

LOVE EM!!! Love the yarn, the socks, the technique. If you’ve ever wanted to do try the 2 socks at once on one needle…I recommend this book. There is some errata but what book doesn’t have that!?!  Both the publisher and the author seem to be very actively trying to correct the issues.
In the meantime, I have SOCKS and in 6 days (really 5 and some change).

Wait! What’s that? On the very tip of the toes?

Yes, that’s right. I ran out of yarn…darn it! Well, that’s Jitterbug for you…only 265 meters. They really should increase the yardage on their skeins. I mean, 265 is not really enough for a pair of socks and 2 skeins would be WAY too much. If I ran the world (or at least Colinette Yarns)….
In other knitting news…
I loved the Melissa’s technique so much that I cast on these fingerless gloves. Unfortunately that is a Ravelry link and is the only link I could find. I apologize if you can’t see it. Might I suggest that you go and submit your email to be invited? It is a wonderful resource. In the meantime…here is my picture:

Simple yet effective.  And just in time for temperatures in the 60s!
pattern: 220 Fingerless Mitts (see link above)
yarn: Cascade 220 (can’t recall color # right now)
needles: Inox 40″ US4
mods: other than customizing it to my hands (basically knitting more rows than called for in pattern), none
Update on Summer of Love Lace…

Slowly but surely. Can you blame me? Its all stockinette now. UGH!
And this is one I cast on on the way to the Bahamas that I haven’t really worked on since.

The pattern is Mad Weave. Its a very interesting pattern and I’m really liking how it is coming out in this Ranco semi solid yarn.

I know I have more to catch up on.  Soon.

February…cont.

So, as I was saying, I came home.  Did laundry.  Reconnected with the cats.  Developed one heck of a cold, TYVM!! 

And packed.  See, my friend, Jennifer, had been accepted into the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft as an exhibitor.  She is a jeweler.  She lives in California and when she does east coast shows I try to help.  I picked her up on Tuesday the 12th in one heck of a winter storm moving through our area.  People, I don’t drive in this kind of stuff!!!  Course, Jennifer thought I was a wimp…she lived in OR for 8 years or so. 

 Anyhoo, we began our whirlwind, crazy week.  Wednesday and Thursday was set up.  You just never can predict how much time this sort of thing takes!  But we did it and got the booth done in time for the Thursday night Jewelry Preview.

I think Jennifer did a terrific job with the visual concept of her booth.  She wanted it to feel more like a gallery and less like a jewelry store.  I say she accomplished that!!

One of the highlights of our week was our proximity to Reading Terminal Market.  What a great place!  We got terrific lunches and these great flowers that Jennifer picked up on Thursday afternoon right before the Preview.  Now, if you remember, Thursday was Valentine’s Day.  Do you know how hard it is to find flowers on Valentine’s Day?!?  Luckily, white, apple green and orange are not the colors of love.

Not the best picture of some of her work but you can find that here.  She started with a line of rings and has added the necklaces and earrings in the last couple of years.  She does really unique, beautiful work!  And she picked up 5 shops/galleries while we were at this market.  Seeing as it is her first year, everyone said this was really good.  Something about how the shops like to see you come back year after year before most will pay attention to you.

There she is…the artist!

No knitting was done during all of this…surprise!  However, I did see lots of knitted, crocheted and woven items while at the show.  Along with jewelry, glass, and ceramics, there was a large fiber area.  We were right on the edge between the two so you can guess where I was when I took a break.  People are really so amazingly creative and talented!!  I just loved walking around.  Sorry I don’t have pictures but you weren’t allowed to take them.  Understandable.  I also saw many of the exhibitors knitting away in their booths.  All said it was a bit of a slow year.

Great fun spending time with Jennifer (and her mom, who visited a couple of days).  We really didn’t get much a chance to explore the city but we knew that this was a business trip, not a social one.  We hope it can be a little more social when she is back in August.

Since I’ve been home in a self-imposed quarantine (I have got to get better, dang-it!), I’ve gotten a little knitting done.
 

These are my Feb socks for SAM5.  I really wanted to finish either the Summer Of Love Lace Socks or another pair but with all that has gone on…it just wasn’t going to happen.  These will go in the baby gift closet to be given to all those babies coming down the pipeline (other people, NOT me!!).

Pattern: Little Sky Socks from New Pathways for Sock Knitters (C. Bordhi)

Yarn: kool-aid dyed (by me) worsted weight yarn

needle: 40″ Inox US7

Enjoyed this new way of knitting socks and learned a lot that I think will translate into other sock patterns.  I’m looking forward to making more from this book.

I also frogged the Dublin Bay socks and re-casted on that yarn to make Belle Epoque socks from 2-at-a-Time Socks (Melissa Morgan-Oakes).  These have been fun, too, and I hope to catch up on all my picture taking soon.

Now for the rest…

First, WOW!!!  The weather was gorgeous today and there would be no better way to spend it than to be on the golf course.  And, guess what!!!  I got my first PAR!!!  But I won’t go into what my total score was….

OK, first package…the October Socks That Rock Kit.  Love it!  Unfortunately I did not think to take a picture when I uploaded the others and I am being lazy right now.  The kit is pictured all over the knitting blogopshere so if you haven’t see it…what planet have you been on?  It really is just gorgeous and the pattern (by the Yarn Harlot, herself) is going to be so great to knit up.  They truely outdid themselves.   And I, for one, am glad I signed up for 2008.  In so many ways, I have been happy with every kit received.  Some colors or patterns may not have grabbed me from the very beginning but I had promised that I would do them as written and with the yarn sent.  I have made 3 of the 5 socks so far and I have loved each.  I promise I will do the others (Summer of Love and Lenore) after the Christmas knitting madness is over and I am sure I will love them as well.

Ok, package #2:

Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 Ravenclaw socks from Holly Heathertoes
Wonderful, totally amazingly fitted socks…did you send a house elf  to measure my feet while I slept or something???
Beautiful Koigu yarn
Twisted Flower Sock Pattern from Cookie A (can’t wait to try that and I know exactly what yarn I’ll use!)
Dumbledore bookmark
Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans in a cute little collector bag

THANK YOU SO MUCH, HOLLY!!!
(Yours is on the way…soon, but you know that, right?)

Finally, I have been meaning to share this with those of you concerned about the proper footwear to have to show off your hand knit socks.  Little did I know I owned said footwear until I attended Stitches East.  I got stopped more for my shoes than for my gorgeous (if I do say so myself) socks.  I thought I would share…

They are made by MUDD (can’t remember the model name) and I bought them at DSW. I wear them so much that I think I’m going to get another pair for when these wear out.  Won’t these look amazing with Lenore?!?

Well, this was exhausting…posting twice and 6 hours of golf in one day!!!

Look what followed me home!

I have an extremely slow connection today so it will be interesting to see if any of this loads and works.  Before the weather even hit us last night the power went out in our area for about 5 hours.  It came back on right before we got a little thunderstorm. 

 ANYWAY…

WHAT THA? 

Where did that come from?

I innocently went into my LYS to help with a demonstration day and this followed me home with some gorgeous roving (which I didn’t take a picture of pre-spun). But here is a picture of what I had spun as of 6pm.

I’ve more than doubled that now. I think I’m a little taken with this.  While I have played at this a couple of times, this is my first real attempt at spinning.

Ultimately, I want to knit my own sock yarn, but I don’t think this first ”yarn” will be used for anything like that. Maybe a hat or mittens.

In other new…

I promised Sockergirl that I would take a picture of the socks she knitted me with my red clogs…

I wore them during the very brief period of time last week that we had sensible weather.  Gorgeous and very comfortable!

I did get my August Socks That Rock kit last week. I love it. Quite possibly my fav colorway/pattern combo yet. Even though most have gotten their kits, I am going to refrain from showing any pictures a little longer.

Finally, another brush with nature. I was innocently knitting in my fav chair which sits with its back to my backyard. I noticed Marmalade staring intently but figured it was a bunny or bird. I turned around to see this standing only 5-ish feet from the house (originally.  It moved by the time I found the camera)…

Actually, there where 2 of them…both young bucks. Very startling.

Bound & Determined!

I have been working on my Solstice Slip socks from the Socks that Rock Club exclusively for the last couple of days.  Finally, FINALLY I finish them!

time frame: 7/9/07-8/21/07 

pattern:  The Solstice Slip Sock by JC Briar from the Bluemoon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Club

yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight colorway: Firebird

needle: 2.5mm Inox Express 40″

size: medium (I wear a 9.5 US shoe)

modification: not many, really.  I did do the provisional cast on but used one that I think Cat Bordhi does where you provisionally cast on over the cable of your needle (Magic Loop).  I put my standard ribbing on the bottom.  I guess that is it.

I really like the way these came out, although I lost interest in them after awhile.  Great fit!  Proud to add them to my handknit sock collection!

I finished them just in time.  I saw a post today on the Socks That Rock blog that says that the East Coast August kits are in the mail!!  Woohoo!

IN OTHER NEWS…

My downstream sockpal sent me pictures to prove what she said:

They do look like they fit well. And they have found a nice, new home. *sniff* I’ll miss them so.

An Embarrassment of WIPs

I’m taking a break from all the cleaning to share my latest pictures of WIPs.  I will say that so far I have gotten quite a bit done (on the housework).  Kitchen clean, 4 loads of laundry done (2 folded and put away), vacuuming, sweeping, dusting done.  I’m going to be honest, I know that sounds like nearly everything and certainly the house looks better but it just needs so much more.  Cindy and Bethany have heard me say this before, I just need someone to come in and help me do all the really deep cleaning stuff.  And then I need an organizing specialist to come in and help with that mess!!!  Ugh!  This is why I don’t like to clean…it never ends up making me feel any better!!

Now onto a better subject:

I’ll begin with the oldest:

Work has not gone quite as planned on this but I am still determined to finish it. I have a new goal of having it done before Stitches East in October. We’ll see.

Then we have the Hufflepuff socks for Hogwarts Sock Swap II:

Trying to teach Lucky to knit them up but he is all hooves.

Socks That Rock June Kit (The Solstice Slip Socks):

The August kit is getting mailed off this week or early next week and I really want to be finished or nearly there by the time it arrives. I have cast on for the second sock and am going to catch it up to the first sock so that they are the same length having used as much of the yarn as I can.

After finishing my niece’s Wrap Dress I got gung-ho to work on her brother and sister’s October birthday gifts and casted this on:

Nearly done! Refer to this for the details but notice that I changed the colors.  J helped there and it is now refered to as the Mint Chocolate Chip Vest.

I joined Sockknitter’s Anonymous on Ravelry and they are doing a sock a month kal (you actually have 2 months to knit them, thank goodness) and every month you have the choice between a different technique or designer. This month was lace/Sockbug so I chose the lace and I chose Early Spring Socks. I’m doing them out of HipKnits 100% Cashmere.

Love the pattern and the yarn is heavenly!

The August pattern on Socktopia is a Mystery Sock. I originally picked Jitterbug yarn in Copperbeach to do this but soon discovered that the pattern gets completely lost in it. I switched yarns and this is where I am.

Sorry, not much to see. The yarn I’m using now is KP Essentials Tweed in Inca Gold.

And, as if this all wasn’t enough, I started a new project on Tuesday. Its the Minimalist Cardigan from IK Fall 2007. I’m using some stash (YES!!!! YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT!!!) Cascade Sierra in a Chocolate Brown color.

Only 1.5″ until I decrease for the armholes!

OK, I just heard the dryer stop so I have better go take care of that and do another 45 minutes of housework! On my next break I am knitting!!!

FOCUS!!!

I am beginning to stress about the items I need to be making for others that will need to be done and sent by the end of the month.  So what do I do instead of locking myself in a quiet room and knit?  I do an update on ongoing projects.  I don’t know, think of it as the figurative pad of paper on your bedside table that you write everything on so that you can more easily fall asleep.  I’m hoping that by writing about these I will be able to move on and focus on the 2 projects that need to be completed!

Roza’s Socks sock#1 with Tofutsies.  (Summer of Socks 07)

I’ve been finished with this one for awhile but haven’t casted on for #2.   I’ve very pleased with it.  SO SOFT!

Finished Pomatomus #1 and quickly cast on #2.  Boy, I tell you, I guess you have to win sometime, right?  I literally just picked up the end coming out of the ball (Lana Grossa Meileweit Cotton Spirit #3008) that was left from cutting off #1 and the stripes just lined up!!!  I love these socks and these have to be the hardest not to pick up and work on today!

Embossed Leaves from Favorite Socks in Socks That Rock lightweight Lemongrass.  I actually cast these on before my Ireland trip so that I could work on them over there (so they don’t qualify for Summer of Socks 07).  I didn’t get much past the cast on.  I picked them up on the boat this past week and it was amazing how quickly they grew!  Like a weed…or leaves!  Again, love them and it will be a struggle to not pick them up!

(sorry about the terrible pic)

What was I thinking?!?  For some unknown reason I decided to start this last night!  The Soltice Slip Socks from the June STR kit in Firebird (lightweight)  These will be another Summer of Socks 07 “entry” (although I’m not really in the running for any of the contests, or anything).  I think I was intrigued by all of the people NOT doing the pattern that I wanted to give the pattern a try to see if I liked it.  I do, so far.  And the colors are growing on me (I wasn’t dissappointed with them, but I wasn’t as excited about them as everyone else seemed to be).

Finally, one of the things I need to be working on.  It is the little Wrap Dress for my niece L1 (birthday is the beginning of August).  It is slow going with 20″ of stst (with garter edges) before you get to the shaping and I am only 6″ or so in.  Instead of doing 3 separate pieces (back and 2 fronts), I have cast on all the stitches and am doing them as one piece.  The most aggravating thing is keeping all the yarns from wrapping around each other when you change colors or turn the work.  I’m loving how it is all coming together, though.

And the other project I’m working on is my Sockapalooza 4 Socks.  These are also due by Aug 2nd.  I have turned the heel on both (doing them simultaneously but on separate circulars) and am on the decreases.  Luckily, my pal has very small feet!

OK, while this post doesn’t make me really feel any better, its good to have this off my chest.  Off to knit and finish listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

SPEAKING OF!!!  I bought tickets for myself and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law to go see the IMAX version this weekend!!!  Squeeeeeee!!!

 ETA:  I completely forgot that the new HP book will be released on the 21st and I was going to lock myself away so I can read it without fear of spoilers.  WHERE AM I SUPPOSE TO FIND THE TIME???

Takes me away…

Although I intended for this blob to be about sailing as well as knitting, I’ve never been very good about including very many pictures of our boat or our adventures.  I hope to change that this summer.  I’ve always gotten some of my best knitting done on the boat and with the Summer of Socks 2007 KAL (SOS) having started on Thursday, I thought what better way to incorporate 2 of my favorite things to do!

We set out on Thursday to meet up with my in-laws who are on their boat heading north.  The weather was not in our favor but INDIGO performed beautifully and got us through the 40+ knot gusts.  We rafted up for 2 nights and I was able to get work done on three different projects. 

I cast on for Jennifer’s socks after casting off the lines at the dock.  It’s Roza’s Socks from Interweave Knits Spring 2007.  I’m using Tofutsies #733 and I am loving it!!  I probably got through the ribbing before I had to put them away so they wouldn’t get wet from all the water we were taking over the bow.  It was crazy!  I have now just turned the heel on sock #1.  If you want something quick and easy but that looks (but isn’t) a little more complicated than plain rib, give this a try.

I also worked on my Sockapalooza Pal’s socks but I can’t report on them due to my inability to keep my mouth shut.  She said that she wouldn’t go looking for my blog but I think she is just trying to be nice (not saying she isn’t telling me the truth…just that she wants to make me feel ok about my blunder).  So I’ll wait until she has received them before posting a pic.  Anyway, I am doing 2 at a time and am 3 1/2 ” into the cuff.

I also worked on another friend’s socks (the pink Move Your Fanny socks) to get them to the point that she can try them on for sizing.  I think I will see her today and maybe get sock #1 off the needles!!

I have split and caked the STR June Kit but have not done anything with it yet.  Even though the other socks (the ones cast on before June 21st) don’t count in SOS, I’m still going to keep working on them.  I never expected to enter the “most socks” contest or any of that.  I really don’t have any goals for SOS other than to take some pictures of my socks with me on vacation, etc.

Off to work on my pal’s socks….

*cough* *cough*

I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve caught the bug from Kristy…the Single Sock Bug.  Let’s consider my symptoms:

Here you see 2 finished single socks and their mates have not been cast on at this time.  Then you see 3 socks in progess.  What you don’t see is the other 2 balls of yarn waiting in the wings to be cast on tomorrow to qualify for the Socks of Summer KAL.

Is this serious or just a passing sniffle?  We will just have to see.  Considering that I have to finish my Sockapalooza Pal’s socks (a pair, preferably) I might have to be cured soon.  I also have socks for 2 friends (one of which the little pink sock(s) is for) to get finished in a decent amount of time.

FYI, starting at the left top: little golf footie inspired by several patterns knit in Fortissima Socka Polycolon (the wicking stuff), Hedera knit in Cherry Tree Hill “brights”, little pink Move Your Fanny knit in Tofutsies #730,  Pomatomus knit in Lana Grossa Cotton Spirit #3008, and Cascade Fixation Ankle Sock knit in, you guessed it, Cascade Fixation #2406.

Wait, lets take a closer look at that Pomatomus!

OK!  OK!  I get it now!  When these first appeared on Knitty I thought they were neat and all but I didn’t understand all the fuss.  But now, NOW I get it!!!  They are mesmerizing!  I cast on this sock yesterday morning and I turned the heel a little more than 24 hours later (and, yes, I slept, among other things).  I am addicted!  I think these will be at the top of my favorite socks ever knitted.

I also promised to share a picture of the 100% cashmere yarn from HipKnits UK that I picked up in Ireland:

Beautiful, huh?  Again, any suggestions for a pattern for 750 yards of 100% Cashmere sock yarn???

Also, I got package #3 from the Socks that Rock Sock Club.  Very nice, but that is all I will say until all have received theirs.

We will be going out on the boat this weekend.  In honor of that I will share a picture of Vi who went out on her Auntie T’s boat this spring while visiting at Easter.