Left Foot, Left Foot

Can you tell I have been reading Dr. Seuss's The Foot Book a lot lately? My kids adore it. I have finally finished one of the two Herringbone Rib Socks. I love this pattern, but I will say that the herringbone pattern does not have much give to it, which makes the sock a bit challenging to get on and off, but once on it fits perfectly. I am hoping some blocking will make this a bit easier. The foot area is much more forgiving than the leg, because the bottom of the sock is stockinette instead of herringbone.

On a side note, I have really been wanting to switch to Continental Style knitting to gain some speed and in hopes that I will increase the evenness of my knit and purl stitches. I taught myself how to knit using the English (yarn in the right hand) method, but I often get hand cramping, my stitches are tight, and my knit stitches are much tighter than my purl stitches resulting in an uneven fabric when knitting flat stockinette stitch. Nothing majorly noticable on the finished fabric, but enough that I notice the difference in tension while knitting. I am hoping that "picking" rather than "throwing" will fix this and in the long run give me speed.

I have knit Continental before, on my Snowflake fair isle socks I actually used a two handed method with one color in my right hand and the other in my left, but have never made the switch. Most of this has to do with the fact that I have never wanted to start mid project and affect my gauge midway through and partly because I am faster at English style right now, and so I always go to it. I am sure with practice though, my speed and ability will grow. I may just bite the bullet and start an easy new project and do it all holding the yarn in the left. By the end of the project I am sure to be a pro!

Has anyone else ever made this switch?

 

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To Knit or Not to Knit

The last year has been busy. I had twins. And life with twins is crazy. And if you think trying knit with one baby is hard, try having both hands full at all times. I took a one year hiatus from knitting. The twins are now 15 months old and a little ray of sunshine has emerged. I am running more. I lost all my baby weight. And I am knitting. Mostly after bedtime, but I am back. Little pieces of the things I enjoy are back in my life and it's wonderful.

These are the socks that I picked up to get me back in the swing of things.

Herringbone Rib Socks in St. Elias from Pagewood Farms

It's amazing how quickly obsession returns once you pick it back up again. I am loving the subtle color changes of the Pagewood Farms yarn.

 

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Getting closer.....

I am dangerously close to having no projects on my needles, except for the long-term Never-ending Sock Garden Blanket, that I expect will be a project for years to come.

Today I show you my completed Electric Fruit Loop Socks, which are now dry after blocking.

Pattern: Fruit Loop by Kristi Geraci from Knitty, Spring 2008
Needles: US 1 Circular
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Superwash Merino/Nylon Fingering Weight - hand-dyed with Kool-Aid (for details on how to dye your own see my tutorial)
Started: October 24, 2009
Completed: December 3, 2010

 

The yarn is delightfully squishy and soft knitted up and I think the hand-dyed yarn worked well for this pattern.  And just in time for some very cold weather, I will definitely be getting some use out of these socks sooner rather than later. 

Kool Socks

A quick one today. My fruit loop socks have been in hibernation for a bit but were pulled back out and I completed the first sock and cast on for the second sock today.

I am actively trying complete all my UFOs.

Its cold outside, but in here it's electric!

Here is a peak at one of my projects on the needles that I haven't shown off yet.

These are the Fruit Loop Socks from Knitty, Spring 2008.

They are being knit with my Kool-Aid dyed yarn in a colorway that I call
It's Electric.

Go to my instructional post to learn how I dyed the yarn.

Snowflakes for Spring

I promised pictures. These have been off the needles for awhile, but it took awhile to block them (I had to buy sock blockers) and then the weather was not cooperative for pictures.

Pattern: Snowflake Socks by Chrissy Gardiner (Interweave Knits Fall 2007)
Yarn: Reynolds Soft Sea Wool, 1 skein of each color.
Needles: Size 2 circular needles
Started: March 13 2008
Completed: March 29 2009

This was my first stranded project, and I used the opportunity to master the two-handed technique, using my right hand for the main color and my left for the contrasting color.

The first sock was knit a little tight as I got comfortable with the new technique. By the time I started the second sock, I had loosened up considerably, and therefore, the second sock ended up being significantly bigger. So much so that I had to block the second sock on a different sized sock blocker!

I should have gone down a needle size for the second sock; but alas, I did not realize until it was too late.

However, they are very warm and comfortable. I will definitely be wearing these around the house, different sizes and all.

And what stranded post would be complete without a little guts and glory! The inside...I think it is almost as pretty as the outside.

Notice my new purchase in the above photo. I got these lovely sock blockers from the Loopy Ewe. I made a deal with myself if I finished these socks I was allowed to buy these, as blockers are especially needed with stranded projects. I bought a pair in my size and a single blocker in all the other sizes they had so that I can block socks for anyone else I knit for. I love the sheep at the top.

Progress

No pictures to show, but my weekend was filled with a fair amount of knitting due to my husband being in Annapolis this weekend for a tux fitting/ghost pub crawl, and the fact that I wasn't feeling all that well, so I didn't push myself to do my usual weekend workouts.

I worked on three different projects: I did a few repeats of my Flower Basket Shawl, for some lighter knitting during movie watching I worked on the Smock Jacket with some easy moss stitch. Today I worked a bit on my Snowflake socks and am now through the heel and into the gusset. I need to free up my size 2 circulars for later in the Smock Jacket.

My husband has charged himself to help me in my resolution to finish what is on my needles by discouraging me from starting any new projects. Except, or course baby gifts for some upcoming little ones on the way. For this he will whole-heartedly encourage me to cast-on.

A leap of frog and a lot of unfinished business.

Here is a recent finished project of mine. This frog hat was knit for a coworker's child so that she could match dad's outfit for Philadelphia's Mummer Parade.

Pattern: Frog Hat (Free Cascade Yarns Pattern)
Yarn:
Filatura Di Crosa Baby Zarella 1 ball each in colorway 1 & 15, plus some scrap worsted weight black yarn
Needle Size: Size 8 for Cast-on and Size 6 for body of the hat
Size: 6 months





Next are two projects that probably you probably won't see for awhile, as I am trying to finish a secret gift project, and have many other projects on the needles that need to be finished.

This one is a pair of Mary Janes from pattern 18305 in Dale of Norway Baby Designs/ Dalegarn #183 knit with what else but Baby Ull

Next is the Smock Coat from Debbie Bliss' Simply Baby Book knit with Knit Picks Shine Sport.

Since it is the beginning of the new year and I had set a few goals for myself last year, I decided to revisit those goals and see how I did and make some new knitting goals for 2009.
In 2008 I kept my knitting goals simple due to my crazy school schedule. They were:

1. Try fair isle - I already have some yarn and all the tools I need.
2. Finish at least 1 sweater
3. Delve further into lace knitting : I plan to try the flower basket shawl, and have yarn to do at least 1 more shawl (maybe a Niebling)

Well I did try fair isle with my snowflake socks, and actually had some success. Unfortunately these socks remain unfinished, but as I will discuss later in the post I have a plan for my unfinished business.

I did finish 1 sweater with my FLS, but I also have an unfinished Bell Sleeved Jacket to complete. I just couldn't resist the bandwagon for the FLS!

As far as the lace knitting goes, I finished my Branching out Scarf and started a Flower Basket Shawl, but alas this project too remains in the unfinished category. I have delved into some worsted weight lace, such as FLS, and my current secret gift project as well. As for Niebling, well.....I purchased a Niebling pattern (Lyra) while I could get my hot little hands on it at a reasonable price. Maybe someday I will knit it.

Okay, so I tried out a lot of my resolutions, but have had a little trouble with follow through.

My knitting resolutions for 2009? Well number 1 is no surprise, but here they are:

1. Finish my unfinished business. I have many projects on the needles that I need to finish before I get swept up in all that new project fever. In order of how I will do this
a) Secret Gift Project (70% complete)
b) Snowflake Socks (65% complete)
c) Bell Sleeved Jacket (65% complete)
d) Flower Basket Shawl (20% complete)
e) Baby Mary Janes (10% complete)
f) Smock Jacket (10% complete)

Of course, I always like to have about 3 projects on my needles at all times anyway, so there may be some overlap. Usually I have 1 lace project, 1 sweater or bigger project and 1 small project like socks that is very portable on my needles at all times to fit different knitting situations.

2. Socks. I have developed a habit of collecting skeins of sock yarn. Everywhere we go, I find the local yarn store and find a skein that reminds me of the place we visited or that has a simply beautiful dye job. I need to get in the habit of using these skeins to make even more beautiful socks to keep my feet warm.

3. Knit my man a sweater. Gasp! I have been married for over a year, and have not knit my husband anything except a hat. Although my husband is generally not into sweaters, I did find a pattern that appeals to him in the Best of Interweave Knits book called Cambridge Jacket by Ann Budd. I think it is about time to knit my man a sweater. (And maybe some Dashing mitts as well).

4. Shop from my stash. I have a lot of yarn. Probably not as much as some of you, but even so. I currently have enough yarn for 3 sweaters in addition to the yarn to finish the sweater on my needles. I also have enough yarn to knit about 9 pairs of socks, and 3 shawls. I also have a lot of skeins that would be great for smaller projects.

5. Try Mobius knitting. I have had my eye on the Cat Bordhi Mobius Cowl for awhile, and already have a skein of variegated yarn picked out for it.

6. Try Entrelac knitting. I may start with a pair of socks, but I also have the Forest Path Stole in the back of my mind.

7. Knit more, now that I have the time.

There are a lot of other things I want to accomplish, but for now this seems like a reasonable list of goals. I look forward to a year of knitting in 2009.

Reading has stolen my knitting time!

After the move to the burbs and my newfound train ride time, I thought for sure I would be whipping through knitting projects in no time!

However, with the train ride has come a renewed love of reading. In the morning, I am almost always drinking coffee and have found it nearly impossible to juggle my coffee and knit on the train. In the afternoon, the train is often crowded, and I feel when I knit, I almost invade others space on the train even with the small motion of my arms.

I have always loved to read, but the last few years have been busy, and a lot of the free time I did have was spent knitting. In the last month I have read 3 books:

The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

None of them were " 5 -star" such as some of my favorites such as The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and Life of Pi, but they were good reads nonetheless. I particularly liked Eat, Pray, Love and My Sister's Keeper.

I am currently reading The Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler.

Not to fret though, I have managed to finish the first snowflake sock and cast on for the second. Here are a few pre-blocking photos.

Snowflakes Falling

Now that my final is done, I was able sneak in a little knitting time this morning to work on my snowflake socks....I have turned the heel, and may officially be addicted to colorwork.

They are a tad tight, but I can get them on, and with a little blocking, I think they will be fine.

Now I have to get back to packing. We are moving in a week, and there is still a lot to do!

Jaywalkers

I completed my first Jaywalkers.
Pattern: Jaywalkers by Grumperina, MagKnits
Yarn: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino Color: P436 (also the yarn in my blog header)
Needles: Size 1 Addi Turbo Circulars
Modifications: I shortened the leg to 5.5" because I was worried about running out of yarn. I probably could have squeezed another 0.25-0.50" into the leg, as I had a bit of yarn left over.

This is a really cool pattern, and I will most definetely knit it again. It works well with varigated and self-striping yarns, but also has large areas of stockinette knitting, making it good when you need that mindless knitting. It also fits my foot really well.

Fair Isle!

Two nights ago I cast on for Snowflake Socks by Chrissy Gardiner from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. This is my first Fair Isle attempt and actually it is going suprisingly well. I am knitting with the main color (blue) in my right hand and the contrasting color (white) in my left. The Continental still feels a little awkward because I am a English style knitter. No puckering and it looks nice and even, although it might be a little tight. I can get it over my heel, so it probably will be okay, but I am going to try to keep my strands a little looser.

Yarn Photography (and a sneak peak)

So the days when I have schoolwork to do are the days that I always come up with some crafty project that must be worked on immediately lest the idea leave me forever.

Yesterday, I ordered a brand new lens for my camera. A Nikkon 50mm f 1.8 lens. It hasn't even arrived, and I am already getting excited about using it. It should be great for portraits, low light photography and you guessed it....yarn and knitting photography.

In anticipation of the lens arrival, I was researching tricks for photographing yarn and came across a tutorial for creating a light box. Basically this is box that disperses light to create a softer picture with less harse shadows. You can buy these (for a lot of $$$), but I decided that by making my own the worst that happened was to waste a perfectly good Cardboard box. And perhaps the opportunity to stop using my ugly carpet as a backdrop!

These photos are a few of my first test shots. I need to pick up some poster board to make the box more useful, as right now it is two pieces of paper taped together which does have a seam that is visible with larger objects. In addition, I also will make a reflector of tin foil and a leftover box piece to help get rid of more shadows. Also, the box I made is pretty small, so I might be making a larger one in the near future. It takes all of 20 minutes to make.

I really need to get photoshop, but for now, a little editing in Picasa, and here they are.

You might notice that one of the photos shows a WIP, my Jaywalker socks I am about to turn the heel on the second sock, and with a little train knitting time tommorrow, they should be finished soon!

Once I get my new lens, I will post some more photos to show it off.

I cheated

DSC_1275, originally uploaded by suntheim.

I told myself I would not start anymore projects before Branching Out was complete, but last night before bed I cheated and cast on for a pair of Jaywalkers. I know I am like the last person (well maybe not) to jump on this bandwagon, but the pattern was just too cool to pass up. I am using Koigu (the skein that is the header of my blog). So far I like the yarn a lot it is soft and has gorgeous variegation.

Red Striped Socks

Another project down! I actually finished the knitting of these before the new year, but did not graft the second toe and weave in the ends until yesterday.


Pattern: Yarn Harlot Basic Sock Recipe
Yarn: Reynolds Swizzle 1 ball
Needles: US 1 Addi Turbo 16" Needles
Gauge: 8 Stitches per inch


I am pretty happy with how these came out, being my first fingering weight socks, but I am not sure I will knit them again, as they were a little too plain. I like a little bit more excitement in my patterns. I think my next pair of socks may be a pair of Jaywalkers.

I might try a wider toe, this one is 16 stitches ( 8 and 8 grafted together). Its not bad, but I think it could be more comfortable. I like the slip stitch heel, although I ripped it out 3 or 4 times, before I realized I was reading the directions incorrectly, and finally got it right!

Even thought these were boring to knit, I think I may be an official sock addict. As I was knitting them, I picked up more yarn to knit 4 more pairs of socks, and already have some patterns picked out. I was especially pleased with knitting on two circular needles. I find it to be much easier than double points, and makes for less laddering between needles. It is actually a fairly easy technique. You can find a video about the technique here.

Thanksgiving Knitting

DSC_1224, originally uploaded by suntheim.

Now that I am knee-deep in research project I am missing my Thanksgiving knitting time. Here is a photo of my first real fingering weight sock! It fits so nicely and will actually fit inside my regular shoes!

No, I haven't finished the second sock yet.....and I won't until probably the end of December when I have some time off from school. And since these socks are for me, any free knitting time will be spent working on gifts for new babies.....

We met my cousin's new girlfriend at Thanksgiving, and it was a fun scene when I brought out my sock to work on, and discovered that I had initiated a trend. The other knitters (including the new girlfriend) also pulled out their respective projects and we had a knitting party in the den after dinner.

Socks Revisited

DSC_1133, originally uploaded by suntheim.

I had a lot of trouble with socks. These ones have been cast on and ripped out about 8 times.....I attempted these almost 2 years ago, and ripped them out so many times, I finally gave up and stashed the yarn away. I successfully completed a pair of worsted weight socks about a year ago, and have recently become enthralled with all the cool socks there are to knit, and been on a bit of a sock yarn shopping spree!

I really wanted to try the Yarn Harlot's Sock Recipe, so after a few more false starts, here we are! I chose to use a knit-on Cast-on, despite the Harlots advise to avoid it, because I find my long-tail cast-on is way, way too tight for most garment, but my knit-on seems a lot more flexible. Perhaps in the future I will try another method for casting on, or cast on with larger needles. Not bad though, and stretches enough for my foot.

Socks on 2 circs

Pattern: Yarn Harlot's Sock Recipe

Yarn: Reynolds Swizzle

Needles: Size 1 (2.5 mm) 16" Addi Turbos (2 of them)

Gauge: 8.5 Stitches per inch (a little off from the Harlot gauge of 7.5 stitches per inch, but they fit my small feet just fine!)