Sock and sock, or part sock and part sock.

Today there is a quick post, one and a half weeks left of work before the 'long holiday. Today had an extra treat at work because  Allison Goodrum was in town, and had arranged a visit to see the fashion school. I went all groupie and asked her to sign my copy of National Fabric, which she did, apparently never have been asked before (or so she said).  I have a sneaky suspicion that academics are thought to be above such things, taking copies of books to be signed ... but hey, if some one is able to put together a book that I want to read, and think has value, then why not ask. After all I've asked Annemor , and I know people ask the Yarn Harlot.

I've been knitting away at the last minute sock, with good progress. Look! I'm up to the gusset and might even make a heel tonight.

On KAL the slip -stitch pattern is working but is very subtle, more subtle than I expected. So subtle that I felt the need to highlight the slipped stitches so you could all understand what I hope the pattern looks like. In this image there are three columns of chains  created by slip stitches, the one to the left is highlighted, and the others playing hide-and-seek. I'm trying to work the bars behind the slip stitches tightly to dramatize the effect a little more, but as this is superwash it may all even out in the wash. My hope is that this effect is subtle enough to not scare a conservative man, and that with wear and washing the slip stitches might tighten and the chain pattern show up more as time goes by. There were a few other reasons to work this slip stitch pattern, first I liked the effect on a previous pair of socks, and perhaps most of all I wanted something that was interesting to work. Plain stocking stitch is fast but so-boring.

Because I've been busy on the KAL socks, and enjoying the subtlety of the slip stitches I've been ignoring the other project. Some small progress has been made ... but I am not yet working the heel, perhaps I can work them both at the same time?

The other thing that is on my mind right now is a semi anxious wait as I check the mail box each day to see if one of the  younger cubs Christmas presents has arrived. An ebay purchase of a sparkly mid 1980's marbled-pink fountain pen, quite inexpensive and just her style right now ...... you know it is almost as exciting to wait for things for other people as for oneself! Today a fabric rep called in to show his wares and those of us teaching 'practical' subjects had the fun of choosing fabric for the next years classes. Amongst all of that I found a pretty blue floral that I 'had' to order 2 meters of to make a new summer dress for younger cub. I must be getting old and forgetful as I ordered two lengths of fabric but can't remember what the other one is at all, I know it is pretty and 100% woven cotton,  - so hope I will be pleasantly surprised when it arrives in a few weeks.

Still haven't used the fabric I bought the last time he visited ....... so many fun things to do, so little time to fit them all in.

And if are into knit-geeky things like darning and mending and you don't follow Kate Davies blog, or do and have not caught up with her Worn post I do recommend a visit, I'm almost embarrassed to say that I've only just read that post. I tend to 'save' Kates posts for when I have time to savor them. 

Stella

Progress.

Today it is all about the progress - two socks, one done, one nearly done with the impressive bits done. In keeping with progress - there is a decision to abandon a poorly thought through project and a new project jumps on and nearly off the needles.

First up - the Old School sock is one, and a second one started. I still have reservations about this sock - the frill is larger than I imagined - but the littlest cub coos and fondles and thinks they are so pretty I shouldn't change them at all. I will keep an eye out for lace edge that is smaller and suitable for use as an frilled edging on a bobby sock.

I've started the second toe and managed to reverse the shaping so the increases on each sock spiral out and mirror the other sock. I didn't want the usual toe, the one with increases at each end of the sole and instep stitches but I did want a toe increase with four repeats or sections. Figuring that the usual toe involved a cast on of two sets of 8 stitches then increased four stitches every second round I rejigged that to fit neatly on dpns. I cast on 8 stitches, increased in each stitch on the first round to get 16 stitches and then every second round increased in the last stitch on the dpn for the  first sock and increased in the first stitch on the dpn for the second sock. So now I have  just the boring bit - where I work the chart until ready to increase for the gusset now.

Second up in the report - Tardis socks made good progress this week - mostly as the older cub tended to work in his bedroom rather than watch 'boring tv' with his parents most evenings. He is off an age where reading Harry Potter or about Aliens is far more fun than watching tv - and I'm keen to promote the reading - so we are keeping him supplied with library visits to stock up on whatever he fancies. The sock is being worked in reverse order - toe up rather than top down.   The chart was easy to reverse - I just turned the page upside down. I also worked the colour work on needles 2 sizes larger, so 2.75 mm not 2.25mm, just because I needed to make sure the colour work would stretch enough to go over the heel and around the calf.  There is another 12 or so rounds of 1x1 rib and then this one will be done.

The next project is the one that is about to fall off the needles, frogged.  I've already reknit this one, adding more stitches. This is a whim project, as in one I cast on in a whim, thinking I knew enough to just wing it. Seems I don't or rather I didn't think enough about what was required to make this work. Now intellectually I know that cables draw knit fabric in, they reduce its ability to stretch - and the more cables and the more stitches cabled, the more drawn in is the knit fabric. So when knitting this I completely ignored the fact that having 5 cables around a tube that fits the wrist - would make that tube tight. This fits - but it feels tight. I had thought I would give this away  - there was an opportunity to have it knit ready for latter this week. I'm now rethinking that and this will be frogged and parked. Besides its spring, wet and warmish rather than cold - hardly weather to gift warm cabled hand knit wristers. Mental note to self - 60 stitches even when on 2.75mm needles, using sock yarn, cabled rib is not enough to fit a wrist comfortably.

And this is the fast and furious project that jumped on and then off the needles, a pair of red wristers. I've been invited back to teach at Handmade again. I've offered to enable new knitters by teaching them how to make a wrister. This is a project I developed first for littlest cub, then for WWKIP 2011 and it is designed especially to give beginners the skills they need to start and finish a project in one lesson. Working the wrister involves casting on, casting off (to make button holes), casting on again ( to complete the button holes), weaving in ends, and then knitting to the length you need. It involves only 25 stitches and a few hours. I know that this hasn't got purling or shaping - but in a 2 hour class I don't want to confuse people. I figure that once people have  knit a wrister or two - they will be ideally positioned to pick up purling and increasing or decreasing. So this sample is knit in Max - the Vintage Purls dk sock yarn - superwash merino with a hint of nylon for durability,  in reality this is blue-redder than this image but its a grey day here and my camera seemed determined to add a little orange to the red.

Well its raining, again, has been on and off heavily all day. It is now late afternoon and all the cubs have come home, as is Bear - late afternoon and time to bunker in for the evening. I'd best go and put on the coffee pot, there is lemon syrup cake (a glut of lemons has been gifted to us), crisp ginger lemon cookies in the shape of bunnies, dog bones, flowers and hippopotamus (Bears favorite), elder cub has made chocolate cake and wants a hand with fudge icing. Littlest cub returned home from a play date with afghan cookies. Rain does that - makes the kitchen inviting, and I don't mind one bit. I had planned nachos for dinner but perhaps we need something healthy and green to counteract all the baking? Then again perhaps Nachos is a perfect way to end the weekend?

Take care
Stella

One photo, three projects

Just a quick update today, one photo three projects, but first a heads up about a very special fibre event to look out for in 2012.

First up the knitting event, Unwind, March 9, 10 and 11 2012, New Zealand. Special because finally us locals have a knit event close to home (thanks Morag) - which means more spending on classes and fibre and less on travel to get there. The site is live, registration is open and teachers and traders include New Zealands finest (IMO)! I'm teaching two classes, Norwegian Steeking and Coptic bookbinding ... and hoping to get into James Persian Poppy's class. Kaffe Fassett's Poppy's has been on my want-to-knit list for simply ages and Jame's class will give me the push to finally commit to finding yarn and casting on.

So that excitement over, and back to talking about my  knitting - look two socks on the go and a washcloth that snuck its way onto my needles. Oh I was totally aware of the washcloth happening, at the last KSG class there was discussion that the next class would be on smocking. Now smocking I know, and knitting I know, and I am sort of aware of a kind of knitting that looks like smocking so I thought I'd do a little bit of investigation. Of course that kind of thing almost always results in me wanting to just try the technique a little bit.

So, here we have a wash cloth, which is smocked, using the technique shown in this video by Audknits.The technique looked fun and it is - I suspect I might include this in a cardigan at some time soon, around the cuffs and hem and yoke ......What I have learned is this is fun, easy, surprisingly simple and pulls the knitting in amazingly, this is a 50 stitch washcloth and it behaves more like a 30 stitch washcloth. When I use this in a cardigan there will have to be be significant swatching to make sure it fits.

Also in the photo are the two current socks on the needles, first up the Ice Sock and then behind that the Tardis Bigger on the Inside sock. The Ice sock has kept me frogging, mostly as I keep being distracted by other knitting like the smocking and forgetting that the traveling stitches are not twisted. I spend one entire evening knitting merrily away twisting all the traveling stitches and not looking closely enough at my work to notice that what I was doing was different to what I had done before. The darker blue sock, Tardis Bigger on the Inside is looking good and is a good mindless knit. Both are nearing the point of starting gusset stitches so I'll have to so some sort of estimations to workout just how many and where ..... time to haul out my workbooks and see what I usually do. Might even be time to work out a semi standard set of guidelines for knitting socks for socks of any size- so I don't end up back in the workbooks working it out each time. Mostly my socks are influenced by things I read about how different people make socks and  a fair few keeper techniques gleaned from socks knit in the past. The most interesting find recently is this idea by Maia Spins, which was posted in 2007 but which I have only just thought now to search for. I'm keen to try that kind of flap extension with a slipped stitch heel, there is something neat about how the gusset stitches run vertical not horizontal.

Take care - knit or spin some, or at least read about fibre ...and investigate Unwind - even if just to temp yourself a little and dream.
na Stella

Couldn't have planned that

Merry Christmas .. or happy holiday, or seasons greetings, travel well, or whatever might be appropriate where you are. Things here are an odd mix of quiet and busy, we had a quiet Christmas day, then the busy started, people to visit, wonderful food to eat, and traveling to do with more people to visit. We have just got back from a whirlwind visit to my Dad, where there was even more wonderful food to eat - Harpuka caught by his friend Bruno, and local strawberries. Oh the joys of a summer Christmas, as usual we spent a day at the Waimate Rodeo, it was warm and overcast and great fun as it always is. I can't decide if my favorite event is the junior calf throwing or the sheep riding (you have to be under 6 years of age to ride a sheep - and those sheep are fast). I love the way the horses in the calf riding know to back up and keep the rope taut while the cowboy/girl binds the calf, impressive teamwork going on there.

With all the 'not working' I have been knitting - a lot. Knitting while visiting, knitting while being visited, knitting while the cubs played with new games and toys, knitting in the car ... in short - knitting. Which means that I have finished one more sock, well finished apart from working the afterthought heel.


And made a significant inroad on its mate. These sock are being knit from Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball and I had expected to knit two fraternal socks, as happens with Noro, but these are coming out as a very well matched identical twins. A quick check on Ravelry shows that this is not uncommon - people who knit socks with this yarn seem to have matching pairs, I guess Schoppel-Wolle are clever enough to put two complete repeats in each ball and if you work it right then you will knit two that match. I'm not usually a fan of afterthought heels, but they are a sensible solution when knitting with yarn that has long colour changes. If I had knit a more conventional heel with a flat then I would have risked an unsightly (to my eyes) colour change across where the foot meets the leg.

Bear was very generous to me this year, I got what is known by pen buffs as a 'grail' pen. That is a pen that one learns about and wants but can't afford or find straight away. Like most hobbies people who are into pens have a wish list, and this kind of pen was on my list. His gift was a Parker 51, Vacumatic from 1946, in Cedar Blue. There is several exciting things about this pen, first it is Vacumatic filling mechanism and it has a 'split arrow clip', with the blue diamond, and the cap has a 'stacked coin band'. For all sorts of reasons this pen was only made in this configuration for a few years, before the filling mechanism and clip style was changed, so this is kind-a-rare and so kind-of-valuable - but not to valuable to use. Having said that around 20 million Parker 51's were made in various forms and sold ... so this is just one of many. I'm a little embarassed as my gifts to him are still in transit, so I wrapped up the reviews and order confirmation and picked him up a copy of Pencils from UBS to tide him over until the post is delivered. It is entirely my fault - I left ordering until it was too late.

So we are home, for now, the warm sunny weather has been replaced by rain, and overcast sky's and more worryingly the weather forcast if for torrential rain and river flooding across much of the country ... so I think we will bunker in and relax with another slice of our home made Christmas cake.

take care
hope there is some relax with fibre time in your week
na Stella

Newest sock

Today's post - the latest sock, after a day or so ploughing thru the stitch dictionary books I have I found one that would work for a sock .. and made a start. So far so good. I've also sent away all of my Christmas stuff ... yesterdays effort was two trips to the post office. The first at 8:30am was quick, the second at 1:30pm involved queues out the door and considerable waiting. Still it is all done, all the new Zealand relies and friends have been shipped to, and two pens have gone away to be restored, one to Greg Minuskin to have the nib worked on, and a second to Gerry Berg to have its internals restored so it will fill and hold ink. Speaking of ink - the inks arrived yesterday .. and both Bear and I enjoyed dipping and swishing the new colours across paper. I think we are both a little overwhelmed by having 7 new inks to select from, on top of the eleven we already had. That stuff is just like yarn stash, addictive in all its colour choice. So today's post is about the new sock, new ink and that is about all.


So after a wee bit of time looking thru all those stitch dictionaries I decided on this pattern. There were several things going for this one, it wasn't lace and as this is for Bears sock that was a consideration. It is regular in that the repeats are easy to map out once you get going, and it looks both interesting and simple. It is Rib and Braid from page 201 of BW Second Treasury.

On the sock I briefly toyed with working the rib over the entire instep, but struggled with how to extend the braid right around the leg after the heel. So ... I split the braid into two columns and have decided to run one panel up each side of the instep, after the heel I can start a second panel next to these ones. It should work, but one thing I have learned about design is what seems good as an idea sometimes isn't quite right in reality .. so I'm prepared to modify the ideas as the sock grows. I realise that once washed and blocked the yarn will fluff and the cable will look fuller .. but perhaps the singles yarn isn't a good cable or twisted stitches yarn?

And Ink, as part of our treat order, Bear and I ordered two of our favorite inks in glass bottles (Diamine Pumpkin and Saddle Brown). These are dearer and larger than the plastic that is usually available, but some how glass seems more luxurious and traditional than plastic. Neither of us had had a good look at the glass bottles before for Diamine inks, but loved the old fashioned details of the bottles when we saw them. I just adore the mock bakerlite plastic cap - all mottled green, with the sunray glass bottle.

I also added a Waterman Encre Rouge Red to our collection, and while the bottle is glass not plastic it seems more modern that the glass one used for Diamine ink.

Bear pointed out something he has learned along the way. These faceted bottles are traditional for inks so one can tip them over and make filling pens easier once the ink level drops.... how cool is that?


.... take care
hope the weather where you are is as you want it, that being snowing where and when it should for Christmas effect and picnic weather where it should be (here)
na Stella