tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183132402024-03-07T22:47:39.099-05:00Coffee and CablesKnitting and such.KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-79036154020311117942007-08-03T11:26:00.000-04:002007-08-03T11:39:18.935-04:00Limited, maybe...So, I've been knitting instead of updating. It happens. The coupling socks are almost done, but I'm still only on Clue 3 of the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysterystole3/">Mystery Stole</a>. Turns out, though, that being so far behind is a good thing, since if I were on track I'd have to rip back a bunch of rows.<br /><br />I guess 'disappointed' is kind of strong, since I love what I have now, even with a couple of holes where I dropped stitches and wasn't completely successful in knitting them back up in pattern. I love the color and the sparkle of the beads. But I can't stand asymmetrical knitting; I will never find it lovely, and I won't waste time or yarn in knitting something that I can't bear to look at. Call me aesthetically limited, but there it is. So I'm just going to knit the first half again to do the symmetry thing. Wing? Yuck.<br /><br />(I do hope whatever happens with the border works on the version I'm doing; I do dearly love me a frilly, feathery border. But if it doesn't, hey, I chose my symmetrical bed, I'll lie in it. Comfortably, and without feeling like my head's unbalanced every time I look at it.)KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-84037545244531732812007-07-05T21:50:00.000-04:002007-07-05T22:00:03.157-04:00Progress?Working on <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer07/PATTcoupling.html">Coupling</a>, in <a href="http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/">STR</a> mediumweight "Red Rock Canyon". Fun! I'm turning the heel now.<br /><br />Socks go really, really fast when you knit them at 8 sts/inch. Also when you get stuck filling in in the mailroom for a day even though you're a HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL and have spent the past decade honing your skills to get out of the damn mailroom. But I'm not bitter. And I did get most of the foot done waiting for the phone to ring, so there you go.<br /><br />Also still going with the shawl; I'm on repeat 9, which looks like almost halfway done, except when you start looking at stitches and realize that it's more like 30% done. Still, it's going relatively quickly. Except I hadn't worked on it in a few days, and when I pulled it out, there was a dead baby cucaracha in it! Ew ew ew ew ew! I mean, I don't think they eat wool, so it's not the end of the world (I hope?) but still. Ew. Dead baby cucaracha. In the mohair.<br /><br />Yeah, have fun with that one, I'm going to go do the dishes now.KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-25566797640523527182007-06-20T18:38:00.000-04:002008-12-11T21:19:00.444-05:00Ruffley Wristlets<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVQaQMEyQ5JGCfrGVTViG7xn3h1caRZIf1QLOCvMDzWuB4f6SXnooP7YgclJ_KTfxkb1Mum2JM28uU0tMxqfzi236-AJATWj2fgCVrAktX5Ea37nyQs8VfqylO7xOLQbyw8z0ww/s1600-h/WarmersCloseup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVQaQMEyQ5JGCfrGVTViG7xn3h1caRZIf1QLOCvMDzWuB4f6SXnooP7YgclJ_KTfxkb1Mum2JM28uU0tMxqfzi236-AJATWj2fgCVrAktX5Ea37nyQs8VfqylO7xOLQbyw8z0ww/s320/WarmersCloseup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078280178356133106" border="0" /></a><br />Yarn: <a href="http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/">Blue Moon Fiber Arts</a> Socks That Rock Mediumweight, color "Hot Flash" (1 skein will make at least 3, or a pair of child's socks + these wristwarmers)<br />Gauge: 24 sts/10cm (4") in st st<br />Needles: US size 3 (or as needed for gauge) DPNs or 2 circulars<br />Size: One size. (Shown on 4 year old model, fits up to largeish adult wrist, easy to resize)<br /><br />Note: wristlets are worked in the round; pattern assumes basic in-the-round knowledge. Edging is adapted from "<a href="http://tiajudy.com/scallopedge.htm">Scalloped Edging</a>" by Judy Gibson.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arms:</span><br />CO 35 using cable, ribbing (3x2), or other loose cast on; join without twisting<br />rnd 1: *k3, p2; repeat from * around<br />repeat until piece is 6.5 cm (2.5ish") long, or desired length<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Increase for Ruffles:</span><br />increase round: *kfb 3 times, pfb 2 times; repeat from * around. Total sts: 70<br />next three rows: *k6, p4; repeat from * around<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ruffles:</span><br />rnd 1: *k1, k2tog, yo, ssk, k5 ; repeat from * around<br />rnd 2: k around, working (k1, p1) in yos.<br />rnd 3: *k1, k2tog, (yo, k1) twice, yo, ssk, k3; repeat from * around<br />rnd 4: purl.<br />rnd 5: *k1, k2tog, (yo, k1) 5 times, yo, ssk, k1; repeat from * around<br />rnd 6: *k1, p11, k3; repeat from * around<br />Row 7: *k2tog, yo, k 11, yo, ssk; repeat from * around<br />Row 8: bind off loosely<br /><br />Weave in ends and wear fluffily!KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-17818428504643241302007-06-20T18:30:00.000-04:002007-06-20T18:38:07.410-04:00RaveledSo, I finally got into the Ravelry beta! I haven't gotten a chance to check it out very much yet, but it looks pretty slick. There are some pretty big holes - it seems like you should be able to do things that you just can't. But of course, it's BETA. Good chance you will be able to do them at some point. Still, overall, I'm impressed. Especially since it's just two people in their spare time.<br /><br />I finished the wristlets that match the socks. I'm still messing around with projects and stuff. I tried to wind a skein of yarn last night, but failed utterly. Tonight I guess I'll try to finish that. Yeah. (Nobody said excitement, did they?)KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-83104209181876375662007-06-14T20:43:00.000-04:002008-12-11T21:19:00.922-05:00Spiral SocksWhen I was little, my great-grandmother crocheted me a pair of tube socks. They weren't very comfortable, being bulky acrylic, but I loved them and wore them from before I can remember until high school.<br /><br />I found a better way - these are spiral socks. They are STRETCHY. And I used the STR to make a pair for the kiddo. Lest you doubt their ultimate stretchitude...<br /><br />On the just-turned-four-year-old:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPh86XsERf40HfyH_t5RWzfu_CYXjTKQxsvMCbiTFpvOqtdODBIZJo1YbVNwWXZJjtFm95ApbQta_Ml4sS6-pive26V7OMLdE-ml5uXdQGyRe0Vz-ja_3Djsfc7zk-wLEXMgO2Nw/s1600-h/SpiralSockK.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPh86XsERf40HfyH_t5RWzfu_CYXjTKQxsvMCbiTFpvOqtdODBIZJo1YbVNwWXZJjtFm95ApbQta_Ml4sS6-pive26V7OMLdE-ml5uXdQGyRe0Vz-ja_3Djsfc7zk-wLEXMgO2Nw/s320/SpiralSockK.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076085991233756370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On my size 10 feet:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ILx_jgF5fAyevl9PE3ZTTh5qFIrCqW8PcQ6-spiKkQyQ126L6Nt7zAbWSSyI4TfhGhH8UpCVRYPXe1_iSYzFj75MH6FUufDi5zHUCsI2qpRiClMZrEL282F3kAKJzkg2y8pCdQ/s1600-h/SpiralSockMe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ILx_jgF5fAyevl9PE3ZTTh5qFIrCqW8PcQ6-spiKkQyQ126L6Nt7zAbWSSyI4TfhGhH8UpCVRYPXe1_iSYzFj75MH6FUufDi5zHUCsI2qpRiClMZrEL282F3kAKJzkg2y8pCdQ/s320/SpiralSockMe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076085995528723682" border="0" /></a>KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-81567970914168980252007-05-15T21:43:00.000-04:002008-12-11T21:19:01.483-05:00Knitting MathI've been thinking about the geometry of the knit stitch, and how needle sizing affects that. (My commute is very boring.)<br /><br />First off, for this discussion, let's assume that yarn size and the tension on the yarn are perfectly constant. Makes life a lot easier. Here's a picture of what a size 0 (2mm) needle cross-section would look like next to a size 2 (3mm) needle, if they were enlarged to where 1mm=100 pixels.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqajzJqfqOF0mA93mqafZ3myhTu6fKBXTW4uHgtSVX1lIZhGjNsCaQBKsmkSvLutX_ypg0kYmqQyu0KY9SABl5ekLcZhhnnbir8xqmiUnWsGUi3Gv4F5lLfQjUm3DpnpeiiT-JBA/s1600-h/Circles.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqajzJqfqOF0mA93mqafZ3myhTu6fKBXTW4uHgtSVX1lIZhGjNsCaQBKsmkSvLutX_ypg0kYmqQyu0KY9SABl5ekLcZhhnnbir8xqmiUnWsGUi3Gv4F5lLfQjUm3DpnpeiiT-JBA/s400/Circles.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064968875360596978" border="0" /></a>A stitch is formed by wrapping the yarn around the outside of a needle, so the circumference is the important thing, even though needles are sized by diameter.<br /><br />So we all remember that the circumference = pi*r^2, and r=.5(diameter). For a 2mm needle (what I usually use for socks), the circumference = pi(1^2) or 3.14 mm. Which is a handy, base reference number. The size 2 needles I bought today are 3 mm, which makes the circumference 7 mm. Three isn't a lot bigger than 2 (only 50% more!) but 7 is a lot more than 3 (125%). (Oh, and there's some rounding going on there, but y'know, close enough.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWI3DXaNODGwEaIGgsvFKKZ8Dn0WOjVSu8RvDmg99ruuWaN1jjhCmSwVhAUzWQZdiH8bqoq_5LUI9V6rS4zjWd_Z-pxYC9Cf3nuX_UvRrzqcg94-fDbf2yCw7olhyphenhyphenqQHYBdSXNZA/s1600-h/Circumference.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWI3DXaNODGwEaIGgsvFKKZ8Dn0WOjVSu8RvDmg99ruuWaN1jjhCmSwVhAUzWQZdiH8bqoq_5LUI9V6rS4zjWd_Z-pxYC9Cf3nuX_UvRrzqcg94-fDbf2yCw7olhyphenhyphenqQHYBdSXNZA/s400/Circumference.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064968879655564290" border="0" /></a><br />So the difference doesn't seem like much because of the way needles are sized, but it's really pretty important. The difference between an 8 and a 10 (5 and 6 mm, respectively) is almost a centimeter in circumference. Multiply that by howevermany stitches you have in a piece and you can see why needle size matters.<br /><br />All this is, of course, the verbose version of "I spent $30 on needles today."KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-64966264661847247602007-05-10T19:51:00.000-04:002008-12-11T21:19:03.347-05:00Yarn Reference - MDSW 2007This year I am SMART, because I am taking pictures and labeling everything so I know what it is when I finally get around to knitting it up. Last year I lost all my labels when I wound the yarn into balls. Dur.<br /><br />This is from - <a href="http://www.shelridge.com/" target="_new">Shelridge Farms</a> their Soft Touch Ultra in Handpaint (#SU07-1003; they don't seem to have the handpaints on their website). I should try to get a better picture - it's not, in fact, blue. It's a mix of purple and brown and blue and green and all sorts of beautiful all mixed up. I loved the yarn I got from them last year and made a special effort to hit their booth this year. (Of course, there are two skeins of this, but I only took a picture of the one.) It is machine wash, dry flat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5WWHNaur9KTtudQvo7quPTJU2F94Av1niDzCsn467Q9SAJA_0EWBJx_qIuZ_5EyzkgHfplH1TqsjSGIKhyCJ8gZlr-96kRwBU3kgq1lGADRyFe8oZqwCiKeVMsDcV1F6wtgDtg/s1600-h/SFBlues.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5WWHNaur9KTtudQvo7quPTJU2F94Av1niDzCsn467Q9SAJA_0EWBJx_qIuZ_5EyzkgHfplH1TqsjSGIKhyCJ8gZlr-96kRwBU3kgq1lGADRyFe8oZqwCiKeVMsDcV1F6wtgDtg/s320/SFBlues.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063085276817699730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is from <a href="http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/" target="_new">Blue Moon</a> of course - the first Socks That Rock that I picked. It reached out and grabbed me by the throat, and I didn't even try to resist it. But I did try to counter the overwhelming power of the Beautiful Blues by trying something new (below). All the STR is machine or handwash, dry flat. This is Azure Malachite:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItqHjfp3tpet7vsknAOtyQY7BT4tUHqB63csqmlz0IRbi3wuews-DqwNff0H8Lv7jnZbc-LNm7_khH6astmJ6OQaIFW1q8hYJbd_CR3oBssXjsxN2JUwyFjn42WbDjanLtiUhHw/s1600-h/STRAzure.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItqHjfp3tpet7vsknAOtyQY7BT4tUHqB63csqmlz0IRbi3wuews-DqwNff0H8Lv7jnZbc-LNm7_khH6astmJ6OQaIFW1q8hYJbd_CR3oBssXjsxN2JUwyFjn42WbDjanLtiUhHw/s320/STRAzure.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063084495133651810" border="0" /></a><br />And this is Hot Flash. It's not for me, thank goodness. Why can't I find any of these colorways on their website? Could they be discontinued? If so, I feel awfully special. And I see that I must purchase some Sherbert STR, if only to have it lying around the house and looking beautiful. Anyway, Hot Flash, for the kiddo, which seems odd but she loves it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Zt8kessf_sLtcprUPRPbfe2YJj3j3_rkNifvEZT0jaGQl4tp4UIhWfQ01uTUIqKDjGchhJPZVJhvPgjR97mRPeQ85YYEe4cXwTJteoA2HpZTbgCQXuqp74TmUZKB_8mXUPHzXw/s1600-h/STRPink.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Zt8kessf_sLtcprUPRPbfe2YJj3j3_rkNifvEZT0jaGQl4tp4UIhWfQ01uTUIqKDjGchhJPZVJhvPgjR97mRPeQ85YYEe4cXwTJteoA2HpZTbgCQXuqp74TmUZKB_8mXUPHzXw/s320/STRPink.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063084495133651826" border="0" /></a><br />And this is my foray into non-blue-green-purple. It's scary out there. But with this holding my hand and leading me into the wilderness, I think I'll do ok. It's Red Rock Canyon, and I adore it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy5WiTOi5OjF-8d1w0iILUfYyM7Z13Q81tbLE_Xt8Ep1idlj9oam5phD-dRSsmowvdEKqm1VJH8lqcp5ClYsBZsZANTITO5BnGNBIumAIldlUzL8D4hE0n6kddr4fuL7D6qKocw/s1600-h/STRRedRock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy5WiTOi5OjF-8d1w0iILUfYyM7Z13Q81tbLE_Xt8Ep1idlj9oam5phD-dRSsmowvdEKqm1VJH8lqcp5ClYsBZsZANTITO5BnGNBIumAIldlUzL8D4hE0n6kddr4fuL7D6qKocw/s320/STRRedRock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063084499428619138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />This is from <a href="http://www.ellenshalfpintfarm.com/" target="_new">Ellen's Half Pint Farm</a>, and it's 50% Merino, 50% Bamboo. It's the first bamboo yarn I've bought. And look! No purple, blue or green to be seen. SH0XX0R! (It's not on their website at the moment, but I'm going to assume hand wash/dry on it.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fXdLhZpZDiA-FhFXnk9Uuyhe-RdHP2flp3NIzew9T0-5uH-St8HovXhtAII2XjJs-t45koCqAqGZez8Udjwzk8FvVVgZjHFtXomu00YRa6Hv40lpkEeD0VZOnQxM2bYFy6JnUQ/s1600-h/EllensBamboo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fXdLhZpZDiA-FhFXnk9Uuyhe-RdHP2flp3NIzew9T0-5uH-St8HovXhtAII2XjJs-t45koCqAqGZez8Udjwzk8FvVVgZjHFtXomu00YRa6Hv40lpkEeD0VZOnQxM2bYFy6JnUQ/s320/EllensBamboo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063084486543717186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And this... wait for it. It was $40, which is actually very reasonable for what it is, which is 8 oz and 1000 yards of hand-dyed brushed mohair (10% nylon) in "Florida Sunshine". I saw it and it made me happy in my heart. I looked at the price tag and winced, since I'd already blown my budget on the things above. I said, ok, I'll go away, and if it's still there when I leave, it's meant to be mine.<br /><br />It was. It is.<br /><br />It's from <a href="http://www.kidhollow.com/" target="_new">Kid Hollow Farm</a>. It doesn't seem to be on their website. Alas. It screams out to be made into a circular shawl, but I worry about having enough for the border. I may wind up doing geometry. (I didn't give up on math until after Multivariable Calculus, but geometry and I... well, we never got along.) Anyway. I'm not sure any picture would do it justice, but here you go:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyDO-TN9IQ8ZVvkT5sOnSDWMM3DED2AOHuaclqQhPwHjdo5USeydeJvqKr_kt4GkQvODRIjS1uaYC3mhwFJlREUUOchM2VFAM8KOK0L7PjoMdIqOZjgFt5PxYRrN-Rt8FPIsh4w/s1600-h/Mohair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyDO-TN9IQ8ZVvkT5sOnSDWMM3DED2AOHuaclqQhPwHjdo5USeydeJvqKr_kt4GkQvODRIjS1uaYC3mhwFJlREUUOchM2VFAM8KOK0L7PjoMdIqOZjgFt5PxYRrN-Rt8FPIsh4w/s320/Mohair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063084490838684498" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Happy!<br /><br />And speaking of things that make me happy, here's my $1.50 coleus garden. Every time I look at it, I smile. (Not knitting, or related in any way to knitting, but hey.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk14fgYj71K4lAVVuKNA9HjZhSOIgsXBxASltyfiGqYsBfYBa8CgCORRh0tiVcMgheoP4EAJ-pfSu_3JAtvwy1v6_3UMGX2WPKK6HoKKZR_EEX8S2ORDWIteHNOXihOjfxDDcOVg/s1600-h/Coleus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk14fgYj71K4lAVVuKNA9HjZhSOIgsXBxASltyfiGqYsBfYBa8CgCORRh0tiVcMgheoP4EAJ-pfSu_3JAtvwy1v6_3UMGX2WPKK6HoKKZR_EEX8S2ORDWIteHNOXihOjfxDDcOVg/s320/Coleus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063085281112667042" border="0" /></a>KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-86740190041088095132007-05-10T19:33:00.000-04:002008-12-11T21:19:04.337-05:00MD Sheep & Wool, pt. 1One of the very best things about MD Sheep & Wool is that I met the person behind <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/account/login" target="_new">Ravelry.com</a>. I didn't think much of it at the time, because all she said was, "This is my website, want a button?" and I thought, "ok, generic blog" and said yes just to be polite. Then when I got home and saw what it was, I DANCED WITH GLEE.<br /><br />Stupid useless Blogger, your days are numbered. Tremble with fear! At least, I dearly hope that this will be the case. I'm not in the beta yet, but I did sign up for it.<br /><br />However, seeing as how I'm stuck here for the time being, how about some pictures? I left what I thought would be plenty early, but didn't factor in the fact that the last 2 miles take 45 minutes to traverse due to an unfortunately brief left-turn signal. So when I raced to The Fold, I saw this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitORK7rjMPd4NuDfKvtxZbaXS81rFDWKQdeieUHCpaKszxb053EnNMb0qKljj0xK1VofsvKg6lkwek8JikNckG6urtSbbWbgC1pmY0-bzBoBMQcyCD81j2xUc3gCEBmhzXRjQAtA/s1600-h/Fold.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitORK7rjMPd4NuDfKvtxZbaXS81rFDWKQdeieUHCpaKszxb053EnNMb0qKljj0xK1VofsvKg6lkwek8JikNckG6urtSbbWbgC1pmY0-bzBoBMQcyCD81j2xUc3gCEBmhzXRjQAtA/s320/Fold.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063080964670534370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Doesn't look too bad? Here's a better shot:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ser0ddISB4I1nmu_R847zmj6-fV6G2KbJbzuhBCs09w5ogfG0xQg5KhLXjIi75PScA7MZ4Dil9gWJK6US1oouDNhhDDoSDwh9pxelS8G26pXPP-pnCo1rkwR8CJbQidgWUcjbA/s1600-h/Line.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ser0ddISB4I1nmu_R847zmj6-fV6G2KbJbzuhBCs09w5ogfG0xQg5KhLXjIi75PScA7MZ4Dil9gWJK6US1oouDNhhDDoSDwh9pxelS8G26pXPP-pnCo1rkwR8CJbQidgWUcjbA/s320/Line.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063080968965501682" border="0" /></a><br />So I spent half an hour in line just to browse, then another half an hour in line to buy. But it was WORTH IT. (Yarn pics in next post.)<br /><br />I had another festival to go to in the afternoon, so I didn't get to browse as much as I wanted, but I did spend way, way too much money. Perhaps it's best I didn't have more time. I'm bummed that I didn't get to see the sheepdog stuff or any of the demos - next year I'll plan my time differently. And leave at SEVEN, not 8.<br /><br />Mr. Adorable Alpaca:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS3Qoo1uKYtpg5CH7fkLVts_Rfo-AzyKYg3pvMHw6RVyhxBb8hj0qFYx1mRTMKj0F4nAjMheMQwUeWAxC1x7RH-dcEX5rGaM67Yfu8yVpCRfzkW9hv84oBfkZoyQ72M7GiABvbQ/s1600-h/Alpaca.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS3Qoo1uKYtpg5CH7fkLVts_Rfo-AzyKYg3pvMHw6RVyhxBb8hj0qFYx1mRTMKj0F4nAjMheMQwUeWAxC1x7RH-dcEX5rGaM67Yfu8yVpCRfzkW9hv84oBfkZoyQ72M7GiABvbQ/s320/Alpaca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063082373419807490" border="0" /></a><br />Goat? I'm a city girl. They're all fiber on legs, as far as I know. But this one was especially cute and fluffery:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEQQnXD16tTkSSlmQQwwnsqOz_ex2PTVipAIHfz1lYlZ52Bni7mtsp9YT02swjCMyVTwm3cckZMBVob1R1JtbWlrdbAYs592C2r6lNMSkEtI3kLKt3ov13-ZBtjHy6O4sgGx-BQ/s1600-h/Goat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEQQnXD16tTkSSlmQQwwnsqOz_ex2PTVipAIHfz1lYlZ52Bni7mtsp9YT02swjCMyVTwm3cckZMBVob1R1JtbWlrdbAYs592C2r6lNMSkEtI3kLKt3ov13-ZBtjHy6O4sgGx-BQ/s320/Goat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063082377714774802" border="0" /></a><br />This one I know. It's a sheep, for sure. (I meant to write down the breed and everything, but got distracted. I thought he had a thoughtful face, though.) The next one is sheep too. But <span style="font-style: italic;">different</span> sheep.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jBRoqjVKPKS4Jqpgmpvz_hR95IvrvACBmsl7vXcMYmhpgsMEt9_X_a0plF75oMJJjZ-luxyYw4Kdp0HCSHQ6rzwqAHU6u_7K_WWCD4crSo2Q800ox24PuGxP6QOKpk9QhMgOuA/s1600-h/Sheep1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jBRoqjVKPKS4Jqpgmpvz_hR95IvrvACBmsl7vXcMYmhpgsMEt9_X_a0plF75oMJJjZ-luxyYw4Kdp0HCSHQ6rzwqAHU6u_7K_WWCD4crSo2Q800ox24PuGxP6QOKpk9QhMgOuA/s320/Sheep1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063082382009742114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlJzrCAEHqicw9TWgVrAiKnP_NIy-srWiqO47wnO_5E3g98FrwR7ivj7tfMIU8taUhJ-UUpEDTxFWJEfsFuAZ-FZreYaVzXJ5Zq8O3TJ_2vWl7L0eUyBv0-cInTlGyRjFOjneSA/s1600-h/Sheep.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlJzrCAEHqicw9TWgVrAiKnP_NIy-srWiqO47wnO_5E3g98FrwR7ivj7tfMIU8taUhJ-UUpEDTxFWJEfsFuAZ-FZreYaVzXJ5Zq8O3TJ_2vWl7L0eUyBv0-cInTlGyRjFOjneSA/s320/Sheep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063082386304709426" border="0" /></a><br />Next up: What I Spent Way Too Much Money On.KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-45124605178265101682007-04-07T11:56:00.000-04:002008-12-11T21:19:04.914-05:00More Socks!Wow, I hate Blogger with the flaming heat of a thousand suns.<br /><br />Which is good. Maybe it'll melt some of the snow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfmAuLL0sTsdjU90aG1roXMOFJ6VGhErZPWEXWOZ0YFJlA0yHx0eFpthSUMSFCBjLzX9UApKB8L9mic5LVJsEcB9dRh4q_DdJCjbNVY4zJzNu2tzJFyd2E2P5MiTEFlwltvIAsA/s1600-h/snowcar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfmAuLL0sTsdjU90aG1roXMOFJ6VGhErZPWEXWOZ0YFJlA0yHx0eFpthSUMSFCBjLzX9UApKB8L9mic5LVJsEcB9dRh4q_DdJCjbNVY4zJzNu2tzJFyd2E2P5MiTEFlwltvIAsA/s320/snowcar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050716046656025378" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That said, hey, socks!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rSzKoehcAqW79O56MXLL7Jv4nDo4JUFXLPOdjNbtg3X3hcTJAT3My8RAfl2XzGmu6YEuNizza9JeMOYO-EctlNZmQzEclx7fwkQaI4ChCcV2tnu-ss4IuFoLmRaUVsUmZmpK7w/s1600-h/Sock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rSzKoehcAqW79O56MXLL7Jv4nDo4JUFXLPOdjNbtg3X3hcTJAT3My8RAfl2XzGmu6YEuNizza9JeMOYO-EctlNZmQzEclx7fwkQaI4ChCcV2tnu-ss4IuFoLmRaUVsUmZmpK7w/s320/Sock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050716523397395250" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The pattern is from <a href="http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/613">Sockulator V</a> (I've found I like the heel better than the other one - but we'll see how it holds up) and the cuff pattern is from <a href="http://www.knitty.com/issuespring03/PATTcrusoe.html">Crusoe</a>. I would have actually just used Crusoe's pattern if I didn't prefer 10 sts/in. I even tried doing the math, but gave up on the heels. Anyway, they're lovely and wonderful and hey, that yarn is from the MD Sheep & Wool festival, which means I've FINALLY used all the yarn for that. Just in time for this year!<br /><br />But I'm working on something even more fun than socks right now. Secret!KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1169606449051441642007-01-23T21:38:00.000-05:002007-01-23T21:40:49.063-05:00Socks!It took, technically, less than a year:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6576/1788/1600/154644/Socks.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6576/1788/320/220916/Socks.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6576/1788/1600/689953/KittySocksSm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6576/1788/320/636261/KittySocksSm.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Merry Christmas!KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1156820144211597572006-08-28T22:23:00.000-04:002006-08-28T22:55:44.253-04:00This is not a hat...Well, never mind then. If Blogger isn't going to upload photos YET AGAIN, there's not much point to this post, is there?KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1156478155602594662006-08-24T23:52:00.000-04:002006-08-24T23:55:55.620-04:00Such a hippie...My goodness. Just hours ago, this was a small woman's sweater, sitting happily on its little rack at Goodwill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060824Yarn.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060824Yarn.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Now it's yarn. In a few days, it'll be a pair of felted slippers, since they don't wear shoes in Kira's new classroom.<br /><br />(Score! Sweaters were 50% off. So I got 4 for $11, including a silk/cotton one for Kira to actually wear, and a super-soft angora one that I was going to felt and make a pillow out of, but decided it looked nice on me. So I'll wear it until it's ratty, and <i>then</i> felt it and make a pillow out of it.)KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1155942342503447442006-08-18T18:45:00.000-04:002006-08-18T19:05:42.526-04:00Kool-Aid Dyeing: So Easy, A Three-Year-Old Can Do ItSeriously. Kira just Kool-Aid dyed a skein of Knitpicks Bare superwash sockyarn.<br /><br />Which reminds me. <br /><br /><i>Dear Knitpicks:<br /><br />In the future, please inform me in advance when you are going to be carrying new product, especially if you're going to do so right after I place an order.<br /><br />Love,<br /><br />Me</i><br /><br />They're carrying <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/tools/itemid_80336/tools_display.aspx">Jacquard Acid Dyes</a> now, which is what I order from <a href="http://www.dharmatrading.com">Dharma Trading</a> and I really love 'em, but dang, that shipping gets expensive. (Generally doubles the cost of dye. Phoo.) KP doesn't have as many colors as DT, but that's ok. How many do you really need?<br /><br />(I asked that rhetorically earlier, and Kira answered, "four". Which is true - red, yellow, blue, and black. But I think she was just guessing.)<br /><br />But back to the kool-aid dyeing. I prepared the yarn by washing it in synthropol, rinsing thoroughly, and letting it soak in warm water with a glug of vinegar for about 20 minutes. Then came Kira's part.<br /><br />First, we empted the packets into cups of warm water (ok, I did prepare those too, but she could have done it, no problem). We used cherry (red), watermelon-cherry (pink), and grape (purple), and Kira mixed them up into some different combinations.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060818DyeAdd.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060818DyeAdd.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Stirred carefully...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060818DyeStirring.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060818DyeStirring.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />...and drizzled the dye over the yarn. We did the skein about a third at a time, so it would have different patterns and stuff on it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060818DyeDrizzle1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060818DyeDrizzle1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060818DyeDrizzle.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060818DyeDrizzle.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Then we kept it warm for about 20 minutes, even though the dye was exhausted after about 5, I think. I actually did this part covered, but it wouldn't have made a very good picture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060818Dyeing1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060818Dyeing1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Then I washed it in synthropol again, and rinsed a whole bunch, and now it's outside drying on the rack. More tomorrow, when we see how it turns out...<br /><br />(Also, I feel compelled to point out that Kira has lily-white, unstained hands, while mine are a Pollack of red, pink, and purple...)KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1155868155378239442006-08-17T21:58:00.000-04:002006-08-17T22:29:15.426-04:00The best laid plans...By Monday? Not so much. But I will finish them tomorrow, and then start the baby sweater, and I will still be <b>on</b> schedule, if no longer <b>ahead</b> of it. Probably. See, Kira and I have plans to play with Kool-Aid dyeing tomorrow night, so maybe I'll start the baby hat/booties with that, but then again, that yarn'll take time to dry, so maybe not. I have to get both projects done at the same time anyway, so it doesn't so much matter which one I do first.<br /><br />The socks! (Kindly modeled by my mother-in-law, who has smaller feet than I do and can actually put them on.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060817Socks2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060817Socks2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060817Socks3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060817Socks3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060817Socks1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060817Socks1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I know some people won't, but I really like the bull's-eye effect around the heel. I've decided not to enter them in the fair, though, for a couple reasons.<br /><br />1) Just today I found a SPLIT STITCH way way back just above the toe on one sock. I'm going to duplicate-stitch over it with the same color to keep it from falling apart and it should look fine, but it's not going to be fair-worthy.<br /><br />2) A design feature I chose didn't work out as well as it did inside my head. It's a 76-stitch sock, and the feather-and-fan takes 72 stitches. I didn't want to lose those four stitches - it's tight as it is - so I did a four-stitch rib on the inside ankle part. On the left sock, it's great, since it also serves to disguise the row-jog, but on the right, not quite so clever. Next time, I know how to do it better.<br /><br />3) The ankle is too tight. I'm not sure what to do about that, except make it bigger next time. Dur.<br /><br />Anyway, they'll still make a lovely gift, except that the person who's getting them reads this blog, so I'm not sayin' who it is. Surprise!<br /><br />Part of why the socks aren't done: I started a wedding lap throw thingy in Knitpicks Suri Dream. The idea is that the center square will be blue, and then it'll have a cream, knitted-on border. It's easy, and it's nice to have something quick and furry on big needles. Except that it's August, and what was I thinking? ANYway...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060817WeddingGhan.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060817WeddingGhan.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1155175987759082982006-08-09T22:01:00.000-04:002006-09-04T09:52:59.170-04:009.5 Stitches to the Inch, Now THAT'S Love...Got halfway through the heel turn today - these pics are from yesterday. The socks aren't looking as different as they did, which is good. Not that it matters, really.<br /><br />I mean, usually you'd be seeing them from this sort of distance:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060808SockDistance.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060808SockDistance.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It's just that I'm usually knitting them from here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060808SockCloseup.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060808SockCloseup.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Or inspecting them from here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060808SockXCloseup.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060808SockXCloseup.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />So it kind of magnifies, in my mind, what their differences are. But they're pretty, and that's the important thing. And soft! Also important. So soft... I didn't finish the heel turn because I was too busy putting my hands in them to feel the inside. Oh, and rewinding the yarn, because one of my balls fell into an utter tangle. I've never had that happen before; it was very strange. I spent more than half an hour of precious knitting time making butterflies. I was going to rewind a center-pull ball from them, but they're working fine, so I'm not going to bother. (They're consecutive butterflies - it's not like I cut the yarn or anything, just made them smallish in case they decided to tangle too...)<br /><br />I'm surprised that while they may have thousands and thousands of stitches, they're going pretty quickly. It helps, I think, that women have smaller feet than men. Go, women! Yay! If I stay on track, I'll be done by Monday, which will both put me a full <b>five days</b> ahead of my project schedule and clear my OTN projects just in time for my Knitpicks order. I may even have time to squeeze in the wedding afghans before Christmas, but let's not hold our breaths here.<br /><br />Speaking of weddings... nothing to do with knitting, but my goodness, the kid is cute.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/Hiding1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/Hiding1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1154645122587368952006-08-03T18:16:00.000-04:002006-08-03T18:45:22.670-04:00Dear Knitpicks;Please stop putting out new yarns now. My bank account thanks you.<br /><br />Love,<br /><br />Me<br /><br />Seriously. I'm going to get some of the dyeable sock yarn. Which means I'll also be buying dye from Dharma Trading. Probably nothing else that's new. But still, for awhile there, it was like every day, a new yarn! I'm going to invest in some color cards, at the very least.<br /><br />I've been testing out the needles, too. Nothing to add that everyone else hasn't already said - they're sharp, they're sturdy, they're slick, and they don't have the dratted sizes marked on them. I'm using the 0 circulars. Wish I'd gotten a shorter cord - I always think I need a longer one than I actually do. Oh well, it's not the end of the world. The main problem that I'm having with them is that they're <em>very</em> slippery - there's no friction on the cord, so I keep dropping 'em out of the sock. I'll adapt, though.<br /><br />And while I admit that they may well be twice as heavy as the next needle, I didn't notice a difference. I guess it's worse if you're using DPNs - 2g * 5 needles is more than 2g * 2 needles. Probably less than 2g, since I think the circ points are shorter than DPNs. <br /><br />The thing I really like is that they're so much sturdier than the bamboos. Haven't snapped one yet, even doing a bunch of k2togs. Yay!<br /><br />I finished two projects (the hat and mittens) and I got two CDs. I like how this is working out! (Even if it turns out that the <a href="http://www.backstreet-merch.com/bands/devot/product.asp?item=devot04">CD I wanted</a> I didn't like as much as the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00070EBNU/qid=1154643855/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-4056537-4619866?s=music&v=glance&n=5174">CD that wasn't on my list</a>. I know I like DeVotchKa, maybe just not this particular CD, so that's all right. And I did not know how much I'd like the Reverend Glasseye, so I win!)<br /><br />Now I'm starting the socks, and I've actually ordered a <a href="http://www.alternativetentacles.com/product.php?product=1208&sd=B3AHTd@MYZeGOZsG-@@">third CD</a> but I didn't realize that their "standard shipping" is media mail. I mean, I'd have picked it anyway, because I'm cheap like that, but it was a little sad when I realized. But it would be cool if it got here at the same time I finished the socks.<br /><br />Where was I? Oh, right. Socks. Swatching for socks.<br /><br />This is Beth:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060803Beth.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060803Beth.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I made her for Kira's... second Christmas? Yeah. She was too young to appreciate it, really. My mom made her wardrobe. <br /><br />She's modelling my mini-swatch that I'm using to decide what to do on the top of the sock. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060803Swatch.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060803Swatch.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />From right to left, since that's the order I knitted it in:<br /><br />1) Some stockinette, just to double-check my gauge.<br /><br />2) I forget what this ribbing was. Oh, Ripple Rib, from April 21 of the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year calendar. It looked like it was going to be nice, but after two rows I determined it was <em>way</em> to fiddly for a 76-stitch sock. (That's 152 stitches for both of 'em!) <br /><br />3) I messed up converting the eyelet ribbing into the round. Oops.<br /><br />4) What the eyelet ribbing is actually supposed to look like. I can't decide if I like it or if it's too messy in this yarn.<br /><br />5) Some 1x1 ribbing, to test for stretchiness. The eyelet ribbing is stretchier. Aaron thinks I should use this for the sock's cuff, but I disagree.<br /><br />6) Feather and Fan. I like it. But from anywhere beyond about 6" away, it's too tiny. And really, how much time do you spend 6" away from someone's ankles?<br /><br />So it is a dilemma, indeed. I should pick what I'm going to do BEFORE I knit the socks, or there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth (and ripping out of hard work). But I haven't found what I need yet. I wonder if you can double F&F? Hmmm...<br /><br />(And don't you love the yarn? I do. It's Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Georgetown. So pretty! And I didn't think I liked it in the skein. Psht.)KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1154485977914484372006-08-01T22:16:00.000-04:002006-08-01T22:32:57.926-04:00Sock Yarn is Little...It's much more scared of me than I am of it.<br /><br />(Stupid Blogger isn't doing photos AGAIN today. Boy, I'm so glad I went to the trouble of taking some. Well, tomorrow's would be better anyway. I think I'm just a mite tired. I was looking at the neatly balled yarn and thinking, oh, this really needs natural lighting. So I started to go outside for some. You know, at 10:00 at night. No, I don't live at the North Pole. I used the flash instead.)<br /><br />Anyway, I now have two freshly-balled skeins of <a href="http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/secure-html/onlinegen/currgen/LornasLaces/ShepherdSock.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=5016">Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Georgetown</a> for my State Fair socks. Woohoo! It's much prettier in real life - more colors and while not exactly deeper - they're still pastels - more... colorful colors? Dunno. Still. Pretty.<br /><br />Once again, I had the choice of either finishing the current project and having nothing to do tomorrow or balling yarn and not getting the current project done. I went with winding. It does make sense - it's going to take the same amount of time to get both done anyway, and it doesn't make sense to waste a whole day's knitting time - but it still feels like eating dessert first.<br /><br />Also, I need to find something else to do while knitting. There just aren't that many more movies that I want to see and there's NOTHING on network tv. Except complete-lack-of-talent shows. Tonight I watched Last Comic Standing. It wasn't as bad as the ten minutes of One Ocean View (or whatever it was) that I watched last night, but that's not saying much.<br /><br />And now I'm watching Law and Order, which I try not to do. Hey, I need those brain cells!KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1154308052528388592006-07-30T21:01:00.000-04:002006-07-30T21:07:32.540-04:00Felted VaseThree cousin weddings in eight weeks. Did I mention? Anyway, bridal shower today. Didn't even think about getting a present until yesterday, when I discovered that I either hated or couldn't afford everything on her registry. <br /><br />So I made this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060730FeltedVase.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060730FeltedVase.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It was a skein of Patons Classic Wool and... Twister? I think. Anyway. I think it came out fairly cute. Her wedding colors are pink and white. And it holds a glass vase - or not, my original idea was to put potpourri in it, but I couldn't find any that didn't smell ick, so flower vase it was.<br /><br />Now, back to the mitten that I STILL haven't finished. Well... it goes, anyway.KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1154053615723538902006-07-27T22:10:00.000-04:002006-07-27T22:26:55.790-04:00Progress!So this is what I've been doing for the last two weeks:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060727MittenHat.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060727MittenHat.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />One hat, that still needs to be sewn up, and one mitten. I'm actually pretty happy with my rate of progress, since I planned on two weeks for each project and this counts as two. I'd just better find the time to finish up this weekend, that's all.<br /><br />For such simple patterns, I've been having a lot of problems. Partly because these need to be above the standard galloping horse level of well done, partly because... well, I don't know. I made a change to the <a href="http://wolfandturtle.net/Yarnpath/index.php/Yarnpath/comments/cable_cuff_mittens/">mitten pattern</a> because I didn't like the way she closed up the cuff, and it took about twelve tries to get it right. Well, maybe five. Still, a lot.<br /><br />(What I ended up doing was putting a ribbing panel between the cast on and off, attaching it like a knitted on border, except on both sides. (So it was (1) P1, K1, P1, K1, P2tog; (2) K1, P1, K1, P1, K2tog. Mostly. Except that sometimes it was K(or P)3tog. And when it got to the cable, it was always three instead of two. Which took some experimenting to discover. Anyway, I like the final result, and it's nice and stretchy and all, so there you go.)<br /><br />They look kinda weird all floppy like that. First off, I made them a weensy bit larger, since they're for a man, and second off, the cuffs come halfway up to the elbow. I mean, they're supposed to be like that. They really do fit, they just look weird without an arm in them.<br /><br />Then tonight I watched what is possibly <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374900/">the worst movie ever made</a>. (And this comes from someone who happily watched <a href="http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/jcannon/rocknrule/">Rock and Rule</a> last night, so you know it has to be bad.) I think it melted my brain a little bit. Actually, I switched over to the Office after about 45 minutes of this travesty, but since it was my least favorite episode and everything else on was a complete-lack-of-talent show, I went back to the terrible, terrible movie. At least some of it had passed while I was flipping channels. So bad! So very, very bad! My head asplode. No words remain to describe how awfully bad this movie was. I passed Gigli at Blockbuster this afternoon, and now I regret not getting it. That's how bad it was. <br /><br />Anyway, it means I got halfway through the cuff of the second mitten, which is a good thing. The mittens are fast, really.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060727MittenStart.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060727MittenStart.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />By the way, here's the link to the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20010725184344/www.balart.com/KNIT.HTM">Pinwheel Hat</a>. It rawks. Aaron likes it so much that he asked me to make him one, but I dunno if someone who LOST his Baby Ull on size 0 needles watchcap gets another hat. Ok, I lie. I'll make him one. But he has to buy the yarn!<br /><br />The Master Knitter swatches? What swatches? Oh yeah, <i>those</i> swatches. They've been done for awhile, I just haven't had a chance to block them. And tonight I did. So they're drying now. I won't get to mail them this weekend, though, but definitely sometime next week. Yay!KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1153340282432131972006-07-19T16:16:00.000-04:002006-07-19T16:18:02.446-04:00That'll teach me?Well, probably not. I seem to be stubbornly resistant to this whole "learning" thing.<br /><br />I'm halfway done the pinwheel hat, and I'm going to have to rip the whole thing out. Why? Because I didn't swatch. I <i>know</i> better than that. I don't know what I was thinking. Crazy lady. Anyway, it's a quick knit - I should be able to get back to where I am now by the end of this evening, I think. I found mittens to match, too, although I'm not sure if they're too girly. Links to both, later.KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1153239223006121702006-07-18T11:13:00.000-04:002006-07-18T12:20:14.150-04:00DisorganizedFirst, I had patterns and yarn, but no needles, or needles and patterns, but no yarn, or patterns but no needles or yarn. So I placed a couple of orders, and of course, to save on shipping, you get everything at once, right? Now I'm drowning in projects, help, help!<br /><br />I'm having a race between the two sweaters - the baby sweater that I only work on at home, and Kira's sweater that I only work on outside the home. They're about tied, I think.<br /><br />I'm not much of a listmaker - or rather, I am, I just never look at them again - but I think it'll help organize things a bit if I look at what I need to get done. And while I'm at it, I'll make a list of CDs I want to pick up, because why not? Stupid Denver, making me spend all my money on music when there's still all this yarn to buy.<br /><br /><table border="2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><br /><tbody><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Project</span></p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">When</span></p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">CD</span></p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">When</span></p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>Pinwheel hat</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>before 9/1/06</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>Munly – Jimmy Carter Syndrome</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>October (? - Whenever remaster released)</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>Mittens to match hat (need to make pattern)</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>before 9/1/06</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>Munly – Galvanized Yankee</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>October (?Remaster release)</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>baby 1 - sweater? (need pattern, yarn)</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>by 9/1/06</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>DeVotchKa - Curse Your Little Heart<br /></p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom'" width="148"><br /><p>whenever</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>baby 2 - hat + bootees</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>by 11/1/06</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>DeVotchKa - How it Ends<br /></p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>whenever</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>sock1 – AP</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>by 12/16/06</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>DeVotchKa - Super Melodrama<br /></p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>whenever</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>sock2 – MP (need yarn)</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>by 12/25/06</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>DeVotchKa - Una Volta<br /></p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>whenever</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>sock3 – Me</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>whenever</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>Denver Broncos - TBD</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>when released</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>sock4 – KH – BC (need yarn)</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>by 12/25/06</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>Tarantella</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>ASAP!</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>cscarf – RM</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>fall</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>16HP – TBD</p><br /></td><br /><td valign="bottom" width="148"><br /><p>whenever</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /></tbody></table>KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1152574352051559402006-07-10T19:26:00.000-04:002006-07-10T19:32:32.063-04:00Old?I just got today's mail. Two mailings from my retirement fund, a package of knitting needles, an ad to subscribe to Knit Simple, and a free sample of really smelly dental floss. (Seriously. It's on the couch, and the fan is blowing the smell <i>away</i> from me, and it's still overwhelming my sinuses.)<br /><br />Yup. It's official, I'm an old lady.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm really psyched about the needles. One set of 00's and one set of 0000's. Woohoo! I'm thinking I really shouldn't have gotten the 8" ones, but it seemed to make sense at the time. What do I know? (It's scary how much I'm charmed by the 0000's. I neeeeeeed to knit something on them! They're so tiny and... just... lurve!)<br /><br />And after opening the needles, I had to laugh at the Knit Simple ad. 'Scuse me, do you offer subscriptions to Knit Complicated? Thanks.<br /><br />(It's not that I'm a particularly advanced knitter - see "can't even weave in ends," below. It's just that it takes things well above my skill level to really interest me. What can I say?)KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1152560113406241692006-07-10T15:27:00.000-04:002006-07-10T15:35:13.460-04:00Stupid ends.There. I finished weaving in all the ends on my swatches. Yes, it did take me longer (in days) than the actual knitting of said swatches. Pitiful, I agree.<br /><br />On the plus side, I did finally figure out how this end-weaving-in works. About time, I know. On the minus side, I didn't figure it out until I'd done about 10 of the 16 swatches. And I am an idiot, so I snipped the ends off. Should have waited until after I blocked, at least. Well. Things always go faster the second time, right? And I'll only have to reknit, say, 14 instead of all 16 swatches... bah.<br /><br />So maybe I'm going to try to block tonight. We'll see. I don't know how I'm going to keep the swatches straight - do them one at a time? I don't know, that seems awfully inefficient.<br /><br />In other news, I LOST the pattern to the ballet cardigan. Don't know what I'm going to do about that - I really don't feel like paying for a back issue of a magazine I already own, for a sweater that wasn't really that great to begin with. But I've done the whole back already... <br /><br />Yes, I did learn my lesson about always working from a copy of the pattern.<br /><br />I just don't understand how this could have gotten lost - it's very perplexing. It's not like I take patterns that many places... well, without the project, anyway, and I can find that just fine. It's sitting right there, mocking me with its done-enough-to-not-ignoreness.<br /><br />Anyway, going to keep working on the pullover until the pattern turns up. I'm thinking about buying <a href="http://www.lulu.com/content/324484">Square Dance</a> by Doris Moore and making that for the actual baby gift. (The pattern only goes down to size 2, but I'm sure it can't be too difficult to resize. I mean, it comes with a spreadsheet!)<br /><br />I'm also thinking about booties. Hmmm...KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1152379677546521152006-07-08T13:18:00.000-04:002006-07-08T13:27:57.563-04:00Baby Sweater Proceeds Apace...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060708BabySweater.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060708BabySweater.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Yet another "learning experience." I didn't have the right size needle, but since it's a "fun" project that I didn't want to fuss too much over, I used a smaller one. Like, a lot smaller. (It called for a 4, which for me means, "use a 2." I had a 0, so I used that.) I really liked the fabric I was getting, so I went with it. I swatched and calculated, and joy of joys! The next size up (using my gauge instead of the suggested gauge) worked out to the same measurements as the size I wanted.<br /><br />I didn't think about the fact that the lengths are listed in inches, so I should still use the smaller measurements for those. But hurrah! I did think of it when I'd only knitted one extra row. Purled another one after that so I could end on the correct side, because I didn't feel like tinking and at 14 rows to the inch, what's 2 rows in length?<br /><br />And of course, it was only as I was binding off the last stitches for the button thingy that I realized - hey, this fabric's <span style="font-weight:bold;">really</span> firm, and while it's exactly what I want in a sock - for a sweater that's supposed to go around a squishy baby? Not really so appropriate.<br /><br />So it may just wind up as a dolly sweater. Like I said, I'm not crazy about the colors anyway, although I do like them more now than I did when it was just ribbing. And, again, Learning Experience. Now I can make a real baby sweater with many fewer mistakes.<br /><br />Of course, I want to find one that involves steeking... can you steek superwash wools? We shall find out...KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18313240.post-1152136162565730482006-07-05T17:39:00.000-04:002006-07-05T17:49:22.643-04:00Having come to my senses......I've scrapped the baby blanket. It was somewhere after casting on 165 stitches and knitting for an hour to have a 1/2" project, then realizing that the number of stitches was going to go up to 270. And become ribbing. And slightly before I ran screaming into the night.<br /><br />So I decided to do a sweater instead. I'm using the <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/Projects/Projects_Display_Yarn.aspx?itemid=50405220&yarnid=5420113">Knitpicks Last-Minute Stripes Pullover</a> and Lion "Magic Stripes" in Jellybean. I'm really not in love with the color, and I know that the mother-to-be will hate it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/1600/20060705BabySweater.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6576/1788/320/20060705BabySweater.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />On the other hand, I'm enjoying knitting it and it is going quickly, and I'm sure someone I know who will like the color will have a baby at some point, so I'm not trashing it. <br /><br />Unfortunately, I only have colors *I* like in my sockyarn stash. Well, and this Jellybean, don't ask how it got there. (I think it was on double-discount sale, or something). Anyway, none of it is appropriate for a baby sweater. I don't like Knitpicks striped yarn, either. Couldn't find anything at Elann or Webs, so I'll probably just get some Dale wossis... er, Ull, and make something not stripy. But still a sweater. I may also wait until the end of this month, when she finds out the gender. I'm glad I didn't find out before Kira was born, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to take advantage of the situation if someone else DOES find out about their baby. Especially if they're of the traditional, pink-and-blue, I'm-not-buying-any-clothes-until-I-know-what-it-is mindset.KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03854798647926326854noreply@blogger.com0