I Take A Lot of Pictures of Socks Next to Salsa

Somehow I managed to spend over three days without a pair of socks on the needles.   Mind you, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this (if by "reasonable" you mean "I was making decisions on what to knit based on how many invisible internet points I could get" ... and I do) but even so... it felt weird.

Don't worry though, I'm back in the game with some very festive holiday socks.

Not that holiday.  The other one.

I seem to take a lot of pictures of socks next to salsa.  One might draw some (likely accurate) conclusions from this.   Anyway, this is Must Stash Yarn's "Jack is Back," in their Merino/Nylon base.  I don't think they have any in stock right now, but there are some other great colorways available.

This was one of those very rare instances where I saw the yarn, I bought the yarn, I cast on the yarn.  Sort of a vidi, emi, kniti* situation.  Usually there's a year(s) long gap between steps 2 and 3.  Not this time, baby, it's October and I need me some spoopy socks.

I've named the project "I smell children," and I love how it is knitting up.

In other news, I've added a whack of new squares to my Hogwarts Studies Blanket (this is what I was doing instead of knitting a sock earlier this week).   For the second Quidditch Match of the term, our prompt was to knit or crochet something to protect from the cold.  I did ten tiny new squares and made the bold statement that they were one engorgio charm away from being big enough to cuddle up under.   (If none of that made any sense to you, the important takeaway is that I added squares to the sock yarn blanket.)

I'm closing in on 35% complete, if I keep to my original 12x18 plan.  I might do 12x24 instead, but I don't have to decide until I get there.   I'm getting tired of explaining every February how this both does and does not count as a WIP, so I'm going to try to accelerate my pace somewhat.   It might still be on the list for February 2019, but if so, there will be a lot more of it there.

*Made up Latin for "I saw, I bought, I knit."

FO: That Orange Stripe Tho Socks

My first FO of February was pretty much a cheat, but I wanted to have something ready to go to turn in for Detention in the HP House Cup see, and ... well let's just say leaving this pair of socks all done save kitchenering the second toe made a lot of sense in light of imaginary internet points.

So anyway, I got home from work last night, went for a walk, had some dinner, and basically did half a billion things before I finally got to what I really wanted to be doing -- finishing up these socks.   Eight quick stitches grafted, some ends tucked in, and Bob's yer uncle:  SOCKS!

It was too dark to get any kind of decent picture last night, so I took them to the office to try to get better pictures there today (a frequent problem I have in the winter -- I work in a different city and it's often mostly dark when I leave and mostly dark when I get home again.  Lousy for taking pictures of hand-knits).   Anyway, our VP of Human Resources is visiting one of our other locations, so I snuck into his office and took pictures in there.  Please note that by "snuck" I mean I announced, "I'm gonna go take pictures of my new socks in TJ's office."  Sneaking:  I'm doin' it right.

I still didn't manage to get perfect pictures -- but these are better than the ones I took last night, so.

There is a part of me that felt a little silly working on Halloween socks in January, but frankly I'd feel sillier having a pair of vanilla socks on the needles for over a year because they were "out of season." Besides, this way they'll be ready to wear whenever I decide I want to.

After all, orange never goes out of season.

Project Notes

Pattern: My basic, vanilla socks with an OMG Heel by Megan Williams
Yarn:  Color Wheel Tuff Sock in the "Hoot" colorway
Total Yardage: 280 yards
Needles:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
Started: October 2, 2015
Completed: February 1, 2016

A note about the heel -- I decided to try the OMG Heel, as I'm experimenting with different options for self-striping yarns.  I'd used a modified toe-up version in my Mystik Spiral Socks by Josh Ryks, but I hadn't ever done it cuff down.  Overall I liked them, but need to find a tidier way to work the join once you start knitting across the instep again -- a pretty much constant sock knitting woe.

sockwatch16: 2/16

Everything, All at Once

It's been another week of "pick up one project, knit two rows, put it down, and pick up another," here at chez woolly.

So pretty much business as usual, then.

In no particular order, I've been working on:

Carl's socks.  Remember last week I mentioned that I had the second sock on the needles at Morgan's band concert?   They've gone whoosh and I've just started the heel flap.

#bigsocksforbigfeet

And speaking of socks, I decided to hurry up and get my Halloween socks on the needles sometime before the last week of October.  This is me, (almost) planning ahead.   I got this sock yarn at last year's Fiber in the Boro, so I rather wanted to get them cast on before we go again on the 24th.

That orange, tho!

The yarn is The Color Wheel Tuff Sock in the "Hoot" colorway.  If she's there again this year, I might have to snag me some more.

In non-sock related news, I've started another 3 Color Cashmere Cowl (henceforth to be known as the 3CCC, because I'm lazy).   I don't know why I think I need two of these, lest it be that it is both surprisingly fetching on, and fun to knit.  Okay, never mind.  When cast in that light, it's obvious why I need two.

This one is starting out with grays instead of browns.  So far I'm using Knit Picks Capretta in Caviar and Platinum.  I may shake it up a bit when the time comes to add more color.  We'll see.

Nurmilintu (remember Nurmilintu?) has also seen some action in the past couple of weeks.  I've been trying to balance starting new things with finishing up (or in some cases frogging) some older projects.  Nurmilintu is a keeper, so it has been put back into rotation.

I really like how it's turning out.  Morgan is doing one too (we're having the wee-est of alongs.  In fact, I think Koren just cast one on as well).  Anyway, Morgan is doing hers in Hawthorne Fingering, Her gauge is tighter than mine, and the yarn reads as a tonal rather than as a variegated, so the overall affect is quite different. I'll have to try to get a picture of them together for next time.

And speaking of working on old projects (you didn't think I was done did you?) I also hauled out my old Circles to Squares afghan.  The Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup will accept blanket squares as a finished object to turn in for classes.  That is serving as excellent motivation to work on it again.  I started this bad boy back in 2013. which makes it my second oldest WIP.

I'm maybe a third of the way done?

So that's (more or less) everything I've been working on in the last couple of weeks.  I'm trying not to be frustrated by my lack of focus and to just roll with it.  As long as I'm working on something just about every day I'm making progress.  And I surely have enough variety.  (Also, if last week's post is anything to go by, it isn't actually hurting my output any.)

Clown Barf Hat (Needs A Better Name)

I've finished another project (or two? I'm having trouble keeping track since I can't actually talk about all of them here) since last we spoke.    A wise friends suggested that if I needed to knit a hat from stash, and all my stash is fingering or lace weight, that there are not actually any ordinances prohibiting holding the yarn double.

Duh.

So, the Clown Barf hat was conceived and born.   Made of a pattern of my own reckoning:  simple-simple...rolled brim on size 6 needles, stockinette on 8s.  CO. 80 stitches, increase to 88 when changing needles.   Knit until you are bored or about 6 inches.  Spread the decreases out evenly across the 88 stitches--first round was knit 9, k2tog around--I decreased in a manner that made sense and ended up without being too flat or too pointy, et voila:

I swear I just took this picture...it is not, in fact, Spring in TN.

Made from two ancient balls (heh heh) of Knitpicks Memories Sock Yarn.  It will make some clown 11 year old happy.

In other news, Halloween is nearly upon us.  I have had neither time, nor energy, nor spoons to devote to kids' Halloween.    Morgan is planning to be a Hogwarts student (a costume that anyone in this house could put together with their eyes closed, and one hand tied behind their back...although that would make putting the robe on awkward).    Rowan wants to be a cone-head zombie from Plants vs. Zombies.   It'll be adorable, assuming I can come up with a reasonable facsimile of an orange traffic cone to place upon his pate.

Wish me luck.

Remember When I Used to Knit?

I miss knitting.

It's starting to get cold here in Tennessee (I know those of you in more Northern climes would mock my concept of what qualifies as "cold" -- but hey, gimme a break, this is the South.) Anyway, the point is, my hands are freezing, and I lost one of my Fetching at a biker joint last year (true story), and I MISS knitting.

Right now I should be sewing Halloween costumes, but I'm surfing Ravelry looking for a good fingerless mitt pattern instead. In this particular instance "good" also means "dead simple" and "would look good variegated."

So far, major contenders are Jacoby and Mitt Envy. (Ravelry links). I saw some other cute patterns that would make for great Yulemas gifts.

And speaking of Halloween, I should be sure to get pictures of the kids this year. Rowan is going to be Luke Skywalker (Return of the Jedi era) and Morgan is going to be Fraulein Maria. It's Morgan costume that I'm supposed to be working on right now.

And in other, other news, Jess, Koren and I hit the Cannonsburg Fiber Festival this morning. We saw some wee sheepies, drank some warm cider, and I came home with some more fiber that I don't really know how to spin.

Good times.

All Saints Day (and a Hallowe'en Hangover)

Hallowe'en is a pretty big deal here at Chez Woolly. I have made it a point to try to make costumes for the kids while they're still small enough to care—and most years I manage pretty well. This year, Rhiannon (13) originally told me that she didn't want or need a costume, so I factored her out of my time budget. Unfortunately, she changed her mind too late (sorry Rhi!) so she is costume-less this year. I plan to make it up to her this spring when she goes to our local Anime Con, so I tell myself it'll all come out in the wash.

Miss Morgan decided she wanted to be a witch. She was very specific in her design requirements. "I want a black robe just like Rhiannon's, but with blue instead of purple, and not so long I trip and fall on my face."

The wig was her Unka Monka's (Uncle Monkey's) edition to her costume. Not my fault....




At first I tried to talk Rowan into being a Ninja for Halloween (hey, black fabric is cheap this time of year) but he said that would be "too silly." He opted for Ash Ketchum of Pokemon fame (and after a bit of confusion on my part...turns out Ash Ketchum is no relation to Hal Ketchum) I found some pictures on the Intarwebs and commenced to figuring it out. Best news? I already had the fabric — his costume cost me less than $5 to make. I win at life.