Finally caught SSS

Until this sock (the one on the bottom), Second Sock Syndrome was something that happened to other people. I started a pair out of Red Heart Heart & Sole in Spring Stripe last summer, and it has been neglected ever since. The experimental rectangular garter toe and garter heel flap were OK but not great. The yarn is on the fine side of fingering and seemed to take forever to knit; fine yarn doesn't usually faze me, but this one did because the colors did. It's done but for the binding off, but I don't like it and don't want to knit another one.

Along came the Knitting Olympics, and my personal challenge is to complete four WIPs (works in progress), including this pair of socks.

While playing with my sock yarn stash, I ran across a solid purple yarn (African Violet, Knit Picks Essential). Purple appeals much less to me now than it used to, and this pair of skeins was headed for the dye pot. Some blogger (Redshirt Knitting, maybe?) recently blogged about knitting heavier socks using two strands of sock yarn, so the purple and unloved stripes joined forces on my size 3s. I'm liking the result and they're going fairly quickly. The broken stripes, unifying purple, and faux fair isle appeal to me. About half a foot (my foot, not the Imperial unit) is already done.

It was a good party.

A spinning bud of mine had a micro booth at the Sock Summit, and I was a helper there and, for a shift, at SS registration. Both gave me an excuse to hang out at the biggest sock party in recent memory. It was a good party.


The biggest event for me was helping set the record for most knitters knitting simultaneously. I heard there were 935 or so of us knitting away; I worked on a dishcloth as circular and sock needles were banned. It was great fun, and I met some people from all over.

After all the shopping (see below), volunteering, and most of the booth responsibilities, the Luminary Panel was calming (a couple of hours knitting!) and enjoyable. Hearing peoples memories of Elizabeth Zimmermann (my knitting hero for many years), the backgrounds and anecdotes of nine Super Knitters, and Stephanie and Tina in their several roles (thanks givers, emcees, panel moderators) was worth the ticket.


While managing not to spend my whole August budget on yarn, I did buy some yarn and two knitting tools: a Susan Bates Handi Tool, (combines a crochet hook, US 3 knitting needle, cable needle in one) and a 9-inch US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya bamboo circular needle (you can shop around and find it for less; I paid $6).

The yarn I got, well let's just say that several vendors had bargain bins! I got three balls of Meilenweit for an average of $6.65: Mega Boot Stretch color 710, Fun & Stripes 633, and Multiringel 5050.

Then there was the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth. I found a Socks that Rock Heavyweight Mill End skein of Treehugger.

But my favorite skeins were two from Lollipop Cabin. They're a Merino-free blend of four sturdy wools spun as singles by a local mill and hand-dyed by the proprietress who is Ialiuxh on Ravelry. The first skein (already on the needles!) is shades of black and blue with a few flashes of almost-white), and the second is similar to the STR Treehugger; funny that I didn't notice it until now! This yarn reminds me of the Kumo'Socki I bought in Klamath Falls in 2006; both pair are going strong.

Later, gators!

Holiday Knitting: Done at Last!

Louise's Christmas present, this pair of (size 11!) socks, is complete, presented, and modeled for the blog. Knit from Lion Brand Sock-Ease in the Taffy colorway on size 0 US/2mm DPNs, the pattern is the Yarn Harlot's basic recipe with two additions: an extra long heel flap to accommodate Louise's high arches and 2x2 ribbing everywhere except the sole for good fit. The heel flaps are about 3/4 inches taller than my usual square flap, making the gussets extra deep.

Here they are in her clogs. Her pants aren't high-water; she's holding the legs up so you can see the socks. LOL

Mattie was very interested in the new socks; she loves wool, especially if there's a squeaker inside. I admit to making her some wool squeaker toys out of failed felting projects and from heavy wool fabric. They're guaranteed to please!

Speaking of Mattie, she and I have a game we play in which she earns treats by begging, "talking", barking, and rolling over. Yesterday I got her to roll over a total of 13 times, 4 per treat and one extra. Once she figured out there wasn't a treat in my hand, she wouldn't do any more. She's not stupid!

Yarny and White Christmas

See the blue recycle and tan yard debris cans? They're about 3.75 feet high. Here in Portland, we had a record amount of snow lately; as reported here:

The National Weather Service says the winter wallop that dealt the Portland area nearly 19 inches of snow in the last two weeks has by one measurement made December the snowiest month since January 1950 in a city more noted for winter rain. Based on the snowfall at Portland International Airport, meteorologist Charles Dalton said, the winter weather also gave the city its snowiest Christmas at least since 1940, when the agency began recording precipitation levels there.

The mythic desirable white Christmas was ours. Many Portlanders postponed gatherings to the weekend when major streets were clearer and safer. My brother's 4WD with studded snow tires got us to our family's gathering on the day itself. Here's what Powell Blvd looked like after repeated plowing and sanding. Sidewalks were often buried and pedestrians walked in the streets.


Here's a picture of my grandnephews and grandniece wearing the slipper-socks I knit for them from superwash wool. They were more interested in their new toys, but I'm hoping the slippers will be used and appreciated.


I don't get to see the kids often, so grandniece and I took the opportunity to do some finger knitting. That's grandpa, who was wearing the socks I made for him, napping on the sofa next to us.


My sister, who wore her felted clogs, gifted me with some Patons Kroy Sock Yarn and a gift certificate; I'd mentioned buying some sock yarn at Jo-Ann last week and she'd sounded unenthused at the time, but I understand why now. LOL The color she picked for me was the color I'd have picked if I'd bought one more pair of skeins, so it worked out perfectly.

Socks, socks, socks, and slippers

These are my 9th pair of socks, knit with Stahl sche Wolle Socka Color yarn purchased about 20 years ago for gloves never knitted. I used Wendy's toe-up, short-row heel pattern. They're excellent with blue or black jeans and my Birkenstocks. These next two pair are now in the possession of my sister and BIL. Knit from the purple & gray Opal Batik previously blogged, they came out well and please their new owners. They look a little sick against the gold-ish carpet. This is a better representation. Lurking behind socks numbered 10 and 11 are these felted clogs knitted for my sister. She and the green fuzzy feet never got along well but she wouldn't give them back so I could wear them! The solution was a trade: new slip-ons with non-slip soles for the fuzzy feet. We're both happy. They already have a crumb on them! The suede sole didn't require any "special" tools. I used a hammer, nail, ruler, and block of wood to punch holes at half-inch intervals around both soles "pinned" together with binder clips. Both just barely fit on one rectangle of Tandy Suede Trim Piece #4040 purchased at Joann because we have small feet (5.5 US). The difficult part was getting them sewn onto the clogs; the threaded metal tapestry needle got stuck in the felted fabric; I ended up using pliers with taped jaws to pull the needle through. Here you can see the stitching. The pattern is Fiber Trends Felt Clogs (AC-33), an oldie-but-goodie I hadn't tried before. It's a keeper!

OFF Goodies, Socks, & Mystic Earth Scarf

Oh, my! That's a lot to blog about. Louise and I went to the Oregon Flock & Fiber festival Saturday; the weather was prime with the breeze augmented by thousands of spinning wheels in use. Well, maybe not thousands, but a lot. LOL I've been dithering about buying hand cards and finally bought these Ashford Wool Cards:


And Superior Fibers was selling Alpaca blend "craft batts" for only $1.50 an ounce, so I got this 7.5 ounce pastel colors wonder. It's very soft!


This blue Colonial Wool from Fantasy Fibers came home with me, too.


Altogether very satisfying S.E.X. (Stash Enhancement eXercise)!

As far as actually using some of the stash goes, I've been knitting "fraternal" socks for my sister and brother-in-law. Her's were easy as our feet are pretty close in size; his not so much. I got his shoe size and looked up size to inches charts. I also decided to do 2x2 ribbing to ensure a good fit around. Here are the 1.75 pair:

The yarn is Opal Batik previously mentioned here. Last night I started a Mystic Earth Lace Scarf (a subset of the Stole); it's a KAL with 4 clues in 4 weeks. Here's the bottom border with the body stitches picked up. Those vintage plastic needles are very light and contrast well with the yarn.

I'm using Knit Pics Bare 70% Merino, 30% Silk fingering weight. I'm hoping 440 yards will be enough! The scarf is 1/3 the width of the stole, and the stole takes under 1100 yards, so I have 73 yards' leeway. It will be difficult knitting with my fingers crossed!

SAM3, Antibiotics, and Blackberries

Assorted odd (or normal, depending on perspective) things are happening around here!

1) I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the second time, noting 8 instances of "sock," 5 instances of "sweater," and 2 instances of "underpants." Still no instances of knitting, though. Why underpants? They're just funny.

2) My brother's elderly cat, variously named Kitty, Barebutt, and "the skinny one," joined my household and it was not uneventful. He likes to pat your face if you aren't paying the right kind of attention to him. After he patted my gums because I was talking to him at the time, I started keeping my mouth closed. A couple days later, I had an infected gum and got antibiotics. Neither my dentist nor the nurse practitioner at my HMO had ever seen anything like it and had to do some research to choose the antibiotic. I'm OK now, but Kitty got his. He tangled with a neighbor cat and got an abscess of his own! So he's got a shaved spot and his own round of antibiotics to finish. Payback's a female dog!

3) I had a garage sale last weekend; it was very last minute and not the biggest sale, but some stuff I didn't need any more found new homes and I got some yarn money. Not a bad trade.

4) I finished my SAM3 July socks, shown here with Kitty who is a good knitting buddy because he doesn't mess with the yarn or needles.



The yarn is Regia Mini Ringel knit on US Zeros. They're a little bright but come winter they'll be great with my Birkenstocks. They're the eighth pair of socks I've knit since my first pair last August. I liked knitting the Regia, and the color repeats were very accurate.

5) Yesterday I spent some time with a new friend teaching her to purl and reviewing cast on and knitting while starting a simple roll-brim hat. We sipped our drinks, knitted, and talked on the shaded sidewalk outside our local coffee shop. We even managed to pick up another new friend in the process! We're already thinking about having regular meets.

6) I gave up this year's battle with the blackberries a few weeks ago, and now they're ripening! As I pick, I'll be cutting canes out, too. Mmmm, cobbler!

DH: It's a Knitting Free Zone

It's time for a quick update! I got my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Friday night about 12:30 and started reading at 1:07 AM. I didn't read straight through, though, napping for about 4 hours and pausing for necessary reasons and a phone call. 5:30 PM Saturday was when I was done. Being first in my little "crowd" to finish, I couldn't talk to anyone about it! So today I've been browsing in the Harry Potter Lexicon forums. It's satisfying to discover other people with similar observations, reactions, and questions, and it's interesting to find new ones to think about.

The only detail I'm going to reveal is that there is no knitting in the last Harry Potter book. While sweaters and socks are mentioned (just once each, I think), the book is a KFZ. Edit: Socks (though not the knitting of) are mentioned more than once; I've noted six or seven references so far as I've begun re-reading DH. BTW, socks are not critical to the story and easy to miss, though I love the way such ordinary objects crop up throughout the series.

My house, on the other hand, has knitting. I've started clue 4 of Mystery Stole 3. This section, twice as long as previous ones, is very repetitive, and it's going to be hard to find my place when Jumper (as he definitely will) knocks my chart off the piano bench. I think I'll have to use sticky notes or markers or something. Maybe I'll check off the bead rows. That will work; they're frequent enough but not too frequent. End example of Michal thinking "out loud."

I did knit on my sock while standing in line Thursday to get a wristband (which we were not required to wear!) for Friday night's Harry Potter book sale. The knitting muggles nearby were amazed at my ability to knit without looking and to change colors so seamlessly! So we talked about self-striping yarn and knitting for charity between HP topics, of course!

cat got your sock

Settled

I'd mentioned getting summoned for jury duty; it started and ended today. Late last night the parties settled, so the 120 or so potential jurors (including me) who showed up this morning get a 2-year exemption from serving! It almost took longer to get through security than to find out the trial was off! Look what "needles" got through security:


That's 62 stitches of mystery yarn (that I wouldn't grieve over if it got confiscated) in an off-the cuff YO, K2tog lace pattern possibly to become a net bag. Now that jury duty is done, I'll move it to regular needles. The pencils are 6.6 mm in diameter, so a 10.5 US will be fine. I painted 4 coats of clear nail polish on the tips.

This is what I'd wished I could take to the courthouse:


My 8th pair of socks being knit on glorified toothpicks! Last week I was inspired by the combination of high temperatures...


... (76 inside and 107 in the shade outside my front door) and doing errands to make a woolly sock for my water bottle. I like the wide-mouth bottles because I can put normal ice cubes in them. I grabbed an orphan ball of fingering yarn and knitted away until it was the right size. Like a sock but without a heel:


Then I knit I-cord (on my Magicord Machine!) until I ran out of yarn and grafted the ends together. Fortunately, it was long enough to make a sling-able strap. Here are the parts. I'm not sewing them together since I'm using it around the house as well as out and about. I put a bit of ribbing in for snug fit. It was really technical: at the start of each of the 4 needles, I P2, K2, P2, K to the end of the needle. The "toe" increases were done similarly: KFB the first stitch, K to end of needle.


My Mystery Stole 3 is stuck half way through clue 2. That bit of blue yarn is to remind me to add a missing bead.

In other fiberly news, I made a dozen covered hangers for an upcoming birthday. I used puffy Homespun-style yarn and crocheted with a big hook. They just need the ends woven in. They're popular with their recipient because clothes don't slide off the hangers. And of course the sun
has gone down while I'm blogging, so you get a flash picture!


And don't give me any grief for crochet and acrylic! Every technique and every fiber has its proper niche.

Ta ta for now!

It's Been Hot

Hot for Portland, anyway. I've been knitting on my Mystery Stole 3 and finished clue #1. Here it is quickly pinned out:


You can see my three pearl cotton lifelines, but the beads barely show. That might have something to do with them being clear! I got my lace knitting workstation settled to my satisfaction on the piano bench (made by my grandmother's uncle around 1898, no less) situated in front of the couch.


I was going to make a cone spinner like this one, but couldn't find a paper towel holder at the thrift store. They did have a lazy susan that, turned upside down, works well and required no remodeling. Someday I might paint the underside, but for now it's OK.

Just in the nick of time, I finished my June Sock a Month socks, my 7th pair. They started out as Horcrux socks, but the yarn was too busy for a pattern. They're Koolaid dyed KnitPicks Bare fingering knit on US 1 DPNs.


I need to start my July socks soon, or I'll be in the same last-minute rush I was in on June 29! They'll be plain with fun yarn again to provide easy knitting in contrast to the stole.

In related sock news, my first pair of socks felted a little in the washer (now I handwash ALL my handknit socks), and it makes a great insulating sock for my water bottle. The heel looks a little odd, but if it keeps the water cool longer, I'm not bothered. Cool water water is simply wonderful in the summer! VBG

Yesterday I went over to Ruthie's Weaving Studio. She's been posting ads about spinning classes on craigslist. She's got a big space (complete with stars hanging from the ceiling courtesy of the square dance club that used to be there) for her and members' looms, plus equipment for getting warps and other weaverly things ready for weaving (I don't know the lingo, obviously). The first Saturday of the month she offers spinning classes. She had some good suggestions for me regarding some overspun yarn that I want to tweak into usable form.

Now off for some errands (including a nearby yard sale with "knitting things"). Later, 'gators.

Simultaneous Knitting and Scrolling

Late last night I was playing with a friend's camera and took this picture of my frogged Horcrux sock sitting in a heap of recent fibery goodness.


I got it past the heel twice but didn't like it (not the pattern's fault!), so ribit ribit. At least now it will be started during the Summer of Socks. The other night I swatched for Mystery Stole 3 on size 5 US needles in both the green and the blue. I'm teetering between size 4 and 5 and the green yarn. We'll see what happens with clue 1 comes out Friday.

This camera is 12 or so years newer than mine and actually took pictures of the Black Hole Under My Desk without the flash. A Very Good Thing because the dust bunnies don't show up! Here's its frequent resident, Mr. Kitty, looking sweet and keeping my toes company on a big pillow.


Over to the right is this:


A serial trackball with BIG buttons that I got at Goodwill for $1.99 recently. The ball is on the shelf since I discovered that it's hard to control it with sock-covered toes. HOWEVER, it is extremely useful for scrolling down while reading blogs! I park the cursor over the down-arrow in the scroll bar, pick up my knitting, and read and scroll away! My system seems not to mind at all having two pointing devices operating at the same time. Definitely a simple, thrifty, reuse idea that increases knitting time. The only downside is now there's another cable snaking around. Just wait till I give up my socks and get practiced surfing with my toes!

Grassy Gras Jaywalkers Finally Done!

My grassy Gras Jaywalker Socks are finally done. After being started multiple times and then being interrupted by another knitting (sort of secret, maybe) project, I finished them the other night. The Austermann Step Gras colorway blends right into what passes for lawn at my house. I do let my clippings mulch directly despite not having a true mulching mower.

Here they are almost invisible, pretending to be a sock-monkey-mouth moth.

Here they are without the blockers. Look how well the stripes match up! It was 100% accidental.
And here's something else hiding in the grass.

I can always tell when she rolls in the grass because the cut dry bits cling to her fur!

Cooking Wool and Drink Mix

Yesterday I got the urge to dye yarn for socks. Not that I don't have some colorful ready-to-knit sock yarn already.

A few months ago I bought a generous number of blue KoolAid packets on clearance for about a nickle a pop. So each of the five dye pots started with two packs. Then I added a yellow, tan, green, light green, and another blue. Draped the damp yarn in the jars and slid the whole thing into the microwave (thank goodness for removeable turntables!). Here are views of the five loaded jars.

That brown one looked olive green in person, and I was surprised that they dye came out cocoa brown. It was a good surprise.


Here's the resulting colorful wool cake, snapped in overcast conditions on my "antique" milk box.

The colors are more intense and greener in person. This scan is more accurate, but not perfect, as the yarn is much more blue and green than it appears in either picture.


The second Gras Jaywalker is about half done; I knit about half the heel flap last night. By pure chance, the color segments on the two socks are identical so far. Maybe the second heel will have a sock money mouth, too!

ADDED LATER: Here are the five color "recipes" I used:

Brown: 4 ice blue + 2 tamarindo

Blue 2?: 3 ice blue + 1 lemonade

Blue 1: 3 ice blue

Green 1: 2 ice blue + 1 lime

Green 2: 2 ice blue + 1 arctic green

I suspect a "secret" to easy color creation is to start with a base color and tweak for more colors. Here, my base is 2 ice blue packs. One combination I tried and rejected was ice blue + black cherry, but the red overpowered the blue and I didn't want a christmassy effect.

You're Not Alone

..in being confused about knitting lingo, JD! Here's a glossary for you.

On the sock front, I finished the first Gras Jaywalker and started the second last night during Lost commercials. The heel did a bit of the sock monkey thing, but that's OK. I'm NOT frogging! LOL


At last, my first book review! I can't imagine why I've put it off so long, since I enjoy recommending books to friends and complete strangers (just try looking at the new book shelf at the library when I'm standing there and a good book I've read is on the shelf!). Yesterday I finished Kate Wilhelm's Sleight of Hand. An Oregon author, Kate's science fiction caught my attention long ago and I've also enjoyed her mysteries. This story is one featuring Barbara Holloway, a fictional lawyer living in real Eugene Oregon. Nearly a third of the book takes place during a murder trial in which she represents the (innocent, of course, and likeable) defendant. Barbara's father is also a lawyer (semi-retired) and has two cats named Thing One and Thing Two in honor of their wildly destructive natures as kittens. There's a wannabe-boyfriend-with-son (Barbara's, not her Dad's!), a hateful victim, a loveable victim, twists, dilemmas, and suspense. All that and a wonderful writing style! I recommend it.

Cat Scan

I'm still knitting away on my Gras Jaywalker socks, but I'm starting to get reluctant to start the second sock. It probably has something to do with knitting the equivalent 3+ socks and frogging them before the most recent version worked out. SSS had to hit sometime, though I'd have hoped it would be much later in my sock knitting "career." So I'm looking around for a couple of size 1 circular needles to try the 2 socks on 2 circs technique. My needle stash has plenty of needles suitable for worsted weight yarns, but very few smaller than US 6.

Yesterday on the way home from the dentist (got a replacement filling), I stopped at a couple of LYSs and bought sock yarn to comfort my numb face:

I've been wanting to try a cotton/wool blend sock yarn, so the Sockotta is a good find. I'm not sure I want solid blue, though, so I might hank it up and dye one end. Or not. The Ringel colorway makes me happy just looking at the ball. I wonder if the cotton blend would make good heels and toes for the striped wool?

While scanning the yarn (it's dark gray skies here today--and currently hailing!--, so the scan is as good as or better than a "real" pic), Pepper buzzed my desk for treats. Here's her scan:

There used to be a web site that collected cat scans like this one, but it's gone. Oh, and Pepper doesn't really have three front paws; she moved during the scan!

Brag in Haste, Repent....

... in leisure! Louise and I visited a couple of LYSs Friday, and I dragged my Jaywalker into the second one and showed it off to the shop owner since it was finally shaping up pretty good. Right width for my ankles, etc. She had nice things to say about the yarn. That should have been a clue! By Sunday I had got 3/4 through the heel and tried it on. Too baggy! So I googled "jaywalker modifications" and looked at some pictures. Discovered I'd been doing the double decrease wrong (though consistently) and doing the ripple shaping every row instead of every other row. No wonder it had no stretch! No wonder the LYS owner said nice things about the yarn instead of the sock! Last night I ripped back sock version 6 and knit version 7 on size 2 needles (too loose), frogged, and started version 8 on size 1 metal needles. Predictions regarding this version are not being made in case I jinx it.


The shop owner is right about the yarn being nice: it is thriving despite being knit up 8 times. So far.

Koolaid Socks Done and Gras Socks Started

Socks in Birkenstocks on what passes for lawn at my house. My fifth pair, the are the same size, just being comfortable having forgotton to pull them up before taking the picture. I was distracted by Pepper who supervised the photo process:


Yarn and pattern info here, but I changed it again, taking out the picot hem and putting a row of purl followed by some K2 P1 ribbing with a sewn bindoff. I do like the way the heel fits and looks like a traditional flap heal, albeit knit upside down. This was my first attempt at a sock self portrait. Fortunately, no one asked me why I was standing on my head (figuratively) taking pictures of my feet in the front yard. My choice of location was easy: the extension cord for the lawn mower was there so I didn't have to find batteries for the camera!

The next socks on my needles are Jaywalkers knit with Austermann Step in Gras. I'm thinking about taking their pics on the grass too, just to see if they are really grass colored! Here's a quick and dirty scan. I've knit the ripple section 5 times so far, and I think this version is the keeper. I added 2 stitches to each segment of the ripple and am using a larger needle. Most of the time I knit the pattern right (two of the froggings were for goofing up the pattern!). The most common mistake I make is forgetting to pass the 2 slipped stitches over, but when I get there again, the stitches are twisted and it feels wrong, so I pass them before slipping this row's stitches. Seems to be working out OK.


Ta ta for now!