Actual knitting progress

At last! The weather is lovely and i can sit outside and knit at lunch. I turned 2 heels this weekend and i'm working steadily up the leg.

Enthusiastic winner!

 

This fresh in from cafe press--my very own Rainey Sisters mug! It now sits on my desk at work, regularly filled with tea.

I won it in a contest sponsored by these fun knitters. On their post they said:

Finally, Sally’s daughter and her little assistant (who helped with the random drawing), really wanted us to reward the very first person who entered the contest for her enthusiasm. To keep the results from being tampered with or chewed up, we agreed. Therefore, a mug will also be going to Valerie.

When I read that, I was very tickled, and bemused. As a kid, I was known and regularly mocked for my enthusiasm, and I immediately thought, "This is the first time something good has come from it!" The first thing that came to mind was the grade three Christmas program, where our class had to stand up and sing in front of an audience full of parents. I have always loved to sing with a group, and I assure you, I belted it out. It never occured to me to notice if everyone else was belting, too, why should that be my concern? My siblings laughed at me later and told me that they could hear me loudly over the rest of the class.

Enough reminiscing, this post is mostly to say, thanks for the mug! Hurrah!

What's in progress

 

Yesterday I finally updated my progress page on Ravelry to show all my current works in progress. These are all projects I consider "active" and I work on them all from time to time. It was discouraging to see these projects side by side and accept how slowly they have been and will continue to progress.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of knitting time available to me right now. My life right now includes:

• Family duties


• Full time work


• Internship 10 hours a week


• Final quarter in graduate school, a major research methodologies course


• Completing my portfolio, the equivalent of a thesis


• Applying for a number of jobs which all come open this time of year


• Going to interviews for these jobs without using up any time off because I need it for my graduation/vacation journey at the end of the term.


• Daily walks or other exercise, without which I go completely batty and everything else falls apart

Sadly, few of these tasks are knitting friendly. There is occassionally knitting at work on lunch time, and sometimes family duties can include knitting while I talk/snuggle/hangout/whatever with my Most Important Peoples. I have been known to knit and walk at the same time, but I've noticed that I get less exercise under those conditions, and also I get crampy shoulders and arms.

Because of the slow knitting progress, there's not a lot to blog. I can't bring myself to blog: Look, here's the broad spiral ribbing an inch longer than it was last week!

Acquisitions

This is the spot where normally I would show off all my new yarn from shopping in Seattle. If I remember correctly, I have shopped in Seattle on every residency trip I have made. However, on this my last residency trip, I did not make time to shop for yarn. This was a combination of being OHMIGODTOOBUSY and OHMIGODIHAVETOOMUCHYARN. The latter may have been inspired by a small bounty from Knitpicks that arrived the day I departed.

You see, my coworker wanted to order some needles from Knitpicks, and she needed some purchases to pad her order up to the free shipping minimum. Naturally I had to help out a friend in need!

Thus I now am the proud owner of some Felici in the colourway Arugula, and some Shamrock in that blue colourway. (whatever it's called). I also acquired a Harmony size 3 circular needle which I have since misplaced on the disaster that is my desk at work.

 

Thrice as nice

Live from baggage claim... Travelers every where are celebrating the sock's progress. It has tripled its length during travel. Sadly, it will be promptly neglected.

Knitting on the road

Live from the SeaTac airport... Yes i had several works in progress, but i always like a special travel project. This shows my total progress for the short trip. I did have to rip out several rows yesterday because apparently i cannot count to 3 while attending class.

Let's be blunt

This garter-stitch toe makes a remarkably blunt toe. I continue to be bemused by the whole thing, and suspect it will wear well. Time will tell.

The pattern is an elongated version of the wavy rib from More Sensational Knitted Socks. I do a six-row repeat instead of four-row, which works better with the Bordhi 3-row increase pattern.

Knitting In Progress Report

I have been practicing project monogamy, of sorts. Sorts, in that monogamy indicates faithfulness to one, while I have been working on faithfulness to two. I have been steadily knitting upon Jeanie and Pomatoes. I have a very spotty record with Second Project Syndrome, and being that I needed to knit the pomatoes one at a time, I knew I was at High Risk of never finishing the second. So no matter what other projects beckoned, I restricted myself to the two at hand.

Okay, okay, I did swatch. A little. But I refrained from casting on!

With the pomatoes off the needles, I am free free freeeeeee to cast on at will. We start with a glimpse of spiral ribbing from More Sensational Knitted Socks. This is knitted with my Middy Duets. The cuff is made from exactly half of the contrasting yarn, a feat made possible by my new and beloved scale.




This morning I started on a pair of socks that will once again utilize the Riverbed Architecture from New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I was about to start a standard toe, but then I decided to explore the garter stitch toe. The following photo illustrates the start of a garter stitch toe. So far, I'm quite entertained by the different construction.

Pomatoes--The Finished Objects

Pattern: Pomatomus
Started: Feb 15, 2008
Completed: March 16, 2008
Yarn: Miranda, of Sweet Sheep Faerie Feet
Needle: Knit Picks size 2 circular

Acquisitions

Woohoo! I am now the proud owner of a digital scale! The application possibilities for this item are endless. First of all, we can determine that one Hiiumaa sock weighs 38 grams, and the remaining yarn weighs 43 grams. So I know now I can safely make one more Hiiumaa.



We could also determine that one Frogtastic Surf Sock weighs 34 grams, while each remaining ball weighs 55 grams. Therefore, quite a tall sock can be made with the remaining yarn! Also, clearly, I only needed one ball for a pair.



Most fascinating to me has been the ways my #1Grrl finds to use it. For example, she decided to determine the mass of marker ink, although she didn't quite articulate it that way. So she weighed a wooden craft stick (aka non-sterile tongue depressor) and then coloured the heck outta that stick and weighed it again. To her delight, the weight had increased by one gram!



Then we weighed a roll of quarters. One roll is 40 quarters and a value of $10. The roll weighed 228 grams. A single quarter weighed 6 grams. Using our math, we determined that based on weight, the roll probably held 38 quarters, or $9.50. Then we counted the quarters, and discovered that it did indeed hold the proper quantity of 40. This spawned plenty more measuring and the conclusion that... We need a more accurate scale. We've not even had it a day and it's already obsolete!

Acquisitions

If it followed me home, could I keep it?
Araucania sock yarn, hand dyed in Chile. Completely irresistible.

Slow & Steady

Not always a lot to blog about, I just keep on knitting. Jeanie's at about 10 inches now. The goal is 70 inches. I try to work on her every day, at least a few rows. That fell through yesterday. Pomato is getting so close to the toe that I just couldn't stop working on that. Best I can tell, one more chart repeat and I'll be onto toe decreases. Have I mentioned what a tactile delight the pomato is?

Mindless knitting report

As I mentioned in my previous post, I needed some mindless knitting for Saturday night. I needed something so mindless I could knit it in the dark. Finally, Saturday afternoon, I was able to put aside the pomatoes and attend to this issue. I needed a yarn not likely to get uppity on me, so I picked one of the balls of Limbo I got on discount not long ago. As I only had one ball of the yarn, I decided they would be socks for my #1grrl, who doesn't have any MamaMadeSocks at the moment. The plan was: toe up socks, short row heel, and the same easy rib from Sensational Knitted Socks.

I did indeed knit on the socks that evening. I had hours in a theatre, and when it was dark, I knitted fervently on the new socks. Admittedly, when it was light, I knitted on the pomatoes.

Come Sunday morning, I measured the new socks--they were 4 inches long. I browsed through New Pathways and for some reason, decided these socks should actually be the Dove Socks in that book. This was courting danger, for not only do those Bordhi increases suck up lots of yarn, but the Dove pattern was committing me to a predetermined height for the legs. I had to be sure I had enough yarn to reach the top of the big diamond. And indeed, as I worked on the increases, I could see the ball of yarn steadily decreasing. That's when I decided I needed to use an alternate yarn for the heels. My daughter was free to pick out her preferred heels.



The yarn did indeed make it to the top of the diamond. I even got four rows of ribbing above it! I knitted until I completely ran out of yarn, as shown in the photo above. Then my daughter changed her mind about having a bindoff that matched the heels, and I had to pick back a row and a half in order to have enough yarn to bind off.


Finished Object!
Started: Feb 16, 2008 (3pm!)
Finished: Feb 18, 2008 (11am!)
Yarn: Limbo
Needle: Size 5 Knitpicks Options circular
Pattern: Dove Socks from New Pathways. Toe up.



I love the incongruous heels. The little touch of whimsy* completely delights me. Oh, the joys of homemade!



*about whimsy... Imogen in The Blue Girl had a very specific definition of whimsy. I'm not sure if dayglo heels conforms to her definition. But I still think of those heels as a touch of whimsy.

Bossy little faerie

Things aren't going quite as planned. First, let me make it clear... my enthusiasm for Jeanie has not waned even a bit. The thing is, I need some mindless knitting for tonight. Planning ahead, I picked out a yarn yesterday morning. I wound Miranda, my Sweet Sheep Faerie Feet, into a ball, and purused Sensational Knitted Socks for a nice little easy rib pattern I could do with my eyes shut.

That's where the trouble began. Miranda made it very clear that she was not interested in some nice and easy little rib pattern that I could do with my eyes shut. No, ma'am. Turns out, Miranda wanted to be Pomatomus.


As you can see, Miranda was completely right. Not that I ever doubted her, of course, it's just lovely to see the proof. So now I have two beloved but complicated projects in the works... and no mindless knitting yet for tonight. Sigh.

pansy progress

Jeanie is making steady progress. Although it doesn't show in the picture, I have started dropping stitches. This development is both thrilling and alarming. When the shawl gets a little longer, I'll have a better view of the overall picture.

just in time

Just in time for a new weekend, here is the weekend report from LAST weekend. Things like dead camera batteries, strange computer alerts, and a captivating new project kept this update from happening earlier.

I went on a finishing binge this weekend, which was well-timed. First, I finished the little brave babe that has been languishing on my bedside table. She still needs a complete wardrobe, but hey! she's got hair!



I have a pair of BBS (Big Black Socks) for Socks for Soldiers that has been making turtle progress (slow and steady). This weekend they got that final push and were done.



Also finished this weekend was a set of fingerless gloves for the older kidlet. They still need some decorative efforts, but would you believe I've lost that ball of yarn? Hopefully I'll find it this next weekend.

wise men say only fools rush in

On Thursday, Ember showed me Jeanie. What happened next is a bit of a blur. Fastforward to today... 3 skeins of Dream in Colour Smooshy--Pansy Golightly--arrived from the Loopy Ewe. My planned weekend update will have to come later. No time to blog further. Must... go... cast... on...

Saggy, baggy heels

The Rivulet Socks had a very busy day yesterday. After their involvement with making muffins, they rushed off to drop off at a Boy Scouts' bake sale. They tried to go to Sunday Services, but instead wound up at the children's class. There was much 80s joy at the children's class, and the socks danced about on hard wood floors til they were weary. Then there was some Rock Lobster , and the socks danced about some more. While all the adults there, with their socks, were flopping about on the ground, "Down, down, down!" the children seemed highly alarmed. Seriously, I don't know what to think of a generation that is unmoved by Rock Lobster !

The socks went on for a busy day running errands, going out for tea, and a joyful trip to the snowy, sunny park to enjoy near-springlike weather.

I love the socks. They look fabulous. The yarn is stunning. Sadly, the heels are abominable. I will still wear them, but any further attempts at socks from New Pathways will need some serious tweaking to fit properly.

if it ain't broke...

I am making steady progress on my Rushing Rivulet socks. I will be starting the cuff after just a few more inches. I'm still pondering the picot hem as recommended in the pattern.
Naturally, I haven't worn these socks yet, though I have tried them on. They seem like they will fit, but the real proof will come in the wearing. At this point in time, I'm not completely sold on the Bordhi architectures for my socks. It worked really well for my son's socks, however I'm not convinced I need this custom shaping. These socks include increases through two-thirds of the foot! First of all, it uses a whole lotta yarn. Secondly, do I really need those generous increases? My actual foot is still getting smaller while the sock is getting larger. It makes one seriously chunky heel! I have been comparing these socks to my other socks. In the photograph below, you can see a pair of socks with a short-row heel layered atop a pair of socks with a "traditional" heel, on top of the Bordhi socks. Do I really need that much heel? My socks made with much smaller heel acreage all fit me quite nicely.

As I said above, the proof will be in the wearing, so all this pondering is purely academic at this point. In the meantime, I continue to wonder... if it ain't broke, why are we fixing it?

Rushing along with Rivulets

It just so happens that I have a lot of things I need/want to knit. Things for my kids, gifts, stuff I fancy, stuff I imagine, a couple unfinished objects, etc. I'm longing to knit up my Sweet Sheep yarn and the Lark yarn; it's just sitting by my bed tormenting me, all of it. So I don't have a good explanation why I started on these Rushing Rivulet socks. They are pictured in the New Pathways for Sock Knitters, with a chart, but knitters have to utilize the Riverbed Architecture and figure it out for themselves. The Riverbed Architecture is supposed to be nice because you can fill the socks with a pattern, right to the sides of the heels. I have never before in my sock-knitting days longed to fill the sides of the heels with pattern. So naturally I tried it. Ever since seeing the pic of the Rivulet socks, the pattern has been telling me it would be perfect with my Rio del Plata yarn. And admittedly, this sock yarn has been waiting a lot longer than the Sweet Sheep yarn.

In this pic above, you can hopefully see the V-shape that creates the increases on the sole. It also shows my markers. The book recommends letter markers. On these socks I'm using embroidery floss tied into loops. I don't need letters on my markers to keep track, and most of my markers were too chunky to work nicely with such thin yarn. But my skull markers were just perfect for keeping track of the 3 row repeats.


This second picture above shows the rivulet pattern, a basic pattern of k2tog followed by a yo.


I turned one heel today. I had high expectations of turning two, but I did a lot of Homework Mom duties, which involved many interruptions. One of the tricks I had with this sock was deciding how to carry the rivulet pattern down the sides of the socks as the increases in the sole moved stitches from the sole to the sides. I wound up tracking the increase rows in groups of four. On the third of four increase rows, I would add the rivulet pattern on only one side, on the side where the k2tog occurred within 2 stitches of the existing pattern. On the fourth increase row, I finished adding the four-stitch rivulet pattern on both sides of the sock. This is because every four increase rows meant eight stitches added to the centre of the sole, which meant I could add two four-stitch repeats on the sides. Clear as mud?


What a funky shaped sock this is!