Like a kid in a candy store!

Earnings on first day of training at the yarn shop: $20
Yarn purchases made the first day: $40
Joy of being paid to be surrounded by yarn and people who love it? Priceless

Yesterday was my first day at All About Yarn. It was just a couple of hours to start learning the inventory and the computer system and so on. It was a blast and I did not want to leave! I'll be back again this afternoon and on Friday for a few hours, then do my first full day on Saturday from 10-5. If you're in the Tigard, Oregon area on Saturday, stop in and say hi! I'll also be there Mondays from 5-8 and in January I'll be teaching crochet classes on Mondays from 3-5.

It bears repeating. . . !

In other news, there has been knitting progress here. I finished these socks for another Christmas present.

Yarn: Caryn's Creations sock yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon) in WSU Cougar stripes
Needles: US1 (2.25mm) KnitPicks Harmony DPNs (love these!)
Pattern: My standard 72-stitch top-down pattern with a 3x1 rib and slip-stitch heel

These are men's size US 8.5 (I hope) and the toes in the picture are folded under because the "feet" aren't big enough. :) They go with the other pair I made before in the fair isle pattern from the same yarn, except that Caryn made this version a bit darker to more closely match the Cougar colors.

The interesting thing with this pair was that the length of the colors changed as the skein went along. The sock on the right in the picture was the first one I made and you can see how wide the stripes are at the top. They then get progressively thinner, until the toe in the second sock (you can't see it in the picture, but trust me) is almost variegated instead of striped. Interesting. Fortunately, I'm not anal about having them be matchy-matchy. If it happens, cool, but if not, that's okay.

Oh, and Bobbie wanted to see my den that's turned into a fiber room, so here goes. (Take a deep breath and try not to judge the before pictures, okay?)

My den, before the organizers came in:





Scary, right? The dressers are part of my parents' bedroom set. They had that set my entire life. I don't know what the wood is, but it has a beautiful grain. They are now in my guest room, along with the bed frame that looks like a big wagon wheel, where they can be appreciated and actually used.

The reclamation of the den had this result -- a fiber room!





Better, right?? There's a little bit of clutter because I'm knee-deep in knitting projects for Christmas and there are still a few things that need to find their permanent "home," but isn't it grand?? I love the room now and like spending time in there. And this is just one room. The whole house is almost done and it's like I have a new home.

Thanks Diane and Amy!

Picture this. . .

In which you'll have to use your imagination, because my latest FO is a sample knit for Chrissy Gardiner and I can't show it to you.

Yesterday, the organizers spent most of the day rummaging through my office, trying to find some rhyme or reason to the mound of papers and other detritus that have collected there and sort it into something meaningful. They politely told me that it would be easiest for them to do that alone and then call me in when decisions about things needed to be made.

Seizing that as my opportunity to abandon ship before it sank to the depths of an ocean of despair and frustration (and mounds of paper), I grabbed my knitting and left them to it. It worked out great. I got to sit and knit all day, which is my kind of heaven.

As for the FO, I can tell you it's a sock. And it has cables -- which shouldn't be a huge surprise to those of you who have seen a lot of Chrissy's patterns. The girl is a whiz at designing beautiful cable patterns! This sample sock is certainly proof of that. I LOVE it and will most certainly make a pair for myself at some point.

This was my first foray into the world of toe-up sock knitting and I have to say that I definitely see the allure. I do need to figure out how to determine sizes for feet that aren't readily available for impromptu fittings, though. I'm used to figuring that out for top-down socks, but the toe-up construction will take some getting used to before I can intuitively know when to start the gusset so that the sock ends up fitting a size ___ foot.

But I digress. Did I mention that the sock is gorgeous? Oh, I guess I did. I wish I could show it to you, but you'll have to wait until it gets published somewhere. For now, do yourself a favor and go get a knitting magazine or book that has one of Chrissy's patterns in it (hint, Interweave Knits Winter edition). Or buy one from an LYS that carries them. I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed.

And if you're really feeling adventurous and want to learn tips and tricks from the designer herself (and Amy Singer and Mama-E and Brenda Dayne), join us in May for the Sea Socks '08 cruise to Alaska! There are over 100 folks signed up already, but I think the ship has room for more. I'm not sure they're quite prepared for the horde of knitters, but ya never know!

And just to be clear, I do get compensaged for knitting samples, but the raving about the great designs is presented gratis. A knitter simply cannot be quiet about great design when she finds it! :)

Oh, and the office? Well, it's not quite finished yet (that should give you some idea of how bad it was), but there actually is a desktop here now, and a floor, too! They're coming back on Monday to finish up.

Now go, and knit some more!

Socks up the wazoo*

Well, not literally, but they are made from yarn dyed in WSU Cougar colors.

Yes, despite the fact that I haven't posted for a while, there has been knitting happening here. I started these socks on October 1st and finished them October 11th. Not bad. Just my basic sock pattern, a 2x2 rib with slip stitch flap heel. In this case, the yarn does all the talking and didn't need any more pattern to make it look good.

The yarn is from Yarn from Caryn's Creations, 75% wool/25% nylon, purchased at Stitch 'n Pitch in Seattle a while back. Caryn has yarns dyed in team colors for several Washington State-based teams. A single skein has a generous 400 yards, so you can easily make socks that fit even my big feet. This one is the Cougar self-striping fair isle and it worked up really nicely. I was worried about what might happen at the gusset, but it came together perfectly.

I'm not sure what her base yarn is, but it's not very tightly wound, so attention had to be paid to avoid splitting. I think it's worth the effort, though. There's a soft halo to the yarn, too. I gave them a good soak in Eucalan tonight and they're blocking now. I'm quite pleased with them and hope they'll be appreciated by their recipient, too. :)

I used my new Knit Picks Harmony DPNs in US size 2 (2.25mm). These are now my new favorite needles. Aside from the fact that they're pretty, they are very strong and don't bend at all like the bamboo ones tend to do. They also have very pointy tips, a plus that will come in quite handy when I do socks with lace or cable patterns.

The Christmas knitting is coming along. Tonight I made a great hat that only took a couple of hours on size 15 (eek!) needles using Rowan Big Wool. Quite a change after working with so much sock yarn. I'll get pictures and post more info this weekend. :)

* For those of you not familiar with Washington State University, it's commonly referred to as "Wazoo" thus the cutesy title. Sorry, just trying to be punny.

More socks!

Two posts in the same day. What is this blog coming to?! Okay, this is just a quick one, 'cause I finished these:

Specs:

Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot
Color: Granite Peak

Needles: Crystal Palace US size 2 (2.75mm) Bamboo DPNs

Pattern: My standard 2x2 rib

Size: Women's US7, because these are for Peggy who has significantly smaller feet than I do!

Oh, and just in time for tomorrow's sock crawl, I got a check today for $100 from Beaverton Chrysler. It's bounty for referring my friend Erik to them. He bought a beautiful new 2007 PT Cruiser last week!

Thanks Erik! Now I have money to spend on the sock crawl tomorrow!! :)

7 Deadly Sins

No, I'm not going to preach to you about the evils inherent in the world and how we need to rise above them. Do not worry.

Instead, I'm going to regale you with pics of the two new sock yarns that arrived in my mailbox yesterday as part of the 7 Deadly Sins Sock Club from Fearless Fibers.

This is my first sock club and boy am I glad I got in on it! Deb has outdone herself already and we're only talking about two out of seven sins!

The first sin on the table is. . .Gluttony! (Yes, I know that's punny. It's Friday, what do you want from me?) The picture is pretty true to color, but it doesn't capture the glow from this yarn. Shades of honey and chocolate and toast combine to make me hungry for more. (There I go again!) I think this would make lovely socks, but I have something else in mind that I'm going to keep under wraps for now.

Did I mention that each of these skeins has a generous 550 yards? Believe it!

Next on the sin list, we have Wrath. Now according to the dictionary, wrath involves anger on an epic scale and usually involves vengeance and/or belligerence . Artistically, anger usually translates into something related to red, as in "seeing red." In this instance, Deb has given us a fiery combination of red/orange/gold colors that seem to say, "You're gonna burn for what you did to me!" -- which of course, is in the best tradition of the sin of wrath. Excellent!

With this kind of a start, I can hardly wait for the next shipments of greed, sloth, envy, pride, and finally lust. This is going to be fun!

Yesterday, I felt the need to get something knitted and finished all in one shot. So I whipped out some Sugar & Creme cotton and made this cloth. Very satisfying!

And, my next test knit is now complete! I can't show you what it is or talk about how it's made, but here's a tiny glimpse of it. Makes me think of Christmas!

Tomorrow promises to be fun. A group of Portland knitters are going to meet at Abundant Yarn and Dyeworks and proceed to spend the day on a Sock Yarn Crawl. Rodger has the schedule posted on his blog.

Yeah, like I really need more sock yarn! Then again, can you ever really have enough? LOL The important part is that it will be a day with knitters and yarn and that's worth its weight in gold. If you're in Portland (Oregon, that is) and have some free time, join us!

Monkey see, Monkey do, Monkies done!

Finished the pair of Monkey socks just a bit ago. Love them! This pattern works up so quickly and is never boring. I will definitely use it again. Here they are lounging in the sunshine, very comfortable inside their new, aromatic cedar blockers.

I started the second sock on Friday afternoon. Thanks to a car club meeting, a party I worked that started late, and a day of car club activities, I got lots of time to work on finishing it. By the time I picked it up today, I only had three pattern repeats and the toe decreases left to finish. That went really quickly and viola! Finished socks!

All that's left is to wash them, block them, make a coordinating mini-sock for the mini-sock blocker keychain, make a label for them, and then give them to my friend. Her birthday was August 1st and I'm pleased that she will get these before a month has passed. Hope they fit!

Specs:

Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn in Visual Purple, of which I still have 42 grams left!

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A. as published on Knitty.com.

Variations: I did five pattern repeats on the leg instead of six and made a slip-stitch heel instead of a plain stockinette one.

Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo DPNs U.S. size 1.5 (2.50mm)

This is a busy knitting week. Tonight is my local SnB group meeting. Thursday night is the Tigard Knitting Guild monthly meeting, and Friday night is a launch party sponsored by Blue Moon Fiber Arts for Cat Bordhi's new book. Whee!

Okay, I'm off! At the meeting tonight, I'll be working on a new test knit project that uses Knit Picks Andean Silk yarn (55% superfine alpaca, 23% silk, 22% merino wool). If you haven't tried this yarn, you should. It's very soft and feels wonderful when knitting. I see some more of it in my future!

Oh, cedar makes your life easier!

Okay, first let me apologize to all of you who now have a commercial jingle in your head. Be comforted by the fact that it was playing in my head first and still is!

The reason for that little ditty running through my brain? Some lovely new sock blockers that arrived on my doorstep this morning by very special messenger -- the guy who made them dropped them by! Yes, it pays to live in the same city as someone who is a supplier of things that feed your knitting addiction. :)

Most sock blockers are truly two-dimensional. They're great for taking pictures of finished socks, but can leave tell-tale creases in socks when they're actually used for blocking. Not so with these beauties! My set is 2 centimeters wide (about 3/4 of an inch) and the edges are very smooth and rounded. There are not going to be any creases in socks blocked on these babies! They are hefty, too. One blocker weighs in at 418 grams (14-5/8 ounces), making them a useful weapon for bludgeoning anyone who might deign to try and steal from your stash.

Couple those features with the wonderful smell from the aromatic cedar and it's ability to keep those peskybugsthateatwoolandshallnotbenamed from coming around and you've got a true winner.

Want your own set of these great blockers? Head over to Deb's Etsy shop, Fearless Fibers and look in the Patterns and Blockers section. Her husband, Bruce, makes each pair and if you live in Hillsboro, Oregon, you might be able to convince him to personally deliver you a set like he did for me! Thanks, Bruce, you rock!!

WOYNW = What's On Your Needles Wednesday

Lime and Violet have started scouring their message boards, Ravelry group, and blogs everywhere to see what is on your needles every Wednesday. So, here's what's on mine! (And they said they'd find blog entries like this one, so I guess this is a test!)

The blockers are modeling one finished Monkey sock in Dream In Color Smooshy (its mate has just been cast on this morning and isn't fit to be photographed yet) and one partially complete basic 2x2 ribbed sock in Mountain Colors Bearfoot. Both socks report it was a wonderful experience to be snuggled up close and personal with such lovely blockers.

I still have the Mystery Stole 3 on the needles, too, but haven't worked on it for a while. I had been waiting to see what the wing portion of the pattern looks like before deciding whether to make the asymetrical version of the shawl or do a symetrical one instead. Now I think my choice is made. I still don't know what the complete asymetrical version looks like, but Melanie revealed on her blog today that "the big red blur" she's been giving us glimpses of is a two-winged shawl in progress. The pattern for the two-winged version will be a bonus included with the purchase of the complete Mystery Stole 3 pattern. I'll be buying it. Then I'll be knitting the winged stole with some white laceweight I have in my stash. Heck if I really like it (which I strongly suspect I will), I will probably make another one, too, then give one away and keep one. Now I don't feel so bad about being so far behind!

Oh, and as for Ravelry, there are now only 974 people ahead of me in line! WOO HOO!!!

My first Monkey

Yes, it's true. I am one of the only sock knitters in the world (seemingly, anyway) who has never knit a pair of Monkey socks! Well, no longer, my friends!

So here is the first Monkey. I agree with everyone who has expressed a love of this pattern. It's simple and elegant and a very fast knit. I started this sock on Friday night and finished it today, Tuesday morning. Spending time waiting for the car to be serviced contributed to the quick turnaround on this one. :)

Want some candy little girl?

Or maybe just some candy-striped socks?

I closed the toe on the last one of these this morning. They worked up really quickly since I made them short, as befitting a cute summertime sock, I think. The first sock of this pair was completed (mostly) on the bus ride back from Seattle's Stitch n' Pitch game last week. These are my third pair of socks for Summer of Socks and my first pair for the Sock a Month KAL 4. Hmmm, a double-play? How fitting for a pair that was begun on a ride to a ballgame!

Specs:

Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta - 45% cotton, 40% superwash wool, 15% nylon - Color #5612
100-gram skein (414 yards) This pair for my size 11 feet used ~83 grams.

Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo DPNs, US size 1 (2.25mm)

Pattern: My basic 2x2. rib 72-stitch version

It's been a busy week. Lots of work to do, which is a good thing but it keeps me from having much knitting time. I ended up having Monday night off instead of having to go to Vancouver to deal cards at a party, so I took the opportunity to go to a SNB meet-up. It was very nice to sit with a group of other knitters for a couple of hours enjoying coffee, each others' projects, conversation, and knitting. If you're stressed from working, I highly recommend carving out a couple of hours for this kind of activity.

Tuesday night was bowling league. I skipped the last couple of weeks due to work obligations, so I was worried that I would be a bit rusty. Turns out I should take two-week breaks more often! In my second game, I bowled 233! Yeah, you could have knocked me over with a feather. LOL Of course, the candy-striped socks demand a little bit of credit since I worked on them between frames and that kept me from worrying so much about my score.

Last night I worked at a country club party. Not a bad gig, but getting there was a bit trying on my patience. I'm in a suburb on the west side of Portland. The party was located in a suburb on the east side of Portland. I had to be there by 6:30. Can you say "rush hour traffic?" I knew that you could! Knowing it was going to be a slow crawl from one side of town to the other, I left the house at 4:00. About two hours and 15 minutes later, I arrived at the party -- which only lasted for two hours! I'm glad I gave myself plenty of time or I would have been a basket case -- and late. Fortunately, I had knitting podcasts to listen to on the way there and the socks to work on between the time I got the roulette table set up and the party actually started.

Yep, one way or another, knitting keeps me centered!

Next on the needles: Birthday socks for a friend in Dream in Color Smooshy. The color is a lovely Visual Purple, which just happens to be my friend's favorite shade. These should be fun!

Note for today: Get the Sockapalooza 4 socks in the mail to my pal!

Just a little S.A.S.

Yesterday's mail had a nice little surprise: A sample of Soxx Appeal, a new sock yarn from Knit One Crochet Too. (S.A.S = Soxx Appeal Sample)

I missed the cut to receive enough of this yarn to knit a full pair of socks, but they sent me a sample anyway. So, last night I knit it into a baby sock to see how it worked out.

The yarn is a mix of 96% superwash merino, 3% nylon, and 1% elastic. The color I received is called Copperfield. Recommended needle size is US2 (2.75mm) to yield 8sts/inch.

I immediately liked the feel of the yarn. Very soft. It appears to have a fairly tight twist, but when knitting, it can split a bit. Not enough to worry about, just enough that you have to pay a little bit of attention to what you're doing.

I knit the baby sock using US1 (2.25mm) needles because the larger needle made a looser fabric than I like. I got 9sts/inch and a very satisfying tight stitch that I think would be lovely and long-wearing in a full-sized sock.

The tiny bit of elastic is just enough to give the finished product a very nice 'memory' and the finished sock is very soft and pleasing to the touch. I will definitely buy this yarn. I predict lots of cozy feet wearing Soxx Appeal socks this winter!

The gulls are flying!

Yes, the Flying Gull socks are finished. And I have to say, I love them! They fit perfectly and are just the right height for me. And they are soft and airy while still being warm and toasty. Yes, I'm definitely pleased.

So now I only have two pairs of socks OTN instead of three. Progress!


Specs:

Yarn: ShiBui Sock in the Sky colorway

Needles: US size 2 (2.75mm) Crystal Palace 6" bamboo -- these are now my favorite sock needles

Pattern: My basic sock with my own adaptation of the Gull Lace pattern in The Knitter's Almanac. The repeat on the pattern didn't quite fit the stitch count I needed, so I added a set of tw0-stitch twists on either side, which splits at the gusset. The heel is done in the Eye of Peacock stitch and blends really well with the lace.

For a first try at adapting a generic stitch pattern to my standard sock template, I think it came out very, very well.

Eyelet Chevron Socks!

Yeah! Another test knit project is published. I finished these Eyelet Chevron Socks in early April, but they're just now appearing on Knit Picks' Web site, so I couldn't talk about them until now.

This was actually the first pair of socks I made that were on small needles. Before that, I had made slipper socks on US10 needles, so I understood how things were constructed. The folks at Knit Picks took a leap of faith in trusting me to knit these and I'm glad they did. Of course, they're huge enablers, because now I can't stop making socks!

In looking at the specs for them now, I see I did them on US3 needles, which seem very large to me now, since I routinely use US2 needles for most yarns and occasionally US1 needles for some (like Lorna's Laces). US3s just sound too big for regular socks now. My how times change, eh?

Anyway, the Knit Picks Gloss yarn was wonderful to work with and made a very soft pair of socks with just a bit of shine to them. The 70% merino/30% silk mix is a nice combo. Great price, too. You can make this pair of socks for $7.98 +shipping. Not bad! Pool orders with some friends until you get over $45 and you don't even have to pay shipping.

Anyway, I just had to post it here, because I'm still at the stage where I get a real rush from seeing something I knit being used on a professional site. Yeah, I'm somewhat easily amused! :)

Bits and Pieces

Need a quick diversion? See how many sheep you can keep from escaping and test your reaction time. Go play a bit. I'll be here when you get back. . . . So, how'd you do?

I've been slowly acquiring the Barbara Walker Treasury books. I have the first two volumes already and the third one is in transit to me from Amazon (courtesy of the $25 rebate I got for using my Amazon.com Visa). Oh, and I have a copy of Mosaic Knitting, too. These are wonderful resources for stitch patterns and more, but all the pictures are in black-and-white. Okay, so I'm a knitter and I can use my imagination and put color in the right places. Fine. But sometimes I'm lazy and I'd like to really see the patterns in color. It just makes the stitch definition even more beautiful. Enter The Walker Treaury Project. I found this via a link on Alwen's blog and boy, am I glad I did! If you love the Treasury books, check out the project site. Better yet, pick a pattern, knit a swatch, take a great photo, and add to the collection. What a cool idea!

Knitters are a very philanthropic bunch. Not only do knitters give a lot, but they do a lot of things to encourage giving. I'm a firm believer in giving back, and I do it via my wallet whenever I'm able. There are lots of options out there for you to do the same. If you're so inclined, check out the effort Deb is making to raise funds for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. It's a worthy cause and if that's not enough to entice you, she's got some lovely prizes she'll be giving out, too.

I confess that I have not yet started the Mystery Stole Clue 2. In my defense, I've been sidetracked by my new sock. It's coming along quite nicely. I've started the heel using the eye of partridge slip-stitch pattern. I haven't used that before, but I think it looks great with the simple lace pattern where the 'regular' slip-stitch heel would stand out too much. I'm making the leg of these fairly short, simply because I don't like tall socks. It doesn't have anything to dowht the fact that my size 11 feet push a 50-gram, 195-yard skein to the limits if the leg portion is too long. Nothing at all, really!

There are a couple of things I'd change about the pattern for the future. but generally, I like how it's coming out. I'll probably do another pair with those changes, though. For now, I'm obsessed with finishing this one, so I'll be back later!

Beginnings and Endings

Every beginning has an end and vice versa. Sometimes the middle lasts a long time, sometimes it goes all too quickly, and sometimes, like in fairytales, it's just right.

This weekend marked a beginning and and end.

On the beginning side, we had the first "official" meet-up of the PDX Knitting Bloggers group. From seeds planted at the Yarn Harlot's talk when she visited Portland, Bobbie wondered if maybe all the local bloggers could get together sometime. Judy took the initiative and started the Yahoo group, and we were off. In two shakes of a lamb's tail, the group grew and now has a whopping 54 members!

Sunday, a bunch of us got together to knit and chat. Knit Purl graciously offered to host the gathering. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted and invited to the meeting room downstairs. Some of us (ahem!) took a little longer to go downstairs, because we I could not walk past the ShiBui sock yarn without buying some!

Downstairs, we were greeted by Darcy and crew who had iced tea and cold water waiting for us. I'm not certain if the cookies and brownies were from Darcy or someone in the group, but they sure were good! To top it all off, Darcy announced that there were stickers underneath some of the chairs and whoever sat in one of those got a prize. Oh, lucky day, I had a sticker! So in addition to the two skeins of ShiBui I had purchased, I was gifted with two more.

Knitting, conversation and general merriment ensued for the next three hours (which, by the way, flew by). I'm telling you, it does not get better than this. Great knitters, great bloggers, great snacks, great hosts, great yarn -- I'm overcome with the greatness! Kathy already posted a wonderful list of everyone in attendance and links to all the blogs, so I won't repeat it here. Besides, you should visit Kathy's blog; she has some good stuff over there!

Okay, so that was the beginning item for the weekend. I sure hope the middle of that one goes on and on and on.

Here's the ending item: The striped socks are finished! I even washed them and they are blocking now. Someone sent me an email after my last post about this (sorry, I seem to have lost it and can't remember who it was!) and said that the Regia yarn softens up considerably after washing. That's definitely true, thank goodness! They came out of the wash very nice and soft. Now as long as they fit my friend, all will be well.

I'd classify the middle on this item as just right. I started them on June 23rd and finished them on July 8th. Not super-fast, but given the amount of stuff I have going on, pretty quick.

Specs:

Yarn: Regia Strato , color 5743
Needles: Empress bamboo DPNS, U.S. size 1
Pattern: My basic 2x2 rib

Next up? Finish the the Mountain Colors Bearfoot SIPs and the lacy one's I posted a preview shot of before. Oh, and the Mystery Stole Clue #2 is waiting for me, too. I finally finished Clue #1 after having to rip out the last two rows due to a mistake I couldn't isolate. That's what I get for trying to work with black yarn after 10:00 at night!

Do you feel lucky?

Apparently lots of folks feel lucky today because it's 7/7/07. While I hope they're right (everyone deserves to be lucky), I don't put a lot of stock in it. I sort of feel lucky every day -- lucky to be alive, lucky to have friends, lucky to have my health, lucky to know how to knit. . . you get the idea. I have to bowl in the finals of the State Games of Oregon this afternoon, so we'll see if I get luckier than usual. The way I've been bowling lately, I need all the luck I can get!

In my last post, I asked you to tell me what you think knitting proficiency looks like. Thanks to those of you who responded!

I think it's sort of hard to rate ourselves as knitters. I mostly consider myself a beginner, but then I'll go somewhere and talk to other knitters and find there are things I can explain to them.

I think Melissa hit the nail on the head when she said, "To me, proficiency in knitting is a learning curve that never ends." Life is like that, too, don't you think? :)

Okay, I promised pictures of WIPs, so here goes!

First, we have the Regia socks, which are almost finished. I should be able to polish them off today at the aforementioned bowling tournament or shortly thereafter. I really like how they've worked up. It's the first time I've used machine-dyed yarn and because I made a note of where I started in the color pattern and started the second one in the same place, the stripes match up almost exactly. I think these will wear very well and be warm, but they're not the softest thing in the world and I'm not sure I'd use this yarn again. I hope my friend likes them. She hikes and I think they'd be great hiking socks.

Second would be the test knit project that I finally finished. It took 113 grams of yarn. I had only received 100 grams, so had to put out the emergency beacon last week for an additional skein so I could finish it. So close! Anyway, it's finished and went to the UPS store today. I have to say it came out very, very cute. Unfortunately, I can't show you right now. Sorry.

Next we have a dishcloth that I started in the lull before the Summer of Socks began, but then forgot to post about. It's been set aside for now in favor of sock and shawl and test knitting, but that's okay as it was really just for cable practice anyway. :)

Finally, we have the "Cindy got a wild hair and had to try something" project. Yes, despite the fact that I already have two pairs of socks on the needles (the Regia ones above and the Mountain Colors ones I posted about before -- which have gotten a little bit of attention, but not much), I just had to cast on for another pair. It's not my fault, really. I mean, I can't really help it if an idea comes to me and won't be denied, can I?

So here you have the beginnings of a new sock. The lace is an adaptation of the lace pattern from the test knit I just did. It doesn't quite fit the stitch count for my standard socks, so I've added a pair of twists on either side of the leg. When the heel separates things, there will be a single twist on either side of the lace as it goes down the gusset and foot. It's a little too early to tell how this is really going to work out, but so far I'm liking the effect. The yarn is ShiBui sock in the color Sock Sky.

I'll let you know if this one flies (yeah, I know, that's punny), or jumps into the frog pond.

Oh, and I'm behind on the Mystery Stole 3 project. I thought I was going to make it through Clue 1 by Friday, but work and the aforementioned wild hair got in the way. I'm on row 90 of Clue 1's 100 rows, though, so I'm close. Clue 2 has 50 rows. I'm hoping I can catch up with that one, although I'm not going to sweat it too much. I can only do what I can do and unfortunately sometimes that means that knitting requiring high levels of concentration gets short shrift. :)

Tomorrow, the PDX Knitting Bloggers are meeting at Knit Purl from 2:00 to 5:00. Should be a good time. Someone please slap my hand if I pick up more than one skein of yarn! (Okay, maybe two skeins of Shi Bui sock.) I'll take my camera and post some pics afterward.

Ciao for now!

In the better late than never category. . .

Time flies, fun or not. Yes, I'm still here. Thanks to folks who have written asking about that. Y'all are sweet. I've just been (a) tired, (b) working a lot, (c) lazy about blogging, (b) not producing much knitting to talk about, or (d) all of the above. If you chose (d), you're right!

Oh, there's one more thing that keeps me on my toes, so to speak. The Sockapalooza Fire Socks are still seeking a good time! Even though the sun didn't come out for my car club's annual potluck picnic, the socks insisted on tagging along. Here, you see them eyeing the table of raffle prizes. Although food was plentiful (can you say 'spaghetti cook-off' and 'ice cream sundaes'? I knew that you could!) those darned socks were much more interested in prizes than food. Sadly, they didn't win anything.

True to our Northwest roots, we didn't let a little (okay, at times a lot) of rain deter us from a good water balloon toss. The socks really wanted to get involved, but I had to be firm. After all, it's hard to catch a water balloon when all you have is heels and toes to work with! I hadn't been to a club event for a while, so it was great to see everyone again. Always nice to hang out with folks who are like-minded, be it about knitting or cars. :)

Knitting has been happening here, it's just finishing that's up in the air. So, here you go with some in-progress shots.

First up, here's the progress on the first two socks for Summer of Socks. On the left, we have a sock that's shaping up nicely in Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Granite Peak colorway. This yarn is 60% wool, 25% mohair, and 15% nylon, which makes for a very soft, squishy, warm sock. I'm just working my standard pattern in a 2x2 rib on US2 needles, 68 stitches cast on. Love how the colors are moving around on this one. The picture did a good job of capturing the subtle changes.

On the right, is another standard 2x2 rib sock -- although this one is on US1 needles with 72 stitches cast on. This is done in Regia Strato Schiefer #5743, 75% new wool, 25% polyamid. This yarn isn't as thick as the Mountain Colors, so the smaller needles and extra stitches produce a better, more durable fabric. These will be for a friend who recently celebrated a birthday. I hope she will like them!

Finally, I've been working on a test knit project that I can't really talk about yet, but here's a close-up of the stitch pattern. It's working up quickly and looks pretty nice. The challenge for me is that the pattern is more of an old-fashioned narrative than a pattern in the way we think of them nowadays. It gives some particulars, some basics, and then leaves it to the knitter to figure out the rest. Couple that with the fact that I don't have a picture of the finished object, and it's been a bit daunting. My fear of failure has made me procrastinate on it a bit, but I'm almost finished now and it's coming out quite nicely, so I guess I was just being a nervous Nellie.

Tomorrow will bring the first installment of the pattern for Mystery Stole #3. I have my yarn and beads and needles and teeny-tiny crochet hook and even a swatch all done. The next challenge will be finding time to work on the lace, a project that requires much more attention than simple socks. Somehow I expect I won't finish this one 'on schedule,' although there's nothing that says that's a requirement. I'm excited to get started, though, and am anticipating a beautiful end result based on what Melanie has produced in the past.

Okay, back to work for me! Hopefully I'll have some FOs for you soon.

Oh! If you are in the Portland area, there are two yarny things of note this weekend. On Friday, a new store is opening on NE Broadway. It's called Twisted and will have knitting as well as other crafty stuff. Interesting.

Then on Saturday, Abundant Yarn and Dyeworks is having an all-night knitting party to celebrate our short, Northwest summer nights. It sounds like a lot of fun, although I don't know if I could make it all night. Not that you have to. They'll have a room available for being quiet and napping -- bring your own blankie, pillow and (optional) air mattress. :)

That's all for now!

ETA: Oops! I forgot to put my stash enhancement picture. How silly of me!

Okay, here are four new sock yarns that I'm anxious to try (not that I don't already have a ton of others in my stash I'd like to get on the needles). From left to right, these are:

From the Loopy Ewe: Dream in Color super-squishy sock yarn in Cocoa Kiss This is a nice one to pet! I think this will end up as man-socks.

Next up, All Things Heather sock yarn in Royal. Okay, so these are my all-time favorite blues. Couple that with a soft yarn and you've got a winning combination in my book.

Finally, we have two cakes from Extreme Yarn, some wonderful hand-dyed colors here. The top one is simply called "Purple" and it is. The bottom one is called "Go Cubs" and although I' not a Cubs fan, I think the name is uber-cute and I like the red/white/blue combo a lot.

Okay, now I really am done. Really!

That darned sock!

The sock was on the move again last night. Off to the bowling alley, where it proceeded to try and substitute on my league. Sadly, the sock is not a very good bowler. However, my team is one that embraces diversity whole-heartedly and gave the sock cautious pats on the back when it missed spares and rolled gutter balls (thankfully there were no palms poked by errant needles and no stitches dropped during overly-enthusiastic atta-boys).

This may be the sock's last outing since the heel and gusset are now complete and it's a straight shot towards the toe. Then I'm sure the sock will snub me in favor of catching an airliner and running off with it's new travel companion, my Sockapalooza pal. Just like a kid. All that labor and then it's off into the world with narry a "Thanks mom!" thrown over the gusset!

Oh, apologies for the shoddy picture. I forgot my camera and had to resort to the cell phone to document the moment. And yes, the sock made sure to chastise me for being so forgetful!

Fire socks like to party!

I'm deterimined to finish my Sockapalooza socks by Thursday. I have to because that's when Summer of Socks starts and it would be tragic to be in the middle of a pair of socks then (because they won't count towards SOS).

But my Sockapalooza socks are party animals. Seriously. They like to get out and have a good time. That's all well and good, but when they have such a busy social life, it makes it hard to get them finished.

I've decided to document a bit of the social life of a sock so y'all won't think I'm just making idle excuses for not being finished already.

Here, the sock #2 (and it's finished partner) are ready for night of gambling -- not for real money, but just for fun. I mean, where would an unfinished pair of socks get cash anyway? It's not like they're ready to stand at the counter taking orders at McDonalds or something! To add insult to injury, on this adventure, the socks insisted that I deal blackjack for them! I mean, really!

The socks were unimpressed with my protestations and only moderately swayed by my skills at dealing and advising them how to play the odds. They proceeded to double-down on ill-advised hands, like 12, and win. And they wouldn't even share any of their funny money with me. How rude.


Saturday night, I tried to get some more stitches completed. But the socks weren't having much of it. They insisted on attending the Billings Dance Center 75th-year Celebration instead of staying at home and sticking to their knitting. Here they are waiting for the show to start and being quite envious of the beautiful roses someone in front of us had brought to give to one of the young performers after the show. I managed to convince the socks that they really didn't need their own roses; they're colorful enough on their own!

I have to say that I'm thankful the socks wanted to attend this event. A friend's niece was one of the performers and she is wonderful. She sang and danced and pretty much wiped the stage clean during the group hip-hop number. Think up-and-coming star ala, So You Think You Can Dance and that pretty much sums it up. It was a very enjoyable show, even when my friend's niece wasn't on stage. :)

Okay, today is back-to-work day and the socks will allow me to add stitches. I mean it this time! They want to go gambling again tonight, though, so we'll see how that goes. Oh, and they've already informed me they're going bowling tomorrow night. Pics to come!

Two beginnings, an end, and perhaps a fantasy

Life is full of beginnings and endings. Change happens, whether we want it to or not. I'm pretty much a creature of habit and although I know change creates new opportunities for growth, renewal, and new adventures, I often find myself resenting it when it first happens.

So today, we have two beginnings and one ending. There's also a bit of fantasy that I'll save for the end of this post.

Let's start with the good stuff -- beginnings! Here's beginning number one.

When the Yarn Harlot spoke here in Portland last week, she asked the audience how many had knitting blogs. I don't think it's a stretch to say that most of us were surprised at how many hands went into the air. Comments on blogs ensued, followed by email exchanges and now we have our own Yahoo Group for PDX-area knitting bloggers! Plans are afoot to get together and chat, knit, take pictures for blogs, whatever. Very cool! The possibilities are, indeed, endless. So, if you live in the greater Portland, Oregon metropolitan area and have a knitting blog, come join us!

Here's beginning number two.

I suppose I really should call it a prelude rather than a true beginning since the kick-off isn't until next Thursday, the 21st. But I'm excited about it, so there you go. :) Anyway, I'm talking about Summer of Socks. Jessica has attracted a lot of sock knitters for this event, along with some major sponsors and lots of prizes. I doubt I'll be in the running for making hte most socks, but I might have a chance at some of the other prizes. The best prize of all will be all the socks I have finished at the end of three months! Since socks in progress go with me just about everywhere, I'll make sure to put a camera in my knitting bag, too, so I can take picks of the traveling socks. The event ends in September when I'll be in Italy knitting with Debbie Stoller, so the last few pics of the traveling socks will be from the Tuscan hills. Sweet!

Which brings us to the ending. Many of you probably already saw the sad news that the Destash blog is no more. It seems it was a victim of its own success -- too many participants and too many posts that simply didn't follow the rules made it more than Teri and Susan could keep up with. RIP, Destash. I will miss your bargains. I will miss seeing what other folks are destashing. And I will miss being able to quickly and easily unload things from my stash. And thanks to Teri and Susan for creating it and sticking with it as long as they did. The blog provided a needed community service. Hopefully I'll get a Ravelry invitation at some point and something similar will be created there. :)

Okay, that leaves us with fantasy. A very nice Portland yarn shop, Lint, is for sale. Since I was a kid, I always thought it would be cool to own a crafty sort of store. Now that I've narrowed down my crafty aspirations to a total obsession with all things yarn-related, and since I'm now semi-retired and really only want to do things that I love, the idea of owning a little yarn shop sounds really good to me. Of course, there are some obstacles -- like I've never worked in a yarn shop and have no idea how to run one. But that's why this is filed under fantasy. I mean, I think it would be so much fun to facilitate other yarn obsessions, constantly be surrounded by lovely yarns and people who know what to do with them, and generally make money doing what I love to do. I guess what I'd really need is a great business partner. I know I can sell things (I've sold novelties at car shows quite successfully, among other things) and I know I can connect with people really well. What I'm not so confident about are things like doing the books, dealing with business licenses, and mundane stuff like that. LOL Anyway, if anyone is looking for a really nice shop in a great neighborhood location (there's even parking) Lint is up for grabs. And if you want someone to help you run the place, I'm available! :)

Oh, and here's one final beginning for today. Beginning of the second Fire Sock for my Sockapalooza pal. I need to finish this before the Summer of Socks begins. It just won't do to be in the middle of a pair of socks when that starts. :)

Fire sock, come walk with me!

Or maybe I should say, "Come hop with me," since I've only completed one sock so far.

After getting so much time to work on this sock while riding the MAX train and waiting at Powell's to hear Stephanie's talk, it was very close to being completed.

I was committed to bowling today in the State Games of Oregon final eliminations tournament. For some reason, I signed up for two squads, back-to-back, which meant I was at the bowling alley from around 12:30 until around 5:00. So the sock accompanied me, and when I wasn't bowling, I was knitting. By the end of the first three games, I had it finished and then did kitchener stitch on the toe while waiting for the next squad to start.

Knit in Public Day may have been yesterday, but my KIP was Friday and today! So here you have it, pictured from both sides so you can see how the colors barber-poled on the leg, striped on the heel, and then pooled in pretty swirls reminiscent of raspberry sherbert.

I sure hope it fits my Sockapalooza sock pal and that she likes the colors. I love how the pattern worked up (Waving Lace by Evelyn Clark). Now to finish its mate!