I Swatched

No really, I did. Really.

It was only about an inch high and 48 stitches long but it was enough to give me guage for the Ivy League Vest. According to the tracking information I should be recieving my order tomorrow!! Included in the order are 2 hanks of undyed sock yarn which I'm really excited about trying. I found several tutorials on Knitty about different methods and color recipes.

Also here are socks that I have been frantically finishing!

Vinnland


Knit Picks Essential sock yarn in burgundy on 2.5 mm US 1.5 needles. More details here if you are on Ravelry.

Swirly Socks

My own improvised pattern. SWTC Tofutsies on 2.25 mm US 1 needles. Details here.

If don't post before Tuesday, Merry Christmas everyone!

Finishing

Lest I fall behind, allow me to provide an update.

Since I only briefly mentioned it in the last post, the recital went well aside from the usual glitches that can be expected and everyone heaved a big sigh of relief, or at least I did, when it was over. I like doing recitals and think that they are very important, but hoo boy, it's alot to do. Now I think I can even enjoy some Christmas music. Harry Connick, Jr. anyone?

So, a little math has been going on in the knitting category:

1(one) bind off away from finishing the Vinnland socks.
+
1(one) applied I-cord, several woven in ends, and 5(five) buttons away from finishing Sweet P's Sweater.
+
1(one) swirly sock and 1(one) bubble mitt away from finishing both of those.
=
One big guilt free purchase of the yarn necessary to knit the Ivy League Vest and to try my hand at koolaid dying some sock yarn. Rational or not, my order is on it's way.

Hooo Boy!

Two by Two

So, true to my fickle self, all of my other projects have been put on hold to work on these socks. I am really surprised at how much I am enjoying it because I really only chose it because I had the recommended yarn on hand. It is a clever variation on the standard (and very boring IMO) 2x2 rib. Makes for very fun knitting:


And look, no holes in my short row heel!!


I actually didn't use the recommended short row heel in the pattern, but used the technique I saw in a video of Cat Bordhi on You Tube of all places. I finally understood how to do hole-less heels after I saw that video. Woo hoo!


P.S. Despite all of my stress, the recital and the dreaded trip to the DMV went just swimmingly. As a treat for completing these tasks, I went to Joann's. It was on the way home. That's a good excuse right?

*!?% DMV

I realized as I was paying bills yesterday that I forgot to renew my drivers' license. As I was searching for 800 documents for proof of legal presence one of my first thoughts was "I should cast on a new sock to take with me" which is of course ridiculous because a) Sweet P will most likely be with me which means no knitting and, b) I have plenty of things to finish already.


I cast on for this yesterday during her nap when I should have been folding programs.

Blech

I'm beginning to feel a bit of pressure this holiday season. In fact, writing this post is the last thing I should be doing as I still have Lots Of Things To Do to prepare for my students' recital this weekend. After about 2 p.m. on Saturday I think I will begin to feel a bit more holiday cheer. 3 days and counting...

My philosophy this year has changed quite a bit since Sweet P is older and will be able to enjoy all of the things that little ones generally do this time of year like lights, and pie and the smell of fresh pine trees, and Christmas music. I actually feel like a bit more of a kid myself this year.

If you need a chuckle, visit this site. I stumbled across it on Ravelry of all places. Here is our little ditty, but it's probably only funny to ourselves.

And since everyone likes photos, here is one of a lovely basket my mother made for us.


After the recital is over, I'm looking forward to getting the house decorated and am sure it will get me in the mood.

Magic

Anyone else hear Olivia Newton John when they say that word, or is it just me?

I wanted to show you what I think is the magic called blocking. This is the Print o the Wave stole I knit last year, off the needles, pre-blocking. I used Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud, Midnight I think, and US 4 needles. A big lump of bumpy knitting.



This is the stole blocking on my bed.




And here it is being modeled by my mom:

Despite giant blobs in the body where I dropped stitches and tried to pick them back up, I was really happy with the way it looked after blocking. But I did learn a lesson: Never knit lace in black or dark yarn unless you want to pull all of your hair out. It is for more patient people than I to knit lace in black because I will certainly never do that again.

Bad Blogger

Hi. I'm Jen. I am a procrastinator. I think that I may even rival Carly. I had a post saved as a draft on Sept. 28th. Geez. It was an entry to Carly's blog contest that I obviously didn't win.

So in other news, I succumbed to the pressure and curiosity and am on Ravelry as berkleegirl. I must say that it is super convenient and puts all kinds of information that I spend lots of time searching for in one pretty well organized place. Love it. I've added many of the projects that I never blogged about to my notebook there and I will try to start fresh by keeping up to date here again.

Here is a lace shawl that I started eons ago from Victorian Lace Today.


It's been ripped.

It would have looked like this.

I didn't have the patience for it.

I got these.


I love them.

Sweet P helped me open them:)

Oops

So, tomorrow turned into the next day and the next, and I never got those modeled shots up. Life got really busy there for a bit. What the heck happens to the time anyway? Did we humans complain about life's tempo before we started keeping watch of the clock? I mean, did cavemen grunt to their families about how the sun seems to pass overhead more quickly every day?




Thanks for bearing with me through that pseudo-philosophical thought. Moving on.


For your viewing pleasure:
(This photo strategically taken to hide my horrid lack of any kind of manicure in what seems like forever. Truly embarrassing.)
Still not blocked. Again with the busy stuff that has gotten in the way.

Far more interesting things to follow later tonight, including a contest entry.

Also a sneak peak:
I realize, of course that some of you ladies, at the meet-up have seen these things already, but I've got to dole out my goodies slowly on the internets so that this post will not be a mile long.

The Continental Experiment

Or, "Lessons I learned about Gauge." Please amuse yourself with my first attempt at colorwork. These are Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts. Don't see it? Here's a closer look.


Significant difference, The left mitt is much looser. When I realized this, I scoured the internet for videos on how to hold the working yarn properly when doing two handed color work. Then I figured it out and my gauge got more consistent.

Yikes.

Finished Product with hand models on tap for tomorrow.

Modified Cable Twist Socks

Ta Da! I'm very pleased with this FO. The color absolutely makes me happy.

Here are the details:

Pattern: Cable Twist Socks from Hello Yarn modified to 70 st. for fingering weight sock yarn.

Yarn: J. Knits Superwashme Sock in the California colorway. I love the colors J. Knits offers, monochromatic hand dyes, and the price is great, I'm just not sure about the feel of the fiber itself. A little plasticky, maybe. They feel great on and turned out to fit perfectly but have not been washed yet so hopefully that will improve the feel a bit.

Needles: 2.25mm Size 1 Clover Bamboo dpns. I know that everyone has a preference for certain needles and these are definitely mine for socks. Metal is far too slippery for me, and I have yet to try wooden.


Modifications: Other than what has already been stated, I tried the Eye of Partridge Heel for these and liked it OK, but I think it will be more effective when used with a solid color.

I've got several other longtime projects that are being finished up so more FO posts soon. I will also try to get some "action" shots of the socks before too long.

TooDoLoo kids!

Mostly Finished

Cabled Cardigan. It's seamed, and the collar has been knitted on. Unfortunately, I am unhappy with the width of the collar and will be ripping the bind off and adding rows. I loathe ripping. Really loathe it. I get so relieved and satisfied when I finish a project that when I realize there is something wrong with it I get really irritated. It must be done though, because I actually want to wear this sweater. Other than the collar I am really quite pleased with it.

More fun FO's and a lessons learned in stranded knitting coming up. Don't' touch that dial.

Did anyone else notice...

.... that the Counterpane Pullover (fall 2007 Interweave Knits) and the Center Motive Pullover (fall 2007 Vogue Knitting, #28, pg 144. I skimmed the website and did not see a photo to link to.) are shockingly similar. They appear to be designed by different people, but I am surprised no one caught this. I mean, wow.

Chug Chug

Nothing new has been started here. The first of the California socks is finished and the second one is almost halfway complete. But then I had an itch to work on something thicker than fingering weight and picked up a cabled sweater that I've been working on since the winter. Boy, before I had the baby I sure could finish projects at light speed! Now it's really just a couple stitches here and there if I have a few free minutes during a nap or after bed.


Anyhoo, the sweater is out of Peace Fleece, whose color I can't recall at the moment, using pattern instructions from a Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns . Peace Fleece is very roughly spun but knits up surprisingly (to me) smooth and fairly soft. I'm not really worried about that because I don't mean it to be worn next to the skin. I love the heathered, tweeded look of it and found it very reasonably priced. I've read that it wears like a bullet proof vest and the stitch definition is great.

It's a belted, low V-neck cardigan with a shawl collar The cable I used was from the Vogue Stitchionary Volume 2 number 58. It's meant to be a sweater jacket so I planned it to have quite a bit of ease. The fronts back and one sleeve is finished and I am chugging away on the last one. So close to the finish line, I've gotten antsy and want to just be done with it already so I can have it put together by the fall.

Sunny California

These are a modified Cable Twist socks from here inspired by the ones I saw here. I'm working them in a new sock yarn for me, J. Knits Superwashme in the California colorway. I was trying to find an interesting pattern to show of this yarn but that didn't get lost in it and I think I have succeeded.

I will try to finish this pair before I begin the pair I have planned for my MIL, but it's really hard to resist when you get that package in the mail. New stuff!! Must use it right away!! Forget everything else until I need a break from this!! Amass a ginormous pile of WIP's!!

The next couple of posts I will show some of the other projects I've got going. I generally don't have any rhyme or reason for what I choose to start. Usually when I see something I'd like to try I obsess about starting it until I do. A positive way to look at it is that I've always got something else to go to when one thing or the other starts to bore me or I just need a change.

the Zillionth Jaywakers

So, I know I'm a little late to join the Jaywalker bandwagon. I started a pair of these when they were first published in Plymouth Sockotta and couldn't figure out why I didn't have the slightest desire to finish them until I realised that I hated the yarn. Detested is probably a better word. I was beating myself up for starting another project and not intending to finish when *ping* (insert cartoon light bulb here) I noticed that my hands felt rough and scratchy from the stuff sliding over it and it had zero cush or give. Blech.

I decided to give it another go with some Lorna's Laces in the Safari colorway that I was given for Christmas. Not my favorite color combination, but this time I was able to finish the socks in no time and really enjoyed it.

I'm a pretty avid reader of knitting blogs and it's so easy to get inspired seeing all of the really cool creative things that people have made. Maybe someone somewhere will be a bit inspired by some of the things that I have done and love to do.

For those of you who like the close-ups:

Funny Faces

We love to make faces in the Coleman Family.

Magnolia

This is the next test post, this time with photo. Hope it works.