Sock-a-versary!

My Sock-a-versary is March - so I started a new pair! Pomatomus by CookieA. Photos are kind of hard today - it's very dark outside. No rain yet but it's supposed to. Anyway, had to use the flash so you could see the patterning.
Toe up
Magic loop on #0 Addi Turbo circular
Shibui Knits Sock - colorway 323




Fun pattern! Oh - the lifeline is the white string across the toe. It just makes frogging easier (should I need to - who me? LOL!) The little dangle is my marker when I was doing toe increases. I'll be doing a PGR short-row heel (my fav).

Handspun!

This is a small skein of yarn. Yes, but an important small skein of yarn.
This is my first supported spindle handspun, fine, Navajo plied yarn in years! And if it's partner spindle-full is at least this ok, I might knit socks out of it! Short socks, but socks!

Tablet Weaving on Cricket

This is what I am doing today (after chores of course). I got it warped and began the weaving Friday, but couldn't get back to it until today. It's so much fun! I have been making short warps to sample patterns and have another warp in the threading process right now.

Making looms has also become an obsession! It's fun to puzzle out how to make the looms do different things - like how to make a warp roller on a PVC loom. I did it! Pics soon - I want to get a warp on it first.

Knitting in progress: multiple pairs of socks, a blankie from Noro Silk Garden left-overs (mostly left overs) and a new top from Norah Gaughan called Pucker - in the original yarn and color. Boy, do I need to update my Ravelry database! Waaaay behind. Been having Gremlins in my computers and having a hard time getting cooperation from software. Argh. Knitting is close by. It helps.

Lacey Hedera Socks Project 1

These are my latest finished socks. I've used 2 patterns online. Hedera by Cookie A
and Old Shale Two Yarn Sock Pattern for the fold-down lace cuff part. I love how these feel! So soft!
Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Silk - ivory
Size 0 circular needle (Magic Loop technique)
Mods: made the Hedera pattern toe-up, used Cookie's heel from her pattern Baudelaire (which is a toe-up pattern), added a lacey fold-down cuff.
I love how these feel! So soft!

This coming Sunday, I'm going to take two classes from Cookie at my local LYS, Hill Country Weavers. I am so excited! And I'm wearing my new socks!

New Heel Technique

I turned a fantastic heel last night!
[pic here]
This one is so EASY and quick. It's from Charisa Cairn and she has a wonderful tutorial on YouTube that makes it even easier. She also has a blog you can learn from and see what pretty things she makes. I am now a big fan of her helpful techniques - especially the Lifestyle Socks recipe! And after viewing her blog -- uh oh -- now I want to spin again. For sock yarn. Hmmm... now where in this tiny house would I put my wheel?? (it's in storage along with my looms) Oh well, maybe I can start with my drop spindles - those are here!

WHERE did January go???

This month has gone by sooooo fast. It whizzed by my poor head like a bullet. I have been knitting (perhaps that's made it go so fast?) like crazy and finished several projects this month.
I started a new KAL (knit along) on Thursday - Leyburn KAL in the Socks That Rawk group on Ravelry. You can check my progress here, too. This is the yarn in the cake:


It's "Undertoe" in Socks That Rock - Lightweight. I am to the heel on sock #1, half-way there on sock #2 and hope to get past the heels this weekend. I'm trying a new heel (more about that later). Here's the progress at the end of the first day:

and the second day:

PandaSilk Socks, Liesls and New PC

I started these socks today with Panda Silk I bought in North Carolina. 2mm Addis and Magic Loop technique. I am loving how this yarn works up - nice and smooth and very soft! I like it much better than the Maizy which is very splitty and a larger diameter yarn.
The foot shall be just stockinette stitch and then I'll decide on a stitch pattern when I get to the legs. I need something mindless to work on - interruptions are a little too frequent around here just now.
The Blue Jean Sock I started in NC keeps getting frogged every so often because of all the interruptions every time I pick it up to work on it! I'll eventually get the pair done I guess.
The Copper Liesl and the red Liesl are below. Still trying to figure out the easiest way to blog from Flikr. Seems to be easiest to blog each photo (just have to remember to do it in the reverse way I want it to show up here) and then post it. I don't think you can put more than one photo in the blog from there. If anyone knows if there IS - please let me know!
And yes, that darn tractor is still in the driveway. They poured the concrete columns today but said they'll pick up that thing tomorrow. It will be nice to have my driveway back. But the juniper bonsai in the front are dying. Well, so would you be if you got trampled and tools thrown on you!

Chevron-sock Progress

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Originally uploaded by bren47

I get to start a new journal! A brand new Moleskine! Here he is posing with the Chevron socks in progress. Funny thing about these socks - there was a KNOT in the ball and the color sequence is REVERSED. Yikes. I had to rewind the ball after the knot. How annoying. This is the first time the Meilenweit has done this though.

But still, the socks are fraternal twins - it seems the color sequence is reversed for the other one! Oh well. Perhaps there was another knot I didn't notice? It came from the same big ball - I wound it into 2 and am always careful about which end I am using to continue the second 'cake'. Bery Strange....

Chevron Socks to heel

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Originally uploaded by bren47

Here are the (with thrice-frogged yarn) Chevron Socks to the heel turn. I hope to turn both heels today. Hopefully they will fit better than the poor Jaywalkers. I must say, the Meilenweit yarn is holding up very well!

FO - Embossed Leaves Socks

Look what I finished today! I would have finished them last night if I could have stayed awake. Details on Ravelry - I'm knittybabe.

The second photo is closer to the color of the yarn.

I had my last Top-Down Sweater class today. I still have to knit the length of the body yet. It's been too warm to work on it today. We're supposed to have a cold front so maybe I can work on it tomorrow!

Sunday March 16

embossedLeavesSocks-75-nf-w
Originally uploaded by bren47

Nice day out - I sat on the porch swing knitting while DH finished digging the holes for the fence posts. The neighbor had to work until afternoon, when he set them in concrete. Now to wait a couple of days for the concrete to set.

I did laundry and knit. We watched last thursdays episode of Survivor and then watched a DVD - The Gameplan - with The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) produced by Disney. This is a very funny and charming movie! I recommend it!

Got past the heel on #2 Embossed Leaves sock. Took 2 pics - first one has too much flash. This one - no flash at all. It's cloudy out and hard to photograph.

Embossed-Leaves Socks-no1

embossed-leaves-no1-3-7-08
Originally uploaded by bren47

The first Embossed Leaves sock is now waiting for me in the sock bag.... poor baby. I have to try to finish my projects for knitting class before tuesday - the last class.

I am half-way up the leg and just put this project on Ravelry (I am knittybabe).

Pattern: Embossed Leaves
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Cranberry
Needles: Addi Turbo size 0
Mods: I am working toe-up - using my own rounded toe start via Judy's Magic Cast On with 1 - 24" circular needle

LOVE this pattern! It seems to go quickly and I don't want to put it down!

stash enhancement Feb '08

stash enhancement Feb '08
Originally uploaded by bren47

My LYS had some new sock yarns last month so I thought I'd try some out. UhHum - what was that I told myself about only *2* yarn containers????

I actually did start using the Maizy - got the toes started because I thought I'd work on them while waiting at the hospital (I didn't tho - worked on Broad Spiral Rib socks instead).

Socks in the Works

Socks in the works update:

Embossed Leaves (Interweave - Knits issue Winter 2005 and also in the book Favorite Socks) in progress. Sock #1 is almost to the top ribbing. Yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, color is Cranberry. Yum!

Here's a footie using BW's Broad Spiral Rib. This is #1 finished. #2 is in a sock bag for a take-a-long project since I have it memorized!Yarn is Meilenweit - same as the full pair of socks I made last month. I bought several balls of the ivory white. I can see it - even in dim light in an eye doc's office or a dark corner in a waiting room. Been doing a lot of that lately and the 25th, my son goes in for a cornea transplant. Whoa. More hospital and doctors office visits. He got a chemical burn at work over a year ago and the eye won't heal any more so it's time to try a transplant. We're keeping our fingers crossed it works! Meanwhile, I have 2 weeks between docs visits to work on my class homework and get some more sock projects ready to go bye-bye. I have a nice selection of sock yarn just waiting...

Maizy Start

Since my Mom is having eye surgery next week, I needed something to knit in hospital and then at her house for after. I have lost another pound so I gave myself permission to use new yarn - Maizy!
This yarn is 82% corn fiber and 18% elastic Nylon. It is very soft (even before washing) and I am getting about 8.5 spi with #0 Addi Turbo circular.

Pattern: Lava Flow Socks by Sock Bug
Yarn: Maizy - solid=Sea Gray 1281; Multi=Miami Nice 1004
Mods: I used Judy's Magic Cast On for the toes and am working toe-up with Magic Loop. I plan to use PGR short-row heels and a 1.5 to 2 inch rib at the top of cuff. Toes and heels will be solid.
The yarn is a little bit splitty, but once you know that it is easy to remember to "scoop" a little deeper than usual and you'll catch any stray strand. It's really not bad at all.

I have a pair of sea green pants to re-hem that these will go with. Also brown pants and a green-ish top come to think of it! And my brown Birki clogs! I've been wearing my Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream socks with this outfit, too.

My First Sock-a-versary!

This month is one year since I made my first sock! And it's also my Continentality-versary, too! I also taught myself the Continental method of knitting last February. I don't know how many pairs of socks I actually completed last year - must figure that out - but by July I had made 11 pairs. I really, really need to get busy on Ravelry and update my entries.

I am wearing the second pair of socks finished this year - Ivory Meilenweit Broad Spiral Ribs. Finished them last Friday the 15th. And here they are:

These are for warmer weather and they are shorter than my winter socks. Heehee! You can see where my slippers have been!

Holy Cow! Where did October go??

Between doc and vet appointments and the regular business of my life - October is almost gone already! DH is on his last week of vacation and we've only been to 2 places - day trips because we have to be back home to give the cat his insulin shots at 8am and 8pm. The weather has been GLORIOUS for both those days! It's actually fall-like for most of the day! We hope to get in at least one more trip - to Bastrop State Park - to hike around in the weather and the trees. I love trees.

This is my Ice Cream Shrug in progress: I did complete it on October 21 and wore it on the Day Trip to the Natural Bridge Caverns and The NB Wildlife Ranch (San Antonio).

This is The Greens Shrug (working name) in progress as of last night:

These are Eyelet Rib socks (WendyKnits pattern) completed the pair Oct 17:

One Mod: I used 4 rows between instead of 3.
K.C. is doing ok for now. At first the Vet had him on 2 units of insulin, then on 3, now he's on 2.5! Which is NOT easy to do - there's no half-mark on the syringe! But for him, I'll do just about anything, as long as he thinks it's ok.

October at last!

I finished some socks while taking care of Mom. These are my Dragonscale socks. More details on my Ravelry page in my projects. (I am knittybabe).

The Dragons in my new MaryJane Birkis! I love these shoes. I got brown, too.
Ravelry is great! I am slowly getting things put in. Haven't been home much. K.C. is doing a little better. Learned how to give him insulin shots (twice a day) and he went in thursday for blood work. He was soooooo MAD when we picked him up. He had to stay all day for the glucose curve. He would not stop growling until my DH took him outside! Any time anyone or anything made noise he'd growl louder. Poor baby!

We had to up his dose to 3 (from 2) so hopefully that will be better. He is still very tired from being there and being tortured. ;-) I hate to leave him. Well, we have a 2-week interval this time. I had to hide the carrier as soon as he got out of it. No reminders!

Mom started physical therapy this week! She is doing better and better. Still hurts, of course, but more movement today than on monday. OK. must go to bed....

Campanula Update - Finished!

I just finished both Campanula socks! Here are the baby pictures:
On the feet:

They are a bit loose, but they haven't been washed yet and I expect they'll even out nicely. I did try the bind off suggested in the pattern and I like it! Stretchy but not too. The only trouble I had (aside from finding time to knit!) was coming out of the first heel and getting the stitch count right. This is the first pattern I've worked where the stitch count changed and it did confuse me at first. It finally clicked and I got it on the third try and the second heel was a piece of cake! I do love the Smooshy yarn and am glad I have more!

Continued

This is the batch of stash contributed to by my friends (Thanks, Gals!). I also got more Addi Turbo needles - for those times when I have Start-itis. In the back row: Lana Grossa Meilinweit cotton stretch. I love this stuff! It works up nice and feels good on the feet. In the front row - more "Smooshy" yarn. All purchased at my LYS, Hill Country Weavers.
Smooshy yarn in In Vino Veritas colorway - to the heel of the first Lace Wing sock.
This bag I found at my local Hobby Lobby for $6.99 - very kewl tewl! It's amazing what I can get in there! Pockets everywhere! I was tempted to get another, but one has got to be enough or else I'd never find my tools. They need to be together.
There are six outer pockets on each side and two large pockets on each side. Plus, two more pockets on the inside - with velcro closures. I am, at the moment, considering covering the velcro - I want to put a sock-in-progress in each pocket, but mr. velcro snags. I have paper behind the socks for now.
Other than the velcro snag - this is a great bag!

So, now that I have the day to myself, and I've caught up on blogging, I am going to KNIT!