Still no progress on either of my socks, but this may give me inspiration. I still loathe working with fingering weight yarn, but then I keep falling in love with gorgeous sock yarns!
A Thanksgiving Miracle November 24, 2005
I set a goal for myself of having at least the initial knitting of these stockings completed by Thanksgiving. When I woke up this morning the red stocking was toeless, but by the time the turkey was proclaimed done, I was neatening the kitchener stitches. My next goal is to have them blocked and ready for lining by Monday.
Worst HP Scarf Pattern Ever November 23, 2005
Better Homes & Gardens: Harry Potter Knit Scarf
They tell you to get acrylic yarn, cast on 30 stitches, knit in stockinette for 60 inches, and add tassels. Then, get this: “If the edges curl, block the scarf to flatten.” [Their emphasis.] Of course the edges are going to curl, and you and I both know what a fat load of good will come out of trying to block 100% acrylic! The accompaning photo appears to show a tube scarf, but 30 stitches is not enough for that.
BH&G also has a sweater pattern. “Even a beginning knitter can achieve these stylish results,” it says, amusingly, of its frumpy Lion Brand Homespun sweater. Of the half dozen or so patterns on the site, this Wavy Rib Scarf is by far the best. It’s a classy alternative to the standard ribbed scarf. I bet it would be lovely done in Andean Silk…
Big Lots Mystery Yarn November 12, 2005
The excitement never stops at Big Lots. 
Today I found one pound bags of mystery 100% acrylic mill ends yarn for $2.99. Wary of harsh Red Heart and its ilk, I coaxed a yarn end through a little hole in the bag. It felt surprisingly soft, so I grabbed two bags in light rose. What a deal. Some bags had one big skein, others had little skeins and big skeins or a mix of colors. I managed to find two ‘normal’ looking ones.
When I got home I opened one of the bags, so I could really feel the yarn. Hmm, I thought. This is really familiar. Could it be…
…Simply Soft? I sure think so, and this seems to confirm it. Remember that the last yarns Big Lots offered were Cozi and Jewel Box – both Caron yarns. It would figure that they bought this at the same time. It must be Victorian Rose that I have and, according to my calculations, approximately 1680 yards of it. ) It’s very possible that I’ll go back to get some more. And I’ll have to do it soon because (and this is the sad part) MY BIG LOTS IS CLOSING! *sob* I feel no shame in saying that Big Lots is my favorite place to shop in town. They’ve got an ever-changing assortment of bargains (increasingly including YARN) and they play good music. Don’t underestimate good shopping music! Many’s the time I’ve bopped down those aisles to some 80s classic. The store’s closure date hasn’t been set yet, but they have signs up alerting people with furniture on layaway that it needs to be picked up by the 18th – so the end can’t be far off. I’m so sad. *sniff*
Anyway… I also went by Goodwill today and got yet another sweater to be unraveled. This is Gap one in a variegated teal. I’d like to use it for an Amanda Backpack, but I’m not 100% sure it can be successfully frogged. It may have to be felted as-is.
Lastly, a trip to Wally World revealed that while my Walmart does indeed sell Bernat Disco, it does not carry the Mr. Brown color. So I guess I’m stuck with my free Disco. I’ll think of a use for it, someday.
Country Living Does Knitting November 12, 2005
One nice thing about the holidays is that knitting sometimes appears in more mainstream magazines. Country Living has a feature this month on Melanie Falick’s new Handknit Holidays, and several patterns are available on their website: a felted tote bag for a wine bottle, small flowers for decorating packages, and several Christmas stocking patterns.
There’s another holiday magazine out there with two dog-related patterns (a dog sweater and a felted bone, if memory serves) plus several patterns from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (tiny sweater ornaments, the Kureyon kid’s scarf, etc.), but I forget which one. :-/ Sorry. I’m dog-less and already own the book, so it didn’t appeal to me.
Foto Friday November 11, 2005
At last some actual knitted objects but first – Mail Call!
Last Saturday’s mail: Harry, Knit Picks and free yarn. What’s not to love? Disco isn’t the type of yarn I’d normally consider, but I’m rather fond of my free ball. The color is called Mr. Brown which is cute in a Reservoir Dogs kind of way. I’m so glad I didn’t get the bright teal many other seem to be receiving. Like I said, I like the color and its softness, but I still haven’t ruled out the idea of ‘returning’ it to Walmart for store credit. They’ll accept anything, and the $4 – $5 could be used for stocking stuffers. Hmm.
Then my first pair of Addi Turbos arrived on Tuesday from Brambles (who also has a non-eBay store). They’re size 3, 40″ – also known as Magic Loop length. 
Including shipping they came to about $10. I tell you, the UK is the only place to buy Addis from. Beside the needles is my long-suffering Essential socks. I finally admitted to myself that I can’t work with small dpns. They are so lightweight (especially these bamboos) that they sway back and forth and into my way while I’m knitting. It absolutely drives me crazy. Still, I’m determined to use this sock yarn, so that leaves 2 circs or Magic Loop. Magic Loop won out because it’s cheaper, and my future in fingering socks looks too bleak to invest much in it. I also moved up from size 1 to size 3 because my gauge had been way too tiny. (Did I swatch? Of course not!)
Yep, I unravelled them (again!). I thought that since I was doing Magic Loop I might as well go whole hog and do both socks at the same time. Naturally, I did no research first. In hindsight, it would have been better to finish several rows on one sock before casting on for the second. The toes contain some very large stitches. I’ll have to do a lot of weaving to make them decent looking. For that reason I’m glad I left a long tail – even if I frequently grab it by mistake and start knitting with it. I’m hoping things will get easier once I have a few inches knit. I’ve joined the Solid Sock Along. (My first knit-along – I’m still not quite sure how they work or what’s expected of me. Guess I’ll learn soon enough.) I figure I need all the encouragement I can get.
Also in the pictures is my Dancing socks. They’re also slow-going since I can’t seem to help knitting super tight. My saving grace is that this yarn isn’t splitty like Essential, and the colors keep it interesting.
Oh my goodness, it’s an FO! A London Beanie using left over Gryffindor scarf yarn. A fast, useful knit that doesn’t take a lot of yarn. I love this pattern! Some have found the pattern as written to be rather small, but it fits me perfectly. I still have quite a bit of yarn left. I can’t get the idea of matching mittens out of my head, but I can’t bear to face another dpn project right now. Maybe after Christmas. I so desperately want to knit something flat for a change. :-/
It’s like it’s reading my mind! November 11, 2005
I swear the Knitting community at LiveJournal is psychic. Twice this week it’s tuned into my thoughts with frightening accuracy. I start shopping for large zippered knitting bags with mucho pockets to find this has just been posted. I go to the web for advice on toe-up Magic Loop socks and voila! I’m getting scared…
New Generic Foofy Yarn November 5, 2005
I went to Walmart yesterday because I’m craving red mittens, and I’m trying my best not to make any more online yarn orders this year. I left empty handed (though Red Heart Holiday proved temporarily tempting), but I did notice some new yarns there baring Walmart’s Mainstays brand. They’re your typical foofy ‘fancy’ yarn, a bit like lint on a string and not unlike some of Target’s $1 yarns. I was even less impressed when I saw the price tag: $3.47 for 65 meters (~71 yards). Why can’t they get some good yarns? *sob*
iTunes for Books November 5, 2005
How many times have you flipped through a knitting book and found only one pattern you’d consider making? Well, good news! Amazon.com is planning to start a service where you can buy just select pages of a book. I wonder how many authors would agree to participate. [via]
