Cranky Pants

Blogger and my computer are not getting on right now, there were words and I was came in too late to salvage the relationship. Thus there are no pictures. Rather there are pictures, they are even on the computer but blogger will have nothing to do with them. A counselor is coming tomorrow and I hope she can at least rectify the situation enough that blogger will let my computer give it some pictures.

The moral of the story is that I finished yet another sock over the weekend at work (I am loving this job more and more every day) and I thought it was a little on the big side, but didn't worry about it too much. Turns out it is exactly three grams too big, and since that three grams is in the leg I have to rip back the entire foot and part of the leg and have another go at it. I am reminded why I love toe-up socks so very much at times like this. The problem is I did a lot of top-down socks with great success and got all cocky; the fates have thrown it all back in my face. The upside is that while the sock technically fits it is quite large, the leg is too long, the foot could have fewer stitches and the heel flap is funny. I'm thinking of the current permutation as a the dress rehearsal. Now I know what needs to happen, I can put on my concert black and finish the thing the way it ought to be done.

Strike the bell Mate

I have officially re-joined the ranks of Those-Who-Make-Yarn. I learned to spin years ago from the mother of my dear friend. I span (spun?), plied, made a hat and never looked back, or really anywhere for that matter. I wear the hat all the time and always told myself that my lack of spinning was from lack of supplies which stemmed from lack of space; and for the most part that was all true. Thus I have taken up the spindle (still no room for a wheel and my transient lifestyle doesn't really suit a wheel anyway). And now I once again have my first yarn.



It's not very much, but it is my yarn and that is good enough for me. It will sit in a place of honor and glory in the studio at least as long as it takes something better to come along.



And my first singles made from Blue Face Leicester roving I got at Madrona. Admittedly I don't have much to compare to but what everyone says about the BFL is completely true. Soft and lovely and all things good in the world. I've heard, and it seems to be true, that it is a good fiber to learn on.



Yes those are knitting needles but they were free and fancy dancy noste pinnes are not; again with the budget. Besides there's a picture in The Bible of exactly the same thing. If Priscilla can do it so can I!

(will add pictures when blogger is done being cranky.)

When it rains it pours.

With the completion of my last socks I only had one project on the needles, the Koigu Sweater that I refer to in my head as the Odysseus Sweater (The Odyssey is epic, this is epic, it made sense at the time). Thus in a panic I started a bunch of stuff including a made-up project that may or may not work, and the third installment of some pillows I am making for my brother and his fiancee as a wedding gift.

I made two a few months ago when I was all worried that I wouldn't finish in time. This was when I thought I might make something heirloomy and lacy, then I got more realistic. What newlywed couple honestly wants a useless, though beautiful, lace shawl? So here we are now with a month to go and it is time to finish the last one.

I held off on intarsia for a long time because I thought I wouldn't like it. I was all about the Fair Isle and felt that Fair Isle was by far superior to intarsia and would be the only colorwork technique for me. This is probably because the only intarsia I had really seen was great big stupid cats on the front of great big stupid sweaters. No one should have to wear that and no one should ever make that. Thus it was Fair Isle for me. These pillows though were so pretty and, let's be honest, I didn't have any other brilliant ideas for wedding gifts. Bride a Groom socks, no thank you.

Now I am in love. I love dropping one color and knowing it will be right where I left it, waiting for me when I come back. I love wrapping the new color around the old and most of all I love seeing one block of color and knowing it has two different sides. Intarsia is like playing on a team alone and I might just be addicted.

I see, said the blind man...

Dear Tina,

I love my new socks very much, your yarn is representative of all things good in the world. However, as much as my feet appreciate the warmth these socks will provide, my eyes say otherwise. I would, at your earliest convenience, very much like my vision back. The only way I can find my feet nowadays is by waving them in front of my eyes and looking for the red glow they emit while wearing these socks. It was only through sheer willpower and muscle memory that I managed to get through the last half of the second sock. Let's not mention the kitchener at the end, I'm not sure, but it's probably not pretty.

I'll make a deal with you Tina, but only because I like you so much. If you give me back my vision I'll forget about the broken camera lens. Get back to me when you get a chance and we'll talk details.

Yours sincerely,
Christine





yarn: BMFA STR Lightweight, this was a Mill End, but I'm pretty sure it's basically Sherbet. (I don't know why this is a mill end, if there are any knots they are in the last 11 grams, which seems unlikely.) I enjoyed the color, but it is not for the faint of heart, quite delightfully bright as it is.
needles: size 2 (I debated going down a size but I loved the spiral beyond words, so I kept it.)
pattern: Monkey by Cookie A. from Knitty.
notes: I did a short row heel because I loved the spiral action going on and I didn't want to interrupt it. The best part? somehow my heel and gauge and the planets all lined up such that there isn't a restarting of the spiral after the heel. I didn't have to shift the yarn or anything (I wouldn't have anyway, but it's pretty cool that I didn't have to not shift the yarn).

Spinning

I've been inspired recently by all the spinning going on. All I've done since I took a class is finish up the little bit of fiber we got in class. I just haven't been bothered to get out that fiber I bought awhile ago to spin once I learned how when this morning on the radio they did a whole segment about classical songs inspired by the spinning wheel. They had a lot of really good ones, one from the Flying Dutchman (which I'm going to in August) and that did it. Tomorrow the spindle comes back out along with that fiber. Judgement made.

P.S.

I have 36 grams of tofutsies left, and each sock only weighs about 30g. By my reckoning you could easily knit 3 pair of socks from 2 balls of tofutsies.

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

A full 5 days after I started, I'm finished.

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A. from Knitty.

Yarn: South West Trading Company's Tofutsies. 50% wool, 25% soysilk, 22.5% cotton, 2.5% chitin.
Needles: size 2. I do everything on two circular needles. I haven't used dpns for about 4 years, and I've only been knitting for 5.
Notes: This pattern is great, easily memorized and very quick. It's a great pattern to show off handpainted and self striping yarns. On that note, this yarn and this pattern weren't necessarily made for each other. Only half the plies change colors, the other half stay the same throughout the entire ball. This makes for a tweedy look that I love, but does mar the pattern. The short of the long is that you have to get close up to really appreciate the pattern. Though, the sheer joy of knitting the pattern makes up for that.

Tofutsies makes a great drapy fabric, lovely and soft and all things good in the world. These are going to the be perfect warm weather socks, lightweight and not so much wool that they are too warm. My feet are loving them as we speak.

_

Let's enjoy the gusset. Ever since camp I've had almost perfect gussets. I even manage to get both sides to look the same. All you do is pick up all the stitches before knitting them, and make sure you twist them when you do knit them. On one side you pick up front to back and on the other back to front.

The only problem is that with this gauge the fabric on the bottom of the heel is doing that weird separating thing where the stitches get all stretched out. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?