Tale of Woe

I finally decided to overcome my fear of colorwork. Things were going well. Sure, I was probably going to run out of yarn (the danger of using leftovers) and I had some twisted stitches (must make sure to wrap the yarn in the right direction when anchoring the main color), but overall, I was very pleased.


Pretty bird design, the colors are working out, everything is reasonably even and likely to get more even with blocking. So I decide to try on the sock.


Yeah. That sock is not going over my heel, ever.


Moral of the story: yes, stranded colorwork is in fact less stretchy than regular knitting. Rrrrrip!

Funky Socks of Awesomeness

They are colorful, they are funky, they are brightening a gray New England day! Warmups, done and ready to be shipped to Germany. Such a fun knit. Very detailed patter, I'd recommend it for beginners.


Watch out for the yarn consumption, though. I couldn't even match up the stripes because I thought I was going to run out. The pattern calls for 5 "welts" but I made 6. This is what was left of two skeins of Regia Color. I usually have tons of leftover yarn!


As you can see, I like living on the edge.

Details:
Pattern: Warmups
Yarn: Regia Ringel Color in colorway Clown
Needles: US #0/2mm
Size: European 39
Comments: If you add welts, make sure you have enough yarn! These socks slurp up yarn like you wouldn't believe.

I overdid it...

I seem to have gotten carried away with the sock-knitting, and with twisted stitch patterns in particular. The tendons in my right forearm are complaining, so I'm now on knitting hiatus and trying to keep the typing to a minimum. There was a bit of spinning yesterday. Maybe I can do that for a bit, it doesn't seem to hurt too badly.
There's nothing sadder than unrequited love. I love twisted stitches but they don't love me back.

Single Sock

You know what my goal was for 2011? 11 sweaters. You know what I've been knitting? Hats and socks. Mostly socks. The moral of the story: when I want to knit sweaters, I should sign up for a sock challenge on rav.

I'm currently at that awkward stage where I have several projects going, and there's one finished sock for all but the pair I'm working 2aat. This is Haleakala, the February shipment of Cookie A's sock club.


It introduced me to Caper Sock, the most luxurious sock yarn I've ever held in my hands. It's soft and squooshy and feels amazing -- I'm knitting slowly because I don't want to run out of this yarn, ever.


The sock is fun to knit. Not particularly difficult, but interesting construction. I've already cast on sock #2. My feet are tiny, so I may be able to get a second pair of short socks out of this skein. If not... well, there's always fingerless mitts.

Cake and the Blob

It's another gloomy day in New England, not rainy or cold but very sleep-inducing. Also not a good photography day. So what's a knitter to do? Bake, of course!

Meet the Raspberry Buttermilk Cake from Smitten Kitchen. Except mine is made with blackberries. This year, Trader Joe's has had some amazing blackberries, and I've been eating them for weeks. Time to try baking with them. This is before...


...and this is after baking.


I've only tried one crumbled-off piece so far, but I think it's going to be very good. Next time, I'll most likely reduce the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup instead of 2/3 because I think it's a bit too sweet. But I often find baked goods too sweet as written, so YMMV.

In terms of knitting, I've been working on a couple of things, including this shawl. I picked it up again after months of inactivity -- fixing a lace row that's over 600 stitches long didn't sound appealing. But it's fixed and I'm working on it again.


See how bleached-out the colors are? Yeah, it's a gloomy day in New England. I'll go eat some cake now, cake makes everything better.

Funky 80's Socks

My sister likes funky socks. I thought I'd look for the brightest self-striping yarn and found this -- Rebia Ringel Color in glorious 80's colors. Perfect! I knew I had a winner when I found a pattern that also reminded me of the 80's.


Taken in the evening, no flash to show off the structure. The weather is miserable, it's raining the entire week. But these Warmups make me happy!


Only thing you may want to know is that they take up lots of yarn in those welts. I knit 6 instead of 5, and this is how much yarn I have left over from one ball.


Usually, I'd try to match the stripes in the second sock, but with this amount of yarn left over, I'm cutting it close as it is. Whatever color shows up first gets used for the caston.

Dorktastic

Is there a reason not to take pictures of finished objects early in the morning? Right after you've woken up but before you've had any coffee?

You betcha!


Yes, the picture is dorktastic, but I quite like my Quincy hat. Here's what it looks like. A bit too much light, but you can see the structure.

It was fun to make and took about one skein of Ariosa. Ariosa is soft and squishy and a dream to work with. Just don't use it for a project you intend to frog a lot or pull on, like tight cables. I was sewing the provisional caston with the live stitches on my needles, and the yarn ripped twice. It's loosely spun -- more like roving than yarn, really. But it is very soft.

Guess What?

I know this is going to come as something of a surprise, but... I've knit more socks! Who'd have thought?
They're portable, in terms of speed they're relatively fast, and they're cheap to ship. Most people love receiving hand-knit socks.

This pair is for my dad. Can't send mom a pair of socks and send him nothing. That would be cruel. I hope the stripes aren't too wild for him.


Details:
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in colorway Aslan (I love this yarn!)
Needles: US 1/2.5 mm
Pattern: Zopfmustersocken
Comments: I tried the short row heel as written, but it was too shallow for my dad's instep. He wears a European 42/43, but his feet are skinny and he has a high instep. So I knit a heel with a flap instead. Eye of partridge heel: sl1 (k1, sl1) to end, k2. ws: sl1, p to end.

And for a preview of what I'm knitting now... yes, you're right. Socks! Socks from Janel Laidman's sock club in knitpicks yarn from stash (toe up! 2aat! taking forever!)


And socks from Cookie A's sock club, in String Theory Caper Sock. The picture doesn't do the yarn justice. The color is a bluish-green-brownish yarn, and it's sooooo soft. One of the nicest yarns I've ever felt.


Now the big question is: am I knitting anything besides more socks? Stay tuned for the answer to that burning question!

Sock Love

I told you I'd been busy! Here is a pattern I love, and I love the end result even more. Meet Hyacinth, the first installment of last year's Sole Mates sock club. Janel Laidman's designs rock. So much fun to knit! And gorgeous from all sides.

Here's the front


Front and back together


From the side


And a closeup of the back/heel section. Sometimes, I'm a bit skeptical about bobbles, but you have to agree that this is some awesome bobble action!


It took me almost a year to knit these. I started during good times, kept knitting through sad times, and have knit my way all the way into better times. They're for my mom.

Details:
Pattern: Hyacinth
Size: Medium
Yarn: German mystery yarn
Needles: US #0
Comments: Fun knit! Highly recommended. Loved working on this, knit as written.

It's Alive!

Alive and knitting.
March has been a difficult month for many reasons. But there's more to it than that. For one thing, the cat disassembled my keyboard and removed the space key. It didn't work until Mr. Batty put it back in -- my attempts didn't quite work. Typing with a fickle space key is annoying, I tell you!

Apart from that, I have been working out. Long walks, not the slow kind either. I'm slowly getting my strength back. And I'm knitting. This is the first of many -- I've been quite productive and not so good about sharing.

I present to you: Sequoia. You can wear them with the cuffs down.


The gusset decreases are neat. They happen at the center of the top of your foot.


You can wear them with the cuffs up. Also a very attractive look.



There's good pooling and there's bad pooling. This yarn makes the sock look like sunlight shining through the trees, creating golden light and brown shadow on redwood trees.


The prosaic details:
Pattern: Sequoia by Janel Laidman, part of last year's Solemates sock club
Yarn: Paca Peds sock yarn
Needles: US #0/2 mm
Comments: The only change I made is to substitute my regular eye of partridge pattern for the heel flap. RS: sl1, (k1, sl1) to last 2 stitches, k2. WS: sl1, p across

I have also been really bad about catching up with the knitting blogosphere. I'll be coming to visit soon, I promise!

Happy International Women's Day!

We've come a long way in 100 years. There's still a lot of work left to do, but we should all stop for a second and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done.
Now... back to our regularly scheduled activism. And knitting. Because they are not mutually exclusive.

Wow

It's been a week since I received my box for the knitty holiday swap, and I'm just getting around to posting the pictures... I've been crazy busy at work. But that doesn't mean I'm not excited.

Look -- the first thing I found when I opened the box! It's a bat! A Big Brown, to be exact, and his wings open up. Isn't he the cutest? The wings open up for some fun flapping action!


But wait, there was more. Tea, chocolate, all sorts of of fiber I've never spun before, yarn, handmade cards and a knitting notebook... I'm simply floored by so much generosity.


So a big THANK YOU! Goes out to Spinning my wheels from the knitty board... I love my SP goodies, and the bat makes me smile every time I look at it.

The Hat Formerly Known As Penis Hat

I finished the infamous penis hat last week, but didn't get around to posting it here. Thanks to input from the designer, it now no longer looks penile -- more brainy. Don't let the pictures fool you, it's black, not blue.


And here it is from the back. Slightly different, you'll notice. This was a fun knit, I really enjoyed it.


Alas, my head is unusually small. Didn't know that about myself until I knit this hat... gauge was spot on, measurements are spot on, but no dice. It now happily lives with my friend Kate.

Details:
Pattern: One Skein Braided Cable Hat
Yarn: Malabrigo Chunky, about one skein -- maybe a bit more
Needles: US #9
Comments: Fun knit, but it's really, really important to read the note about how to knit the cables off the cable needles... and do it as written. If you deviate even one little bit, you end up with a Freudian hat!

Another Storm... and a Bit of Madhouse: Secrets

But we just had a snow storm!

True, we did. Every Wednesday since the new year, in fact. I took this picture on my way to coffee this morning. Snow, snow everywhere. It would have been nice to sit inside and knit, but one of the disadvantages to being able to work from home is having to work from home even when you're snowed in.


Hot chocolate made it OK. This mug-and-cozy is not a handknit, but my sister assured me she picked it out with love. It came with the hot chocolate. Looking at the picture above, it showed up just in time!


I'm supposed to talk about secrets for the Wednesday madhouse post, but honestly, I can't think of much to say. I'm not a secretive person. What you see is what you get. I can keep other people's secrets, and I won't reveal birthday or Christmas gifts before the big day. But other than that... well, I'm sort of transparent. Secrecy is just too much work. It's not how I roll.

Special Socks

The stash is huge. Cookie A.'s sock club starts up in a couple of weeks. I'm knitting faster. How fast, you ask? 3 FO's in 2 days, baby! Yeah!

First up, the Speshul Snoflake Socks. What makes them special, uh, speshul? They are my first-ever two-at-a-time socks. I started toe-up with 12 stitches, then winged it. Didn't want gusset increases because I wasn't sure my yarn would last. So I did an afterthought heel and kept knitting.


The yarn is leftovers from my SIL's Christmas socks and some other socks I knit a year or two ago. You see, I have very small feet. Every time I knit socks, I end up with lots of leftovers. And the leftover bag is swelling. Hence: leftover socks.


These still aren't that speshul, though, are they? Well, here's the extra speshul element. You see, I'd finished the sock and was about to start the afterthought heel. I started unraveling my waste yarn and picking up stitches... Aaaaah! I'd knit together the top and the bottom of the hole! Panic! The yarn had to be cut, but there was no way I'd be able to weave in those ends. Not enough yarn. What's a knitter to do?

Answer: Use Crazy Glue!


By the time I knit the second sock, it occurred to me that I didn't need the glue. All you have to do is unravel the half-row that's knit together in the middle, pick up the stitches a row below it for your heal, and sew in the ends. Live and learn.

Very exciting, no? In that case, I don't want to leave you hanging with socks only. Here's a preview of some done-and-blocking FO's. Hint: one of them is the hat formerly known as Penis Hat. Except, now it's no longer reminiscent of said appendage. I fixed it.


Got to do work and wait for the snow. We're getting yet another Snowpocalypse. I may be the only person who isn't sick of it yet. I love snow.

Happy Late Birthday To Me!

Granted, it's very late, but the package my sister and my parents put together for me is well worth waiting for. This isn't all of it, either. There was chocolate, and a really cute mug-with-cozy and tiny warm water bottle thingie... but here are the highlights.

Merlin got really excited as soon as the package arrived. Tape, glorious tape! This cat has a serious glue-sniffing problem. Of course I had to immediately open up the package and dispose of the tape. You know, to keep the cat from poisoning himself.


Inside... well, my sister may not be a knitter, but she sure knows how to pick yarn. This would be some gorgeous Tausendschoen sock yarn. There was even a booklet with patterns. I'm really excited about this. Had I chosen my own colors, I couldn't have done better. I keep ogling the yarn. It's so pretty.


Then, there are these gorgeous socks. They are soft and squooshy, and my sister brought them back for me from her trip to Ecuador! Special socks, indeed. I'll have warm feet all winter long.


And... my parents got me this little guy. They saw a stall with stuffed animals at a Christmas market, and discovered this adorable bat. He's soft and cuddly and has the cutest face. I'm so happy!


I have to go ogle my new sock yarn some more. Today was going to be FO Friday, but... I'm sure you understand.

Madhouse: Shoes

I have been remiss in my Wednesday posting, but when the topic of shoes came up, I just had to write something.
You see, as a woman, I am supposed to be obsessed with them. Designer shoes -- expensive objects d'art for a lady's feet. Most of them have heels, so if the wearer happens to be an Average Jane rather than a lady who gets out of the limo, walks into the restaurant, then repeats the same process in reverse... I'm sorry. Have some ice for those blisters.
Anyhow, as I was saying, we're supposed to be obsessed with shoes. One pair won't do, mind you. You need shoes to go with different outfits. Shoes in spring colors for spring, shoes to go with your fall wardrobe, sandals for summer, and boots to keep your toes from freezing off in winter. Shoes for work, date shoes, workout shoes, Sunday afternoon but only until 2 pm shoes, but they better not be white unless it's... wait, was that before or after Labor Day?

The rules go on and on. The cost goes up and up. And before you know it, woman has "invested" herself out of her paycheck, whereas the retailer is taking money to the bank. And all of this because I'm not supposed to be wearing white shoes in January. Yeah.
So forgive me if I don't get on the shoe bandwagon. They have to be comfy, they have to show off a pair of hand-knit socks, and they have to last. I'll just learn to live with the idea of being a bad consumer.

Snow... and Goodies!

You may have heard of it on TV... but we had snow again! This time, it was a real blizzard. Mr. Batty and I both worked from home and took turns shoveling our deck. By the time one half was clear, the other was snowed in again. Talk about Sysiphean labor!


It's gotten warmer now and the snow has begun to melt. But it sure was pretty while it lasted. I was lucky enough to be able to work from home, and even a day or two of staying out of the office tends to spoil a person.

As if I weren't spoiled enough, I got my package from the knitty holiday swap. And I have to say, I was absolutely blown away by my sp's generosity. Fiber -- in gorgeous reds and grays and ALPACA!!! -- one of those fun knit kits with stitch markers, a tape measure, and other useful stuff inside, patters... the list just keeps going. And something tells me those postcards aren't just store-bought, either. Nessa, I knew from your blog that your photography was superb, but they are stunning!


And... then there was the applesauce. The jar made it intact, it was briefly mentioned, then quickly squirreled away in the fridge. I have plans for that applesauce. It involves me, myself, and a spoon.
Thank you so much for your gift and for your kind words. You really made my day.

By Popular Demand

I present to you: The hat that looks... Freudian. Focus on the cable crossings with the unfortunate-looking purl stitches. Where I messed up. The purl stitches are the "head" and the object itself is shown in its natural position, hanging down.


Yeah. I'm not wearing that in public.

No Hat Today

I was going to post pictures of this hat I'm knitting. I'm 2/3 done. Or rather, I was, until Mr. Batty took one look at it and said, "This cable looks like a penis!"
I am so not wearing a penis hat.