Under the Wire March 31, 2006

I didn’t know if I was going to have anything to show for March or not, but I just barely got the felted slippers/slipper socks finished in time to photograph by the last rays of the sun on the last day of the month. The kitchen counter was the only still-sunny spot in the apartment, and since I like to keep one foot on the ground at all times we have the left…

..and the right..

Pattern: Slipper Socks
Yarn: KnitPicks Sock Landscape in New England Foliage (doubled), 3 1/2 hanks
Needles: Size 5 and 9 dpns; size 8 16″ circular
Began: 3/24/06
Completed: 3/31/06

Discovering Merino Wool March 25, 2006

It’s one week later and there has been only 4″, maybe 5″ progress on the Twisted Socks. I made a serious effort to get the foot portion done this week, but it was not to be. At this rate these socks will be completed by October..

Meanwhile, the slipper situation has become a crisis. Winter is still hanging around, and the heels of my old slippers each have a hole big enough to fit a Kennedy half dollar through! I cast on for some felted slippers yesterday, and already I’m in love. Felted items have always been my favorite knitting experiences (since I’m lazy and love not having to worry about gauge), and the merino is so buttery soft!

KnitPicks Sock Yarn Order Pictures March 22, 2006

The sun came out to play today!

Instead of the kitchen counter, here’s a couch pic for a little variety. Note I also picked up color cards for Main Line and Shine Worsted.

Clockwise from top left: Paper Dolls, Gladiolus, New England Foliage, Flower Power and Daffodil. The colors here are very accurate.

On my color card it’s difficult to tell Gladiolus (center) and New England Foliage (right) apart. When seen in person, though, the differences are obvious (though this particular picture is a bit washed out). New England Foliage is very dark and autumny while Gladiolus is much brighter and contains a sort of sherbert orange and even pink! On the left is Flower Power which I hope to combine with one of these (probably Gladiolus) for the Koigu scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. That was the original plan, anyway. I hope the colorways aren’t too different for it to work. The 4 hanks of New England Foliage will make a pair of felted slippers. The rest will probably just be socks. I’m keen to see what Flower Power looks like in the Jaywalkers pattern!

I Want (Sock) Candy March 22, 2006

It’s come to my attention (via Grumperina) that there is another wool-free sock yarn on the block: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Candy. Unfortunately it seems to be all but impossible to find online. Even finding pictures of it is a difficult task. To be sure, I already have enough sock yarn for the present time, but for the good of allergic knitters around the world I hope this yarn becomes more widely available soon. The current lot of cotton sans wool sock yarns are dreary and could use some livening up. Fortissima Cotton Colori appears to be discontinued, and the only solid colors that are plentiful online are green and navy. Elann’s Sock It To Me Esprit is down to just four colors, all solids. Cascade Fixation is really the only option for multi-colored cotton sock yarn, but their color combinations aren’t half as enticing as Blue Moon’s…

Speedy Delivery March 21, 2006

Yay – sock yarn! I placed my KnitPicks order just last Friday morning, and it’s here already! It’s so very handy, their warehouse being just the next state over! I fluffed the yarn up a little for the photo, but even when it arrived all tightly packed the box was full to bursting. I’ll go into further detail about the yarns and my plans for them later. This poorly-lit photo is depressing me. Alas, yarn shipments do not always coincide with brilliant sunlight – though they should!

Leprechaun Power Bands March 18, 2006

Pattern: Irish Hiking Wristwarmers
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed in green, 1 ball
Needles: Sizes 7 & 8 Boye 29″ circulars
Began: 3/15/06
Completed: 3/18/06-ish (second one still needs seaming)

I was so excited about knitting something flat for a change that I forgot to leave enough time for seaming these up. So no, I did not finish in time to wear them on the day.

It was a fun knit, but my first test wear was very scratchy indeed. Once the pair is finished I’ll try to soften them up with a washing.

I got a jolt this morning when I looked at the calendar and realized there are only two weeks left in March. I better jump to it if I want to have something to show for the Sock a Month Knitalong. I know better than to start a new pair at this late date, so out came the beleaguered Dancing socks.

When I last left this sock (January? December?) the heel flap had just been completed. Today I picked up gusset stitches and began heel decreases. And this using my new Brittany Birch dpns! I caught a deal on eBay last month, and this is the first time I’ve got to use them. *sigh* I do love Brittany Birch.

Derailed March 17, 2006

It’s funny how one moment you think, Oh! I’ve got a color idea for that great Bi-Color Cables cardigan, I’ll go online quickly and see if Gems Opal comes in those colors.. and before you know it you’re plunking down $50 for sock yarn and color cards at KnitPicks! *sigh* Needless to say, there’s been no progress on the Irish Hiking Wristwarmers this morning. Hopefully I’ll cross the finish line by afternoon.

Incidentally, my great color idea was rose pink and chocolate. You like? Judging by this morning’s searching, though, it’ll be tough to accomplish. Most of the browns I’ve seen are very dull where what I want is rich, almost reddish. Should I find the yarn, though, there is a Knitalong that needs some livening up.

Sock Shopping Alert! March 17, 2006

KnitPicks is discontinuing many of its merino sock yarn colors in favor of one line of 12 colorways. The discontinued colors are currently going quickly for $2.99 a hank (down from $3.99). vatergrrl on the Knitty message board e-mailed KnitPicks, and here’s the colors that will stay:

Pansy
Morning Glory
Geranium
Hawaii
Yukon
Spring Prairie
Fly Fishing
Redwood Forest
Rocky Mountain [they mean Rocky Mountain Dusk]
Cape Cod
Red Hat [new color?]
Smores [new color?]

Update: The new (old) sock yarn line is already up! I can’t say I’m impressed with either of the new colors, though perhaps like many of the current colors, Smores looks better knitted up.

Whew! For a while there I was panicking that Yukon was going to get the ax. It’s the only yarn KnitPicks has that matches my winter coat. I’ve got plans for it! Even still, it’s time for some emergency yarn shopping..

BTW, here’s some more enabling: Herrschner’s is having free shipping, today only, minimum $25 order.

Knitting for the Green March 16, 2006

After over a week without any knitting, I figured the best way to jolt my enthusiasm was to bring out some special yarn. Now, special is a relative term. To many, it might mean Manos, Lorna’s Laces or Socks That Rock. Alas, I’ve never been even in the same room as any of those, so for me ’special’ pretty much applies to anything that didn’t come from Walmart or Big Lots. Enter, Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed:

This is from one of my first splurges after discovering the wonders of online yarn shopping. I also have a sweater’s worth of orange Aran Tweed in the stash, so this project will double as a test drive to determine what pattern that may be suitable for. The pattern used here is the wristwarmer variation on the popular Irish Hiking Scarf. The original plan had been to knit the scarf, but then the weather turned unseasonably warm. By the time it looked like St. Patrick’s Day might be cold after all, there weren’t too many knitting days left for a full scarf.

So far I’m really enjoying the wristwarmers. Cables are always fun, and I’ve been desperate to knit something flat for a change. The yarn is tweedier than I expected with frequent bits of light blue, red, orange and black. My asthma reappeared almost the instant I began knitting with this yarn, but it’s not too bad. I’ve come to expect it with wool.

The Doldrums Return March 6, 2006

I’m starting to believe that I’m a knitter who really needs goals to strive for. The Knitting Olympics were just the encouragement I needed to get a fun and challenging project done in a relatively short time. Now that the games are a week past, what do I find myself knitting? Dishcloths. Again.

Part of the blame I place at my mother’s door. She’s the one who on Wednesday sort of casually mentioned that it might be nice if I knit something for my grandfather’s birthday the following Monday. Five days notice! After some muttering under my breath, I agreed to make him a pair of cloths that I could bundle with some soap or something. Everything in my stash of completed gift dishcloths seemed too girly or frou-frou, so I ended up doing utilitarian white garter stitch, mitering the second cloth to keep my interest up. I don’t mind knitting for family, truely. I just like to have a few weeks warning!

At the bottom of the picture is the Feather & Fan I began back during the KO and the latest pattern from the Monthly Dishcloth KAL. The latter is in the only solid green Walmart carries, otherwise known as Peaches & Creme ‘Baby Green’.