Finally, Spring Rib Socks! And Extreme Close-Ups!

Our first extreme close-up is of the socks I just finished. The pattern is called Spring Rib socks, and I got it on Ravelry. The close-up shows how beautiful the Creatively Dyed Luxury yarn is (and I have already gone on and on about it in previous posts, so I'll stop). It also sort of shows the cable. It's got a seed stitch border, then a little cable. It's on the outside of each sock.

I will say that I modified the pattern a lot. So much so that the second sock is just one of my standard top-down socks with the cable pattern placed on the side to match the other one. I was too lazy to repeat the complex sizing things I did to the first one. And heck, you can hardly tell the difference.

Here's one of the socks in a more normal view. I made them rather short, because there is only 360 yards in a skein of this yarn, I guess so it wouldn't cost too much, given its content. In the end, I had quite a bit left over. I could have made them at least two inches longer and still had leftovers! I guess these will make pretty additions to my mitered square blanket that I haven't worked on in a long time (but a bunch of my knitting friends started their own versions recently, making it hard to resist working on it--but I want to wait until I got more samples).

I did a better job grafting the toe on the second sock, but I think I pulled the yarn too tight, due to using the knitting needle method of grafting. I'll keep working at it. At least this one looks "proper."
This extreme close-up is the sock I started today. I just don't feel like doing a complex pattern, as I mentioned yesterday. This tweed yarn has a base of white with a blue strand, which has been overdyed with black, red, orange, purple and pinkish. It's Lana Grossa Meilenweit Colortweed that I got at the LYS some time ago. Very happy, I'd say.

The funny thing is that after the Creatively Dyed socks, this yarn felt all scratchy and rough. I haven't knit with "normal" sock yarn in so long I forgot what it felt like! Actually, this is sort of scratchy for sock yarn. I figure that means it will wear well and last a long time. Fun knitting, not knitting that is a test of skill and intellect. Everyone needs that sometimes!


This extreme close-up is the little hat from yesterday up close, since EMJH had asked to see what the topknot looked like. If you look at the original, you can see the individual hairs on the Blossom. It really is a cute little design element, where it gets small then gets bigger again. Easy! the last two rows are in the fuzzy yarn, which makes the flower effect.

Undercover Escalator Sock Is Art

Undercover Escalator Sock
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I tried to write this weekend, honest I did. Life kept getting in the way (concerts, long drives in the countryside, a fascinating ordination ceremony of a young Unitarian Universalist minister...), coupled by my intense desire to work on my cable lace top. But, I did take the Undercover Escalator Socks on a field trip this weekend. It went to my kids' high school band concert, which was held in the really nice Performing Arts Center for our school district. There was also a really fun exhibit of art pieces by students in the district (Beccano had one exhibited in middle school).


So, since I hadn't taken any photos of the current sock in progress, I took some on the exhibits, to see if it was invisible or not. It wasn't. The view you first see here is a bit of the side with a scupture, but you can also see the center twisted stitches. It's a little blurry, but hey, I am trying to maintain some mystery about the design. But, don't you think the colors are weird? Well, I do. Still, I am "soldiering" on (ha ha, a camouflage joke) and have put a double seed stitch section above what you see here. We'll see how it all comes out. The second view features some lovely devils and a better view of the front of the sock. You can see the YOs escalating in a perky-esque manner.

On the other hand, I am very happy with how the Red Lace and Cable top is coming out. I am really enjoying doing the bottom part, which is in the round and quite fun. It's a relief to see that indeed, the weight of the bottom part does stretch out the top part, which was looking mighty skinny at first. The lace pattern has a tendency to compress itself, like an overly complicated ribbing. Luckily, the cotton yarn pulls the sweater down. I have a feeling this pattern would not be very successful in wool, but would probably be very nice in bamboo, with its drape. I am so tired after work lately that I can't knit much, but I think it won't be too much longer before I am finished.

That's it for my knitting progress. I did get a new book, the one on knitting with thin yarns. Of course I am blanking on the title. Mostly I am doing really well in cutting down on my yarn and book purchases, thanks to having a lot less money these days. I do have plenty of stash, so I am not suffering, honest! I have some fun projects I want to do with yarn I already have. it is helping me a LOT that the LYS owner has stopped ordering so much yarn, so I am less tempted when I go in there, too.

So, all's well. I just gots to find more time to post.

Still Here, Still Knitting

redsweater
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I didn't post much this week because I have been feeling sick and didn't have much energy to do much other than sit and...knit (of course!). I only have ten more lace rounds on the Slimy...er...Shiny Green Sweater, then a ribbed edge and that one will be done! So, look for a photo this weekend, I hope (we ARE doing a lot of home improvements to our "new" media room this weekend, so I may not knit much, but I will finally have a knitting corner again, so my stash will look pretty). I have enjoyed doing the lace section of this sweater immensely--it has completely made up for the less-than-fun boring stockinette sleeves and body.

PHOTO: Ooh, I found the Rebecca Magazine site and here is a link to the page with a photo of Slimy Green Sweater. It is the first one on the left. Imagine it in grass green.

Today's photo is the sweater I am wearing today, only it looks a lot better on me today, with reddish hair and about 15 fewer pounds. Thank goodness for all that exercise and dieting of the past year and a half!

The sweater is one we had a sample of in the LYS, but in a black cotton. I made it in March 2006 with Gedifra TopSoft, which is a microfiber blend that feels really nice and soft, but, sigh, snags if you look at it funny (like Slimy Green will). It's a Berocco pattern and I have to say is a WEIRD one. The decorative eyelet and cable edgings to the neck, side vents and sleeve (insertion) were really not fun to knit--very counter-intuitive, but they look neat and interesting on the finished product.

Another not -fun aspect was way too much boring plain knitting than I like, plus not being circular (I must note that my seams are beautiful, though I did a couple of them more than once to get them perfect.) I made the arms a little longer than the ones in the instructions. Note to self: don't do that again. The arms hit an inch below my elbow, which makes the sleeves curl up.

Nonetheless, I enjoy wearing this one a lot. Today I have a black tank top under it, and my strapless bra so I won't be so concerned about it sliding off my shoulders. I need to get little snaps or something to keep it up. But, I won't.

Another thing about this one is that, at list price, it would have cost over $100 to make! I am thankful for a discount AND the generosity of the people who gave me a gift certificate for my birthday that allowed me to get it as a gift! The moment I got the certificate, I ran over and grabbed my balls of yarn--I knew what I wanted!

Arm Warmers

Arm Warmers
Originally uploaded by sunasak.

This is a practical item knit from necessity, not for art. But they did come out rather pretty, if a bit garish. It is so cold where I work that my arms get all freezing, and I have no idea how anyone wears short-sleeved shirts. So, I decided to make myself some arm warmers.

I chose Dashing off of knitty.com, because it was long and simple, but not totally boring. It was nice to knit. Of course, I forgot to knit the second one with the cables going the opposite way, so there will be no right and left one, but big whoop.

Using what I think it more of a sport or DK weight yarn than what the pattern calls for, this is a little snug, but nice. The yarn is one I got sent as part of a sock of the month club, but I hate making socks on thick yarn, so I knew I wouldn't use it for that. The colors are really pretty in person (not in the photo, it's true) and are shades of turquoise, one shade of purple, and white.

A sign that they are a fine project is that the Older Boy informed me that he would "totally wear those" if I made them black with a little lime green for an accent. Oh yeah, I'll start that right away.

If these work, I may make others. I'd like to use that leafe pattern from the Fiesta Sweater in the leftover yarn from that, combined with a 2X2 rib on a pair. That would look nice alone or with the sweater. And there are a couple of other nice online patterns to try. On Flickr, there's a picture of the other side of this.