faster than a speeding nutkin

pattern: Nutkin
designer: Beth LaPensee, aka Knitzi
yarn: Mama Blue Knitting Goods Sea Merino in Aquae
needles: Addi Turbos US size 1
modifications: I did 7 pattern repeats for the cuff instead of the 8 recommended in the pattern and I knit a round toe (but of course!).

Inspired by Megan and her lovely Nutkin, I bumped these up to the top of my queue and cast on right away. I know Megan said they were a quick knit, but knowing the rate at which I knit, I did not expect them to fly like that. This, of course, makes my slackerly-knitter ass very happy. I am done and I am satisfied. Woohoo! The yarn I used, Sea Merino by Mama Blue, rocks big time. I love its dense texture and its subtle sheen, not to mention this color. This color was a little tricky for me to photograph; it is a soft pale blue with just a touch of green, a beautifully nuanced shade of aqua, in fact. They are clearly more true to their actual color in the photo above than in my previous post about the first sock. And why yes, I did in fact go ahead and mirror the pattern for the second sock. I am normally not that fussy of a knitter, like I never mirrored the pattern for my Child's First Sock (which I ended up giving to my mom because she loved them so) as so many others did, but in this case, I thought, "Why not just do it?" It was simple enough anyway. Onto more socks now! I have so many queued up in ravelry. And you see, right there is the thing that I love about ravelry. Had I heard about these socks before rav? Sadly, no. And I was apparently not paying attention at all because I also totally missed these socks. And these. I realize that perhaps this speaks more of my bad habits or lack of knitterly commitment than it does to these patterns being hard to find or anything of the such, but it is nice that on a site like ravelry, you can find out about these patterns by doing a quick search or just looking through people's completed projects rather than wading through so much internet on your own or just waiting for a pattern to become a knitblog or Flickr phenomenon.

Oooh, speaking of knitblogs and such, I don't know if you folks are reading this through a feedreader or not, but if you are checking in through Bloglines or Googlereader or whatever, you might want to visit the blog itself and participate in a poll I am taking. *gestures with a sweeping arm movement to the sidebar on the right hand side of your screen* I was wondering what other people's sock knitting habits were, specifically if you all knit socks in the Summer or not. Please feel free to vote for your choice and let me know how you feel about it. Thanks all! And a happy weekend to you!

got socks?

pattern: Twin Rib Socks (see below for pattern details)

designer: me, I guess (with help from Barbara Walker and Nancy Bush)

yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock lightweight in Peaseblossom

needles: Addi Turbos US size 1

When I said yesterday that I hoped it wouldn't take me a year to knit a partner for my Nutkin, I was speaking from experience. I knit the first sock of this pair last year in what seemed like record time for me. It took me about a day or two to knock out the first sock. I cast on for the second quickly enough, but then I did that thing where I stuffed the project into a bag and forgot about it for months. I kept meaning to finish it, but other more enticing projects came along and lured me away. Then I came craft fair season, then recovering from the holidays, then even more enticing projects came along, then there was this, then that, then the other. There was always something happening, and there was always an excuse for not picking it up and just getting the dang thing done. I picked it up just last week and decided that was it; I was going to finish it once and for all. Because, really, it is a nice sock, and the yarn and the pattern go so well together. The yarn knit up to form a dense, squishy fabric that just hugs your feet and calves and makes them all happy.

The patten itself is easy as pie and does knit up super-quickly (if you're not a distracted slacker like me and put it down for a year). It's the Twin Rib Stitch from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, p. 4, worked over 60 stitches on US size 1 needles. I used a standard heel stitch heel and gave it the Star Toe of Three Points, from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks, pp. 26-28. This toe, like the round toe, is ideal for pointy-ass feet like mine, so of course, I'm kinda in love with it and think that going forward this is the toe to use for all socks at the 60 stitch count (anything with 64 stitches of 56 stitches automatically gets the round toe). So those are details - nothing too exciting, but it is a satisfying knit. And these are satisfying socks. Now that I am finally done with them, that is.

random thoughts while knitting socks

I love it when a stitch pattern looks far more complicated than it actually is. I love it even better when the stitch pattern is so easy, it practically knits itself.

When I tried on the sock to make sure I was ready to start decreasing for the toe, Matt looked over and said, "Cool! Looks like you're about ready to start decreasing for the toe. That was fast." Oh my goodness, he has become familiar enough with the terminology that he's using it and correctly at that.

I finally FINALLY understand how to do a short-row heel. I don't know why it took me so long to grasp such a simple concept. Derrrrrrr....

One sock down; one to go. Let's hope it doesn't take me a year to knit the second one. I think I am going to reverse the pattern so that I'll have mirrored socks. Ooooh.... Also, thanks to Megan for the socky inspiration.

cowling at the moon

I am thrilled to say that Megan loves the cowls I knit for her. I have to say, I prefer knitting for knitters than for non-knitters. Knitters "get it" when they are presented with a handknit. They know how much care was taken in the construction. They appreciate good fiber. They coo over the details. They "get it." Sometimes non-knitters when presented with a handknit don't really appreciate it as much. They know that a certain amount of work went into creating the item, but having never knit themselves, they don't really understand - that even though lace is a breeze when you're actually knitting it the charts themselves can be a little maddening and that a mistake is hard to fix and that if you're a combination knitter you have to do things differently, or that cables can be complex, or that certain fibers are much nicer than others. It's all the same to them. Anyhoo, onto the cowl details:

pattern: based on the Monkey sock pattern
designer: modification of Cookie A.'s work
yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock in the old 325 yards put-up in Turquoise
needles: Clover size US#3 16 inch circs
modifications: I cast on 144 stitches, k1p1 for 6 rounds, worked the pattern 9 times over the stitches, knit 9 pattern repeats total, k1p1 for 6 more rows, then bound off in k1p1.

pattern: slightly modified Lace Rib Cowl
designer: Joelle at the purl bee
yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino in Ankara Green
needles: Crystal Palace size US#7 16 inch circs
modifications: I cast on 108 stitches and knit 20 pattern repeats total, so the final result is not as loose-fitting as the purl bee's cowl. It's slouchy without being flappy.

Soooooo, I thought I had taken photos of the cowls once I finished them, but apparently, all I can find on my iPhoto of the lace rib cowl are detail shots, so that's all I've got for you. And my lighting made it look much greener than it does in natural light, as it looks pretty turquoise on Megan. Doesn't she look happy wearing it?

look at my pretty!

Tired, busy, distracted, but buzzing about whipping up stuff for the shop and all. Hence, no cowlie goodness to share right now; even cutting and pasting my ravelry info about them seems like work right now. So here! Look at the pretty-pretty that I managed to get my hands on while at Rosie's Yarn Cellar in Philadelphia over the weekend. They have baskets full of leftover bits of Koigu (from miter blankets that they knit up for the shop, it appears) that they have re-skeined and sell priced by the ounce. And I'm not the only one who walked away with a buttload of these. check out Julie's lovely little collection! Love it! Cowl details tomorrow. Until then.... Look at my pretty!

things i learned at knitblogcon (a.k.a. the time i od'ed on narniness*)

1. Loop is Philly's answer to Purl Soho, and I think I love it just as madly and deeply. (Well, okay, maybe not just as much as I love Purl as I would never want to betray Joelle & co.)

top: the wall of Koigu (not pictured are my brains exploding all over the place at the sight of this display)
bottom: my good knittas, lounging and knitting on the lovely little space in the middle of the shop.

May I point out that the lighting and display were perfect here. I wish every yarn store owner would take into account how important it is to have good lighting. Also, I wish yarn shop owners would take note of how much carpeting sucks in their shops (i.e. causes customers to break out in a huge allergy fit). Seriously, I wish we had a yarn shop like Loop in Boston. The staff was courteous and friendly without being pushy and weird; they were knowledgeable and helpful. The store was beautifully laid out, with the most organized needle display I have EVER seen. That needle display was the stuff my anal retentive dreams are made of! They had a great selection of fiber in just about every color of the spectrum (which blew my mind as my LYS seems to think the only colors worth knitting are various shades of doo-doo brown). And no one complained about the fact that we hung out there forever. It was a cool, clean slice of heaven.

2. Knitters like to get their drink on:

3. Julie Frick really is the Queen of Cowls:

top: Julie looking radiant and beautiful in a cowl knit for her (CORRECTION: knit for Christy) by the insanely talented Caro
bottom: me in the lovely Beech Wood Julie knit for me

4. I really don't watch enough TV. Man, how sad is it that I cannot hold my own in a simple conversation about TV shows? I was kinda drooling on myself blankly while everyone else was deeply immersed in talk of GossipGirl and Heroes. Sorry, guys! Apparently, I live under a rock. Or maybe a bridge. I'm like a hermit under a bridge. Or is that a troll? Wait, I'm not a troll, but I think I'm definitely a hermit. Who doesn't watch TV, not for any political reason or socially conscious effort, but because our reception is crap and we refuse to get cable. And we refuse to Netflix TV shows when there are so many movies that I have yet to watch. Still, what a dork I feel like sometimes.

5. Diana and Caro are pretty much the awesome-est traveling companions EVER! I would go anywhere anytime with you peoples!

6. I got to learn about "The Story of the Sack-Dragging-Freak." Enough said. Also, Pam is the funniest story-teller ever.

7. Apparently, not pooping for three days makes me sick and cranky. Who would have thunk it? TMI? Maybe? Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhh, so, hmmmmmm, yes, and moving right along....

Thanks to our hosts, Megan and her other half, Michael, and these little guys, who were so cool, calm, and collected dealing with so many people that they've never met before all up in their space:

top: Simon Flavius, wee kitty esq.
bottom: Edwin Claudius Cat

And yay! I am happy to say that Megan likes the cowls I made for her:

More on those tomorrow or sometime soon, once I recover from the shock of being around so many people all at once - OMG! I was in a social situation! *gasp!* Holy fucking horror! I have to admit feeling like the big red monster from the Bugs Bunny cartoons at several points during the weekend, like just throwing up my arms, screaming "PEOPLE!" and running for them thar hills. If I seemed weird at the end, it's because I felt really really sick and thought I was going to pass out for a second there. I think I OD'ed on all the narniness*. I have to say, it was kinda worth it, though. I had such a great time!

* narniness |när NEE nes| noun - state of crafty and knit-related bliss
ORIGIN - Matt, 2005, combination of "nerdy" + "yarniness"

see you in a while crocodile

I'm outta here for a few days, folks. Mali is holding down the fort (and apparently, playing with fiber). If you get the chance and find yourself in the South End in Boston over the weekend, please check out the Open Studios at 450 Harrison Ave. Matt will be there at Studio 419 on both Saturday and Sunday, May 17th - 18th, from 10 AM to 6 PM. In addition to the fabulous paintings and prints he has been working on lately, he will also have a few of my softies available for sale. Hope you guys can check it out. There are a lot of truly talented artists in that area so it's worth checking out if you're out and about. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

dagnabbit!

What does it say on this label?

Did I read that right?

So while I've been telling you all about that Manos Silky Merino in Ankara Green that looks like turquoise, I've really been talking about the Malabrigo Silky Merino in Ankara Green that looks like turquoise. Oh. Snap. DOH! Sorry about that, guys. I am resisting the anal retentive urge to go back and correct my previous posts on this yarn. Must. Resist. Other. Things. To. Do. More. Important. GAH! I need to pay attention.

post NESW - the haul

top: Still River Mill laceweight 100% cashmere, 200 yards, I have no idea what the colorway is called - Matt calls it "JJ Gray" because it's the same shade of gray as our kitty)

bottom: Ball and Skein single ply merino/silk blend, 3 skeins @ 160 yards each, I lost the colorway info, but it is my favorite shade of green EVER!

The haul was small this year, and that's a very good thing as I have enough stash to burn through for the next year or two (or more). There was SO MUCH insanely gorgeous stuff and so many wonderful vendors there. It was hard to be so hyper-selective. I kept picking stuff up, thinking about it, and putting it back because I couldn't think of a project for it already in my queue. I find that yarn with a purpose gets used much quicker than that which gets stashed with no intended project. The gray cashmere from Still River Mill will soon become these, and the gorgeous green merino/silk blend from BallandSkein will become a Shetland Triangle. Lest you think, "Dude, what the hell? You just got some silk/merino blend from Malabrigo that looks just like that!" this is the difference between the two:

The BallandSkein is on the left and the Malabrigo is on the right. See? It's definitely a touch more blue/less green. This further proves the case that the Malabrigo is definitely turquoise, which means that tomorrow morning I am casting on for the cowl for my friend. And then, I am knitting like the wind!

fiber festivals rock!

We went to the New England Sheep & Wool Festival earlier today, and man, what a perfect day for a fiber fest. It was truly phenomenal! It was great meeting up with such lovely people and friends. And there was even apple crisp to be had! It was awesome; we sucked it up. I have to admit, as much as I love going for the yarn, I love going for the border collies and the herding just as much. It's not like I ever get the chance to watch herding demos and trials outside of this venue, so I really appreciate it when I see it at the fiber fests. Those dogs are amazing! Speaking of which:

We also saw lots of lamb:

We even saw Lucha Libre lamb:

and alpacas:

And yes, I did score some sweet fiber, but more on that tomorrow. Right now, I'm feeling a bit like this fella here:

the trouble with turquoise

top: Malabrigo Silky Merino in Ankara Green.
bottom: cowl started in old STR (feels like mediumweight) in Turquoise

I'm making a cowl for a friend who I will be seeing in about a week, and she has told me that she's really into turquoise. Check the stash for turquoise and I come across this pretty STR in the old put-up of 325 yards in, lo and behold, Turquoise. Great! Woohoo! I'm set! Except that I worry that a week might not be enough time to whip out a cowl in a fingering-weight yarn. No problem! There's a yarn shop right by me that I can nip into while running errands. Perhaps they have something I can use there. Hahahahahah!

Wait, bear with me while I catch my breath. Hahahahahahahah!!!! Well, they have a pretty wide selection of fiber, but jiminy frigging cricket, how awesome would it be if they invested in better lighting? It's just me, I'm sure, with my crappy eyesight and all, but seriously, lighting is so important. Anyhoo, they have a gorgeous selection of Malabrigo Silky Merino, which I have wanted to try since I first heard about it. It's silky, it's merino, it's squishy and fabulous. Excellent! And they have a solid selection of colors to choose from. The yarn in the top photo is the closest they had to turquoise. In fact, it looked pretty turquoise to me then, and it looks pretty turquoise now, right? The label says the colorway is called Ankara Green. Hmmmm.... But it looks like turquoise, right? Would you use it if you wanted turquoise? GAH! Okay, I'm calm, all is good, but I have cast on with the STR just in case....

one down! woohoo?

So what's that they say about the best laid plans, the road to hell, good intentions, yadda yadda? Well, I was hoping to have these finished for my mother in time for Mother's Day, but it looks like that's not going to happen. I mean, I could very well finish them before Mother's Day, but I won't be able to ship them off to her in a timely fashion. Grrr. I swear I was flying through the cuff, but then I slowed down while working the gusset decreases. I knit the foot in one sitting, and I just finished the toe earlier today. Not too shabby, speed-wise, I'd say. *sigh* I cast on for the second pair, but I doubt I will finish it before Thursday, what with all the stuff I need to finish for my next shop update and all. Oh well, I think she will appreciate a belated gift if it looks like this.

P.S. - More about this pattern in the FO post....

P.P.S. - I am seriously worried that I may not have enough yarn to finish the second sock. Yikes! If anyone has any leftover Sundara Sock Yarn in Orchid, please contact me. I'm willing to buy it off you, pay for postage, etc. I clearly don't need a whole skein of it, so really, scraps/leftovers will do me just right.

i said i wouldn't but i did

Mama Blue Knitting Goods
top: Sea Merino in Aquae
bottom: Troika in Pistachio

Okay, I know I said my plan was to knit through my stash and not buy any more yarn for another year or two. I am weak. I couldn't help but add these beauties to the stash. I swear this is such beautiful stuff, I have been oohing and ahhing since I got it a few days ago. I cannot stop petting it and hugging it and squishing it (yeah, it's really bringing out the Lenny in me). My goodness, it even smells good. For reals! I'm in awe. What lovely stuff this is! Okay, I'm off to finish a couple more projects so that I can cast on for something in these ASAP.

mattsocks!

pattern: Lichen Ribbed Socks, from Knitting Vintage Socks
designer: part Nancy Bush, part my own fiddling and fine-tuning
yarn: Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop in Light My Fire
needles: Addi US#1 circs (magic loop it, baby!)
modifications: knit over 64 stitches (instead of 60 as pattern calls for), eye of partridge heel and round toe (instead of Welsh Heel and Star Toe of Three Points)

I hate to admit it, but I'm a pretty selfish knitter. I love knitting socks, but usually I only knit socks for myself. I never partake in any sock swaps (always been a little afraid to do so), and it's a rare occasion when I knit socks as a gift for loved one. I've made some for my parents and a pair for my father-in-law because I know they truly appreciate it. As for Matt, well, the one pair I knit for him was mauled by the dog, which was actually very uncharacteristic behavior on Malachi's part. After that incident, I was loathe to knit Matt another pair lest he leave them lying about for Mali to chew on. Whenever he would ask for another pair, I would wave him away with a "Yeah, yeah, sure, someday. Oh, word? You like that yarn? Umm, yeah, I guess I could use that. When I finish this project, okay?" Well, since he asked nicely, and since his reaction to the Sock Hop was surprisingly enthusiastic, I decided to finally get to that pair of socks. He loves them! Which, of course, makes me very happy. Let's just hope I don't find them mauled on Mali's bed in a month or so.