Grey Skies and New Peeps!

I did indeed finish my Dimple sock yesterday, however, it is very overcast so I think I’ll aim for another FO Friday and share pics and specs etc. tomorrow. I went to Textiles A Mano yesterday after voice lessons and very nearly finished the sock there before I had to come home to help DH with supper. While there I got to see one of the new SnB gals there picking out some wonderful yarns for two new projects. Hi Monique, if you are happen to be reading!

This week, SnB doubled in size! The five of us pretty steady regulars were there, plus the wonderful New Amanda (who is also a blogger, yeah another blogger in SnB! Snow and I are not alone!) then there was a sometimes gal and a friend of hers and then someone who moved here two days before SnB and also Monique. All of a sudden the usual 5 of us were 10! We were almost too big for our space. How very unusual.

This has happened before on occassion (though most often it is one new person at a time), but I have to say that we can be a bit of an intimidating bunch . We’ve had new people come before and it seems they rarely come back. But, us regulars have gotten pretty close and several of us can be awfully outspoken about controversial topics (politics, religion, etc.) and we often take the Bitch in our name quite literally and do just that. I suppose all of that can be pretty scary to someone new sitting there. But, we really are quite friendly, I swear!

Well, I’m off to the dentist… Boo! :-(

Of Yarn and Socks

I spent quite a bit of time in Woolen Treasures yesterday trying to pick out the best yarn for DH’s socks. We talked over lunch at Henry’s what colors were and were not acceptable. I was hoping for a nice heathered gray or oatmeal, but DH had said an orange/rust as well as most shades of green, tan, or gray would be acceptable, but nothing too bright. Well, I have alterior motives for knitting the exact same pattern immediately after completing a pair and that is to have a pair that is more photographable.

See, No-No Kitty Yarns has closed their doors, so my sample sock that I’d normally use for photography for the pattern uses yarn that is no longer available. And, that yarn is rather busy (but lots of fun) and kind of obscures the knitting pattern. But, because of this need to be able to better photograph the next pair I needed a light to medium color - no evergreen or charcoal gray or even a deep rust.

If I didn’t find any heathers in the DK weight I was hoping for something kettle dyed so there would be some variation in depth of color throughout the skein for some knitting interest, but that didn’t work either. I thought the Araucania Nature Wool would be nice, but I’m thinking they perhaps are not carrying it any longer. I know it’s labeled as a worsted, but I think it’s pretty light for a worsted so I thought it would probably work for DH’s socks. But, I ended up bringing home three balls of the Lana Grossa Cool Wool Merino Big. It feels much like a larger version of KPPPM, very tightly spun/plied and very springy. I have some gray reinforcing yarn I’ll use on the heels and toes (and I have better remember to use it this time) so I think it’ll wear pretty well and if it doesn’t it will likely have taken me just a little over a week to knit the pair once I knit them so it isn’t like I’m out a ton of time. And, even though they are solid colored, it’ll be fun to knit just because of the bright color. It also is almost a dead ringer for DH’s “terracotta” chinos he got from L.L. Bean this summer.

One thing I’m learning about “Mating Month” is that is doesn’t give you a ton of blog fodder. You’re being monogamous to one project, and one project that every one has seen take shape previously… But, despite the repetition, I’ll present you with what should be the final in-progress photo of Dimple Socks #1… I completed the heel flap, heel turn, gusset and a fair section of the instep yesterday! I should be done tonight as predicted yesterday. Though I’m getting antsy about having enough yarn. I know it’ll be *very* close, close enought that if I run out it’ll probably be part way through the toe decreases so I’ll probably just tip the second toe with some black yarn.

I think I’ll stop at Textiles A Mano this afternoon. It’s one of those crazy days with water aerobics this morning until 11am and then voice lessons in the mid afternoon. I’ll be back over to this side of town around 4pm or so and will probably just stop there until DH is on his way home from work. I think I like the gathering of people that end up there at the end of the night better, but it’ll be good just to be out of the house and interacting with people for a little bit and sometimes when I’m there at that time of day I get to see some people whom I used to see at another LYS that I don’t usually frequent these days who are also spinners. So, it’ll all be good!

1/2 Way There?

Well, just about anyway. I’ve done four rows of the heel flap. I think I should have it done perhaps as early as tomorrow night. There has been a bit of a change in plan of attack on the knitting.

Of course, you all knew this was coming, right? I’ll be going to Woolen Treasures today to pick out some yarn to make DH his own Dimple socks. He hasn’t yet decided on a hat shape he’d like made out of my handspun yarn so I’ll make him the Dimple socks for his birthday. The only caveat I gave him was that the yarn needed to be more or less solid colored and medium to light in color. I’ll be using part of the gift certificate I got from my sister last week. But, I think I do stand a chance at completing his socks before his birthday on the 25th. Especially since there is no need for me to hide the knitting of them from him since he knows they are coming.

I’ll still be casting on for Halland Mitten #2 when this dimple sock is off the needles, but DH’s socks will likely take precedence until they are complete. That may just mean the mitten will be only a week behind schedule as I can knit one of these socks in 4 days - all hail the thick warm sock :-) Plus, I can’t work on the mittens while watching movies as easily as I can work on the socks so it should be okay.

Other than DH’s Dimples and the Mitten nothing else will get cast on until they are completed! I swear! There will be no casting on for my own warm woolen accessories for new coat until these are done, done, done! I swear! LOL!

Monday, Monday!

Here is a pic to brighten up your Monday!

It was a Heath Ledger weekend for me, which meant not a ton of knitting. I’m only 3 inches in on Dimple 2, but it’s progress and it is a quick knit so I’m aiming for another FO Friday this week…

Okay, back to this brightly colored photo. I gathered some fun colored Cascade 220 to add to my stash before Christmas in order to make some fun and fanciful accessories to go with my new parka that arrived just before the holidays. It’s been rather mild since our cold snap in early December that prompted me to get off my duff and place the order for the coat, though I have been wearing it with my handspun earflap hat and some polar fleece rust colored mittens at night. I am somewhat fortunate I haven’t had to make day time appearances with such wrongly colored mitterns, LOL!

I procured some of this from Woolen Treasures and some from Bo Peep’s Wool Shop end of year sale. Actually, the bright blue/green and the brightest pink were from Bo Peep’s and ended up being much more bright than I was going for. Though such is the risk when ordering via on-line color cards. That means I have more of it than I think I’ll need. I think they’ll make great accents, but they likely won’t make up the majority of any of the accessories.

Also purchased when I bought the other colors at Woolen Treasures was 45 Fine and Fanciful Hats to Knit by Anna Zilboorg. I am thinking of doing a brightly colored tam. In fact, I was planning the same one as Theresa made in November, but decided I didn’t have quite enough value contrast to pull it off. Then, I designed my own, but it will need tweaking as I forgot that the last 5-6 rounds of the straight section actually appear on the top of the tam. I love the book. I’m not positive that I’ll necessarily knit any of the patterns directly, but it is full of inspiration and insight via the charts. I also enjoy how the charts use symbols rather than color coding - it makes it much easier to make the patterns your own via your color choices.

I think the heathered blue/green may become a Wavy. And, I keep waffling between thrummed mittens and colorwork mittens. Of course, I’m sure I have enough yarn to do both which will probably be what eventually happens. Then left overs will likely become some sort of felted bag/purse as well. There is nothing like adding some wonderfully bright colors to a cold and sometimes dreary season! I’m open to pattern suggestions though, so leave me links to your favorite scarf, mitten, and hat patterns that call for worsted weight yarn and would look good in these bright colors.

Don’t worry, I haven’t broke my resolution for this month and cast on for anything. This is all just planning and thinking! I have Dimple and my second Mitten from Halland to finish first!

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!