Skipping 'cause Hopscotch is done

Isn't this a lovely thing? It's a close-up of the stitching on my Hopscotch socks, which I started back in May, but languished while I was making the Lady Jane vest, the Aeolian shawl and the Dianna sisters. Luckily, I had some time at work where I had to wait on tedious file publishing and uploadings to occur, so I had time to work on the second sock last week.



And yay, I finished it. My fine son Beccano took pictures of it, which look fine in PhotoShop but have a distinctly bluish tinge when uploaded. Oh well, as we know, I am not a graphics person. Very good with words, editing and vocal talent, though.


Interesting how they pooled differently, huh. I did the heel in some relative of the eye of partridge, and it's OK but not so great. I do love the slip-stitch pattern, though, and will use it again. I just have to remember to go up in needle size! These were done on size 2 (the smaller size 2, 2.75 cm). And to remind you, the yarn is Lorna's Laces in the Gone Fishin' colorway. The skeins varied slightly, with one a little more vibrant in the orange than the other, but not enough to cause a problem. I really think it is a fun colorway--very different. Actually, I adore these socks. I predict they will be among my favorites. I can't believe I took so long to finish them!
Of course, I started a new pair of socks. I never go a moment without socks on the needles. I will have photos of them later in the week, so I will leave them a mystery for now. Oooh, mystery.

Dianna 2 is moving along. Work has been rather intense so it isn't zooming, but progress is being made. I am going to be slowed down by another thing, too.

This afternoon Deana and I took a beading class at the Sea of Beads shop. It was a simple peyote stitch bracelet. It's fun, and now, with some instruction, I know what I am doing on it. I'm making one in green and blue, in a double stitch. Photos of that will come, too. The bracelet will be a great thing to wear to football games, since it's Beccano's school colors. I also got beads to make one in Tuba Boy's new college colors, which are yellow and black. (Sniff, my boy starts college next weekend.)

I bought a bunch of beads, mostly because there was a sale where tubes were a dollar each rather than nearly four dollars. I got beads to make the one Deana made, which has bugle beads and teeny weeny delicas in it, too. I don't think beading will replace knitting, but it's a fun alternative.

Elsewise, all is well. I had some nice times at the yarn shop, and it was good to relax with friends after a hard week at work. Things are not bad at all! Just keep your fingers crossed that they make my job permanent!

Doesn't Look Like Much...

It doesn't appear that much knitting has gotten done since I last posted, but there were two days in which I worked so much that practically NO knitting got done. It's feast or famine at the ole job these days. But really, working on three socks at once means none of them go really quickly.



Above is one of the Air Raid socks (the other one is hiding). Doing socks two at a time seems to go more slowly, to me. So much adjusting of needles. And invariably I get to the heel when I don't have any handy instructions to refer to, so I pick up gusset stitches at the wrong spot and end up with some gusset stitches on the instep half of the needles. That happened again, so I tried to use another needle as a holder to get back on track, and ended up with each sock separated! I re-joined the conjoined twins and am back on track.

The color in the above photo is more accurate than the other one I posted. This is VERY bright yarn! Feels great, though. I think I like Panda Silk best, but Panda Cotton is very nice, too.



Here's how far I am on the Hopscotch socks on size 2 needles. I am getting by just knitting the foot stitches tightly, rather than doing size 0 on the foot and 2 on the instep. This is mainly because I can't find my metal size 0 KnitPicks needle, and the wooden one broke. I am ordering another one. I don't mind paying--I broke it myself. I think this is one darned handsome sock! It takes a while to do all the slip stitches, but sure is worth it for the effect. I think it's stunning.



And here is a close-up of the stitch pattern. It looks so nice. I have always loved this pattern, and making it a rib by adding the purl after each repeat is a very nice touch. Such a simple but effective technique!


What's Next?

I had intended to work on the entrelac shawl next, but there are two reasons it will need to wait.

First, my LYS is having a Knit-a-long of the Aeolian shawl from the current Knitty, and to support them, I ordered yarn to make it along with them. I'm actually going to use a colorway I already have, and save what I buy for something else, but I want to support the shop in these trying times, and they don't have any other yarn I need right now. Alla, the Lace Queen, made a sample and it looks lovely. Nupps abound. Her shawl is interesting because she was using scrap yarn and ran out one row before the bind off. She found a mohair that exactly matched her main yarn, and it actually looks on purpose--very pretty!

Second, I am doing a barter with a friend from church. She is making a quilt/wall hanging to put in our media room (she's done with the top), and I said I'd make a vest for her. I hadn't figured out a pattern, but now I have. WHOA did I find a cute pattern on Ravelry yesterday! It's called the Lady Jane Vest, and it's got all sorts of features I would enjoy making. Cables, ribs, lack of seams...yeah. Look it up on Ravelry--there are a couple of photos that really show how nice it looks on different people there. I am going to make hers out of KnitPicks Comfy, but have not decided whether to shell out the bucks for the fancy cotton/seacell yarn called for in the pattern or just use the Comfy. (A few minutes have passed.) I know the answer to that dilemma now. I just found the FibraNatura Mermaid yarn called for in the pattern on sale for $7 a skein rather than more like $11, so I am getting the cotton, silk and seacell stuff for me! I just ordered it in purple. I also got a weird sock yarn and a second skein of the colorway I already have one of in Noro Kureyon sock so I can make a shawl.

I haven't ordered yarn in so long that it feels very decadent.

OK, must head to the LYS. Thanks for all your recent comments!

Flit 'n Float Finale

We have photos (sort of) of the Flit 'n Float scarf to enjoy. It is very hard to photograph an entire scarf, and I was not having luck with my artsy shots. But, you'll get the idea.


This is the best view, I guess. It is quite pretty and feels very nice to the touch. I am a bit disappointed that it still loves to curl in. Stockinette. What did I expect? I'm not going to starch it! And it looks fine on, even curling.

This close-up shows a better view of the ruffle. At least I got the picot cast off to lay down and behave a bit.
I took some artistic photos in a tree with back lighting. These colors are very true, and it looks pretty with the sun coming through.

While this one ends up over-exposed to the max, you can really see the lace patterning, so I like it for that reason. I don't know if this is a keeper or a gift. It took 4 ounces of my yarn, which means I still have over half the skein left. That is enough for socks or another nice scarf! Of course, now I wish I had made a triangular shawl with it. Oh well. Glad I tried this project since I know the designer!

Both pairs of socks are moving along nicely. The Hopscotch ones now fit just fine and I am close to the heel, and I am ready to do the heel on the Air Raid pair. They are going to be short, for summer, so I am doing the heel at around 4".

Off to the yarn shop as soon as the air conditioning repair guy leaves. Just what we need with my new job not panning out very well--more expenses, sigh. I wish there were a way to earn enough to make a dent in the expenses with knitting, but no one is making a living with their knitting except the Yarn Harlot! Everyone else has "real" jobs or is retired! Or is lucky enough to have a spouse who makes enough to live on.

Hopscotch and Air Raid Sockliness

Most of my weekend knitting involved socks. But, I did stick Flit 'n Float on wires and managed to fit it on the bed to block it. It's still drying, so maybe tomorrow I'll have that Finished Object photo of that. It looks so much better already--I have to say that its finished state resembled some kind of tropical constrictor snake or something. A big ole green stockinette tube. I sure hope it stays flat after it dries! And I hope the ruffles look OK. The bind-off turned up rather unattractively, but I think I smooshed it down well enough.

Above you see a surprise project. I haven't had two pairs of socks on the needles in over a year. But, the other socks take a bit of concentration, plus, as I mentioned in the last entry, I decided I need more "summer" socks. So, this very bright colorway of Panda Cotton jumped off the shelf to become Fiery Air Raid. The yarn is actually a LOT brighter than it came out. I could make it either so bright it hurt your eyes, or this overly tame color correction. Maybe the next time I photograph it I'll get it in natural light and it will look right.

You can't see the little "bombs" in the sock, but they are there. When I have more done, I'll stick it on a foot! The pattern is just great. Lots of fun and easy to remember. Yay to Emily!

I must report that I love this yarn. I love bamboo, and mixing it with cotton is just the best. The elastic isn't as pronounced as in some other yarns with it, so I am happy as can be. The yarn does unravel a bit (partly my fault because I had to rewind one ball after I'd started, which twisted it). But, mostly it's a dream to work on, and I know I'll enjoy these under my sneakers and other summer shoes.


And here's yarn I am loving, but a sadly doomed sock. I have been using my 00s for my last couple of socks. As you recall the last ones came out a bit large. These are the opposite. And you can guess why--it's a slip stitch pattern, and those do tend to draw in. I could get these on, but even on the foot part, it was "hugging" a bit too much. I'd increased the body to 72 stitches, but that hadn't helped. So...I have started the second sock on large size 1s, and I think I can have 64 stitches. The pattern suggests maybe doing the heels and toes in a smaller needle, and that makes sense to me. I can haul out a 0 for those parts.

I did like how the colors were moving around (partly caused by me trying to knit more loosely toward the end there). I have a feeling the revised version will be more like the usual more stripey effect I tend to get with Lorna's Laces colors, but I think that is more the effect I'd hoped for, anyway. Again, the color is Gone Fishin', which was the color of the month in September of last year. I have noticed that one skein's reddish color is a bit more vibrant than the other, but I don't think this will be a problem. I don't know how the LL gang manages to get them as close as they do, with the quantities they make!

OK, more knitting today--until my job picks up or I get another one, I'll be making more progress than usual. I'll also move along on the vest.

Bridget Is a Bridget!

After a lot of whining, here is the finished Bridget cardigan.


I am relieved that she came out fitting so well. I'm not sure if I really like how the bottom bells out, but that's what the pattern told it to do! I do like how the shawl collar looks (after reattaching it three times, I am especially glad it came out good), and I like the sleeve length.



I love how the yarn is interesting but not distracting. That is what I wanted. I think this will go with almost anything I want to wear it with! Quite the contrast from that Kauni cardigan, huh?



Everyone who sees it gets all excited about the buttons. Invariably they ask how I got them to match so well, so I get to gleefully recount how Georgia made them to match exactly, and I get to brag about how talented she is, a thing I have been doing for nearly 30 years. Wow, I'm old. It is amazing what polymer clay can do in the hands of someone with some training. These do NOT look like the clunky beads I have made!



And one more parting shot so you can see the back. And my extremely red nails. I am really looking forward to wearing this cardigan often in the fall. Actually, a cool front has come through (yay, 'cause our upstairs air conditioning unit went out), so I think I will wear it to dinner at friends' house tonight! It will get down into the 50s, I think (sorry Trine/Yvonne/Umme and any other Europeans/Asians, I am a crummy temperature converter).

I actually finished the Flit 'n Float scarf today at the LYS while I helped Sue Ellyn on her first sock (with interesting bumps in that process!). I will get to blocking on that one as soon as I don't have a headache. So, soon there will be another pretty thing to decorate the blog with! By the way, Sue Ellyn makes wonderful soap and gave me some minty/rosemary stuff that I can't stop sniffing!

I keep wanting to wear my Converse sneakers but not wear wool socks. This means I need to make more summer socks. I have some Panda Cotton staring at me, so I may be alternating working on socks with that and continuing on my Hopscotch socks (photo to come on that).

What pattern will I use? I may try this one that Emily just posted, called Air Raid Socks. They are short and airy, so would be good for summer. I had thought of using the left-over yarn from Flit 'n Float to make them, but I weighed what I have left, and there is 4 ounces on the main skein, plus quite a bit on the second skein (remember, the yarn came with over 800 yards), so I think I can make a big pair with the sumptuous green Nyoni.

Sigh, so much to knit. But that is not a bad problem to have!