Future projects

Binoculars and mug

Originally uploaded by rjknits

Projects I want to work on:
1. Finish the Hiiummas Stashbusting socks.
2. Finish the arches scarf (which is looking more like pillars, but never mind).
3. Finally get gauge for Rusted Root, and make some progress.
4. I have 2 vests’ worth of lovely yarn, gifted to me in 2008. And, since I’m pretty spectacularly cold at the office, it would be great to use up this largesse.
5. Attempt to do more photography of my knitting. I mean, I’m able to take pictures of mugs and binoculars that look great… why not woolly things?

So, any challenges that you’re looking forward to?

Heels and Toes

The Amazonian socks are finished. Heels and toes are done, as well as the weaving in of ends, mentioned earlier. Shh: they’re now bathing in their wool wash, although rumor has it that while I was away, the Gardener wore them pre-washing without dying toes.

I’m impressed with the color-fastness of the yarn, from Araucania. I’ve looked at their website, and I don’t see the Ranco Multi that I used. It’s probably still out there, just check the shelves at your local LYS.

Even though it isn’t as thrilling as knitting lace or cabled socks, I think the Yarrow Ribbed Sock pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks has the potential to be a default pattern, depending on how the heels hold up. The heel pick up is definitely elegant, and I’m trying to figure out if I could incorporate a different heel flap into it. If you want to see socks that were knit better and have better photographs, go to irisines stricksalon. If you want to see them knit in pink screaming yarn, check out Fuzzy Noodle Knits (she used Flat Feet Sock yarn, where you get a flat pack of yarn machine knit and dyed, your unravel it, and knit it up again). [To non-knitters: yes it sounds like a cult of wacky. No, it isn't.]

In non-knitting news, yes, there was fine china for our dinner, good wine to drink, and classical music on the radio yesterday. It was a good day to pause and be grateful. Now, I’m back to work.

Sock Market II

I’m well past the leg and heel turn on the second Amazonian sock. If I’m lucky, I’ll get the whole sock done tomorrow and there will be sun for photos. No info on actual stocks or politics here, so if you’re looking for that, you should move along.

We’re all about the frivolous here at WordTapestry. And unless you step on a needle or use a metal one as self-defense on the el, sock knitting isn’t exactly a blood sport. If I can coerce the camera to behave when I get the toes kitchenered up, I’ll put up pictures of the finished pair.

Gone Loopy

Well, feh. The Amazonian sock-in-progress did not like all the air travel back and forth to Kentucky. Loops have fallen off the needle(s!) like leaves from an autumn tree. Lets look at this a little closer.*

Look to the right. See those loopy things that look like part of a noose? (Hey, it was just Halloween… I’m still on ghoulish overload.) Each of those little loops were supposed to be traveling along, happily, on the needle while in transit in my little knitting sack within my backpack. (No knitting happened on either part of the airplane ride, because I was sandwiched like a sardine in the middle seat, and didn’t want to run the risk of poking anyone with an elbow.)

This was the dispiriting sight I saw in the early hours of Wednesday morning (I was hoping to work on the sock at lunchtime). That said, the cold weather is really motivating me to finish this sock. I did get the little loops back on the needles, and I only had a few moments of stress when I had to take two of the loops back off the needles and switch them (they’d gotten twisted out of order).

So, if anyone out there has any hobbies they’d like to share… what are the setbacks you’ve met while “enjoying” your hobby? I’ve done evil things with decopage (one headless cupid applied to a box), ripped an edge on a stencil when I was halfway through with stenciling a repeat around the top of a room, sewn my finger with a sewing machine in Home-ec (still have the gingham apron they made me make), and split a  woodblock in printing class. How about you?

*I figure there has to be something that isn’t focused on the USA election out on the Web (besides all the wonderful ex-US blogs that talk about everyday life and their regional politics). In the case of this blog, it’s dropped stitches.

PS3 Fire and Earth Revisited

Rose from a golf course in New Orleans

Butterfly earrings

The first element in Project Spectrum was Fire — orange, red, and pink. February and March, I was knitting on the Sampler Socks (Little Child’s Socks from Nancy Bush, Knitting Vintage Socks). Finished those finally and managed to post about them here on WordTapestry.

I branched out and made some butterfly earrings. The findings were found in a fabric store. Each earring had 1 earhook, 3 headpins, 16 burgundy red seed beads, 6 orange Swarosvki (R) bicones, and 1 fuchsia colored butterfly. Two pairs of needle nose pliers, and I was ready to start making the loops to keep the headpins on the earhook loop. Much chasing of beads in the kitchen later, I had two good tries at earrings. Of course, these earrings aren’t meant to be worn with openwork shawls or beloved sweaters. They catch too much on threads in shirts and necklaces.

I also played with crochet, but the results may end up being someone’s holiday present, so for now, I won’t show you that one. Instead, here’s a rose from a New Orleans golf course, taken in April but definitely part of the element of fire.

The rose also fits in with the second element in Project Spectrum –

Earth. Note: the project I worked on for PS3 were the Amazonian socks and not much else during April and May. I did take photos of lots of flowers and gardens on trips and in the home garden, some of which made it to my flickr account.

Dabbling in Fair Isle

Tidal sock, showing off on a beach towel

The Tidal Socks continue, and I’m getting close to the first sock’s finish. This is a pretty satisfying water sock for Project Spectrum. Next to do: the second sock.

I may need to continue on the Amazonian socks I started a while ago instead. The Tidal Socks are sort of an experiment project, but the Amazonian socks actually may be needed pretty soon. There’s been a chill in the air for the past few nights, and the Gardener wishes to have a new, warm pair of socks for Autumn.

Amazonian Sock Draped on a Radiator

Amazonian Sock stats:

• Auracania Ranco Multi, bought at Vulcan’s Rest in Chesapeake City, MD
• Pattern: Yarrow Ribbed Sock from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks
• Started: April 4, 2008
• Ripped back near the start of summer, and just lost interest in re-knitting in the heat

Sorry for the kind of poor photos of both socks. The Fair Isle ones blurred out when I didn’t use flash, so I selected the more washed out version.

So, what’s on your to do list for the fall? I find this season to be just filled with hopefulness, mystery, and new energy. Maybe I’ll have another attack of finishitis and haul out a whole lot of languishing projects and either finish or frog them.

A Tale of Two Tootsies, Fin

The long knitting project I nicknamed the “sampler sock” project (Nancy Bush’s Little Child Sock) is finally finished. I love how they fit. I love how they feel. I’m not sure I love the “flashing” of up near the cuff, but that will get covered by jeans. I can finally dunk these in the wool wash and get them ready for when Autumn’s brisk breezes blow.

If my version doesn’t “wow” you, then check out the following blogger’s socks:

• Over at Exercise Before Knitting, Elinor’s socks are plain aqua (she used Lorna’s Laces yarn too)
• Lu Lubeans used Lion Brand sock yarn, for a stripy pair
• Mustaa villaa managed to create the Little Child’s sock for a larger foot
• And red shows off the pattern in Jessimuhka Knits‘ pair

I may want to backwards engineer anklet socks from this pattern. A pair would make a sweet gift for a family member with similar size feet. I would definitely want to use plain sock yarn (which I would need to acquire) to show off the stitch pattern.

Specs:

• Lorna’s Laces sock yarn, in the Tuscany colorway
• Time I dawdled on these: 10 months (I know, what was I waiting for?)
• Pattern found in Knitting Vintage Socks, by Nancy Bush
• Assistance provided by Malkin the Wunderkat, who wants to steal my size 1 double points

Put these in the can, folks. That’s a wrap.

Fin.

A Tale of Two Tootsies

Here is a progress shot of the pair of Sampler Socks (Nancy Bush’s Little Child Socks). If you use the tag search, you’ll see a glam photo of the first sock in progress. I have second sock syndrome, possibly spurred on by promptly falling down a Ravelry rabbit hole — queuing projects. The stats say I began this pair in December of last year. How embarrassing.

However, this second sock has been a very bad one. At one stage, when knitting without glasses, I managed to remove one of the knitting needles holding live stitches instead of picking out the actual new needle. Knitters will understand that moment of “doh”.

For non-knitters, what this looks like are a lot of little tiny loops that are trying to descend back into the knitting and cause runners. Go cut up an old sock and look at how it has loops holding everything together. Then try to figure out how to capture the loops without an extra set of hands. We’ll wait.

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Waiting…..

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Not pretty, eh?

Finally I’m nearing the point on the second sock where the toe decreases start. It’s a sweet little project, with cute patterning, a nice mix of stockinette with other stitches, and a really lovely choice of yarn (Lorna’s Laces). It’s my first sock project with a “seam” stitch in the back, and decreases at the leg around this purl stitch. (And it’s also my project for the “Fire” element for Project Spectrum… oh, a late one this is!)

Eine Kleine Destash Project

I’m trying to design a little sock. I want something that reminds me of water, summer, and clean rivers. Guess I’m plunging into the Water element of Project Spectrum.

I have two different yarns for this project: Opal ZwergerGarn in white-blue (streaks of white and streaks of navy blue similar to Mississippi 2085) and Regia 4 Fach Haltbar (4 colors are in #5374: dark blue, light blue, gray green and light gray green). Both skeins are similar in weight and yarn thickness. Both were bought as sale yarn years ago, so I don’t feel bad about a possible Frankensock.

I will probably adapt a plain pattern, and then play around with a bit of Fair Isle knitting… Think: knitting finger paints! I’m left with the question one sometimes asks when pairing two kids together on the first day of camp: “Wonder if they’ll play together or fight?”

In other knitting news, I keep knitting on the Sampler Sock (Little Child’s Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks). I’m up to row 94, and hoping to get to the wacky “break the yarn” stage after row 109 soon.

Hope everyone out there is taking advantage of these last sweet days of summer. I got to go to the State Fair on Saturday, and may have some pictures of the horses in the equitation competition.

“D” Is Also for “De Construction”

Nancy Bush Little Child's Sock

In which the construction guys make a mess and loud noises in order to provide small amenities, like basement windows that aren’t rotten. The cats hate all of this.

Yesterday a screen door (heh, another “d” word) was finally put on in the back. We can now finally put panes of glass up to protect the back door (which is made of wood and won’t last forever in the elements). No idea why the back screen door was removed in the first place, unless it was wooden too, and rotting like the basement windows. The cats think the original screen door was removed to allow cat egress [this is false, since they're "supposed to be" indoor cats]. Yesterday evening, much cat crying and screaming about the door happened. I gloated.

The cat meter predicts this is a good day to spend under the bed. After looking at all the dust and debris, I kind of agree.

On the plus side, I’ve been knitting on the Little Child’s Sock from the Nancy Bush book, Knitting Vintage Socks (the second one of a pair). The picture above is of the first one (the second should look remarkably similar).