Sock-y Saturday

I am excited today, because one of my darling nieces is coming for a visit. I don't get to see enough of the little toads. Sometimes, (well, rarely) I wish I lived closer, so I could see them more often.


But then again, two hours down the road is not that far away. I just need to get off my duff and go home more often.


Last night at the pub, I managed to finished the first pattern repeat on the Earl Grey Socks. Towards the end of my third pint, I put it away - the lights had been dimmed, and it seemed that the potential for error was greater - having to count to 8 and 24 seemed to be extremely difficult. I whipped out the recovered bar-and-bus socks, did a few rounds, and then went home.


I was home by 8:10, after having stopped for beer and groceries. I just don't have the staying power I used to. The short days really drag me down at this time of year, and it takes supreme effort to do anything.


However, photos!

I am loving the nice firm fabric being created by the Patons Kry 4-ply. The circumerence, at about 8.5 inches, appears to be right for me. I may make the foot shorter, and then the socks won't be a gift. They would slide right into my sock drawer instead.

These are the current bar-and-bus socks. The top sock needs some grafting, but the needles got yanked out in my purse - I'm going to tink back a row and re-do it, so that everything is nice and tidy. The foot on the second is about half-done. I will probably finish it up over the next couple days, so I can concentrate on the Earl Grey socks.The yarn is Patons Kroy 4-ply, 2.5 mm needles, 60 stitches. 1x1 twisted rib for two inches... basic sock pattern from there.

These bar-and-bus socks have been done for a few weeks now. It's my usual 3x1 broken rib. My sister-in-law really admired them when I was home for Thanksgiving, and I'm going to see her later on today. Hmmm.

ON-line sock yarn, 2.5 mm needles, 64 stitches. I forget the rest of the details.

Before that little duffer comes over this afternoon, there has to be some serious tidying up. This place is absolutely not toddler safe right now.

Nearly on time

I was only 20 minutes late for work this morning, as opposed to the usual 45. I attribute this change to going to bed half an hour earlier.


I'm going to try going to bed earlier again tonight, but I have to wash my hair (for me, it's a legitimate excuse) thus tonight's post will be short.


No laundry got done, and I still haven't settled on sweater patterns, so tonight I cast on a pair of socks I MAY wish to give away for Christmas. I'm using Patons Kroy 4-ply (which I believe is discontinued, but I may be wrong).


I'm using the Harlot's Earl Grey sock pattern. I've wished to try a simple cabled sock for quite some time, and since she's done the work for me, I figured I should use her pattern instead of faking my own.


The modifications (as usual):

• 2.5 mm needles (as opposed to 2.25)


• 68 stitches (as opposed to 72)


• ktbl on the ribbing instead of a regular knit stitch. I think it makes a much snappier ribbing.

Either of the possible recipents wears a size 12 shoe, which is the intended size of the pattern. It will be a grand experiment.

The colour is a deep charcoal grey, not the "poop" colour it appears to be.

If you look closely, you can see the first nine pattern rounds - there's a subtle twist introducing the cable. Cabled socks without actually cabling. I like it!

My one reservation is that yarn this dark may not be suitable for knitting in a bar. I'll let you know tomorrow, after my usual night out.

Swatchy, swatchy

Once again, my efforts to avoid housework amaze even myself. I present to you... three swatches, which represents this evening's work (one per hour of TV I watched).




First is ONline Tessa, in some shade of lavender or lilac. The stockingette portion is 20 stitches, beginning at the bottom with 4.0 mm, then proceeding to 4.5 mm and 5.0 mm needles. The yarn rather reminds me of acrylic, except that it doesn't squeak when I knit it.




The fabric made from the 5.0 mm needle appears to have the best drape. The 4.0 mm is definitely too dense. Overall, the fabric is stiff.


Second is Luxury Fine Merino in blue. Same needle sequence. Stockingette portion is 24 stitches. Fabric is much softer, and the 4.0 mm section is lovely. Much prefer this to the ONline.



Third is Lanett in brown, or chocolate, I suppose. 24 stockingette stitches, 3.5 mm needles (my smallest Option size).

Fabric is nice, not as airy as I thought it would be. This might actually work. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it knit up. I daren't go to a larger needle size. The fabric would be too "airy." Somehow, I know this without even trying it.

Next: measurements, before and after throwing these in with the next load of laundry.

Exciting times at Chez Peepee. Can you tell I'm in my post-show funk?

Yarn for my babies

And some, for the road.

Maybe, I don't know. It's a song in my head.

Mini B picked this out in September:
It's exactly the colours her mother wants, but suggested needle size is 2.5mm. That's sock yarn, basically. I don't think it's going to happen before Christmas.

At knit night, tonight, I picked out this: It's a superwash merino, and soft enough that I want to replace my pillows and use it, instead. Loving the colours, but not really what I had in mind for Mini J.

This colour is what I had in mind for Mini J (it's more lilac than pink). Also a superwash, but not nearly as soft.

Suggestions? Comments?

Two toddlers, two sweaters, 41 days. I can do it, right? (After all, I did it last year).

I knit more than pink

I've been excavating the stash today. It's an exercise in procrastination, and fills a desire to spend as much time playing in Ravelry as possible.

In the process of going through the house, I found lots of stuff that I knit before I had a blog, or before I had a digital camera.

I have always been well aware that much of what I knit is pink. Pink is my favourite colour (if you haven't figured that out from the template colour of the blog). However, I noticed that much of what I knit is also green.

Green was my favourite colour, and the trendy colour, when I got married in 1993. I thought I had overdosed on green. Apparently not. Look at this (and please note that this is the most flattering photo I have taken of myself in a very, very long time):

Damn, I'm cute, even with un-styled hair and no make-up (and just a tiny bit narcissistic).

The hat is Tweed Beret, from Interweave, and the scarf is the famous Clapotis from Knitty. Both were very happy knits.

I also finally took a photo of the scarf I completed while at home for Thanksgiving. This photo is not so flattering:

The hat was made some time last year from Stitch 'n Bitch, out of something that I can't be bothered to find the label of. I love this hat. I wear it all the time, because it only smooshes my hair a little (I purposefully made it very, very large).

I also bring your attention to this shawl.

Made in January, 2007, this was my first foray into shawl knitting. I sat down with Eunny's tutorial in Interweave Knits, made the swatches, and then cast on for my beloved shawl. Others have said it far more eloquently than I, but bang-for-your-buck, lace knitting is the way to go. Swallowtail cost me $15.95 plus tax. It took me a month of all-shawl-knitting, all-the-time. And I'm a pretty fast knitter. That's pretty cheap entertainment.

In the interest of honesty, Swallowtail was also the first project I had ever blocked.

Yup, after eighteen (18!) years of knitting I blocked for the very first time. I am converted. Now I block everything except socks (and that's only because I'm lazy). Blocking is the wonderful thing that everyone says it is. I promise.

Back to knitting (finally!)

Here are photos of the felted mitts and bag.


French market is really cute, but I still have no love for this yarn. I'm glad there's only the better part of one ball left. The wide open top also presents a risk for me, because I've been known to inadvertently tip my bag over when out and about. The last thing I need is to lose my wallet, or something equally important (again!). This is a good bag to hang on a hook in the kitchen to throw hats and mitts into when I come home (there is no coat closet in this house).


I'm really disappointed in my thumb knitting ability. Those thumbs are huge. I managed to judge the length of the entire mitt just right, so I'm pleased about that, but those thumbs are meant for someone else, not my long skinny digits. However, these will make good mitts for shovelling snow. They are warm.


Since I only used a little of the second ball of yarn I bought, I'm going to try again, using smaller needles and four or eight fewer stitches. If I can find it - it's with the AWOL socks-in-progress.

In the interest of posting something good about knitting, however, here is my purse. I made it about a year ago - it took me a week, started on a Saturday when I was far too hungover to do anything but sit on the couch and watch TV. I get lots of knitting done that way. It's the Booga Bag. Made out of SWS, colourway is Natural Plum. 6 balls of yarn and a 6.5 mm needle, if I recall correctly. I made it about two times bigger than the pattern indicated.



I love this bag with every fibre of my being. I carry it everywhere - it holds two knitting projects, my calendar, wallet, little container of emergency supplies, camera, water-bottle, coffee cup, lunch and a binder, if necessary. I adore how the handles going through the bag itself draw the top up tight. In fact, I love it so much that I didn't put it away in the spring, like I thought I would. I carried a heavy wool bag around all summer. And didn't mind a bit. This is a perfect project for learning how to felt, and how to rejig a pattern to get the size you want. Plus, this bag is absolutely one-of-a-kind. Perfect for me, who likes to have things that no one else has.


Since I spent most of the weekend on the couch recovering from the show, I knit quite a bit on my Storm Water stole. I'm well into the second skein, and I still adore it. However, I am starting to feel really guilty about knitting for me, with the babies' second Christmas looming on the horizon. At knit night, tomorrow, I will pick up yarn for one sweater. I know what yarn I want to use. The question is, what shall the pattern be?

Done!

I feel a little bit like Stephen Spielberg reportedly did after finishing filming Jaws. Apparently he and Richard Dreyfuss got really drunk and ran through Martha's Vineyard screaming "It's done! The son of a bitch is finally done!"

The sleepless nights, constant stress on my wallet, stomach issues and headaches are totally worthwhile.

It was an amazing night. We pulled it off with only a few hiccups. We had a few scene-stealers, a couple of hecklers and tons of encores. The cast really broke loose and performed above expectations. We just let it fly, we were so happy to finally be doing this thing.

Some of the songs gave me goosebumps, the performances were so good. And, I will never think of Captain Jack Sparrow in quite the same way again. Forever, it will be Captain Jack Swallow. More like a gay Captain Morgan instead of Johnny Depp.

I stretched my own personal boundaries by emceeing the show, and I must admit, I did a damn good job, and looked fabulous to boot. I didn't know that I had such a clear speaking voice. I would do that again. I loved being up there, holding the audience in the palm of my hand.

The absolute best part, every year, is the after-party. A few of us die-hards gathered together in a bar, to dance, laugh, and just be together. There was one funny moment. We were all dancing in a circle, and there was one really drunk woman trying to break into our group. While I understand why she would have wanted to join us - we were obviously having a good time and just oozing fun. But, we just wanted to be with each other. She kind of lassoed one of the guys, and I had to march over, put my arms around him and tell crazy lady to back off - that he was mine and she couldn't have him. Apparently there was a risk of fisticuffs, but I didn't notice. He was so grateful. I saw the situation as a rescue - I would do the same for anyone I knew.

The trick is, now, to not lose all this good energy and enthusiasm. We (meaning I) have to get the financial stuff pulled together and get a business plan and assorted other stuff together for next year. Several people spoke to me, saying that they wanted to help. And, help in ways that we need: marketing, sales, pursuing grants and sponsorship.

I cannot forget to get in touch with these people, after a couple weeks of catching up on the rest of my life.

And perhaps get started on some gift-knitting.