finished fishes

it's raining this morning. i'm so glad it's raining because now i don't have to water the plants. of course, this could also mean trouble for the morning commute.
(yawn)

i finished the stranded fishes socks. i took these home over the weekend to work on, and let mom try them on, and decided they fit her better than me. the foot length is just a bit short for me, and probably a bit long for her. and i'm just too lazy to change that.

and then, looking at one of the socks last night, i realized that i knitted the legs differently. WHOOPS. one leg has 5 repeats of fishes, and the other 6 (as the pattern is written for 6). and, i'm not ripping and fixing. this is just one mistake of many in these socks.

nevertheless, i still think they're really cute!




the pattern is spillyjane's swedish fish socks. i used knitpick's bare (merino/nylon) fingering and their 'felici' in colorway marine life. i barely used any of both skeins/hanks of yarn. i can get another pair of socks out of the remaining bare, and i have a second skein of the felici (plus its leftovers). lots of yarn!

done at last ....

i started this shawl back in june. i wanted it "big", so i kept knitting. i kept knitting to the point that i ran out of yarn (only 5 rows short of my bind off). some knitters would rip out a row and bind off, or use a different yarn. instead, i just ordered another ball and luckily got the same dyelot.

i finished knitting my sweater the other day, and started seaming it, so for "mindless knitting" i picked my shawl up again and finished it as well. she blocked overnight, and i unpinned this morning and wore her to work.






this is the rose ribbons shawl from evelyn clark's book _knitting lace triangles_. i used knitpicks palette yarn. it's HUGE! well ... bigger than most of my triangular shawls ... it has a 72" wingspan and a 36" drop. it covers me well.

the color looks almost dayglow under 'office' lights, but is much easier on the eyes in natural light. regardless, it's a wonderful shade for summer. yes. wool in the summer.

the socks

and, i also realized i haven't posted my SOCKS. sigh ....

i finished my papaver socks (ravelry link) about 4 days ago. this is the second pair of this pattern i've knitted within the last month. the first pair was a gift, and then i decided i need a pair for myself. and now, i have them, and of course it's way to hot to wear socks. they will wait until the end of september or october.


this yarn is crystal palace panda silk. it was sent to me awhile back. i had knitted a pair of socks with their maizy yarn, but had apparently had purchased a bad batch of that particular dyelot.

i contacted crystal palace, and they asked me to send them my socks. i did. they analyzed the yarn, and reported back that the dyelot was indeed "bad". in their fabulous customer service, they sent my socks back, along with enough yarn for 2 pairs of socks, and some sock needles. this pair is the last in the yarn they sent to me. and, they're fabulous! (yarn and crystal palace customer service) !!!

since then, i've been knitting on a pair of socks for my mom. she bought some yarn from knitting up a storm, when we were at north myrtle beach last week.

she picked out poems wisdom sock. the color progression is great, and the color is fabulous, but the knitting is a chore. the yarn is a single, and a bit "hairy", and i keep splitting stitches with my needles. perhaps i should change needles, but it's a bit too late for that. i'm almost finished with the pair. here's the first sock:


i am on the mate, about to start the heelflap. so, they'll be done soon enough. the thing is, when do i give them to her? do i save them for cooler weather, or ... christmas ?! she already knows about them, and i'll "show" them to her next weekend. sigh. it seems kinda silly to give them in a season inwhich it's too hot to wear socks.

whoops!

i think i've used this title post before. but big WHOOPS because i just didn't realize i hadn't posted in a bit, until someone kindly reminded me today.

i had a bit of a "yarn crawl" today, in a BMW (deb drove). a couple of friends and i made our way down south to southern pines, nc, to visit bella filati. they recently relocated into a new building in downtown southern pines. and the new store is even lovelier than the original. and i should had taken my camera, because they had some really cute lamp shade covers that were crocheted, or even needle felted.

i did not purchase yarn. i think i felt a bit overwhelmed, and not quite ready for buying a sweater's worth of yarn. but, i did come away with a book by teva durham (_signature style_ , loop-d-loop , volume 5). inside was this really cool pullover!


it's the "honeycomb diamond pullover" in a yarn by loop-d-loop, called "moss". i haven't seen this yarn in person, but the label says it's 50g and 163 yards. so, it must be very light and have some fluff. there are a couple more designs in the book which i like, so that makes the purchase worth it. of course now, i'm on the hunt for the yarn. i don't always knit projects in the recommended yarn, but i think in this case, perhaps i might.

on the way back from southern pines, i said, "hey, let's stop at the new shop in apex!". and my friend replies, "oh, you little strumpet!" (by the way, a strumpet is a middle english word for the modern day "ho", aka prostitute) (it's a term of affection ;)

so we stopped at the fairly new downtown knits in apex, nc. i really liked it, and actually bought yarn!


this is nature spun fingering by brown sheep company, in colorway "butterscotch". it's not really butter-scotchy at all though ... it's a very rowanesque heathered and natural, in a shade more like a greenish bronze.

my friends cringed at my purchase (hey, what are friends for?!) ... because they like "snooty" yarns. i like 'em too, but i also like nature spun, and lopi lite, and other minimally processed yarns.

this yarn gets a whopping 310 yards for under $4 a ball! so, i now have over 900 yards, enough for a nice shawl, for a very low price. and it's made by brown sheep ... not "local" to my area, but certainly local in a global sense.

catching up!

incase you haven't heard, it's hotter than hell in north carolina. seriously HOT. so HOT it's in the news. so, my pictures today were not taken outdoors as usual. i was out earlier today, doing laundry, and then my weekly grocery shopping and errands, and then i quickly retreated back to my pseudo-AC'd cave.

it's funny though, town felt a bit like a ghost town today. that's not so unusual in the summer, as the coast is only 2 hours away. but still ... i think most folks are keeping a low profile and staying indoors.

okay, enough with the "oh i'm so HOT" rant.

socks! of course, SOCKS!

so, i finished the pretty rusty-colored pair of papaver socks ...


and i mailed them yesterday. these were knitted as a gift for someone i consider a mentor, who had a major back surgery recently, and she'd been admiring my socks for the last year. i wanted her to have something to help her "get back on her feet" so to speak. i'm certain she'll enjoy them.

because i gave them away, i wanted a pair for myself.


mine are on the left. i'm using some yarn i've had in stash for a bit now ... it's crystal palace panda silk. it's lovely stuff too! this yarn has tried to be other socks, socks that just didn't go anywhere. and now, it's found its pattern.

i'm almost finished with the first sock, and will quickly cast on the mate. the knitting is slow because i'm juggling too many projects right now.

the other sock in the photo is the test knit i'm doing for RoseHiver on ravelry. this month's challenge on SKA is colorwork, specifically fairisle. i've never been much of a stranded knitter, but, it's slowly getting easier. i find that my tension for my floats is best when i knit with my project inside out. yeah. i know.

it makes me still dream of knitting a fairisle sweater, and steeking! someday.

and inbetween all these socks, i did cast on another for mindless purposes ... another pair of jaywalkers.


this yarn is paca peds in colorway 'grapevine'. it's been in stash for awhile. i knew it would stripe in some fashion, so i opt'd for a pattern that was best for striping, the good 'ole jaywalker.

and if this isn't enough, i'm craving a sweater! last week, i was visiting my friends at the LYS. i hadn't planned on stopping by, and was underdressed for the AC temperatures. so, i ended up wearing a shop model for warmth. i was wearing this!


at first, i didn't care for it, but then it "grew" on me. it's called Canton from the louisa harding book called Chinoiserie. i'm going to knit the smallest size (finished 40") in colorway "intense" (a purplish shade).

the yarn arrived yesterday, i got the book yesterday too. needles are on order, but i did find a set on a project long abandoned. so, i'm pretty much ready to swatch. it should be a fairly quick knit as the shapes are all rectangles and the gauge is 4 sts/inch.

i'm very excited about this. it's going to be stunning!

clay socks

of course, i started another pair of socks. i've even finished the first one. and this design too ranks as "mindless knitting". the pattern is quick to memorize, and it's oh so pretty!


this is papaver sok by anne hanson of knitspot. i'm knitting the medium on size 2mm needles. the ribbed base gives it a lot of stretch. the pattern calls for a shortrow heel, but i much prefer a heelflap.


if you're wondering why the toe isn't finished, it's because i took my knitting to work and forgot my little kit with my yarn needle.

the yarn is cascade heritage. it's pretty thin, like lorna's laces. it's so smoothe it almost feels like cotton. and, it has crisp stitch definition. i really like this yarn, and the price is right too.

... and the RAINBOW socks

today, i was knitting on these outside of a panera bread store, waiting to meet up with a friend. never before has my knitting attracted so much attention. it's the COLORS. this yarn is knitpick's felici, in the rainbow colorway. this colorway is not available anymore, which is a shame. knitpicks got all "clever" and made these new colorways "limited edition".

i have made jaywalkers many many times now. it's a "go to" pattern for self striping yarns. i think it's one of those patterns that can make any non-solid yarn look good. and, for me, it's mindless knitting. i've knitted enough to know that all i need for success is:

1) cast on for the 76 st. size, but CAST ON 60 sts, work my 2x2 ribbing, and then increase 16 sts. on my last round to get the 76 sts.

2) knit on size 2.5mm needles

3) after i finish my gusset decreases, then knit another set of the double decreases in pattern on the plain round of the pattern (to make the foot a bit more narrow).

instant success and gratification.

fishes!!!

hey, i've finished one sock! i haven't started the mate yet, though i know i should. i feel a cast-on frenzy coming on, as i want to knit another 2 pairs of fairisle socks, plus a pattern by anne hanson, and a pair for a friend, and another pair for someone else ....

not to mention i still have a couple of unfinished pairs.

but, for the newest finished sock, here's my first sock of fishes!


i think i could had knitted the toe a wee bit longer before the toe shaping, but maybe the blocking will take care of that. the last pair of fairisle socks i knitted seemed a bit on the small side 'til i blocked them.

yarnwise, the first sock didn't even use up 1/2 a ball of yarn (and i'm talking about a 50 gram ball). so, i'll likely have a second ball of the 'marine life' felici yarn for a future project.

amazing! it's thundering, and i think i hear rain. it's been a long time since it's rained here.

oh, and i'm on the foot of my second rainbow sock. i'll finish the pair this weekend and post.