Because I care enough to share the very best...

Oh, My! How did these get here? 


MORE STR, you may ask? Well, you see...it's like this: I was planning on getting a few more skeins and then I find out that a somewhat LYS is opening in the area and will be carrying STR-what's a STRer to do?! There the skeins were, staring me in the face! IT'S ALL Stilaholic Nartian's fault! She knows I'm weak! She knows all you have to say is 'yarn sale' and I'll follow you anywhere-even an hour drive from home! And if it's STR, well, it's all over! In her defense, (like I said...) I had been planning a STR purchase in the near future, so actually she SAVED me money-I didn't have to pay shipping on these skeins! (Gas money doesn't count, right?) So there you have it! New yarn (a Malabrigo thrown in...) from a new store, Purlescence, that just opened in Sunnyvale, CA! Looks like they are the lucky store to get distribution rights in Northern California!

Highlights of my store visit:
-I got to pet the BMFA "Bambu" yarn-oh so soft!
-I met Cookie A. of Knitter's Anonymouswho probably thinks I'm nuts, but I had to introduce myself and show her my Hedera socks which I wore there in case I saw her!
-I got to check out other BMFA yarns!
-I got to see my bud (and most talented, knowledgable), Sylvia and catch up with her! I got to meet her DD who is as tall as Sylvia says! And she is darling!
-I met a wonderfully awesome knitter who helped me with my Puck's Mischief sock heel*

*more on that, later, as my mystery is actually only 1/2 solved now!

So let me show you what my skeins look like!...

The dirty details...STR in Moonlight Revel, Carbon Dating and Rooster Rock. Malabrigo Stonechat 


My little brother was in town this weekend and look what he brought from downtown?

Can you tell this was a good weekend?! 


And look what else I need to share?

Gluttony comes in all forms! 


Finally, yes, I have been doing some sock knitting...Finally doing some Jaywalkers using Fleece Artists Merino Sock, Baltic Sea colorway...(I actually didn't like this colorway much but decided to 'go outside the box'! Glad I did cuz I think it is looking pretty awesome knit up!)

It's not always about just buying... 

"Xtreme" Knitting?

Yeah, like Xtreme PITA!-lol!

OK, first of all-yes, these socks look nothing like the colors of the beginnings of my DK socks I earlier showed you. That's cuz they're not! I couldn't find the beginnings I started last week and ended up stash diving to find more 'kid sock' yarn colors I didn't mind giving up for this project.

So, look how far I've gotten...?

Look how far I made it! 


And see what I am now showing you?...Yes, Miss Smarty-Pants me decided that I no longer needed to check between the two fabrics to make sure they weren't stuck together. Luckily, I didn't wait too much longer before checking again, yet it was long enough! At least 1 1/4"-1 1/2" to tear back! If that wasn't enough, the join ended up right at the gussett decreases! ARGH! Why not at some straight portion?

The other side that I 'neglected' to show you! 


I messed around with the two fabrics and did my best to repair the damage. I figured as long as the stitch count comes out right, I really don't care how perfect the gusset decreases are. After all, won't a kid be happy to have something warm on their feet? Who cares if the gussets lack perfection, right? So, that said...

This is as good as it gets! 


Criminal, I tell you!

So this is my assessment thusfar of this technique:

1) I am glad I am doing this project so that I can learn this technique.
2) I will probably never apply this to sock knitting
3) I don't understand what sane person would prefer this method to others-buy an extra set of needles! Don't be so cheap, damn it!
4) I could knit the pair at the same time more quickly doing them on two sets of DPNs or circs-carrying the yarn front and back wastes time and drives you nuts
5) The risk of having your socks ending up stuck together and having to waste time fixing TWO socks far outweighs any benefits
6) I'm questioning the effect on gauge when knitting in this manner-I will refrain from judging whether it has an effect or not until this set is complete
7) If the gauge is not affected (see 6 above), I could see the benefits of perhaps knitting sleeves in this manner-it would drive me less bonkers than knitting 2 sleeves in the round on 2 circs (which I am currently doing!)

Th-th-th-that's All Folks!

Socktoberfest is Here!

I'm so shameful. Here it is, October 4, I posted on the 2nd and all I could do is whine and obsess and forget to mention Socktober fest altogether!

Well, I'm ready to Socktober Fest! Here are Lolly's questions...

When did you start making socks? After telling a overly zealous saleswoman at a LYS (quite curtly, at that) that I had no interest in doing anything in that small of a gauge (I only do large gauge!) when she gushed about Koigu and how her dream was to have a whole drawer full of Koigu socks by Christmas (hmm...this must have been Fall of 2002...). I bought my first sock pattern and Koigu KPPPM at the following Stitches West in February 2003! Shortly thereafter, the journey began!

Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? 100% self-taught; first via the Ann Norling pattern I bought at SW (basic cuff-down), then via on-line tutorials and other patterns where I learned 2 on 2 and all the details. One gal at a LYS told me she taught herself Magic Loop by looking at the cover of the Magic Loop book and said it was very instinctual. I looked at the cover and did the same.

What was your first pair? Ann Norling basic in Koigu PPPM. How have they "held up" over time? They are still worn by me and are wonderfully soft.

What would you have done differently? I was told by a woman at Foxy Knits (at SW; they sell only Koigu)that though the yarn called for size 3 needles, she preferred knitting her socks on size 2 1/2. Me being 'so smart' decided on my first sock that since: 1)I had gone down a 1/2 needle size already and 2) I have chubby, wide feet...that I should not decrease down to my original 64 stitches and instead only go down to 66 or 68...! Needless to say, my "intellegence" resulted in my first sock being a bit too loose. Luckily, I decided to knit my second sock properly, rather than have both too wide...So one sock is larger than the other!

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? Definitely Socks that Rock (STR)! Also, "Seduction", which (like STR)is another Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn, only a merino/tencel blend. Lovely to work with, looks wonderful and washed up well...but, IMHO, at around $32 a skein (vs. $19 for STR), too luxurious to again use for socks! Love Fleece Artist Merino sock and was pleasantly surprised at how nice the Jawoll felt to knit with! Also love Zara and Print 2000 for heavier wt. socks! Washes up like a dream!

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? Haven't tried crochet yet, and don't really much have the desire to. I mostly prefer DPNs, but will use whatever needles are around and do own the tiny sized circs, too. HATE 2 on 2 circs-just don't like having to keep untwisting the two strands of yarn!

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) So far, I definitely lean towards flap.

How many pairs have you made? 13 pair that I can recall, and have around 3-5 singles that I can think of.

And here is my extra comment...
What am I currently doing for Socktoberfest? Well, at this point, I thought it would be good to try and finish at least one single sock to make a complete pair. Second, I was inspired by the Extreme Knitting article in Knitty and will attempt 2 pairs of toddler socks (if I am able to master this Double Knitting technique) to donate to CIC or some other charity.

This is as far as I've gotten...Just figuring out the cast-on took a bit of time for me! YIKES! Let's see if I can even get this monster joined!

Now to join in the round... 

I know...I keep harping on this...

I've progressed on my Carnations and Cranberries socks in the Apple Laine Apple Pie yarn. I keep finding funking portions of slubs that come up, but I continued to knit. I'm still not convinced that this particular skein isn't some mill end, but it certainly does knit up nicely and feels so soft!

Here's a 'slub' that I was talking about...

The look of a 'slub'... 


And another...
Still obsessing 


Maybe you can see it as stitches on the needle...am I just being obsessive? Probably, huh...
10th and 12th stitches in...do you see what I see? 


This pic is as good as I could get to show the slubbies sticking out in the knit fabric. Subtle, but still there...
Follow the points of the needles (lower right and left) 
src='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/151/6467/400/DSCF0669.jpg'>

This is a bit lighter...maybe you can see the chubby stitches better?
A bit better...? 

At Your Request! A Full Service KPPPM Show!

So I have publically admitted having a Koigu PPPM sub-stash of yarn, so I guess I will reveal it. I think this is about the rest of it, save a couple of colors currently living as "WIPs"-or would it be "UFOs"...? At any rate, those will get posted eventually!

Following are the wound skeins-can you see the various color schemes I was working in when I chose thees? Can you also now understand *why* I needed to purchase the pinkish and periwinkle/bluish skeins? I *had* to broaden my Koigu palette, don't you think? The far left color is actually not as black as it looks. Kind of more of a burgundy-black look to it.

And more Koigu PPPM! 


And more Koigu with a splash of Shelridge Farms and Twisted Sister mixed in. Shelridge Farms is the greyed-out teal mix in the upper right hand corner. Twisted Sisters are the two far-right blue, greenish-brown mix. Definitely a couldn't pass-up purchase!

Koigu, Twisted Sisters and Shelridge Farms 

Slow progress

Well, I wanted to show off my new Fleece Artist Merino Sock yarn, but decided to wait until I get another order (ALSO from Little Knits) so that maybe it could be disguised as one order and I won't look as much like the obsessive yarn acquistion agent that I am!

So instead, I wanted to show you the progress on my Carnations and Cranberries socks, only I am right now-literally (my computer can be slowwwwww...) tinking back a few rows! Don't you just hate when your DPN comes out and in an attempt to place the stitches back on, some stitch somehow, somewhere, someway gets messed up? So then you frog back to a place where you can safely get the stitches back on the needleS, struggle to figure where you left off, start back up on the knitting and again find yourself lost? So then you start tinking backwards still hoping to solve this whole problem and get right back on track...??Then the sock becomes a UFO because sometimes you just don't want to be bothered?! Well, I'm right about at that point before the sock goes into the UFO pile...There is still hope, but options are running thin and I am refusing to completely frog at this point.

Hmmmm...maybe I should just dig out some more of my Koigu PPPM stash and call it a night!

Just Knot Sure...

Ha ha! Get it? "knot"=not? I'm so witty today, aren't I? Well, not really, but it was my lame attempt at having a more interesting subject line. I mean, I read all these other blogs that are so witty and I think, "Why isn't my writing entertaining?" Not even as much as the others, but at least entertaining? Well, I just have to continue relying on people with this mutual obsessive knitting disorder who will find this interesting for the sheer fact that there is knitting content in it!

OK, now to further illustrate my whining about the Apple Pie yarn from Apple Laine. Here is a photo of where the knot was, and how far out it was to the splice that followed approximately 15-18 yds later...(Ball in upper left, first portion of skein...ball below, the 15-18 yds...splice is shown in yarn between tiny ball in lower corner and larger ball in upper right hand corner...



I will tell you this-the splice really seems quite strong. But you have to admit it is ugly and would have to be strategically hidden or trimmed or somthing!



BTW, after inspection of the other two Apple Pie skeins (Pastel Petals colorway...), my initial assessment is there are no knots and I didn't detect any joins. I will have to wind the skein to confirm this, but so far, so good...

To Prove I'm not always a Yarn Snob...

If you saw my earlier pic of one of the colorways of Koigu PPPM I had to buy at the last Greenwich Yarn sale, here is it's "partner in crime"--the light blueish-purple skeins! Also, here are some other KPPPM I purchased a while back...just to reiforce that I don't need *more* Koigu! (This is not my complete "KPPPM Stash"-yes, another sock yarn sub-stash!)

Oh-and the fluffy purply-blue (to the left of the blue KPPPM) is the other half of my Northern Sunshine Designs order for Apple Laine's Apple Pie yarn, shown in "Pastel Petals". Is it not gorgeous? I love the colors!

And to prove I'm easy, just look--it doesn't have to be handpainted pricey yarn for me to buy it! It just has to be attractive sock yarn or cheap sock yarn or...BOTH! Observe my latest stash enhancements from Knitpicks...Gloss, Dancing and Essential Tweed herein represented. I'm sick. I know it. That's all I'll say...

Yeah! More new sock yarn!

What would life be like without new sock yarns to try? I have purchased patterns from Northern Sunshine Designs, and now they are carrying Apple Laine yarn! Had to try, no? This is a wool, silk, mohair (uck-I can't breath the stuff in normally...), nylon blend. I purchased 4 skeins-enough for 2 pairs of socks! This is the Arizona colorway and I'm knitting them using the "Carnations and Cranberries" pattern. So far, I'm quite happy with the way this yarn knits up and the soft feel and the sheen of it!

The bad side: (now, I know knots happen in skeins...) BUT...one of my 2 skeins had a knot almost 1/2 way through...then about another 15 yards down, a splice! The splice seems strong enough, but has a bit of a 'shaggy' edge to it. I'm still contemplating the course of action to take. Probably will cut the splice out and join the two broken ends.

The other skein has no knots, but I so far have (twice since starting this pair) come a cross some slightly thicker portions that feel suspiciously like really good splices...I kept knitting and am confident they will stay and that I don't need to cut and splice on my own. So basically, I like this yarn and the colors, but will have to see how the other two skeins are and decide what my final verdict is regarding whether I'd buy more...


Sometimes it's easier just to throw the stuff onto a scanner bed; amazing the pics you can get just scanning vs. using a digital camera! I adjusted the color a tad; in real-life, the yarn color is a bit lighter than how it comes out as shown in the background sock...but then again, "it all depends on your individual computer monitor, blah, blah, blah..."

Puck's Mischief and a sewn project!

Earlier I posted about my new Puck's Mischief STR colorway. I couldn't resist and had to start knitting it up, so here is how far I've gotten
On the left is a toe-up sock knit in the STR Citrine colorway. The other two are my toe-up "Jasper" socks in...PUCK'S MISCHIEF! I started on one heel and am not sure a) if I am doing it correctly and b) if I actually like this type of heel...I may have to examine other toe-up heels to consider because I don't think I'm sold on this one...I guess that means I'm at a stand-still for now! RATS!

OH! and remember how I'm getting re-interested in sewing? Here is what I recently made for my spoiled Only Emperor Child
I made the shorts, too. Guess what The Mighty Emperor told me? They need to be SOFTER! SOFTER! (I think the kid is thinking fleece for his oh-so-tender skin!) Well, I'm proud I finished it, despite the fact that I still need to put snaps or buttons on the top!

This weekend's project...

Well, I noticed this pattern at Simply Socks Yarn Company (http://simplysockyarn.com) and bought two skeins of "Gramercy" to complete them. I didn't realize that the Gramercy is a DK wt, vs. Chelsea which is a sport weight. Luckily, I may be able to barely SQUEEZE a pair out of the 2 skeins and if I'd realized earlier, I would have worked the cuffs about 1/2" - 1" shorter...Oh well...This is the first time for me doing this type of heel. At this point, I still prefer heel flaps. Maybe after the second sock, I'll feel differently. As for the pattern, it has been interesting to do, but I've definitely had to concentrate on it. It is an 8 row repeat and while knitting the cuff, you have to shift the beginning and end stitches alternately every 4th row or so. This may be a cinch for advanced knitters, but I found that this is not the type of pattern to start and set down for too long cuz you could easily loose track of your place! In fact, I did! I started this a while ago and over the weekend; while trying to pick back up where I left off, I decided that the prudent thing was to rip out the 1 1/2" or so that I had created and start again from the beginning. This is as much as I was able to complete over the weekend...




Lily Chin "Chelsea Cabled Socks"-only I didn't use "Chelsea"... 

I guess I've never confessed to the fact that I also subscribe to the Yarn of the Month Club. It's fun to get the yarn to play with, but quite frankly, I haven't done much swatching and am starting to come to the conclusion that it is not for me. I just don't have the time to play with the yarn and design a bunch of stuff. I did learn of a stretchy, fuzzy, fine yarn from Mango Moon called "Capelli", which I think would be an EXCELLENT "Kidsilk" substitue for those of us that are allergic to mohair, so that's one way the club has been great... But here's the shipment I just got...


My recent "Yarn of the Month" club shipment... 

And yes, more true confessions...I hit the end of the Greenwich Yarn sale-literally! My friend and I were there the hour of the last day of the sale and they even stayed open an hour longer for us! Now, if it wasn't enough that I purchased more sale yarn than I should have, I definitely did NOT have to throw the 4 skeins of Koigu in with the haul-but I did. And here are two of the four I purchased. The other two are a bluish color and maybe one day I will dig it out and it will be posted...but for now, my latest Koigu PPPM...


Always adding to my stash... 

Spread out in all it's glory...just to give a better idea of all the wonderful colors! 

My new "Puck's Mischief" yarn. (shown on earlier card pic as #4...) 

What AM I working on????

It feels like I haven't done ANYTHING, though I've spent most of my knitting time working on a second sock...

Well, I have almost finished seaming my too-large Jo Sharp vest, but I think I'm going to go ahead and weave in the ends and see if I'll wear it as-is. If I don't, either my sister gets it or I will rip out the back panel and knit it a few inches narrower!

I've been focusing on finishing the vest and getting the second sock done--actually, the Blue Moon Merino/Tencel "Retro Rib" sock's mate! No pic, since really, it looks much like the other that was posted a while back!

I took advantage of the $1.97/skein sale that KnitPicks had on the Main Line yarn and am trying real hard not to start up the planned project YET! I will try and finish the vest weaving/re-working (of one seam) and the sock. Believe me, there are still other single socks awaiting their mates, as well! I must admit that the main factor in not having started the Main Line project is that I don't have any size 7 circulars free at this time! And yes, the temptation exists to rip one of my projects off one of my size 7 circs, but then I need to find the stiches holder-and really, I just need to finish the quickie shrug that is currently occupying them!

My other big deal is my renewed interest in sewing clothes! Is it because I am short and chubby and realize I can custom make stuff for myself? Is it because perhaps my picky 6 yo will be more likely to wear a "Thomas the Tank Engine" pajama vs. the lovely knit sweater that he has so far refused to wear? (OK, he DID appease me by putting the sweater on for a good 5 minutes-only enough time for me to get a few pics of him in it...) At any rate, production for the past weekend? The cutting of the "Thomas" flannel pajamas-to-be...Now, if I can just get my machine back in working order...

More about the Rockin' Sock Club...

Part of my last kit contained this card, announcing their second contest for us members. We were shown all but one of the new colorways in this last batch and given clues as to the 'theme', which was "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

I submitted "Puck's Mischief" and was thrilled to learn that my entry was among one of the winners! YAY!!! I get my choice of a skein (fingering or med. wt) of one of the new colors! Can I not love this club more? Hardly. As if all the goodies that came with membership aren't enough, I have actually won an additional skein of STR! Too cool!

HAPPY, HAPPY! JOY! JOY!!!


The missing item... 

OK, to avoid confusion for anyone trying to figure out the actual names of the above colorways, here they are, in order as shown: 1) Peaseblossoom, 2) Love in Idleness, 3) Nodding Violet, 4) Puck's Mischief, 5) Moonlight Revels, 6) Titania, 7) Midsummer Night.

My Jo Sharp vest...

All the pieces were completed and ready for seaming! But...I seamed two sections and putting the vest up to me it looks like I maybe should have done the smaller size back...My shoulders are narrow and this vest will hang over them further than I wanted, but guess what? I'm going to live with it!

Two seams to go and I can finish weaving in and see if I need to re-evaluate my decision not to re-knit...


Front-done! 


All pieces are knit! 

Something I just did...kinda fun

You Are 22 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Inspiration abounds...

Because I had to share... 

Have you ever checked out the Super eggplant blog? Well, this is the person who made up the Java-a-go-go coffee cup sleeve. She also sews some awefully cute stuff and I just HAD to go to J-town and check out the Kinokuniya Bookstore and see what the Japanese Sewing book offerings were.

I didn't find the book she has, but I found a couple others. Of course, I can't read Japanese, but I decided it is still fun to have the ideas and pretend I could pull some of this stuff off! Unfortunately, I think that i'm supposed to be good at pattern drafting in order to execute alot of the lovely fashions shown in these books/magazines. And no, I have yet to acquire pattern-drafting skills beyond the simplest ones I've done for quilting...

And how about the cute purse?!

What I love about the Rockin' Sock Club...

My latest Socks that Rock Club Kit!!! 

You know, Blue Moon Fiber Arts is one awesome place! The Rockin' Sock Club is awesome not only because their sock yarn is wonderful, but...
LOOK WHAT THEY SENT?! I first joined for 1/3 year, and then upgraded to the full year. I STILL got the binder and extras! Hoorah for Blue Moon Fiber Arts! (Tina, Kaci and the rest, to be exact!) They could have easily not given me the extras, since I didn't initially sign up for the full year to begin with, but they took care of us late-comers!

So the treat of this shipment? Of course, the mini-skein and newsletter, but I also got a cute STR tatoo! I'll have to save it for the right occasion!

WOW! Long time, no post...

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. Well, I have been busy with the MIL in town and a nice side trip down to San Diego!

Since the last post, I made a felted bowl for a friend's birthday--no pic of the finished piece! I did get a pic of the 'before'. BUT...I did receive my THIRD Socks that Rock kit! The pattern is "Hippie Crunchy"...soon to post pics!