I did it! FO Friday!

Pattern: Flatiron Clog Socks from Designedly, Kristi
Yarn: 3 skeins KPPPM, it’s been too long, I no longer know what colorway it is, sorry - vast majority of skein 3 remains
Needles: Sock 1 was done on Swallow Caesin US Sz 0, Sock 2 was done on Wright’s Aluminum US Sz 0

Notes: Once blocked the size discrepancy wasn’t nearly as much as I had feared, though sock number 2 was definitely tighter and much more to my liking actually. That said, I won’t be ripping sock 1 and redoing it. It’ll be fine and it will give me a sock I can wear when our friends cats decide to hunt one of my feet and it swells up again.

As for the needles, I will not bother with the Swalloe DPNs again for socks. They are even less sturdy it seems than the birch DPNs. For US 1 and smaller I’ll be sticking to metal from here on out!

I won’t mention how long this took me to complete this pair! The important part is it is done, done, done and I have one more pair of hand knit socks to add to my sock drawer!

Some additional views…

Then, since it’s Friday and I’m totally ready for some sillyness, I have an Avatar as per Jenla’s meme…

Okay, so it isn’t so much ugly as they were looking for, but it is utterly ridiculous - a mini skirt and strapless top in snow and ice? Sure, there is a stocking cap and scarf, but look at all that skin exposed to the elements??? How about that horse and the corgi in a rain coat?? Silliness, pure and simple!

Have a great weekend everone!

I’m sticking to it!

Despite the reciept of a gift certificate to Woolen Treasures yesterday, I didn’t buy any fibery goodness as I *knew* that would lead to my not following through with the intentions stated yesterday. I knew once I had new yarn in my hands I would be compelled to cast on something new and I am going to stitck to making the mates to my orphan socks and mitten! For, it is Mating Month! (*snicker*)

I crawled on the leg of this sock for a very long time. In fact, I’m pretty sure I cast on for sock number 2 right away so that was back in July if I recall correctly. But, over Christmas holidays I got an inch or two done, then was able to finish the heel flap on New Year’s day and the gusset at SnB on Monday night and I’m about 1/2 long the instep and will hopefully be closing in on the toe perhaps by this evening???

I only got to knit about four rounds yesterday. So, really most of that foot was knit on Monday between SnB and socializing afterwards with people visiting from Portland and Illinois. I kind of overdid it. That seems to be a common problem for me with this pattern. I’m not sure if it is the US0 needles or the stitch pattern or just the combination of both. I’m getting a tighter gauge on this second one too, LOL! I think it’s because these were the socks that killed my Swallow Caesin needles - of the 5 in the package, I have 2 that are not broke. So, I’m on metal ones now from Wright that I picked up at one of the Hobby Lobby 1/2 off sales so that I could buy two packs so I would have 5 needles to use (they are sold in sets of 4). But, the sock will probably fit better than #1 as this ribbing is *very* stretchy and I like my socks somewhat snug.

This evening DH starts with his writing group. They will be meeting the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. So, I think tonight I will be heading over to knit at Textiles a Mano. I’ve been home alone soooo much lately because my back/neck have been acting up and while I’m still not feeling stellar in that department, I know socializing often helps somewhat just because it lifts my mood a bit so instead of staying home all by myself I might as well get out of the house since there is something going on that I would enjoy doing. So, I will likely be going the 1st and 3rd Monday evenings for sure.

Make Believe Thursday!

Today I decided to play like I was a photo stylist…

I dusted off DH’s tripod and headed out in the heat of the day to take some special photos of Flatiron in anticipation of it’s upcoming release. I got a lot of really good shots. Some didn’t fit this particular sock, but I shall have to remember them for future socks. Some were a little too dark to really show off the sock properly and I wouldn’t want Jessica to give me demerits for dark photos. But, again some of those locations would work if I had an assistant with me to use a reflector, or perhaps even at just another time of day.

I did end up with two passable shots for inclusion in the pattern . . .

This one is the main shot for the first page of the pattern.

This one is sort of a filler photo. It’s not lit properly enough to serve as the main photo, but I endangered myself by crawling around on rocks all by myself (sans cell phone even, I know I deserve demerits for unsmart photo practices) while racing the self-timer on my camera and it shows off how the pattern extends down the back of the heel.

I even finished the bonus sock wrapper that will come with the pattern (as all my sock patterns do). So, those of you who have not been to Boulder, Colorado and seen the Flatirons in person, you now know the inspiration of the sock. The photo comes from FreeStockPhotos.com as everytime I’ve been to Boulder lately it’s been raining or cloudy and I haven’t been able to get a good photo myself.

And, lastly, to show that I haven’t procrastinated to the point of not having my homework done for class tonight, I present my completed homework…

That’s small samples of singles in 10, 8, 15, 18, and 24 WPI. We were asked to do one less than 10 wpi, one about 15 wpi and one over 20 wpi. I didn’t quite hit the marks quite right so I have a few intermediate ones too.

My ultimate plan when I don’t have quite so many irons in the fire (I have a huge commissioned book to paint and bind QUICKLY in addition to release Flatiron and teaching my classes and taking the class etc.) is to spin enough singles of many different WPI that I can have one card with singles, 2-ply and 3-ply (Navajo) on it. Then, I can keep the cards on a loose leaf ring and use the collection to make decisions for future projects. I know that not all wools at a specific WPI will have the same properties etc. But, it can get me in the ballpark to start the swatching from etc. Of course it is probably quite a ways in my future before I’m actually spinning for a specific project rather than spinning and then designing the project based on the resulting yarn. But, one needs goals, right?

What I did learn from this exercise is that the lower the WPI, the less consistent my singles are :-P I also learned that a good share of my problems at class last week was probably performance anxiety. I’ve never been a good test taker or done well when under pressure.

WIP Monday!

Any guess what this is? That’s a pair of sunglasses for scale…

It’s the Lucy Bag that I bought the pattern and yarn for at Uniquely Knit in New London, MN while I was visiting family. I love the heathery nature of the Cascade 220 Color 9454. It has such depth and range of colors in it. I can’t wait to see the felted result of it!

Yum!

I have completed the first skein of 220 and am at row 71 of 100 or 120. I haven’t decided yet if I want to do the “tall ball” version or just the regular large. At the show I saw a completed one, but it was knit out of Lopi instead so I’m unsure about its size in comparison to the use of the recommended yarns like Cascade. I’ll make the decision once I get to row 100. I have 4 skeins of yarn so I have more than enough if I want to do the large version.

I started this on Friday night. On Saturday we drove to Colorado Springs and back for a nephew’s 17th birthday party (which he hardly attended and was silent even when he was present) so that allowed for quite a bit of knitting. Though it was dark and I was exhausted on the drive home so I only knit on the way down.

I used my Sophie bag this weekend. I’m not fond of how it hangs when I have my things in it. I think I’ll be adding some sort of fastening system to it so it hangs nicer instead of gapping open all the time. I’m undecided if I want to add a button closure or maybe just a magnetic snap??? I’ll probably give it a few more days thought. I’m also contemplating some embroidery or needle felted embellishment, but I’ve not completely decided on that yet.

I’ll be working on a Sister Squatty once Lucy is done. My sister wants a squatty in a turquoise color. So, I picked up some Manos del Uraguay Color D to use for hers. She wants a couple modifications to it. But I’ll do that up here soon so it’s all ready for her Halloween birthday. She also mentions something about slippers, but when pressed for what color she’d like she said she was just kidding. So, I’m thinking I might make her some Fuzzy Feet for Christmas. It’s early enough I should be totally stressing myself out with pressure knitting and it would nice to return to the mostly handmade gift giving.

I’ve been all about the large needles and fulling/felting lately. I think that I’m sick of the Flatiron socks because it took me so long on the first one (and even on settling on a stitch pattern). But I think I’m also not picking up the tiny sock needles because my fall last week had me pinching a nerve that made my left arm semi-tingly and that was exacerbated while knitting on the trip home. So I’ve not picked the sock up since I got home! That’s pretty unusual for me…

There it is - all 3 or 4 inches of the cuff. *sigh* There is still quite a ways to go on that bugger. Perhaps part of my lack of progress is the fact that I don’t EVER wear socks in the summer. It’s quite likely that socks won’t see the light of day until early October. And, while I enjoy the process, it’s the wearing and showing off that pushes me forward to the finish line. So, perhaps the fact that I could finish these socks and they could languish in my sock drawer for a good 6 weeks or longer is also part of my lack of progress.

Flatiron Pics - Finally!

Towards the end of my visit in MN I completed the first Flatiron Clog sock. I have about 4 inches or so of sock number two and I’m itching to get to work on another sock design that has been brewing in my head and to use some of the yarn I bought in MN, LOL!

The flatiron sock is a clog sock, with the exaggerated rib pattern being carried down into the heel.

I didn’t get a ton of knitting done while visiting partially because I was helping mom get the hang of *good* circular needles (Addi Turbos), the long-tail cast-on and the Feather and Fan stitch pattern. By the time I left she had about 4-4.5 inches worth of 220 st feather & fan for a baby blanket. I didn’t have to fix things for her too often. But, I sure wish I knew of a knitting group that gathered on a semi-regular basis in the Willmar area so that should could get someone to help her out when something happens.

The other distraction from knitting were Summit and Peri…

The photo is horribly overexposed, but the black one in the front is a bit older and is named Summit. It is all black except for tiny white tipping at the end of her tail. The back one was fresh from the nest. I dubbed it Peri because it would lay in my lap and then suddenly raise its head really high and twist it’s head to get a look around the living room - just like a periscope. I don’t know if my sister will keep it named that though. But, I thought it was a good name.

I went to the chiropractor yesterday and was told I got whiplash from the fall on Friday night :-( But, I picked up The Miracle Ball Method Kit on her recommendation last night and I still went to water aerobics this morning. I did a little of the miracle ball work last night and it felt good. My muscles seemed relaxed and stretched. This morning, after a bit water aerobics actually felt really good, though now that I’ve been done for 30 minutes or so I’m about back to pain levels of pre-aerobics. But, I haven’t eaten yet which means I haven’t taken the meds yet.

So, the next week or two will likely be pretty slow and careful going in everything that I do. I’ll also have to really watch how long I spin in one sitting and the knitting too :-( Too bad I can’t totally isolate my upper left quadrant…