Shetland Triangle

Knitting & weaving in ends complete 10 am-ish PST. Tried to finish the bind off last night, but after Michael Phelps 1/100 sec win in the 100m fly, I just couldn't. Not to mention it was way past my West Coast delayed broadcast bedtime.


Uh, I need another set of the kiddie foamie blocks:


details:
Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A Clark
Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk in Mochaberry
size 9 KP circs
2 extra repeats of the body chart
17 g leftover


Off to knit my SotS-iii swatch, but first I'll probably cast on for some Sweet Tart socks for Monkey1 to transition from a worsted weight yarn project to the laceweight one.

Can you hear it?

It's the sound of frogs and tinks in this corner of the Ravelympics village.


It seems I am so beside myself as I can't even take a decent picture. But I can sorta see that the last yards of my yarn aren't even registering on the scale. Apparently, I have no idea how to use the nifty shawl progress calculator (see the sidebar) 'cause I am out of yarn on row 13 out of 14 for the border pattern.

Off to rip the 12 rows of my border and the last extra repeat.

Arrrrrghhhhhhhh!

Cleopatra's Stockings

The pharoah is demanding but is worth her weight in rockin' socks!


pattern: Cleopatra's Stocking by Yarnissima
yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight Incredibly Shrinking Violet - 1 sk + a yard or 2 of the emergency keychain skein
size: large for stitch count, medium in foot length
needle sizes: 2.50 mm circs for the majority of the socks, 2.75 mm circs for the 1" twisted rib cuff

modification:
Per Yarnissima's original design, knit the leg charts 'til leg measured no more than ~3 in. This meant I ran short by just a little bit! I was on the last row of the twisted rib cuff and had to use my emergency keychain skein that comes with our sock club kit to finish the last row & do the bind off. I had bought another skein just in case, but decided I wouldn't wind it up for just that little bit of length.

These socks were well worth the challenge of a certain twisted stitch I wasn't fond of and the focus that was the transition from leg to cuff. I continue to love Yarnissima's designs. I just need to knit the rest that I have in my stash.


And I did cast on for my Shetland Triangle yesterday for Ravelympics 2008 bright and early in the morning. I worked on both the shawl and the rest of the second sock during the delayed West Coast broadcast of the opening ceremony. Say what you will about the role of politics in the Olympics and all, but under the direction of Zhang Yimou, the opening ceremony was utterly spectacular.

Monkey see, Monkey do

Pretending to studiously read.

Really pretending to studiously read.

Deets in previous post.

The "would you rather" game

"Would I rather do endless applied i-cord?"


Or "Would I rather seam a fingering weight sweater?"


The applied i-cord won out & the Tulip was finished first on Sunday.

I promise modelled shots in the daylight later. I just need to Mr Sun to wake up and for the Monkeys to be in a less recalcitrant mood as it's unusual for them to not want to ham it up for the digi cam. For now, the deets:

First up:
Tulip "Baby" Sweater
Dream in Color Classy - various gorgeous colors (Cool Fire, Giant Peach, Strange Harvest, Spring Trickle, Happy Forest, Blue Lagoon - also the trim color, Some Summer Sky, and Visual Purple)
pattern size 6
needle size - KnitPicks US 9 circs
mod: Sleeves are 1" shorter than pattern to fit Monkey2's current arm length
comments:
1) When the designer up-sized the pattern, she/they kept the proportionally "oversized" width. It doesn't seem too wide for Monkey2, but Monkey1 can conceivably wear it as a 3/4 sleeve bolero. Believe me, she's negotiating heavily on this idea.
2) I didn't need the emergency yardage Nathania kinding spotted me from the shop. I had gotten paranoid I wouldn't have enough after reading Ravelry comments of various knitters running out of the border color given in their kits, but I didn't have to worry after all.

And finally!
Lindy Hop from the Colinette Jitterbug book
Colinette Jitterbug in Alizarine (aka Safety Pink as it's known at Purlescence Yarns where I bought both patterns & yarns/kits)
3rd pattern size
approximately 3 1/2 skeins (the remaining half skein + 1 extra may be knee highs for Monkey2. Maybe.)
needle size - KnitPicks US3 circs
mods:
1) Short row, 3-needle shoulder bind off which meant that the collar was knit in the round as opposed to the pattern's direction to only seam one shoulder, knit the collar back & forth, then seam it with the other shoulder.
2) Monkey1 didn't want the funnel neck, so it's just a plain 1x1 rib crew neck. Actually she wanted a boat neck finish, but I refused to undo the 3-needle shoulder bind off and re-knit the top portion of the front & back, especially when I re-knit part of the back due to my inability to remember which decrease is right and which is left leaning.

So now that I'm done with all the sweaters I've had on my needles, I'm ready to cast on for my Mochaberry Luscious Single Silk (LSS) Shetland Triangle for Ravelympics on Friday. That's some seriously sized yarn cake my LSS wound into:


And as tapmouse noted, I've signed up for the Secret of the Stole iii KAL. Ironic as she got me to join Secret of the Stole ii KAL metaphorically kicking & screaming a good way through.

Due to a rather expensive idle control valve replacement project for the car, I am not buying new yarn for the KAL, but rather using stash yarn. I bought Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Moss when it went on clearance a few months ago. It's a bit dark to be considered pastel, but it's still muted. The BMFA Laci Rare Gems I got at Sock Camp are too dark for SotSiii, but should be fine for the Mystery Stole KAL 4. One's a Ravenish colorway and the other, while totally me, is quite the bright blue (uh, yeah, pics later). I have a skein of Dream in Color Baby in Pansy Go Lightly that would be better colorwise, but I've learned my lesson about starting a lace KAL with not enough of one dyelot to start with.


I probably won't cast on for SotSiii 'til after Ravelympics, but I will probably begin the swatch so I can check out some beads which I'm debating on adding in even though it's recommended for the pattern. Who knows when I'll cast on for MS4, but I'll really need beads for that one.

'Til Friday, I'll be working on my second Cleo, but there's absolutely no guarantee I'll be done by then.

Grace

Then Beauty?

pattern: Grace
size: 2 (38") - fits 38-40 bust
yarn: Fiddlesticks Zephyr DK in Marine - 8 balls & ~30 grams of the 9th (not including 2 swatches)
needles: Knitpicks size 5 & 6


Why no modelled shot? Because when a knitter ignores the narrow look of the sleeve pieces and fails to measure the width of her arm against the measurement shown in the pattern schematic, chances are the arms don't fit. A check on the few Grace sweaters on Ravelry revealed that the one other knitter that finished the sweater noted that the sleeves were a little tight and that in hindsight she should've knit the next size up for the sleeves.

I probably knew this in the back of my mind, but failed to pay attention to it or do the proper things one should do like re-measure myself and compare all the parameters, not just the body. While I was seaming this sweater, I kept thinking it would be better for my mom. And so now it will be.

But why not undo the seams and re-knit the sleeves, especially since I had a 10th ball virtually untouched? It is after all, a wonderfully charted pattern and thus very easy to knit. But by the time I tried it on, I had already woven in the innumerous ends and simply had no desire to start the sleeves over.

So gifting this to my mom is the change I'm affecting:

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

The semi-monthly warning

That's right, it's time for my fellow Rockin' Sock Club members who do not like to be spoiled to stay away from the 'net or at least, don't scroll past the stinkin' cute Tulip sweater (in progress) pic. So instead, I will do a belated Wednesday WIP report.

The Grace sweater sleeves & body are slowly being seamed after I seamed the shoulders and knitted the collar. I'll need to re-block as I don't like how the bottom of the collar is pulling up the bodice, assuming the silk content will relax the fabric enough to counter this issue.

I started this project thinking I would be making this for me, but I'm considering passing this on to my mom. I think the silk content and the lace should keep it cool enough for winters in Hawaii.


Also on a slow pace are Monkey1's Lindy Hop front piece and my second Cleopatra's Stocking. I had a brief bout of Second Sock Syndrome 'cause I so didn't want to knit another short row toe.

There's some seriously small gauge stockinette stitch going on here.


And what's making those 2 WIP's even slower (aside from the small needle thing) is that I have been sucked into the utter cuteness that is the Tulip Sweater. The smaller Monkey2 size and the bigger size 9 needles makes for darn quick work too. Plus it's fun to change colors only every 10 rows. The only drawbacks are that I didn't read all the Rav notes (my bad!) recommending NOT slipping the seam stitch and for a superwash wool yarn, it's got some funky crunchiness/squeak to it.


So. Finally - my eagerly anticipated July RSC kit!


Not just one, but 2(!) patterns by a great teacher & BMFA's tech editor, JC Briar, and our totally fun Sockateer, Hot Flash! I love reading Tina's Dyer's Notes as they give a fascinating insight to her color aesthetic and news of the next color collection.

I think I'll do both patterns, but using the July yarn with JC's pattern and another lighter colored STR skein for the anklet pattern. I am tempted to use Hot Flash's colorway for her pattern. It's only fitting since Monkey1 chose the colorway on my last BMFA purchase and the anklets would be uber cute on her.

That is, after I finish that darn sweater of hers. Someone shoot me the next time I say okay to knitting a fingering weight sweater for anyone, even my darling Monkeys.

Why, yes.

It is all about Socks that Rock all the time. Well, it is easier to take quick pics of pretty yarn than finishing my sweater WIP's, especially seaming my Grace sweater. As Irishgirlie pointed out rather well, tapmouse & I freed her of a few skeins of yarn after her visit to mecca.


left to right: lightweight mill ends in Queen Rock, Azure Malachite, County Clare, and a "Bronze"


I normally don't go for heavyweight (minus the occasional Funky Monkey), but this skein said Monkey1 all over it.


Another Rare Gem, this time in lightweight. Sorta Dixie Chick gone sideways or goth or Lost.


I love getting new yarn cause they motivate me to finish at least one project.


same deets as before:
Spring Forward by Linda Welch
Socks that Rock lightweight in Motley Hue
size 2.50 mm KP dpns
no mods

Not exactly a pair

It's always amazing to me that you can take the same yarn (abeit in different colors), the same stitch count (66), the same twisted rib 1" cuff, but with 2 different designers, come up with totally different socks.


Sock one:
Spring Forward
Socks that Rock lightweight in Motley Hue
size 2.50 mm Knit Picks metal dpns

No mods to the pattern - However, after reading that this pattern was tight on some knitters in the KAL, I did try it on one decrease short on the gusset to check if I would need to rip back & do a longer heel or less gussest decreases since it seemed like the stockinette stitch gauge was appreciably tighter than the lace pattern.


Sock 2 from the May Rockin' Sock Club kit:
Cleopatra's Stocking
Socks that Rock lightweight in Incredibly Shrinking Violet
size 2.50 mm & 2.50 mm Knit Picks circulars


modifications:
- Size large for the stitch count (I'm tighter on circs than on dpns), but size medium for foot length
- Switched to the larger needles for the last 1" of the twisted rib cuff though it's possible I could've switched a little earlier since I started getting really close to my calf
- Did the front and back slash patterns up to 3", per Yarnissima's original design. (I pm'd her on Ravelry for the original directions.) Due to concerns with not having enough yarn for the large size, BMFA had the leg pattern cut down by 1-ish repeat. I've ordered more yarn in case I run out for sock 2, but I still need to weigh my sock and the rest of my skein to check.

Well, I won't be done with my second Cleo's before our July sock club kit hits, but I will definitely get my second Spring Forward done.

Officially off Sleeve Island

...for now. Gotta love long holiday weekends when I get 2-2.5 hours each way for some focus knitting time. While I'm almost at the end for Grace (blocking, sewing, collar), Monkey1's Lindy Hop is nowhere near done since I still have to do the front.


I also made some progress on my Cleopatra's Stocking. It took me awhile to get used to the pattern, but I'm still not used to the left twist as it's not the yarn over that I keep losing, but the regular stitch.


But I'm loving the quick knit that is the Spring Forward sock from a fellow sock camper, Linda Welch. The STR Motley Hue I'm using reminds me more of a SF Bay summer than a typical one, especially when the fog rolls in and the bay gets all choppy. Miserable as all get out if one was out there on a boat, but really cool looking in that moody Gothic novel kind of way.


The sock does go nicely with the new Namaste Newport bag I got in Charcoal from Woolgirl. I love this bag. Perfect size, classic color. Perfect. And it came with it's own little white cloth bag like those fancy high end bags do!


Of course, I can't just get a bag, so I finally ordered a couple little skeins of Pigeon Roof Studios in Pink Lady light (so cute!) and knitspot's fine cabled fingerless mitt pattern. ( I'd like to use some of my sock yarn for gift mitts.) And Jen threw in a couple wool wash samples (Soak being one) and lip balm. I always love those little extras Jen throws in.

Back to the usual

My secret project is done & handed off to the proper person Monday night, just in time for her to take pics before sending them on. I hope I did well. I am back to my sleeves, but for a little something different I started the transitional rows from the toes to the foot on my Cleopatra's Stockings. Wow, sock club members weren't kidding with the twisted stitch pattern being a little tricky. (eta - it's that cabling a yo & a regular st tbl!) This knit looks like it will need some quality focus time.


So I've decided that I need a sock WIP that doesn't require as much focus and am gearing up to wind up my lovely Socks that Rock lightweight in Motley Hue...


for a fellow Sock Camper's pattern - Spring Forward socks from knitty.com's Summer 08 issue.


Hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend!

Temporarily off Sleeve Island

But I am done with one Grace sleeve and finished the cuff of the second. I've got my marching orders for my secret project so that will be my focus for a couple weeks, leaving me without much blog fodder.

In the meantime, I'll share a little of my stash that hasn't made it to the blog yet. I believe I once mentioned I got a green skein of Handmaiden Casbah along with the Ruby Red that became my Cowl of Kindness. This green skein will definitely turn into a pair of socks, but I'm not sure yet. I recently purchased The Eclectic Sole from Purlescence, so I've got a candidate (Rivendell) or two for it.


But somehow showing just a skein of yarn isn't enough, so I'll veer into my previous (but still very current) thing for makeup. Just when I think my yarn addiction is OTT, I head over to my ole stomping grounds on the makeup boards and find that my yarn thing is reasonable compared to lengths some people will go to get a lipstick, even a free one, like the one below.


During my visit that resulted in my Eclectic Sole book purchase, I mentioned to IrishgirlieKnits that I had spent some of my yarn budget on MAC (Cosmetics, not computers) during their Friends and Family sale (15% - ended last week - sorry!), I was gently reprimanded for not sharing good deals on makeup.

So I'm going to make amends for it now. For all my knitting buddies in California, you can get an "exclusive" MAC lipstick called California Dreamin' for free by the end of the month. It's a Lustre finish, which in MAC-speak, means it's semi-sheer, but not as much as a lipgloss, thus making it more wearable for a wider range of skintones. If you do a google search, there are swatches on the makeup boards (not sure if non-members would be able to see the pics though) and some makeup addict blogs online.

The deal is that you print out this and present it to your local freestanding MAC store - not their counter at Nordies, Macy's, Saks, or any other department store, but the actual MAC store that stands alone either in the mall or your local trendy shopping area - and then they give you this cute lipstick for free. Really!

The crazy part? Apparently someone on eBay was supposedly selling a bunch of the actual paper postcards (on the East Coast!) to any buyer willing to fork over $10, when it was the same e-mail link posted that all the MAC Addicts could get for free. Then again, when MAC released their Barbie Collection (yes, that Barbie), there were eBay bidders vying for just the postcard promoting the event. When I last kept track of this craziness, the bids had gone as high as $50! For a postcard! It wasn't even any of the makeup collection itself.

So, see! Knitters are not the crazy ones in this world. Unless they're also a makeup addict like me. ;)

Knitting buddies that work together...

shop together. At tapmouse's "request" (she's got a recalcitrant laptop), I'm posting her part of our order:


l to r: Carbon, Count Cluckula, and Smokey Blue


Along with our BMFA order and my Woolgirl sock club kit, my zknitter project bags came arrived as well. I love them! I already had a few sock project bags, but wanted something a little bigger than those, but smaller than my Namaste or sheepie totes. I thought the bag(s) Zonda made for Irishgirlieknits were so lovely, that I finally picked my fabrics and asked her to make me a couple bags or so.

Thanks so much & wishing you well, Z!

Sleeve Archipelago

I've been trying to satisfy the product knitter side of myself by focusing on the sleeves on my 2 sweater WIP's,


but it's hard to stay motivated and not get some knitting malaise.

Hopefully this totally fun Woolgirl Sock Club kit will help.


And this STR haul definitely will! I was so excited I didn't even bother finding the best lighting out in the yard to take a pic (northern backyard lighting kinda sucks anyway). I even went so far as ordering the same colorway in a different fiber.


And not only did I break this self-imposed rule when buying Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn once, but I did it twice:


The Luscious Single Silk (LSS) on the left is intended for a Shetland Triangle made famous in knitter blogland by this gorgeous version. Shall I wind and cast on, away from the Sleeve Isles?

Cotton Koolhaas

pattern: Koolhaas Hat
yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Charcoal
needles: KP 7 & 9 circular (Magic Loop)

It's a hat, so of course I didn't swatch. Because I'm a tight knitter (still) I automatically went up a needle size, not realizing that the thicker cotton blend I was using would make for a larger hat anyway, so I ended up doing 4 repeats of the diamond pattern rather than 5 for the men's size.

This chemo hat was originally intended for someone I knew a little from long ago who is undergoing lung cancer treatment, but I botched one of the cable crosses halfway through the hat. And of course, I didn't notice it 'til I bound off and weaved in the ends. And the offending crossing was in the middle and not at the "halfway edge" of the Magic Looped round where I could understand doing a miss-cross. D'oh!

So now I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm debating whether or not I should send it to him anyway in hopes that as a non-knitter he won't notice or if I should just give it some charity somewhere in his honor since it's got the one mis-crossed cable.

Monkey Kaw Kaws & a Cowl of Kindness

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A
Yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Kaw Kaw - dyed for Camp Crows Feet Sock
Camp
needles: KP "1.5" (2.50 mm) circs
mods:
- Channel Island cast on that we learned at Sock Camp.
- Standard slip stitch heel since I've already done the St st heel on my Algae Monkeys


I'm ready to keep my neck warm next winter, though my 2 monkeys considered turning this into a tube top. Well, technically Monkey1 wanted to, but Monkey 2 could actually do it with room to spare. However, this mommy says no to Monkeys and a cashmere blend yarn. 'Cause it's mine, all mine!


pattern: Cowl of Kindess based on Chawne's Socks of Kindess
yarn: Handmaiden Casbah (Ruby Red?)
needles: size 8 KP circs
cast on 104 sts (did not do a gauge swatch so can't tell you what it is)
unblocked dimensions: 9" high x 10" across flat

Going in circles

Not feeling the flat back-and-forth knitting projects (plus they're both sleeves), so my active WIP's are circularly knitted:


Monkey Kaw Kaw Sock 1 is done! Started my second sock, but need to take a picture of my first Monkey Kaw Kaw sock with tapmouse's 'cause mine patterned lighter than hers - quite the lesson in the whole different knitter/different needle size/different gauge (more row than stitch) can make hand-dyed yarn look different.


I also started my Cowl of Kindness (sorry, Ravelry link) in my Handmaiden Casbah skein (Ruby Red?, size 8 needles, yarn held double.) The cowl pattern is based on Chawne's lovely Socks of Kindness.


Am also doing a Koolhaas hat that is slated to go to someone specific or to a charity as a chemo cap.