Zeneedle...needleart as life

Mystery Solved

As soon as the final clue of the Socktober Mystery Sock was published I finished up the toes of my pair. I love them because they are warm, cozy, and very necessary for the cold weather. It was wonderful to have them on my feet all weekend and they made me feel happy, happy.

Kim dyes the most beautiful yarns and I love the depth of color in Pussywillow. It is a soft mix of browns,golds, tans, grays and soft greens. (They really are grayish green.) On-line the colors show up better in a picture of the skein than in the stitches of the sock. The yarn is durable and nicely warm…perfect for a special pair of socks. 

The Sunset colored yarn from Judy is also durable and beautifully dyed.  I love wearing sunshine on my feet in the dead of winter and hope to have this pair finished by the end of the month.  Unlike the first pair, in which I knit both socks at once, I'll knit this pair in the old fashioned way...first sock then the second. I only had one set of the square needles (which I like very much) and didn't want to splurge on a second pair. Second Sock Syndrome has never been a problem because I love wearing my socks too much.  Sock Mojo may or may not hang around through the end of the year because he heard I had a pair of gloves in the planning.  But, I'm hopefully he won't desert me completely. 

And Not a Sweater in Sight

Sweater avoidance continued throughout the weekend and is still on active duty. All the pieces are finished, blocked and sitting in a pile o' remnants. This poor project will only get attention if it starts a revolution and causes trouble with the other projects. My resolve to finish has evaporated.

Instead my attention has been drawn away by a carnival of color, the Zauberball sock! The yarn is not quiet and, for the most part, is constantly in party mode.  What's not to love about a yarn that loves to show its true colors and is always ready to bring a smile, even a belly laugh, your way? You gotta love a party in a ball.

 

Several of you wanted a report on the square knitting needles and I'm here to tell they are very, very nice. They are light weight, especially for metal, have an excellent point and are comfortable to hold and use. My theory on why they work, abating tired hands and abating repetitive injury, is because they don't move around in your fingers. With a round needle, your hands work constantly to hold on as the needle moves (imperceptible round and round), but with a flat side your fingers stay in one place and there is no need to keep a grip the needle. Saturday I knit for several hours and, instead of the usual claw-like feeling from knitting for that long, my hands felt very relaxed and comfortable. I'm sold!

Now, after you've ooohed and aahed over the fun sock, can you please tell me the best way to get me sweater knit on again?

Maelstrom Moment

This picture is truest to the color.

Maelstrom caught me in its current and I had a swirling good time. This sock is as much fun to wear as it is to knit.

The yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Mediumweight, color Coral. It worked well for the leg and heel as my instep is high, but the foot would have been too large had I not decreased down to 58 stitches after the gusset.

They look great in my favorite shoes and my toes are happy and warm.

Let's Talk Socks That Walk First

The Mystery Sock proved to be the perfect way to keep Sock Mojo around.  He stayed the whole month, and is still hanging out, because he had such a nice visit.  Part of the reason he has enjoyed himself  was the interesting pattern Kirsten devised. He was in a state of delight all month!  As if to add icing to the cake, Kim's yarn made the pattern that much more interesting and enticing. 

Knitting with Kim's yarn is like viewing a pointillism painting.  Each stitch looks to be knit with a different color, but when viewed as a whole the colors blend in the eye and create a warm and unique colorway.  Moroccan Spice was the perfect mix of earthy tones and shades, and I must say, Sock Mojo and I were always entertained by it's changes. 

See the heel on the Mystery Sock? It is my first successful Eye of Partridge heel.  It's doubtful anyone has had the trouble I have had in keeping the stitch count right all the way through to the heels end.  I owe credit to Carole who made a very astute observation. She thought the secret might be to do all four pattern rows before you put the sock down for a break. That way one never need wonder what row came next.  I light bulb went off (I can be quite dim at times) and I was able to execute said heel perfectly when the time came!   I am easily entertained and love  little knitting tricks.

The best yarn, the best pattern, the best Mojo made Socktoberfest a blast!

Thank you Lolly, thank you Kirsten and thank you Kim. Hopefully I can keep Sock Mojo around and continue the fun!

I love my SOCKS!

Making the Best of a Weekend

Like many of you,  I have today off and will likely be spend it knitting, spinning and relaxing.  It feels so good to have a day off, a day just for fun, for myself (poor Smith is working).  We made the best of the last two days, however and enjoyed every minute. 

Inspired by Lisa, Saturday was spent, in part, making cards, a fun, creative and personal pursuit.  I also made groceries, ran a few errands and even had time to make sure the Monkey Socks were finished.  I love the crazy Hot Flash (STR) Monkey socks and they seem to keep my feet warmer than other socks.  It might be my mind playing tricks on me because they are so bright and flashy. Don't you agree?

Yesterday was Smith's birthday and I made sure he had a wonderful day.  The day began at our favorite spot where we had breakfast with a few friends.  They made sure he had a good time and celebrated well.  The day ended with a delightful dinner, made by me, and a slice of our new favorite cake, the yummy Blueberry Crumb Cake, also made by me. (You can call me a "one day" domestic goddess.)

Today I plan to make yarn, by spinning up the rest of the Crosspatch batt, make lace by working on Aspen Grove, and make time to do some relaxing.  Oh, and I might even make some time for EPS! 

Enjoy your day!!

Warming up the Toes

This has been a very cold January with frequent days of snow, a constant front of arctic air and a few days of blue skies.  Thankfully there has been little sign of the usual inversions, the day after day of gloom we hate.  The few blue sky days we had have been very welcome, even if they are colder than cloudy days. Today it should be snowing to beat the band. 

At this time of year I'm very grateful to have a drawer full of hand knit socks, wool socks, warm socks, (and fleece lined Merrell clogs don't hurt either).  It's a rare day I don't wear both socks and clogs.

Even with a drawer full of socks, it's always thrill to finish a new pair.  Especially a pair that was as much fun to knit, and is made of such fabulous yarn as this pair.  This might be the most unique of all colorways I've knit with to date and I love it.  The pattern and color share organic qualities and that's pretty cool, too. You can read in Friday's post just how much I love the pattern and the yarn…nothing has happened over the weekend to change that.  In fact, I love them more simply because they are on my feet! (Happy feet!)

Pattern: Leaf Lace Sock, designed by Susan in Vogue Knitting Ultimate Sock Book
Yarn: Kim's Woolen Rabbit Sock Yarn, Rosemary and Thyme
Needles: DPN Bamboo 1.5
Time to Knit: 1-11-08 - 1-18-08
Modifications: Leg and foot made longer.

I'll be away from the computer all day which means I may not have a post ready for tomorrow.  See you Wednesday. 

ETA 7:00am:  Seven inches of snow have fallen since 3:00am and it's still coming down hard. 

Finishing Flurries and WIPs

The good weather peoples have predicted the possibility of flurries this afternoon.  Fingers are crossed (and toes, too!) that this is the first of many storms to come to our neck of the woods.

As a way to offer help, living by example if you will, I have created my own flurries...a flurry of finished project (and the start of a few new, too).  Thank you for your comments on the Pink Portrait. It's a fun scarf to wear and I love, love, love it. 

Another FO that I'm completely in love with (as I am with ALL the FOs this week) is Anne's Ceilidh Lace Socks from Wooly Wonka. The yarn is a bamboo/superwash wool and it has a luminescence to it. Anne's dye job adds another layer of luminescence and is aptly named, Seashells.  Aren't they as pretty as can be. (I'm all about pretty this week.) 

(I've been going to the gym after work and getting home after the good light is gone, so sadly, the picture isn't that great.)

Thursday morning I decided to reorganize the stash.  There were a few new yarns to put away and it felt like the right time to give the old stash a good petting.   I was a bit worried there would be need to add an extra bin (I have 5), but as it turned out everything fit perfectly.  The sock yarn was moved into the largest bin (no more sock yarn!), but with the removal of the Blueberry Borscht Peace Fleece, I had room in the sweater bin for some new Beaverslide. 'Catbird' just had to come and live with me after Cara posted about her new sweater.  It's in marination stage.

While diving through the stash I found a very pretty Apple Pie in Cornflower Blue and decided to use it for Véronik's Long Gloves from Knitting Classic Style.  Its time for a change of pace from sock knitting and blue gloves will be so bright and happy in the dead of winter.

Over the long weekend I did get a good start on my new favorite project, the Logan River Wrap from Interweave Knits Winter 2007 (designed by Mim). The yarn is Queensland Kathmandu Aran and it is so soft and luxurious. After knitting up the first ball I decided to make my wrap a bit longer and ordered two more balls for a nice long wrap (most of you won't need to do this, me thinks). This pattern is very, very easy to read, easy to knit and loads of fun. It's hard to put down, hard to work on anything else, as it's such easy, rewarding knitting.  Dropping a stitch to create the undulating water rapid is a blast and just watching the pattern form is addicting.  I predict another quick knit and another finish in the near future.

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime!

Fini!  And not a moment too soon.  The process of knitting this sock was not as enjoyable as it should have been.  That means only one thing...it wasn't the yarn, it wasn't the pattern, it was ME. It's unexplainable, truthfully, as to why this was so.  It involved the usual 5 sticks, a string (I made myself), and a pattern that looked great.  It was a pattern, an entire process, I just couldn't get into and one that didn't improve over time....the looong time it took to knit this pair of socks. Only by working on getting rid of the negative, concentrating, meditating on what was good, did I get through the project.  Slogging WAS the process, as it turned out, and that's as it should be. Zen is always as it  should be, its all perfect.  It was a moment of ridiculousness which made what follows even better. Without  the 'ugly' there would be no beautiful.

Enter....Sublime (albeit in a ridiculous situation)...

Ceilidh Lace Socks, by Anne, from her own Wooly Wonka Fibers, in a beautiful, soft, shinny and luxurious bamboo superwash merino, colorway Seashells, sitting delicately on top of a big black tire. Knitting this sock has been heavenly...the process is easy, perfect and delightful.  Ceilidh was a nice companion as I sat waiting for a flat tire to be repaired (never leave home without your knitting!).  The nearby tires were the only thing on hand to use as a back drop for a picture and the were a nice foil for the beauty of the yarn.  Since it took an hour and half for the repair I knew the sun would be long gone by the time I made it home. 

The gods of all blogging my be conspiring against me for NaBloPoMo...work has exploded and I'm out every night this week (mostly fun).  I'll be doing my best to keep up with daily posts and, hopefully they won't be pictureless!

Socktober or Bust

I did it!  Socks for Socktober are finished! Smith is one happy man. It was touch and go, right down to the last minute, so to speak, but the socks are ready to wear.   They look great, feel great, but were not great to knit.  The main reason was the metal DPNs and my  habit of keeping a tight grip on the needles.  My arms ached for hours after the finish line, but a good stretch put them back in the pink. (I love that website!)  I'll also be destashing my set of metal DPNs and buying another set or two of bamboo...bamboo, I love you.

Smith is now a fan of medium weight STR and he thinks the Tigers Eye colorway made very cool lookin' socks, too. (Too bad he wasn't around for the photo shoot.)

In a delusional state I had hoped to finish the Pretty in Pink Portrait Scarf by November 1st. From the way things are going, it's unlikely it will be finished by the end of the year.  Slippery yarn on metal needles (circular) makes a fiddly process.  Originally, I thought the smaller sections of the scarf needed to be knit on DPNs, but Jocelyn, in a comment, thought the whole project would work on circs...she was right. The lace has enough give to fit around the circular, however, the only 16" circulars I have are Addis...and it's working, just slow.slow.slow. 

Speaking of the end of the year...after NaKniSweMo and the finish of Scoop du Jour, there are a few items in my queue I'd like to work on in December. Mostly lace shawls (yes plural) and a sock.  But, to start next year off fresh I'd like to finish up anything hanging around.  Now, I'm of the mind that if I stop knitting, and don't get back to it, the project should be frogged or finished and not languish for longer than a few months. That means the second Strawberry Fields handspun sock must be finished...off the needles, right away.  It is the only thing left hanging, its time has come!

Ruby's are Red

Violet's are Blue...

..and nothing is sweeter than a fancy new pair of hand knit socks.

Yesterday, in an answer to Beth's comment, I told her my feet were very happy feet.  They are housed in skimpy sandals all summer and hand knit wool socks all winter. After wearing Ruby My Dear socks for to the photo shoot my feet are looking forward to cooler temps and dancing to a jazzy tune…the happy jazzy tune of new Ruby's.

Ruby My Dear socks are ruby red, a very joyful color, a beautiful rich color.  If there were any tulips around I'd be tiptoeing through them in celebration, as this Tulip colorway is heav-eeen-ly, plus it's as warm and lovely as any sock yarn can be.

The pattern for Ruby was as complicated as any sock I've knit, but once my brain understood the way the rib pattern increased on one side and decreased  on the other it was smooth going. The second sock went off without a hitch and was much more fun to knit.  The way the lace panel moves down the leg and crisscrosses over the ankle is ingenious and creative.  I especially love the way the panels come together and run parallel on top of the foot. It's a shame such beautiful socks will be hidden inside a shoe, but I'll know, and my feet will know, just how wonderful they are..it will be our little secret.

Ruby My Dear Socks
Pattern: Thelonious by CookieA
Yarn: Ball and Skein Tulip by Judy
Time to Knit: July 1 – August, 23 2007