Michael’s fancy socks

OK, ok, pick yourselves up off the floor and stop laughing. Don’t believe me? Yeah, I’m guessing you probably wouldn’t. I have gone nuts ordering yarn and so I am going to go on a yarn diet (OMG, can’t believe I’m actually saying this) until September, where I will go to the textile market. Seriously. So you will see more yarn pictures, of course, but I ordered them BEFORE today. I will also put a disclaimer that this diet EXCLUDES any purchase that is needed to complete a project (didn’t buy enough the first time around). Also, since I mainly buy sock yarn, it DOES count! So please, don’t tell me about the awesome yarn you have and don’t go posting pictures on flickr!!! :)

OK, so after I wrote that, I went and bought more Jitterbug. You know why? Because I am such an idiot. I am. I was so busy fondling and oogling the yarn that I didn’t bother to check the yardage. BTW, do germans say yardage? or meterage? is that even a word? Anyways, it’s like 260 or something like that. DOH! I think I can get away with ankle highs for myself with one skein, but not for the Gentleman’s sock. Dang it all. So, I’m already hitting an exception in my diet. This is bad. But that never happens. Ever. Except today. Really. I mean it.

So on to good things. Last night I started the Gentleman’s Fancy sock from Knitting Vintage Socks for Michael. Boy, it sure feels good to type a pattern name and not have to link it! Heh. I’m doing it in none other than the Colinette Jitterbug in Blue Parrot (that’s why I ordered more). I love the squishyness of this yarn, but Yarnissima told me that she made socks for her son and it felted pretty badly. We’ll see. We’ll have to compare how my husband matches up with a 7 year old. It sure is hard to find sock patterns for men because all the interesting ones (lace) are for women.

I modified the pattern for 8sts/in. A lot of patterns in this book are for 9 or 10sts per inch. That is so painful. I don’t think I could knit something with that small stitches. It would drive me nuts. It fits Michael really well though and it is very stretchy so it goes over his abnormally large heel just fine and is still snug on his calf. I can’t wait for him to wear these, but I’ll have to wait for the 2nd skein to come in. Let’s just hope that the colorway isn’t too different. Even if it is, I’m sure no one will notice. It’s just socks.

I FINALLY got my answer letter today from Jenn. It took freaking forever, and it’s not Jenn’s fault. Nicely stamped on the front of the envelope was “MISSENT TO MALAYSIA”. WTF? How in the world does a letter that clearly says “Germany” on it get sent to Malaysia? In any case, I guess I should just be happy that I got it. You know how crazy those Malasians are. So Jenn, your letter has really “travelled the world” and finally arrived today. Thanks so much, I really enjoyed reading it and I love the fish paper – must take a picture of the book that it was used in!

In other news, I frogged my entire Vinnland sock because it was a tad too small, not that big of a deal, but couple that with a tight short row heel and that pushed me over the edge. I guess I have a too large instep that I don’t fit short row heels very well? So I started another one, and this time I made it 4sts bigger and am doing a gusset heel instead. It fits much, much better. I’m on the cuff part now.

I also started a chevron scarf with STR, and I was excited about it and now I’m very blah about it. I think it has to do with my edges. I like to slip the first stitch of the beginnings of rows because when I don’t, my stitches are very uneven, but it doesn’t look that great and the side that I’m carrying the yarn on is kinda too tight. I think it might end up frogged. Anyone have any tips? To carry the yarn, they say put the yarn “in front” what does that mean??? Put it in front (closest to the needles)?

Isn’t the pattern awesome?

I had a hard time finding a pattern for my gifted Natural Dye Studio yarn that my SP10 gave me. When knitted on US2′s, it had a 7st/in. I could’ve gone down a size or maybe 2 and it would’ve been 8st/in, but I hate knitting on needles smaller than 2′s. I was originally going to do Kew with this yarn, but I read that the sock doesn’t have too much give and the yarn doesn’t feel like it would be very elastic, so I looked around more. Then I decided to do another Baudelaire’s again because I wasn’t pleased with the striping on my 1st one. But then, from my German sock list, someone put a link to Vinnland and I was in love. It is such a pretty pattern and the gauge is the same. This yarn felt scratchy after knitting with Cashmere the last 5 or so days. I think anything would’ve felt scratchy! :) But after a few hours, it was normal. The pattern is perfect for this yarn and it just pops out at you. Thanks SP10!!! I can’t wait to finish these. The only thing that I didn’t like was that this yarn leaves dark marks on my fingers. I don’t know if that’s because it’s naturally dyed?

I changed the toe – I did a magic cast on (24 sts) instead of a provisional cast on. One of these days I’m going to have to learn how to do those. There was a page of directions and super confusing, so I stuck to what I know.

I found out recently that I can’t knit on straight needles anymore. Well, not that I CAN’T, but more like don’t want to. The needles are very heavy and cumbersome. I haven’t knitted with straights in awhile and so now it seems so foreign. I’m thinking about giving them away, but can’t quite part with them yet.

Also, now that I’ve gotten the hang of continental knitting, I’ve been knitting SO FAST! Not as fast as some of the German speed knitters, of course, but maybe double my normal speed. So all the socks that I knit I keep saying, “wow that was a fast knit”, but really it’s just because I’m knitting faster. I am so happy that I got shamed into learning how to knit continental style – thanks German SNBers!

Pattern: Vinnland by The AntiCraft
Yarn: The Natural Dye Studio BFL sock yarn
Needles: Knit Picks US2 classic circs
Started: May 10, 2007

Before I begin, I just wanted to share with you my clever punchline that I entered into the sock club contest. What the contest was, was to think of the answer to “how many knitters does it take to screw in a lightbulb”. Michael and I thought about it and his answer was “None, it is DH’s job”. This is funny because all knitters (except me) refer to their husbands not by name, but by DH (dear husband). MY answer was “Three. One to change it, one to take photos, and one to blog about it.” har har. I crack myself up. The 10 winners are chosen on May 25th, so please keep your fingers crossed for me. The winners get free STR yarn!!!! Woo hoo!

My first plain stockinette sock

So, Ingrid, my SP8, gave me some Posh Yarn for my birthday. It is 100% cashmere in really nice spring colors. Once I was done with my obligatory knitting, I had to cast these on. The problem is that when I get some nice yarn, I have a REALLY hard time choosing something to knit. At first I wanted to do a scarf. But I didn’t have enough yarn. Then I thought of socks. NO! No wearing cashmere on my usually dirty feet. And they would wear out at some point. OK, back to a scarf. I cast on for a chevron scarf and decided to just go until I run out. No. I won’t have enough. It will be too short. OK, how about a hat? Apparently, there are no patterns out there for hats to make with fingering weight, unless you want to make baby hats. Yeah, right. Like I’m going to give away my precious cashmere. Those babies will have to suffer!

So again, back to the socks. Should I? Am I that posh? To wear cashmere ON MY FEET??? Now, if you’ve ever seen my feet, you would say that I should ABSOLUTELY NOT make cashmere socks. Oh, but it’s so soft. And I have the right amount of yarn. And I can’t find any other pattern that I like. OK, socks it is! I cast on for a modified Thuja. I even completed one side. Didn’t like it. I didn’t like how the ribbing messed up the colors. Very small issue, but I didn’t like it. I did, however, like the bottom of the sock, just plain stockinette.

So, I frogged the whole sock (the beginning part of this ball of yarn is getting unplied at this point) and cast on for a generic toe-up stockinette sock. And I love it. Yes, you heard that right. Me. plain stockinette. yep. I followed the Baudelaire pattern for the gusset heel and then made a 2×2 ribbing. They are ankle socks and it is like wearing clouds on your feet. If any of you have a chance to knit cashmere socks, you should. It is awesome! And they are so warm too! Too bad it’s spring now – I am so looking forward to next winter! If you can’t tell, I am so happy that I frogged the Thuja and created this, even though it meant losing a day’s work.

Here’s the pattern if anyone’s interested (I’m writing this just so I remember if I do it again). It’s kind of a “sketch” and not really detailed, but you should understand what’s going on.

• Using the magic cast on, cast on 16 stitches.
• Work these two rows row 1: [k1, m1, k6, m1, k1] 2x, row 2: k all stitches until you reach 60 stitches.
• At about 3″ from the back of foot, start increasing for the gusset. Repeat these two rows until you reach 84 stitches. row 1: k all stitches. row 2: knit to 1/2 marker, m1, knit remaining, m1.
• Follow the Baudelaire pattern for the heel:
  Row 1 [RS]: K41, w&t.
  Row 2 [WS]: P28, w&t.
  Row 3 [RS]: K27, w&t.
  Row 4 [WS]: P26, w&t.
  …continue…
  Row 18 [WS]: P12, w&t.
  Row 19 [RS]: K11, w&t.

  Next Row [WS]: P11; p next 8 sts, picking up each wrap (loop of yarn wrapped around base of st) and purling it together with the st it had wrapped; pick up next wrap and place on left needle, p3tog (wrap on left needle, st which it had wrapped, and next st, all purled together). Turn work (do not wrap st).

  Next Row [RS]: Sl 1, k19; k next 9 sts, picking up each wrap and knitting it together with the st it had wrapped; pick up next wrap and place on left needle, sssk (wrap, st which it had wrapped, and next st, all worked together.) Turn work (do not wrap st).

  Next Row [WS]: Sl 1, p28, p2tog. Turn work.
  Next Row [RS]: Sl 1, k28, ssk. Turn work.
  Repeat these 2 rows 10 times more; all sts have been worked. 30 sts remain on this needle.

• Join back in the round and continue in stockinette until 1.5 inches from desired leg height.
• Do a 2×2 rib for 15 rounds. Cast off.

I just joined this one and it sounds interesting. A pair of socks will go around the world and each person will take some of their leftover yarns and knit a part of the socks, then take a picture of it somewhere and send it off to the next person. When the socks are completed, they will have a drawing to decide who will get it. Doesn’t that sound fun?!?!! Signups end on May 6 so hurry!!! Click here for more info

My first Monkeys!

I realized that I knit this one so quick that I didn’t even post a WIP picture. This weekend I finished my first Monkey socks! This is going to a friend that I grew up with. Her birthday is on the 30th (ack!) and I finished these exactly on her birthday so they will be in the mail soon. I love, love, love the brightness of these socks and I’m hoping that it will help her get through the rainy days in Seattle. I made them a little short because I don’t think she’s a person to wear very high socks. We both have “ample” (ahem!) calves so things just don’t stay up very well. I like them so much that I think I may knit another pair (even shorter) for myself with the leftover yarn. I think I will change the heel to be a slipped stitch heel since I don’t like the way the stockinette heel looks so plain.

Pattern: Monkey by CookieA (knitty.com)
Yarn: Wollmeise sock yarn Sonne colorway
Started: April 24, 2007
Completed: April 30, 2007
Size/Needles: One size (64 sts), US2
Pattern notes: I did 4 pattern repeats for the cuff, instead of the 6.

This is for a friend’s birthday. I really, really love the extremely bright colors. It is so bright that my camera can’t quite capture it!