The feats and foibles of a fiber fanatic.
3/30/2005
Remember these? Well, to celebrate my completion of the pattern I’m going to hold a contest…
The first person to finish a pair will win two skeins of Lang Jawoll Superwash in any color you choose that is available from TheKnitter.com at the completion of your pair of socks.
Pattern Specs…
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Sizes: 7 (8, 9) in Ankle Circumference
- Yarn Requirements: 2 Skeins Lang Jawoll Superwash (8331) shown, approximately 400 yds of fingering weight sock yarn that knits in St st to a gauge of 9 sts/in will work
I’ve also included a full-color sock wrapper (minus my large logo) that features the same waterfall image I used when I mailed them out for Sockapalooza. After printing, just add your name and care instructions and they are all set to gift to someone!
For full pattern details, see http://designedlykristi.com/shoppingcart/product_info.php?products_id=65
Available for immediate download with PayPal payment for $4.50, additional fees apply for printed versions.
An added bonus, the first 5 people to e-mail me at spearfish(AT)designedlykristi(DOT)com to sign-up for this contest will get the pattern for free!
I have also set up a blog for the contest at http://designedlykristi.typepad.com/spearfishmadness/. You’ll find the official rules there as well. Once you e-mail me to sign up, you’ll be added to the author list there and can post progress reports, ask questions etc.
What are you waiting for?
Here it is for your viewing pleasure… The Camo Sock 
The gals at SnB said it didn’t look that much like Camo, it just uses those colors… I’m not sure DH is buying it. But, I swear he wears those colors a lot, which was the reason I picked up these two balls of Regia Stretch Color last spring.
I have never done a sock without the ribbing all the way down the leg and often times continuing along the instep as well. This one is flying. I’ve made more progress since the above photo and now have only 2 more inches until I’m at the heal flap! I’m stunned! Plus, it is nice to have real easy, non-thinking knitting!
In other sock news, remember almost two weeks ago I met up in Loveland with some of the SnB gals for dinner and perusing Woolen Treasures? Well, I had passed up this Lorna’s Laces Shepard Sock that had nearly jumped out of it’s cube at me while we were there. I put it back, thinking of all the complaining that had been going on at the Socknitter’s list recently about it pooling etc. Well, for the next three nights straight I dreamt about this yarn! I do not recall any of the specifics of the dreams, just waking up knowing that it had played a major role in my dreams. So, last week when I was in Loveland while DH’s car was in the shop I gave into the dreams and bought it. I still don’t have a specific pattern in mind or anything, but I couldn’t resist the color combo…
Now, chances are this will linger in my stash until next Spring. It seems my yarn has to achieve a certain age before I can use it I think part of it is that I get the yarn and then it floats around in the back of my mind until I suddenly have a design for it.
I need many more knitting hours and better back, shoulders and wrists. I have three warmer weather designs floating around in my head. But, I know I’ll never compelte all three before fall and two of the designs I don’t even have the yarn for, LOL!
3/29/2005
While I haven’t had the worst luck in the Secret Pal Exchanges, I think I’ll be sitting out the next round.
Don’t get me wrong, the things I have recieved from my present secret pal and my past secret pal were wonderful, wonderful items and I’ve really enjoyed that part. However, I haven’t enjoyed the other part - the giving. I have enjoyed the hours I’ve slaved over hand made items for both of my recieving secret pals and the contemplating and re-contemplating of the items to include in their packages. That part I have really enjoyed.
Where my complaint comes in is that in both rounds now I have been matched up with people who don’t post to their blogs very regularly and then when they do, they don’t even post more than three words that say in passing, buried in amonst other non-knitting blathering they got a package. No private thank yous, no pics in their blog. It makes me feel like all the time I spend trying to really personalize their packages is not appreciated. And, well, if what they have recieved is not appreciated I can certainly use the $60 (and usually when all is said and done much more than that as I never include the priority mail costs etc. in the total) spent over the course of the three months for my own personal stash enhancement or acquisition of more or better tools.
If any of you out there reading this are in the secrat pal exchanges, please take the time to share your goodies and show your appreciation on your blog, or at least in private e-mail! Frankly, I’m running out of steam for the last package since I’ve had no indication that my recipent has enjoyed her package at all (yes, singular, I combined the first two because she celebrates a birthday in March so I made this package extra special for that). And I was planning something that alone takes up 2/3 of the price amount and would most certainly put this person well over the total price to be spent over the three months. *sigh*
Show Your Secret Pal Appreciation!
3/28/2005
I’m currently having a flare up so knitting on the now heavy Clapotis with cotton/rayon tape yarn is not really agreeing with me, nor was knitting on the Sockotta anklet, as that yarn is very non-giving. So, I read a lot this weekend, including about 100 pp of Maggie Righetti’s Sweater Design in Plain English. I am appreciating this book a lot! It is very stimulating and has me wanting to break the seal on my Cascade Sierra and start swatching. However, I’m trying to be disciplined and wish to read at least the majority of the book before I actually get down to the designing. Mostly so I know what points I’ll want to go back and reference while I’m doing the designing.
Now, I haven’t read a ton of other design books, I have checked them out from the library or borrowed from generous friends, but I haven’t done more than skim them. But, I am amazed at the depth of information in the book so far. She goes into all the different body types and includes special measurements that are required for each to ensure a good fit. She also goes into the general characteristics of certain families of stitch patterns and in some cases problems that might arise when using a particular stitch pattern.
Now there are some “rules” she makes note of that designers do not always follow, and some that I don’t wish to follow myself. At first I was little upset about the emphasis she was making on those points. However, designing sweaters is no different than designing a collage or a hand bound book. There are rules and as long as you know and understand the impact that will result when you don’t follow specific ones you are okay. So, yes, I won’t have a tight ribbing on the bottom of all my sweaters or sleeves, but I will enter into making such sweaters knowing full well that they will elongate in time, especially if they are made in yarns from plant fibers or silk rather than wools (I did, incidently know this before reading this book - mostly from experience with store-bought sweaters).
Other than test driving cars this weekend there was a lot of movie watching because of my flare, so I finally gave up my knitting moratorium for the weekend and cast on a new sock for DH. He is quite excited, though it has turned out to look like a camoflauge sock, which if you know my DH, you now camo is definitely not his style, though the colors in the yarn are colors he wears which was why I picked it out. It’s Regia Stretch and I couldn’t find the color on-line anywhere. I was annoyed though because I couldn’t match up the balls at all. I tried both ends of both balls in both directions in case one was wound backwards or something. But, no luck. But I’m guessing it’ll be okay. I’m kind of bummed that DH’s first socks from me are not going to really be a color that he likes. He swore he’d still wear them, but would anxiously await the ones I plan to design him with a greek key detailing.
Speaking of designing, I just need to get my Spearfish sock pattern read through by a few people and it’ll be set to release. I’m hoping to have it ready to go by the end of the week, so check back soon if you are interested in that sock pattern.
And, tonight is Stitch ‘n Bitch! Yeah! I’m so glad we have Stitch ‘n Bitch on Mondays because it gives me something to look forward to on a day that is often dreaded.
3/25/2005
Okay, so we have car troubles for the last week - with both cars. Then I run out of yarn for Clapotis. Then I get some yummy yarn from mail order and it definitely will not work for the intended project. *sigh*
Quite a difference! I looks like perhaps the photo for the online swatch was taken with a flash that totally washed out the colors. The photo I took looks almost exactly like the real thing. This yarn was order with the intention of knitting some Spearfish socks for myself with it. However, this color definitely won’t do. I’m thinking I might go for the Wildefoote Gunsmoke that I picked up last week… I’m really itching to get a pair made for myself and I know many are itching to get their hands on the pattern, so the sooner I get this made, the happier everyone will be!
Of course I really should wrap up that darn Sockotta sock the is quickly approaching it’s 9 month birthday without completion of the second sock. Plus, soon it’ll be skirt and capri season and it’ll look great to wear such a bright and funky anklet for everyone to see. Of course, a glance out the window this morning says Spring really isn’t here yet (there is snow on the ground with more supposedly on it’s way over the next two days), but I can pretend!
3/24/2005
Well, it became very apparent yesterday evening at Textiles that there indeed was not enough yarn to complete Clapotis at her current length. That was a total of 850 yds! However, the more I looked at the safety line I had put in to mark where I should have started the decrease section, the more I was convinced it would not be the length I wanted. What to do, what to do?
Buy more yarn of course! However, there was none left like what I had used. So, I decided to “tip” the last corner with a solid color that is present in the varigated variety. I was originally hoping for the peach that is jusr barely in there, but she only had the 100% rayon tape in that color and not the cotton/rayon blend. So, I pulled the lavender, green and blue. Of everyone there it was split 50/50 between the green and the blue. I really liked the green myself, but it seemed like it was maybe too subtle of a change. If I was going to make Clapotis assymetrical, it needed to look deliberate! Sooo I chose the blue.
Now, you can see I bought another 850 yds of this cotton/rayon tape in blue and I certainly don’t need that much to complete Clapotis. However, had I only bought one I probably would have had a good 325+ yds left and not a whole lot do with it. So, I picked up two and am going to make a coordinating shell to go with my Clapotis! I had a shell design in mind for using eith KnitPicks Andean Silk and Silk twist or two colors of Berocco’s Denim Silk. I might use it for that design, but I might go with something a little more simple, as the design in my head really calls for a contrasting yarn for a fairly large section and I’m thinking it wouldn’t look so nice with a wrap. But, I think I want to finish Clapotis and do the summer sweater out of my Cascade Sierra first so I have time to make a decision about the Clapotis coordinate shell. I might go as simple as the Sigma/Shapely Tank hybrid like I did last spring for my SIL2’s Seguential Sigma.
Now on Clapotis, I need to decide if I want to rip back to where I began the decreases, or exactly where I wish to start tipping it in blue. Last night I was thinking I’d do the entire decrease section in blue, but today it seems like that is more than just “tipping” it in blue. So, I’m contemplating doing another 12 row repeat in the varigated before changing or possibly even just run out of the varigated before switching to the blue. I’ll probably go for one of those last two options as I don’t relish trying to rip and pick back up this slick yarn without a life line, and I think the smaller the amount of blue the better, so it is more of just a slight accent.
Thoughts? Comments? I’m stuck in bed on drowsy enducing drugs today, so I have more than enough time to discuss and digest comments on this alteration of Clapotis…
3/23/2005
The friends I’ve made through Stitch ‘n Bitch are the best! One kept me busy yesterday instead of letting me rot at my husband’s job. Instead we had a great lunch and went to the LYS again and talked about spinning. And, today when I was feeling like a prisoner I get offers from TWO of them to give me a ride to TAM!
I know you all read this and you know who you are. YOU ROCK!
I’m on house arrest today stuck at home today with no transportation. There is a major drawback to taking your car to a tiny garage and that is that they rarely get a car returned in one day. The advantage is they actually FIX the car rather than break it further like the dealership has done repeatedly. So, DH’s car is still in the shop today, and DH has taken my car to work and I’m stuck at home.
Also, since it is an extremely rainy day I am unable to go to Textiles a Mano this afternoon because I do not have a waterproof jacket and DH also has my umbrella in my car. Nor is my back really quite up to the sort of walk that would be required with this moisture (no walking through the green belt today, so I’d have to do a ton of backtracking). I am soo bummed as I haven’t made it over there for a few weeks now because Wednesdays have been really busy with my on-line classes starting. I was sooo looking forward to this afternoon over there.
That said, I don’t think Clapotis will be ready. It’ll be close, but probably not done. It depends how much time it takes me to get through the posts to my various class forums this morning.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we are getting rain. Along the front range we need any rain we get, even if it ruins our plans so I will not complain about that…
3/22/2005
Sorry, no pics today. I’m stuck all day in retirement land today. DH’s car is in the shop and with my back I didn’t wish to spend 2 hours commuting so I’m camped out in his company’s meeting room, hooked up to their Internet connection.
I will get to pop out a meet a fellow SnBer for lunch today! I don’t think DH was real happy about that, as I think he enjoys having lunch with me. But, we’re going to a restaurant I’ve never eat at because their vegetarian selection leaves more than a little to be desired. It’s Bavarian, and being ~1/4 German, I’m quite excited by that.
Clapotis began decreasing last night. I put a safety line in again ( like I did with DH’s multidirectional), one repeat before I started the decrease section in case I run out of yarn. But, I think I’m safe. But, if I’m not, it’ll make it easy to go back and start the decrease section 12 rows sooner. I dropped a total of 14 stitches before decreasing, but despite the fact that my gauge appeared to be on, I don’t think I’m going to get the size given in the pattern and I’ll be using roughly 1000 yds! Yikes! Well, we’ll see what happens once I block it I guess.
I have successfully done all the work that needed to be done today already, and I grabbed my Gilmore Girls, Season 1, Disc 3 from Green Cine and will pop that into my laptop here soon and pick up Clapotis. My goal is to be able to block it no later than tomorrow morning so I can wear it to Textiles A Mano late tomorrow afternoon.
Of course, there is the chance that I won’t be able to make it. The last time DH took his car to this garage, they did a good job, but at the end of the day it was scheduled for they hadn’t looked at it yet and they had to keep it a whole second day. If that happens, DH takes my car to work tomorrow. Now, Textiles A Mano isn’t that far from my house (unfortunately there isn’t an easment from the green belt to her street) so I can walk it in about 30 minutes (I don’t walk fast due to my disability, so it’s probably about 1/2 mile or so), however, thundershowers are in the forecast. But, if I can get over there dry, DH will pick me up after work to go retrieve his car.
Well, time to go meet my peeps for lunch!
knittingfool @ 4:03 pm ::
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3/21/2005
After a bit harrowing Friday and Saturday I had a pleasant surprise in my mailbox to lift my spirits…
Click above to view the contents…
Not only was there a lovely pair of purple socks with a basketweave pattern in the leg made from Lorna’s Laces Shepards Sock and the extra yarn, but Dawn included a lovely card and a big purple flower which is crocheted I think. It’ll look great on a bag or perhaps a bucket hat.
They fit lovely and are of course one of my favorite colors!
Thank you so much, Dawn!
knittingfool @ 2:32 pm ::
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