The Times They Are A-Changin'

I'm not dead yet! Work and other things (*coughRPGcough*) have made the last couple months busy ones, and somehow whenever I sat down to update my brain shied away from forming sentences. So how about I spare you a long synopsis of everything that's been going on and just cut to the news of the day?

Well it was nice while it lasted. Looks like the more upscale yarn store in town is closing, as the owners are moving. No more cashmere, no more Malabrigo, no more higher-end alpaca and 100% wool. The ladies at the other yarn store in town are nice, but a lot of the stock...well it's kind of old and not as nice as the stuff at the other store. Definitely no cashmere, no handpaints, no Elsebeth Lavold, and very little sock yarn (thought admittedly the upscale store didn't really have that much handpainted stuff either). Looks like it's back to waiting until I go into Toronto for the good stuff; either that or ordering off the internet. Though some things will hopefully only mean more trips into Niagara Falls to the yarn store there, as they have some things that the yarn stores here don't carry (laceweight!).

It also means no more second-Saturday knitting group, which has me thinking about starting one up. The main problems are timing and location, but those are pretty big problems. There are only a couple cafes downtown that are a distinct possibility. I know the library's policy on room usage and that's out--it would be costly and there's a line in the policy about groups not using it too many times. Community centres tend to be out of the downtown core and I'd like it to be close to the bus station.

The other problem is my work schedule, as I work every other Saturday afternoon, which is problematic. Also probiematic is that while I have a regular evening shift on Fridays, technically I can work any night between Tues-Thurs as well. I'm not sure I like the idea of making it only once a month, as if you miss that one day you're kind of screwed (as I know from personal experience). There is a gathering at the other yarn store in town but I only got to go once before I had a string of months where I couldn't make it that one night a month, and I haven't really been able to get back to it. Having it every Saturday afternoon, or on a night when I have to work that week would be all right once it's an established group and there are one or tow other people I know will show up (and that I could give signs to, or whatever), but it's problematic when you're starting. I'd also have to check with the owners of the venue and see how they would feel about people being there every week, though if we could find a time when they're not usually that busy they might welcome an every-week gathering! Ah well. I'll check those cafes, speak with the owners and see about it.

It's something I think I'd especially like to do as there doesn't seem to be much of a knitting community here, and the yarn stores here never really seem that busy, though maybe it's just the times that I drop in. The knitting groups at the yarn store also seem to be heavy on the friends/co-workers of the owner, too, which can be a little awkward and off-putting, particularly when it's a small group.

Now the yarn store in the Falls, I dropped into a couple weeks ago and wasn't there for more than fifteen minutes before the owner was asking if I'd like to teach a class--and I've only been there twice in the last year! There were a group of people sitting in the back and they invited me to sit down and knit, and I readily agreed as I'd had to go into the Falls for a dermatologist's appointment (whose office, handily, was about a 20 minute walk from the yarn store). It took a load off my feet, pulled out the sock I was working on on one circular needle, and the owner and I got discussing it, and bam, she asked me to consider doing a workshop. She's always looking for teachers, and this was before I mentioned that I teach knitting at the library. I'd love to do it though the timing is going to be a little tricky with my work schedule, and the fact that I don't have a car so I have to take buses into the Falls. During the university fall/winter semesters Niagara Falls transit runs a bus to the university that can let me off right near the store, but in the summer I'd have to use the Greyhound, then take a bus from the terminal. We'll see if we can work it out, though.

And finally, some picspam of recently finished socks: I call them my "Table Rock" socks. The yarn is "Cliffhanger" by Sunshine Yarns, and I wanted to do a themed sock with it, so I thought about cliffs nearby. Of course the biggest one in this area is the Niagara Escarpment and, naturally, Niagara Falls, so I decided on a stitch pattern of my own "unvention", to make a similar effect to that in Knitty's Wavy Scarf. With the colour of the yarn the pattern doesn't show up as much as it could, but I know it's there. Using cabled waves instead of knit and purls would show up better, but I decided I didn't want to do cable twists 12 times every 4 rows. They're named after the rock formation on the Canadian side, right at the edge of the Falls.


The vertical wave pattern, while in progress, click for larger pic


The finished sock!

Next time: photos of the socks I'm making with Lisa Souza yarn. I loooooove it.

Small Victories

*squees, dances* I got a package in the mail this morning, and it had yarn in it!



Yes, the Lisa Souza sock yarn in the "Violet's Pink Ribbon" colourway arrived this morning and I'm in love. The colours are vibrant and gorgeous, and it's soooooo soft. I just couldn't stop touching it or rubbing it against my cheek and revelling in its softness. It's seriously yummy stuff.

Of course it only makes me want to finish all the other projects in the queue ahead of it even faster, and luckily there's some progress on those fronts. I think I've found a rib pattern that would suit the Blood & Bruises socks. Of course it likely won't be too obvious as the colourway will hide some of the texture, but if it's not too eye-hurty I might do it anyway, simply for my own personal giggles.

As for the socks already on the needles, last night after a few concentrated hours of knitting I turned the heel on Dad's second sock, and am now starting on the leg.



It was a nice accomplishment, too, as yesterday was a real bitch of a day, and I was worn out, somewhat pissed off, not feeling well and probably hormonal, just to make things that much more fun. And then today, while commuting around before work, I managed to start the cuff on the Times Squared socks. So far I've only got about a half and inch of 2x2 ribbing on each, but there's a certain comfort to knowing that you're working the cuff, and have entered the home stretch. Hopefully finishing those won't take long.

It'll be about time, too, for me to have a new pair of socks, as I really have to go through my stash and get rid of some. Mainly some of the first ones I knit, which at the time I thought fit fine, but as I've refined my tehnique and gained experience in sock knitting, I've come to realize that some of them really don't fit that well. There's one pair that I wore the other day that I couldn't keep up for more than about 5 minutes, and there are about 3 pairs I've already moved to the "donate" pile, as I only wore and washed them a couple times before I decided that they really were too small, but didn't feel like ripping them out, even when that would only really involve making the foot a little longer. A lot of the earlier ones are also looking somewhat the worse for wear; no holes as yet, but more the heels felting or pilling really badly. They're pretty sorry-looking and even though they might fit someone else, I wouldn't want to donate something that looked as awful as these things do.

Of course this will also answer my mother when she says, upon seeing me knitting another sock, "More socks? Don't you have enough socks?"

The answer, obviously, is "No, mother. You can never have enough hand-knit socks."

I'll probably have to knit her some, just so she can see for herself. ;)

As for knitting other than socks? I had a brainwave tonight (just before I, um...announced we were closing in five minutes an hour before we actually closed *facepalm*), and have an idea for another project. This would be for whenever I finish the afghan and the Swallowtail Shawl, and a couple scarves and...

I need to learn to function without sleep so I can knit. Can't someone invent some kind of regeneration thing like the Borg use (circa Star Trek: The Next Generation) at least?

Etsy Will Be The Death Of Me (Or My Bank Account)

Site Meter is now the funnest thing ever. I got a hit tracker for my blog (see it way down there at the bottom of the sidebar?) and I've been checking it somewhat obsessively to see where people are in the world that have visited the blog. So far it's mostly Canada and the US though there was one from Britain, and one from Portugal. It also tells you where people have come from, including what the search terms were if they used a google search. So far, no bizarre searches to report.

If you stop by, drop me a comment and say hello, especially if you have a knitting blog of your own! I don't bite, really.

Confession time: I bought sock yarn off of Etsy. Sunshine Yarns was updating this morning and I couldn't resist. I snagged a skein of Stormwatch and Cliffhanger, adding two more pairs of socks to the list of socks to be knit. This is also the first time I've bought yarn that I wasn't able to fondle beforehand, so we'll see how this turns out. Consdering the positive feedback the seller has and the overall glowing things I've heard about sellers on Etsy, I have no worries.

Did I mention I still have the three pairs' worth of yarn that I got in October when I went to Toronto that I haven't even touched yet?

But things are looking up: the Times Squared Socks are nearly finished. After having to rip back three rounds' worth last night on one of them, I'm ready to start the ribbing at the cuff. I even have recent photos!


Two nearly-done socks!


Closeup of the texture pattern

Dad's socks are still very much in progress, as you can see by the photographic evidence here. The longer one is probably just about ready for the cuff, though I still have a fair bit of the charcoal yarn left, so I may just keep going for a couple more inches. I did maybe another couple inches on the shorter one yesterday between commuting to the library branch across town and Spike showing some newer episodes of CSI, but there's still a looooong way to go. Men need to have smaller feet.


One of these things is not like the other...

Though the charcoal rib is kind of pretty in its plainness (even if you can't really see the ribs from here).

But of course the purchasing doesn't stop there. I'm itching to get a couple sets of DPNs and a set of circs from KnitPicks--not the full Options set, as I don't have that kind of disposable income, but just a couple of the tips and cords. I do kind of need the circs as I've heard from many people that a) Addi Turbos are rather blunt for lacework, though I didn't have a problem with my lace sampler shawl, and b) the pointier tips make it easier (but not necessarily easy!) when doing the nupps on the Swallowtail Shawl, which I would like to finish in the next couple months. It would be great ot have Swallowtail to wear when friends and I go to see Phantom of the Opera in Toronto in March, but I'm by no means counting on it. Particularly when I have so much sock yarn, either in my stash or on the way. ;)

So yes, say goodbye to more of my Christmas money. Though I know I'll certainly get a lot of use and enjoyment out of it!

Holiday Wrap-Up

Well, Christmas is over and it's official: I didn't get Dad's socks done in time. Oh well. He doesn't mind, so I don't, really. At least I've got most of the way up the leg on one and finished the toe on the other, and now I can actually work on them at home in front of him, so it shouldn't take too long.

Hopefully it won't, too, as I still have the yarn I bought in Toronto to dive into and start knitting with. First up, the Blood and Bruises socks, for reasons too geeky to mention. I also have Lisa Souza yarn on the way; just got the email the other day.

Also, as of December 19th--in only four days--knitters around the world were able to double the amount raised for Knitters Without Borders. That's over $120,000 in four days, for a total of (at elast count) $248,000! (though suddenly it strikes me to wonder if that's in Canadian $$ or American--or a combination of both because people reported without stating which it was). And that's what it was up to by the emails Stephanie had received on the 19th, who knows where it is now. Go knitters!

The afghan continues to be seamed, and I'd post a photo if I wasn't feeling lazy/sick of looking at it at the moment. Must work on it over the weekend.

I'm also coming down with a cold, thanks to no sleep over Christmas, and one of my aunts being ill, so off I go to medicate!

Well, it's less than 36 hours before the presents get opened, and...I'm pretty much screwed. Grandma's Feather and Fan socks are finished at least, but not even the first sock of my Dad's pair are done yet. About a week ago I was going to blog about how I was nearly done the second of my grandmother's socks, so at least I'd have another pair of needles to start my Dad's second sock and wasn't too worried.

At least that's what I was planning before I went to hold the second Grandma sock up against the first to see how much longer the cuff needed to be and saw that the foot wasn't the same length.

By about half an inch.

Arrrrgh.

Needless to say I spent the fifteen minutes remaining before my shift started ripping back to just before I started the heel. So yup, it's pretty much confirmed now that dad's getting...well, hopefully one completed sock and the toe of the other in his stocking. At least that's not the main gift for him.

At the moment, Christmas knitting is all I'm working on, and all I've been for the last few weeks. For Grandma's socks, I'm using some Regia Canadian Colours that I had in my stash. Can't remember the number and the ball band is long gone, but it's a light blue/light yellow-green/dark blue/dark teal-ish colourway. They knit up pretty fast, considering the amount of time I've been able to devote to them, and the feather and fan pattern is a good one to stave off boredom.

For Dad's socks, I'm doing a plain worksock: off-white toes, heels and cuff, tweedy charcoal grey for the foot and leg, in a 4x2 rib. No need for really fancy work as I'm not sure he'd wear it if I did. Serviceable socks seemed a better idea, particularly as he'll ask for worksocks on his Christmas list, something my brother and I always tease him about.

Other than those, I'm trying to out together the afghan created by the girls in my knitting group at the library. Of course I had to take the complicated way of doing it (creating black sashing inbetween the squares, like a quilt), so it's going slowly.

Somehow over the last couple years I've always ended up doing Christmas knitting, though every year I've thought that I wouldn't. I'm not one of those people that has to make a knitted gift for everyone--particularly not one for everyone for the same holiday. I don't get the whole "I have to make something for everyone!" mentality, as I know that not everyone will want or appreciate a knitted item for Christmas; but then I think I can understand it if your family is the sort to compare gifts and keep score in the "they-got-something-handmade-so-why-didn't-I?" kind of way, in which case the pressure on the knitter is coming more from without than within.

My family isn't like that, and I usually try to focus more on what's the perfect thing for each person, rather than money value or handmade-versus-bought (though I try and spend approximately the same on my main family members).

Anyway, as I said I've decided I wasn't going to knit anything for anyone in the last couple years, but then Mom asks or grandma keeps hinting that she wants socks, or I decide "hey, it might be nice to amke this small thing for ____" and there you have it: Christmas knitting.

And speaking of giving, for those that don't listen to the podcast, Miss Violet of Lime and Violet is having some medical problems, which she can't even get diagnosed until she's found $1000 to pay for the testing. To help, Lisa Souza has created a special colourway called "Violet's Pink Ribbon", with part of the proceeds going to Miss Vi's medical fund. Any money raised over the amount needed will be donated to a related charity of Miss Vi's choosing.

Or to spread some more Christmas cheer, the Knitters Without Borders campaign, hosted by the Yarn Harlot, is back in full swing as well. I'm hoping to contribute this time, once the next credit card billing period comes along.

So if you have any disposable cash left, make one more gift, either to the ones I've mentioned or a charity of your choosing. After all, knitters know the joy of giving, with only warm fuzzies as the reward.

You Learn Something New Every Day

...like the fact that while I've been doing short-row heels since January, I apparently do them wrong. Or at the very least, half-assed.

This is likely because back in January when I was working on my second pair of socks using the short row heel, I was at my best friend Amanda's house in Pickering for New Years and had forgotten to bring the book I had with instructions for short-row heels, so I just did it from my (faulty) memory. The 6 litres of Pepsi I'd drank that weekend during our 24 Season 1 marathon (and, for that matter, the marathon itself, no matter that I'd seen the season before) may have had something to do with it too. It seemed to work and looked fairly good, if a little messier than other people's short-row heels, so I've done it that way since.

However, thanks to the tutorial on Cosmicpluto Knits last week, I discovered that I a) have been wrapping my stitches half-assedly (I would slip the stitch to be wrapped, then bring the yarn to the front, slip back and then bring the yarn between the stitches ready to work the next stitch) and b) have been doing the second half of the heel half-assedly, as I wasn't double-wrapping stitches. I'm already past the heel on both the Boring Socks of Doom, so I can't do the non-half-assed version any time soon, but will have to try it with my next pair and see what it looks like.

Speaking of the Boring Socks of Doom, I may be cursing myself here, but they seem to be almost done. I think if I can get another inch or two on the cuff of both of them, I can call it quits, and Thank God for it. Then I can cast on something more interesting, in time to take with me as travel knitting for th Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival this weekend.

Speaking of CSNF (I'll be there on Sunday, thanks to work scheduling, and dammit, there better be Koigu and Trekking left when I get there!), dammit is there some kind of T-pin embargo on this city or something? I need T-pins so I can block out the lacy sampler scarf, which only has about 6 or 7 inches of edging to go (I'll be able to finish that tonight, really, as each edging repeat is about 1 inch long and it's a pretty quick knit). I want to wear the scarf to CSNF this weekend.

But could I find T-pins in the THREE stores I tried? No! Fabricland? Out. Wal-Mart? Out. Husquvaarna (sic?) sewing store near work? Out. And with work I don't have time to go looking for them elsewhere in town until Saturday afternoon, by which time it'll be about 16 hours before I want to wear the damn thing. I won't even have time to hop off the bus near the yarn store tomorrow, run in, grab them (if they have them in the first place) and get out to the bus, as I have to commute from one branch to another on my lunch hour. If I got up very early on Friday, I could *maybe* have time to haul ass out to the other Wal-Mart in town, but I would then be very grumpy the rest of the day because from now until the evening of Sunday, I'm going to need all the sleep I can get.

Considering the scarf is made of laceweight yarn and very open and airy, there's a chance it might be dry before I need it, but it's cutting it awfully close. Arrgh.

I have bunch of photos to post, but they'll have to wait for next time as they're at home and I'm at work with about 5 minutes to go before I have to be on duty. So next time: photos, I promise! Hopefully I'll get them up before Sunday as I'd like to do some photoblogging about my trip into T.O. (aka "Yarnapalooza 2006") when I get back. But considering my track reocrd, no promises.

Socktoberfest is Here!

Anyone who's been watching the blog for a while should know by now that I love knitting socks. They're practical, they're portable, they're not to quick a knit, and not too long a knit, and there are so many gorgeous yarns. So needless to say, you all should know that I was going to be all over Socktoberfest like white on rice.

So to start off the celebration, Lollyknitting Around has posted a few questions for the Socktoberists.

1) When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

I started making socks in the summer of 2002. I came home one day to spot my downstairs neighbour sitting on the porch of the house we lived in (we were in a duplex), knitting a sock, and thought, "I should try that!" I taught myself to knit them using some worsted weight yarn and Judy Passman's Generic No-Frills Sock Recipe. I still think that, for those with some experience knitting, this is the best way to learn to knit socks, as it teaches the general proportions and techniques used in sock knitting, instead of getting hung up on exact numbers, allowing you to knit socks with any type of yarn at any gauge.

2) What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

My first pair were a heavy, 100% wool worsted weight and the first time I wore them (in boots, no less) the soles felted. Needless to say they became house socks after that (but very cozy and warm ones!). They're still around here somewhere--I think buried in one of my storage bins in my closet.

3) What would you have done differently?

Not worn them in boots. I think it was a good idea to use the worsted the first time though, so I wasn't trying to juggle teeny yarn and needles as well as figure out the pattern.

4) What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

KOIGU. Oh dear mother of God, when I go to CSNF I'm going to mortgage my firstborn for the stuff. Same with Fibre Artist, and I can't wait to get going on the Cherry Tree Hill I got in NY. I like Regia as well, and I kind of like the self-striping yarns, but I think I'm making the transition over to handpaints. I'll probably still get some of the self-striping occasionally though (though in more interesting colourways than the Boring Socks of Doom). When I finally get a credit card I'd love to start trying some of the smaller producers, like people with Etsy shops.

5) Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I barely crochet, so no. I Use DPNs as my circular needles are unorganized enough already--I don't need 2 pairs of every kind. Plus, I do two socks at the same time anyway--I have two sets of all my sock-size DPNs so I can two the two socks at the same time, but this way I can also stagger them, so that when I'm knitting the foot on one, I'm doing the heel on the other, etc. Magic Loop... Meh, I might try it sometime, but I don't see much of a reason to switch from DPNs as they're working just fine for me. Plus, they make non-knitters boggle.

6) Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

I've been doing a lot of toe-up socks lately so I know while there is a way you can do a heel-flap type of heel toe-up, I just stick with the short row. Plus, I find the short row heels fit my heels better, so even the last couple pairs of top-down socks I did were with short-row heels.

7) How many pairs have you made?

Oh Lord. Um...at least 20. I've got about 10 in my sock drawer now, at least 5 or 6 in my laundry basket, 1 pair that I just finished, 1 pair that still needs to ahve some ends woven in, I've made a couple for people that asked me to, and I know I'm forgetting a couple more.

And naturally I've got a hell of a lot more sock yarn to knit up.

And to ring in Socktoberfest, I have photos of the COMPLETED Kasshabog Dusk Koigu socks! Wore them today for my first Preschool Storytime and they were so comfortable.

Ta-daaa!

Mmmm Geekery

Been tinkering with the look of the blog a bit - basically just changed the Blogger-provided template. They all look kind of weird, but then that's probably because I have a widescreen monitor and the proportions of the blog components don't adjust to the monitor size, so when I look at it, I have two huge blocks of background colour on either side of the content, which just makes it look out of proportion.

Also, Blogger? It helps if you don't randomly change the comment option to "Only Comments from Members of this Blog". Especially if you don't TELL me this. Just happened to be looking through the options and spotted that little detail. Oy.

I've also started trying to use bloglines but am kinda meh on it. I'd like it better if I could get it to display new posts like LiveJournal does on their friendlist feature: posts in order by the most recent, regardless of their source, whereas right now bloglines shows the five most recent posts on each blog. Most of them I had to click on the post anyway to see the whole thing which opens in a separate window anyway, so... Yeah, not sure how much use I'll get out of that.

Anyway, away from the techie stuff and back to the knitting.

First in knitting news, nearly done the Kasshabog Koigu socks. Went through about three or four possible ideas for the tops before I decided to just go with plain garter stitch. I don't really need the ribbing at the top to keep them up as they're all ribbing, and I just want to finish them.

Of course when they're done I'm not exactly free to start the socks that I want to, as I want to do those on a size smaller needles than the Koigu ones, which are currently take up with the world's most boring self-striping yarn. Really, I should have known this stuff was a dog in the skein: light blue, a slightly darker blue and grey interspersed with bands of black & white patterning, and all the colour bands are washed out and kind of mottled, like denim. Really, it's not the most interesting stuff, but now that I'm halfway done the foot on one and at the heel on the other I don't exactly want to tear it all out. See kids, this is why you should never buy yarn in desperation just to have some new yarn and something to knit. Because eventually you will get better yarn, by which time the dog yarn will be hogging the needles you want to use.

The socks I'd like to start once I'm finished the Koigu ones are using the yarn I got in New York, which I've found the perfect stitch pattern for. It was in one of the Regia sock books, a six-stitch repeat, making stockinette squares outlined by garter ridges. Or to me, in this yarn, like the neon lights of Times Square reflected in the grids of windows of skyscrapers. Therefore, they are now officially dubbed the "Times Squared Socks". *is a dork*

Now I just have to finish the Boring Socks of Doom so I can have my 2.25mm needles back. However, at least when I finish the Koigu socks, the BSoD can become my travel projects, and considering my work schedule just got interesting ("Define interesting." "Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?" Sorry, random geekery) I should be spending quite a bit of time commuting to and from work on the bus.

Speaking of work, my knitting program at the library started today! I've been looking forward to it; particularly as I'm doing it with teenagers as an afterschool thing, instead of kids on summer Saturday mornings. Considering teenagers have more autonomy, especially around that time of day, I'm thinking there's a greater chance that the kids will be there because they're actually interested and want to be, as opposed to some of the kids I had last time, some of whom had less choice in the matter. Today 7 of the 9 kids showed up (Seven of Nine! HEE! Sorry, more geekery) and they were a really good bunch. Most of them already knew each other as they're homeschooled. A few of them already know how to do some knitting, some are starting from scratch, so the ones that already knew the basics basically had a little stitch n' bitch (including the others, of course, once I got them started off) while I taught the newbies.

The newbies did really well, and by the end of the class they were knitting away. It was nice to have them catch on fairly quickly, which I had been hoping would be the case. One of the girls was struggling a bit on her first row, and mentioned that she thought she'd probably stick with beading as "this yarn thing" wasn't really her cup of tea. By her third row she was saying that she could see how it could be addictive. :) Should be interesting to see how the class goes from here on in.

Also, I could really do an entire entry about knitting podcasts, but just mentioning one I've found recently, though they've been podcasting for a while: Lime And Violet. OMG. I love this podcast. I kept hearing about them on Cast On (the other of my have-they-posted-the-podcast-yet weekly addictions) and just downloaded a couple eps last week. These girls are hilarious; incredibly wacky and yarn obsessed. They sound like the kind of people I would love to hang out with because we'd just be howling the entire time. Now every time I see some incredibly delicious yarn I think of Miss Violet saying that she wants to rub it on her good bits. *snigger* Go to the blog or to iTunes or Podcast Alley and download them.

So anyway, there's the updates. Hopefully next time I update I will be closer to starting the Times Squared socks and I will have the Boring Socks of Doom closer to done.

Attack of the Creeping Crud...and Photos!

Not of the creeping crud. And no self portraits as unfortunately I am not laying back gracefully amongst the pillows wearing a fetching bedjacket. Instead I'm propped up on pillows, nose dribbing everywhere, coughing every half second, with greaseball bedhead.

...I'm sure you really wanted to know all that.

Anyway, as promised, I have pictures of knitting, which I'm sure will be a much more welcome sight to all of you out there in blogland.

I also never did my update for the rest of August and the beginning of September which, well, really, there's not much to update. I worked on my yet-to-be named Koigu socks. I'm kind of thinking "Kasshabog Dusk", as the colours remind me of the colours you see at the cottage we rented a couple times on Lake Kasshabog in the Kawarthas, north of Peterborough. It could also be because while I was working on these socks Mom and Dad were headed up north to another cottage we used to go to and I wasn't. *pouts*

Anyway, I'm almost finished them as you can see in this photo. I'm probably going to start the ribbing soon as they're getting to about the length I like them. However, it also means that I still have the subject of the photo on the right: another entire skein of Koigu (in ball form, of course), as the store owner where I bought the yarn said with Koigu you needed 3 skeins for socks, unless you wanted ankle socks. My feet being of mammoth proportions, I bought the extra skein. Now I'm not entirely sure what to do with it. Lacy handwarmers maybe? Hold it together with the white cashmere/wool blend I was going to use to make myself handwarmers? I'm not sure. Will have to ponder this.

Meanwhile, have been working on a couple other things, of course. I've been doing some destashing by working on a scarf for donation. I had an entire skein of Paton's Shetland Chunky in a charcoal grey, as well as a skein of Naturally Tussock 8 ply in a charcoal grey with little tweedy flecks. Not enough to make a scarf from either alone but held together, and knit on gigantic needles, you get a proper adult-sized scarf. Am doing it in boring garter stitch, but it's going fast enough that I don't care about the boredom of the endless knitknitnknitknitknit... Besides, it's great for talking on the phone and knitting as I don't really need to pay too much attention to what I'm doing.


As for the stash additions, they're mainly single balls for testing out yarns I'd like to use for my first sweater, which I'd like to do sometime soon. Particularly as at the moment my LYS is still having a 40% off everything sale, which would certainly help a lot. The stuff I'd really like to use is Kathmandu DK, in this gorgeous deep plum/burgundy colour (which you...really can't see in the photo at all, unfortunately), with subtle flecks of red and beige. It just screams to be made into a warm, earthy-looking sweater (maybe cabled?) that would be great to cuddle into in fall. Only problem being that even with the sale, and considering how much I'd have to buy to cover my plus-size body, I'd have to be very careful with the pattern; ie. making it one that I Would Not Screw Up. And did I mention the part where I'd be making this pattern up?

There are a couple alternatives, other yarns I'd looked at that I don't remember the names of at the moment, and I'm too lazy and tired to get up off my perch and hunt down the ball bands for. But I am seriously in love with the Kathmandu. The others are nice and soft and very pretty colours (one burgundy, the other teal), but they're solids, and I love the tweedy look, especially as it's getting more into fall and getting cooler.

Eh, we'll see.

Only other news is that the Swallowtail Shawl is proceeding slowly, though I've only been working on it at occasional moments, when the urge takes me, so that's nothing to be surprised at. I also went through my knitting basket (well...one of them...) and took out a couple UFOs that I really need to work on--including a pair of socks, quel surprise. At the moment, though, I'm trying to finish up another pair of handwarmers in a lovely soft alpaca/wool blend. It'll only take a couple more hours' work to finish them, really, as they go so quickly. I'll post photos when they're done but if you're curious, they look the same as the green ones I did back in April.

Other than the couple balls here and there I'm just trying to save up my $$ for the Creative Sewing And Needlework Festival in Toronto in a month's time. I really want to go this year as I missed both the spring and fall shows the last couple years, and besides, I need to scope out more laceweight...and maybe more Koigu. And some Trekking XXL. Because you can never have too much sock yarn, right?

Oh! And have completely forgotten to mention here that my boss approached me a while back about doing a knitting program at the library and it's scheduled to start in a couple weeks. It's for 12 to 18-year-olds and while there was only one person signed up the last time I saw the sheet, I got an email from one of my coworkers to say that someone else signed up the other day and mentioned that a bunch of homeschoolers they knew would probably be signing up too. More news on that front as I have it. Anyone have any advice for beginner knitters that you think I should pass along? I plan to try and get across that there's nothing to be scared of in knitting, that everything will feel awkward at first and smoothness just comes with practice.

And now off to listen to the new Cast On and get myself some more cough syrup. Fun.

Promised Picspam

Okay, finally here are those photos I was talking about.

The Jack Bauer Felted Manpurse of Justice! The flap actually comes down lower than that; it's just kinda wonky in this pic.

The Koigu mistake rib socks! Which have no creative name, unfortunately. And they're much further along than that now; will have to take some updated pics soon.

NYC swag! Cherry Tree Hill supersock in the "Country Garden" colourway.

And here's a closeup of that colourway, though the colours are perhaps a tweege less vibrant in real life. Still undecided what stitch pattern (if any) I want to use with this yarn.

This is Why I'm Keeping Myself from Podcasting

Somehow it never seems all that long since I've blogged until I happen to glance at the date of my last post and the number is almost the same as the one on my desk calendar. I've been thinking about doing a podcast (as far as I know there are no Canadian knitting podcasts. WTF?) but looking at the track record of my knitting blog, I'm thinking that might not be a good idea.

However! There are improvements in the blog coming, namely:

PICTURES!

Yes, people, I finally got a digital camera. *happy twirl* I've been experimenting with it and will probably be doing the Alphabet Meme that some other knitbloggers have been doing, so I have an excuse to post more often.

At left, you see my modified Pine Tree Toe-Up socks, using my bedsheet as a background as it was the only light-coloured thing I had handy for photo-taking at 11:45 pm. Note the flare at the top of the sock from the cast-off; I've yet to find a bind-off for toe-ups that is stretchy, but also non-flaring. I know quite a few people swear by EZ's sewn bind-off, and I should probably try wrapping my head around those diagrams again. The mate to this sock is still on the needles, and I may try it on that one. After all, no one's going to notice when I'm wearing them.

Besides, I should really finish that sock because I kind of need the needles. Need them for some KOIGU, that is. My first Koigu. I feel like there should be a Hallmark card or something for this. Finally I get to use yarn that all the cool knitters are using! All I have to do is get some Trekking XXXXXXXXL and the transformation from nerd knitter to cool kid will be complete!

...Okay, I'm done with the sarcasm. It's just jealousy anyway, of all those knitters who live in a Certain Big City and have access to this stuff at actual yarn stores and to God knows how many SnBs. Seriously, I have to see if one of the LYSs here might start one or figure out how to start one myself, because I keep reading about people who have these great SnB nights and I'm insanely jealous, wah.

Anyway, so yes, I have Koigu. I went on a yarn crawl to Toronto a couple weeks back on one of the frigging hottest and stickiest days of the summer, as it was the only day I could do it for the next month or so, and Koigu was on the List of Things To Look For. Found a colourway I liked at Knitomatic, and I'm nearly at the heel on one sock. So far I'm loving the way the Koigu works up; it really is gorgeous stuff (which it had better be, really for $45 for a pair of socks). Have to get the other PTTU off the needles before I can start the other one, though, which I should do soon, as I don't usually knit one sock at a time. One stays in my purse/tote bag, the other by the TV and I switch them every so often so that the interesting bits are staggered.

Also in the nearing-completion pile is another photogenic work: The Lace Sampler Scarf. Which unfortunately has to be shown in three pieces as even with standing on a chair, I couldn't get all of it in the shot. And for some reason now the picture-adding doohickey on Blogger isn't working, so I'm coding this by hand.

...Okay, I'm copy-and-pasting the code from the first pic and using it for subsequent pics, just changing the URLs and the alignment codes. Like I'm going to reinvent the wheel, when I don't know how to make the wheel in the first place, pshaw!

Anyway, yes, the scarf. It's actually a little further along than in these pictures, by now, as I only have one more short-row corner to do and then the last stretch of the side edging. Luckily in these pictures (and probably in the finished object) you can't really see that with the corners, I am so making it up as I reach each corner. That's the point of a sampler, though, right? Learning experience? :-)

Okay, it was more to show off a woman's skills, though many of them were used as a learning tool as well. Personally I like the samplers with mistakes; we had a number of them at the living history museum I worked at and I always found the ones with misspellings and lines that ran out of room to be more endearing.

Anyway, all I have to do is finish the edging and them block this monster somehow. I've been thinking of getting some of those interlocking playmats--the kind that look like big, square puzzle pieces--so I could do it downstairs in the family room, though it's rather dusty down there. Either that or I could borrow the bed in the spare room, as long as I could be sure no one was going to use it in the interim. Though it shouldn't take too long for this piece to dry: it's laceweight mohair and silk, and it's very thin, light and fluffy as a cloud, but very warm.

As for current and immediate future projects, I have the Koigu socks (photos of those next time) and I really have to do swatching and start on the Satchel (aka the JackBauer Felted Manpurse *shifty*) from Knitty as I'm heading off to New York City in two weeks.

TWO. WEEKS. OMG. This has obviously not sunk in yet.

I wonder if my travelling companions would be put out if I wanted to visit a yarn store or two (or three...or four...)?

Busy Nothings

Am nearly done my pseudo-Jaywalkers. Or should that be my pseudo-Pine Tree Toe-Ups? Maybe some kind of illegitimate child of the two? (Oh, come on. You know those two would be getting it on.)

Ahem. Um. Anyway. Yes, almost done, just need to do the last bit of ribbing, then make another attempt to figure out that darning-needle ribby bind-off. I tried once before ages ago with a different project, but my brain was having problems translating the pictures to my hands. Will give it a whirl again, though.

I've also finally started knitting on the edging to my sampler lace scarf. It's going well--after a couple false starts trying to add another row of eyelets and some extra stitches to a pre-existing edging, I just cut out the fancy crap and added a couple plain stitches to the pre-existing edging for a border. It's looking quite nice, though when I gave the knitted-on part an experimental lateral tug, there wasn't much stretch there, and I'm not sure how much the entire piece will stretch lengthwise when I block it. It's not bad, though, and I don't think I really have to worry too much about increasing the length to make the lace patterns I used look better. Maybe I'm just pulling the edge stitches too tight.

I'm trying to resist buying yarn as I already have enough for quite a bit of knitting, but part of me also wants to plan a yarn crawl to Toronto soon. For some reason now my brain is debating the colour I chose for the Peacock Feathers Shawl when I was at the DKC Knitters' Frolic and have been checking about maybe picking up some more Jaggerspun Zephyr, but the only places I know of in Toronto that have it are mail-order, so I may just have to bite the bullet (or check out The Yarn Store With The Unhelpful Staff which I have had mixed experiences with). I have also been longing for KPPPM since I was at the Frolic, though hello, I have enough sock yarn already (but it's not Koigu!). Mainly just working out the timing between paycheques, time off work and the oh-God-end-of-the-month bills.

I might be buying some yarn for a specific project soon, though. I'm rather tempted to make Satchel from Knitty, particularly as it looks like it might be good or my trip to New York in August. Room for my wallet/iPod/camera/guidebook, a strap that goes over my chest so it's not falling off my shoulder all the time, and harder for someone to grab...

Of course it has nothing to do with the fact that it kind of looks like this one. Of course not. The fact that it looks like the Jack Bauer Manpurse of Justice has no bearing on it whatsoever. However could you think that? ;-)

Okay, so truthfully it is the functionality that I'm thinking of. The fact that it looks like the Jackpack basically just makes me giggle incessantly.

And speaking of trip and cameras, I'm looking into getting a digital camera, so hopefully soon there will be more actual photos of knitted items on this blog. *crosses fingers* I'm looking at something under $200, probably a 4- or 5-megapixels, preferably with USB hookup instead of a special dock, as well as removeable memory storage. Any suggestions as to manufacturers/models?

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

Agh, it's been more than a month since I posted and I have...well...not much to show for it. Haven't had much luck with projects of late, though that may be because I have way too many. I've been working pretty steadily on a pair of Pine Tree Toe-Up Socks by Kim Salazar, my kind of pseudo-Jaywalkers. The stitch pattern makes the same kind of chevron pattern as the Jaywalkers, but each pattern repeat uses a smaller number of stitches. I decided I might as well, as considering the two sizes in the Jaywalker pattern weren't big enough, I was going to try doing those toe-up anyway as I wasn't sure if I'd have enough yarn to make the cuff as long as directed in the pattern. Besides, I've only tried toe-up socks once before and those didn't work out well--I ended up ripping them back if I remember correctly--and I wanted to try again.

I've kind of fiddled with the pattern a bit though, adding 2-stitch purl welts inbetween each repeat to hopefully give it a little more stretch, and I'm doing a short-row heel instead of...well whatever kind of heel is mentioned in the pattern. A short row heel, is basically symmetrical, and I've done them on top-down socks as well, so why not?

As for other projects, the sampler lace scarf is still on the needles. I finally got around to picking up stitches around its edge, and tried starting to work the edging while watching the BBC's North and South on DVD last week, but out of nowhere I got a monster headache, and in the end I gave up. Too bad, as it's while watching British period dramas that I especially want to knit, particularly anything historically inspired. Which is, well, often.

It probably shouldn't be surprising that as a history and Museum Studies major, I'm particuarly fascinated by the history of knitting and historical patterns. Or, considering the fact that I'm Canadian, and knitting was, for a long time, a particularly essential skill for chldren (male and female) to have. Though I doubt she did a survey, I think there is some truth to Catharine Parr Traill's assertion in her 1855 book The Canadian Settler's Guide that "[t]here is no country where so much knitting-work done as in Canada...", even if I imagine citizens of other northern countries would be inclined to disagree. But that it was an essential skill at the time is true; particularly for those that were moving to the bush, as the Traills were, near Lakefield, Ontario. It can be hard to imagine not being able to but anything as simple as socks or mittens by running to the store when they wore out, or got lost.

Interestingly, she also mentions a kind of limited financial independence knitting could bring for women of the time; she mentions a couple instances of cases where young women were able to fund the stocking of their hope chest by selling things they'd knit, often from yarn they'd spun themselves. Not to mention the general increase of the family's finances by the production of mother, daughters and possibly sons.

I do have to wonder at some of the rosy view she gives (there's very much a tone of "yay, work!" to it, not surprisingly, considering the context), as well as some more modern writer, though. I have to wonder for how many women, knitting wasn't a means to a modicum of independence or a means of creative expression. It was another task, one that was crammed intbetween marshalling children, mending, unending laudry or food preparation. Traill mentions it filling the time "between twilight and candle-light" which, though people of the time would have been used to it, is still awfully dim light to be working by.

I'm sure for a lot of women at the time it was a way to be creaitve and something that was both necessary but that they also enjoyed doing. I also just have to wonder for how many it was a chore. I've met a couple people that learned to knit as a child but gave it up later because it was always something they had to do, not necessarily something they wanted to do, and this would have been as recent as the 1950s.

Maybe that's one of the best parts of this resurgence of knitting, quilting, and other traditional skills. For most of those in the Western world, at least, it's something people do because they want to, not necessarily because the family economy requires it. The people who knit are the ones that want to, and while knitting can be undervalued, the fact that it is a means of creation and expression, not a complete chore, has to be a good thing for the craft.

If at First You Don't Succeed...

Easter is a time of rebirth, and those Jaywalkers I was working on? They've been reborn as...well, two skeins of yarn. Ripped them out, washed the yarn to get out the kinkiness and the accumulated dirt/skin oils from knitting them twice and let them air dry. Now I just need to find a pattern I like to re-knit them. Unfortunately the patterns I like don't include a separate stitch pattern section; ie. at the beginning of the pattern a quick little descrption of what the stitch pattern is, including what multiple of stitches the pattern needs. This is essential, considering chances are I'll have to size them up a bit. I think this means I should take a swing through the stacks tomorrow at work and grab the Walker Treasuries to come up with something myself.

In lieu of the Jaywalkers, I'm working on a pair of Regia Canadian Colour stripe socks, in shades of blue, beige and grey. They're nice, mindless knitting to do while I'm on the bus. I also found a number of lace knitting books that were recently donated to the library and checked them out, looking for any last patterns I want to use for the sampler scarf, or for its border. The one on Orenburg Lace shawls has given me an idea of how I can do the corners without trying to re-draft the pattern to turn a corner, even if the results likely won't be as pretty.

In other knitting news, I'm crossing my fingers that I have no sudden call-ins to work this weekend, and therefore can go to Toronto for the Downtown Knit Collective Knitter's Frolic, and a bit of a yarn crawl. I'm actually more interested in going to this than the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival, even if I wasn't working every day of the CSNF.

For one, the CSNF website design team yet again didn't include instructions on how to get to the venue by public transit. For another, getting there is a giant pain in the ass--subway out as far as you can go, bus to the city limits, pay an extra fare when you get off, ride the bus for 45 minutes... All to go to something where there aren't really any classes I want to attend and when, considering my options locally, just going to the yarn stores in Toronto is enough of a treat? Yeah, I don't think so. I'll wait until the fall show, by which time it'll have been about 2.5 years since I've been to one.

However, it will be nice to have a yarn crawl. I haven't done one of those since I was in university and there are number of yarn stores to try that I haven't been to yet. I'll have to make up an itinerary. ;-) It also helps that I just finished doing my taxes and the government's going to be giving me some money back (even if much of that is going toward a new iPod, as I *whimper* dropped my iPod mini).

Whee, Toronto yarn stores, here I come!

When Gauge Swatches Lie

Time for another post on the old knitting blog!

The Jaywalkers proceed apace, through I just realized that gee, considering I had to rip them out because they were too small, I may want to, you know, try them on at some point. Like right now, considering I've turned the heel on both.

Yeah, that might be a good idea.

...Just tried them on and they won't go over my heel. Dammit. Looks like another trip to the frog pond--this time I'll actually steam them a bit to get the kinkiness (ooh, kinky yarn! Yes, I'm twelve) out of them. Though considering I've been looking at this colourway and thinking that it really is the best colourway of the sock yarns I have for some lacy ripple/chevron-effect socks, I'll probably switch patterns and do the Jaywalkers in the darker colourways I have. Of course I could always finish them and give them to someone else, but...um...I don't wanna?

Did I forget to mention that I'm a sock yarn addict? I am. Very much so. Ever since I lived in Peterborough during university, I wear only hand-knit socks in the winter, and I have at least 15 pairs right now, plus enough yarn for about, oh, maybe 6 more pairs or so. Not to mention that as someone who commutes anywhere between 10 minutes to one hour to work each way, they're the perfect portable project, even if the yarn does tend to wind itself around everything in my bag. It's also the type of thing which is bound to get the occasional question--the other day when I was heading home from the mall, one older woman commented kindly as she passed to get off that it had been years since she had knit socks. Most people ask if I'm working on sleeves, though.

They're fairly quick, they're fun, and best of all, there's nothing nicer than warm, handknit socks when you're shivering at the bus stop in the dead of winter.

Knitting Makes Everything Better

Eheheheheh, yeah. We can all see how well I'm doing at the posting-with-regularity thing.

Anyway. Today got off to a bad start (I was awake when my alarm went off, I swear! Why my body decided to go back to sleep until one hour after I was supposed to be at work, I don't know) so I decided I needed yarn therapy so I should head to the yarn store after work and hey, when was the last time I updated that knitting blog of mine?

So yes, here I am, and I bring pictures of a current project. ...Er, sort of.

Behold, yon Jaywalker socks in Regia Canadian Colours, colourway #...oh hell, I forget:



Or at least, yon Jaywalkers before I got as far as you see in the picture before I decided they were too tight and I'd never be able to get them on if I kept going, so both socks (I have 2 sets of DPNs in my sock-knitting sizes so I can do both socks at the same time) had to get frogged. The good news is that after starting over using the number of stitches for the larger size Jaywalkers, I've already got one sock about that length again, and the other... Well, okay, I'm about half done the ribbing, but the pattern section goes so quickly that it'll be that length again in no time. Particularly as that one is my carry-along sock: the one that gets stuck in my purse and tote bag and travels all over the city with me.

I am a shameless knitter-in-public. I take public transit everywhere, which, particularly in this town (where routes run every 30 minutes), means I spend quite a bit of time waiting at bus stops. Personally, I value not being bored more than I do not looking weird, so knitting at the bus stop it is then. Unfortunately I don't get to do it as much as I'd like around this time of year, as if I did, I wouldn't have fingers left to knit with thanks to frostbite. I also knit while on the bus (pointy sticks and a bigass tote bag are, of course, the best way to keep the weirdos from taking the seat next to you), sitting and waiting for movies to start...basically anything where you need to fill up a small amount of time.

I've pretty much been doing this since I started knitting, back in university (which is a story for another day), as I quickly learned it was a great way to have some quiet time to relax before lectures started, or during the 10-minute break most profs let us have during 2- or 3-hour lectures. As going to and from my residence in downtown Peterborough to the Trent University main campus meant at least a 15-minute bus ride, it was also a nice way to spend time on the Trent Express (provided I actually managed to get a seat).

I know some knitters have said that when they KIP they get weird looks, odd comments, that kind of thing. I have to wonder where these people live, as when I do it, if anyone's staring they usually look fascinated--or at least interested--and any comments I get are the usual, friendly, "oh, what are you making?" type. 99% of the time, as far as I know, no one really gives me a second glance.

I fail to see why knitting in public would be seen as weird, though. People read on the bus, listen to their iPods on the bus, stare out the windows and daydream... Knitting, really, it's just something to take up time in public, like anything else. Maybe it's because the people who make odd comments about it have some mental block about knitting being something you do at home, sitting in a rocking chair in front of a fireplace. Not something you do while sipping a peppermint hot chocolate in one of the comfy chairs at Starbucks, which is of course, one of my favourite ways to spend an hour on my day off.

And now that I'm finished ranting, it's off to medicate myself with some Irish Breakfast tea, cashmere/merino/microfibre yarn and Kiefer Sutherland kicking ass on DVDs of 24.