Socks, socks, uh.... socks!

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! Yes, my sister has excellent yarn sense. Not only that, but she is a delight to knit for -- she really appreciates the love, time, and effort that goes into handknits. Just like me, she likes her socks colorful, which is also a plus.

I'm knitting her some bedsocks, and the first one is done. They are heelless, and they are quite long... on me, it's knee-high, on her, it'll probably be a bit shorter.


The yarn is Zauberball in Frische Fische. You can see the broken yarn and sudden color change near the ankle, but now that it's part of a larger sock, it looks OK.
These are socks for lying around the bed, flopping around the couch, and doing other things that cause a person to look at her feet every once in a while.


I've also finished some socks for me. These are tabi socks made out of Tofutsies. I liked it OK -- the wool/soy mix was certainly more comfortable to knit with in the heat than pure wool would have been. And the pattern was fun. Separate big toe! How cool is that?


And a shot of the toe socks in action. Check out those bling-covered flip flops. They're so tacky, they're awesome.

Project Details:
Pattern: Toe Jam, came with February Tofutsies sock club yarn
Yarn: Tofutsies, February sock yarn limited edition colorway
Needles: US #0
Comments: No modifications, knit as instructed. These were fun -- I enjoyed figuring out how not to knit two left feet! The directions just said to reverse shaping for other foot. I guess I got it right.

BIRTHDAY YARN!

Yesterday was my birthday. Now that I'm an adult with a real job, I can't just take the day off, but that's OK. I had chocolate peanut butter ice cream waiting for me when I got home, the So Delicious coconut milk-base stuff. It's so creamy and yummy and just a bit coconutty. Worth every calorie.

The other thing that was waiting for me was a package from my sister. Now, keep in mind that she doesn't knit or crochet, and that, stereotypicall, non-knitters "just don't get it."
Once again, we learn that stereotypes are wrong.

Look what she got me! YARN! Really, really nice yarn, too.
I'd never touched or seen Japonica, but it's a lovely soft lambswool/silk mix. Mmmmm.


And... sock yarn! Paca Peds in lovely colors. Colorful squishy alpaca socks, just for me! If I'd been there to pick the colors in person, I couldn't have made a better choice.


And then, there were these lovelies. She got them from Tausendschon, they don't have any labels, but I think they are worsted weight. Hand-dyed, obviously, and very, very pretty. I'm thinking hats or gloves -- or both!
Ignore the gray splodge on the left, by the way... that's Merlin. I had to manually remove him from the yarn.


So yes, non-knitters get it, if they care enough about the knitters in their lives to find out about yarn. I'm so happy with my birthday yarn!

Almost done!

Just popping by to say I'm almost done with my tabi socks! Somehow, I had trouble visualizing how you'd turn the toe bit around to fit the other foot, and now it's clicked. Can't talk, must go knit!

Time Flies

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I last blogged! Work has been busy, family stuff has been going on, and we've been getting some of the boxes around the house unpacked and thrown out. Finally. We've been living here for 9 months, and we still have boxes!

One of my cleanup efforts involves knitting up my stash. There's a "stashlet" in the bedroom, an outgrowth of the main stash downstairs. Two years ago, I didn't flash my stash in April because I figured it would shrink, so I wouldn't have to haul around that much yarn... the year after, the stash expanded, and now, it's budding. I have to stop the takeover of the house.

So... bed socks. Happy rainbow bed socks, using the Heelless Sleeping Sock pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. The yarn is Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball, and I'm loving how these are turning out -- except for the fact that, like Noro, there's a break in the yarn, and 0range starts right after green. You can see the sudden change on the left. Not a gradual change, just green, green... whammo, orange.


I finally finished the Marlene socks I cast on months ago. It's difficult to see here, but the yarn is ever so slightly variegated. I love this yarn. And the pattern turned out so pretty!


Here they are, both together. There's a slight shimmer to this yarn, which is why the pattern is difficult to photograph.

And here are the details:
Pattern: Marlene by Cookie A.
Yarn: J. Knits Superwash Me - Sock
Color: LA
Needles: US #0
Comments: I love the way these socks turned out. The yarn is a dream to work with, it has a slight shimmer to it, is ever-so-slightly variegated, soft, and comes in lovely colors. I can't say enough good things about it. This is my new favorite sock yarn.

And, because you haven't seen any cat pictures lately... this is Merlin, sleeping. His butt is pointing to the right, his chest is facing up, and his left foreleg is stretched out in perfect Superman flight posture. He is...


SUPERCAT!

Now, I just have to knit him a superhero costume, and get it on while keeping my face.

Back from Myrtle Beach

We are back from our family vacation in Myrtle Beach. It was a fun time, with walks along the beach, good food, and meeting family members I had never met and Mr. Batty hadn't seen in a very long time. I even got to knit on the beach, which I'd always meant to do. It's just as much fun as you think.

From our room, we had a perfect view of the Slingshot, which is essentially a loveseat-like thing suspended from cables between two 100+ foot high structures -- we were on the 7th floor of the hotel, and were by no means looking down at the thing.
People get on, and are then flung into the sky, about as high again as the structures supporting the cables... higher up than the 7th floor of our hotel! Oh, and to make it even more interesting, the seat spins you head-over-heels...
It was fun watching people get flung and hear the screams. You couldn't pay me to get on that thing!

Now, it's back to work and knitting. Torrents of rain are coming down outside, and it's supposed to get stormy later, which figures, as I have an appointment to get my hair done today. Oh, well.

Happy, Knitty 4th!

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers! I hope everyone is enjoying a couple of days off and spending some quality time with knitting, pets, family, or any other grouping or occupation you particularly enjoy.

Mr. Batty and I mostly stayed around the house, with the exception of a trip to the local game store, a trip to a restaurant, and a walk to the bakery. It's been very relaxing. Not much in the way of fascinating pictures, I'm afraid, but we both very much needed the quiet time.
We did not make it out to see the fireworks. We did watch the HBO miniseries about John Adams, though, and it just so happened that we'd gotten to the Independence episode on the 4th, so this worked out very nicely.

In other news, the recipients of my knits are away from the Internet, so I can now show you the socks I've been working on -- Marlene, by Cookie A. Fun socks. Not the best lighting (it's crazy bright out), but you can see the pattern.


The color is very slightly variegated, the stitch definition is wonderful, and I'm loving this project -- it's knitting up a bit more slowly than expected, but then again, I've been distracted.


Last Sunday, I started Abrazo from knitty. I've had my eye on it for a while, and it knit up incredibly quickly -- I almost finished it last Sunday, but then got distracted by work. I'm loving the outcome, the yarn is dreamy soft, it's black (yay, black!), and I did the cabling without a cable needle. New skill, how cool is that?


Details:
Pattern: Abrazo
Needles: US #10 and #11
Yarn: Malabrigo Chunky
Color: Black (it's a deep, rich black, but it still shows the cables, yay!)
Size: I knit the length for the small size and the number of stitches from the medium size to compensate for the thinner yarn -- Malabrigo is thinner than the actual yarn I subbed it for
Comments: Great quick vest. I need to block it to even out the crochet edgings around the neck and armholes. Note on doing single crochet: It's surprisingly difficult to get the knit stitches/crochet stitches ration quite right. I used a hook that corresponds to the smaller needle size, but still had to skip the occasional knit stitch to keep the edge from flaring.

Modeled shot coming up after I block this vest. I think I'm addicted... I can't stop knitting vests!

Long Weekend

Happy almost-4th of July to all of my US readers, and Happy Canada Day to all you Canadians!
My holiday starts at 5 pm today. I get tomorrow off, so it's a 4 day weekend. Knitting, cooking, relaxing, and watching the rain. It'll be great.
It will also give me the time to finish the vest I'm knitting. Don't know what it is about them, but I can't stop knitting vests. I'm turning into a veritable vestomaniac.

BTW, the English word vest covers both the German concepts of Weste and Aermelloser Pulli. ; )

Break from Work... with Knitting!

The big project is over. No more work over the weekend, so I have time to sit and knit -- now that I'm rested enough to do some knitting, that is. So what has happened since?

For one thing, Mr. Batty and I bought an X-Box. Merlin is convinced we bought it for him. Here he is, flopping on his new toy, eyes glowing as if he had somehow become part of the electronic console gaming experience. And he looks slightly demented, which should come as no surprise. He's a cat. Any questions?


I mentioned knitting, and I wasn't kidding. I finally finished one of the socks I cast on in May on my way to Cleveland. This is my first time using Tofutsies, and I have to say, I like it. Not the same amount of give as wool, of course, but the colors are pretty, the twisted stitch pattern works, and I'm not getting any major pooling.


And they are special. Look, my first tabi sock ever! Like a mitten for your feet. How cool is that? I was so intrigued by the construction, I couldn't stop knitting once I got to the toe.

The other pair of socks I've been working on are these. I had to use flash to get a good shot, so of course, you can't see the pattern. There's a cable running down each leg. The chart doesn't come with a legend, so I just twisted one to the left and the other to the right -- the cables on both legs are now facing each other.


See? There's a cable. I'm not trying to pull a fast one, I swear!


Details:
Pattern: Masonic Lodge (found it on rav)
Yarn: J. Knits Superwash Me - Sock, Color: Wheeling
Needles: US #0
Size: European 43
Comments:
I love this yarn. This is the slightly heavier version, which is regular weight sock yarn. It also comes in a thinner version, but I liked this for a man sock.
The pattern instructions for knitting the heel are slightly off -- when you start the heel turn, it says to knit 21 stitches. If you do that, the math doesn't work out. Knit 20 stitches, and you'll end up with the same amount of stitches to the left and right of your short row. You can follow the pattern from there.

Weekend Work

I'm working this weekend, so there is going to be very little knitting. But once I'm done, the big project is over, and I have promised myself that I'll get to start a new major garment as a reward... just for me! It's going to be pretty, it's going to be fun, and it's going to be mine, mine, mine!

And the best part? It's going to be from stash. I have so much pretty yarn, but it's been languishing, waiting for my attention. So... only a couple more days. Stay tuned, Sunday afternoon, I'm going to pick my new knit!

New Couch... and Recliners

We thought we'd thought of everything. We'd measured the width and the depth to make sure our new couch would fit through the door. But, alas, couches are 3-dimensional. When the delivery guy showed up, it went through the door alright... upright, at an angle, before getting stuck on the ceiling. Turns out our teeny-tiny hallway was too little, the couch about 10 inches too long, and therefore not going in. Ugh. We'd measured the door, but not the hallway ceiling.

After unscrewing the hallway light to get some extra room and still not making any headway, the delivery guys took the couch back, handed it over to a moving company, and the movers got it in... through the window. On the third floor. By hauling it up manually. Those guys were amazing!
Now, we have couches, and unlike the Yarn Harlot, we didn't have to saw off any bits of wall to get them into the room. I'm so glad that didn't happen, because I sure saw it coming!

I'm so happy with these couches. Click on the picture for a closeup, the pattern is really awesome! Kind of a 60's-looking thing, but done well. And excuse the table mess.


Morgana jumped on the couch within moments of delivery. New couch, must investigate!


Closeup of the corner of this couch... can you tell I love this couch? I mean, it's not red or black or purple, and we bought it anyway! Now it needs some bat pillows, and it'll be perfect.


We also got two recliners to go with the couches. All other chair-like things were enormous and wouldn't have fit into our living room. But these are awesome. They're comfortable, and you can sit there for hours while gaming, knitting, reading... covers just about every aspect of having fun at home.


Oh, and did I mention that the cats love 'em? I don't know if they used catnip instead of scotch guard, but Morgana pretty much hasn't left this chair since she first settled on it.


So after the chair saga, we got to relax a bit. We played console games, I got to wear my tacky, blinged-out flip-flops...


...and I made banana bread. It's from the Veganomicon, an dI have to say it's one of the best recipes I've ever tried! It came out moist and banana-y. And a bit lumpy, but that's because I was too impatient to mash the bananas all that carefully.


The Veganomicon is awesome. I finally know why my banana bread was turning out gummy and dry... who'd have thought that you have to treat it like an over-sized muffin, i.e. be really, really, REALLY careful not to overmix the batter?
Now, my banana bread is nummy.

Bender

I've been on a yarn diet for a while now. Everything was going well, I hadn't bought any new yarn in a month or two, the money was beginning to accumulate in my bank account... and now this. Yarn. Lots of yarn. Some bought in person, admittedly to be knit into gifts for friends and family, but... there's the yarn I bought for the Nicky Epstein scarf from the Spring/Summer issue of Vogue Knitting. All for myself, no excuses.

It may not look like much in the pictures, but I've seen it in person, and it's stunning. I've gotten my hands on two skeins of Tilli Thomas Disco Lights in American Beauty, a bright red with sequins. Sound tacky? Trust me, knit up, it isn't tacky at all. It's spectacular, and the perfect accessory for holiday parties or a night on the town. I can't wait to get started!

Little Girl Socks

It's surprisingly gray and gloomy outside for June, so I've been in the mood to sit inside and knit. Part of it has to do with this cold I'm getting over, but part of it is just a strangely autumnal feeling that's entirely wrong for the season.

That said, I have finished a pair of happy pink girl socks. I loved knitting these, the pattern was easy to memorize and I love the yarn. Bamboo and Nylon, and it has a beautiful sheen to it.

The gory details:
Pattern: Rayne's Socks (ravelry link, sorry - it's where I found the pattern)
Yarn: On Your Toes Bamboo (love, love, love!)
Needles: US #0
Comments: Let me say again how much I loved working with this yarn. It didn't hurt my hands, and it's shiny and has great stitch definition. I'll definitely use it again. And the pattern is so pretty yet so easy to memorize... the perfect little girl socks. 4 pattern repeats for the shaft and 4 pattern repeats for the foot should fit a little girl with a 4-5" foot perfectly.

And here's the prerequisite cat shot. Merlin in a box, Morgana washing his head.


There was a time when they'd both fit in one box. Now... not so much.

Saturday Fun

Today was such a fun day! After a week of working on various and sundry taxonomy conversions, pulling my hair out trying to manage a project, and dealing with office politics/workplace drama, I really needed this.

First, Mr. Batty and I went shoe shopping in Lexington. Driving in, I glimpsed a sign I could have sworn said YARN! on it in huge letters. I really thought that's what it said. After we were done buying new shoes for Mr. Batty, we went to investigate... turns out the sign says Wild and Woolly, and it's pretty much illegible from where we drove past it... I guess I'm developing a sixth sense -- Yarn Sense!

So we stopped by. And, as Mr. Batty says, you can't go into a new yarn store without buying something -- it's rude. My mother taught me to mind my manners, which explains this lovely dark blue/purple-ish skein of Malabrigo Sock.


And the skein of Madeline Tosh. Sock yarn is like cats, you can't have just one.


That's not mentioning the enormous bags of sock yarn already in residence, or the "stashlet" that has moved into our bedroom... ahem. Moving on, nothing to see here...
Hey, look, I'm changing the subject!

When I went grocery shopping this morning, I found these. They are Canadian heirloom tomatoes, and they come in red, yellowish/red, and greenish. They weren't on my shopping list, but they were so pretty, I couldn't resist. Mr. Batty says they look like silk purses, and I think he's right.


View from the top. Almost too pretty to eat, no?


But eat them we did. I made tomatoes alla Caprese, with fresh organic basil and fresh mozzarella, neither of which had been on the shopping list originally. The flavor of these tomatoes was unbelievable. I would serve these to guests at a dinner party, they were so good.

Now, I'm going to finish doing the laundry and read a bit. Maybe work on one of my secret knitting projects for a while. It's been a great, relaxing day.

It's a Secret

June is a big birthday month in my family. My mother and father both have June birthdays, and I still owe my sister some knits for hers (last November, ungh). So... it's not that I'm not knitting. It's that what I'm knitting is secret.

So, instead of pictures of knitting, have a cat picture. Merlin, sleeping in his bed-turned-into-cat-tunnel. They love the Purr Pad bed!


In not-secret knitting news: Remember this toe? I don't know what it is about toe-up socks, but my gauge gets all weird. I often knit socks with a caston of 60 stitches for myself, and they fit just fine. Sometimes, they're a bit loose, but generally, if I'm using regular (i.e. relatively thin) sock yarn and size 0/2mm needles, they fit. No swatch required. Just knit and go. So... when this toe was done, I decided to use it as a gauge swatch and measure. The pattern calls for 36 sts/4", on US #2 needles. Guess what I got?


You probably didn't guess 26 sts/4". But that's what I got -- giga toe, on US #0 needles. Why? Why???? I don't understand. This is the third or fourth time this has happened to me: cast on toe-up sock, measure gauge/try on, my stitches/rows are enormous. Rip, cast on top down, knit... no problem. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but it's really starting to bug me.
Looks like I'll be knitting toe-up knee-highs on US #00/1.75 mm needles. Hang around for frustration and unladylike language. Or don't. Maybe it's better that way.

Leprechaun-Shooting Princesses and a Vest

We had a great weekend visiting friends. They have a 3-year-old daughter who loves pink, princesses, and jewelry. She also knows what to do if she ever encounters a Leprechaun. She would "Shoot it, take it home, and make Leprechaun stew." Who said princesses were helpless damsels in distress? So here's a sock for the Leprechaun-shooting princess. The second one is still in the works, but I hope she enjoys them.
I guess she may have gotten a little confused between Pilgrims shooting turkeys in the woods around Thanksgiving Day and St. Patrick's Day...


I also finished my Back-to-School U-Neck Vest. Doesn't look like much just lying there, does it?


It transforms miraculously when you put it on, though... fits like a glove. Please excuse the bad hair, dark undereye circles, and rictus grin... it's been a long day at work, and then we'd just finished watching an old Dr. Who episode involving people getting massacred by aliens.


And here's a shot from the back. I love it. Still needs blocking, but I couldn't wait to show it off.


Details:
Pattern: Back-to-School U-Neck Vest from Fitted Knits
Size: 34" size; I intentionally didn't get gauge for a snugger fit as I wanted 0 or less positive ease
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, left over from the Dad Sweater, about 2.5 skeins
Needles: US #6 and #4
Mods/Comments: This was a quick, fun knit. I made the ribbing longer (cast on for 34" size but made length for next size up), and I love the result. The trousers in the picture are low-rise, and the vest reaches all the way down.
The instructions are unclear in one place -- after the ribbing, the pattern says to start the broken rib pattern... except the first couple of rows are stockinette. I started with the broken rib right away, but if I had to do it again, I'd do the stockinette rows first. This looks fine, though -- it's just personal preference.

There is, however, a mistake in the neck shaping. For the front in the 34" size, it says to
knit 46 stitches
put remaining 22 on holder
bind off 28 stitches

This is INCORRECT. It leaves you with 18 stitches on one shoulder and with 22 on the other. And when you’re done with the decreases, you’d end up with too few stitches. But the neck/shoulders work out beautifully if you
knit 48 stitches
put remaining 20 stitches on holder
bind off 28 stitches.
both shoulders will have 20 stitches, and reversing the shaping will be easy.
Do the math for back neck shaping also - I think there's another error.

If you have stuck around this far... here's a cat. Merlin, on top of the fireplace, hamming it up for the camera.


It has yet to get him tuna, but he's not giving up hope.

Too Hot!

I know, I know, I was complaining about the cold, but it's now getting really hot outside. I like warm, but I just finished an alpaca vest, and I'm not putting it on in 80+ degree weather... sorry. Maybe it'll cool down a bit by the time it's washed and blocked.

FO Sunday

I'm back from Cleveland. We spent 3 days training and stuffing ourselves silly. They fed us 4 times a day at the training center... it's quite the experience, I think I'm still coming off my sugar buzz.

The socks below are not a result of incompetence or residual over-sugaring, though. They are yet-to-be-felted Fuzzy Feet made out of some leftover Christmas yarn. Lamb's Pride in Pine and some other festive colorway. I've never felted anything in our frontloader, so I'm curious to see how it goes.


On my way to the airport, I finished my Sockadelic socks. They were so much fun to knit! An easy chevron/lace pattern that knits up quickly, and yarn that spirals and nearly glows in the dark because it's so bright... a winning combo.


I've been on a bright-as-all-getout kick lately. Must be the desire to see flowers bloom, the sun shine, and the gray weather go away. Yes, I'm goth, but my moods are very weather-dependent, and bright, sunny weather makes me happy and bouncy. Go figure. Sometimes, you just can't fight biology.


Details:
Pattern: Sockadelic
Yarn: Politically Incorrect sock yarn, got it in my shipment for the Sugarbee Studios sock club last fall.
Needles: US #0 (what else?)
Mods: None. The color is incredibly bright, and I really enjoyed knitting these socks. It's an easy lace pattern that looks awesome when you combine it with the yarn. Loved it.

In other news, I'm almost done with my Back to School U-Neck Vest from Fitted Knits. I only have one armhole to go, and it'll be done. Pictures and pattern errata coming up as soon as I'm done!

Cleveland

Once again, it's time for a trip to Cleveland. So, of course, two decisions had to be made: what to wear (can't really just throw on something random with bats on it in a business type of setting), and what to knit.
I'm finishing my Sockadelic socks today, probably on the train to work. I'm also bringing some wooden DPNs, some Tofutsies, and a pattern for a sock with twisted stitches and a separate big toe. Pictures when I get back. For now, I've got to run to work. See you when I get back!

Kitty Update

It's been 4 days since the surgery, and Morgana is doing much better - as are Mr. Batty and I. The first evening and morning we had to give her meds, she struggled something awful. She's such a small kitty, you'd never think she had the ability to turn into a little squirming whirlwind of teeth and claws. I was worried people at work were going to see the scratches on my arms and think I'd tried to end it all with a fork...

Her brother kept hissing at her. Usually, it's just a day or so until the vet smell comes out of her fur. This time, it lasted longer. He'd come up to her, get a whiff of bloody tooth extraction mouth, and hiss/smack her. It was sad. But now, they're almost back to normal, and Morgana must have figured out the grab-and-squirt helps with the pain, because Mr. Batty can medicate her without my help. Only 3 more squirts and she's done!

Vest... and Kitty Surgery

First, the knitting. This is the Back-to-School U-Neck Vest from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits. I only have to do the right-hand back "strap" and knit around the neck and armholes, then it'll be done.



On the one hand, this has been an easy and enjoyable knit. I really like the way it's turning out, and I can't wait to wear it. On the other hand, the editing in this book is atrocious. I had heard that Fitted Knits was full of errors. I checked the errata, found two, thought that would cover it... but no, I found two more mistakes. Urgh.
And I'm not happy about it. See, I paid almost $23 for the book. Sure, mistakes happen, editors are only human like the rest of us. But why publish a poorly edited book that clearly needs more work? Some of these mistakes could have been caught with simple proofreading... no need to knit, just have to do basic arithmetic.

Because of these mistakes, the book is now being re-edited. Yay!
For the people who didn't buy the error-riddled edition, that is. And it's not like the publisher is going to maintain errata for people who already own a copy.
I am not going to blame the author for this. She maintains the errata on her website, and if she doesn't catch all the errors, well, it's not really her job.
The patterns are lovely. I own both Fitted Knits and Glam Knits. It's just sad that an otherwise great knitting experience turned frustrating because of careless editing.

The other thing that's sad? Morgana. As you can see, her left front leg has been shaved so they could put an IV in. A few weeks ago, my little kitty girl was making a rather clumsy descent from the window sill to the floor. She made an unscheduled stop on the fireplace, mouth first, and today, the veterinary dentist removed her broken tooth.


We have to medicate her three times a day, which she doesn't like one bit. Her brother is mean to her because she looks like his sister, but he just knows she's an evil impostor. This cat smells nothing like her. He hisses at the changeling and even swatted her in the head once, so now they're separated. It's going to be a long couple of days.