avoiding ladders while knititng in the round

make sure the tip of the new needle is touching the butt of the last needle worked before making that first stitch. i do this with circs and with dpns. doesn’t matter.

i flipped the work around so it should look as if the work is in front of you.
this was fiddly so work with me here.

click photos for full view

the new needle (2) inserted in to first stitch on working needle (in the front door)


wrap the yarn around and pull taught (grab your scarf) . the new needle (2) will touch old needle (3)

keeping this tension complete the stitch (out the window, off jumps jack) as you do this new needle and old needle will join with and rub up against waiting needle (1)it will be a ladderless party!

January 5

Check it out, i knit this much sock today:

so far...
plus i did like 6 rows on my Multnomah since yesterday.
it took me most of the day to decide on this stitch pattern for the sock. i originally wound this up and had a go at charade. it was a fail .way to tight after the heel . you remember me and heels not getting along right? i have to get through at least one more pair before i am truly truly convinced i have it down. since i have cast on like a dozen socks over the past year, me and toe-up goes know each other pretty well. i like to start them with circs but as you can see i am knitting the foot of these here with dpns.


what you see: a toe-up sock with lozenge stitch pattern in Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! differential Grashopper. acquired at SS09. Signature 2.5 mm Double-Pointed needles. i go around with 5

the early part of the eyar has seen me spinning just a bit. i mean i had to play with my Kuchulu. it came with a sample piece of Finn wool and i have been taking my sweet time with it. also came with som esuper silky silky. it's like floaty cotton candy threads. i can't mess with that.
i'd better go log in a few more rounds...

Bugga! Madness

The Sanguine Gryphon booth at Sock Summit. Thursday August 6th 2009. Market opening preview for students only. i wish i would have recorded the part when i said to Gryphon " you had to expect this!?" and she was all surprise and shock and was like "nope". then popped right on top of a bin of yarn in her medieval frock and snapped a shot for herself. good times they was. yea, good times!

Autumn, the New Year for knitters.

well Fall has been here for a bit but this chilly day has really made me take notice of the season change. and it it friggin' October!

i have planned myself a bigger task list this month than i ever have. (mainly knitting, but some other projects too.) Mostly because i have not really been a planner. not in this way. i see things and i am all "oooh i wanna make that" and each mental picture goes in to pile and i pick them out randomly. so this planing ahead for stuff is way weird. and yet, fun. i don't want to get discouraged by acknowledging that i haven't been this productive in such a small amount of time before. ever. and chances are this list will be the same come November. no way. i just wanna be a glass-half-full kinda gal for a minute okay?

my first foray into a KAL was, well, i won't call it "unsuccessful". i didn't finish the project at all let alone on time. but it's still on the needles and once i gain the skill badge i was missing for it to be a complete success, i will revisit it. That said, i am trying new things! throwing caution to the lions, i joined not just a KAL, but a mystery one. not just a mystery KAL, but a lace one. i know. i am nuts! BUT don't give up on me yet. i have actually wound the yarn (1700+ yards. yes, a daunting task) AND i knit the swatch. all on the official day one of the KAL. so not bad right?

(click to embiggen)

yea, i messed up towards the end. skipped a row i think . i wasn't paying close enough attention. first time trying lace with patterning on both sides. i should be more scared, but well, i'm not.

mystic embers kal 2009
Sept 30 -Oct 31

yarn, wm lace in spice market, 4mm addi lace needles. the swatch is not properly blocked.
ravelry Project page

i did complete a Swallowtail shawl [interweave knits, fall 06]. it is a small shawl as far a shawls go. as many before me have stated. it went alot smoother than Ishbel. surprisingly. i was a little scared of it but had to dive in after seeing so many beautiful ones on shoulders at Sock Summit. (i know, i owe you some posts on my adventures there. procrastinated but not forgotten!) particularly Glenna's sea silk version. Her Ravelry project page. a real glistening beauty tat shawl. and even after touching it i didn't buy any seasilk in the SS09 market. Go restraint!
Here's mine

not the best pic ever.

yarn wm twin in maus jung 4mm addi lace needles
ravelry project page

you may or may not know the drama i have been experiencing with socks. one successful pair, three successful lonely abandoned singles, five ill-fitting single toe-up socks,and two frogged attempts at cuff down. int hat order. pretty much.

well...

i said i wasn't giving up!
i am up to the heel flap on the second one and trudging along steadily.
i want these to be finished! my feet are cold!

pattern is summer sox socks by Cookie A. cuff down with a hell flap *gasp* i know. not my preferred method. but i am open minded and tried it and it fits so there.
wm twin in wasabi 2.25 mm harmony dpns (woulda been better in 2.75 mm but still fits!
ravelry project page

Than there is the Gothsocks groupies KAL. i have mental plans for this.
also, been thinking about Multnomah since it first came out. that's a simple one i just can't decide on a yarn. i had single skeins of Bugga! but wanted it bigger since i already have two shawlettes- and like i said- i'm cold! i keep wanting squishy warm knits! i nabbed two skeins of Skinny Bugga! for this. but i have been wavering back and forth between the two ideas. if i knit it in the SB, i can make it bigger but. that means i will have to knit it bigger! kwim?

and then Damson caught my eye. i dunno how many shawlettes one girl needs, but so far the two i have made have been successful-at least in the end- and interesting to knit. they don't have to fit the way godforsaken socks do! it's really pretty. i dunno how much opportunity i will get to wear it. the girly prettiness of it limits it's versatility for me. but whatevs.

and i have to stop ignoring my February Lady. it would be nice to have it done for Rhinebeck. what!? it's possible! i just have to count my stitches and start the Gull Lace. it's totally doable. if i would just power through and stop dilly dally-ing. and maybe not knit anything else until it's finished... yea right.

hmm i think that's it. well, besides the fact that i have discovered hoop dancing and am madly in love. i guess i like being a beginner becase i keep trying new things. of course that means i now have to make my own own hoop. add that to the craft repertoire. i am starting to take my photography more seriously. not really for my craft photos (as is plain to see) but for other things.

i have slowed down on stashing. specifically Wollmeise. yes, because i have run out of room. (pictures soon!) but also, because the ratio of knitting to acquisition was unbalanced in a way that finally pushed me to do so. at first it was difficult, but i have been enjoying the extra sleep quite nicely. having opened my palette to other dyers at the summit i am shifting my attention in differnt directions. and having fun wiht other weights colors and textures. oh. and i'm broked. tee hee.

i'll try to visit more often!

eta: oh! and how could i forget! the dexterous Laris is hosting a KAL on Wollmeiseholics Anonymous for -what else but- gloves! sign ups are until OCT 4 and then i guess she'll email the pattern shortly after that. i am eager to get started on those. hmmm but in which colorway...

oh, this? it's nothing, you should see the other guy.

me and the Ish, we go back and forth. it's a love/hate relationship. i give as good as i get though!

as you can see here the Ishbel is picking a fight! chellenging me by leaping, no hurling several stitches off the needles in defiance!

HAHAA!! i win! Don't try that again Ishy!

ish revisited

i have become calm enough to string a lifeline in my Ish after letting it sit sit sit. chart A took alot outta me! i am about to begin chart B which hopefully won't be as tormenting. cover me. i'm going in...

the summer of Wollmeise

it's a Wollmeise summer! the fabled unicorn yarn is in more demand now than ever. with all the new colors that just keep coming, the mystical lace fairy fart yarn that only appears once in a wm moon, and inappropriately sexy baby Molly (the new worsted) the frenzy continues.


i was lucky to snag up a sweater's worth of molly the update that it launched. it all went faster than my previous successful updates so i grabbed Fliederbusch not knowing how i would like it when it arrived. silly me! it's wm and it's purple - how could i even think i wouldn't love it to pieces.


i have swatched the hell out of my first skein. i paced myself with the task wanting to swatch properly. no lazy tricks! by. the. book. trial and error. four swatches. finally at gauge.


and gauge for what? for february lady! i am giving it a proper shot. i have attempted to attempt a few sweaters over the years. i am determined to see this one through! meaning, the flieder molly WILL become a wearable garment. i can't promise FLS will be a success. but i will keep this yarn on the needles until i can put it on my body. for reals.

i chose FLS for its forgiving fit on ladies with the 3 b's. i still think it needs customization, modification, and alteration. i have cast on for the 37.5 size and somehow have to knit the back to that size and the front to the 49.5 size. that means short-rows have to go in there somewhere... i dunno where or how but it hope i can figure it out. all suggestions are welcome of course!

in the meantime i have ishy sill lingering. that lace scares me lemme tell ya. that thing kicked my butt so hard- but i will finish it. i am not a monogamous knitter. i need variety! plus i can't really travel with ish. it requires full concentration. the garter of fls can go with me everywhere.

of course that ishybel is being knit up in wollmeise 100%. if i haven't said that already. in petit poison light.

since i keep buying the stuff i am trying hard to knit it up! i have no desire to buy any other yarn. so sad. especially now that there is worsted weight. well, i did order some handfarts... that is part of a co-op deal. it is being shipped, quite literally, on a boat and is taking a looooong time to get here.

there is also the Pn5 stockinette sock that has been lingering and lingering on the needles forever. i put leyburn down because of the heel issue and i had the instep too tight on the Pn5 sock as well. that was frustrating. i started over with the other end of the cake with a different stitch count. the fabric looks better that way as well. the first one looked a little pooly and this one is more stripy. my fingers needed a break from those tiny needles. it's been tiny needles/socks from the beginning of the year. now that i have the worsted (and a reason to use those super expensive addi clicks i bought!) i can have a break.

i haven't had the heart to rip the first one yet. i left it there just in case the second one was worse than the first some how. i will probably end up frogging the whole thing and starting super fresh. i dunno. the attachment to the time spent working on it dissipates as i let it sit. so, maybe.

one of the obstacles that keeps me from knitting up the wm, besides Ravelry which keeps me from all knitting in general, and besides it fairy fart status, is the winding. the hank is a smidgen too big for my swift. oy. that is a tragedy. really. i was tempted to buy a new one but that's just crazy. (thanks Kata for talking me outta that one.) plus, it always seems to tangle some how. the molly is breeze to wind, really. no worries there. but somehow i can't get through 575 yards of sock with out some problem. i had to cut PP when i wound her up! what a tragedy. a knot-less skein that had to be hacked in two. and i will have to weave that end into LACE! oy. what a nightmare. i'll cross that bridge when i come to it...

now let's see if i can get some decent pics to add to this post...

kick ish in the shins

persistence! the ish got tired and i persevered! chart A of the lacey part is successfully complete! a small victory? perhaps. but it's mine and you can't take it away! now i have to rest up and rehydrate in preparation for... you guessed it...chart b...

Ishbel is trying to kill me

some people cast on for Ishbel (rav link) and have no troubles. they fly through it and make 3 more the first one was so "quick and easy". i cannot get past the first lace chart! and i am not the only one. i am not alone in my misery.

i have knit and tinked the first 8 rows, only four of them lace, no less than 9 times. seriously. i don't want to give up. but i may not win this one. i am knitting with the wollmeise in Petit Poison. and if i could finish this it would be one heck of an FO. it would get much use. but that length of thread that i have frogged and reknit and frogged again is beginning to look tired. and i am too. so tired. i am a process knitter and therefore don't complete as much as i start. but this process!... i am scared of this thing, really. ( pssst...i think it's trying to kill me!)

the asymmetry of it all!

winding molly

i threw all caution to the wind and i am winding up a skein o'molly to see how she flows.

nice

the knit kit

in my Lys today this lady was sitting, knitting, and she had the knit kit out. she let me have a fondle of it.
at first glance it was sure alot bigger than i had pictured. palm-sized. which makes sense if i had thought about it. but just seeing it in tiny web pics it just thought it was smaller. i was pretty 'meh' about it. it was plasticy. and the white would look dirty after a while. the scissors were pretty interesting but i could see me cutting myself trying to get them open or shut. i dunno, i would use it if someone gifted it or probably buy one if my lys stats selling them but i am not crazy over it.

Leyburn ponderings...

So. I have come to the point where it is time to start paying attention to turning the heel. Deciding just where to do it and such. I am glad i realized that because with this pattern stitch it is suggested to increase a bit on the instep before turning the heel. If I had missed that instruction: frustration.

I like the way it's coming along. The sock. It's a nice snug foot. More fitted than my other endeavors. I seem to prefer this so far as it shows I am improving at getting a good fit. Toe up construction just seems to make sense. I dunno why the standard is the opposite. I hope to become good enough at reversing pattern directions that I might be able to modify to get a good, custom, ideal fit. In socks and everything else.

The yarn I am using was originally purchased with the designation to become a clapotis. Two skeins at about 360 yards each. As a single skein is intended to provide for a complete pair of socks (of the average persuasion with regards to foot length and cuff length variances) the question arises: how long to make these leyburns?..

I could stop after turning the heel on this first sock, place it aside as i begin and complete the heel on the second sock, see how much yarn I have left, split it evenly between the two, and make a basic pair of socks.

Or I could complete the first sock an make the second to match with no regards to having leftover yarn.

Or I could keep knitting until the first skein gone. Letting the yardage determine the length and using the entire second skein for the next sock.

The issues with each option respectively:

What would I do with the other skein of korrppi after completing leyburns of average length? sure that's an issue of stash and therefore not an issue. but would i really make another pair of socks in the same colorway? and having only one skein limits my non-sock options for the yarn. just a bit.

The second option might leave me with half a skein of yarn left. or force me to wind the second skein for just a few yards in order to finish up. This option throws all caution to the wind and let's the project decide. hmmm. i don't really like that.

The third option, using an entire skein for each sock, seems the most appealing. but would require bit of design, math and time extension (into the "long-term projects" category. working on shaping and calf increase and such. i would really want to take my time and invest my energy properly into such an endeavor. those could be just knee-high or there might be enough yarn in those skeins to accomplish thigh-high or above the knee socks. i am not so good with the estimating due to lack of sock knitting experience and most of my projects going, thus far, unfinished.

Then there are issues with regards to wearability.

what can i wear them with in terms of footwear, and outfitting?

do i intend to be able to fit these into my work wardrobe? because if not, i might never get very much opportunity to wear them...

and so, when i wear them do i intend for them to be seen?

and a million more ponderings.

thoughts?...

Wollmeise nightmares

I sit up to check for an update on my phone (as I do when I need to check but I am not ready to get up out of bed) and there is a sneak update with a bit of laceweight. I want.

It's about 10:30 and i slept through the update ( most likely put up at 9:30 like last week) and I am super lucky to have this one skein in my cart. And a colorway I want.

I figure, somehow, that It will take longer to get to the desktop, or I just panic, because I try to checkout on my phone. A hundred problems!

I can't get into the login box. It takes forever. I get frantic. My login name keeps being misspelled. The account page loads slower than a penny passes through your puppy's intestines. I start to sweat. I get to checkout. My cart isn't jumped! I am checking out- wait why is it wasting time asking for address an shit? Oy! "use address on file! Use address on file!" I am clicking angrily. The list I scroll through is a mile long. I can't find the address! Where is it?!

I am lucky enough to catch the just one skein that someone didn't jump on, waaay late in the update (an hour already) and for some freaking reason I can't check out?!

--- this is freaking nightmare! A nightmare! Get me out----

And then I wake up.