Swatchless

A cold and blustery day had me inside under the covers knitting to warm up from time to time.

I am enjoying these stripes so much!!!

I like that they are symmetrical.  This comes from dyeing the very large skein from the warping board in segments from end to end like the skein is a long rectangle.

The resulting stripes are as follows:

Blue, green, white, orange, brown, white, gold, white, brown, orange, white, green, blue

To make a non symmetrical, but repeated pattern you need to take the large skein, and take meter-long segments around the circle and dye them in order in the round.

The resulting stripes would be as follows:

Blue, green, white, orange, brown, white, gold, blue, green, white, orange, brown, white, gold.

It’s always a curious thing how these stripes will work out at the heel…can’t wait to see!

Have you noticed that when it gets cold, you start to knit more?  Maybe it is just a problem for me, but as soon as the forecast mentioned a chance of snow, and the sky clouded over and the cold rain began to fall and the wind began to howl, I couldn’t wait for my freshly dyed wool to be completely dry.  It is mostly dry, and that seemed to be good enough for now.

wool dyed with turmeric, onion skins (partially overdyed with beans), black bean dye, and bean dye dipped in ammonia

I wound it up into a ball….

….and promptly cast on for a new pair of wool socks.

the colours look a little different in real life.

The colours are pretty exciting, and I think I might just turn on a movie and knit late into the night.  I’m sure by the time I have them knit, it will be sandals and shorts weather once more.

It seems robot knitting is ALL the rage these days!  I got the Knitpicks catalogue in the mail today and saw this on the back cover.

I’m a bit tempted to make something similar….but have to focus on robot hats first.

I have to say that I am very impressed with this month’s catalogue.  There is such variation.  Gorgeous socks…I particularly like the “boyfriend socks” [Ravelink] by Mary Jane Mucklestone found in “The Joy of Sox”

image from Ravelry.com

There are great kilt socks in kit form, and a set of Japanese inspired socks and leggings textured with lace and cables from “Knitted Socks East and West” by Judy Summer.

There are some whimsical purses on a fruit and veggie theme that incorporate beaded knitting, stranded colourwork, and a whole lot of fun.  I’m not sure if I could pull off using one of these, but I bet they would be a hit among some hip teenagers somewhere!

What really got me was the next section of Amigurumi Knits based on the book by Hansi Singh [Ravelink]

Knitted insects (ants, praying mantis, spiders) hermit crabs and even a jackalope!  Check them out if you have an urge to knit something unconventional.

image from Ravelry.com

image from Ravelry.com

And….for those of you with little ones to knit for, the Barnyard Buddies kits look adorable!  It wouldn’t be a far stretch to adapt other bonnet and shorties/longies patterns to create more animals for your baby.

There’s a cute piggy pattern with a curlicue tail…so adorable!

Good job Knitpicks on the great package of inspiration.  Usually I get upset by paper catalogues in my mailbox, but the one this month is not a disappointment!

Meet little Laila, daughter of friends of mine.  At 2.5 weeks old she’s sporting her very own pair of Olympic Mittens, and the matching ensemble I knit over the last few weeks.  She’s such a cute girl, making all sorts of faces and noises as she gets used to the big bright world.

I hope everyone in Ontario has a Happy Family Day weekend!!  I know I’ll enjoy an extra day to relax, and catch up on my sleep (and knitting).

My wheel is fixed–thanks to my dad, some long thin pieces of rubber, and locktite adhesive.  This afternoon I carded and spun up two bobbins full, and navajo plied them.

I chose to make the yarn 3 ply since my fleece isn’t so uniform.  There are lots of short fibers, and it’s still a bit greasy (not soiled though).  Even though I carded it twice, and removed many small pieces, it still is riddled with “fluffy bits” when I spin it.  Luckily when it is 3 ply, the fluffy pieces blend together with the thin bits to make a “rustic” yarn that seems to be worsted or aran weight.

This wasn’t really my plan, but that’s what the fiber does.  These socks will be very thick, good for wearing in rainboots I think.  Maybe thick socks will be finished quickly.  If there is time, perhaps I’ll make mittens too.

dying yarn with food colouring and vinegar in the microwave

To add some interest, I dyed one bobbin full of yarn a nice shade of green.  I needed to use a lot of food colouring, and then I added green kool-aid, and some orange too, to dull the intensity a bit.

hanging up to dry

The colour in that picture is not very accurate.  When it is dry, and in natural light, it will look better.

Now I’m off to bed to dream up a pattern!

Today I put on my favourite socks, and there was a hole in the heel and in the toe.

when they were new

These are my favourite socks because I knit them from wool that I dyed and spun myself.  These are my favourite socks because they don’t match, but they do go together.  These are my favourite socks because of the memories that are knit into them (I remember one particular orange stripe that was knit while listening to Stephen Lewis speak).

Some people would throw away a sock that has a hole in it.  I can’t bear to part with these ones, so I’ll darn them instead.

Here’s how to darn a hole in a knitted garment:

Step 1:  Thread a darning needle (long blunt needle with big eye) with matching yarn.

Step 2:  Insert a darning egg, or a lightbulb (old incandescent kind) into the sock/garment to keep the area taut.

Step 3:  Sew loosely around the hole, make sure that all live stitches are caught so the hole wont get bigger.

Step 4:  Sew across the hole area in one direction, sewing through each stitch on the edge.  Leave threads crossing the hole, loose enough to keep the fabric from puckering.

Step 5:  Sew across the hole area in the other direction, going over and under the threads left from step 4.  Catch the stitches at each end.

the end result will be a woven area instead of the hole.

NOTE:  It is considerably easier to darn socks BEFORE they get a hole.  Examine your socks as you wash them, or wear them.  If you see areas that are getting see-through it is time for a “pre-emptive darning mission” to prevent any holes from developing.

What’s your favourite team?

These socks were designed for several football fans who wanted to let everyone know their allegiance.  Knit in team colours, with logos on the top and bottom of the foot, these socks show your team spirit when you’ve got your feet up watching the game.

Knit in worsted weight acrylic yarn, these socks are fairly quick to knit.  Graph your favourite logo, and knit it right side up on the top of the foot, and upside down on the bottom.  Add stripes on the cuff, and contrasting heels and toes, then wear with pride!

Toe up socks:  Cast on figure of 8 method 16 sts.  Knit in the round, increasing on alternate rows until sock fits over toes.  Change colours. Knit a few rows in before starting logo chart (knit more for longer feet).  Start logo.  On the top of the foot read the chart from the lower right.  On the bottom of the foot read the chart from top left.  Here is a chart as an example.

Having the chart on the top and bottom of the foot serves two purposes.  It allows for more continuous stranded knitting, and also shows team spirit when your feet are up while you’re watching the game.  Work your favourite heel in contrasting colours(if doing a gusset, you might need to start this while still knitting the chart–that’s ok).  An afterthought heel works well for this pattern.  After the heel continue up the leg.  Change to ribbing, and add team colour stripes as desired.  Cast off loosely in ribbing.  Wear, and be the envy of EVERYONE!

Happy super bowl everyone!

Who are you cheering for?

My, I certainly had more of this yarn than I thought!  I have now made a bonnet, a sweater AND the cutest little baby shoes you ever did see.

These are the seamless version of Saartje’s Bootees that was published on Fleegle’s blog.  I have been eyeing this pattern for a while, and was glad of the opportunity to try it.

These darling shoes knit up quickly, and have no seams to sew up, a real plus in my books.  I hope that they will stay securely on little baby feet.

More friends and relatives are expecting babies this spring.  I’m looking forward to knitting lots of tiny baby clothes to send off to everyone!

It’s time to go dive into the stash for a different colour though, I think I’ve just about had it with this blue and yellow!

It is with great regret that I announce my death…..

Tonight there was a pair of beautiful socks in my mail box.  They are purple and stripey and so soft and comfy! This is the first pair of hand knit socks I have ever been given, and I will treasure them.  I’ve noticed that knitters don’t often get hand knit gifts for some reason….

Thanks so much to warrior “suckittrebek” for the fine knitting, and the yummy chocolate!  I’m glad (and a little concerned) that you enjoyed killing a Canadian so much.

Pattern:  Don’t Box Me In

Yarn:  Bamboo & Ewe Pattern, superfine wool/bamboo blend yarn (55% wool, 30% nylon, 15% rayon from bamboo)

I came home tonight, with FREEZING toes (it’s -25 C with windchill tonight).  I tried on my new socks, and put my feet up for a bit. I might get a chance to do a little knitting of my own before I go to sleep.

It’s been quite a day!

Today I heard from my target (#180 – Sybil).  She is DEAD!  The mail got there way faster than the post office man said….he guaranteed it would take LONGER than 7 business days, but it took shorter than 5.  She is happy with her socks! 

The image above comes from the leaderboard which gets updated with more deaths daily.  The issue that I have now is that my target has already assassinated her target (#181 -TakesNoPrisoners), who has assassinated her target (#182 -Termiknitter) who has assassinated her target (#183 -The Full-Contact Knitter).

So….I’m trying to contact #183, to find out where their socks are.  If they have not been finished, they should get mailed to me.  If they have been finished then #184 will also be dead, and their socks should be mailed to me.  #183′s socks may also be in transit in their unfinished form to #182 who should then mail them to me.

I have contacted the head of the competition for the contact information of these knitters, and we’ll see what happens next.  I’m just excited that #178 (suckittrebek in NM) has not mailed socks to me yet, so I’m still alive (until I check the mail on Monday at least!)

Yay sockwars!

Note:  I also found out by stalking the sockwars ravelry group that another warrior is from Kingston….I met her at WoolTyme….this could get VERY interesting!  hahaha….

Is it a bad sign that I want to hand deliver a pair of death socks?