Posts filed under 'Socks'
I am really taking crappy pictures of these poor socks! The one I took last week sucked, too. Sorry about that. I’ll use the standard excuse. It’s winter. It’s dark. So you get zealous-flash-washed-out. I will try better next time. I want you to see how pretty this colorway is! And it is gorgeous. I am really enjoying these socks. I love the pattern. I love that the colors are not pooling. Really happy about that, in fact! It has an interesting heel-turn, too. Nancy Bush rocks.
I have also been working on Ene’s Scarf (from Scarf Style) in the wee hours of the mornings before my hubby gets up. I can only do about two rows at a time. Each row at this early stage is over 300 stitches long. So it’s slow going. But I’m enjoying this pattern, too. None of this “knit 7 together” b.s. I didnt’ take a picture because it’s really not interesting right now. Maybe by next week it will look like something worth taking a picture of.
Spinning!
I have to say. I am LOVING my new hobbie. And I especially love spinning on a drop spindle. I love the portability. I’ve been taking it with me to work and spinning at my desk to help me relax. I really don’t know if I will ever want a spinning wheel. Definately not at the moment. For one thing, I have nowhere to put one. For another thing, I can’t fit it in my bag. I told myself I would spin with a drop spindle for a year before I plunk down cash for a spinning wheel.
This is what I was doing this week:
Pretty! This was so gorgeous I just had to buy it. I got it at Holy Threads last weekend when I bought “Spin to knit.” I am envisioning a lacy shawl with this someday in the distant future.
One last thing. I feel like I have to defend my doghair yarn. I posted a comment in my last post. But I will say it here. I have heard in various places that there is a horrible smell when the yarn gets wet. This is not so. (And for that matter, doesn’t wool smell when IT gets wet, too?) Anyway. After you spin your yarn and ply it you have to soak it in hot water for an hour to set the twist. I added some soap to this water so it would get nice and clean. After it is rinsed the dog smell is absolutely gone. So there. No dog smell. In fact, my skiens were plied with wool and while they were still damp they smelled more like wet wool than anything.
Just felt like I needed to say a little something about that.
Have a great week!
October 18th, 2006
I finished the mate to my first knitpicks sock and even wore them yesterday on the Spokane Valley Artwalk Tour (which was really fun, BTW). Nothing super special about them, really. They were knit on two circular needles, size two. I followed the directions in Cat Bordhi’s “Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles” for the standard sock. I wish that I had gotten size 1 circulars for this because these turned out kind of floppy on my foot. I am finding that size 1s work better for me. I enjoyed the process. It was a quick knit. I also liked that I could try them on as I was knitting. I do that with dpns, but I have to be very careful on to lose stitches. This isn’t really a problem with the two-circ method.
I started on my Rib and Cable socks. The picture I took sucks, so I won’t post it here on the blog. You can see my progress by clicking here.
In other knitting news I decided to scrap the five millionth clapotis (for my mom’s Christmas present). I couldn’t stomach it. I just couldn’t. Instead, I started the project for which I bought the yarn. Ene’s Scarf from Scarf Style.
In spinning news, I plied my 2nd ever hank of yarn:
This is the doghair yarn plied with some Corriedale Cross roving that I purchased last weekend at Paradise Fibers. It turned out super soft! I am trying to teach myself how to spin thinner singles so that my final product won’t be so bulky. I’m really having fun with this! I bought some beautiful roving today at Holy Threads, along with the book “spin to knit.” Speaking of that book, have you read Lolly’s interview with the author? Go check it out!
Okay, I’m signing off. I’m making pot roast for dinner and need to get it started. l8r.
October 9th, 2006
yay! It’s Socktober! The month of socks! My first project is to knit up the mate to my knitpicks “simple stripes” sock. I knit the first one waay back in January. Man. I can’t believe I waited this long to knit the second one. Anyway. So this one is knitted on two circulars using the directions for the simple socks in Cat Bordhi’s book, “Socks Soar” on two circular needles. Indeed. I’m already on the gusset.
What else do I have in mind for Socktoberfest? I plan on knitting these:
I am knitting them for my mom’s birthday. And did you notice that I’m using some yarn from my small Claudia’s Handpainted stash? Do I love my mom or what!
Sock knitting history.
Okay. My first sock was pre-blog. It was around Christmas time 2002. I knit them up with some cream-color wool yarn, probably DK weight. I can’t even remember what the yarn was! I used the directions in Zimmerman’s Knitting Without Tears (as I did with everything that I knit around that time). I remember when I just finished the first one My hubby and I were watching T.V. We both kind of looked at it and laughed because it look like a hobbit’s sock. Or some creature like that. But it fit and I still wear them today. There is so much that I needed to do differently and that I do differently now. I think the first thing that I changed is that I use sock yarn to knit my socks. When I knit these things I didnt’ even know that there was such a thing as sock yarn. All I can say is Thank God for the new knitting revolution because I used to be a knitter who was so in the dark. I would knit things and not have a clue! I didn’t know anyone else who knitted so I didn’t have anyone to ask. I felt uncomfortable going to yarn stores because at the time all of the yarn stores around where I lived were owned by cranky people who didn’t seem excited at all about knitting. Things have certainly changed!
Okay. Back to the socks. My favorite yarns for sock knitting: Claudia’s Handpainted, Koigu, Lorna’s Laces. I have a hank of Socks that Rock in my stash that I’m dying to try out. I have a feeling I’m going to love that, too.
I think my favorite way of knitting socks is still the good ole fashioned four DPNs. I’m currently using two circs and it’s okay. But I think I will stick with the DPNs.
The only kind of heel I have tried is the flap. I should really try the short-row method!
How many pairs have I made? Let’s see…8 I think.
Thanks for the questions, Lolly! Happy Socktober!
October 5th, 2006
I finished these on Thursday night. Weaved in the last end and ceremoniously put them on my feet. I turned to my husband and asked, “Like my new socks?” His response was, “Did you buy those?” I said, “No. I’ve been sitting here working on them for the past two weeks.” He couldn’t believe that I knitted them.
Here are the specs:
Pattern: “Evening stockings for a young lady.” From the book, Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush.
Yarn: Knitpicks Essential. About two and a half balls.
Needles: Clover size 1 bamboo dpns.
Started: August 1st, 2006
Finished: August 17th, 2006
I really enjoyed knitting these socks. I almost suffered from 2nd sock syndrome but cast on for sock #2 before I could really even think about it. That cured The Dreaded Syndrome. I love “Knitting Vintage Socks.” I almost can’t wait to start on another pattern from the book. But I think I will wait until Socktoberfest since I’ve got lots of other things to finish up.
Like this:
I had tucked this disaster in the closet and forgotten about it. When I looked in there for some yarn I saw it and realized that this was, indeed, a neutral project. So what the hell. I thought I’d finish it up for August.
Yes, I have frogged and restarted. I was going to try knitting it as a seamless sweater but as I thought about what the hell I was going to do about the arms I realized I should just start over and follow the directions. I’m not skilled enough yet to figure this shit out on my own.
So there you go. Happy Monday.
August 21st, 2006
I knitted on these:
Knee-highs from the book, Knitting Vintage socks. I’ve just turned the heel.
I also went to an art festival in Coeur D’Alene. Art on the Green. I bought these:
Made from an artist in ID. They will go on some yet-to-be-determined cardi that I will knit. How fucking cool is that? Some handmade cedar buttons, made by a local artist will go on a sweater that I will make with my very own hands. I love that.
Speaking of cool, I also saw this:
The piece is called “Bike Sweater.” I feel bad because I didn’t write down the name of the artist. Yarn was even hand-spun!
I also saw this:
WOW!
And finally, today I made a friend at the park:
He came and hung out with me while I knitted. At first I thought he was looking for food but there were (really obnoxious) people all around me feeding the birds and this little guy just hung out close by.
I snapped this before I helped save a dog’s life! Seriously. A dog got stuck in the duck pond and almost drowned right after this was taken. I will probably write about it over on Blatherskite if I can ever get around to it.
Happy Monday!
August 7th, 2006
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