Knitting: The Long Holiday Weekend

Typically July 4th is celebrated with my family. I am 38 and for my life I just realized I really screwed up a big tradition. I've only missed like 2, maybe 3 Firework displays in my hometown.

One when I was 15, and my gram took Joy and I to DC, so we watched the wonderful display on the commons with the monuments all over. It was pituresque and amazing. Though I did miss the whole fam and the annual cookout.

Then last year, B and I headed to Boston over the week of the 4th. I thought it would be fantastic being in Boston for the celebration of our Independence. Since it was kinda born there and all. Anyway, it had it's ups and downs and again, I missed my small hometown and my family a bit.

Enter this year... I really didn't want to go. WILD horses could not have drug me there, seriously. I just wanted to stay home! And overall, I'm glad I did. I did miss some family visiting from Chicago. I did miss the small town fireworks (that are still awesome as hell!). But mostly, I'm not bothered by it. I needed the downtime and to rest and relax and to knit. And I DID!

I'm onto socks again after a break in June. I entered the Sock Knitters' Anon. mystery sock challenge. It's designed by Chrissy Gardiner (who I like a lot) and is stranded color work, which I LOVE! So clue one came out on the 1st, but I had so much going on I didn't cast on until the 2nd. Then I had a booboo and frogged and cast on again twice on the 3rd! Finally try #3 was a go. So clue #1 was finished easily enough. I'm using SOXX APPEAL for the tan color and Noro Kureyon for the "colored" bits. So far, am in love with this sock. The designer is using 4 contrast colors with the main color, but I opted to raid the stash (I'm very proud of that) and use a colorful striping yarn instead of multiple balls. So I DID NOT BUY NEW YARN!!!!



Then on the 2nd, Tour De Fleece - a spinning challenge - started and I forgot. But I remembered in time for day 2 and I started spinning up a storm. I purchased some fantastic Pencil Roving at Knitter's Connection a few weeks ago.

Here are the stages: Bag, to predrafted ball, to bobbin to skein


When I was done with that, I had some Lincoln in natural that I purchased in May at the Great Lakes Fiber Fest in Wooster and that was spun up on 2 bobbins, but not plied. So I plied it.



Then on Monday, I finished up spinning the Blue Fiber Optic onto 2 bobbins, it still needs to be plied. I broke into my Sock Summit stash and got out Wine and Roses by Miss Babs and made some predraft balls. I split the hank into 2 equal parts (2oz each) and set to work on the first 2 oz. I'm almost complete with that, didn't get the bobbin photo yet and then I finished up plying the lincoln into a smaller skein than the first (pic above).



I am really enjoying this spinning thing. It's quite a bit different and feels really "organic" for lack of a better word. I mean creating something from proverbially nothing is a great feeling. Kind of like taking wood or clay and making beautiful things. It's art. And I guess it's really cool to say, THIS thing, right here came from an animal somewhere in the world, it was cleaned and combed and possibly dyed and now it's this... yarn a functional item that will be made more functional once it is knit up into something.

It's all so astounding to me and makes me feel awesome. I MADE THIS. So in the end, I will have a project that I not only knit into "something" but actually MADE the yarn to do it. THAT makes me happy.

Oh and in the meantime, I cast on another sock project to tide me over between the weekly mystery clues. It is also Color stranded work and is also by Chrissy Gardiner. It's called The Dude Abides and I'm making it out of these yarns below. Didn't take a photo yet, but I currently have the toe and first repeat almost done. I'm using some Cherry Tree Hill Solid sock in Green and Prism Merino Mia in a variagated Blue/green colorway.

Knitting: Accomplishment all the way around

This was a fantastic weekend to knit! On Friday, I had the day off and it was lovely. I sat out on the deck for a few hours while the dogs lolled around in the grass. I had my Iphone playing some Itunes and knitted away on Secret Garden. I finished the 2nd sock and then had a pair. And LOTS of smiles! Was so happy. The pattern was a lot of fun to knit. For the entire second sock I barely had to look at the pattern. It was such a memorable one and really easy to read your knitting, etc. The second sock is a far better knit than the first. I spread the first sock out over weeks, picking up/putting down, etc. But this 2nd one, I finished in under a week, so it's a much tighter, more consistently knit sock. I love these socks, they are so comfortable. I can't wait to make another pair with Socks that Rock. I knit these socks for a challenge. I've been in the ravelry group Sock Knitter's Anonymous for over a year I think, but I've never finished a challenge. I've tried a few times, but have always failed. So this was for March and you have to cast on in March and finish by end of following month. I DID IT! With a few days to spare!

So, I opted to enter the April challenge as well. Earlier Friday morning before finishing the sock, I cast on for the April challenge, which was to knit a sock from an online magazine, or a Cookie A design. My first thought was to knit Pomatomus. I picked my new hazelknits Cabana yarn and thought it would look amazing. But, for some reason I just wasn't into the pattern, so I ended up with Azure (from Knitty). It's a great pattern and I had several great yarns in my stash. I picked one and started. So I did my cast on, a toe up using Judy's Magic and I began the toe. Paused to finish Secret Garden and went back to the Toe Friday night. I did quite a bit of the pattern and still hadn't knit very much in inches. I kind of panicked a little. The yarn I was using was finer than I normally knit and it was 100% merino. I had some concerns about durability because of the lack of nylon as well as if I'd actually be able to finish 2 socks in time.

Then Saturday comes along and I changed my mind yet again! Many people in the SKA group had made Wanida by Cookie A from the Sock Innovation book. Now I must admit, looking at that pattern in the book, I never really cared for it. Not sure if it was the yarn chosen or the photos, but these folks on SKA... wow! Their socks were amazing and it was great fun seeing all the different yarns used. So I jumped on the bandwagon, took my hazelknits and started Wanida. Holy knitting frenzy, 6 hours later and very late Saturday evening, I had knit the sock all the way through the heel turn and was decreasing for the gussets! I couldn't believe how far I had gotten. This sock has been so much fun to knit though. I'm not entirely sure why, but it just is. THe pattern, while easy to remember and follow, still has me looking at the chart... but it's so easily read if you get lost, you can just look at your stitches and know where you are.

When I started the sock, I had hoped to get through the cuff and a bit through the leg... but now as Sunday evening closes in, I actually only have like one inch left to knit. Had I not gotten this cold and slept so much today and knitted more earlier, I probably could have finished. OH well, it will definitely be done tomorrow, perhaps during my work lunch hour. I'm so excited about these socks. I'm hoping to continue this sock momentum and hopefully not come crashing down.

Couple of things on the horizon, Cookie A is designing the Mystery Sock Challenge for the SKA Group's MAY challenge, so I plan on knitting that. And I might even try my hand at knitting another sock during the same time (we'll see, let's not get over zealous). The 2nd thing is there is a designer contest to come up with a sock pattern for free or sale and it was to be posted by 5/21... so I have some ideas rolling around in my head for that.

I have put my sweaters on hold for the moment, Tappen Zee and the BSJ. Need to ride this sock wave out until it's over.

Here's the last pic I took a few hours ago. Tomorrow I'll post the finished sock.

Knitting: The lure of the Ravelry boards

I really need to stay off the internet and ravelry boards, etc.

I have so little will power and there I go again casting on for yet another project?! Why????? The lure of a possible prize... of course I have to finish the darn project! But I'm getting faster on the sock knitting, so I think I have a chance. I have until the end of February. I've also already decided I probably won't do the February challenge, so... I can certainly give it a shot to finish these socks.

The January SKA challenge is a textured sock. There were several patterns out there I like, but the one I liked best was a toe up and I'm just not in the moode for that right now. I grabbed the BW treasuries and scanned and found a pretty pattern already charted. So I'm gong with it.

I even went into my STASH and pulled out some Alpaca Sox yarn, I purchased last summer(?) maybe. Anyway, I didn't make the pattern that the yarn was originally bought for, so now I'm using it. It's kind of a coral/terra cotta color. I like the color a lot and since it's alpaca, it's pretty soft and buttery however... it's also a very thin, just a 2 ply yarn, so not sure how great this will be... might be a floppy sock, but I'm really trying to tug tight on my stitches to keep it together. The pattern is looking nice so far.

But even though I casted on last night, I will continue working on the socks for Brian. I had a good idea though, I might do Brian socks at work during lunch since it's basic stockinette and I don't have to worry about patterns/mistakes, etc... and then in the evenings, I'll work on the Celtic Pattern sock. I really don't have a clever name for it yet. But maybe when I'm done, I'll think of something.

On to work....