The last pair of socks is done

The last pair for 2005, that is. I just finished them moments ago. They will be for the Prodigal's friend C. I'll give them to him later tonight when the Prodigal gets home from work. They are a belated Christmas present.




The pattern I used, which is not at all obvious in the photos, doesn't have a name since I didn't get it from any of the pattern books I have. It is quite simple and very texture-y.

Round 1: k
Round 2: k
Round 3: * k1, p1 *; repeat * to end
Round 4: * p1, k1 *; repeat * to end
Round 5: * k1, p1 *; repeat * to end

Happy Hogmanay, everyone!

And more books

The cross stitch book is my Christmas present from the Best Friend. The knitting books I indulged in myself.

I have a pair of socks in the works, but I've only been working on them during my lunch break at work. Right now I'm caught up in re-reading George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books. I've finished the first two and I'm about 100 pages into the third while the fourth waits patiently for me to get to it.

Funny thing about the books, though. I pretty much remembered what happened in the first two books, but I seem to have wiped the memory of the third book from my mind. I really don't remember what happens in the third book. Oh, well.

More books

Can't get enough of those knitting books!

A tisket, a tasket

The commission socks are done. I just finished them. I used a woven stitch pattern on them. I love the colors. I almost hate having to give them away.




The woven stitch is worked over multiples of two stitches.

Round 1: * k2, p2 *; * repeat to end
Round 2: * k2, p2 *; * repeat to end
Round 3: k
Round 4: k
Round 5: * p2, k2 *; * repeat to end
Round 6: * p2, k2 *; * repeat to end
Round 7: k
Round 8: k

Guess what I got?

More sock yarn!




I think I'm plummeting into the murky abyss known as obsession. Ain't it grand?

;D

Number 5 be done

The 5th pair of socks is done. This makes the fourth pair for the Prodigal. I really wish I could get better pictures. Mine just don't do the colors or the pattern justice.

I officially have a stash!

Got lots and lots of yarn today. Two skeins of lace weight and five skeins of fingering/sock weight. And guess what? One of the skeins of yarn was a prezzie from the lady I get my yarn from. It was a wonderful, unexpected surprise and I love it. If you want to get some lovely yarn, do a search on eBay for kbrece.







Can you tell I like purples, blues, and greens?

I almost forgot. The prezzie is the skein on the right in the back row in the picture above.

It's mine, I tell you! You can't have it! Away! Away!

Happy Solstice!

Not a lot of knitting

I've been blessed with one heck of a cold so I haven't done a whole lot of knitting in the last two or three days. The one orange sock is done, but the second is only about 1/3 done. I'm still working on the leg. Knitting and NyQuil just don't go really well together.

I did get a new knitting book in the mail today. It looked interesting so I ordered it. I'm not sure when I'll tackle a sweater.

Professional sock knitter

I may have to become one. One the Prodigal Son's friends handed me $20 tonight and asked me to make him a pair of socks in red. Two other friends strongly hinted that it would be awfully nice if they had warm socks this cold winter and they didn't even have to be done by Christmas.

Oh, lord, what have I gotten myself into?

I swallowed half a herringbone

No, not me, silly. The sock.

Not that you can tell from the picture. I tried different angles, different backgrounds, zooming in and out, but I just cannot capture what this pattern really looks like. Technically, I suppose, it's half a horizontal herringbone and it is a much tighter pattern than any of the others I've done so far. I wish I could have gotten a more true to life picture.


The half horizontal herringbone is worked over multiples of two stitches.

Round 1: *sl 1 as if to knit, k1, psso but instead of dropping slipped st from left-hand needle, knit into the back of it; repeat from *

Round 2: knit

No. Five is alive!

Sock pair number five was begun last night and two rows were added today before I snapped this picture. I didn't work on them during lunch 'cause I went out with the boss and two other co-workers. Had Chinese. It was loverly.

You cannot see the pattern in the picture so I'm going to wait to list it until tomorrow when there will be more sock and I can get a better picture (inasmuch as I ever get good pictures.)


As always, these are for the Prodigal Son.

I've discovered the secret

To photographing socks, that is. In order for the pictures to come out well enough to actually see the pattern, arrange them decoratively in a wicker basket. (If you look closely, you'll see my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.)




The fourth pair of socks is done. The Prodigal Son now has three pair he can wear without washing until they felt.

Don't laugh. It's happening.

What kind of knitter am I?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer.

You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.
http://marniemaclean.com

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

More stock for the stash

Got another batch of sock yarn today. The Prodigal Son gets the orange. I don't know who will get the pink.

One sock is done

But I need a break. My back is killing me this morning. I think I'll do a little reading and address some Christmas cards and go to the movies later. Tomorrow I'll work on the other sock.


You can actually see the spiral pattern on the larger picture although the photos still don't do the colors justice.

More stash, more socks

Got another batch of yarn for my stash today. The green is lace weight and the purple is more sock weight. Both are 100% Merino wool and hand dyed. The balls are the same size, but there is twice as much of the lace weight yarn as of the sock yarn.



And I started another pair of socks for the Prodigal Son who is about to wear out the two pair of socks I've already made him. The photo doesn't do justice to the color. The shades of green vary from very dark forest to teal blue. The shading reminds me of peacock feathers.


I'm making this pair a bit smaller since the Prodigal has complained about the socks falling down and puddling around his ankles. He does have skinnier legs and feet than I do.

I'm not sure what you would call the pattern I'm knitting into the socks, but it spirals around the sock leg. This sock is 48 stitches around on size 3 US double pointed needles.

Round 1: *k3, p3; repeat from * around
Round 2: k
Round 3: p1, *k3, p3*; repeat * until the last 2 stitches; p2
Round 4: k
Round 5: p2, *k3, p3*; repeat * until the last stitch; p1
Round 6: k
Round 7: *p3, k3; repeat from * around
Round 8: k
Round 9: k1, *p3, k3*; repeat * until the last 2 stitches; k2
Round 10: k
Round 11: k2, *p3, k3*; repeat * until the last stitch; k1
Round 12: k

Repeat rounds 1 through 12 around the leg and on the top of the foot until done.

Toasty toes

The third pair of socks, but the first pair made for me, are done. I will now have the joy of having toasty toes when it gets cold again.

One for me

One sock of the pair I'm making for myself, with the Prodigal's gracious permission, is done. That is my actual foot modeling the actual sock.


The Prodigal Son is right. They do feel good.

That was awfully kind

The Prodigal Son just popped in to say he was going to spend the night at a friend's house and he was impressed by how far I'd gotten with the sock. I said that I really liked this pattern and he very graciously offered to let me make this pair of socks for myself if I really wanted them. Wasn't that just too awfully kind?

That's what I love about socks

I picked up my knitting about 8:30 or so after I got through playing on the computer and after I flipped through my magazine. It's now about four hours later and the sock has grown to the point where I'm turning the heel. Knitting socks is as close to instant gratification as you can get.

Sock-knit-aholic

This is becoming an addiction. I've started my third pair of socks. In one of the multi-green yarns I got the other day. The lighter one, as a matter of fact. This one has a pattern as well although I don't think it shows up well in the photos. The book calls it twisted stocking stitch. It looks lovely in person. Basically, you knit one round into the back of every stitch and the next round is knit normally.




I got the two books yesterday. They are absolutely wonderful. I'd really like to get the other books in the Harmony Guides series. (Hint, hint, oh Best Friend of mine. The books are on my wishlist. Speaking of which, have you updated yours yet? Christmas is fast approaching, you know.) The magazine arrived today and is the first issue of my subscription to Interweave Knits. I picked up one of the magazines at a Barnes & Noble and thought it was neato so I treated myself to a subscription.

I've become such a knit-aholic.

;D

The Prodigal Model

The Prodigal Son finally put the new blue socks on tonight. He likes these as well.




Eek! I need to get the carpet cleaned, don't I?

Second pair of socks

I finished the second pair of socks at work today. I couldn't talk the Prodigal into posing in them since he is busy cooking us supper, but I did take the usual boring table top snaps.




Heru felt the need to guard the socks, but I caught him with the flash. His Royal Highness was not amused.

I may try and talk the Prodigal Son into modeling the socks later after he's put food into his belly, but I make no promises about his compliance. He can be a stubborn cuss sometimes.

I'm building a stash

I received two more skeins of 100% Merino sock yarn in the mail today. Each skein is composed of shades of green and grey.

Second pair of socks

I started a second pair of socks for the Prodigal Son while I was visiting my folks for Thanksgiving. I opted to modify the simple stockinette pattern I used the first time into a chevron pattern. I have one sock finished and the other just barely started.


You can't really see the chevron pattern because of the yarn.


The pattern is just a bit more visible.


Heru, ever vigilant, is guarding the one completed sock from any potential sock thieves who might wander into his domain.

The sock is the same dimensions as the first pair I made using the Starter Stockinette pattern in Knit Socks! by Betsy Lee McCarthy. For me, that worked out being 14 stitches on each of four double pointed needles. The chevron pattern I used works out as follows:

Row 1: k6, p2, k6
Row 2: k5, p4, k5
Row 3: k4, p6, k4
Row 4: k3, p8, k3
Row 5: k2, p10, k2
Row 6: k1, p12, k1
Row 7: p14
Row 8: p6, k2, p6
Row 9: p5, k4, p5
Row 10: p4, k6, p4
Row 11: p3, k8, p3
Row 12: p2, k10, p2
Row 13: p1, k12, p1
Row 14: k14

Since I used four needles, each set of stitches is knit one time on each needle to complete the row.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm off to spend the holiday with the folks and I will probably be 'net-less while I'm gone, so I hope all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving have a good one.

Christmas came early

Woohoo!

Guess what was waiting at the post office for me when I got home from work tonight? Three prezzies from me to me. I got my box of Lebkuchen, my three new Patricia A. McKillip books, and two - yep, two! - skeins of hand dyed Merino sock yarn for making more wonderful socks. I'm such a happy little camper!

You know your socks are a success when . . .

. . . the Prodigal Son has worn them for two days without taking them off.

. . . the Prodigal Son informs you - yes, informs not asks - that you can make him another pair when the new yarn arrives.

If wishes were yarn . . .

I'd have another couple of skeins of the Merino in my stash so I could actually make this entrelac scarf.


As always, my picture taking does not do the project justice. Not that it's really a project since I don't have enough yarn to finish it and it's highly unlikely that I will get anymore of it since it is hand dyed.

But anyway . . . When I first got Scarf Style by Pam Allen, I was a little put off by the entrelac scarf. It just looked way too complicated - sort of like making the heel for a pair of socks did. So when I finished the socks and I was done playing on the computer, I thought I might just give the instructions a try with the little bit of Merino I had left over to see if I could get the hang of it.

Obviously, I did. And just like the socks, this pattern is so easy I can almost do it in my sleep. So now I'm left wishing I had more yarn so I could make the scarf for me. I've been such a good girl making presents for everyone else, I deserve a pretty scarf. Really, I do. Just ask me.

I guess I will just have to find some other yarn, in sufficient quantity once I figure out what that is, to make this pretty for myself.

Get a load of those legs!

The Prodigal Son doing modeling duty.

It's a pair!

The socks are done. I officially have my first pair. Woohoo!


And, of course, Heru has to protect my sock book from any unscrupulous knitters who might sneak into my house and try to use it while I'm busy snapping pics of my socks.


The socks are from the first pattern, Starter Stockinette, in Knit Socks! by Betsy Lee McCarthy.

Slippers

OK, well, there's only one so far, but it will be a pair of slippers soon.

I guess technically this is really the first sock I've knitted even though it is supposed to be a slipper. This is also for the Prodigal Son. It is from a pattern Karen graciously sent me. The heel is worked differently on this pattern than it is on the purple socks I'm making. Both of the ways are really easy once you understand what you're supposed to do, but I think I like this one better.

The socks

I've started a pair of socks with the hand dyed Merino I got yesterday. I'm not sure why I thought socks would be difficult to make. I guess it's because the instructions for making a heel didn't really make much sense until I had the sock in hand to figure them out.


The Prodigal Son has already called dibs on them so this pair will be for him.

It's here!

Approximately 440 yards of 100% Merino wool sock yarn hand dyed in shades of pink and purple. This is the yarn I'm going to use to make my first pair of socks.


The Prodigal Son thinks he might want the first pair in this colorway.

But before I can begin knitting the socks, I have to hunt down a set of five size 3 double pointed needles. Since I'm already in my jammies, this won't happen until tomorrow on my way home from work.

Where do I get my scarf patterns from?

This magazine that my mother got years and years ago when she was still knitting. She was going to throw it out but I took it from her even though it was in German. I remember enough of it that I could figure out most of the pattern instructions. The patterns for all the things I've knit this year, except for the open weave scarf I made for my XMIL, came from this book. The open weave pattern my mother showed me back in the Dark Ages when I was still a teenager.

Done, but not finished

I finished the scarf for my granddaughter at work on Friday. I haven't sewn in the tails but all the knitting is complete.




(Pattern)

I did not work on the butterfly fairy at all this weekend. As a matter of fact, I didn't do anything crafty since I spent the weekend in Corpus Christi with my best friend. I had a wonderful time.

Fairy update

Despite spending yesterday roaming 'round the area taking photos of things that caught my interest, I did manage to get some stitching in.

Last week's progress . . .


This week's progress . . .


I've also made a nice bit of progress on the scarf as well. I've been taking it to work with me to knit on during my lunch break. I didn't take any pictures this week because the cats all seemed terribly interested in getting in my way and the Prodigal Son wasn't here to help me with them. I plan on taking the scarf to work with me this week as well so I can get it done more quickly. If things go well, I might have a completed scarf by next weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!

If anyone is interested in getting a glimpse of where I live, check out the photos on my other blog - So I've got a blog . . . Now what? If the photos aren't up on the active page, just look in the October 2005 archive. They should be near the top.