Back from vacation

And it was great, and I got a lot of knitting done! MS3 was a little slower going than I thought it was going to be so I didn't get as far on it as I wanted, I'm only halfway done clue #2. But, knock on wood, I haven't had to frog anything, yet. Some tinking here and there, actually some tinking to do when I pick it up again. Oops. I made good progress on Jer's sock, about an inch on the leg left to do but the toe ups I frogged a couple of times. I'm going to have to find a cast-on method I like a little better, the pattern I have makes the toe too pointy, so those are on hold again.

My Ruby Sapphire sock club yarn came, it's pretty, but BRIGHT! Wow. It came with a pattern and some nice beaded stich markers too. I'm still waiting on my Yarn Pirate Booty Club yarn but I clicked the wrong thing on flickr last night and spoiled it for myself. I like it.

That's all for now, I'm not doing any online reading of anything since I have made it a week without hearing or reading any Harry Potter spoilers and I don't want it ruined now that I'm 1/3 of the way through. So, for now, I read instead of knit.

WIP

The knitting update. All the main pieces of the Ella Baby sweater are finished and blocking, I don't plan on furthering it's progress at all until after vacation. It needs assembly, collar, button bands and buttons. It's going to be very cute. Socks, Jer's socks have become car socks, I knit them to and from Toronto on Tuesday, I'm about halfway down a leg. I'm liking them alot. I worked on Monkey tonight while I watched So You Think You Can Dance, and finished all the pattern repeats for the foot, the toe awaits me tomorrow and I will have accomplished the goal of having one done by the time we left. I'm not sure if #2 will be coming with me or waiting at home, haven't decided yet. In Toronto yesterday I bought beads for the Mystery Stole and being the bad girl that I am, I started it. I'm finished row 36 of Chart A of clue 1 (so far behind, clue 4 comes out on Friday). I like it a lot. I have also purchased one of these and hope to do it justice. It will take me a long time I'm sure. And I'm anxiously awaiting some sort of sock club delivery, I know one was shipped on Monday.

I'm going to try and get some pictures tomorrow, but I have vacation packing to do, don't want to forget any crucial knitting bits. And it's my birthday.

It might just be Ravelry that does it

It being the push I need to actually get all my knitting paraphenalia organized. Maybe, in time. Because it will take time out of the knitting to get the knitting organized. And really, what do I prefer?

knitting knitting knitting

Well, Go With the Flow are finished and looking lovely on the feet of Jen. I was very happy with the way they came out and would use that pattern again. And of course you can't finish a pair of socks with out starting another, so I have started some Monkeys, with a picot cuff. One, I'm not sure if I like the picot functionally, it looks great but kind of floppy, and two, I've turned the heel and started the foot, but I'm thinking of ripping back to the leg and adding another (6th) repeat. I'm pretty sure I'm going to actually. I also have a pair of socks for Jer in Trekking that I'm cruising along on. They are a 2x2 rib and I knit them while the boys are in the pool or we're just sitting around, they're my upstairs socks/car socks.

I'm starting to try and figure out what I'm taking with me when we go on vacation next week. Monkey will come if it's not finished, Jer's socks, the Lorna's Laces to try some toe up, the poncho I've decided to make with the lovely Artyarns, and the Mystery Stole. Plus Order of the Phoenix and Half Blood Prince to re-read before I get home and can dive right in to Deathly Hallows. Think that's enough?

Go with the flow, just go with the flow

So I'm cruising along on SIL's go with the flow socks. And after having to knit the heel flap twice due to my own stupidity, I negelected to remember that when I isolated the stiches (I think) as the pattern stated they weren't centred in the patteren, so I knit the entire heel flap, turned the heel and realized what I did. It was late, Jer said don't worry no one will notice, I lost sleep that night and ripped it back in the morning. I just couldn't live with it. So I knit the flap again while watching the boys swim on Friday afternoon, then turned the heel, mostly. After they went to bed I picked up my sock and the heel was all wrong, apparently I can't count properly and supervise swimming at the same time. Rip back heel and start again. By the time I went to bed Friday night I was only slightly farther along than where I was 24 hrs previously, but it's right. Now, here it is Sunday, late afternoon, and I have finished all the gusset decreases (I don't particularly like flap heels) and I'm cruising away on the foot. They need to be done for Friday night because we are going out for supper with them and I want to give them to her. AND, I want to finish them so I can start my Monkey's, I've decided that's what I'm doing with the Pink Granite, AND I'm expecting sock club yarn and I may need to start something with that, or I may have to wait and see what it wants to be first.

Tonight, no sock, super soft baby sweater instead. I want to get one pattern repeat done on the first front panel and sew the ends in on the completed back. That's the trick to me doing colourwork, sew the ends in as I complete each piece, then it's not quite so daunting.

I should take some pictures. Because really, what's the point of just talking about it if you can't see it. Not that anyone reads this anyways. Except maybe Ange.

Beaucoup de sock yarn

So here's the deal. I now own more sock yarn (in the house and in transit) than I can knit. Solution. Knit faster, knit more.

I've joined not one, but two, 2, sock yarn clubs. Ruby Sapphire on Etsy has a 6 month club and I happen to look at the Yarn Pirate blog just after she opened registration for her new club and got a spot. I've never even touched wool from either of them. And they both start in July. I'm just a little bit excited. Almost done the Jaywalkers!

My new obsession with socks

So here's the deal. I'm knitting Jade STR Jaywalkers for my mom, she needs to try it on, I don't think I can start the toe yet. I'm not sure if I like the wearablitly of them, they don't have much stretch. We'll see when she tries them on tomorrow. There may be a frogging in my future. I'm also knitting a pair of Go With The Flow socks from Interweave with some Fleece artist, I love them but they are for the SIL. She also needs to try them, but she doesn't know I'm making them, difficult. I have a sock yarn hoard, it's not quite a stash yet, but I'm getting there. I have some Charcoal STR and Trekking in some colour for Jer, I bought some mediumweight STR Pink Granite from ebay, and I just this morning got 2 colours of Lorna's Laces from Ebay. I'm bad.

On the needles

1. Second Rockin' Sock

2. Raglan toddler sweater using "The Precious". This could quickly be frogged if I find a better pattern

3. Sewing together Cabled Coat

4. Must find buttons for Lucy's sweater

5. Must block Purple wrap-around sweater

It's really not that much.

I'm supposed to be going to the LYS on Saturday. Hopefully I will be getting supplies for Jen's friend's baby's sweater (Jer delivered her) and if I can get the man to pick a pattern, wool for that too. Maybe something for C or J.

I made a list of Blue Moon colourways I want

Lucy, Little Bunny Foo Foo, Socktopus, Terra Firma, Undertoe, Covelite, Jade, Obsidian. That's a lot of sock yarn, but as I was trying to explain to Jer, it's entertainment for me costing about $1/hour. It doesn't really get any better than that. It's cheaper and more practical than say, GOLF!

Hand-dyed, beautiful Hand-dyed

Well, the needles finally came. They are so pretty and shiny. I should start on the sleeves to the ladybug sweater now. Should.
I've been looking and looking at Blue Moon Fiber Arts WAAAAAAY to much. Everytime I go there I find a new colourway that I want, I must get to Toronto soon before I start spending money on shipping in addition to too much sock yarn. I finished the Rockin' Sock in Blue Moonstone last night and although it's beautiful, I think I prefer a short ribbed cuff followed by the stockinette in the leg rather that the ribbing all the way down. I do like the look of the short row/ hourglass heel though.
I'm almost done the back of the sweater I (finally) decided to make out of the GORGEOUS Artyarns supermerino. With only 4 hanks my options were pretty limited. I'm still a little worried that I won't have enough but we'll see. I'll do the sleeve next and if I have to dive into the third I'll have to frog it and try something else. I'm not good at this 'buy some yarn and decide later what to do with it' thing. I'm a buy yarn with a purpose kind of gal. I still buy a lot of yarn, but it's all spoken for.
And now, on with the day.

First socks!

The first socks are done.
Pattern from Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot
Flap heel.
Trekking Pro Natura Colour #1601

April 26, 2007

I've been knitting like a fiend lately. Pretty much every chance I get, my house is suffering because of it so hurray for Olga every second Monday.
I've done a 2 adult pairs of felted clogs, 2 kids felted slippers (and taught 3 other people how to do them), a baby surprise jacket, a cardigan originally meant for for JIG but now I think I might send it to Vancouver to a friend that just had a baby, a wool soaker, a hooded jacket for JIG that has yet to be put together (it's a size 3 so I don't have much incentive to sew it) and I'm working on a pair of socks right now with the wool for 2 other pairs (plus ideas of buying more sock wool). But before I allow myself to buy more sock wool, I must eliminate the ladders, the terrible crappy looking ladders. It's very frustrating.