Samhain Yarnblob

Samhain Yarnblob: a tiny colorful ghost flying towards unsuspecting victims (note the mouth near the bottom of the photo)...

I'm a little late posting this, but I was frightened...

F.O.: Blue-Green Stripey Socks

Texas summer or not, I've still been knitting socks:

I used size US00 circular needles, with Online Supersocke 100 Emotion II - Color yarn in colorway 1219. I made them for a close friend of my middle child; it took rather longer than normal because I had to stop and knit several hats and mittens for cosplay outfits.

FO: More Stripey Socks

I actually knitted these quite some time ago, but never wove in the ends; now, at last, they're done:

These were made with Mini Mochi from Crystal Palace Yarns, colorway 107, Autumn Rainbow, probably using US0 circular needles.  The color looks odd because of the lighting in the room.

FO: More Lembas Bread Stripey Socks

Okay, so I like stripey socks. More specifically, I like knitting socks because it's a project that travels well and doesn't really require sewing. What's not to like?

FO: More Lembas Bread Stripey Socks

Unlike other recent socks, these actually were intended for my Hubby:

FO: Stripey Socks

These were intended for me, but since I knitted them standing and without all my "equipment" (e.g. a gauge checker) they ended up a bit large. Rather than rip them out, I gave them to my Hubby, shown here modeling:

WIP: Socks on the Go

I have a family member in the hospital (she's doing fine), and while visiting her there I all but finished one pair of socks and started another. This is the pair I started there:

Unfortunately, I have to re-do the first sock because it's a bit too large; I spose that's what happens when you approximate gauge in a waiting room and then knit standing up with the yarn in your pocket. Fortunately, I'm a patient knitter when it comes to socks, and I'm making the second sock (shown in the photo on the needles) about 4 stitches smaller. Once I get that one done and make sure it's the right size, I'll just unwind the first one and re-do it.

For those wondering, the yarn is OnLine Supersocke Relax-Color #1106 on circular size US2 needles, with appropriate Anti-Yarnblob Devices deployed.

Brief Update

I haven't posted much lately because I'm working a lot of overtime. Despite that, I have finished a pair of baby booties to go with the pink and white blanket (that I forgot to take pics of after it was complete) and am one cuff away from another pair of adult socks being finished; I'll post pics of both soon. And not to worry, I also bought more sock yarns recently so I'm not likely to run out anytime soon, heh.

On the painting side, my hubby bought me a new paint set (the complete set of Reaper Master paints), and I'd tried to repaint that same darn gnome figure but I'm gonna have to scrub her down and start over yet again. Sigh.

FO: Stripey Socks

Well my plan to ship off the surprise socks to the original intended recipient rather changed when I gave them to a co-worker who's going through some difficult times:

So while trying to decide what to make for the original intended recipient, I made these for myself:

They're made from Berroco Sox color 1474 using my basic toe-up pattern that doesn't require require me to carry the pattern around. Meanwhile, I've chosen the yarn for the original intended recipient, so that's next.

On a side note, I've had to start binding off socks with needles double the circumference of the needles I use to knit the socks because I tend to pull the stitches tight when I'm binding off. For this project, I used these to bind off the cuffs:

Cheerful little guys, aren't they?

Scurvy Yarn Project: Black Cabled Socks

My LYS had a sock yarn sale some time back which I took full advantage of. I purchased, among other things, several shades of tweed sock yarns by Lana Grossa, which I really like. I need black socks, so I decided to start there. I also decided, thanks to some apparent need for punishment, to incorporate some cabling into these socks. Oh, and to make the torment really medieval, I also decided to do them via the two-at-a-time method.

Yeah. Go ahead. Laugh it up.

I didn't take any pics of the first two attempts (both of which I ripped out) because the socks looked too much like a tiny bikini top. This, however, was taken as I was rewinding the yarn after the second or third failed attempt:

At least I found some small amusement; the spool edges stayed put while I was re-winding the cake

It's in a scale because after cutting off the parts that were so bad I couldn't untangle them, I needed to make sure I still had enough for the torture socks.

Here is the yarn after I'd finished, all packed up in Anti-Yarnblob Devices and ready for yet another attempt:

Anti-Yarnblob Devices provide no defense against Scurvy Yarn Projects

Here are the socks, knitted two at a time, with cabling on the tops and cuffs, shortly before I realized the cabling pulled them in so tightly I couldn't get them on:

After I ripped that attempt, I realized two things; (1) I don't have the attention span to do socks two-at-a-time (my mind tends to wander while I'm knitting; that's half the reason I do it); and (2) the gauge difference between regular in-the-round knitting and cabled in-the-round knitting is very, very important.

After that, I decided to just knit them one at a time and only do cabling on the cuffs. So far, I've gotten to the point of starting the cuff on the first sock (I knit mine from the toe up), but now I've got to rip out the two rows of cabling and the increase row because I added too many stitches:

Eventually I will get this right and finish these darned socks. No pun intended.

Fashion Doll Socks

This was my big knitting project for the weekend:

And here is the proud fashion doll owner of the new socks (if fashion dolls can be said to have pride (or cold feet, for that matter):

Yes, I realize that satin shorts with wool socks are a fashion faux-pas, but so is that hairdo. What do you want from a fashion doll named Blayne? In any case, here is the pencil shot, for the 1-inch-square-grid-impaired:

And of course, the requisite Mad Knittist Notes:

The pattern wasn't particularly difficult, but I do feel better having actually finished something. You can tell I didn't bother trying to match up the stripes on this variegated yarn. Seemed like a lot of effort for Mr. Satin Shorts. However, this project does bring to light just how important gauge is: these socks were intended for my female doll, whose name is Summer. A mere 2 stitches smaller and they would fit her, but at that scale, I didn't want to undo the stitches, so Blayne got the first pair.

FO - Socks

I finally finished my socks I was working on, and since it's a 150gm ball, I have enough left to make my Hubby a pair of socks too. He likes the yarn as much as I do - it's very soft and comfy.

The presence of the 8-sided die is one of those interesting things that happens when you use the game mat for photography. Someone apparently didn't do much damage to a monster...

WIP Progress: Socks

I finally managed to get one complete sock done for the pair I started in mid-May:

At last, I managed to get it to fit well and bound off loosely enough at the cuff. The yarn itself is really soft and comfy (OnLine SuperSocke Relax-Color in colorway 1101; 75% superwash wool, 25% polyamide). I like the semi-muted colors and now that I've finally stopped screwing this one up, I can make the other and maybe wear them soon. Boo-yah.

WIP Progress: Whole Lotta Froggin' Goin' On

I finished the main part of my best friend's short-fingered gloves about a week ago:

I've been working on them almost daily ever since and yet they look exactly the same as they did a week ago. That's because I keep having to frog out the convertible finger flap. So far, we're up to three attempts. Having discovered the yarn is a bit too dark to try to start this phase away from home, I started a "travel" project. I grabbed one of many skeins of sock yarn in my Yarn Booty and started knitting. So far, I'm up to my third attempt on this project as well, but have now gotten this far:

On my first attempt, I realized the size 00 needles were really too small for the yarn and the thing was going to be more like a cast than a sock. My second undo was when I realized I'd added too many stitches and needed to remove some so I wouldn't end up giving the socks to my Hubby. Now it's good and going along as it should, and I'm about an inch or so further than I'd gotten on my first try.

Finished at Last - Green-Yellow Baby Set

Cocoa Bear looks duly embarrassed at wearing this very frilly hat. Of course, were he a wolf, he could pretend he was waiting for Little Red Riding Hood...

Baby Set Progress

Well I finally made one of the baby booties for the green and yellow baby set (which still looks green and white in the photos):

It's hard to see, but the top of the foot has a bit of the same 4x4 basketweave that's on the blanket edge, but only in one color. Below is a detail of the blanket edging:

I decided not to try the two-color basketweave thing since booties are quite small in the first place. Next, I need to do the other bootie and the hat. I'm thinking since it's pretty much summer I might try something with a lacy look and maybe a floppy sun-blocking brim. Apparently I'm feeling ambitious.

Today's Mad Knittist Notes

Brought to you by yet another about-to-be overdue baby set: I've got 2 ladies having babies, both due in March, and I've not knitted a stitch. Ooops. Meanwhile, I've got a dice bag 75% complete, a scarf about 60% done, and gloves 0% done. Should I set my sights on fewer projects? Heck no! :-D

Hittin' the Easy Button

After a rough day at work, I had to go to the grocery store on my way home (those dern kids insist on eating "every: day - tsk!). Being somewhat exhausted, I picked up dinner pre-cooked in the deli section so we could get everyone fed reasonably early. Easy Button! Right after dinner, I had the kids help with the laundry, the cat box, and a few other things. I say "help" but I really just told them what to do and had them do it. Easy Button! All that done, I decided we needed cookies, but didn't want to roll and ice them. Drop cookies are easy enough, so I made up a batch of chocolate-chocolate chip-mint drop cookies using chips I bought while at the store today:

I used parchment paper on the cookie pans so they just need to cool and be put away, already clean. Easy Button! After baking, I only managed to down one before I was all sugared out - they're very rich. Have I mentioned that I love my stand mixer? My Hubby likes to keep brown sugar in the freezer, so of course it gets lumpy. I just left the mixer on for a few minutes with the butter and sugar, and it got the lumps out. Easy Button!

Meanwhile, after having a cookie or two himself, my Hubby reminded me that I've not posted pics of these socks:

 

 

I made them some time ago, as you can see by the slow felting process that's going on during washing. I made these for myself, but despite my precise and numerous calculations, they ended up big enough for my Hubby. That was before I realized my in-the-round gauge is different than my back-and-forth gauge. Blast ye scurvy purls! These days, I just knit them with a few quick calculations once I've got enough knitted to establish gauge. Easy button!

Now that I've hit the easy button so many times in one evening, I'm too tired to knit. Oh well, off to bed; that's easy too. Probably another rough day at work tomorrow, but that doesn't hit the easy button, so I' not gonna think about that just now.

Mens Worsted Weight Socks - Free Pattern

While shopping at Hobby Lobby recently, I came across a worsted Red Heart yarn in a color called Marrakesh:

It was too vibrant and pretty not to pick up a skein. Naturally, I made socks with it, and naturally, they have already been deployed:

At first I sized these for myself, but it’s really not my color. Despite the bright pink, my Hubby likes the color, so I re-sized them for him. Now I can expect to see them quite frequently around the house, since we tend to wear the worsted-weight socks as slippers. Once I’ve seen them around awhile, I can decide whether I like the color enough to make something bigger, like an afghan. Meanwhile, here’s the pattern.

I wanted to use this color to show how I use the stitch markers for the increase on the arches. I use three: one in the middle of the back, and one at each side of the back, between the original number of stitches and the increased stitches. It starts out a bit odd-looking:

But once you’ve increased a few stitches, it becomes very easy to count how many you’ve increased:

Once I get to the number of stitches I need and begin the heel decrease, I use the middle marker as my counter for the first decrease and turn (which is generally the middle stitch plus 2). Once I’ve done that, all the stitch markers come out, though the middle one can be left in to mark the center of the back row for bind-off purposes.

Now, off to a late lunch with my Hubby, who has chosen to wear the new socks today. Guess I'll take the cabled scarf with me to work on.

Baby Set

I finally finished this rather overdue set (as in, the baby was just born Friday):

For this set, I used two colors of Coats&Clark’s worsted weight Red Heart yarn. The main color is No. 0668 Honeydew (the name always makes me think of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew of the Muppets) and the contrasting color is No. 0318 Watercolor, which is a pretty multi, but used in very large pieces it can look oddly dark. I don’t normally use Red Heart for baby stuff, but it was the only yarn I could easily locate that included the color choices the mom-to-be gave me, and coordinates acceptably with the Winnie-the-Pooh theme she’s chosen for the baby. Once again, I scribbled some basic notes to create the thing, did the knitting and then wrote the pattern, which is available here. Yes, I’m backwards. Much like the backwards sails on the ship in the picture my older sis painted me years ago, I’m not wrong; I’m just backing out of the harbor.

Booties:

This is a variant on my standard generic sock pattern, much scaled down. While I’ve taken to doing most socks using circular needles with the “magic loop” tactic, baby booties are rather small for that and work up very quickly, so I used DPN’s instead. I also diverged from my normal practice of using a provisional cast-on and then the inside-out three needle bind-off. Instead, I started with two DPNs, alternating between the two as I cast on, i.e. stitches 1 & 3 on needle 1, stitches 2 & 4 on needle 2, using the single cast-on method. You can also use a figure 8 cast-on, but it will be a looser start, so if you’re doing the figure 8, you might want to use smaller needles for the cast-on and then change to the regular needles.

Hat:

This is a rolled-brim baby hat. I like rolled brims for baby girls because it gives a softer edge and you can roll it up or down to adjust sizing. Again, due to the small size and quick workup, I used DPN’s for this, but feel free to use circular needles.

Blanket:

I used Vera for this, as I generally do for baby blankets. As much as I’d like to do it all by hand so I don’t have to feel like I’m cheating, I figure it’s probably better to use Vera so the kid isn’t in college by the time I finish the thing. The pattern is the same whether you machine knit or hand-knit, though some mental translation will be necessary since most machines only purl. The downside of using “The Machine” (no yarn withstands The Machine) is that occasionally, things go rather amiss in ways they just don’t when hand-knitting:

Note the loop of excess yarn I’m going to have to tuck in. I’ve already tucked in the really big one. I don’t even know how that happens.

Note the areas where I forgot to rework the border stitches into garter stitch. Vera works only in stockinette, so any other stitch has to be knitted, then reworked by hand. There are three places where I forgot to do this, all on the same side.

I like to think of these glaring boo-boos as my personal insurance against ever being turned into a spider. However, were Athena available for comment, she would probably say something like “K, so, I can appreciate that you’re trying to avoid pretending to be perfect and all that, but… were you even looking at that thing while you worked on it? Do We not provide you with light? ‘Cause… damn.”

P.S. No blog entry about a FO (finished object) would be complete without a pose with my youngest: