Here we go again September 30, 2008

I’m officially invested in this sock.  I’ve knitted the leg and am steadily working on the heel.  It’s going along very well and I can’t wait to have one completely finished.

My gripe today isn’t about this sock, but my inability to guestimate how much I will need of something.  I’ve been to the fabric store twice in the past 2 days to buy lace ribbon to go through my Bintje socks and I still don’t have enough to go through one sock.    So sometime later today (or maybe even later this week) I will write down the correct measurements (two feet for one sock) and get it measured out so I can thread it through and be done!

Sock Woes September 25, 2008

The sock yarn I ordered from KnitPicks feels too soft and thin to be used for the Williams Street Socks and honestly, after whipping together my mittens with 2 different cable patterns, I wanted to try out a different pattern with socks.  I settled on the horseshoe crab pattern from Vogue Knitting because I thought it’d look lovely in the dark wine color yarn.  First I tried it with size 3 needles.  I got about 4 inches or so into the sock and decided that the pattern looked messy and wasn’t as tightly knit as the picture looks.  So I ripped it all apart and cast on again with size 2 needles.  I’m only two inches into it and I like how this is turning out even less.

Before I get much further, I think I am going to toss out the whole idea of knitting with the horseshoe crab pattern and do the flirtation cable instead.  The flirtation cable is thin and pretty and I think the yarn will complement the pattern well.  But we will see!

I love mittens ’cause they’re so ….. September 24, 2008

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Originally uploaded by scribblerdahl

…..I can’t think of anything appropriate to put there that sounds like delicious! Last night I finished these beauties and this morning Jax helped me model them. I love the yarn I used for these mittens. The wool is nice and warm but not uncomfortably itchy. These mittens were made for small hands, so if anyone else wanted to make them, a small adjustment would have to be made to how many stitches are cast on. But other than that, they’re pretty awesome.

Imagine this with a thumb September 23, 2008

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Originally uploaded by scribblerdahl

I finished the mitten shortly after taking this picture. So it does have a thumb While snug, the wool does feel stretchy and it isn’t so snug that it’s uncomfortable. If you look closely you can see that in the first few rounds of my cable pattern (the Retwisted Taffy), I accidentally did the cable twice more than I should have (it’s done every 7th row). But after it was all said and done, I like it. I think it gives it the illusion of starting out small and growing into a snakey cable. So I’ll leave it in the pattern. I’ve already cast on for my second mitten and hopefully I’ll get that done in the next couple days. If anyone wants the pattern, let me know!

Funky Mitts September 22, 2008

I’ve got this gorgeous green wool yarn from KnitPicks that I have been waiting to use on some mittens.  Since I had bought pretty blue yarn for the Vogue mittens, I wanted to do something different with the green yarn.  Originally I was going to use the Flirtation cable pattern from Vogue Knitting online, but I wanted something …..more.  Finally I decided to mix the Retwisted Taffy & small 2 cable patterns from Lion Brand Yarn on my mittens.  I’ve been referring to a variety of basic mitten patterns to get mine going.  So far it’s been gong good and the pattern is really turning out.  If anybody ever wants to knit it, they would have to use bigger needles.  I cast on to my size 3 needles and the mitten is fitting pretty snug on my hand  But we will see!

Socks! September 21, 2008

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Originally uploaded by scribblerdahl

I *love* these socks. They were fun to knit and the pattern was pretty easy to follow. And although the funky coloring makes the lacy pattern tough to see, they still look pretty killer. My only problem with the socks, is that I tried knitting the gusset in two different ways. While they both ended up the same size/fit, the problem is that the size/fit is smaller than my foot. On both socks the heel finds itself about 1/2″ forward of my own heel. I’m not sure if it’s something I did in interpreting the pattern wrong or what exactly it is I could have done. Maybe it’s something that blocking can help fix? The socks themselves are not uncomfortable to wear, so it’s not a huge problem.

Last night I went to Wal-Mart to find a pretty ribbon to thread through the tops of my socks, but wasn’t impressed by anything there. Later this week I will hit up the fabric store and see if they have anything. If not, I’ll just wait to decorate my socks. But today I will block them and wear them later this week! Maybe with my new shoes I bought….

Right Sock September 17, 2008

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Originally uploaded by scribblerdahl

Ta da! I’ve got the right sock done and I think it’s gorgeous, even with its mistakes. My husband keeps telling me that it’s real crazy looking and very purple/pink. Which is true, but it’s precisely because of that, that I love it. I have to admit that even up close, it’s difficult to discern the pattern, but the carefully placed decorations catch you by surprise and look interesting amid the alternating bright colors. Once I’m done with the left sock, I’m going to buy some thin elastic & lace to pull through the loops I made at the top. So here’s to smooth sailing for my left sock!

Hulk Knitting September 16, 2008

I can’t believe I did it again.  While I was knitting, the other end of my DPN just snapped in half.  WTF?!  Luckily the envelope my needles came in have this nifty insert that says they will replace needles (but only if 2 or more are damaged).  And hey!  Look!  I have 2 or more needles that are broken.  Just a little bit ago I e-mailed them and asked what they need from me so I can receive my replacement needles.  And I don’t think it’s my knitting style that caused the breakage as my other 4 needles are still pretty sturdy and don’t look super bendy.  Hopefully they just send me some replacements (or even a new set; that would be cool) before I start knitting my other sock.

On the sock front, I’m coming THISCLOSE to being finished with the length of my sock and then I can start on the heel flap and then the toes.  Pleeeease send non-broken needle thoughts my way

For a short person, I need a lotta sock September 16, 2008

I don’t think the pattern, as it’s written, was meant to be the entire length of someone’s leg.  Or maybe the way I want them to fit requires more sock.  Either way, I knit the pattern from 77 sts down to 56 and need to knit 5 more inches before I’m ready to start on the heel.  Another thing I noticed is that when you start the heel shaping, it calls to knit 33 sts and then to hold 33 sts to the back.  Only thing is, is that 56 – 33 = 23.  Then, when they get to the part where you work those sts you held back, it calls for 24 sts.  Hrm.  Luckily I adapt well and have no qualms about picking up an extra stitch and then losing it somewhere down the line if need be.

I am really loving how they’re turning out thusfar and am excited to have one finished.  It still may be awhile (next week at earliest) but it’ll be worth it!  Hopefully they’ll both be done by the time our trip to the cities rolls around.

My Bintje Sock September 14, 2008

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Originally uploaded by scribblerdahl

I don’t dare try this on my leg yet for fear that all of my sts will slip off of my tiny needles! So I did the next best thing and put it on my arm. It’s still hard to tell if it really looks as good as the original without actually trying it on. But as far as I can tell, it’s pretty good. Even with the mistakes and mistake ridden beginning, I’m feeling confident in what I’m doing and hope this makes the second sock all that much easier to knit.