WIPs, Stash...and pondering SABLE...

Yes, I have been knitting...but, unfortunately not much on these Solstice Slip socks...yes, the slow going Solstice Slip socks that have been neglected...


...in favor of these! I don't know why, but I got all motivated to work on the second sock to my Cedar Creek sock from the very first Socks that Rock club shipment of 2006. Maybe I just felt the need to start something new without the guilt: you see, if really wasn't something new cuz it was a second sock!

So there I was, innocently plugging away at my second Cedar Creek. I brought it to work in hopes of finishing it at work during our knitting group time. I got the foot to the appropriate length and (of course) it wasn't until then that I realized I had duped myself yet again!

I should have been suspicious as the striping of the foot knit up so uniformly. I should not have been so lazy as to not count the foot stitches. But alas, it was not until I got to the toe decreases of this second sock that it occurred to me that no, I did not follow the written instructions to decrease this size M sock to 60 stitches-5 less than the cuff! No, no...I had decided that since they were knitting up at a fairly snug width (and since I am Miss Pudgey Feet), I had (oh, so long ago, now...) made the Executive Decision to only decrease to 64 for the foot! Doh! (yes, folks, another DOH! Moment!) And when you put the feet up to one another, it is only too obvious!-lol!

So...I had to call and cry to Nartian about what a dork I am. Together, we decided that a little putting aside of this project is what I need to do for the moment.

A part of me wants to barrel through to the end, knowing that the sock will fit anyways, despite the narrower width, and to hell with more closely 'matched' socks! But, OTOH, a part of me wants to be anal and rip back, knowing the striping will more closely resemble. Yet, I somehow feel that I can't allow myself the pleasure of casting on one of my new sock yarns until this sock is complete...and I am SOOOOO over this sock!-lol!

The dilemma: rip back and rework the foot, further stunting my progress and ability to cast-on for another pair of socks anytime soon or blow off my 'can't cast on 'til..." rule and allow myself to put this aside, perhaps condemning the pair to further eternal WIP status, or push through and mark this pair off the list!

Stilaholic Naritian has the right idea: give myself a day or two to think about it, then decide. Yeah, think I'll do that! Thanks, Nartian! She "gets" me; I like that.

And meanwhile, I have started this scarf, Ruffled Roses pattern of which Annie Modesett has made available only to LYSs. I asked Allison at ImagiKnit to order it for me and on Friday, finally got over there to get it from her. Of course, I went ahead and bought the 'prescribed' yarns. It wasn't the time to get creative and envision this in alternative colorways since the picture was B&W and I couldn't remember what all the different colors looked like and how they layed out. But I had picked same colors for the ruffle portion, as well as the two greens, as prescribed anyway, so I stuck to the same...

I have finished the last lace repeat and am now onto the ribbing...I have to say that I love this and hope I can keep my focus on getting it done!


I mentioned I was at ImagiKnit on Friday, so I guess I'd better 'fess up on the Stash Enhancement Xcurtion...

Allison had gotten in lots of new sock yarns, Dream In Color Smooshy being the ones I immediately was drawn to. Of course, she had gotten in so much new that many weren't yet set out on shelves and were on the floor. She was (ahem!) nice enough to point them out to me...there went the yarn diet/budget! Thus, I will not be attending TKGA this Friday!



In addition to the Gallway (I'm inspired to do many Cat Bordhi baby learner socks...), I also got a couple of merino/acrylic yarns that would be cool for baby-whatever stuff (specifically, I have the Baby Surprise Sweater in mind...)-these shown in front of the basket filled with...SOCK YARN!!! Smooshy "Chinatown Apple", Paca Peds (can't remember colorway) and Harvest, Prism and Alpaca Sox. I'll have to check them again for the colorways and names, since they are not nearby...OH! And behind to the left (you can hardly tell!) is a Chameleon Colorworks merino/tencel in "Purple Rain", a light/white color with pale purple and blue.
And I sure wish this order from Woolmeise that Nartian had ordered for me had come in sooner!
I think the these may have helped me to resist (or at least put back) some of the ImagiKnit purchases! Oh well...LOVE this stuff! It feels and seems to be tightly twisted and very solid. I am soooo dying to try this stuff out!
And then, we also got our order of STR! They were putting Foofaraw to "rest", so I decided I HAD to get it! And Gingerbread Dude was too hard to resist-I have visions of socks knit from this colorway to wear around during the holidays! Of course, I went and purchased the 'Autumn' Paca Peds and since Halloween/Thanksgiving precedes Christmas, I will need to knit that up first so that I can have some very Fall sock in that wonderful pumkiny-green colorway! I'm deciding between RPM and a more ribbed sock pattern-maybe Charade? I kind of like the idea of RPM since it would maybe give it a 'cornucopia' look...or maybe a pumpkin/squash feel?

Again, I am taking Nartian's advise: try out the RPMs first...Yeah, think I'll do that!

Blue, Blue...

...my world is BLUE! Ha! A color I always consider not in my favs, but I LOVE my new Woolgirl Sock Club shipment that came today!

In this kit: MissBabs "Waterfall" pattern and Yummy Superwash Sport 3ply yarn in colorway as the same name as the pattern, "Waterfall"! I have been so spoiled being in the STR club, and with the Simply Sock Yarn Company's club, you just get yarn-no frills, since that is their philosphy. So really, i wasn't expecting such a treat! This club package was really much more than I expected! I say, give me the frills, man, cuz I'm cheap and can be bought!-lol!

So my first shipment had a newsletter from WoolGirl herself, the pattern, the yarn packet, and a cute Woolgirl club notebook/journal complete with Woolgirl pen! In the "yarn packet" was a welcome postcard, chocolate mint lipbalm (I LOVE chocolate MINT!), an exclusive Sereknity stitch marker, and of course, the yarn itself! All beautifully packed in a priority box topped with blue tissue paper. What a way to start a club! Awesome, you Woolgirl, you!

And awesome of Stilaholic Nartian (and I understand turned onto Woolgirl by Irish Girlie) to point me in WoolGirl's direction a while back...And here Nartian nominated me for a Rockin' Blog Girl cuz of my STR enabling!-lol! (Thanks for that nomination, too, Nartian! I didn't get a chance to mention it earlier, since I kinda wanted to try the button thing again, but haven't had a chance to attempt it...)

Look what I whipped up!

Forgetting that my cousin's baby shower is this coming Saturday, I grabbed the outfit below and a bib I had long-ago made for fun (ala Mason-Dixon style, called to my attention by none other than Stilaholic Nartian!), snipped and weaved in the ends and added a button. (Yeah, I know...choking hazard...) I decided to make a hat to go with it, using the remaining cotton. So here is the hat, to go with the ensemb!


It was a nice, quick-knit! If anyone cares, here's what I did:


Last-Minute Baby Hat

Measurements: Approximately 16" around, should fit a 6-9 month old (if done with a lighter weight yarn, smaller gauge, this could be adapted for a preemie hat...)
(Please note that corrections have been made since I first posted this pattern; starting with Round 38, I had mis-stated the number of stitches remaining. A final Round 43 has been added to adjust for the error. MANY THANKS to SUSAN who knit this and pointed it out to me! And thanks to any of you interested in this pattern!)

Gauge: knit at 4 stitches per inch, stockinette in the round on size 6 DPNs

Materials: Size 6 DPNs (or whatever needles you prefer for knitting in the round), Sugar and Cream yarn (used about 1/2 ball).
CO 60 stitches

Round 1-Knit to end

Round 2-Purl to end

Rounds 3 & 4 -repeat Rounds 1&2

Round 5-8-knit

Round 9-(yo, k2tog)* repeat to end of round

Round 10-1213 -knit to end
(Thanks for catching that!)
Round 14-17-same as rounds 1-4

Rounds 18-29-knit to end of round


Decrease top as follows:

Round 30-(K8, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (54 stitches remain)

Round 31, 33, 35, 37- knit to end of round

Round 32-(K7, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (48 stitches remain)

Round 34-(K6, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (42 stitches remain)

Round 36-(K5, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (36 stitches remain)


Round 38-(K4, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (30 stitches remain)
Round 39-(K3, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (24 stitches remain)
Round 40-(K2, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (18 stitches remain)
Round 41-(K1, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (12 stitches remain)
Round 42-(K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (6 stitches remain)
Round 43-(K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (3 stitches remain)

Leave remaining 3 stitches on DPN and make a 1-1 1/2 inch I-cord by sliding the three stitches to the opposite end of the DPN and knitting them (yarn carries behind the 3 stitches made, over to the 'end' 3rd stitch; now slide the 3 new stitches to the opposite end and knit (repeats what you just did). Repeat this until your I-cord measures 1-1 1/2inch, cut yarn, leaving about a 4" tail and thread through remaining 3 loops. Curl the I-cord, making a little 'nub' and bring the tail down the top of the hat and secure.
Enjoy!

And a last treat...
"Nana" had left this comment and I didn't want anyone missing out on her matching baby mitts pattern:

"I love this pattern! I created a pair of mitts to go with it, that I would be more than happy to share:







Baby Mitts:






Sugar and Cream cotton 4-ply






Special Stitch: RT - this is a good alternative to the yo, k2tog from the hat pattern, as it is somewhat less convenient to have holes in mittens than in hats.


RT - Work as if to K2tog but don’t pull the original stitches off of the left needle. Re- insert the right needle into the right stitch of the k2tog and knit this stitch, and then pull both of the original stitches off the needle in the process.*






CO 24 (when you cast on for the second mitt, leave a very long tail - this will become the 2-st I-cord to connect them)






Row 1 - 8: (K1, P1)* repeat until end of row






Row 9 - 11: K to end






Row 12: P to end






Row 13 - 16: K to end






Row 17: (RT, K1)* repeat until end






Row 18 - 22: K to end






Row 23: P to end






Row 24: K to end






Decrease:






Row 25: (K4, K2tog)* repeat to end (20 st left)






Row 26: K to end






Row 27: (K3, K2tog)* repeat to end (16 st left)






Row 28: K to end






Row 29: (K2, K2tog)* repeat to end (12 st left)






Row 30: (K1, K2tog)* repeat to end (8 st left)






Row 31: K2tog to end (4 st left)






Row 32: K2together two times, cut yarn, and thread end through remaining two stitches. Pull thread to the inside of the mitten, and weave in ends. After the second mitt, pick up two stitches next to the tail at the cuff, and create a 2-st I-cord to connect them. Use your judgment as to how long it should be.






*This wording, and this particular stitch, I got from this pattern, Baby Mitts:






Sugar and Cream cotton 4-ply






Special Stitch: RT - this is a good alternative to the yo, k2tog from the hat pattern, as it is somewhat less convenient to have holes in mittens than in hats.


Work as if to K2tog but don’t pull the original stitches off of the left needle. Re- insert the right needle into the right stitch of the k2tog and knit this stitch, and then pull both of the original stitches off the needle in the process.*






CO 24 (when you cast on for the second mitt, leave a very long tail - this will become the 2-st I-cord to connect them)






Row 1 - 8: (K1, P1)* repeat until end of row






Row 9 - 11: K to end






Row 12: P to end






Row 13 - 16: K to end






Row 17: (RT, K1)* repeat until end






Row 18 - 22: K to end






Row 23: P to end






Row 24: K to end






Decrease:






Row 25: (K4, K2tog)* repeat to end (20 st left)






Row 26: K to end






Row 27: (K3, K2tog)* repeat to end (16 st left)






Row 28: K to end






Row 29: (K2, K2tog)* repeat to end (12 st left)






Row 30: (K1, K2tog)* repeat to end (8 st left)






Row 31: K2tog to end (4 st left)






Row 32: K2together two times, cut yarn, and thread end through remaining two stitches. Pull thread to the inside of the mitten, and weave in ends. After the second mitt, pick up two stitches next to the tail at the cuff, and create a 2-st I-cord to connect them. Use your judgment as to how long it should be.






*This wording, and this particular stitch, I got from this patternBaby Mitts:






Sugar and Cream cotton 4-ply






Special Stitch: RT - this is a good alternative to the yo, k2tog from the hat pattern, as it is somewhat less convenient to have holes in mittens than in hats.


Work as if to K2tog but don’t pull the original stitches off of the left needle. Re- insert the right needle into the right stitch of the k2tog and knit this stitch, and then pull both of the original stitches off the needle in the process.*






CO 24 (when you cast on for the second mitt, leave a very long tail - this will become the 2-st I-cord to connect them)






Row 1 - 8: (K1, P1)* repeat until end of row






Row 9 - 11: K to end






Row 12: P to end






Row 13 - 16: K to end






Row 17: (RT, K1)* repeat until end






Row 18 - 22: K to end






Row 23: P to end






Row 24: K to end






Decrease:






Row 25: (K4, K2tog)* repeat to end (20 st left)






Row 26: K to end






Row 27: (K3, K2tog)* repeat to end (16 st left)






Row 28: K to end






Row 29: (K2, K2tog)* repeat to end (12 st left)






Row 30: (K1, K2tog)* repeat to end (8 st left)






Row 31: K2tog to end (4 st left)






Row 32: K2together two times, cut yarn, and thread end through remaining two stitches. Pull thread to the inside of the mitten, and weave in ends. After the second mitt, pick up two stitches next to the tail at the cuff, and create a 2-st I-cord to connect them. Use your judgment as to how long it should be.






*This wording, and this particular stitch, I got from this pattern,http://cerebral.typepad.com/cerebral_hemorrhage/files/BeanpoleBeanie.pdf. I think it is a fabulous pattern for an adult’s hat. I recommend decreasing the CO by 2 8-stitch increments."

I Missed YPF!

And maybe "Blog-free Terry" (hope you don't mind me referring to you that way, Terry!) was waiting in anticipation to see what naughtiness I was into! So I can't disappoint now, right? So here is my YPF make-up...

Where to start? OK, how about this...my FIRST shipment from my 3-month Simply Socks Yarn Company Club shipment.

It is "Ramble" by Sleeping Dragon. I didn't really receive it until a week or two ago when I discovered a delivery slip at the bottom of my mailbox! Luckily, I discovered it right in time, since it was actually a "2nd Notice" and would have been sent back shortly if I hadn't retrieved it from thePO! The Ramble colorway is much darker in the pick; in real life, it is more raspberry, royal blue and yellow. Not a gold yellow, but a yellow yellow, which makes the colorway out of my usual "me" palette. Once knit, I will proably love it, but I can't say it's a favorite at this point.

So...it took so long to get this pack, that I now have my second package! This time, it is a Spunky Eclectic sock string in "The Berry Brigade". This one is much more, my palette! I like medium to dark colorways!

And here it is, spread open for better viewing. The skein pic is closer to what it looks like. The open skein pic comes out brighter and brings out the blues, which aren't apparent when you look at it.

And what would YPF (or shall I say YPS for SUNDAY?) be without Sock that Rock?!

I have been trying hard to control the yarn expenditures. The Sock Club thing happened when I was under the impression that I had money, and it is already pre-paid. The STR order was cut from 2 Twisteds and 4 STR to just the three above: Silkie STR in "Downpour", STR light in "Hot Flash" and STR light in "Metamorphic". The Silkie is for a dear Camp Cockamamie friend who doesn't know I will be RAKing her with it! Just need to think of some other goodies to include and will mail it out to her. I'll explain all later, just can't right now in case there is a chance she is reading this.

I've been wearing my Ribby Pully like nobody's business, and the weather has been perfect for it! You'd think I would finish my other sleeveless wrap top and cardigan, but NOOOOOO...I am barely working on my Solstice Slip socks and have been focused on the Campanulas. I still love the Black Forest Fudge yarn and am not entirely convinced that the Campanulas could not look kinda cute in this striped wonderful colorway, but I decided to stop where it is at and instead start up a new pair in the Yarn Botanika Radiance colorway, "Heather". I know in my heart of hearts that this colorway is probably a big winner for the Campanulas, softer pink shades and subtle shading and blending of colors vs. the higher contrast of the BFF. So...as much as I hate toe-ups (which is a large reason why I was resisting this earlier...), I cast on and have just finished the toe increases. I'll post a pic next time so it might look more interesting at that point.

I also started to attempt the learning sock #1 from Cat's new book. I either placed my markers incorrectly when I started or did some other funky thing and am now stuck! So...a puzzle/mind-bender to attempt which means I put it aside! I have made three attempts to re-start and am starting to feel like "this is a job for Wonder-Knitter (Nartian!)"-lol! So I will proabably make HER stop what she is working on and think this one out for me! Unless I end up tearing back to where I thought the sock matched the pattern last and re-knit from there.

So...I'd love to show that pic, only I fear the progress won't go past that point and don't want to keep you hanging with all my other projects that I posted about that went into the dark UFO hole! Let's just say they look like the sample up to the heels, and are being knit it a lovely light green Elann.com Highland Wool yarn...

The Camera Disapperared...

...so I wasn't able to share the fact that it is DONE! My Ribby Pulli is complete! Despite the fact that Chloe's Ribby Pulli only required one skein of variegated yarn, mine fell short on the hood by about six inches! I reaaaaaallly wanted to order more Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Twisted", but was convinced not to. So I was being good for a change and pulled out the remaining 76 g. or so of the Cascade 220 Heather and (in the words of EZ...) pressed on! I tell ya, I had to think about EZ's "press on" encouragement through such knitterly work, cuz I really was starting to get sick of working the hood. So maybe it was good that I ran out of the Puck's Mischief Twisted and had to blend it with the Cascade heather. So here is the hood, after working the heather back in at the top. I think the proportions worked out well...

Here it is, on a real body...(goes so well with my leopard-print skirt, huh?) What can I say? I love this sweater so much that I am wearing it with EVERYTHING! Just when I thought the weather was getting too warm and nice to be able to wear this anytime soon, the A/C has been crankin' at work and the San Francisco mornings have been foggy and COLD! It truly is a comfy wear and so far, the allergies are behaving! I'm not getting overheated in it, either!

And here, the warped 'flatsy' version...

Ta-duh! Fine!

So here are some details:

Pattern: Bonne Marie Burns Ribby Pulli pattern

Version: pocket, long-sleeve, hooded version

Materials: Cascade 220 Heather (color #4006), 5 skeins (and about 25 g. left)

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Twisted in Puck's Mischief (about 18 inches left!)

Needles: Knit Picks Options, Size 4 and 5

Size: 41", but I increased the body length by about 2.5" and knit the size 35" (2nd size) sleeves, starting with 50 stitches and increasing to 72 stitches to a length of 17.5"-this shorty don't got no monkey-arms!

It is a great knit and the edge finish of the pocket and hood are absolutely clever, as is the construction of the pocket, itself! (Thanks for the extra help, Nartian!) It always helps to knit together with a friend (especially if it is Stilaholic Nartian) cuz when you get stuck, they always pull you outta that mud puddle! She and I agreed that a couple of portions of the pattern were a bit confusing, while other portions were just me!-lol! And...well, I forgot to make up for the decrease in the sleeve stitches and ended up fudging the final decrease rounds! I think Nartian found some mathematical errors anyway, so I was being lazy and didn't bother re-figuring the math. It looked good enough to me and seemed to fit fine, so no harm done (in my book, at least!).

So...besides lack of camera, I didn't get a chance to post because (among my usual PTA, PPS (Parents for Public Schools, Union, non-profit board, social and work commitments-and did I mention that Little Emperor started back to school last week?!*), I've been playing "Community Activist", fighting the establishment of a White Zone in my neighborhood! Ah, the challenges of trying to keep our neighborhoods livable in "the City" (of San Francisco!)...Exhausting both mentally and physically!

So...I'm sure I must have some STR somewhere around here to flash! Guess that would be most appropriately shared on...YPF!!!

*BTW, had to share that Mr. Little Emperor was NOT looking forward to starting school, since he doesn't like 'that Raccoon math'! Yeah, the full page of long addition and subtraction problems he got stuck doing for homework last year with the cute little cartoon Raccoon wearing a mortar board on its head illustrated on the page (perhaps to make such worksheet appear more appealing?). So far, no sign of Raccoon Math, but this is only week 2 and the first week of homework...I can only agree-I, too, hate Raccoon math! You can't believe all the begging and pleading that went on to get him to plug through all those problems! Press On!