Soft to the Hand

I recently finished the second of my 12 items for the Spin the Bin Challenge.  This was a fiber from River’s Edge Fiber Arts, called Monkey.  Silk, bamboo and Merino.

It was a dream to spin, but the fiber was so silky that it was not a fine spin.  Thinking that this would feel so good on my hands, I chose to make a 3ply yarn for some future mittens.  Yardage was not as good as I would have liked, 160 yards of 3 ply, 4 oz.

On the knitting front, I am currently finishing up some CookieA socks from my last club shipment last winter.  The yarn is Tanis, made in Canada. 70% super wash merino, 20% cashmere and 10% nylon.  Look at their website, the colors are amazing (my color is off in this photo, it is really a lovely soft green, color Julep, which describes it well). This yarn, called the “Purple Label Cashmere Sock” is a dream to knit with, I have another skein in my stash that was from my birthday Twin that I now can’t wait to pull out.  Not sure how easy this yarn is to get in the US, that was the great thing about the past 2 sock clubs, was finding and trying yarns that I would not have necessarily found on my own.   Even though I have size 9 feet, I am knitting the size small in Cookie’s pattern.  When I took classes from Cookie, I realized that she knits so incredibly tight that my gauge is never the same as hers.  Not sure yet if these are for me or a gift…

Goodbye Cookie, and Cookies

My last shipment from the CookieA sock club, of which I have been a member for the past 3 years, arrived a couple of days ago.  As Part of the club, every other month Cookie sends a skein of custom dyed yarn from an Indy dyer, 2 different sock patterns, and 2 cookie recipes.  Over the past 3 years, I have enjoyed trying out different yarns that either I had not heard of, or were not available to me.  Most of them I liked, and I have stayed true to the club and knit one of the sock patterns for that month with the given yarn.  There still remains a couple of past patterns/yarn that need to be knit up.  The cookies, I have tried a few recipes, but since I was the only one eating sweets, I did not bake up most of them.  However, I did make Madelines, and loved them.

This pattern that was from August 2013, Artemis, and the sock yarn is from Miss Babs, color: Inkwell.  I love, love, love the color of this yarn, and the yarn knits up very nicely.  The socks are recently finished just in time for my husband for Christmas, used almost every last inch.  The pattern, however, is not a favorite, I find it to be very uninspiring, I could have come up with cables on the leg and a twisted rib foot section.  Normally, Cookie’s patterns have an intricate flow to them, the pattern proceeds onto the foot, and the heel is incorporated, something was missing from this one.  Knitting it up firmed my resolve to stop the club, save some money, and work with what I have.  While my husband will love them and the color is beautiful, I find this the most disappointing pattern of her’s that I have knit to date.

A detail shot of the cables on the leg, 2 bands of slightly different width’s and repeats around the circumference.

Pattern: Artemis
Pattern Source: Cookie A’s Sock Club 2013, August pattern
Yarn: Miss Bab’s Cosmic Fingering Yarn, color Inkwell
Needles: US 1
Date Started: 11/?/12
Date Finished: 12/18/13
Finished Dimensions: Men’s size large

Tanis Fiber Arts, the last shipment of yarn for me from the club, arrived a few days ago.  Last year I received a skein from this dyer as a birthday present that is begging to be knit up.  This color is right up my alley, and I like the pattern, so these will be for me.  Casting on after the Christmas knitting is finished.   Being in the club for 3 years has been great, Cookie is a great designer, and her attention to detail is phenomenal, hardly a mistake in the patterns, and when found they were corrected in short order.  That said, I am seeing some repeats of designs. While the club was fun, it is time to use up some of the yarn in my stash, finish up past CookieA club knitting, go to my newest sock book for inspiration, finish up some Janel Laidman socks from her past club, and try designing some of my own socks.

Ironic that I am saying goodbye to Cookie at the same time that my new Dr put me on a Gluten/Dairy/Refined Sugar free diet.  No more cookies for the time being.  I am embracing this new diet, and feel if I can make it through the holidays, I am clear sailing.  You might just see some of the great new recipes that I have been trying here also.

Here and there

My focus does not seem to be on any one thing lately.  I am busy cleaning up the basement in anticipation of some new Flor tiles coming, special ones for my knitting room too!  While it does take my time away from knitting and spinning, in the long run the organization is already helping me to keep on target and catalog all unfinished work and fiber.  I am waiting to unveil my knitting/crafting room next week when most things are in place.

This is a project that I was working on with handspun, as suggested by Mrs. Peterson.  Any ideas what it will become? I used up some of my handspun from my earlier spinning days.  It seems to have knit up fairly evenly.

And I am still working away on a pair of CookieA socks, almost to the heel on the 2nd one.

Lastly, the real, in the flesh, copy of Stephanie van der Linden’s book Op-Art Socks came in the mail.  I was in love with the book just form the eBook version, but I always like to place my hands on and explore a real book.  I find them so much more inspiring, and it is easier to flip back and forth and do side by side comparisons with other books.  Can’t wait to start on a pair of socks from this collection.  Even if you do not like knitting 2-color pattern socks, there are plenty of single color sock patterns to choose from.  I think a must have book for any sock knitter.

All things knitting, of course

The other day I was given a wonderful surprise by my friend Mimi.

The shopping bag I had seen someone with earlier, was it Mimi?  And of course I coveted it.  Love the cards, who can resist googly-eyed sheep, they will be reserved for that special note to that special knitter. And the little pouch that Mimi sewed.   Thanks!

On the knitting front I am 2 months behind in my CookieA sock knitting.  Currently I am working on the Ernie socks from the February installment.  This is just sock #1, will be gifted to my favorite husband. I added the ribbing at the top, he would not like the faux cable sock pattern to just end at the cuff.  I have finally turned the heel, and hope to finish these this weekend.  Spinning seems to be taking an inordinate amount of my time lately, more on that tomorrow.

Then this lovely lavender from Dream in Color came the other day, the April club shipment, I think that these will be for me, love the color.

 

Flight socks

These socks were started in January and took over 2 months to finish.  The yarn color was very dark, and they were difficult to knit up at SnB or on a dreary day because of this.  While cashmere in socks is wonderful on your feet, I do find it to be more splity than other sock yarns. These were from the Cookie A sock club, and this was the December 2012 pattern, it was the simpler of the 2 patterns available.  Between the difficulty of knitting with this yarn, and the dark color I had to abandon the harder pattern for my sanity.  They were gifted to my Mom when I was up a couple of weeks ago visiting her.  She loved them.

 

 

Pattern: Flight Socks
Pattern Source: CookieA Sock Club December 2012
Yarn: Stricken Smitten Sinful Sock Yarn
Needles: US 1
Date Started: 1/?/13
Date Finished: 3/22/13
Finished Dimensions: Women’s large

 

Vogue Knitting Live Recap

I spent last weekend at the historic Palmer House Hotel in downtown Chicago taking classes at Vogue Knitting Live, their first appearance in Chicago.

Day one was a class on English Tailoring.  The gist of which is that you knit an inset sleeve to the front and back instead of sewing, and have a tailored sleeve with 2 small seams at the back.  Judy Weisenberg (cocoknits) was the instructor, and I loved this class.  Can’t wait to apply it to my own sweaters, but I think that I might first practice again by using one of her patterns.  Would have been the perfect class if I could have stuffed a ball of yarn in the obnoxious person who sat behind me and tried to talk over the teacher each time she spoke.  How does a teacher control that?  Wish that I had been able to say something to quiet her, my friend said that I should have said that I spent money to listen to the teacher, not her.

Day 2 was lectures only, the first one being Parlor Tricks, learned some great things, absolutely worth while.  The second was Nicky Epstein, and I could have passed on looking at her past projects.

Day 3 was 2 classes, the first we learned to put in a zipper.  Great class again!

Second class was Oddball stitches with CookieA.  I have the funniest swatches from that class.  Fun as always to be in one of her classes, what a great teacher.

The market was under whelming, although I have my eye on ordering some bamboo in the future for a bamboo Fair Isle sweater, so soft and lightweight.  I did find this cute project bag with a grommet in it for my sock knitting.

And, I purchased this book, hot off the presses.  I love it, have almost finished the cover hat. More on that tomorrow.

The last day, I finally found the gallery (they had to move it from an obscure corner, as nobody knew they were there), with some amazing knitting and knit art.  This was a knitting group project knitting up of all of the US Presidents:

Go Obama!!!

 

A tale of 2 sock yarns

When I first started spinning I had dreams of making fine yarn for lace knitting, fair isle and socks.  My abilities were not as quick to develop as my ambitions.  After a few months of spinning, I was confident enough to take some fiber from Socks That Rock, and spin for sock yarn.  Then I tried to knit socks with it.  So, it has languished in my spinning punishment pile for quite some time.  I have recently started going back to those early yarns to use them up in quick to knit winter outerwear.  And these came to mind for some fingerless mitts for the cooler dog-walking days.

I have developed a new appreciation for some of the earlier, less than perfect spins.  The pattern is my own improvisation.

And I recently completed knitting these socks for Dan.  The fiber was spun by me, from Fiber Optic. It is a pencil roving, and a dream to spin with. It was spun with the intention of making socks for Dan, and then when I saw this pattern in the CookieA sock club, I knew that it was a perfect marriage.  My spinning is much finer a year later, and while not perfect, I am very proud of it.  They are incredibly soft socks, superwash merino and silk, so I added some reinforcing thread to the toes for wearability.

Pattern: Reykjavik
Pattern Source: Cookie A’s Sock Club 2012, June pattern
Yarn: handspun from Fiber Optic pencil roving, color: Black Coffee
Needles: US 1
Date Started: 9/?/12
Date Finished: 10/19/12
Finished Dimensions: Men’s size large

I Love Yarn Day!

Well, duh!  Anyone who knows me realizes that is the truth.  Apparently this was decided on as a theme day by The Craft Yarn Council.  The only problem with that is that the people who follow The Craft Yarn Council already love yarn, otherwise…  Like having an I love beer day for home brewers.  Couldn’t they think of something more creative.

But, since I do love yarn, I have this luscious new yarn that just came as part of the Knitterati sock club by Janel Laidman.  I have made one other pair of socks with the Caper Sock yarn from Sting Theory, and loved them.  The color is very close to the colors that I posted the other day which I received from the CookieA sock club, so I guess I will be getting in touch with my earthy fall color side this next month.  This package also came with a note card, some stitch markers, and a clear plastic bag from Janel’s new magazine, The Sock Report.

And, I am thinking of spinning up this fiber from Ashland Bay to coordinate with the recently completed Woolgatherings spin.  The beauty of this plan is that I can always get more of this colorway if needed, and I think that it is an interesting match.

Layout Decisions

 

I laid out all of the blocks for my new Moda quilt.  First as was suggested…

 

Then, rotating every other block so that the large blocks are not always in the same position.  Can you see the difference, I think that I like this one better.  The colors are really off, as it was late in the afternoon, and my photography was not the best, but I think you can see the difference.

 

I had better get busy knitting socks, this new yarn from the CookieA sock club came today.  I have knit with other yarn from Green Mountain Spinnery and love it, so will be anxious to see what the patterns are like.  Must finish up the other languishing socks….

 

First Sock Syndrome

 

Second Sock Syndrome is a complaint of many sock knitters.  They seem to be anxious to try out a new pattern, and knit the first sock up, only to have the second appear less interesting to knit, and it languishes.  That was never a problem for me, as I was either anxious to finish a quick knit, or had conquered the complexities of a more difficult pattern and the second sock seemed easy by comparison.  Lately I have a new problem however, I seem to be starting and not finishing any first socks.  There is a good reason for all, but bothersome none-the-less.

 

The beautiful blue socks are from the Knitteratus Scok Club by Janel Laidman, I love the pattern, the twisted rib on the bottom of the foot is so squishy and comfortable.  Almost done with sock #1 of theses.  The green pair is from the same club, a February installment.  I could not travel with these socks and follow the pattern, so they remained at home and got abandoned when I needed the needles for a pair of traveling knitting socks (ie, a less complicated pattern), and they sit dangerously off needles, and without any stitch holders to hold them in place.  The lime green pair is from the CookieA sock club, and while the pattern is interesting and different from anything I had tried, it broke one of my precious Lantern Moon needles, and I switched to metal.  I am now waiting on some Signature needles to finish these up.

I have never had this many started socks before.  And lastly, there is the pair of CookieA socks, using some handspun yarn.  These will be for my husband, but I could not finish them while away, as I needed to get reinforcing thread for the toes.  Hope to finish these up soon.