brigit

a sock. a sock that already has me contemplating the likelihood of a socken-mate. i know i would wear these quite a bit. but i think the novelty of the pattern has worn off. but, i will knit the mate! i will cast on when this one is cast off! of course, it won't be the only sock on needles ....

this pattern, brigit, was going to be my bus riding project. after my first day of riding the bus, i realized that the pattern was too complex for me to concentrate, or keep my stitches from flying off the slippery kp's tips.

so, i moved onto plan B.


this is tweed socken. this is mindless knitting. and it's fast. i am now more than halfway down the leg, nearing the heel. it's perfect for the commute. and it's good for the ego, ... to knit something swiftly.

i bought the tweed yarn from a wee yarn shop in grand marais, mn, years ago. i often buy souvenir yarn when i travel.

sock specs:

brigit in opal's uni solid, size 2mm kp's circs.
i think you need to be a member of ravelry to access the download.

tweed socken in meilenweit tweed, size 2.25mm kp's circs, 64 sts.

knitting urban style

so, i DID start a new socken. but, all the details are over here! and if you click on the socken picture, you'll get all the dirty details !

a knitting anomaly

... a pair of socks !

i finished knitting these last night, while watching season 3 of BSG. i wove in my last end, and then didn't know what to do.


i was fairly dedicated while knitting these socks, meaning ... i touched no other sockens. i did, however, have a false start on a sweater.


and now? now, the hunt is on for the next socken project. i could knit a mate to one of my many orphans, but i'm not in the mood for that.

i will decide before tomorrow, as i will need a project for the bus ! i'm going to try out the bus tomorrow. though it doubles my commute time, the monthy pass is the same cost as a tank of gas. i don't think i could drive to work and back each day on 1 tank of gas. and, i can knit on the bus.

knitting tools

sometimes, the only way to get a prize in the mail, is to order it yourself! i have coveted these wee shot glasses for some time, and they were finally available online, via ravelry.

the last time i did a shot was with agent scarlet, and the glasses were not nearly as cool as these. they were generic bar glasses, ... all plain! ... and it's rare that i do a shot. but, if i do, i want to do it in style !

forgetful

the other day, i took pictures of my latest sock. i touched up the picture and saved it on my flickr account. well, apparently, doing that alone does not get the blog updated. silly me !



if you click on the picture, you will be transported to my socken details.

so, that was a few days ago. since then, i actually finished the sock (this morning). and you know what else, i also cast on for the mate. now, one might think i was trying to be virtuous and not create another orphan. but, i was actually being lazy. see, it was easier to cast on for the mate than to swatch another yarn and figure out the *perfect* pattern for said yarn. seriously.

this doesn't mean i will be totally project monogamous. there's always the possibility i will stray. not saying i will stray. but, just incase ....

yay! i finished something!

for starters, this sweater was a cinch to knit ... for two reasons 1) the gauge is rather large, and 2) the only shaping is the raglan decreases.

i am a fan of raglans because i feel the fit does not have to be so exact. there isn't a defined shoulder line. a set in sleeve, on the other hand, screams look at me ! if it's off by a wee bit.


my favorite feature of this sweater is the neckline. it is somewhat boatneck, which can be a shape that stretches and grows. but, this neckline has three layers of reinforcement. first is the knitted bindoff. then, a round of single crochet, and then a round of reverse single crochet (a.k.a. crab stitch). it makes a lovely feminine edge, that to me, doesn't even really look like crochet.


another knitterly tip: this sweater is knitted in 4 pieces. the instructions say to keep the stitches "live" vs. binding off. then, sew the raglans together, then join together knitting one last round.

i kept the stitches live, then joined them by doing a k2tog at the beginning of each piece, and a ssk at the end. this eliminated the 1 st. in pattern that would be part of the seam. it is flawless.


and i did wear black dianna to work today. she was cool & comfortable!
i like her very much. and i like to think of her in terms of variations. perhaps she will come around again in a different yarn, or different length sleeves? perhaps i should not get too excited and jump on some bandwagon i will fall off of in due time ..... ?!

nevertheless ...

pattern : pacific view pullover by tahki stacy charles (free pattern download)
yarn: adrienne vittadini's dianna, 8 balls
needles: kp's harmony size 8.

regarding the yarn: this was stash yarn, which i still have 2 balls left. after one day of wearing, it is pilly under the arms. this yarn is easy to knit with. but, now i have doubts to its wear. just sayin' ....

sock of doom

this socken has been a long time in the making. for some reason, after making my red summer socks, i decided it would be a great idea to knit with the same yarn again. hmmmm .... not one of my better judgement calls.

my knitting time has been more limited, and i've probably put more time into sweater knitting vs. socken knitting. but, this sock was very slooooow coming off the needles. part of me now thinks that the harmony dpns are not a good match for the panda cotton. panda cotton needs metal. panda cotton needs good cheap susan bates dpns.

and then, i ran out of yarn. i finished the toe with my red leftovers (also panda cotton). it looks fine. some would even call it a design feature. there's only one wee problem remaining though ... i cannot find my other tiny ball of red leftovers for the mate.

specs: panda cotton in nasturiums and lacquer red
kp's harmony dpns, 2.25mm
64 sts.
picot cuff, top down, heelflappen

knit faster!

my wee ball of panda cotton is getting weee'r too quickly! i am a bit more further along than this, and the ball is dangerously tiny. so, i've been thinking about what yarn i might use to finish. i'm okay with that. there are worse things than running out of a sock yarn ... (like, running out of yarn for your sweater!).

in other knitterly news, my head has been thinking of crochet. i was surfing ravelry today and came across a lovely crocheted dress ! from what i can gather, it's from verena's spring '07 issue. which, i don't know any place that stocks that magazine, much less back issues.

but, the picture is good. and it's inspiring. i think i could 'wing it' if i had to. i don't quite understand my obsession with crocheted dresses ... but i really dig 'em!