Showing posts with label Shelridge Farms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shelridge Farms. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

knit.sock.love

I'm so excited that Cookie A has her new book out on her website available for hard copy pre-order and pdf download. I knit one sample pair and test knit another:


new pattern: Wedge


yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Mr Greenjeans

size 2.50 mm KP circs

I loved how Mr Greenjeans knit up so much in this pattern that I saved my own skein of Mr Greenjeans for my own pair.  I'll be digging this out of my stash & winding this up to knit ASAP.
Also in her book are 12 (I think) previously published patterns that were re-written for more sizes and different presentation.  In some cases, like the Thelonious sock pattern that I test knit, Cookie improved the charts so they're much easier to read.  I bought the original Thelonious when it was first released, but never got around to it since I wanted to find a good copier that could increase the chart size w/o losing print integrity.  The charts had all the sizes on it & were hard to read in their original size. 

However, my caveat is that attention to marker placement is a must for Thelonious and also Strikken, based on a few comments by other test knitters working on Strikken concurrently with us Thelonious test knitters.
While I've only taken pics of the first sock for the test knit, the pair is completed.

pattern: Thelonious (knit.sock.love version)
yarn: Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Heather in Highland Mist
size: medium
needles: 2.25 mm Signature Stilletto dpns
mods: none since I was test-knitting

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Soccer Practice

When we saw these cool-looking funnel-type clouds caused by the trough passing through that day, all us soccer moms busted out our cell phones and digi cams and took pics. I was tempted to take a pic of the other soccer moms in mid-photo taking, but due to the time of day everyone would've came out as shadowed silhouettes.


And I'm so proud that I have my first knitting student that isn't my kid! I'm not sure I can call Squid's brother my own student since he already knew how to finger knit and his grandmother knits. But still, I was so excited when he started asking me about how I knit with needles when he would watch me knit at practice. I had brought my own needles (he said he already had yarn), but he had his mom (soccer coach) buy him a set of Addi circs and a how to book (which he didn't bring with him) at the lys.


I am torn however between letting those "added" (yo'd) stitches stay on his fledgling scarf or fix them for him. Next soccer practice, we'll be discussing that.

As a break from the stole knitting (I hit a mental wall this week with them), I had decided I would knit him a hat since our first attempt at starting him with a hat instead of a scarf was an abysmal failure. With no book at hand and no idea what yarn he was using (no ball band) 'cept it felt like an aran or light worsted yarn, I was winging the stitch count and everything.

However, Monkey1 has declared the pattern I chose as "too girly!" Who knew that a simple cable pattern would be deemed "too girly" by the elementary school set? So I may designate this hat as Squid's and make her brother a simple ribbed hat instead. The only problem is if Squid gets a hat, I wonder if I need to knit 9 more hats for the rest of team. (I'm not even going to consider the siblings, but thankfully most of them only have one.)


And I did manage to finish Monkey1's second fingerless glove. Now that I've learned how those fingers get knitted on (though it is pretty logical), I can modify whatever pair of free fingerless mitt pattern I decide to knit next.


I am back to my SotSiii knitting and I finished hint #6. I am setting myself up for a doozy of a wedding weekend though. The last hint (#9) comes out that Friday when we have to take the girls to rehearsal and I'll have to finish knitting and blocking it by Sunday noonish so we can get to the wedding on time.


It may all be moot though if my dress shopping adventures today are any indication. I didn't realize how difficult it would be for me to find a dress I like that:
1) isn't black (I am my mother's child on this wrt weddings),
2) is a shade of non-black that will go with the stole (or my back-up SotSii),
3) doesn't make me look like I'm part of the bridal party ,
4) or conversely, doesn't make me look like I just got off of work.

Then again, rule #4 may get thrown out the window since DH expressed the opinion that perhaps I should not buy a dress I will only wear one time, maybe 2...that is, assuming it'll be the right shade of green or a shade complimentary to either SotS's or my Shetland Triangle (but that pink's more of a "spring" pink and thus presents a challenge wrt to the seasonal colors in the stores now).

Who knew buying a dress to match/compliment a stole would be such a PITA? Granted, it's not on the level of buying a dress to match a pair of shoes, but still...

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Quick, quick, sloooooow

Quick 1 - Monkey1's "fingerless" glove:


yarn: Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Ultra handpainted from Stitches West 2008, I think. I have another pair of skeins that are a lighter version that I got the year before. But it may be vice versa.
pattern: from Ann Budd Knitting Book of Patterns - child large/woman's small glove
needle size: 2.75 mm KP dpns

The yarn is lovely to knit up. Not fond of all the ends I'll have to weave in, so I'll leave that chore to do while hanging out at Monkey1's soccer practice. Monkey1 has an inflated sense of my knitting speed 'cause when I showed her the first one, she said "Where's the other?" Nothing like having my own Task Manager.

Quick 2:


Love this Gumdrop sock. Love the pastel colorway. No mods whatsoever knitting the medium size on 2.25 mm circulars.


So so slooooow!


It took me all holiday weekend plus the extra day we took on Friday (Monkey2's pre-school was closed) to finish hint 2 of my SotSiii. Yeah, yeah, it would've been faster if I didn't knit the glove & sock, but they were more fun. Still, it doesn't bode well for my speed for the rest of the hints, especially since I can't work on this during soccer practice. Beads, laceweight yarn, folding chairs, and errant soccer balls are a recipe for disaster!

But I am consoling myself with how stinkin' cute this Wool Girl Sanrio and Friends sock club kit I got today!


The monkeys have dibs on the Hello Knitty stickers, but the rest are are all mine! Well, the non-Pochaco & Keroppi bits are negotiable. The yarn will definitely be knit up into socks for Monkey1. Then I'll have to see if I have enough left over to knit up something for Monkey2 or e-mail Wool Girl Jen if she has something similar or leftover.

PS. That particular sock club lottery with the 50/50 odds of getting in that happened a couple weeks ago? Yes, I'm in the 50%.