tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66652052391746833412024-03-15T23:11:53.919-06:00(Mostly) StashlessUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger439125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-58354690251531843222024-03-02T11:37:00.004-07:002024-03-02T11:37:32.088-07:00Overcorrection<p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">A couple of years ago - I looked in my sock drawer and felt like there were way too many dark coloured socks. Purples, burgundies, deep reds - it seemed like all my socks had a sort of sameness to them, and I wanted some more variety.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oR2k1hgTb7-RBJqqRdrBozi1qYwCvguGzathHKsO2Ic7HUmgkWfMcp1QQrG3IaSbKD_YKFsJMPgudvT4BzUmvX2PPqqWkjK4gsrtwLq5l1bNvE4YY0jB9GJB5BL19sB1i8gXIoEKN4XmVjunvyTASohVZbtcFFNi0ATXCd-dynUlQqgT52kLKxaFgaSk/w300-h400/20220629_165046.jpg" width="300" /></div><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Let's be honest, this reaction was at least in part driven by laundry considerations. Darker coloured socks get washed with darker coloured clothes, which meant that if I happened to be doing a light coloured wash, no clean socks were being returned to the drawer.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpQexhnRMgvLJF4i2wzOlIRfOJnWQDRcYw37l4rkhrVU0iPP4BQPBPXMw2PAon8AkrhWtGMlksyyolpV6UoNXculyCx58iDRYoyixQ0NwLMsa1s2OAmKuH_7sqpfb0YeOZ0mnyeJnCDpcc0hxqusuGNTOynyJjeLJK0fZCzCvRU6hn-YTP6RGWSpUDElS/w300-h400/20230110_160717.jpg" width="300" /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">And the whole scene came to be because I kept buying sock yarn from the same region of the colour wheel, and when I go to start a pair of socks, I never go looking for yarn in a shop, I always dip into the stash.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEICJw8vqgntZayrgl_KoAZD_25yWavpjZfCbndJ2ab0WrqhOrKNBVJb1qSg1sd4ckOOqv4Aq-N5Y7keyqIX3snXpoSrYqzitb-d0770ifJDy4Kr8bjs6eDuVrj16Si_gvYNbJhZzrttABpbgHIeFkTEoVhsPlCMhRWqvx9-a-MNEy_EUKFkhpcp5l2R5F/w300-h400/20230416_133355.jpg" width="300" /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">So I started consciously seeking out not-purple-burgundy-deep red sock yarns when shopping, to build up some supply, and when I went looking for yarn to cast on with, I of course gravitated to the newer, more intriguing colours.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlCtwyUYnV4ueLBOiy1yJ1y-vCKwbFQcMGmh4lo9RSXF3KnxauSu_hyphenhyphenbZIGd7CmWFp6VxZvDtq3USHjMtv3Z_S4e4xDlErtUGCmXFx3kaHraif75d9AEpjaJ7x90KeMksQF1_E-wkP3ew9MetCyjarc5ncrhg-IIfyiPg38e5rW_YdGoq4o-NAbkt5bgR/w300-h400/20231028_115146.jpg" width="300" /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">I explored speckles (late to the party), I explored self-striping yarn (also late to the party).</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkmh7n2PZ3NLKRAPivkqz5OZk_o60l2Xb0xMx7kAQ3TVwFbyNnr0hqIHaCk6_nLQsZfV7zaRrqfMAFXexENSYg5nzsXKp3sPPqJP0ACmg2TusEvke5F-6o50Zb6jzu6R8P-MLVT3SUAZ621ZdnkPlUvfO-QMoD0P0U-Xmsh9KiLqsBWxkuj08S0rw8OME/w300-h400/20231016_174445.jpg" width="300" /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">And when it comes time to reach into the drawer for socks for the day, I again gravitate to the newer, more intriguing socks.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXq3nuoFPw3u6CHPv1_ay9W3Kv2lVMLheBHGs3cBBGhVyDGRqNTdup_XUFJKtZhGZ6yFQgrRbpO733b0ZkpufVKQwM6Xkd9oKsKDBfAYlhpYpSmmMft6dj19aGqOHjCGjvXBWjpHv7ucMCVg1xMfGs4IA3XZUm8aGDE_QBPK1ZD_I00BTKf_UKq8zJTOsI/w300-h400/20230506_151920.jpg" width="300" /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Which means my problem has now inversed itself: I wear lots of light coloured socks, so when I go to do a dark wash, fewer pairs come back to the drawer.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfv0xHlusel6_UgW8KRwfrQFv0GnpzA3o0kuWJgbFHlKTS_BmvrzYN7MIZXoWRs65p56hWk5Zn23EpAmK2ZPZl8bERrPbt7xwepUZXQhmv31bIhmjRGR9QZrpNwRWOMCY3nHrcZi0z7WD0Z3_WuOapPET_xe9P9IkI_N2ejElZVyHloxkUORvBEDZNGpx/w300-h400/20211225_110119.jpg" width="300" /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">And darker washes tend to happen more frequently.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbmM3p7twCA8CsjMeZ6yPBAELXT7iBYvltBpm60EEayH-mTqupqefGOuzoO-2WMO9zFSnMTfMrsgA1SFylISudGbvumUG0_7DCxmyjKt_F8xnssAW7Ujeq0B5uPmz9UVD9PtJfrI6CpJL6riZ9a2eAozIoj-AArX3byyZsNYJiyow5eUrYFWeqHItEwc_/w300-h400/20211025_124140.jpg" width="300" /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">I guess the next pair or two should be darker. Followed by a commitment to sort of alternating?</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-75806584449922484742024-02-05T21:06:00.002-07:002024-02-05T21:06:15.945-07:00It worked out<p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Well. I didn't finish that sleeve in a day, but it was done the next day, and the sweater got seamed up and blocked, and I was able to put it on and take some pictures on deadline day, so I'll call that a pass.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><i>Media ban on FO shots until pattern release - nothing to see here for now</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">In the meantime, I am still plotting away on my shortie sock plan - I've settled on giving them <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fish-lips-kiss-heel" target="_blank">FLK heels</a> on the initial prototypes, and I've selected my yarn for the first pair and cast on last night.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><i>Imagine a progress shot here. The sock is upstairs and it's dark anyway.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">I have 36 g of yarn available to me. I started out with 100 g, so the full height socks consumed 67 g of yarn, or 33.5 g per sock. If it takes me 33.5 g to knit a full sock, then I should be okay with 18 g to knit a sock of roughly half the size of the full sock, right? Right?</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-42254470007284599102024-01-28T11:25:00.001-07:002024-01-28T11:25:21.280-07:00A sleeve in a day?<p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">I have three days after today to complete this test knit.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZ6BafRDdIU-zZ2IU43a4W262jzeVGGeEkTOt2U1VaiOYEokmlUHemFgpXvloz7U8-fu4m8v-E3edAktEyf3VG7A57gRnOMQMm_ZZzC5gOwiEDKRSbJ8x57hdY03h0oCHJW_1ykMs-ldXmnfn-SNUHGoQFTw0oN6iXMWKK76OriUU5xPOOfIqmMRWFR6k/w300-h400/20240128_105055.jpg" width="300" /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">All it needs is a sleeve, and the seams associated with that side of the sweater, and then it will be ready for blocking. I think I can do it - the sleeve is sort of short, it's a cocoon style piece, so the top half of the sleeves are really the body of the sweater. I mean, I've got stuff to do today - the tree is coming down, sigh - but I had stuff to do yesterday too and the first sleeve got done, so anything seems possible. True, I was a little further along on that sleeve when I started, but we're talking about 10 rows here.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">You may notice that the first sleeve appears to be seamed, but the sweater is not blocked. Generally I'm an advocate for blocking before seaming - blocked fabric lies so nicely and is much more well behaved - but I didn't in this case? Hypocrisy? Maybe. But it was a deliberate choice because of the way I'm knitting this: I think the finished piece will be easier to block than the non-finished piece because of the way I'm doing the sleeves. The pattern has the sleeves worked in the round, but I realized belatedly that I don't have DPNs in this needle size, and also that all my circular cables are too long for the sleeve circumference, and I don't like Magic Loop. I thought briefly about trying Travelling Loop, but then decided to just knit the sleeves flat. This makes for a weird shape that won't fit on my blocking zone before seaming anyway.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">So I seamed unblocked.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">It wasn't miserable, this fabric in particular wasn't too curly. But probably seaming blocked fabric would have been a touch easier.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Have I started on my shortie sock project? Not yet. I'm still deciding on heel treatments.</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-73097055664861388362024-01-24T17:31:00.001-07:002024-01-24T17:31:09.291-07:00Plotting<p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">A while back, I made my first bonus sweater, and I was so very pleased with the result that I announced my intention to make more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">But I never did.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">For a period, one could argue that I wasn't doing it because I had burned through a sizeable quantity of my sock yarn remnants, and needed to build up supply before considering my next scrappy sweater adventure.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">When I was stowing away my most recent sock remnants, however, I noticed my remnant bag is kind of full. Not full to bursting or anything, but pretty full. Maybe it's scrappy sweater time?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Here's the thing though - I've been playing with self-striping sock yarns lately. I'm not sure how suitable those would be for scrappy sweater endeavours.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSbTMSuCc3NOPy0y1pEWFmnMtnKsBTw3eC_JPZ7XUZ6zVsBZW4H75b623ITASVVXwRbsYS3-jw46RmMuBOZM_u9NeQ8vLZFOsjTmhihdtozLHc88yhOPOvIzExNYoQiGosCh-8N7mU8t9-KDuHuUkHNnY8mg6ebs6-cp-VwNFRu_G_lad7J9iK4M2h-hx/w400-h300/20240124_170203.jpg" width="400" /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">So here's another thing: I am 45 years old. What does that have to do with anything?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">It means that my childhood was the 80s, and my adolescent years were the 90s. It means that while I was not the most fashion conscious child, I still have a strong association between my childhood years and leggings, and I joined in with the rejection of these in the 90s - I spent my mid to late teen years in bootcut and flare jeans, then as I hit my 20s (late 90s) shifted over to those bootcut and flare legged dressy slacks. By 2000, I had developed a strong affinity for pants that offered some swing room around my ankles, and when leggings and jeggings started coming back, I turned my nose up at them. They were so 80s, they were so not my style anymore, they were obviously just a fad that would fade in short order.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Well. Fast forward to now. Skinny pants are still a thing - flares are back again, they were harder to track down for a bit, but the skinnies are still with us. During the pandemic, I was looking for new flared leggings and not having much luck, so I decided to try out some skinny leggings. And wouldn't you know it, I really like them - turns out it's kind of nice to not have your pant legs catching on random stuff as you walk around a cluttered room. So I bought more, and more - and so I bought some jeggings to try out, for those occasions where I really shouldn't just be showing up in leggings.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Turns out I like jeggings too. Except for the sock situation - my normal height socks are too tall to wear comfortably with jeggings. I think I need to make myself some shorties.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">That pile of self-striping remnants is probably a good place to start.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-72288579426895258562024-01-21T17:19:00.003-07:002024-01-21T17:19:37.094-07:00Recalculating<p> <span style="font-family: Quicksand;">A few years ago, I discovered the concept of test knitting, and was immediately intrigued. I started paying attention to designers whose work I admire, and when the opportunity arose, I volunteered.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Fast forward to now, and I have been a somewhat regular tester for a couple of designers, and have been having a really good time. Though I've had a couple of close calls on meeting the deadline, and one or two times where I've been a few days late on finishing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Right now I'm working my way through two test knits - one I started at the beginning of January, and the deadline is 1 Feb. When I volunteered, it sounded like loads of time - it's a sweater, yes, but it's a big gauge sweater, 15 sts to 4". The sweater would practically fall off my needles when I wasn't looking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">So I've been putting in some rows here, not in any major rush, and I've been making good progress. Or, well, I thought I was. Yesterday I looked at the date and realized it was 20 Jan. That meant there wre only 11 more days left before 1 Feb.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8lm_7ifX0cZX3endE-SPd89KZBsTbb6hqS8Tu259p_8AGEx9YodM3_CgWJ54wYR6HyEyj_v1fUf1HLpAWKr-8GLQBZI7-K-Bi1_3pvFZ2KDUNsaHoPutXWVWKldvosopQ0JxP9zUf11qb8cOw7PoBEJ03Ox1NhuNtzqTiCF440_riKDkANfN_1QmTEmW/s9248/20240121_122115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8lm_7ifX0cZX3endE-SPd89KZBsTbb6hqS8Tu259p_8AGEx9YodM3_CgWJ54wYR6HyEyj_v1fUf1HLpAWKr-8GLQBZI7-K-Bi1_3pvFZ2KDUNsaHoPutXWVWKldvosopQ0JxP9zUf11qb8cOw7PoBEJ03Ox1NhuNtzqTiCF440_riKDkANfN_1QmTEmW/w300-h400/20240121_122115.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">That progress shot is where I was earlier today. (I've added some rows since that was taken.) It's a little over halfway through the body, which admittedly is the bulk of the knitting. But not as far along as I should have been by this point in the month. Especially when you consider that I still need to add the <b>sleeves</b>.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Yep. I'm on it, with a little more urgency now.</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-9304401743438703342024-01-20T22:58:00.001-07:002024-01-20T22:58:24.861-07:00Bring it back<p> <span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Well hello there!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Pardon the dust and cobwebs - adjusting to a new work routine sort of destroyed my blogging habit. Truthfully, after spending hours working at the laptop, the last thing I wanted to do in my evenings was haul out my non-work laptop and keep clacking away - having a laptop open while sitting in the same chair just felt too much like I was still working, but also spurred some guilt because I wasn't actually working.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">Still, I've found I've missed using this space - I initially thought that perhaps I'd shift over to Instagram, and I do enjoy scrolling through other folks' posts there, but I found I didn't post often myself because the emphasis there is on images or videos over text. Well. I'm not great at images. I've never tried videos, but given my track record with just photos, anything that involves an additional editing step before sharing seems like Not the Way for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">I briefly entertained the notion of just blogging from my tablet or phone, but also shot that down pretty quick - soft keyboards aren't my favourite input device. Sure, it's okay for the short bursts of texting, but if I want to write anything beyond a couple of lines, I get tired of thumb typing pretty quick.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">And then, the other day, I noticed a little bluetooth keyboard sitting idle - and realized that maybe it could connect to my tablet and I could have a real keyboard, but also not be tied to a laptop outside of work hours.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">And here we are.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_hnziXVunmxYfFl7rA5Nuhvjt5KNfw5PKUFuj1kNbHcE_SuQwAzUxKqlxDLAUth9NiWkObZKGj8j62JYRxwEdKOCbc2IJNfLi3dq-9xrc8eoFK2eA31O9T1cNyiNNUON3bGio94SQa3EXgg6dciuLy9w_XSIHSqomY6fGL5pUKTGzpqrGgpCTljiGonq/s320/20240106_114252.jpg" width="240" /></div></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">With a picture for good measure! (Hm. There was a trick to not having images centred without having the text fill in the space beside them. I don't remember what it was anymore. We'll see if I can figure it out later.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;">I would like to be here more. I've missed using this space!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Quicksand;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-74518918464884089242022-06-14T17:49:00.002-06:002022-06-14T17:49:16.631-06:00Oof<p>Ahem.</p><p>It is June. JUNE.</p><p>My last post was in March.</p><p>Oh, hey there! Good to see you, were you wondering where I'd disappeared to?</p><p>So here's the scoop: I actually started a new job. It involved a complete pivot in my career path - I was in post-secondary education, and now I'm in HR consulting. Say what?</p><p>It happened like this. I was not on a tenure track, and it was becoming quite clear that I will most likely never be on a tenure track. That sucks in and of itself, but something else started happening at the same time - fewer contracts were available for me to teach, which means less money. I hit a point where I was facing a situation where I could not teach enough to earn enough money to cover my expenses, and that was not expected to change for at least two more years.</p><p>I was complaining about this to pretty much anyone who would listen. Just whining, really. But one of the people I subjected to this said, "You know, I bet your skill set would transfer really well to consulting. I know someone who is desperately looking for help - send me your resume."</p><p>So I did. And I got hired!</p><p>And I've been working like a crazy person ever since. For a little while, I was working two jobs simultaneously - I had to finish out the semester. But the new job ramped up once I was released from my old job - this was done deliberately, they took it easy on me for the first little while so I wouldn't completely flame out. But that brings us to the here and now. I'm still really busy - I typically work somewhere between 9 and 11 hours a day, five days a week. I'm in a role now where I have the luxury of deliberately not working on weekends, but I am keenly aware that project demands are really the deciding factor in whether or not I need to remain glued to my computer.</p><p>Knitting time has suffered some losses! But it's not completely gone.<img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqIxQLPy36i95cw-3X5wx7_anjNtk9e68wbcy8nEfPAOa6_tzIIwDPqAUa9dSOkyqxgGkfheZOo_eG_asKpvh6hLHywRYt5YCCtnbBuAqrN4M3WKhnLFmPtUxFKM5ZvAWgbzrB17_8IFBlsM6w8hG1ZVq0OVw3RxJlnes2xhIbpGoRwIcOiIA4TNf-g/w300-h400/20220414_181008.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>I knit me some more rainbow socks!</p><div style="text-align: left;">Yarn: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/sea-turtle-fiber-arts-ridley-sock" target="_blank">Sea Turtle Fiber Arts Ridley Sock</a>, in Moody Bows<br />Needles: 2.5 mm / US 1.5</div><p>I am still deeply enamoured with plain stockinette socks. In fact, I'm halfway through another pair!</p><p>Oh, I also knit these:</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxsUIokmyvfFurnsVYONedcG_UOW7QIl3HIq0rdnQ4RsFP-k8GzIr70dNO2Yjd3EDP2mVFOpO9__E5AKIeueWPnU_cKcD4U3e6d-lG1Yu1ijxX7SGkRvwduabL1i7974URP1GQi451CqL8u7dZ5JaCcAC0UtoUqDioiHv6vN2NbLSYq_W25GVAnlK5A/w300-h400/20220430_161953.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>But these were for my sister - the first of the two pair she was promised for Christmas. (I presented the yarn on the actual day.)</p><div style="text-align: left;">Yarn: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/sea-turtle-fiber-arts-zebra-sock" target="_blank">Sea Turtle Fiber Arts Zebra Sock</a>, in Bitch Please I am a Unicorn<br />Needles: 2.25 mm / US 1</div><p>So yeh. Knitting is still going on. Maybe not even that slowly? After all, I'm realizing I did finish up a new cardi for me too - but it still needs to be blocked, and then I need to sew a couple of seams and weave in some ends.</p><p>There's progress hiding here!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-41845447861001739512022-03-18T17:17:00.001-06:002022-03-18T17:17:43.171-06:00Still contemplating<p>I still haven't decided which yarn should be next in my never-ending sock production, so I finished the mate for an existing sock.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTmFuQOahXuulg5Ayr6sYxevRPfD2S80kr9VZ3Nwyz4rKb_bEFOu9ODEzotTQ3HrTDTEd2-SO_ohT1ZtGcOSMztraA8QJghHYyBrOtCsKFAAEUybmKddXY8JX9sS8BviR32NROXUUHX_UCuIwq2TcpaM_znJRQCwDDjxa-V-Loir4kMtNpGk4Tm2rF-w=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Yarn: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/knit-picks-stroll-hand-painted" target="_blank">Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted</a>, in Red Wing Blackbird</p><p>Even though I am well accustomed to laying my handknit socks flat to dry on the not-a-table (stackable drying racks), I still like the idea of being able to just toss them in the dryer, and Stroll has been good for that, so I have some in my stash. I was rather pleased with this batch when it knitted up with the little one-to-two row stripes, though I was a bit surprised that a colourway named <i>Red Wing Blackbird</i> had so little red in it (none), and so much pink. Then again, I'm not an ornithologist, so what do I know.</p><p>I still haven't picked out which yarn should be next either.</p><p>Maybe my sister should pick something out. She showed me some alarmingly thin spots on a pair of handknit socks the other night, so even though she just got a pair, maybe another should be prioritized?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-56021961854948082572022-03-12T15:40:00.001-07:002022-03-12T15:40:07.052-07:00Contemplation<p>I finished up my sister's 90s grunge socks.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_s7JonRrz8wnVUkB833opyNoPiM4fNYjx6en4cyaxj0NZeS6MupVR--G4igGUvvaL61dmMpKIxabPGEf8pI3zFgKv9kO2XQ1xwjJ5EA8VoC93ypfETYn8lZq9_FJ1EZz650gZwDthAg_39nffIWDkiIjn1aOtYHKbZUwn-eqZKKwUSwmBCN62tsaf_g=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>And the mates for the two socks that are awaiting mates are well on their way - though I only have a picture of one of them. (What? The other one's all the way in the bedroom.)</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiB3CbQt6N1d8zIag_N4oR2JcWshXUKOmKeowUUDQPNTPKtaGKzlvVfy0moz0JTsnoJD7-EIxEnxPoeMirKBsVfJK1mPpI7Qr1jPVAN5gZBj0vG4YLxqDPUEEnc3X_hwrAzbzOQmiL3xqyoowURl8qHm1Pti95JurrsBVMrGFtzuSM6mkHsJ7QVsdeUhA=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Naturally, this means that I am also dedicating headspace to my next pair of socks. I pulled these candidates from the stash:</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAkvSO3W1uiSypKF_YjHyi4g0vsUHY4L8I5rPh0nR-wMb6RPBdrf769EuyOGm3r1VlnzxUgSowTOn1j1pHKVONd7T4ggZaNdFcRHXwq2DwggAqi_BcT1_Sf7G5VYPRlpWgaaJhyzsV2sGuFDZaLIfigFAkKCFknzziKjTjIzZ-47YNPZgOqo6TqnVt6Q=w400-h300" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /></p><p>Yep. Lighter coloured yarns, speckles, they all call to me. So much for my previous thoughts about having more socks in darker colours. Now to figure out which one is calling the loudest.</p><p>Oh, and that collection? Those are my options if my 2.25 mm needles become available first. If it's the 2.5s that get liberated first, then I'll need a different set of candidates. As of this moment, that's a real possibility - that sock is a little further along. Maybe I need to do another little stash dive.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-7924013036434689202022-03-06T17:18:00.000-07:002022-03-06T17:18:00.620-07:00Thank you, next<p>These socks don't match.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMv2W6EH8sHIQf8M5bL7SRDtmMKrtVsytQ7bKH3zcQxDF7AU64Suf5HApZO49LMA1PbXEvRjW8BdZeZZ5nqmUpjqI5gZwr4nX5-PvcLjLE0po0QtrKqsFY7nmUDHQxLCN6_ibr-T-3WT47dL_d4zN3CCtq3TBjVCp1Fd44L4ndPJWs_xj7gm4J9GRUaw=w400-h300" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /></p><p>No, they're not really a pair. Just a couple of completed socks that are hanging out waiting for their mates.</p><p>See, I started thinking that even though I have been carefully adding lighter coloured sock yarns to my stash lately - lots of greys and fun speckles - a little while back I suddenly was struck with a desire to add some more darker coloured socks to my collection. A quick poke through the stash and I was on my way with a skein of <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/knit-picks-stroll-hand-painted" target="_blank">Knit Picks Stroll</a> (Rav link) in Red Wing Blackbird (this would be the sock on the right in the picture), and wouldn't you know it, it was hitting the spot.</p><p>And then my sister got over her indecision, and picked a skein of yarn for her next pair of socks. She picked out a skein of <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/tanis-fiber-arts-purewash-sock" target="_blank">Tanis Fiber Arts Purewash Sock</a> (another Rav link) in Grunge Flannel. I was eager to play with that yarn, so when I finished sock #1 in the Stroll, I put the pair on pause and cast on for the Sister sock instead.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGIr5yxknmIfUk9PM-NmvCUMq9-molz8K7fjdtB4FsTBWsMrTcAiWGdfNVN4kLhTYRLD89wT_vqCJIVC9RWoL-zaLcYGgo9Y2j0pgMa6Fp2e7YwVE2-5u6qxttQUpVfTYxm2R19MwWC57bypr9fUJBDc48_MGYS9e7-sHIj-MOiA_MOtr6-Qv4COw2nQ=w400-h300" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /></p><p>And I've been cruising along, and the yarn is great, but somehow this one isn't hitting the spot. I kinda think it might be the colour. It is absolutely a fabulous expression of "grunge flannel", and I'm pretty sure my sister had a flannel shirt in the 90s that was this yarn in actual plaid flannel, so it's right up her alley, but notably I did not have a flannel shirt in these colours in the 90s. I guess this combo just isn't me? I can look at it and honestly say "I like this" - I really liked the way this looked in the skein (almost bought one for myself!), and I like the individual colours (well, I'm a little neutral on the blues), and I like the way it's knitting up.</p><p>And yet, my overall feeling while knitting it is <i>meh</i>. Maybe it's the blues?</p><p>So I decided that the remedy is to play with rainbows, and I grabbed a skein of <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/sea-turtle-fiber-arts-ridley-sock" target="_blank">Ridley Sock</a> (yet another Rav link) in Moody Bows and cast on that too. (This would be the sock on the left in the first picture.) And clearly, that one <i>is</i> hitting the spot, since one sock is done and its mate is already cast on.</p><p>But. I might already be scheming about which socks (for me) will be up next. Which will also require a decision about when exactly <i>next</i> is.</p><p>It may be at a point in time before any of these pairs are completed.</p><p>Well, no. I'll finish my sister's socks before I start a new pair for myself. I just might not finish a pair for myself before I start a new pair for myself!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-79377767450999937572022-02-16T15:58:00.001-07:002022-02-16T15:58:50.116-07:00Progress without pictures<p>They say <i>pics or it didn't happen</i>.</p><p>My problem is, I rarely think to take pictures of things I'm doing - I'm just focused on getting stuff done. And then when I think I should come here to document some of the things I'm doing, I don't have any pretty images to share, and who wants to just read a wall of text?</p><p>Well. Truthfully, sometimes I just want stuff to read. But I will concede that a knit blog is typically enhanced by pictures of knitting.</p><p>Anyway. This is a sort of roundabout way of saying that I've been away because I never have pictures to share, but I've been knitting away in the background of my life. I finished a test knit the other day, and just now set it soaking on the kitchen counter as part of the blocking ritual.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicnQSYPSl0NMmmMvDicTZFD47dwtTsqRGa5zK_PLVxZZdWxurG188Ug-b0uFLahdsrstPduu--Mvzhh9UNgPisPZRaQ0wtvyxJltmd2Koq3NTK6Fcr3T3Sz4tjZ9vli_EtUnQ2yEtEY1WUqE72Twd1yTOZIzrmWe4XR5uh9n_23GaSG_FxIUHkaQ55JA=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>I've also mostly finished up a new layering piece for me - it also needs blocking, and then two little seams will need sewing, and that's it. I'm excited to add it to my options for increasing coziness, but I'm also a tad worried it will end up making me look like a frumpy lump of wool. We'll have to wait and see.</p><p>Speaking of wait and see, I've been waiting for nearly a month now for my sister to decide which yarn she'd like to be her next pair of socks first. I was having trouble settling on a yarn I wanted to work up for myself (<i>quelle surprise</i>), so I thought I'd get around it by adding to her sock drawer. Usually this works out great, but this time, she won't commit! I've got a stack of skeins out in the open for her to examine and admire, and she's not making any progress towards deciding. So now I'm back to making socks for me. Yesterday I wound up some yarn, and while I was at it, I remembered seeing advice to never knit with grey yarns at this time of year. The idea is that we're in the later stages of winter here in North America, and all the colourful twinkle lights of the holiday season have been decommissioned (I mean, ours are still up and operational at my insistence, but we're one of maybe three houses on our street to still be decked out this way), so grey on the needles is thought to be too gloomy in a world that has sort of been without colour for a while, and will likely continue to be so for at least another month.</p><p>I like grey a lot. I've really leaned into it more recently too - a lot of my store-bought clothes are in shades of grey now, and I'm starting to amass a pretty decent stash of grey yarns, with goals of grey socks and grey sweaters.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPGHp1w2YIe0CjzroGI-qS4gvFI75vPjhlfO_IBihAl-u_XXrsumdlPEXfUEmnq6QIPBXcdj65XPixFWa_4ii6RnecJhHv37DgM4hjQfpIsXiNpgjA1VfNSO-iA48p2IvI5CRkusiQ9RtwGztTc_eu3uK7JA0he32W2wPtFg38OG1pqvhCkTeIpFklFg=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Surely the <i>don't knit with grey in winter</i> advice doesn't apply to grey with HONKING NEON RAINBOWS in it?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-45668777023667139212022-01-07T17:37:00.003-07:002022-01-07T17:37:46.786-07:00K'done: scrappy Bly cardigan<p>Be still my heart.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgp6MfV3BRLXOvlPXQFDsDWgOFZyYV1zrvAEJllTbC2Wo9Pvf8QAxMqMGee2i-M4PnTRl7d_IITasJ66henhuQE7J6pXFg0CFENmtv5Jzth1G46SAJ09BJBtnF_Gl8fEqniMQDln7_fnLHqVBhFyDqoI1ZkCDtvJi7xak6pPjXuF3T9z6H5zCz9w2Kshw=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Pattern: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bly-2" target="_blank">Bly</a>, by Amy Christoffers (Rav link)<br />Yarn: assorted sock yarn scraps<br />Needles: 3.75 mm / US 5</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggCCEBeWZXgNT__yliwhH4avecnpUvbx8cOnUkfedSsE1hiNKLetaBHXKrg4pIDGraynSHSkTQZxM-6YWq1jlXw3mWv_JXZjmJA-npzgkMbBHfeiB1PqFqWFfMDwq3CNoWxhuFvfipe2L2sqTAJ6R8KrBP0tFHIwki5QIg7VSJmlQNPIj-WWKqxmxVgw=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></div><p>So very very pleased with this one. Also so very smug because this? This is a <i>bonus sweater</i>. Nearly all the yarn I used were leftovers from socks, plus some fingering weight scraps leftover from a previous sweater, and some, ahem, sport weight scraps leftover from a wrappy cowl. I did not buy any of this yarn with the intent of making this sweater, and making this sweater does not diminish my small stash of sweater-sized batches of yarn in the slightest. It is as if I have managed to magic myself a sweater out of nothing.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiG8jCHFmByAP2qJFt9giF9C__MUFDr15BB2mzeMXXf6R_Elz2tCRqe_I0htPuErIhJpvs5nA8F93peqknt9vQ26RjhrlkfJEYr71VrSWxtUeijxSYotTq_0-SyEBgVzyUQoe-kPav0XvpBvBGFcOAURU3hkfZI9b1_qyjY0O6Rv2gqnJX_UiIdueiH7g=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>This attempt was inspired by <a href="https://www.tanisfiberarts.com/blog/2021/9/five-things-1" target="_blank">Tanis' stripy sample for her Gartrell Pullover</a>, though I must admit that I was not super confident I could pull it off. Throughout I was worried I might be making myself the ugliest sweater ever, but I find the end result is quirkily charming in its patchwork-like nature - though I may be biased. I tried to be somewhat strategic in my striping, checking to make sure that I always liked the way two colours would look right next to each other, and since I didn't make any of my pieces match, I had to be sure that the colour placement looked alright across pieces too. It wasn't as big of a headache as that possibly sounds - I just had to be careful and a little thoughtful and deliberate.</p><p>I used the pattern as a template of sorts - I did some math to determine the ratio of my gauge vs. the pattern gauge, and used that ratio to pick my size. (I figured out how many stitches I'd need to work for various pieces at my gauge to get the size I wanted, then checked to see which pattern size had numbers that most closely matched my calculated numbers.) The pattern is written as a top-down knit-all-in-one-piece sort of project, so I took it apart to make my life easier with the striping - I separated out the fronts, back, and sleeves, added a couple of stitches to each piece for selvedges (but really I could have only added one stitch to each of the fronts, since they only get seamed on one side!), and my math told me I needed to use the stitch counts for the second largest size in the pattern to get a 36" bust garment, so that's what I did. I omitted the waist decreases and increases for a boxier shape, and I also departed from the pattern on the raglan shaping - I did shaping every other row, because that's what I was expecting and didn't check the pattern. For the size I was knitting, some of the shaping was done at a different rate, but by the time I noticed I'd already finished the back and was cruising along on the left front, so I just shrugged and rolled with it. It seems fine.</p><p>It's not super obvious from these pictures, but I also didn't really nail sleeve length. The sample in the pattern has bracelet length sleeves, and mine are, um, longer. A fair bit longer. Truthfully, they're a bit longer than I normally like my sleeves to be - the cuffs reach down to the base of my thumbs. This happened because for some reason that is now lost to history, I didn't consult the sleeve shaping rate in the pattern - I just made one up when I started the first sleeve. By the time I got to the raglan shaping and could tell it was longer than I really wanted, I didn't want to rip back to try to correct it, so here we are with longish sleeves. In a sense, this works out really well, because what I got is actually my sister's preferred sleeve length, so I know what to do when I eventually make her a scrappy stripy sweater (because she has been eyeing mine approvingly, so I know it's coming). I went back and looked at the pattern, and probably the shaping rate suggested in the pattern will work out well for getting me my preferred sleeve length on future iterations.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjSObD4g5l8I2H2jsRanBmQ9OCaiJg8-KE9BrCmz2uDg3M3wMc2PlFEqJ5DUkpttgCbye9Vk3qouoA7CAyYBnyzDk1bdEXARQrrdA05DtpkY4NW8Z-T02w7GUzVwo0MedIVc41FRYEIqEsaeVdbj8s_VVr9N511cE6PnILoxAqFc9QuTaI3HPK6Y-nNQ=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Yes, I said future iterations. I'm totally making myself more of these. How could I not? <b><i>Bonus sweaters</i></b>. I'm even imagining some versions where I work with two sock yarns held together to achieve the pattern gauge, which opens up more ways to play with colour. Some major partying is in my future!</p><p>Tech specs: worked in pieces, and each piece was worked bottom up, then pieces were seamed together after blocking using mattress stitch. All cast-on edges were worked using a Chinese waitress CO, bound-off edge of neck trim was done using a double-chain BO. No buttonholes, no buttons. Each stripe was 22 rows.</p><p>I've worn it three times in the past seven days (and one of those days saw me not even get out of pyjamas). I foresee getting a lot of use out of this one.</p><p>And making a whole bunch more.</p><p><i>Bonus sweaters.</i> So much smug!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-40439672422498281242022-01-02T17:12:00.001-07:002022-01-02T17:12:21.370-07:00Happy New Year!<p>I know. It's 2 January. Not actually New Year's Day. I spent the day away from the laptop yesterday, doing a number of things that I like.</p><p>But knitting on these socks wasn't one of them, because I finished them the night before!</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgT4jLLz3ilKU-CFM-q1l3GZHU2-ELxzBi4XsWSM4WU-pUn14aKcY734Bbv3EyIORLZZzOtVcj9SS0Vv0JU3ZDzk0-O5vHCnXztdXDwIaso_Y-bP9M6PYVO9oZ4-2oZ0mppeVdLJSTz1VehUm_iJXXAR9Z7Zv1mhaIju37noI1l7PLP4nWNV6_tDTbwCw=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p>Yarn: <a href="https://www.tanisfiberarts.com/products/puresock" target="_blank">Tanis Fiber Arts Purewash Sock</a>, in Metropolis<div>Needles: 2.25 mm / US 1<br /><p>Fine. Technically I finished them in the wee hours of the morning on New Year's Day. But I'm still counting it as a 2021 finish. After all, they are indeed the first socks I'm wearing in 2022.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6m08Y0mlkF46vIL7FZ1lTiLoJcTkKG_VOCI7fR28oBAP6kR7w2iCKH5gVXR0OvC4z4Hfgzc050W8--3FwmPu1NIK4D0ER2JVUKWG0QUuKXT6arH-wvNf7zx6-jpISAu7IqIn8ZyunECzTZF5P14nCFQLhMwdKTu_KQctqMGbaxCzfMbf3ywDv8ndhMw=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Hooray for speckles!</p><p>Tech specs: my usual stockinette sock. Italian tubular CO. 64 sts. 1x1 rib for 11 rounds at the cuff, Fish Lips Kiss heel, toe decreases jiggered a bit to my liking - the first two a little more spaced out, the last two on adjacent rounds - and the toe Kitchenered shut, with the two outside edge stitches worked together.</p><p>As of this moment, I don't have any socks for me on the go. I should fix that. But I did start a new thing for me yesterday. Didn't think to snap a picture, and now it's dark again. Maybe tomorrow.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-64390289215078506932021-12-31T16:20:00.005-07:002021-12-31T16:20:40.844-07:00Nearly there<p>So last time I was here I had set myself some knitterly goals - to finish up two pairs of socks in progress, and one sweater in progress.</p><p>So far, one pair of socks is done - they were bound off on Christmas Eve, and so I got to wear them on Christmas Day.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgP7sX95rfStvO-L-Cll1qUZutnp-vYlFz2A1qEivnN22znCVd5OuDbdDuvO7vBe3WPvXQV-JrZeNMt-obH4pzjf4SmQYByrtBQbg05S_ulniTEIs1B3y0aXLEsQL8KBa9J6Hh5DuJh2w04z7jNUVbeIm1TwtNx9eVKw3usYwA96sY7ufSQ0YCQx2cN8A=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Yarn: <a href="https://seaturtlefiberarts.com/collections/zebra-sock" target="_blank">Sea Turtle Fiber Arts Zebra Sock</a>, in Follow the Call of the Disco Ball<br />Needles: 2.25 mm / US 1</div><p>The sweater got done - I bound off the neck trim a couple of days ago. No pictures of that one yet - I've been hanging out in pyjamas a lot this week, and while I see nothing really wrong with wearing a scrappy sweater over pyjamas, I'm not sure the resulting style is helpful when I'm trying to present myself as not-a-crazy-yarn-hoarder, especially when the pyjamas I'm wearing are a onesie. I did get dressed yesterday, but it's been cold so I threw on a massive fleece sweater, and while the scrappy sweater does have positive ease, I don't think jamming it on over a giant fleece is going to help convince other people that the scrappy sweater plan was a success. So, to be continued.</p><p>The second pair of socks?</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZYdX2O31bbWX-cBAZPVNW3v31XBwluT76b3e08Xa4c4nGfJdFj5QnGQWVhv8xQR93cxkjofEZEM_odIUuxI11VZJk_R50-si57K_SnJXVf27j_uP1gG1RiHPIVrxlcRCGoGJEdeuNHUI8cX1vjl1OoqASeEtPVS45bR9X5thGIqST55Vj_kNyaUUAJQ=w300-h400" width="300" /></p><p>Well. I'm a little over halfway through the foot of the second sock? It's not midnight yet. I've still got time, and I'm optimistic I can get this done today and these can then be the first socks I wear of 2022.</p><p>Here's to goals, and getting things done, and ringing in a New Year exactly the way you want to. (We will be hunkered down at home with yummy food, entertaining things to watch on TV, and video games. I will be the only one knitting.)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-76497882051825804042021-12-21T18:19:00.002-07:002021-12-21T18:19:47.860-07:00Git 'er done<p>I snapped this picture a few days ago:</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWcRuCApEyd1j4bGTL2ogLrTqF-C2OMQ9KtCSvon18iAbFK8lIMUDR2LkfD3CHD3O5TVzTTP_Ygax5frmP12jIarhW2nfM88lTXX1GFh0440PXNsanyUsB5l036N79-i2byvUYpd3o9FPhH4jQ4VB-JMm2MYx1Et-OqFfamXetYV3K9Mkcw1816X1rqw=w300-h400" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>See, it had occurred to me that there were about twelve days left in 2021, and that made me start thinking about what I'd like to finish up before the calendar rolls over. I'm a big fan of New Year, New Knits, and that goes hand in hand with finishing stuff as the year comes to a close.</p><p>With less than two weeks at my disposal, it seemed to me that this pile was feasible. I've got a couple of single socks that need mates, and a mostly-done sweater to wrap up - at the time of photography, I was working the raglan shaping on the second sleeve. Now, though? Now both of those sleeves are done and blocked, and the little sock cuff you can see is partway through the foot. I've still got ten days!</p><p>I mean, yes, I need to sew a bunch of seams on the sweater, and then pick up and knit the neck and front trim. And sure, I still want to knit a whole sock in addition to finishing the one that is far enough along that it actually looks like a sock.</p><p>But come on. Ten days!</p><p>...I, um, may have cast on for a new hat too.<br /> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-57593226830045671622021-12-03T16:05:00.001-07:002021-12-03T16:05:05.931-07:00Maybe a small problem<p>Apparently the using of scraps to make a sweater has opened some sort of floodgate within me, because my resistance to purchasing new yarn from what I've come to think of as my own personal local hook-up has gotten sort of perilously low.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapZB1zQENgxYAVJKmoXa1ujFiTMflYZeLyXYXxD1zlfEkxvUYeml3xn4saz55-4UKHqNiH4Nnj7d2448R4ZCrhKf-EwnAf_L7UCnIIvbU7XJ-_DMhGT6xlFOEWjGZu_wiSe77CB6r1__W/w300-h400/20211203_152001.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Yeah. In all fairness, one of those skeins was from a previous purchase - somehow I missed the part where I take a picture and update my Rav stash minder - but the other four were all purchased in two separate orders placed about a week apart.<br /></p><p>Don't get me wrong - I regret nothing - but I should probably shift my focus to enjoying the fun times I've lined up for myself before I go about plotting and preparing for even more. After all, my storage space is finite, and, um, it's sort of full.</p><p>Like I said, though. I regret nothing.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-73814906621801691552021-11-30T16:18:00.002-07:002021-11-30T16:18:48.859-07:00K'done: Harvest cardigan<p>Good timing on this one - our downstairs furnace quit on us last Friday!</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalGt_tJ7_yBZODJakKSDiy5e9mUZRDMYt-luZE46hShlticEMl0CTzsvgfacLqKhGlx6RvuSp3cvpIoR8viz09QamNb83IG4aNH_pH3XvCGe8yGiiLz4einV5yhPhehda05KMfj7iW1tv/w300-h400/20211128_115259.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Pattern: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/harvest-10" target="_blank">Harvest</a>, by Tin Can Knits<br />Yarn: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/knit-picks-swish-worsted" target="_blank">Knit Picks Swish Worsted</a>, in Dove Heather<br />Needles: 5.5 mm / US 9</div><p>I finished the knitting on this way back on 4 November, but dawdled on getting it blocked. I finally got it done last week, just in time for the furnace to die and for this to be handy for me to throw on to keep me comfy. (We dug up an electric faux-fireplace space heater that we're using, and it works pretty well, but I tend to be cold a lot anyway, so the extra layer is helpful, especially when the heater's only been on for a little while and hasn't pumped much warmth out yet.) I took these pictures on Friday, wore the sweater for the rest of the day just because, and also threw it on Sunday, Monday, and today.</p><p>This was a really great knit, and I love the finished garment.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9Fwwch9imU_PRg74qJf8fw7lDF1WTAUfxWEDOnRQyOBejfOsSXEcLPnnVNwYf5UMyqv4Sd6M-QlxFxcEUuCTtlQC3ItZ5Z_1FIMe3rdeJuyO04heCDGkdTfZlcBWpWqM1kFFb2Xm-D83/w300-h400/20211128_115113.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>It starts with a crochet chain provisional cast on, which I had to learn - I initially attempted to sub Judy's Magic Cast On, and that didn't work out because that actually casts on two rows of stockinette, and the cast on edge is in the garter stitch neckband, which means those two rows wrecked my garter stitch. After a rip and a redo, involving a crazy loose crochet chain worked with a too-small hook since I only have a few relatively tiny ones I bought years ago in preparation for making beaded socks for the Tour de Sock, I was on my way.</p><p>After the learning curve of the cast on, the knitting proceeded smoothly and without drama. This pattern is intended to be suitable for beginners looking for their first sweater, and is pretty straightforward. The only potentially intimidating bits are the provisional cast on, and picking up stitches from the neckband to start working the yoke. Beyond that, there's raglan shaping and at-the-same-time neckline shaping, and there's also sleeve shaping, but that's it. Nothing super fancy or unusual technique-wise.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilU4uEWKCLjACGypbyVuiWi8BGZ4-1KyQM1077xyUO1HzY9clPiLSVoifigI6GvaUX-tnX8PvecpW5icI1UBMchJ5D0JJbGQjjUq-4Gjku0Uj2B8opqplqQf3R0qLTkSWeii7YHvMCfG12/w300-h400/20211128_115209.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>The result is a pretty fantastic, flattering sweater. I didn't put any buttonholes in mine because I know I'll never put buttons on, but the pattern instructions do provide that option for those who must button. I also opted to knit my sleeves flat and then seam them - in part because I don't have Sig DPNs in 5.5 mm, but mostly because I find I prefer to knit sleeves flat. With DPNs I have to be more mindful of tension issues at the joins because the mass of the sweater body in my lap changes up how the piece can move around as I work, and I also don't enjoy the constant rearranging of the mass of sweater in my lap that comes with working sleeves in the round. I find the knitting process is smoother (and more enjoyable!) when I work the sleeves flat. Plus, this way my sleeve decreases line up perfectly, which in the grand scheme of things doesn't really matter, and probably no one will ever know but me.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigqF7krYCv7ysVqCFJnlK9Hxc2hBK_zC8PUhebPUMm1HHu_RH7p0pa7ixUzzzmjZ9iaCp-Awa_XS2UExLcLCAcjY1abO5XBx04eUAeDcjFhAQgZ7rmlOs6KFuvetCRn9NZOQ9fQA9cszq/w300-h400/20211128_115058.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>I think I can wear this to work when I'm back on campus. Well. Minus the sweatpants, though.</p><p>Tech specs: the way this sweater is constructed, you're pretty well forced to use the crochet chain provisional cast on - I didn't try it, but I suspect the figure-8 cast on will have the same problem as Judy's Magic Cast On. I used a double-chain bind off for all my bound off edges.</p><p>And now my sister wants one.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-81462654680596679352021-11-19T15:51:00.001-07:002021-11-19T15:51:10.484-07:00Not a problem<p>I saw it coming. I really did.</p><p>A local dyer? Who has an affinity for rainbows and speckled yarns? Whose studio is a short drive from my house, so I can save myself the cost of shipping?</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9waBLwt3-nATEWrXmJ-F-dLIdDsbrcx0jOGSOAhz2jh6Qci6dFmuk1H4-P0jFhoBwEFGCWxO2LDjrhp6nQTmQrL_zgnuCOIZbwh8WZ2Zi2YH0dPMXQSwmvWS0EK39cHPdhf1rsz-m3qk_/w300-h400/20211119_104629.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Yeah.</p><p>That's not even all of it! I've got some spinning fiber too, and a few other skeins that I need to have a bit of a media ban on for now.</p><p>But this is effectively my current <a href="http://www.seaturtlefiberarts.com" target="_blank">Sea Turtle Fiber Arts</a> collection. She did a shop update this week, and I indulged in, um, six more skeins. And that was with me exercising some self control!</p><p>I took pictures this morning, and I'm really really jonesing to launch into some socks for me. But, my favourite 2.25 mm needles are in a Sister Sock - Big Sister Guilt won and prodded me into casting on her second sock, but apparently Big Sister Guilt is not strong enough to make me knit on it in a dedicated sort of way - I'm only starting the heel now. So I guess playing with some of that STFA Zebra Sock will have to wait until that Sister Sock is done. Maybe this is the motivation I need to finish up?</p><p>Or maybe I'll pick out a skein of Ridley Sock and use my 2.5 mm needles instead?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-51753887613698032462021-11-07T15:20:00.001-07:002021-11-07T15:20:14.292-07:00Decisions, decisions<p>Last night, I kitchenered the toe shut on a sock.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjnKnh6SoYjaD-V5xUPe69Y0EYq-t_MeeUoE_R2J-o1_dgLoEIbdF0wY_DbegK7WvanO2RpDBcHRFmdtII55LCxKZImi2L5JNpxlZRf3ClRR6BoroeXwFcs2eQJ3M6xY2Fs77-4QMOFzW/w300-h400/20211107_112048.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>These are plain stockinette Sister socks - or, well, they will be once I have the second one done. All I have to do is make it so.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XDW-tSiTbcPyJk9rvGxSEj4Unxr6gRsy8bqClyUN4ePtCcdCxRQMrhXYFcUWuyaZVdsiNvJHplQItq5R_ZUbiZ7HP4ly48ykfA33Rk62FgZkaei-MkWm3oAAdzfDeLhoMuGHFf1TYJU-/w300-h400/20211107_121814.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>I realized, though, as I reached for the yarn and needles to cast on again, that I could shake things up a bit.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStWLAH2TT445ysqX_Qhdh5txY99dlXP8ENX7nL15HJE79jBPDdsHZ7x2OiQa3OtLEQzNC2QrkcwGfagqfLaEehYZCC7Ap690n7fDqskDsLvhM0n6d2eSvV-FziJ_kiMn6qZqtMWpihIqp/w300-h400/20211107_121825.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>I still have a second sock to knit for a pair of socks for me - a pair of speckled socks. Speckles are fun, and having another pair in the drawer is always a good thing.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEaI581MUp7q7I3VIs7aXW4RXja442BTBpBY8_YY3TRo3KA5YQcWYMUxibTwy0oUmAtUVPOJnyK9E9U-8K7IO2TZEXpGJodOuryRibarfKdJi9oJbSbl5A1VmOlKY52a8Ppfy3ABt9GHk/w300-h400/20211107_121839.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Or I could shake things up even more, and wind up some new yarn for more socks for me. I have more rainbow yarn, and also more speckled yarn, both in this nifty <a href="https://seaturtlefiberarts.com/collections/zebra-sock" target="_blank">Zebra Sock</a>, which I am quite eager to try.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OsOQYEq5A4_8D_gmDdPGiXL1T6zKmUVsWCwZZeciFEEx1mrP1NAfCefhuxjINpW_a6KGnp5F2AoFjheGX8WIEYN-IwfrNab06hEMIT7fv7Q9wQAJaiYVaer3GiCqmJ9FWahykmY0pnEL/w400-h300/20211107_121723.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /></p><p>So what's it going to be? Which choice will win? The dutiful big sister? The one who wants a finished pair of socks for her drawer? Or the one who wants to play with the new yarn?</p><p>No, I'm not taking bets.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-39613117762013306042021-11-05T11:40:00.007-06:002021-11-05T11:40:40.556-06:00Let the season begin?<p>Yesterday, I finished off the second sleeve of a cardigan, seamed it, and wove in and trimmed all the ends.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0gYx_gA5H4mH-SoFV1NpahKKx3rBOSXxAexOdvOMJSSpanaS0gC8_NeQ6Sw9-oI7EX3qbcAuxGN9JOyZDtlmoeZpyD8oyk2ERNQ9Y-cFxY8vK6kqUR0KPGdEhD8nMZHo7Tu-UA3QIKpk/w300-h400/20211105_113212.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Today it will go for a soak, then spread out onto the Not-A-Table to block, and I can add another finished sweater to my collection.</p><p>Which means I can now cast on for my stripey sock scrap sweater experiment. (SSSE?)</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyyrTWeh_h5_I6Wda3kahPXly3WvbdgIpSDhu77_sN9rUeDX02okKIW6UBg9u_aQj-n8HMczp1Sr2EYzCDPuudWLoFzzOtZiSgbeTVaem6HbnW-VJSudoAa4CrXfuqYWxdrZHZo3q-kKt/w300-h400/20211105_103748.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>With all the teasers for advent kits and advent projects running around, it occurred to me that I could potentially do this as an advent sort of project - commit to knitting a stripe a day. I don't think I'll do that, though - I'm sure there will be days where I just won't be able to make the time to finish a complete stripe, and there will also likely be days where I want to knit more than just one stripe!</p><p>I'm eager to see how this pans out! I'm starting with the back piece - since it's the largest individual piece, it will eat the most yarn per stripe, so I'm thinking this will help me figure out yarn budgeting and planning. Maybe.</p><p>Am I about to knit the ugliest sweater? Let's find out!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-61988412248440551542021-10-27T14:58:00.002-06:002021-10-27T14:58:24.288-06:00What a mess<p>I like knitting socks, which works well for me because I seem to have a rather strong affinity for buying individual skeins of sock yarn - I pick them up in mystery grab bags, I snag them when visiting yarn shops when travelling, I indulge in them when I find sales, and I'll just snap them up from indie dyers whenever they're available. Sock yarn, I haz it.</p><p>All these individual skeins of sock yarn don't help me much when I want to knit sweaters, though, and that happens with a pretty high degree of frequency too. So I've been collecting sweater-sized batches of yarn in various sales over the years too. But I don't stash sweater yarn as much as sock yarn, mostly because doing so is cost prohibitive, but also this makes life easier in terms of managing my storage space and dodging being teased about turning our house into a yarn shop. (He insists I have more yarn than yarn shops. I counter by pointing out that he hasn't really ever been in a yarn shop, so how would he even know.) Each time I knit a sweater though, I get a little flourish of anxiety - one less batch in the stash. Every so often, I do a count - how many sweaters do I have left before I run out?</p><p>All my sock knitting also has a way of generating little partial skeins - the remnants that I don't need to use to turn out a pair of socks. A few years ago I discovered the joy of cobbling these together into scrappy socks, but the thing about scrappy socks is they keep me from getting to other sock yarns. Some of my sock yarns have been hanging about for a good long while now, seems a shame to continue keeping them from their destiny. But, I find real satisfaction in using up these scraps.</p><p>And then Tanis posted <a href="https://www.tanisfiberarts.com/blog/2021/9/five-things-1" target="_blank">this</a>, and my head just about exploded. No, really, if you haven't already seen it, click that link and go look. In making the sample for her <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gartrell-crew" target="_blank">Gartrell Pullover</a> (Ravelry link), she used many different colours in stripes, and she used different coloured stripes on the sleeves compared to on the body. (But the sleeves do match each other.) Seeing that suddenly made my path perfectly clear: I can use my sock remnants to make sweaters!</p><p>Honestly, I never considered this option before because I assumed the result would make me look crazy - like some sort of desperate yarn hoarder cobbling together whatever she could get her hands on. But the multitude of colours on Tanis' sweater absolutely doesn't look crazy - it works out amazingly well. To be perfectly fair, this is likely due to her considerable colour savvy - the woman knows how to use colour! Me? I'm less confident in my own colour savvy, but what's the worst that could happen?</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55HpqyifR77Y79q3UsXhyb7cqFdKfETEXv4a_XHZgM3jlhx0zY5Gd4_s-Y_Pp7yvb8ewgDZu5LeoU294tI_oPWxXCd5zR5mSWAmY98RK8jS5McCU5qTbl7dapOBsVbvZSuSiYuQAzARGL/w400-h300/20211027_132044.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /></p><p>Scuttling through my remnant collection - though not all of it, I still haven't found those missing bits - has generated this collection of reds and purples, with some others tossed in for good measure. If I have at least 30 g leftover from each skein - one I'm quite sure is less, but a couple of others I'm quite sure are more - then I've got at least 360 g, which should be equivalent to three skeins, which should be sufficient for a sweater.</p><p>I've got a pattern to use as a template. Let's do this!</p><p>Well. After I finish up a different sweater real quick. Apparently having four different sweaters for me on the needles all at once crosses some sort of mental threshold. I'm almost done the body, and then I just need to knock out the sleeves. It's worsted weight, it'll go fast.</p><p>Right?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-63589782982537782602021-10-25T18:12:00.003-06:002021-10-25T18:14:53.350-06:00K'done: rainbow socks<p>Rainbow socks! For the happiest happy feet that ever happied!</p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6HjU8oyFH6jBKc61pXterYBikidKejgvu3DqWkwCsiq2jwler9tGbCX3jUPPvWEXisN70ghR-PjLScd3Lh3HzuuwG8hxqbmpWiZ4TvpN04emQ33ynGWDp4i86vR_s4VCoyKtkHOlMtfR/w300-h400/20211025_124158.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Yarn: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/sea-turtle-fiber-arts-ridley-sock" target="_blank">Sea Turtle Fiber Arts Ridley Sock</a>, in Rainbow Brite<br />Needles: 2.5 mm / US 1 1/2</div><p>Honestly? I didn't know I needed rainbow socks in my life. I didn't feel like there was a hole, there. Even when I saw this yarn, I thought it was pretty, and would knit up in interesting ways, so I bought it, and then cast on pretty promptly - the contrast of the grey bits with the bright pops of colour called to me.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Bu_pcQ9KzedaA5o1e5LPSgRG0IHR7B6N6rVYFbFa9YRFFuJQwgvk746gOJhderRUVXJEjzGKh33VNZ7YrhWLzIYWBn7HHPT20bCTamtcjFOkZNCIehPQT18FvxGB_GdVTT_dmDWCXXIx/w300-h400/20211025_124128.jpg" width="300" /></p><p>I was pleased to see the colours actually arrange themselves in a rainbow that spiraled around in a fairly consistent way - not perfectly so, especially not across the two socks, and I checked my gauge and it wasn't my knitting that changed it, it's just the variability that comes with handpainted yarn. Still, I was mightily enchanted as I knit on these, and enthusiastically showed them to Mister whenever he got within the right radius. His comments were typically: "Very nice." and "Very retro."</p><p>That second comment sort of struck me. I hear "retro" and I think of the 70s, but I quickly realized I agreed with him - these socks do indeed have a retro-ey vibe to them, but not 70s retro. 80s retro. We were both kids in the 80s, and have memories of things festooned in rainbows, with some pale, neutral-ish colour to offset the bright colours. I had a little heart-shaped bag, in a sort of pale peachy-pink canvas fabric, that had a Care Bears logo on it - and one of the bears, I don't really remember which one anymore, how terrible is that? It was probably Cheer Bear - she had the rainbow on her tummy, and I had a Cheer Bear plushie, so it may have given to me with that in mind - though it might have been Tenderheart Bear, since he was the leader. The bag had a rainbow strap, and I filled it with some plastic beads someone had given me - lots of little round translucent plastic beads, cut to look like faceted gemstones, in a rainbow of colours. My sister and I spent many hours playing with those beads - not stringing them into bracelets or necklaces or anything, just playing. We'd group them by colour, then regroup them in rainbow progressions, then pretend they were sentient beings and make them have adventures. (No, not the sorts of adventures where they might get lost - we were young, but we understood that lost things can't always be replaced, so the best course of action was to take care with your stuff.)</p><p>The more I think about it, the more rainbows pop up associated with the toys of my childhood. There are the obvious ones - the Rainbow Brite dolls, for example - but rainbows featured heavily in the world of My Little Pony, and Rose Petal, and all sorts of cartoons and books that would have been around.</p><p>So yeah. That kind of history gives these socks a pretty distinctively 80s vibe.</p><p>Tech specs: socks were worked over 60 sts (at a gauge of about 8.25 sts to the inch), with an Italian tubular CO, Fish Lips Kiss heel, and a wedge toe that decreased until 20 sts remained before Kitchenering closed. I worked toe decreases every other round, except I put in one extra plain round between the first and second set of decreases; no plain round after last set of decreases before Kitchenering.</p><p>I...I kind of think I might need more.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-29157521751952230512021-10-20T14:56:00.001-06:002021-10-20T14:56:06.902-06:00This is a first<p>I suppose with how prone I am to creating piles of stuff, and then continuing to cram more stuff into those piles, what I'm about to reveal should not be terribly surprising. Still, I am surprised.</p><p>I have lost some yarn.</p><p>Now, to be clear, it's not a lot of yarn - just some leftover sock yarn. It is nice yarn, though, and I had fully intended to use it at some point in the future, and over the past few days I've been starting to put a plan in motion and yesterday I remembered those remnants and thought they could fit nicely into my plan.</p><p>But I can't find them.</p><p>First I figured they'd be in my bag of remnant sock yarn, with all the other remnant sock yarn from the past, um, five or six years. But they weren't there.</p><p>I dug around in the pile by my chair a little more. They are older remnants, so maybe they just didn't make it into the leftover sock yarn bag when I established it. But that turned up nothing too.</p><p>I did a little investigative dive into my Ravelry records, and found that I would have set eyes on them back in March 2015 - I sifted through my scraps for a scrappy MKAL back then, and I remember picking up and putting down at least some of the yarn I have in mind when I did that.</p><p>But where did it go after that?</p><p>I'm drawing a complete blank here - because the fact of the matter is that we moved in May 2015, and our move was a little, um, chaotic. I <i>thought</i> I had at least my yarn collection under control. But now I can't find those remnants.</p><p>I even checked the boxes of older scrap yarn in the basement, but no joy.</p><p>At this point, I've checked all the places that I know are housing yarn. That means that these scraps have been tucked away into a place that isn't one of my usual hidey holes, and, well. I don't even know where to begin that search.</p><p>I'm honestly a little stunned. Me? Lose yarn? Really?</p><p>I know how this story ends. I'll proceed with my plan without those bits - I'm pretty sure I don't need them, I just thought they would fit in well - and then once it's well and truly too late, but only just barely, I'll just stumble upon those missing scraps, mocking me from some spot that I thought I had thoroughly checked but had actually missed somehow.</p><p>It'll be fine. There will always be new plans in the works.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-11824038395328833182021-10-17T17:49:00.002-06:002021-10-17T17:49:34.546-06:00K'done: still more socks<p>EVIL TWINS.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hYJYrhjUtvDDENf5qsiV-Kr32s2IeHiI1YUDq6gaWFa8svHKhzFBhAwy_UUNEes77qDegSYqBqeXL_4jCwD5D2gd1ehCwx1uawzoitfrp61B9EXEOzFv9BsZoyYWoikyZV27g6tI_RcX/w300-h400/20211015_125007.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>I know. It's rude to shout. But I'm excited!</p><div style="text-align: left;">Yarn: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/sea-turtle-fiber-arts-ridley-sock" target="_blank">Sea Turtle Fiber Arts Ridley Sock</a>, in Speckles and Splats<br />Needles: 2.25 mm / US 1</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRG7AwasJMLT9O4uzngK5ZXnm2AnW9Nj_K1A_vqJPc0CyqAag-Zk3dYr5KDM3FDRnVS5MdWZUWt7y16_aArEKEL4geKFy08ml9YmXxnERh33HIutut_3yOhoMZ5Wp4FQoOmQyyaLaxCvbb/w300-h400/20211015_124920.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></div><p>I don't remember how I stumbled upon Sea Turtle Fiber Arts, but at the time they were on their summer break, so I couldn't actually get my hands on any. Then I, um, forgot for a while, and then I randomly remembered I wanted to check them out again this past summer - and again, I couldn't get any because it was summer. Timing, I haz it.</p><p>This time, though, I didn't forget. It helped that I tracked them down on Instagram and followed them, and when they were back in the studio in late August, I was in the loop - and boy am I happy to be in this loop! I immediately fell in love with LOTS of their stuff, and bought a goodly haul to play with. And first up was this Evil Twin yarn.</p><p>I was immediately intrigued by the concept behind these sock sets - two skeins of yarn, dyed to produce a pair of socks that clearly go together, but absolutely do not match. So. Much. Fun. If you're the sort of person who finds second socks boring, this sort of yarn will help shake things up.</p><p>Me? I don't think I typically drag on a second sock (though I have found things more challenging with third or fourth socks, heh), but this yarn is still completely awesome - I was so eager to see how the two different skeins would knit up! I suppose if you're the sort of person who really grooves on perfectly matching socks, then this wouldn't be your jam, but hey, more for me, right?</p><p>One thing - Ridley Sock seems to be a teeeeeeeeensy bit thicker than most sock yarns. As I was cruising down the leg of the first sock, I thought it seemed to be sort of bigger than expected. I compared it to another sock, and sure enough, it was - but when I put my fingers in the cuffs and pulled them, they stretched out the same amount. So the stitches were the same size, but in the Ridley Sock they weren't compressing as much when relaxed. Since socks fit with negative ease, the finished socks are still fine, and I didn't feel the need to rip back and reknit, but I did make a mental note to try going up a needle size and reducing the overall stitch count on the next pair made with this yarn base, to try and get a more fluid feeling fabric. My usual gauge with 2.25 mm needles is 9 sts to the inch, and with Ridley Sock I was getting 8.5, with the fabric feeling fairly dense and stiff. Once they're on the feet I don't really notice any difference, but I did worry about it throughout the knitting - the fabric coming off the needles just didn't feel right.</p><p>Tech specs: Italian tubular CO, 1x1 rib at the cuffs, Fish Lips Kiss heel - I really like this heel technique, the heel knitting just seems to fly right along, in part because there's no long rounds as you work gussets, but also I guess I find slip stitch heel flaps a little tedious to work?</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNAj38AxKDMecMdXugdFRDgfqmblLSGfUZs5LPPVjoXtLLpbhqk92rRlFu_d0ptYpS-PDyfIZcgqvv7HvSyRnrWQP1NJsX8A4blpERlEOyrQq_ZxmFVU2LXVFIU_GNpOknsXtXdY69d1Q/w300-h400/20211015_124927.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>Yep, I'm pretty happy. And I, um, have already purchased more Sea Turtle yarn. Did I mention the part where the studio is about a ten minute drive from my house?</p><p>This could be dangerous.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6665205239174683341.post-70981867180483520692021-10-13T16:09:00.001-06:002021-10-13T16:09:07.674-06:00K'done: Windowlit cardigan (heavily modified!)<p> Yeah, this one doesn't look much like the sample.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltlJHhbeNBpAB-d35k2hiHaxCl-k_e5Rwm1r8YChmCjiXTOlNsu-3XCtwrxlWVgfthqDNT8e7cuu5LmWbStnLLPYSO8Dg2v3Y5ofUl2LDnEHqTIu-3Z_8aDA1rgN_7gr5Tg9Mios9i00y/w300-h400/20210921_102440.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Pattern: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/windowlit" target="_blank">Windowlit</a>, by Amy Gunderson (knit in size S/M)<br />Yarn: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/sweetgeorgia-yarns-superwash-dk" target="_blank">SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash DK</a>, in Cherry<br />Needles: 4.5 mm / US 7</div><p>Ahem. Excuse the leggings - I've been living in leggings for over a year now. (Honestly? I think they look good anyway!)</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTNr17_JXs_ZhFfkt6o-eKKn4vNCiUFKBS9TAMR4RKDJ_N6_7knCZXGlCZVxuM_cgRzLxqtMJyH9qAIxxdN9y6DxcBb717Ch4kaeJ29XyTP8i-75n2Waio5Z8m6n3PVo5cEkx70M6MrHz/w400-h300/20210921_102459.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /></p><p>As is readily apparent, I didn't do the lace motif given in the pattern. I swapped it out in favour of the texture pattern from <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dory-6" target="_blank">Dory</a>, which I thought appropriate since it still has a diamond-like geometry to it, in a nod to the original's diamond lace, but otherwise knit the pattern as written. So the shape is as the designer intended, and I've got the long twisted rib cuffs with their rolled edges, but I did skip the decorative tabs on the sleeves.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDpnkmqa4iWsZXwTZREGp2PLUmeJ8s0tgGRDDihtztnPyrTPcMZSEI1OwtIynmepHAXv_XgJKTmbUowNmsc2JZ_H29tlUJt2fmb0pjrgc0oSzEd5ewjfMJNZb82lQWLLu_gDM8F2byxnj/w300-h400/20210921_102416.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>I started this one in July, working on it a bit off and on for a few weeks, but packed it to take along when we went out to BC in August. I got a good chunk of it cranked out while we were away - I think I had a few inches of the back when we left, and I had the entirety of the body and a good portion of the neckline trim when we got back. It sat around a bit while I procrastinated doing the sleeve trims - what is it with me and sleeves?! But in September I got around to finishing that up, blocking and seaming it, then sewing on and finishing the neckline trim.</p><p>About that neckline trim. You'll notice in some of my shots you can see it curling back, in a sort of mini-shawl collar sort of way. I like it like that, but the sample shots don't have that curl. I suspect I would need to stretch the trim piece out a bit as I attach it to avoid the curling. Or maybe it's a blocking trick. I haven't re-blocked the sweater since its pre-seaming session.</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdz0czGB-DNRuAYczcV557RGXip4hAbsVW4hMz0azZGOoIcR5JxeGfOpO-flZxlyYowSAf6ek5ONalr1LBVFnbbPKd4BY1kU_wOD5yAdW2ECEPDARoxfa0zDd2JIXaNMpTmSxvu-0ISOOd/w300-h400/20210921_102533.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></p><p>It's a great layering piece, and because of the positive ease, if I'm feeling dedicated to it I can pull it closed in front - true, the fronts don't meet on their own, but knitted fabric is stretchy. There aren't any buttons, which suits me just fine, since I apparently hate buying buttons and find I don't use them on cardis anyway, so if I wanted it to stay shut I'd have to tie it off with a belt, or just keep my arms crossed.</p><p>Oh, I did goof the knitting at one point by miscounting how many pattern repeats I'd done, and cut my yarn to end one front about an inch too short. Had to rejoin the yarn to keep going to hit the right length. For bonus annoyance points, the yarn I had left in the cake when I rejoined was not quite enough, so I had to join on a new one to finish my bind off. I don't think it's super noticeable, since I used a Russian join, but still, a join in the bound off edge is not my favourite thing ever.</p><p>Still a totally great sweater, though. Maybe I should make another.</p><p>Tech specs: Chinese waitress CO, double chain BO, and I slipped the first stitch of each row because I like doing that when I'm knitting pieces that are going to be seamed later - I find it makes the selvedge edge really obvious, which helps me find my targets, so to speak. In fairness, I have not actually tried sewing a seam on an edge without the slipped selvedges - I saw this "tip" a long time ago somewhere and just ran with it. It has occurred to me that maybe I should try it sometime without the slipped selvedges, to see what the difference is.</p><p>Hooray for new sweaters!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0