Okay, I’ve been hinting at a method of grafting sock toes that I was finally successful at.  Having had no luck with standard Kitchener stitch, I ran into this goodie just before Christmas and have been saving it to try on my next sock effort.

I grant you this isn’t exemplary, but it’s better than I’ve ever done before.  The trick is that you are actually knitting (and purling) the stitches rather than trying to emulate stockinette with a length of yarn and a tapestry needle.  Details are here, courtesy of Interweave Press’ Knitting Daily.  I need to keep things a bit looser but I am greatly heartened that it’s possible at all!  Very cool tip, there :)

I left the house this morning, intending to hit the mill shop on my way home, after lunch with dad.  He, however, wanted to hit his favorite thrift shop before lunch and what do you think they had in three baskets at the front counter?  Well, I can tell you what they don’t have any more :)

12 balls of Peer Gynt DK, 8 in a slightly coral pink and 4 in cream (dyeable!)…

A couple of pairs of socks in Opal (which I’ve used before) and Regia (which I’ve yet to try)…





Two gorgeous hanks of Mountain Colors 4/8 in their Purple Mountain colorway.  One has been rather tightly wound (a condition I suffer from myself on occasion!) - but a re-skeining and a soak should take care of that :)





And last, but certainly not least, 5 hanks of Manos Del Uruguay in 4 different, but compatible colorways…





I came home with all of this amazing stuff for less than $30.

Dad?  Didn’t even find a tie :)

My apologies again for the disruption to Chatters Saturday night.  I have a call in to my provider to see if we can figure out what the problem is as it’s getting very tedious and frustrating.  Stay tuned :)

Now, on to the good stuff!

I love my blanket project and I expect to love my blanket when it’s done.  But, no matter how much I may love a particular big project, eventually I reach a point where I desperately need to work on something that I can finish in less than three months!  This time I had a little spate of things and, I must admit, they have been fun.

This little fellow is the Amigurumi Pig - a free pattern that Lionbrand offers.  Their version was made with worsted weight yarn, a size “G” hook and plastic safety eyes.  Mine is made with sport/DK weight yarn, a size F hook and embroidered eyes.  The pattern and assembly are simple though the little pieces can be a bit awkward to handle.  Still, he probably didn’t take me more than three hours all together and I think he’s pretty darned cute :)

I did also finish the second Basic Bucket Hat.

I like this pattern a lot, having made it twice now :) It’s lots of fun, very simple, very quick and fits nicely.  Also, the pattern would be easy to fiddle with should I ever desire to do so.  I anticipate a bunch more of these in the future.

I also started another project that I’m really kind of proud of :)

Horcrux socks!

Partly it was the Am I Blue? yarn.  The color was so pretty that it kept calling me.  At about the same time, I stumbled across the Horcrux Socks and the two of them got together and ganged up on me :).  The pattern is from Susan at I’m Knitting as Fast as I can.  The link above will take you to a .pdf that in turn will bring you to the blog posts in which Susan wrote the pattern out, knit-along style.  She has handled the free pattern in this fashion because when she offered it as a .pdf, she had to deal with repeated copyright violations.

The .pdf is easy to follow and the pattern itself is delightful.  All the more so for me because I was a little afraid of the lace on the leg.  I’m working on my lace skills, but I still do find some things a bit intimidating.  I was absolutely thrilled to find that this was not difficult at all.  See?

I’m up to the heel flap of the second sock and I’ll finish it today or tomorrow.  The story behind that is that I finally found a way to graft the toe that I can actually manage.  I’ll tell you about that on Wednesday.  All I have to figure out now is whether I like it better than the method I have been using up until now :)

Happy Monday!

There are lots of reasons to write a blog, I guess but for me, it often seems like I’m talking to myself.  I don’t mean that in a crazy, sleep-deprived, gin-soaked way either.  I mean it’s like a diary where I can record what happens on the knitting adventure and chronicle my progress (or lack of it) as I meander along.  If I go all the way back to the beginning (more than 4 years ago!) I can see clearly where I’ve gotten better and where I’ve fallen down.

I never thought anybody in their right mind would bother reading this thing.  However, to my everlasting appreciation, some folks do.  And Wednesday, I received this…

...from dear, kind Opal over at The Akami Knitter, she of the awesome socks and the amazing and inspirational lace! 

I was pretty stunned :) Let’s just say it’s a good thing no one ever blushed themselves to death :)

Now, I have to pick 10 bloggers that I read and pass along the honor by linking to them and commenting on their blogs to let them know.  Please bear in mind that picking 10 blogs is pretty hard to do if you read a lot of blogs (and I do) - because there’s a reason a person reads a lot of blogs - because they like them all!  That said, the following always make my day :)

Bron’s Blog was one of the first blogs I read regularly.  Her endless energy and incredible output are the holy grail to a slowpoke like myself :)

Omly Crafts is a quiet little tribute to art.  Omly draws, paints, beads, knits and crochets.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she quilled, needlepointed and did origami as well.  The creative process in action :)

Knitting on Impulse chronicles Ruth’s knitting and jewelry making adventures.  She possess the most amazing color sense I have ever seen and every post is an education.

At Mossy Cottage, Ryan delves into various items and techniques (Fair Isle, for example) that still make my blood run cold :) Along with Bron’s Blog (see above) one of the first blogs I read regularly and probably the one that had the most influence on my decision to start a blog of my own.  Of course, I’m not nearly as witty…

Lime & Violet’s Daily Chum is an amazing compendium of tips, tutorials and links.  While not a personal blog in the sense that all the others are, it’s still one I wouldn’t want to miss and may be the source of my finally conquering Kitchener stitch!  More on that later…

Marcia at Purls Before Swine is one of the wittiest, funniest and sometimes poignant writers out there.  She can get more out of a word or phrase than any writer I have ever had the pleasure of reading.  She is very busy with her family, friends and career so posting is sometimes sporadic.  But (to misquote Spencer Tracy) what’s there is choice!

Likewise, Rabbitch makes me laugh and, often helps me see the absurdity of existence for what it really is.

Rob over at robknits is an amazing craftswoman.  She knits, she spins, she weaves and she shares all she learns in a lucid, non-technical fashion.  This woman really gets into learning the crafts she laces her life with - and she takes you with her!

Ev at Strings ‘n Things is another fearless knitter and the kind of knitter I’d like to be when I grow up :) She’s just fine striking out on her own and can produce beautiful things right out of her head.  But she isn’t intimidated by patterns either and creates some gorgeous items that way too.  Balance!  What a concept!

Finally, Susan in Stitches is an endless source of creative inspiration.  I don’t think there’s a craft this woman doesn’t do and her results are drop-jaw gorgeous.  Visiting Susan’s blog is like a daily trip to a marvelous museum.

Monday, hopefully, the results of a horrible case of startitis - which I’m not sure is over even yet!

See the “Knitting Chatter” button on the side bar for more information.

And I hope to see you at Chatters on Saturday evening :)

Have a great weekend!

There are new posts up at The Dye Pot.  Scroll to the bottom of the homepage for the thumbnail links to the most recent posts - or just clink on the title links that follow.  There’s a spring green called Grasses…

And there’s the surprise Am I Blue?…





The surprise is detailed in the Dye Pot post :)

I did some swatching with the CotLin I was musing about on Monday - a small rib swatch and a cable swatch.

This is the divine Moroccan Red I was enthusing about.  I have a couple of balls in the stash - enough to do some definitive swatches with.  These are certainly not definitive - they’re too small.  I was just trying to get a feel for the yarn and what size needles would work best.  These bits were worked on size 5 US (3.75 mm) needles.  I really wouldn’t want to go any larger than that and might consider using size 4 US (3.5 mm) needles.  See I tend to knit loosely (see the ribbing swatch?) and the smaller needle might let me get away with that while producing a fabric that is still reasonably tight?  Tight isn’t quite the word I want but you know what I mean.  This yarn has a lovely sheen and a beautiful drape.  Still to come is at least one large swatch and the washing test :)

Also underway is another bucket hat to replace the one I ripped up to reclaim the green yarn :) This one is acrylic and will match my Autumn Seeds sweater.

Goldie was trying to get into my lap while I was taking pictures this afternoon.  I can only assume he was trying to let me know that I should pass his regards on to all you good folks.

So, consider them passed :)

I did a little crocheting over the weekend - but not too much more than that.  Well, I also started another pair of fingerless gloves out of some well aged sock yarn (Lion brand Magic Stripes - remember that?) just to use the yarn up.  It’s more like a sport than a fingering weight - no biggie - but has a bit of a rough feel.  I’m hoping that once the finished item is washed, it will soften up a bit.  And, since the yarn is a blue/navy/purple mix with grey and white blips, I’m also thinking about over-dyeing it.  The purple is why I bought this colorway in the first place, but I no longer find it appealing and have been wondering if an over-dye of violet (or red!) might liven things up a bit :)

I did decide to frog the green hat mentioned in last Friday’s post so I can use that green in my blanket (poor, neglected thing - I didn’t even look at it this weekend!).  With luck, I won’t even need to dye more green as I think I have enough right now to do what I want with it.  I do have to dye some more of the Come Sail Away because I’m going to need it pretty soon here :)

My mind is turning to sweaters again.  I’ve had an image of a drop shoulder pullover in my head for a while now and last week a yarn posibility presented itself.  Have a look at the CotLin - and the Moroccan Red is the color I’ve been thinking about.  Would that not make an exceptional sweater?  I have worked with the yarn before and like it.  I do need to wash a swatch and see what happens then.  As star-struck as I am by that rich, rich color, I would be heartbroken to get a sweater made and then, upon the first washing, have it bleed out to a sickly orange.  That would just be sad…

Finally, Kathleen over at All My Great (or not so Great!) Adventures has been working on the Glacial Gauntlets of the Wolf.  She found a couple of errors in the pattern and brought them to my attention so that I could fix them - thanks so much for the heads up, Kathleen.  She also promises pictures soon of her finished project - in black yarn with red beads - smokin’!

Hope your Mondays treat you gently!

Knitting has been occurring at a leisurely pace this week :) Also a little crocheting.

This hat is based on the Basic Bucket Hat pattern.  I liked the pattern a lot and the hat worked up very quickly - only a couple of hours from the beginning chains to the crab stitch edging (which I hadn’t done before).  It fits well and is reasonably presentable.

I keep looking at that yarn though, that color.  Initially, you’ll recall, I had dyed this for use in the blanket but decided the green was too bright.  I’m no longer sure that’s true and I keep thinking maybe it would look pretty good as an accent so long as there wasn’t too much of it - you know, so long as it doesn’t overwhelm everything else.  So while I like the hat, I can always remake it out of something else and it seems more and more likely that I may frog the hat and use the yarn in the blanket.  Stay tuned!

I also frogged the glove - again :( I have to say, given that the first three inches of the glove have been knit and frogged several times now, the yarn has held up remarkably well.  It wasn’t that I didn’t like the beads, as Jennifer commented on Monday’s post, they looked fine.  It was that the beads were screamingly cheap and therefore inconsistent and irregular.  I finally gave it up when it was taking too much time to find a bead who’s size was consistent with the already knitted in beads and who’s inner hole diameter would go over the crochet hook.  Ugh… So I ripped it out and started over - again.

I like the look of this, but I’m fearing there may be another frogging in the future :) I can’t seem to get the thumb gusset to look right and I’ve ripped it out twice already!

Honestly, I’m beginning to wonder about the yarn.  The things I have made from it for other people have gone splendidly.  The things I have tried to make out of it for myself - not so much :)

The blanket comes along; I’ve started on the second panel and have just joined the second batch of Raspberry Fields Forever which, as you can see…

...is distinctly lighter than the first effort.  Eh - such is the way with hand dyed yarns and I pretty much expected it to happen anyway.  I would have loved to dye a whole bunch of yarn in one big dye lot so it would all be the same shade of the same color - but I haven’t large enough facilities to manage that.  So I’ll take what I get and enjoy the serendipitous nature of both the yarn and the dyeing process.  Since I am falling a little more in love with this blanket with every stitch I make, the minor inconsistencies in the dye lots only add to its charm.

See the “Knitting Chatter” button on the side bar for more information.

Chatters is on for Saturday evening, barring server snits, fits and temper tantrums :) Bring your knitting and come and enjoy :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Once again my server hosts were having issues on Saturday evening which made Chatters a kind of revolving-door comedy/catastrophe.  I’m sorry for the annoyance folks.  We’ll try it again next Saturday - hopefully the server will behave itself!

We are having a snowstorm today :) The weather critters have been predicting anything from 8 - 14”.  We’ll probably wind up somewhere in the middle but it’s a bit of a shock after the week or so of 40-50ºF weather we’ve been enjoying.  Still, it was a great excuse to make scones this morning - nothing like bad weather outside to improve the flavor of home-made anything!





Butch and Sundance seem to be making themselves at home.  They are a mischievous pair though :) Late yesterday afternoon, we discovered that one of them had bitten a hole in the water bottle which resulted in all the water draining from the bottle to the bottom of their tank.  Perhaps they just wanted a sea-side condo - who knows?  Anyway, this necessitated an emergency cleaning session and a new water bottle :)

Let me tell you, for all it’s political correctness, modern attitudes and profoundly liberal outlook, Massachusetts is a puritan at heart which means, among other things, that stores close early on Sundays.  So I had to get going immediately if I wanted to replace that bottle.

See the above picture - the fuzzy one with all the snow in it?  The store was a madhouse and the parking lot was jammed.  I practically had to park in the next county and hike in :) But fortunately, Wal-Mart had water bottles, the right size and everything and they were half the price of the same item at the pet store.  Heh… Problem solved!

I completed the first panel of the blanket with the exception of decoration.  I had wanted to add embroidery to things to fancy it up a bit but the yarn I wanted to use proved to be unworkable.  All it had in its favor were gorgeous colors.  But it was also slippery, delicate and inelastic - all of which really make it unsuitable.  So, for now, I’m keeping my eye open for a copper/rose/plum colorway in a worsted weight wool.  And I guess if I can’t find one, maybe I’ll try dyeing one :)





I did dye more yarn for the blanket, more Raspberry Fields Forever.  I believe this (despite identical procedure, dye and proportions) came out a bit lighter than the first batch.  I’ll have to compare them more closely when it’s fully dry.  Certainly not a problem for me - more an amusement than anything else :)





And I started another pair of gauntlets.  As much as I love the colors in these, I find the yarn too rough against the insides of my wrists.  Perhaps merino would be a better way to go in the future - for fingering weight yarn to dye.  Oddly, both Knitpicks worsted and bulky weight “Bare” yarns are very nice, soft and comfortable.  But this fingering weight felt like I was wearing steel wool.

These new ones are mostly baby alpaca with a soupçon of cashmere - no question about softness there!  I’m following the same “recipe” as with the previous gauntlets, though I may arrange the beads differently - just for fun :) I know, I know, the red beads don’t really harmonize well with the lovely, soft mulled wine color of the yarn.  But this is my second attempt to find beads for this yarn and if I keep putting off making the gloves, I won’t have them this winter!  And I want them for this winter :)

I will be starting chemotherapy (for the 4th time!) tomorrow so things may get a bit erratic here on the blog.  I’ll keep up as best I can and, at least for now, God willing and the server plays nice, Chatters will remain, as always, open on Saturday nights :)

Have a great week everyone!