Secret of the Stole ii - Savannah

I really should be working on my Sock Camp homework, but at least my Secret of the Stole ii (SotSii) now called the Savannah stole is done. Not the best job in the world blocking it so I'll need to reblock a few spots. The cotton thread I was using slipped/loosened off the pins here & there so I've got some pointy spots and slight undulations on the edges. But I don't expect the 21" x 62" size I got with this blocking to change.


I was a bit anxious to take a picture outside before the light faded so I didn't realize the railing & sloped vegetation didn't help the clarity issue. But you can see the difference in the two Malabrigo skeins bought at the same time bracketing the partial 3rd skein I later bought online (colorway Marron Oscuro). So the biggest lesson for me would be that even if I had bought enough yarn the first time around, I should still expect some variation from a kettle-dyed yarn like Malabrigo.


The nice thing about finishing the stole is that I am caught back up on my Cedar Creek sock in STR Braun's Woods. The majority of the sock is knit on 2.50 mm dpns while the heel was done on 2.75 mm circs to account for the uber snugness of the heel pattern. I really do need to do my sock camp homework this weekend, so I probably won't finish this sock 'til the end of next week.


But what I did finish is Monkey 1's Dublin Bay sock. She picked out the Lorna's Laces Uptown and I will admit it's a really cute colorway. She's very happy that I finally got at least half of this pair done, abeit a year later. So happy in fact that she started her own WIP while I was finishing up the foot.


Just in time for her birthday.

Cedar Creek Rip Along

Despite repeated reminders from tapmouse that Kaci, the designer of the Cedar Creek pattern, likes really snug socks, I went ahead and used size 2.25 mm dpns since I know I can get the stated gauge of 8.5 spi on them. What I should've done was to use size 2.50 mm dpns, at least after the picot hem, especially since I couldn't even get this little bit of the sock onto my heel, let alone past it.

But since tapmouse also found an error in her Pisgah Cedar Creeks, she's ripping along with me. I will miss those skinny brown stripes when I go up on my needle size, but I also don't think I'll mind the fatter ones I believe I will get.


On the bright side, I finished hint #7 of my SotSii. Only 2 more hints to go and I'm only 2 weeks behind the end of the KAL. Not too bad. It could've been a lot worse. Not sure if I can finish this by the weekend, but I'm going to try since we have Monday off.


And on the even brighter side, I got my April Yarn4 Socks kit with a pattern by Ann Hanson and some very pretty Herb Robert colorway from Woolen Rabbit, which I've never bought before.

Bag...uh...Hag P0rn Friday

The perils of being sick is that I get uber dorky and silly, but check out how cute these sheepy shopping bags tapmouse found in SF! You'll have to ask which variety store in SF she found them in. It may have been in Japantown, but I don't think it's from Ichiban Kan, a totally favorite store of ours. These bags got the "cool" stamp of approval from my pre-pre-teen Monkey1.


The turquoise one will rotate with my Hello Kitty one as one of my knitting bags. I'm hoping these sheepy bags will keep my lemming desire for the new Namaste Laguna bag (in turquoise or course) at bay. It's hard to do especially since I saw Carrie's. It's certainly much more economical than the non-knitting version in the April 2008 issue of Lucky (p.205 Hogan leather trim coated canvas tote).

Oh yeah, I'm 2/3 of the way through my SotSii. That third skein isn't quite centered as it should be, but since I'm not fond of tinking/frogging my Malabrigo lace beyond one row, I only have myself to blame for the slight asymmetrical placement.

I'm going to take a brief break from this during the weekend since both Monkey2 and I are wallowing in viral misery at the moment. I'm not sure which WIP I'll be mentally apt for, so we'll see where I go next.

One of those unfocused posts

At least I'm cranking on my SotSii. Hint 5 is done in the new much more orange skein I got. I'm halfway through hint 6 in the 2nd original skein. It's darker than the first, so I'm going with "let Malabrigo be Malabrigo" in the spirit of "let Noro be Noro." I should focus on finishing this since the final hint #9 was released. It's going so quickly now, but I'm not sure.


Monkey1's Lindy Hop back is finally done. Modified the shoulders with short rows for a 3-needle bind off with the front later one. I should cast on for the front, but I am tempted to do one sleeve so I can feel like this WIP is moving much faster than it is. But I need something really simple while watching Lost (when I'm not bawling my eyes out about my favorite isle couple Jin & Sun).


My latest Wollmeise came in which is good since I don't know when I'll be able to catch another update. Claudia's moved them to Fridays at different times. We can't access her shop from work (cough *not that I should* cough), so if I'm there when she updates, I'm out of the running. So, left to right: Guinea Pig 1 in med (I think - I need to double check), Miss May in med (the tan makes this combo interesting), and Vincent in dark (woohoo!).


But first, I opened up my STR Braun's Woods that was being sold at Stitches West but ended up getting at Purlescence Yarns instead.


I cast on and worked on the Cedar Creeks pattern while Monkey1 was at the orthodontist. I know I should wait 'til after we get our Rockin' Sock kit for this month, but when Carrie & Nathania started talking about a Cedar Creeks KAL in the STR Ravelry group, I just couldn't resist.

Back in business

After posting a couple pleas on Ravelry for my Marron Oscuro Malabrigo lace, in the end I found another yarn store online that did have it in stock. For reals. And they were very quick in replying to my e-mail and mailing the skeins out. The skeins are a bit more orange than my original two, but it could've been worse. I saw a worsted weight skein in this colorway somewhere that was practically blush pink.

Because of the color difference, the plan of attack will be to knit hint #5 only with one of new skeins and then finish off hints 6-9 with the second original skein since I got all they way through hints 1-4 with the first skein. Hopefully balancing the colors this way will work.

But before I got those skeins in the mail, I grabbed a skein of Crystal Palace Merino 5 in pink (yes, pink!) from Article Pract for Monkey2's BFF. Unfortunately, the toddler BR hat pattern I chose didn't go quickly enough, so I missed the birthday deadline and BFF has moved on to pre-school. So by default it'll be Monkey2's hat.


Of course, there was no way I was going to leave Article Pract with just one skein of Merino 5. I finally got my hands on the Noro Kureyon sock yarn. And it's no surprise, especially to tapmouse, that the colorway I picked has my favorite Noro cobalt blue. I think I will knit a pair of socks out of this skein, but I am fully prepared to deal with all its quirks detailed in many a review. After all, I managed to survive making a Silk Garden Clapotis as my first big knitting project without giving up on knitting altogether.


I somehow missed this yarn at the Bobbin's Nest booth at Stitches West, but my excuse is that their booth was a little small and it was during the crowded lunch/class break period at the Market. In the end, I got these 2 Hazel Knits colorways simply by checking her online shop. At least this way I got the Chocolatier (left) and Weekend Warrior (right) colorways that I wanted.


And speaking of chocolate, tapmouse & I discovered the yummy tasting Cosmic Chocolate location just a few doors down from Article Pract on our more recent visit. (You gotta see tapmouse's pics!) Between that and Bakesale Betty's fried chicken sandwich, it's going to be really dangerous to the wallet & waistline going there. Oh, but what a confluence of shopping delights!

Justifying going to Stitches West

I am going to Sock Camp in April after all. But since it's a chance to meet up with my fellow knitters, it won't be all about enhancing my stash. (Insert a lot of laughter here.)

At least my SotSii Hint #4 is done. Still on my first skein of my Malabrigo laceweight. Barely. Not enough to get to the halfway point mid-Hint #5, but I'm hoping skein #2 will get me far enough along 'til Malabrigo sends their shipment to Purlescence. Not going to do Hint #5 'til after Stitches anyway. (Pardon the lazy @ss non-dry-blocked shot.)

And DH can finally stop giving me that hang dog expression along with the "abandoning his socks" comments:

pattern starting point - Gentleman's Plain Winter Socks by Nancy Bush
yarn - Dream In Color Smooshy Cocoa Kiss - but at 9 spi (on 2.50 mm dpns no less), I've pretty much taken the "smooshy" out
mods -
cast on 80 sts (see gauge above)
8" rather than 9" leg
omitted the faux seam back stitch
regular slip stitch heel & heel turn instead of the dutch heel (thought it too narrow for DH)


While I should be getting back to my Grace sweater (though I'm to the armhole shaping):


Or to Monkey1's Lindy Hop in Colinette Jitterbug Alizarine(mindless stockinette fit for watching Lost):


Or to my Marilinda sock (which sadly isn't any further than the last time I took a pic), I've decided to wind up my Socks that Rock Dragon Dance and cast on for Adrienne's Serendipity socks. 'Cause we're meeting up with her and plan to work on these socks at Stitches. (Need something to do when I hit my budget early.)


Besides, all my 2007 Rockin' Sock Club socks are done (all knit as written 'cept my Firebirds):


I'm pretty sure I won't knit all my 2008 Rockin' Sock Club kits in this club year since I've got a full load in my queue. But you never know.

See you all at Stitches!

SotSii hint 3

Only a week late. Only. But at least hint #4 supposedly goes quickly despite that bit of asymmetry beginning partway through. It should be intriguing 'cept I've been watching too much Project Runway and it just reminds me of a certain designer w/his Flock of Seagulls hair. (Yeah, I am so dating myself now. Like, you know. ;) )

And in case you don't like sock club spoilers (specifically the Woolgirl kind), don't scroll any further. Although my sister can tell you that I have no issues being spoiled. (I tend to read the last few pages of whatever book she's reading and it drives her nuts.) Although once in awhile I won't visit online sites about my favorite tv series so I can remain unspoiled. 'Cause sometimes I don't want to know which major character bites it in a season finale. But when it comes to sock clubs, spoil me away!


So just in time for Valentine's Day, the totally awesome Woolgirl February kit! Loads of way too adorable goodies. I love all the attention Jen pays to loading these kits up. What a joyful sock club to be in.

SotSii hint #2

I think I knit hint #2 correctly, if not without a few bits of tinking back here & there. Then again, I have been more conscientious about checking every row now. But I'm still not confident that my larger flower motifs in the center section are correct or not. I hope they are as it's doubly a pain to knit around my marker. I need to switch over to one of my Zero markers ASAP. But at least it's done and I can finally move on to hint #3.


Technically my Twist sweater is also done on the knitting front. (Even the ends are all woven in!) It's just that I'm not done button shopping. My preferred pick is the button style on the left, but the Joann's I went to only had 6. Figures I like that style that is one short. I got the plainer ones on the right as my alternative in case I can't find the other buttons in either the Joann's near work or the one closer to home. I'm dying to call this a FO, but it looks like it won't happen 'til later this week.

I know it's not YPF yet, but I just got my last kit for the 2007/08 Y4S Sock Club. The yarn is Berrytini by Yarntini (congrats on her new baby!) and the pattern is by Michelle To (miknits) IIRC. Despite the fast/early delivery of all my kits and the lovely patterns & yarns, I've decided to limit myself to just the BMFA Rockin' Sock Club (STR) and Woolgirl's. And not just 'cause Lent starts tomorrow - I'm giving up mu buying for that. However, the beauty of the Y4S sock club is that you can buy a month kit here and there when you don't want to commit to the whole year. So I expect to buy a kit when I catch wind of the designer and/or yarn dyer (cough*April*cough*Ann Hanson*cough).


And if blogger doesn't delete or scramble my text again, here are my remaining 4 picks for the "you make my day" award (I'm purposely not mentioning all the big knit bloggers out there 'cause I bet they've gotten this award a lot):

Gilraen - a fellow STR and sock yarn fan in general. Plus, she can actually see Posh yarns in person. Sigh.
Kris Knits - one of the co-adminstrators of the STR club the first year (notice a theme?), but who always have lovely well-fitted sweaters. And a transplanted local girl - who can deny another UH fan in knitting blogland?
And as always, my non-knitting RL buddies, Wei and Home on Derange.

Can't believe I finished...

hint #1 of the Secret of the Stole ii (SotSii) that is.

What? Was everyone thinking I finished Twist? Hee, I was sorely tempted to since the Malabrigo laceweight was giving me fits. I was so annoyed/upset at myself last night that I contemplated frogging the whole bugger & bailing on the KAL. Leslie & our blogless knitting buddy will laugh 'cause I was totally whining about this thing today.

I managed to re-do rows 21-29 by tinking back and re-knitting the rows as I didn't do an efficient & effective job of isolating the offending triangle of stitches only (damn these increases!) in order to re-knit them. But at lunch break today, I found I made the same mistake on the other side of pattern. Argh! Luckily, I only had 4 rows to tink back instead of 9 this time.

I am so surprised I actually finished this tonight, so it makes up for my not getting the first 2008 Rockin' Sock Club package yet. I know tapmouse got hers (do NOT click on her link if you don't want to be spoiled!), so I hope I'll get mine tomorrow. Not that I have nothing to do. ;)

I want to finish Monkey1's 2nd Fetching glove, work on my Twist hood section (probably will finish that Sunday) and work on my Bella Coola sock. I figure that I'll get to hint #2 for the SotSii by Monday's lunch knitting session. Hopefully starting it on a Monday instead of a Tuesday will give me less drama. Yeah. Sure.

WIP Wednesday again

Don't you just love craptastic self-timered pinned cardigan shots? Heh, yeah, a photographer I am not. Anyway, after pinning this bugger together and showing tapmouse, the decision was that I guessed correctly on my size and that I could go ahead and seam away.

I finally got motivated to seam the first half at the Twist KAL session at Purlescence Yarn on Saturday (I was the only one Twist-ing away, alas) while Carrie was finishing her gorgeous Clapotis. It's been so long since I seamed a knitted item that I just felt I was going so incredibly slow. I don't mind seaming, but I've done so many socks and top down items that I forgot the tedium of it.

Then on Sunday during both NFL playoff games, I finished seaming the second half and weaved in all the ends. Now I knew that using the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in my stash would necessitate a lot of weaving in ends, but daayyuum. It felt like it took me longer to weave most of the ends as it was to seam the second half. I was so sick of it that I didn't pick up the stitches for the hood 'til the other night.


Instead, I went back to work on DH's sock that had sat for days stuck at the start of the heel. DH has been home for a few days due to a yucky thing w/his leg, so he's been feeling grumpy and actually whined about my abadoning his sock. So I picked up his 80 st sock being knit on size 2.50 mm dpns at 9 spi & 12 rpi and went at it. (His next pair will be on worsted weight, I swear.)

But now that I've finished one of his socks, I could finally start my Secret of the Stole clue #1. I'm trying to take my time on this 'cause I would prefer not to frog this Malabrigo lace at all since it's just as bad as a mohair blend yarn, it's so sticky.

I found this out the fun way when I decided to frog my first swatch done on size 3 needles and spit splice it to the end and knit away 'til Purlescence gets more Malabrigo in. What a PITA it was to frog it for just that little bit. I hope I can keep up with this KAL (heck I don't even have the button on the side bar yet), but I'm not quite as motivated as I am on finishing my Twist & working on my last STR 2007 sock club pair.