A silly idea and a yarn sale

 So socks are coming along nicely, I'm able to switch between them now easily. The green socks are my 'no brainer' pattern since it's only four row repeat I can work on those and watch tv or whatever. The blue socks are a bit slower due to the darkness of the yarn and a bit more complicated pattern. Haven't picked up the hat in a couple of weeks.

 

I made a crocheted kumquat!

But first an explanation. So, my loving man Jon has a silly thing he says sometimes when groceries or food is mentioned. 'Kumquats. I love kumquats'. He doesn't. He just likes saying the word. This got him in a little bit of trouble when he was working because someone took him seriously and bought a 1/2 lb of kumquats for him. He had to tell them that it was a personal joke and wasn't serious which the person was rather disappointed to find out. Anyway, when we met and he said that I asked him, 'You do?!' (because I like kumquats and it would have been another food that we both like) and he said no and then told me that story.

So, I told him about a week ago 'Better watch out I'm going to knit or crochet a kumquat for your birthday', which he chuckles and says I'm silly. Well, I was sitting at my computer last night and it suddenly struck me that I had the perfect yarn scrap for doing just that. 

As you know, my only experience with crocheting so far is the cat bed and a section of a blanket. Well, if I remembered how to do that sliding magic circle I can do this! Turns out that scrap ball of yarn had just enough green on the end to make this a perfect match for the project. Getting that magic circle started was a pain and I didn't count the stitches, just winged it. Not an exact replica but it's good enough. I have enough to do another one or two using a size 2 hook since this is sock yarn. I am so pleased with how I just guessed at increases and decreases and muddled through. I stuffed it with cotton balls we have in the medicine cabinet and I don't think he has a clue I made it. He rarely pays attention to what I'm knitting unless I point it out. His birthday is in August so this is going to be so fun! 

Now on to the yarn sale. Knitpicks is still having their summer yarn  sale darn them! But the new colorways for the Arcane Fibreworks Yarn Club started and I want one of all three!

Seriously! I love the grey/lavender (light colors) the blue is gorgeous and the orange/green/speckle being a california poppy inspiration is a must have. As I've pointed out before, the price for the yarn is very reasonable being hand dyed. I just wish I had $40 extra to get some! I am a responsible yarn collector and would have to have a project first to use it. Stop laughing!

The thing about the yarn club is you can gift someone a subscription HINT heheh. I know everyone that reads this is as broke as I am but these are soooo preetty!

That's all for today, it feels good to have things to work on in a short time. Hope all your yarn doesn't tangle and your blocking successful!

 

 

Still chugging along sort of

 Of course, when I have no money, Knit Picks is having a huge sale on yarn. Sock yarn is half off and some colors are 60% off. Dangit! Not that I need more yarn of course but..

First, there is progress but slow on the blue wave sock project, managing two balls of yarn on a project like this is not for the easily frustrated. I discovered a thin spot in the stitches, luckily had only gone that round before I noticed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I blame knitting at night in low light to not seeing it until the next day under my desk lamp. I only had to back off the front and that back side to get the yarn to a position to use the 'Magic Knot' to fix it. 

Major structural failure. I thought it was just the plastic coating that was coming off so I was trying to kind of inch it back to the joint. Then, as I was knitting I felt it being sharp and saw this. That is a multi-strand metal cable that seems to be about as thin as sewing thread. Probably three strands twisted together so only one was left. I wondered if it was the way I was knitting and cramping that joint under my little finger all the time. I composed myself, took pictures and then fed it onto another needle. The only one I had left was the wooden one also from KP and it is very much not good for this project. The cable is fatter and the needles are varnished wood so they do not slide as well. I contacted customer service (this happened a week ago) and was told another cable would be shipped out within 7 days. Confirmed my address with them and according to the package tracking it left Columbus, OH the day after my request was processed so I should have it by Monday. Oh well. I think it's going by ground transit. Really.

I remember in the early days of the company they had issues with the purple cables pulling out of the socket entirely. I have an old one that I still have that was separating and instead of getting a new replacement I just got out the super glue equivalent and glued it back in. Easy fix. If it had come apart on a project (as it has happened before) that would be annoying but still be solved easily.

As for the cat bed, no progress on that but have done a few rows on the hat. In a kind of creative slump the last week or two and that happens. It's gotten very warm so that takes a toll on sitting and knitting as well as moods.

 

That's it for the crafty yarn hobbies for this week. Not much going on for progress just had to chronicle the excitement for the week. Happy crafting! May your yarn never tangle and your needles be sharp (and hook be handy).

Embarking on an idea or two

 So, I started the stocks using the blue Tofutsies and after finishing the toes started a search for just the right stitch to make it look like waves. Well..... harder than you would think when I don't have my three or four stitch encyclopedias handy. 

I did find a copy of Charlene Schurch's 'Sensational Knitted Sock through the library (same one I have in storage) and looked at all the sock examples, mostly variations on ribs, very little lace and then saw one toward the back that I thought would be perfect, except that it wouldn't fit in my stitch count. At least easily.

It's a pretty stitch but it's an 11 stitch repeat which does not fit well on the even number of stitches despite her instructions about just making them wider or whatever. Not happening.

I decided to go online and found the Lacy Mock Cable at KnittingStitches.org

That site is a fantastic source of stitch patterns not just for the number but they also adapt the patterns to in the round. Have to kind of search for them sometimes but some of them have the alternate in the description to click on. This one is an 8 stitch repeat which is perfect for my stitch count of 64. Each of the 'cables' is six stitches with two purls on either side. The flat version is 8 stitches +2 repeat and starts with purl 2 as the extra stitches. If you've done this before, converting a flat to in the round, you drop the extra stitches and just knit the pattern as written.

Before I found the one they did I had already adapted it for my stitch count (and frankly better for my situation at least). So, here comes my idea: Design the sock pattern, work it up with directions and then make it a PDF. So far that is a much prettier stitch than what I'm getting on my blue socks. Still rather early as you can see by the photo up above, but will be using the Sheepicorn yarn for a second pair that will actually fit me. The blue ones I think are turning out a tad narrow due to using tight knitting and a size 1 needle. I'm not going to detail my adaptations and instructions here until it's all done and completed but will hopefully give updates once in a while.

That's all I've been working on lately. I have the hat, the green pair of socks, and the cat bed currently active. Everything else is on hold so I can at least get to the heel on these and then maybe work on the green socks and start the Sheepicorn ones. I may contact a friend or two to do a read of the pattern to make sure I'm clear enough on it before publishing. 

Oh! I also came up with something new for me. Everyone always says to do a gauge swatch which is true, you should, but also what about a stitch swatch?

 

A SockSwatch© (will be coming up with a fun logo for that too) is to get the feel for the way the stitch pattern works up. You can see in my sample that the darker color doesn't show the stitches as well as the light colors so that's a big tell right there. But what this also does is get the stitch sequences into muscle memory before you start on your project. I didn't do an actual sock toe because...why? It's for the stitch pattern not for the sock fit so I cast on the number of stitches in my pattern (I did JMCO because I didn't feel like doing a tube) and knitted about an inch before starting the stitch pattern. 

It seems kind of redundant to do that but it really does get you in the rhythm of the pattern so it flows better on the actual project. 

Looking forward to seeing what else I can figure out for socks and maybe even hats!

New toys for yarn management!

 So I had just a tiny bit of spare change and bought a small digital kitchen scale to at least try and divvy up balls equally for doing two socks. With tax and free shipping from Amazon, only about $10 and change. Back lit display, can change to whatever weight measure you want, yada yada so handy dandy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First test was a success with the Tofutsies in the blue/black/turquoise which I am going to name 'Deep Blue Sea'. Had started to roll it on my thumb already about halfway and when the scale got here I weighed both parts on the scale and (much like a 2x4 is no longer that dimension) it was only 96 gr. Ball band of course said 100. I then weighed just the one I had already wound, it was only off by about 4 gr. I then wound a little more, and a little more until it got to the halfway point, cut and then wound the second one since my other toys hadn't arrived yet.

Ball winder and swift again from Amazon not as cheap but on the cheap side and it came with 12 balls of 'wool'(chunky weight). No description, nothing on the tags, it is soft and squishy so therefore will assume it is acrylic or polyester. According to the reviews it was mostly favorable but one person complained that the instructions were not very good. I'm sorry, I had no problems figuring out either of them. If you've put together anything from Ikea, this was a cinch. The real problem is finding sufficient space and surface to attach both of them.

I started with the worst possible yarn, that turquoise slippery yarn I had used on a hat for Katie years ago. It was horrid. As the ball got bigger it would slide off the top or the bottom and not stay on the ball. I had to go really slow and then finally just pulled it off and wound the rest by hand. Bleh. Oh and leaving a tail for a center pull, totally did not work because the yarn kept slipping and obscured the hole and even the tail I had held out. The next test was the blue/gold sock yarn that I had started a sock and decided to not. That was at least in a ball and so I taped the end onto the base of the spool and wound it. Again, the winder is not consistent even with me providing intermediate tension. Finally got to the break on that, tied the ends together and continued but it was a chore that was more difficult than it should have been.

Alrighty, on to the big test, an actual skein of yarn. I chose the red white and blue sparkly that turned out to be another disaster.

 The set up I was able to achieve, it will do, there's enough space between the bed and the cubbies to stand and manage the yarn. Just can't leave it up.

Unfortunately, I had messed with the skein previously so it was not a nice neat skein fresh off the shelf. I had already cut some of the strings holding it together (mistake two) and then cut the final one and somehow I ended up with four ends including the one connected to the ball I was winding. I started winding anyway, cautiously and carefully, with one notable problem. There isn't enough friction or drag on the swift so if you start winding fast it runs faster and you end up with slack. I had to use the back of my arm as a clutch of sorts so it didn't go spinning out of control. This causes an issue with the ball on the winder.... and I had to rewind a few passes. I even used the ball band wrapped around the spindle with the end of the yarn taped to it for security.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How it ended. There was a tangle of yarn on the swift with the working yarn I had getting caught on what looked like some runs that were doubled back. No choice but to cut it loose and try to untangle.

There is approximately 70 gr of yarn in the ball. Should be more than enough to do a pair of summer socks at least. I tried and tried to untangle this but gave up when my hands started hurting. Another frustration was my hands were dry and had bits of skin catching on the yarn. The remaining mess is now balled up in one of my boxes of other yarn. Just not in a mood to deal with it tonight.

So that's my excitement for today in Yarn Adventures. And yes, I am starting another pair of socks because....just because it's pretty!

 

Much happenings, socks are finished!

 The weather is good, nice springtime weather and perfect for sitting on a front porch or out under a tree to knit. Neither of which I have so I do it inside when my cat is doing something else and not wanting to sit in my lap. I finished the orange socks from hell!

Sweet peas are blooming like crazy so for Mother's Day I gifted my daughter a bouquet and gave her the finished orange socks (that is the worst pair I have ever done!). One is shorter than the other both above and on the foot. I cautioned my daughter about that and she said they fit fine (I know she lied but it's fine). So at least I know her sock size, somewhere between those two.

Another skill unlocked! I learned how to ball a skein of yarn without benefit of winder or swift! First up was the Sheepicorn from Lazer Sheep yarns. A bit more of a flat ball than tall but it works. 

I think I tackled the Happy Valley first then Sheepicorn and then Eliot. I re-rolled the Happy Valley because that was just a mess (worse than the picture). So I have three new balls of yarn where there were three skeins, Huzzah! 

I pulled the blue/gold frankensock off my needles because it just wasn't feeling right. I frogged the 'red scarf' I was going to gift a friend and sadly, I found out that she died in a horrid car/truck accident three weeks ago. I now have two small balls of the comfy fingering in red, have no idea what to do with them. 

 

I wish I had my photo box set up permanently to get better pictures. Had to close the blinds to get a better coloring on the multi and the Eliot. Yellow light coming in from the window shifts the colors really bad but this is close to what they are. I am discovering that knitting two socks from inside and outside of a ball is.... mildly frustrating when the yarns get twisted. those are coming along nicely though and really happy with the idea that they will be identically sized and finished at the same time. 

The Eliot and Happy Valley I really wanted to use together and as a thank you to my loving son for helping me out I wanted to do a hat. If I had those colors in a worsted weight or even DK, finding a hat pattern would have been easy. But nooooo I have fingering weight and there are very very few patterned hats for fingering weight yarn. Why? Because tiny yarn makes tiny stitches and for lonnng time knitting something. God bless the people that make adult pullover sweaters in sock yarn.

I had the brainstorm of trying to make a hat with the green being trees and the purple being background/sky. No such luck, sure I could try and work the details out myself and being reluctant to do colorwork, options were extremely limited. I saw a pattern that had alternating color ribbing to start and for whatever reason I have no idea where I saw it. Was going to use that as a start and then figure something out for the body of the hat.

I decided on doing a knit below stitch combined with a twisted rib (knit through the back loop) stitch brim. Despite starting on 16" cable, since this is fingering weight it was still too long so I switched to a 32" and magic loop. The colors really suck in that picture, like I said very hard to get accurate coloring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also picked up two more knitting books from the library after returning the previous one, 250 Japanese Knitting Stitches (really crazy all over amazing stuff) and Sock Yarn Studio which had again, limited hat choices for adults that was anything but normal every day patterns. I actually have the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible in storage and thought that's what this was. Both books are more for inspiration than an actual pattern to use.

I realized after looking through the Japanese stitches and then looking at the hat brim I ahve, they incorporate a LOT of knit through the back loop for their raised 'rib' stitches. It creates a clean and neat line where the standard k1p1 rib is a bit more rounded. It's an interesting effect and at some point when I use some worsted or dk weight yarn will have to give it a try.

I found tons and tons of patterns for brioche hats that are gorgeous in two colors but honestly... brioche is still intimidating for me so will see what I end up with. I still have four more inches of the hat brim to go before I consider the body pattern.

I may just start on another pair of socks in that Sheepicorn for my daughter or her oldest offspring. Or maybe the blue and purple Tofutsies that I wanted to do as well. So many options!

It's good and it's frustrating having so many options because I have so many projects that could also be finished waiting in plastic bags.

 

 

 

Kitting fairy gift and new skill unlocked

 A knitting fairy enabled me to make some purchases on knitpicks (I have many knitting friends that help me out). I got a lace knitting kit and two other fixed circulars of the wooden type that I always wanted to try. I didn't really need more yarn but had to find something and saw something that looked nice and bought it.

New needles for either lace or socks, most likely socks. The Options set can only be used with those tips because they are sized that way but that's all right. The yellow wood is the Sunstruck style and the other is Painted wood, size 2 and 1 respectively
 

This is what I thought I was getting. Nothing too dark, nice multi colors and would make a nice pair of socks.

This is what I got. That is not a Happy Valley, that is a Dark Valley at sunset. I just emailed the company with my complaint, they're usually pretty good on customer service as I told them I would be happy to send them an image of what I received. That picture is on my white desk with an overhead light and an open window with natural light coming in. Can't say it's dark because of lighting.

In other news, I am almost done with the second orange sock. Only six more rows until I change to two rows of orange and then two of multi and then the cuff yay! I tried to resist starting another project but wanted to try doing two socks at a time. The video I found made it look relatively straightforward even for toe up. I just so happened to have ordered that lace knit kit that has a 40" cable.

Test project with the sparkly sock yarn, got the muscle memory figured out then cut that loose and remembered the wonderful light colored 'rainbow sherbet' yarn that was already caked with both ends available. A bit fiddly with the yarn ends all over the place but I managed to make a tiny center pull ball from the inside yarn so I could free up the outside end. There's a video about making a center pull yarn, and although it's educational, a bit dicey using this small a yarn but it worked. I just tucked it into the center making sure the yarn was pulling free.

Will update on that once I have more of the toe done, but also want to see about a not very lacy but cool stitch for the top of the foot and leg. Even as exciting as that yarn is visually, still want to dress it up a bit, which brings me to another happy acquisition. A library card to check out knitting books!

Not the book I wanted but the only one my local library had, I've already marked pages of stitches I'm considering. Even with this, I'm still whining about not having my three stitch encyclopedias with three pages of different rib patterns.

I'll figure something out, but it's not going to be anything too complicated due to having two different socks going on at the same time and I don't like anything bulky in my shoe part. 

So that's my knitting update, really excited about doing two socks at a time as that will cut the finish time in half hopefully.

 

 

Much has happened but not much progress

 Still working on the second sock, started another for me and no progress on the shawls. I am attempting to pair up various yarns for 'franken socks' for the rest of the year. First up is a blue yellow yarn that reminds me of either Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' or Dr. Who. I had to size down the number of stitches to start since I'm working on size 2 needles and a thicker yarn.

I got a joking request for a red 'fashion' scarf from someone and then went looking for red yarn. I only found one ball of Comfy fingering in a cranberry red (not enough to do much with) and then the other Tofutsies in the pink/orangey color. I found a scarf pattern that was relatively easy and by the time I got to this point, I looked at the work and all I could see was red marbled meat. I can't unsee it. I'm going to have to put off that project for a while and maybe find a ball of something closer to the end of summer to whip something up.

 

I finally decided to tackle untangling this ball last night. I thought it was Kroy Socks (FX? I think due to the glints of mylar thread in it) definitely a 'copper' colorway. I've searched online but all the listings for that yarn don't list it having a 'metallic' thread in it. Unless it's also a nylon fiber.

I had both ends started because I happened to find both before. So on the left is close to what it was originally and what I had to deal with on the right.That may look like a mess but I was lucky enough to have picked up the end that was from the center and hit the untangled middle of the skein. That helped speed things along greatly and at that point I was about a half hour in of winding it. I started around 10 pm and finished at 11:45. Yes folks, took me almost two hours to get it untangled. But that will be another pair of socks probably for someone else as I'm not so sure about that color for me. It's definitely a stripe and still think it's Kroy Socks but yet again it's likely so old no one has it anymore even listed. I have two balls which is my thinking ahead that was needed for socks.  Those will be fun to make though.

So that's done, I was working on both socks this morning, alternating between sessions on an ipad game. It's April and need to get my knitting projects for Christmas moving along a bit more briskly.

Oh! I discovered on Pinterest a series of lace designs from a 'company' named Gannet Studio. She names them from a random word generator and sometimes they have absolutely no relation to what the stitch looks like.

 This one is called 'Coffee'. None of her stitch patterns are downloadable, she's got them on her blog and a Patreon account so getting them to a pdf format is involved. 

Those larger eyelet holes are from a double YO and then there's a knit 3 together stitch. So kind of ingenious but also kind of complicated. She last updated her blog post in 2018 so not sure if she's doing them anymore even.

This one is called 'Swags' and is derivative of the previous one. I mean, who could  not use more lace patterns right? But on the other hand, it's only half the idea for a shawl or scarf or even a sweater pattern.

She's got dozens and dozens of patterns listed so there's bound to be at least one that's relatively simple for using on a scarf.

So those are my discoveries and accomplishments for knitting. Blankets and shawls are put aside for now.