Socks

Want to see the brightest sock ever? This is it. This has got to be it. It positively glows in the dark, and looks much better in real life than it does in pictures. It's my first Sockadelic sock, and it is making me very happy with its in-your-face crazy brightness. One done, one to go.


I've also cast on for the Garden Gate sock... again. This has got to be the fourth or fifth time. The thing to the left is the toe. Not very big yet, a bit weird-looking, but I'm convinced it'll get better as I go along. Because... because I have a real gift for self-delusion when it comes to knitting. Moving on.


What do you mean, my Banff sweater was big enough to fit 2 people? And I was convinced it was going to work out. Uh...
Wait. Let me change the topic.

Look, Morgana. Upside down.


Who can resist an upside down cat picture?

WIPs, FOs, and YUMs

And now, back to our regular program! Anybody say yarn? I bought some for a gift the other day, but more about that in another post. Must work on some of my WIPs.

Here's one of them, the Sockadelic sock. I saved this particular Sugarbee Studios sock club kit until I thought my life needed a bit of brightening up. And boy, is it ever bright! Lots of fun to knit.


Speaking of Sugarbee Studios, this was the last installment of 3, the Caloroso sock. Fabulous pattern, great bright colors. Here it is without flash to better show off the pattern...


...and here it is with flash, so you can see just how bright the colors really are. Awesome, right?


Now we get to the YUM part. Apple spice muffins for breakfast, because it wouldn't be a proper weekend without any baking at all. They were good, I've had 3 so far and keep going back for more.


It's too warm to knit my alpaca vest today, but I'll show pictures of it soon. I've separated the front and back and am partway into the armholes. It's 80 degrees out, though... no alpaca until it cools down again.

Tired

Ugh, it's been a long, long time since my last post here. I've been knitting, and there are WIPs and FOs to show off, but somehow, I haven't been able to get off my butt and actually do it. This whole seasonal affective thing is getting pretty darn old pretty darn quickly. Fortunately, the sun is coming out more often now, and I've been making sure I get some fresh air and exercise. That ought to help.

It's supposed to be 70 degrees out tomorrow, and almost 80 on Saturday. It's finally getting warm again. Almost time to put away the alpaca and break out the spring/summer yarn. There isn't that much of it in my stash, but when I'm busting, I'm busting, and it, too, needs to be worked up.

Productive Sunday

I've been feeling down lately, mostly because of the gray weather. So I decided to go back to sitting in front of my happy light, and it's working! This was a very relaxing, productive weekend.

I got to bake -- this is applesauce spice cake. Easily one of the more expensive cakes I've ever made, it calls for 1 3/4 cups of maple syrup! Next time, I'll buy B grade.


I also have a new knitting project: the Back to School u-neck vest from Fitted Knits. I'm making the smallest size in leftover yarn from the Dad Sweater. Look, the color actually looks burgundy! This is the closest I've come to getting a good, true-to-life picture of this yarn. I have about 7" of ribbing done and will be knitting another 2 because I'm long-waisted.


Here is my progress on Calorosa -- aka the Pink Socks. Yes, those are bobble-like entities. I could push them into the lace and have them be dents, but for some reason, I like them when they're sticking out. If I'm doing the k5tog, I want it to be visible.


Also, I don't yet have 5 people for the paying it forward craft-style. If you don't want to do it because of money, time, or simply 'cause you don't wanna, I understand. But in case you do... see my previous post.

OK, that's it for now. I have to go get the burritos out of the oven, then put my foot up. I managed to twist my ankle and it still hurts a bit. "Look where you're going" is really good advice, whether you're 5 or in your 30's.

Paying it Forward

I'm not a meme person. I'm not a chain letter person. But today, I saw something on That Crafty Bitch's blog, and I really like the idea. Check this out... a chance to win something hand crafted... by me!

The first five (cinq) (cinco) (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. (No refunds… no exchanges!!!!)
2. What I create will be just for you, with love from me.
3. It'll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. I may even create something totally unbelievable and surprise you!! Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note/post of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to it.
7. I'll contact you for your mailing address, so we don't all get spammed. No spam! It'll be fun!

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own note to pay this forward.

2 Weeks Till Taxes!

Ours are done, how about yours? We had the help of Mr. Merlin J. Fuzzbutt, CPA -- just like last year. He's usually a good boy who knows better than to lie on the table. But... this cat is attracted to tax stuff! We couldn't get him off the folder that had our tax forms in it. He's obsessed with taxes.


Me, I'm still obsessed with socks. Look, they come in pink and lacy!


I've promised myself to knit more non-sock objects this year, so that's next. But first, I have to go make pizza. The sauce is done, the dough is rising, I need to go knead it.

Getting Things Done

I haven't been blogging much lately. Mostly, it's because I've been busy knitting and finishing things. You know how it is... you knit and knit and knit, then you're in a rut. Everything just sits there. One row left of that pair of socks, and you can't get yourself to knit it. Sweater pieces are all finished, but you can't get yourself to put them together. Another pair of socks has been languishing for weeks, and you're not quite sure why. And then...
WHAMMO! You turn into a WIP finishing machine.
Well, that's what happened to me. Look at this:

Socks. With beads.


More lavender/purple than in the picture, and the beads are slightly iridescent. I love these socks.


Then, some socks for my sister. Maybe they're not quite 100% the same size (let them lie for months, didn't take notes), but they should still fit. And Opal Regenwald in Hummel sure makes for pretty stripes.


And then... the Dad Sweater. Still not red. It's burgundy, burgundy, burgundy. Now someone go tell my camera.

Sideways, because getting a good shot required some contortions on my part:


And from t he front:


Not blocked yet, but otherwise assembled and ready to go. Now, I'm hoping it fits... 50" for a 44" chest is quite a bit of positive ease, now that I look at it. sure, it's supposed to be loose and comfy, but I hope the Enormous Sweater Curse doesn't continue.

I guess this is what happens when work stress picks up: suddenly, all sorts of WIPs get finished. It's like that time you're supposed to be studying for an exam but end up cleaning your room instead. Who knew vacuuming and dusting could be so much fun, right?

Still here

I haven't abandoned my blog. It's been busy and work and my tendinitis has been pretty bad, so I took a break from blogging, blog stalking, and even from knitting. Not completely, but I cut way down for a couple of weeks. I'll be back in a couple of days with FOs and WIPs to show off... and to check in on the rest of the knitting world. I miss you guys!

Back in Business

Hello, it's been a while! I haven't posted in over... oh, in forever. First, my sister was visiting, and we had a great time. I fed her, took her shopping, spent time hanging out... at the end of day 10, neither she nor I properly fit into our pants, but we had had a lot of wonderful food, many opportunities to veg on the couch, and an altogether enjoyable visit. That's the good part.

In not-so-good news, we had internet problems. First, our cable modem stopped working, and our ISP told us it was area-wide. But they didn't do anything about it. So we got ticked off and decided to try another ISP -- they had a try-it-30-days-free offer. DSL isn't so bad, right?
Right. The cable that came with the modem-cum-router was busted. Then, when we had replaced that, installation turned out to be a difficult process indeed. Then, their anti-virus software completely killed Mr. Batty's hard drive... and then, to add insult to injury... DSL stopped working. Great.
So now we have two non-functional modems. I call our original ISP provider and the tech support guy doesn't see any problems with modems in our neighborhood. After some helpful instructions, I have our cable modem running again, the computer we plugged into it directly is accessing the internet. We unplug, turn on the wireless router...
Dead.
Our wireless router has kicked the bucket.
So we get a new wireless router, Mr. Batty does the installation, wants to access the web... modem is dead. After some cursing and mucking about, I discover that you have to unplug the modem, let it sit for 30 seconds, plug it back in, power cycle... and then it works.

So, after all that, we're back in business. Yay!

YAY, SISTER!

Today, I get to pick up my little sister! Haven't seen her in over a year, and she's coming to visit all the way from Germany. YAY!

Toe-Up Sock Failure

You know those moments when you realize something bad is happening but you keep knitting? You know, because if you keep knitting, it'll get better? That's how I got to this point in the Back to Basics pattern even though my row gauge was 40 rows/ inch instead of 46 rows/ inch. At this point, I had another another 12 rows of increases gusset to go, plus 20-odd rows of heel!


While my stitch gauge was more or less on, there was still the problem with my skinny feet and ankles. For a demonstration, take a look at the next picture.


So... the sock you see above is no more. It is now the beginning of a simple top-down sock. Nothing fancy, just stockinette and happy-making yarn.


I just need something easy and fun to get me back on track. I'm not giving up on toe-up sock construction, but the last two patterns I've cast on had to be frogged. So... back to the tried and true. I'll be more adventurous in my next post, I promise!

Undercover Cat

It's Saturday morning and I had buttermilk in the refrigerator. Just not quite enough, so I decided to try a trick I'd read in a cookbook: take 1 cup of regular milk and add 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice to it. Wait to thicken.
It worked like a charm.


We were getting ready to sit down and enjoy some lovely made-from-scratch pancakes when I noticed a suspicious-looking lump at the opposite corner of the table. It was moving. It was vaguely cat-shaped. I could see Morgana clearly, but Merlin was missing.


Sing to the Mission impossible theme music:

Sneak up on those pancakes
Sneak up on those pancakes
Sneak up on those pancakes
Sneaky Cat!

Fortunately, we got there before he did.

Then, there was some more excitement as I frogged my Plaited Points sock. Partway up the foot, I had to finally admit that 6 st/inch is very different from 8 st/inch, particularly when you start out with 66 stitches and have really skinny feet. I loved the color (Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Ruby River, pretty!), and I was so proud of myself for getting Judy's Magic Caston right and working my first toe-up star toe. Alas...
Riiiiiiiip.


This is my new toe-up project: Back to Basics from Fall 2007 knitty, I believe. In Opal Rainforest (I love Opal yarns!), color: Hummel.
I used Judy's Magic Caston again, and here is the result. I'm happy again.

Fooooooood!

It looks like the severe weather has come and gone. Yesterday, it snowed like crazy, then it rained. The cats didn't want to miss out on the action. They watched the snow and wished they could be in it. Being indoor cats, they have no idea how cold it is, and I doubt they would actually enjoy it. But it's fun to watch.


This morning, the sidewalks were iced over, and I didn't want to be outside either. Working from home is fun, particularly when you have feline help. Busy season has begun for accountants across the US, and just like last year, I present a picture of our tax specialist: Merlin J. Fuzzbutt, CPA. I do taxonomy, he does our taxes, and everybody has fun.


And then, I had a kitchen attack. Not just a little one. I'm talking the full-blown cookies and food kind. Behold the results: chocolate-chocolate chip cookies (with cocoa, chocolate chips, AND melted chocolate!) and pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and green beans. Very yummy.


Now, I'm going to sit down and knit. I haven't done any of that today or yesterday, but I think my mojo is coming back.

Winter Storm Warning

We have another winter storm coming through tomorrow. That's about the fourth one this winter. Most people seem to be sick of snow, but I love it. Not when I have to drive in it, mind you, but when I can be inside and watch it coming down? Love it. And being able to work from home when the weather gets really bad helps a lot.

Not to mention that commuting time becomes knitting time. Let's see if I can get the second Fuzzy Foot finished tomorrow and a Pleated Points sock cast on!

Rolling along

I've been on a domestic kick lately. Yesterday, I made pancakes from scratch. Today, I made pizza from scratch, sauce and all. And I've been knitting.

My first Fuzzy Foot is done. They're so funny before felting! Enormous. I could probably wear it as a hat if I tried.


And then there's the sock I cast on yesterday. It's for the Sock Knitters Anonymous January knitalong. It's the beaded mystery sock. The beads are a kind of see-through iridescent, and I'm halfway down the heel.

Picture with flash (closer to the actual color)


Picture without flash, to better show the texture and beads. I'm loving these socks so far.


And... I got the batt I ordered. 3 ounces of purple-black-glittery goodness. It has all sorts of stuff in it, bamboo, sari silk, glitter... and it's beautiful. The color is Witchie Woman, and I can't wait to spin it up.


I want to spin it using a drop spindle because it'll make the experience last longer. I think I'm in love.

In not-so-good news, my glasses broke while I was trying to clean them, so I get to spend the money on a new frame. I was due for an eye exam and new lenses anyway, but now, I have to buy a frame too. Oh, well. It's one of those necessary things... I can't see a thing without them.

I'm on a roll!

And more stuff off the needles! I finished my Mad about Plaid socks on Wednesday night. These are my first socks for the year 2009, and I love them. They fit perfectly, and the slip stitch pattern was so much fun to knit. I just wanted to keep going and going.


Have a closeup of one sock.


And of the toe. These socks are so happy colorful, I just kept taking pictures of them!


Pattern details:
Pattern: Mad about Plaid
Yarn: Brown Sheep Company Wildfoote
Needles: US #0
Modifications: None
Comments: These were fun! After the initial frogging of the too-large-foot, they zipped right along. The first skein of Wildfoote really was defective, the second skein didn't have all those knots and underspun and shredded pieces. We'll see how it wears, but otherwise, it seems like a decent all-purpose sock yarn. If the purpose is socks. Eh, you know what I mean, I'll shut up now and have more caffeine.

The yarn for my next two projects is wound into balls and ready to go. And I found a knot. Fortunately, it's only one.


But how come knots are almost never in a place where it's easy to work around them? Like, at the beginning or end or the exact middle of a hank of yarn? Oh, well. I'll just weave in the extra ends.

First FO of 2009

Not too bad, huh? Considering I have 2 pairs of socks on the needles (after frogging a third) and don't have too much knitting time because it's busy season at work. But it's cold out. Yesterday, it was 1 pathetic degree Fahrenheit. I know it's colder in other parts of the country, but that's enough for me, thank you very much. And Mr. Batty needed a hat.

Hat laid out flat.


Hat from the top.


Action shot of hat.


Why the color only came out black in the last picture is beyond me. I guess there's a reason I'm no professional photographer.

Pattern details:
Pattern: Nordic Hat Three Ways from The Knitting Man(ual) -- the simplest version of the pattern, obviously.
Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8 in black
Needles: US #5, 16 and 24 inch length
Modifications: none
Comments: Really, really fun to knit. Aurora 8 creates a smooth fabric that I love. And I'm realizing that I'm turning into a loose knitter. I used size 5 needles and got gauge. These days, I have to go down a needle size or two!

Progress and Riiiiiip

I got a package from my friend Linda yesterday! It was little and cute and came from a goth store in Leipzig, so I knew it was going to be good. But I had no idea how good! If you click on the picture to get a better view, you'll see that these are buttons. They have a spider on one side and a bat on the other. Awesome reversible bat/spider buttons, and enough for a cardigan! I'm really, really excited about these and will be looking for the perfect goth cardi pattern to display them -- bat side up, naturally.


It's freezing out. Today, it was cold, but tomorrow, the low will be 1 F, and that's without the wind chill. So I'm knitting a hat for Mr. Batty. It's a pattern from The Knitting Man(ual), which I can't recommend enough. It has very wearable patterns for men, and the models look like real people. Oh, and the yarn I'm using is black, not some washed-out gray. Beautiful, dark black. As you can see, it's coming along nicely.


Also coming along nicely was the Mad About Plaid sock. I was beginning the toe decreases sometime last Sunday and was looking forward to casting on sock #2 when it suddenly hit me: 18+22 is not, nor will it ever be, 30. Which was really unfortunate, because 40 meant that I had not decreased 10 stitches after picking up the gusset, which meant that the foot of my sock was now huge. So... riiiiip.


I put the sock in time-out and cast on the hat. Now, I'm ready to get back to sock knitting, I think. But I had to get away from this glaring evidence of my lack of mathematical prowess. At least for a bit.
Pretty socks, though! I love the way they're turning out.

Bad Skein?

I have a question for all of you who have knit with Wildfoote sock yarn. My experience with Brown Sheep products has until now been limited to Lamb's Pride Worsted and Cotton Fleece, both of which are very nice. Now, I'm knitting socks with navy Wildfoote, and I'm less than impressed. I had to cut out a whole section where the yarn had unraveled and the plies looked all shredded. In other sections, it looks like one of the plies snapped, they'll hang off the main yarn in unsightly lengths of a quarter inch to an inch.
So, my question: Is this normal for this yarn, or did I just get a bum skein? I like the idea of being able to knit a pair of socks for $15, but if this is not an exception, I know I can get good quality yarn for $3-7 more.

Great Psychedelic Scot!

What's this? It's orange and variegated and dark blue, and it looks like it almost glows in the dark.


Great Psychedelic Scot, it's a sock!
Imagine a bunch of hippie Scotsmen under the influence of hallucinogenic substances. Now imagine said Scotsmen trying to pick tartan colors. Maybe this is what they would have come up with.
It's bright and obnoxious and I love it. Not to mention that these socks are using up all sorts of leftover sock yarn. Bright-as-all-getout socks and stash reduction, all in one go. Gotta love it.

Speaking of stash reduction, this is one Christmas Foot, aka Fuzzy Foot, out of more leftover yarn. Yes, I'm really serious about my yarn reduction for 2009! And yes, it's sideways. Silly basic camera software... won't let me rotate images.


My excitement may have affected Morgana. Look closely. Yes, there is a cat in this box.


Both ends are open, it's the perfect cat tunnel. When they were smaller, they both used to fit in a Coke box. Now, one Coke box fits one cat. And this box is pretty darn big... it contained a whole cat bed!