Knitting: Still on the sock wagon

Sadly, not much in pictures to post today, but I'm trying to blog more consistently. I'm still on the sock wagon and enjoying it immensely. I committed myself to 3 challenges this month. One is half done - Slip Jig.



An uber largish photo because I'm so proud.

With that one done, I moved on to get underway with the Cookie A mystery sock again. The first c/o was not big enough 60 stitches. And the 80 does fit, but looks GIGANTIC! Anyway, I'm nearly finished with Clue #2 on one sock. Should be done tonight and then will start Clue #1 for the #2 sock. Once both clues are completed for both socks my plan is to jump back over to Kristi and finish the leg chart. I'm on like row 31 of 38 (I think).

The Cookie A Mystery is being made with the LAPIS colorway from Socks that Rock and is simply gorgeous! Probably not the best yarn for this pattern, but I don't care because the yarn is pretty! And for the first time, I've had blue fingers (from the dye) with this yarn. I haven't had dye issues before as some have, no worries, it washes out, I just thought it was funny.

And somewhere in there, I need to start the 2nd slip jig, but I know it can wait a bit as it moves pretty quickly.

I'm really liking switching between these projects, they are all varying levels of ease. None of the patterns are difficult, but due to intensive chart reading, Kristi is the most time consuming. My eyes are glued on that chart every stitch of the way. The pattern is great though and looks wonderful once knit. I wish I would have jumped up a needle size or made a few increases for fit though. Lesson learned and now have a new plan for future (AKA Bex - if I ever get around to making her).

I don't know that I'll have all of these completed by the end of May, but the challenge end date is actually the end of June. I am hoping to be done with at least 2 pair though so I can start fresh for June with a new challenge. I'm not looking ahead though, I'm just concentrating on the NOW.

Kniting: Sometimes it just goes on... and on

SO I've been touched with this rabid case of castonitis.

I was working on Absinthe - snafu!

I started Kristi and the Cookie A mystery - little snafu

I then started Slip Jig (lovely).

And in the mean time, I've been designing a little anklet sock. It's cute.

I really want to start the bombshell, now that I have lovely yarn in which to make it, but I'm holding up some restraint here. Nevermind that I am behind on my Mystery Blocks. Still need to finish #3 and now I have #4 to do as well and be ready for #5 come June 7th?

Anyway, Absinthe was moving along at a nice clip and then I realized I had stitches out of place or was short or something. So I sort of tinked? Basically I unded 2 or 3 rows on the top needle, but not the bottom (sole stitches) and lo' and behold I can't figure out where the H I am! Shouldn't be that hard, right... I can read knitting like a book, but this does not make any sense. So it looks like I might have been OFF for sometime, but that doesn't make any sense because if I truly had been OFF, as it were, I wouldn't have continued on for so many rows. I'm tried of looking at this and might be calling it quits for now. Have also considered handing off to one of the knitting buddies to look at and assist. Volunteers????

Moving on.... Kristi, well, she's a lovely gal... I mean sock. :) Giong along nicely but the heavy cable intense pattern has me paying VERY serious attention which causes for a slow down in actualy progress. It's taking me several minutes to complete a round. So I'm on row 33 of the 38 repeat. You are supposed to then repeat rows 1-25 on the leg, but I think I am opting out of that because if I make it longer, it really won't fit me at all. It's quite stretched as it is. Had I known about the snug fit before getting this far, I would have added a few extra stitches to the 2-stitch columns of twisted stitches. But alas, it's much to late for that... and I am NOT starting over.

Then there's that darn Mystery..... It proves to be a great mystery... after all it's Cookie A! I started with my gorgeous Lapis Socks that Rock yarn. Did the 60 stitch cast on. I went UP a needle size and thought that would accommodate for my THICK ankles. No go! It's still pretty stretched when I try it on. So, I'm considering going up to the other size, which is an 80 stitch cast on, but before doing so, I want to see the 2nd clue so I know HOW this sock progresses. I love the yarn and I'm sure I'll love the pattern, but I just can't knit it blindly. I want socks that I can wear, I do NOT want to gift them. Call me selfish... yes I am!

Lastly Slip Jig is being knit with Boobie 1 Socks that Rock. It's a pretty great project even though I'm not crazy about the garter stitch cuff. It's moving along well and I hope to be very much progressed this weekend. Dare I say be to the heel or further?! I hope!

Knitting: Socks, socks, socks!

So as most know I've been a sock knitting fiend lately! I don't know what bug bit me, but it's helping me finish some stuff!

Firstly I finished my Secret Garden socks. They are warm and squishy and fun to wear. I just wish the cuff was a tad tighter (but I'm not ripping it out).

Up 2nd was the Wanida pattern by Cookie A. It is in her Sock Innovation book. At the first several glances of this book, I really didn't care for this pattern at all! The pictures don't do it any justice at all. However, there were a bunch of people in the Sock Knitter's Anonymous group that were making this and it looked awesome. And it was SO fun to knit! I LOVED it.

I used my new Cabana Hazel knits from the April sock club shipment (so glad it came early in the month). I still have the other skein, Surf and I'm trying to think of something spectacular for that. Normally I'm not really a brown person either, but there was something about Cabana that I loved. And once it was knitted up, I fell that much harder.

Here are my happy toes...


The picture is a little tweaked, so those brighter areas really aren't that bright. It's really quite a deep brown.

And just hanging out:


So with Wanida finished, I had 2 days left in April. Enough time to YES, cast on for another April SKA challenge. I went to the stash and found all my bright greens. I've been wanting to make Absinthe from knitty since first glance. Now was the time. I selected the color Creme de Menthe from Yarn Love. I bought this yarn while visiting Yarn Cravin' up in Perrysburg sometime last year. Anyway, I had a great start to this and was going well and had a snafu. :( I'm not sure if I will continue on with this or not. It's on hold.



In the meantime, I started the SKA May Challenges. Kristi from Cookie A. It's being knit up in my reclaimed Bird of Paradise by Pagewood Farms. It was reclaimed from a mystery sock that I didn't finish last year. It's moving along nicely, however a bit slow.



And the other May challenge is a Mystery Sock by Cookie A. I started, but have to start over. Am using Socks that Rock lightweight in Lapis. I LOVE this colorway, tho the photo below does not do it justice.

Knitting: Mystery Socks

So, I've been going to Temptations at least once a month for the past few months to attend the Mystery Sock "class". Not really a class, but sort of. One you don't have to pay for, so BONUS on that part. Anyway, it's a fun group. You go and learn new techniques, sometimes or just a new way to do an old thing. There are 2 socks that I have done really well with, the first was called Fade Away and the 2nd is called Friendship sock. Both are color strand work which is why I think I've done well at finishing them. Well, the first sock anyway. Still need to do the 2nd to fade away and I need to finish the rest of the friendship one. Which I hope to do this week.

Now typically I've noticed, smaller weight yarn, dk/fingering socks on zero and 1 size needles do take FOREVER for me to finish, it's just round and round of monotony sort of. But with the color work for some reason, I fly on those?! I haven't quite figured on the gyst of it because you'd think it would slow me down, being there are 2 pieces of yarn, etc. And most people do go slower because they don't knit 2 handed. Luckily I've kind of taught myself to either carry 2 colors in my left as I knit or what has become even quicker for me is to knit with both hands. Main color on my left and Contrast on my right. I am in fact a continental knitter which makes this "easier" I think. For some reason out of most people I've spoken with. Those that have learned the English/Throwing way to knit, have much more difficulty then switching to continental. Again, I don't know this first hand, but this is what I've heard.

Which also brings me around to... knitting backwards... i've heard of this and I know people do it, but I've never seen it. So I am quite curious on that and am wondering if this is a technique I might be able to get ahold of and master. Anyway, that is definitely another thing to look into this year.

But as a progress report on my FINISHING of things this year I have finished one thing so far, Brian's sock, the 1st of the pair. And hoping this friendship sock, the first of its' pair will be done around this weekend (am hoping). And the sleeves for the BIG green cable sweater are coming along. I made good progress on them last week. So yes... we are starting off on the RIGHT foot. And I've been good and haven't casted on much. Except socks. I'm hot on the socks trail right now. I want to finish a pair!!! Really, really I do.

So here's the friendship sock... and if I haven't explained already, it's called a friendship sock because we were to bring 6 balls of colored yarn to class and we exchanged with one another for 6 different pieces from our "friends" and then those are used for the striping. The colors in the pic aren't quite TRUE to real life, but anyway, it gives an idea.

Shopping spree

Good lord, what is wrong with me. Didn't I say something about NOT buying any more yarn?

Yeah, well in theory, I have no willpower. I am SO good if I just DON'T go to the stores... but if I go...sunk! That being said, I am making amends that after my knitpicks order this week (9/5), I REALLY am not going to the LYS's or doing any shopping. I have far too many projects and a ridiculous stash to knit from. SO, yes, that is the PLAN!

The Imagination sock yarn that I want is back in stock on 9/5 which is the reason for the order. Oh and speaking of socks, I signed up for the Mystery Sock night at Temptations in Dublin. It's a free get-together and obviously the sock is a MYSTERY, more to come on that as it happens. While at Temptations and the reason for going is because they finally got in my Malabrigo that I had ordered forever ago. Took several months, 6 maybe to come in. So while there I picked up 2 more skeins of trekking bare sock yarn for dying. LOVE that stuff. I also picked up the fall issue of Knitscene. AND a fabulous book on Bags (can't recall the title at the moment).

Next I headed over to the Merc. I wanted to check and see if they had a Green color I'd like in the Rustic Tweed. I bought Blue the other day, but decided I might like green better. AND, the did have 2 greens, but I wasn't ga-ga for either, so I'll stick with the blue. While there I lucked out and Barb was in, so we chatted for a few. She told me about a new book out by Jane Ellison for the Queensland Collection. It's all Men's sweaters and accessories and is FABULOUS! I love almost all the patterns in it. SO I grabbed that. Will be knitting a sweater for dad (hopefully for christmas) as well as one for Brian and maybe John. Of course John's might wait until a b-day present which gives me until April.

So then I came home and just finished watching the bucks WIN a shutout 43-0!

NO MORE SHOPPING! I'm done! Seriously, I swear!