Mistakes were made.

 So I went back to the sock to try and figure out how to do the contrast color heel. I 'thought' I knew what I was doing.

I wanted the classic round heel contrast and, being impatient, didn't realize I was using a different kind of heel. I made another mistake in cutting the main color to start the heel color. Halfway through that color the yarn had a thin spot so had to work back so I could join that and only after getting to the last row of the Fleegle Heel did I realize it was  not what I was looking for.

 I didn't get a picture before but that is what I ended up with. I ripped back the orange, then everything got tangled and I cut the mess loose and then researched what I needed. Which was a short row heel and I found a good video on doing a German Short Row.

I just happened to have a stitch holder thing (can't remember what it's called) and successfully threaded it on the row before the gusset increases. I was only five stitches off from the row I had done so that was an easy fix and then just slipped the stitches back onto my circular. I felt so accomplished doing that because I've tried that in the past and had failed with split stitches, wrong ones picked up and all that.

So if you aren't familiar with a German Short Row, instead of doing a wrap & turn you do the equivalent of a yarn over but by slipping the first stitch and pulling the yarn to the back so the previous stitch creates two stitches. You know, the one mistake a lot of new knitters (me included) used to do at the end of a row.

The important thing is to not drop that double stitch. Which I did. Twice. So had to back the rows up and restart but that wasn't nearly as bad.

So here I am, just buzzing along about five rows in and realize I had skipped a stitch. Only have to back off that last row thankfully but it's par for the course on this sock right now. I think I'm going to keep the black marker and put another one on the other side to mark the last double stitch so I don't forget to go that far and can count the stitches easier. 

Once  you get to the point where you have as many stitches unworked as you have in the toe on one side (for me it's 14) and have an even number of double stitches on either side then you work back again. 

It's rather exciting and frustrating working a new technique and I think I 'm going to add in the directions for a German short row heel into my Hybrid Sock pattern. This is the video I found and I think I'm going to find the pattern she's using with the ribbing on the top of the foot as well.

German Short Row Heel w/circular needle

This is the video I found and I think I'm going to find the pattern she's using with the ribbing on the top of the foot as well. Really looking forward to getting this one done so I can start the next one and know what NOT to do. Should go a lot faster.

All my other projects are worked on sporadically. The blanket is one or two rows a day, haven't picked up the shawls in a few but that's hyperfocus for you. Go until it gets frustrating and pick up another project. When you end up with only projects that have mistakes, then you start fixing the simplest one.

Go figure.

 

ADHD crafting strikes again!

 So... if you know, you know. I have three shawls on the needles, one is to the point where it has a big mistake RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE six rows down and I do not have the patience to take that all back so that's on hiatus. I have the other two shawls that I alternate between and then the orange sock I started and have not touched in a few weeks.

This is the crocheted skein almost finished. After that pooled section it went back to randomonium for a few more rows before the skein ran out. I was done. I then got an even crazier idea to cast on an entire five foot wide blanket instead of making a Lego brick one, just do a blanket in the Lego colors. So I cast on about 240 sts. Yes. You read that right, it was about that many and I did six rows all purl so it matched the cast on edge then am keeping the edges about six stitches in that stitch and do stockinette in the middle. Hoping to find some green that will work as a border and in between skeins because I will not get that far with one skein.

Now as for the other yarns. 

I have this crazy yarn from making a hat for Katie and decided to see how it would look as a Ten Stitch Blanket. It took me two days and four restarts to finally get through the second turn. I have made two others in the past but you can see where I'm going with this. Bright center then fade to lighter color on the outside. They're all similar types of yarn, that soft type that will get fuzzy if you work it too much. The bright one is Soft & Shiny from Michael's and the other two are Yarn Bee from HL. That is some of the messiest knitting I've done in some time like I haven't knitted in decades. I'm using size 8 double points that are vintage metal I got from the 'community' table in our complex from someone who had to move (or other circumstance that happens with elderly people). 

 Bernat 7 inch double pointeds in grey painted metal for $.60. 'Made in England by Aero.' So yeah, and they looked like they had never been used. I was going to use an ultra short circular needle set but it was getting annoying with the very short bamboo tips being too short and the metal ones were too long. I might switch back to that at some point because dropping these is incredibly noisy on a hard floor. They aren't hollow aluminium (yes I spelled that the way Brits say it)... they are solid.

So I work on a shawl for a row or two, the huge blanket the same way and then go to a small project and cycle through them again. Such is the way of sporadic crafters with ADHD. Don't get me started on if I had the money to get yarn what I would do with it.

My grandsons have favorite colors and one of them is black, red and orange. He has a jacket with those colors and I got the crazy idea to try and find a yarn that could mimic that for a hat or something. Well I found one. Red Heart 'Moody Cherry' All in One Granny Square yarn. And... you guessed it, discontinued. Or at least not available at a storefront, would have to order it online. I would not be doing a granny square I can tell you. I tried. Maybe it was the yarn or constant distractions but it didn't work for me.

Anyway. Just another crazy idea. I'm an idea person really. If I were a rich person I would come up with an idea, connect with someone that would be able to follow through and do the finish work and then get paid for having the idea. Right? That's a job isn't it? 

::insert ducks quacking in laughter::