Photo as promised

I finished the Oriel sock,

This is just after the heel turn, but amazingly, it FITS! I thought I had a picture of it finished, but I guess those are still on the camera.

I started a pair of baby socks with Wool Ease as a gift and a KAL for the Sensational Knitted Socks group. Yet another baby on the way, an acquaintance from the nursery. I can't say that she's a friend since she's one of our vendor reps but she comes in almost every week so we kind of know her.
We got some new colors of Homespun in and one of them is 'Painted Desert' I couldn't resist..it's gorgeous! I got a skein of that and a pair of needles to do another Shnarf for myself. Going to have to write that pattern down and put it up on Ravelry or Etsy. It's all the 'southwest' colors in russets, gold, teal, a tiny bit of green... and it stripes! I may end up doing a longer scarf in it just to get the color changes.

I had started the kiri shawl with the Carribean color of the lace yarn but ripped it out. Just wasn't happy with it. I'm going to offer up the three balls of that color on Ravelry for trade or sale. Just not my color scheme. I picked up the 'Redwood Forest' color and at first had thought it was just brown but in good light, I can see some more depth to it. Might use that for lace shawl. If I can do socks, I can do a shawl in lace yarn.
Okay, off to find a patern. Again...

Sock issues

I am at an impasse with both sock patterns.
With the Peacock Diamonds, I have to figure out the join between the beginning of the round and the end of the round.
The Lily Pond sock... I'm following K2Karen's directions for a yarn over toe up heel and it's confusing.
She's using someone else's directions for the heel and it's just a bit confusing.
Placing markers I understand, it's the yarn over that's confusing. She wants you to yo on the RIGHT needle after you turn when the yarn is coming off the left needle.
Huh? Am I supposed to slip it first, and then do the YO? I don't have a picture of that heel, but I found a picture tutorial on it but haven't had time to sit down and look at it in depth. I need about forty-five minutes of uninterrupted time with my knitting in front of me.

"Knit until 2 sts before second yarn marker, Increase 1, k1, turn work.
Yarn over from front to back on right needle. Place marker."

First, she doesn't explain the 'increase 1'. I chose to do a k1f&b, and was confused because that would give you two increases which, from what I understand, you k3tog or p3tog to take them all in.
There's gotta be something simpler between this and a w&t. I just need time to sit down and work it out. As I always say, "Trust the pattern." I always try to second guess or jump ahead in the directions, thinking that I know where it's going.... have to learn to slow down and do the steps.

Okay, have to get going and run some errands. Get new socks and some other necessities.

I created something unique!

Well, unique because I created it. I was thinking of the pattern I saw of a 'Sockmark' that's a double ended sock for a bookmark. I did a single 'sock' for a bookmark but it's flat. I'll hopefully have pictures and possibly a pattern for it soon.
Another moment of sporadic genius, I finished it in a day and it can be longer, but this is good for a paperback, and I accomplished a short row section with wraps! I initially tried to do it as a double knitted tube, but it was difficult to do a 1/1 rib at the top doing that and it wouldn't be a tube.
It's kind of cute really. Hoping to get this posted to ravelry and maybe sell the pattern for a $1.00 or even free.

I spent most of the day just lazing around town. Visited Needlecraft Cottage in PB where Liz unpacked some new, new yarn. Mostly bulky/bumpy but nice stuff, it's made in the USA too and darned if I can remember the name of it.
I worked a little on my sock and talked to her about the issues with that and she told me about the toe up heel and toe that Lucy Neatby has in her book Cool Socks, Warm Feet. Have to see about buying it at Beverly's when I have money next.
I took tons of photos along the estuary and in one of the canyon parks. It didn't rain after all until this evening, so that held out. It was very cold and windy though, and I had my jacket, a sweater and a scarf on while I sat on the seawall and ate my lunch after going to the shop. I came very close to buying some Baby Alpaca yarn... very, very close. It was only in natural colors but it was soooo sooofffft!. With the yardage on it, the best I could do with one skein is a scarf. But it would have been such a warm and soft scarf!
Okay, enough nattering on. I have work tomorrow... most likely in the rain and cold. No one was at knitting class tonight by 6:15 so I didn't bother going over there and wasting gas.
I could have gone to Jolene's for dinner tonight...but the whole gas thing and being able to get to work.
Hope everyone has fun this weekend! Happy Valentines to everyone!

More ripping

I was all the way down to the foot on a 'baby' sock out of the TLC Baby blue and realized that it looked too large for the size baby foot I thought it should fit. It's supposed to fit a 2-4 year old foot, which it just might, but I ripped it back to the gusset and added ribbing on the instep to give it a little more flexibility. If I can finish that by Wednesday, then I can start on the second one and then, maybe do a sweater or hat to sell on Etsy.
I want to see how quickly I can knit a baby sock and then get an idea of how many I can make in an average month. I looked at some other sock and hat combos that people were selling and the average price is about $26. That seems more than reasonable for a pair of hand knitted baby socks. Throw in a hat and it ups the price a bit, but if you're someone looking for a hand crafted item but can't do the work yourself, it's affordable.
I think I can get a hat, sweater and a pair of socks out of the same skein of yarn. I have some of the pastel variegated left and plan on adding a chain stitch trim on the socks and maybe a line or two on the hat. The sweater of course is going to be top down, which is a fast knit. An entire ensemble can be done in about a month I think, socks being the fastest, I might even pick up some other yarn and coordinate them. One minor issue with the yarn is the variegateds feel a lighter weight than the solids. Changes the dynamics when knitting on the same needles.
Lion is introducing some new colors in Homespun, and as much as I dislike working with it, it does work up fast as a blanket.
I also want to do a diagonal blanket in the Jiffy, seeing as how it's about the same gauge, smaller yardage, but better colors and a nice fuzzy texture. When I have the money of course.
And then there's finding the money to buy yarn from knitpicks this week. Might have to postpone that ordering this time. the striped sock yarn is soo cool though! I love the colors in the Imagination yarn... and they're limited colors too.
What a quandry!
Meanwhile, back in Reality Land... sigh... can't afford food let alone yarn I may never get to knit with until next year. Ah well, tomorrow is knitting night at Starbucks... I look forward to that every week, it's my one bright spot.

A knitters hands...

are kind of in the same class as a surgeon or pianists. If anything happens to the fingers...it can seriously impact performance.
I was cutting some cucumber today at work using a serrated steak knife. Not the really heavy duty ones but good enough. Well, the inevitable happened and the knife cut my thumb. Relatively deep. I now I have a band aid on my thumb for at least another two weeks. At least it's on the outside edge and not on the pad. The last time I had an injury was when I closed the car door on my right pinkie. Broke it and also needed four stitches. That changed the way I held the yarn, which in a way is good. I've adapted to it and now can't hold it any other way.
I've had pokes and injuries to the pads of my fingers and it is seriously annoying when I knit.

You know you're seriously a knitter when the first thing that goes through your head in a situation like that is, 'Man, how is this is going to affect my knitting?'

I have finished the orange hat, pictures uploaded and ready to go. The sock only has the toe to finish, and then can send both pairs of socks and the hat off. A little late, I figured out a nearly invisible technique to sew the seam together. I don't recall seeing this anywhere but I'm sure it is, I just never paid attention to it for a hat. Only thing is, when I say it was a little late, I started sewing with overhand method at the top and halfway down I discovered the invisible technique. I've already finished it off and tucked all the ends in, not going to go back but might take another piece of yarn and double stitch that section so it looks consistent.
I've also cast on for a toe up and that seems to be going well, I'm double checking my own measurements so I don't make it too big this time. Still trying to decide what pattern to make, but might do the rivulet anyway..there might be another choice, have to look around some more.
I picked up the stitches on the peacock pair with two size 2 dpns just so I don't lose them. As soon as one of my circs is free, I'll slip them on there and figure that out. Actually, I think there's a set free or I could make them free, I started the pink and purple but now I think I'm going to finish that other pair as part of a new years resolution to finish UfO's.
Now, off to do the kitchener on the sock.

Re: Socks

Oh, and Happy New Year to all reading this.
I seem to be having a difficult time doing a toe up sock. The problem is keeping track of what round I'm on. I've had to back knit a total of five rounds (two different times with different rounds) because I couldn't tell whether I had just finished an increase round or not.
I'm formulating a marker design that would hang from the toe at the beginning of the round and it would get flipped every time you completed a round. This is also helpful for doing the increases for different 'sockitecture' designs by Cat Bordhi.
I get interrupted so many times it seems that I can't get more than a round or two done in one sitting. I'll be glad when the holidays are over and spring is here when my daughter and granddaughter can go back to Truckee. That's still up in the air of course, but no matter the decision, they are going to have to be out of here by March or April.

As for the marker design, it's going to have a coil type arrangement like some of the plastic ring markers so it can be slipped off easily. It will likely have a bead or two involved, possibly something with a letter or number.
Oh, I ended up sending off my knitpicks order. Three different sock yarns and the needles was the final decision. I'm now regretting not getting some of the kettle dyed in a worsted, or maybe a lace shawl pattern. I have enough of those free that I can choose from those and existing yarn.
It is now 11 pm and I'm pooped. I'll be asleep possibly by the time midnight rolls around, whoopdeedo. I never was big on celebrating the change in the year, even when I had friends that threw parties. I'm up for going to a party but it doesn't have to be a special occasion. With my new place, it's kind of small but could hold up to ten people. I'll think about doing that during the summer. The only issue is parking...
Enough sidetracking, have to get back to that sock.

Tinking the day away

I realized on the orange sock that my decreases weren't working evenly. I had forgotten one on one side and so at one point I had 32 stitches on one needle and 35 on the other. ::Sigh:: Having to knit back about six rounds in order to get back to where I switched the beginning of the round from the heel to the instep. Almost to that point now but have to do a stitch count to be sure. Decided on a blue sock for an infant that it will have a short cuff and a short row heel almost immediately. Babies don't need a lot of cuff, nor a long leg part, especially when it's a spring baby.
I also found out that a friend of my daughters is expecting her baby in June, no gender yet but given a June baby, if I make socks or a sweater it should be 6 month size. Hoping she finds out it's a girl, I also hope that she keeps contact with her long enough to find out. It was a chance meeting at a local Rite Aid so we'll see what happens.
Have to finish the blue set first, that recipients mom showed up at work today and there's a possibility that she and her boyfriend/coworker might be breaking up. Buut that was a chance comment from the owner. Not going to trust that information. Not that I don't trust him, just don't trust information that is just offhand from him. Don't know where he got it from or how old it is.
Oh, had one student tonight, total beginner but she had at least tried to teach herself from a book, and she's about four inches into a triangle shawl with Homespun. She plans on coming back again until it's done so that's good. Oh, she asked how long it would take her to knit a shawl since it's something that's technically 'commissioned'. Using Homespun and size 13 needles... maybe two weeks if she had absolutely nothing else to do. She marveled at it being a long time, and I told her that was a short time to finish a 32" triangle shawl. Apparently she thinks I'm a 'professional' knitter and amazing because she asked if I ever get asked to knit on 'commission'. I made a scoffing noise and told her that only people who live in La Jolla or Coronado might be able to afford it. Told her the story about the naive woman who posted on Ravelry about having a custom cable knit sweater done for about $20. The yarn alone would be more than that. I think that opened her eyes a bit to the process of knitting and how much it costs.
Another lady stopped and asked if I was knitting a sock (the orange one that is obvious it's a sock) and we chatted for a bit. She had done socks before but on dpns, told her the two circs simplified the process incredibly. She seemed skeptical, but I hope I convinced her, she bought a ball of the Lion Sock Ease...so something good came of it..

Oh, watching Star Wars right now on some station... always good for a trip down memory lane. Think I'll go pick up my knitting and watch the rest of it.