knitting – Page 26 – Behind the Smile

April 13, 2008June 24, 2010

I am a Sock Machine

Well, I finally finished the purple Waving Lace Socks, like four months late.

They turned out really nice. There is only one major mistake in them, that nobody but me will ever notice (and you can’t even really see in the picture), but I will tell you anyway: On the first sock for some reason on the heel I knit through the back of the loop when making the flap. It twisted the stitches and BUGS ME A LOT but is not actually all that noticeable.

Specs:
Pattern: Waving Lace Socks from Favorite Socks
Yarn: Knitpicks Essential in African Violet
Mods: I think they are half-a-repeat short in the leg and foot, if I recall correctly from LAST OCTOBER.

Anyway, I like them.

April 5, 2008June 24, 2010

I do actually work on things

I don’t just buy yarn, I actually use it, too:

I am still really enjoying how the Felici is working out. AND if you look at the sock carefully, you’ll notice that through the grace of the gods, the heel worked itself out so that it used an entire color repeat – so the repeat on the leg/foot wasn’t broken. AMEN. The fabric is very nice as well – but I think you might run into some problems if you used larger needles than US 1.

I finished one Spey Valley for the March Sock Project Sock:

I like the pattern, and I like the Plymouth Happy Feet yarn, but the two don’t go together very well – only because you can’t see the pretty texture pattern on the leg. I’ll certainly make a second one because I like how the first sock turned out, ultimately. And the Happy Feet is a cheap sock yarn to experiment with.

For the April Sock: Waving Lace Socks from Interweave Knits’ Favorite Socks!

I will fully admit to cheating when I picked this pattern for the April sock. Also I will fully admit to being completely arbitrary in regards to my Sock Project – I am just picking sock patterns on a whim at this point. Heh.

I picked the Waving Lace Sock for a very good reason:

I have less than one sock to knit, as I made the other sock and the cuff of the second late last year. I need to finish these in two weeks. I forgot how quick a pattern it is once you get going. I knit half a repeat last night while watching NUMB3RS. I also plan on making another pair of these out of the nice dark turquoise Shibui Sock I have. This is a great pattern, and I think along with the Monkey pattern is the pattern I’ve used multiple times (well and my now standard 3×1 rib sock, but whatever).

I have managed to go a week without buying any yarn. Partly because my car is in the shop having some scheduled maintenance and an oil change and I didn’t know how much that would cost (less than I thought!). Also dudes, I have a lot of sock yarn. Like, enough for years worth of socks. (And yet: I’d still like to get my hands on some Wollmeise! And more blue and yellow yarn in general! Maybe some purple! *slaps self*)

Anyway, today I am wearing my old Regia Crazy Color socks and may I just say that they have worn quite well. They are a couple years old at this point, and have held up beautifully through many washings and dryings.

***

I just finished reading the new Dresden Files book, Small Favor. I really like Jim Butcher’s writing, and I pretty much love the Dresden Files, so I was quite pleased with this latest installment. (My favorite is still the first one I ever read, Dead Beat, simply because Harry necromances a dinosaur in the grand finale. Heh.)

I’ve had okay luck at the library lately – discovered Shirlee Busbee’s historical romances, which are well written and interesting (a feat unto themselves, god.), read a bit of Tanith Lee’s Paradys cycle, though it was a little too gothic for me. Now that I’ve read ten billion books, I’ve come to discover that I do, in fact, have discerning taste in stuff. Imagine!

March 30, 2008June 24, 2010

An Admission

I have an admission:

I have a slight problem. You may have noticed it before. Maybe not.

Thy weakness shall show its name in sock yarn.

Clockwise, top left: Trekking Handdyed in Brazil, Dream in Color Smooshy in Visual Purple, Dream in Color Smooshy in Happy Forest, Rio de la Plata in Daffodil

Clockwise from top left: New Knitpicks Felici colorways in Coney Island, Gelato, Mixed Berries, Provence, and Martinique

I cast on in the Mixed Berries:

I’ve never knit in the Felici before (though I own two of the older colorways in Arugula and Aurora), and may I say that the fabric knit on US1 DPNs is outstanding. Soft and smooth. The colors of the new Felici colorways are bright and cheerful, too! Perfect summer socks, I would say.

I’ve been messing around with some Tofutsies in the Undulating Rib pattern from Favorite Socks:

Aaaand, I purchased a couple more skeins of Malabrigo from Fashion Knit in Nut Creek last week at their moving sale (they are moving to, presumably, cheaper digs over by the Target on YV Road)… 25% off all yarn, hurray! So here is my current Malabrigo collection:

Emerald Blue, Sapphire Magenta, Apple Green, and Sealing Wax

So there you have it, guys. I’ve been acquiring yarn at a sickening rate. I’d feel ashamed, but I don’t understand the concept. Have disposable income, will travel.

At any rate, it’s not like I’m not going to use it. And use it I will, because all the sock yarn scraps are destined to become a Babette! I started a few squares last week while watching a silly boy-witch movie called The Covenant.

Now I’m going to try to watch The Fountain (it’s horrendous! Hugh Jackman, I never thought I’d say this, but THIS IS ALMOST THE MOST BORING MOVIE EVER, after 2001: A Space Odyssey) and knit on Spey Valley, which I am still not done with.