I’ve been pretty scattered this week - not surprising I guess.  I keep trying to knit (or crochet) but I’ve got no focus.  And no focus makes for a sloppy sweater :) I did start a top down hat a couple of nights ago but as it’s a little funny looking, I don’t think it’s really going anywhere.

Anyway, Chatters will be on tomorrow evening.  Even if I’m finding the actual knitting difficult at the moment, I can still talk about it!

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

See you then!

Oy - out all day today.  But it was a beautiful, intensely sunny day and it was so nice to be out in the fresh air for a while.  We were doing most of our monthly shopping and I decided to drive home along the river, rather than taking the highway.  The highway’s faster, but the river road is much prettier.  Despite temps in the low 40s the last couple of days, there’s still a lot of snow around.  And yet…

Dad is returning from his trip through the Panama canal tonight - he’ll be in around midnight.  I had been thinking I’d get some fresh flowers and leave them on his kitchen table with a big, colorful “Welcome Home!” sign.  But you know, dad isn’t really a flower person.  Still, I was pretty much decided on that until Myria pointed out a soft drink in the market.

“Doesn’t your father like that stuff?”

Do you guys know about Moxie?  I’ll be the first to admit that it has a fairly odd taste, but I like it.  Dad likes it too, but he won’t buy it for himself because he feels the price is ridiculous.  Heh - but he can’t keep me from buying it for him once in a while :) So I picked up a 12-pack in the market and left it on the table for him.  He’ll fuss that I shouldn’t have spent the money - but I know he will enjoy it.  The regular version, of course - dad doesn’t do diet anything :)

When I came out of the house, I noticed that the neighborhood seemed to be full of bird song.  There was a russety-gold fellow singing at the top of the maple tree in the front yarn.  He was robin sized and had a buff breast.  I’m fairly familiar with the local avian life, but I have no idea who this guy was.  He was singing his head off though!  There were Canada geese in the apple orchard out back and every bush in every yard on the street was full of sparrows, chattering away for all they were worth.

Spring’s coming - the birds think so!

This is the sock yarn I dyed last week.  I must say it dyed beautifully and pretty evenly too - even though it was a lot of yarn to throw in the crock - about 8 oz.  I haven’t wound it yet because I’m not sure I’m quite satisfied with the color.  I was hoping for more blue tones than I got and I keep wondering if I should chuck it back in the pot with some blue dye.  The color as it is, is a little drab to my eye.  What do you think?

I also made another hat - one to go with a skinny scarf I already have.

This is Ruthie Nussbaum’s Owl Hat.  It’s a really nice little pattern and worked up quickly and easily.  I dunno - I guess I was just feeling whimsical - and I really like how it came out.  I also like the way the decreases are handled.  Because the owls take up so much vertical space on the body, the decreases are worked on every round rather than on every other round.  This makes the decrease spiral stand up a little from the surface of the top of the hat.  Very cool looking, I think :)

And I love the owls!  They are entirely formed by a clever cable pattern.  Just look at this little guy!

Perhaps wearing it will help me to acquire a little wisdom?  A girl can hope :)

I have decided to go on with the drop-shoulder sweater rather than restart it as a top-down.  One should increase one’s boundaries, when possible and within reason.  I expect to be working on this as my big project for a while now.  The blanket will wait - I’m not going to finish it for this winter anyway.  So I’ll pick it up again later to work on for next winter.

I also would like to think about another afghan for Myria.  In fact I worked a square from this pattern, the Bed of Roses Blanket.  I’d show you, but the color was horrible - practice yarn, you know - and every picture I took was overexposed.  Bleah… The piece came out beautifully though and is very clever in its construction.  You wind up with a square that’s about 8” on a side, with a flower in the middle and a ruffle inside the last round.  It was really pretty, I thought.

Myria didn’t like it :(

Onwards!

I have been meaning to mention that Nathalie of Knitting Natty has given me a “You Make My Day” award.  I am humbled and flattered - thanks Nat :) Please forgive me for taking so long to mention it - I’m a bit scatterbrained these days.

Last night, while I was watching West Side Story, I finally bit the bullet and frogged the shawl…

Sigh… I know I’ll find some appropriate use for the Manos, but I’m still a little disappointed; it would have made a magnificent fiesta of a shawl had there only been enough of it.  On the other hand, there’s no reason it couldn’t make some spectacular hats - definitely an idea to fiddle around with :)

And, just as an aside, do you think it’s possible to be too old for Romeo and Juliet?  I had loved West Side Story when I first saw it and I still think the choreography and Bernstein’s music are absolutely matchless.  But I found that I felt little for Tony and Maria or for much of the story at all.  Chalk it up to age and cynicism, I suppose.  The music is still, I feel, some of the best that’s ever been written for American Theater.

This is about 8 ounces of Socka Superwash sock yarn.  It is, at this moment, residing in the crock pot and it and I are (hopefully!) cooperating in the production of something like a bottle green color.  There are about 1150 yards of this stuff which should be enough to contemplate a lace shawl with.  Not exactly lace weight I’ll grant you, but a little finer than most of my shawls have been so far.  I’m still poring over stitch patterns so this isn’t an immediate project - at least I don’t think it is.  Knowing me, it’s entirely possible that the yarn will overpower me and never stop singing until I cast it on.  Some yarns are like that :) I have to exercise a little discipline though (something I am notoriously poor at) because I fell to the siren song of the Manos too and you can see where that got me :)





Remember on Tuesday, I was mumbling about using the stitch pattern from the One Row Handspun Scarf in a sweater?  Well…

I’m not sure this is exactly it.  However, I took out my very favorite pullover, laid it out flat on the bed and measured everything.  It is a drop shoulder cotton sweater that fits me exactly as I like.  I measured length from shoulder to bottom, sleeve length (and depth at underarm and wrist), neck and shoulder widths - everything.  Then I did a gauge swatch (horrors!) and determined that on size 7 US (4.5 mm) needles, I was getting 4.8 stitches and about 7 rows per inch in pattern.  And then I did some math and cast on.

The only thing giving me pause is the possibility of doing the top-down thing again only actually making something that fits this time :) I do wear Autumn Seeds and I don’t dislike it.  But there are definitely things I’d do differently this time - like lengthening the body, not making armscyes so big you could smuggle a bulldog in them and making a more regulation sleeve.  So I’m not entirely sure I’ll continue with the drop shoulder - though it would certainly be a simple enough way to go. 

Oh - and shall I tell you how much time I spent testing seaming methods on the swatch?  I have already rejected mattress stitch because I’m afraid it won’t be secure enough.  For now, assuming I go through with the drop-shoulder plan, I expect to do a crocheted seam which looks neat on the right side and would make for a good, sturdy seam.

The new kids are all doing well.  Sundance, here, is having his morning meditation :) Degus, like gerbils, have a tendency to “space out”.  They aren’t asleep and are aware - but they’re not entirely there :) We have also discovered that the degus (who’s systems can’t tolerate much in the way of fats or sugars) are absolutely batty about shredded wheat.  A little mini-sized biscuit to each of them in the morning, and all’s right with their world :) Forgive the schmutz on the tank - degus throw everything everywhere so it’s unavoidable.





Cocoa Puff is nearly full grown now, though she was only about the size of my thumb when we brought her home.  She’s a delight to watch and is fond of pumpkin seeds which she will eat right out of my hand.  Oh yeah - and we’ve also been able to determine that she is female :)





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

With both a new router and a new modem, I can’t imagine what could keep Chatters from taking place tomorrow night.  I probably shouldn’t have said that; the gods love nothing better than a challenge :) But, I’m going to open up at the usual time and hope for the best.  Hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend :)

Apparently the problem was not just the router.  The modem had also bought the farm.  The Comcast guy showed up a little after 1:00 PM yesterday afternoon (right on time, actually), did a few tests, went down to his truck, fetched and installed a new modem (black - so it matches the new router!) and we were in business.  We did try hooking up the old router with the new modem, just to check, but it was DOA.  I would have thought the odds of both things going ribbet at the same time were fairly sizeable but I guess these things happen.

In the meantime…

The One Row Skinny Scarf was finished.

Quick, simple and fun to do.  The one row pattern, same on both sides, makes for an almost mesmerizing knit as you get into the rhythm of things.  It also creates a nice, springy fabric and I keep wondering what kind of a sweater it would make…

Also, the first of the Chatters mitts was finally finished.

This is basically the same pattern as the Glacial Gauntlets except not worked quite as high on the hand.  And without the beads :) I must say I was a little surprised by the yarn which is Lionbrand’s Magic Stripes - their short-lived sock wool.  It’s quite substantial and dense but not difficult or rough either to work with or to wear.  I’m curious to see how well it holds up over time.

And then there’s the sock :) This is what has occupied most of my weekend and it’s been interesting enough so that I hardly put it down.  I finally found the kind of heel I wanted - after traipsing all over the web a couple of times - right in my own backyard (just call me Dorothy!).  Schurch details just such a heel in her wonderful Sensational Knitted Socks - which I have :) I was poring over it a couple of evenings ago and found the toe up sock with exactly the kind of heel I wanted to do.  Okay - I’ll know to check my own library first next time :)

I did get the heel turned without too much difficulty and the heel flap was just what I wanted although working it while decreasing the gusset stitches created a bit of cognitive dissonance for a while :)





I finally reached the nirvana point last night - all gusset stitches decreased and straight stockinette as far as the eye can see.  Well, until the ribbing of course :) Of course I had reached the last decrease round and somehow managed to drop three heel stitches off the end of the needle which meant frogging back a couple of rounds in order to corral the varmints.  Other than that - which was only annoying because I was so ready to have the decreases over with - there were no problems or mishaps with this…





...except for the knitter’s apparent inability to measure her own foot correctly.  Look at the toe of that last picture - see the bulge of at least an inch’s worth of extraneous toe?  Not only that, but the foot is a little too big around.  Only by a couple of stitches I think, but too big all the same.  This seems to be my standard mistake, making things too big.

So...toe?  Good!  Heel?  Excellent!

Sock?  Not so much…

The Manos shawl lies, taunting me, in my workbasket.  I have all but decided to frog it and am only working up the nerve.  The blanket panels get worked on now and then, when I need something I don’t have to think about.

And I need to dye more yarn :)

So, how are you all doing?

Chatters is cancelled for this evening. 
I am having serious connectivity problems and nobody is availble to check things until Monday afternoon.

Sigh…

Have a good weekend folks :)

I worked another toe using the increase every round for so many rounds and then increasing every other round (with a plain knit round between) until the desired stitch count is achieved.  I was surprised that it didn’t make a huge difference, but I like it better all the same :)

Original toe:

New toe:





Please forgive the intrusive fingers :) I had added some ribbing to the bottom of this in the hope that it wouldn’t curl up for its photo session.





It didn’t work :)

I’m staying with the easy toe-up cast on mentioned in Wednesday’s post for now.  Perhaps for the next pair, I’ll try something else.  For now, this is working nicely for me and I’m liking the results I get from it.

I tried casting on to my long circular (Addi, 2.5 mm - the first Addi I ever owned) but between the cable curling and trying to keep the tail end of the yarn separate from the working end, I was getting confused and frustrated.  So I used DPNs for the cast-on which worked well and provided an unexpected and undeserved surprise benefit.  See, I thought these were size 2 US (2.75 mm) needles which wouldn’t be too different from the Addis (size 1 European - 2.5 mm) when I switched over to the long cable needle once the increases were complete.  Silly me :) The DPNs were size 3 US (3.125 mm, according to my needle gauge) and that made a bigger difference than I would have preferred had I realized. 

However, due to various issues, my feet, and especially my toes, are very sensitive these days.  Using the size 3 DPNs actually created a somewhat looser toe than usual which, as it turns out, is quite comfortable :) Switching to the Addi cable makes the foot fit perfectly - just slightly snugger that the toe cap - so it worked out wonderfully!  And you now, if I had deliberately set out to figure out how I might accomplish this - a slightly looser toe than foot, it would have taken me years! 

I also decided that the New England Foliage colors of the original toe up there weren’t floating my boat, so that’s been ripped and the yarn put away for another time.  I went with the recently acquired Regia for these and am enjoying it very much!

I’ve nearly reached the end of the third ball of Manos on the sort-of garter stitch shawl and it has become painfully clear that I am not going to have enough yarn for the width I’d like this to have.  When I rhapsodically reported that it was more than 60” wide, I was (duh!) looking at the wrong measurement.  It is actually only about 45” wide.  This last ball only added just over 2” to the width and the two balls I have left aren’t going to add much more.  This would give me a scarf or a shoulder shawl - but that isn’t what I had in mind :(

Here’s the question.  While ripping this would be painful, if the possibility exists to get something better out if it, I’m willing to dry my tears and (as Chris over at Wooly Buns so exquisitely put it) frog it back to balls.  What I’m wondering about is how much leeway a regular row of eyelets might give me.  You know, an eyelet row say, every 4 garter ridges or something on that order.  Would that buy me enough yarn to be worth the effort, do you think?





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

I’m pleased to say that Chatters is indeed on for tomorrow night!  Pleased because our router went toes-up earlier this week and there was some question about whether we would be able to replace it by Saturday.  The question really only existed because the grounds hereabouts are covered with an inch and a half of ice and our landlord, jolly fellow that he is, sometimes forgets that his family (which uses different access to the building than we do) isn’t the only one living here :) The ice is an issue because I can’t risk falling and breaking something with my bones is somewhat iffy shape as they are now - Myria would have a fit and fall in it if I even tried.  And since I’m the driver, if I can’t get out, we don’t go anywhere :)

However, a new router has been procured and it’s business as usual on the internet!

Stay warm folks - see you tomorrow night :)

I guess I spoke too soon Monday :) We’ve had nothing but snow, ice and rain since then and it’s so ugly out there today, I’m absolutely thrilled to have nowhere to go!

My needles finally arrived from Knitpicks yesterday (YAY!) and I was able to transfer the Manos shawl and finally get a good look at it…

This is a 60” circular and the shawl still can’t quite be stretched out to its full width.  This, in my opinion, is a good thing with respect to the potential width of the piece.  For my taste, bigger is always better :) I have joined the third ball of the Manos (sticking into the frame on the far left) which is a brown/brown-gold/brown-orange colorway.  The second ball was a blue/brown combination and the first was reds ranging from blood to fuchsia.  The fourth ball will be almost a rainbow combination and the last one is similar, though not exactly like the first.

If nothing else, it will be colorful!

I know I have projects on the needles that I should be working on (and am working on) but I find that my attention span has gone a begging.  I can work on anything for a little while but sticking with one thing over a long period of time seems to be beyond me at the moment.  So you will not be surprised when I tell you I succumbed to the lure of the stockinette sock :)

I spent yesterday morning reading about toe-up procedures because I like the idea.  I like knowing that when I start the thing, I can knit until I’m out of yarn and not waste an inch :) I have tried this before but not for a long time.  See, I figure the chance that I’ll finish these any time soon is small. So, if I’m going to do them, I might as well learn something while I’m at it.

I went to Tiptop Toes, Wendy Johnson’s article for Knitty which outline three different techniques for starting a toe-up sock. 

The first two, while undoubtedly good, held a great deal of frustration potential (at least as far as my temperament and talents are concerned!) so I opted for the third - the “easy” method.  And, to my surprise and pleasure, it was indeed, easy :) I did have to start it twice due to a case of fumble fingers, but that wasn’t the fault of the technique.

This is Knitpicks Landscape (discontinued line) merino sock yarn in New England Foliage.  It’s being worked, magic loop style, on a size 1 (2.5 mm), 47” Addi turbo.

Hey Rob!  I did it!  You have only yourself to blame :)

I followed the directions in the article explicitly which stipulate increasing 4 stitches every other round with a knit-plain round between.  This I did and this is what I got…

I don’t have, and don’t know anyone else who has a conical toe - but as funny as it looks, it seems to fit just fine and I imagine things will even out somewhat over the length of the foot.  I’m guessing that once the heel has been turned, the tension on the stitches produced by the foot inside them will maneuver things into a more recognizable shape. 





But I’m really curious.  On a top-down sock, when you get to the toe shaping, you start by decreasing 4 stitches every other round (usually) until you have halved your stitch count.  Then, every round is decreased until the number of stitches is halved again or until you have reached your desired toe depth and width.  At this point the toe is closed.

Okay, say you’re planning a 64 stitch toe-up sock.  Is there a reason I couldn’t start with 16 stitches, increase 4 stitches every round until I have 32 stitches and then increase 4 stitches every other round until I have my 64 stitches?  This would broaden the toe more quickly and give it a more usual shape.  For my 68 stitch sock, I would simply add an additional increase round before moving on to the body of the foot.

I may try this with the mate - or, I may try it separately before I go on too much further.  If it seems to work out reasonably well, perhaps I’ll start over - just so things match :)

And a very happy Valentine’s day to everyone!