Finished Object!

The Sorbet Swirl socks are complete! I am so very happy with these that it will be a bit of a wrench to give them away come Christmas, but I know their intended recipient will love them as much as I do.

Aren’t they pretty?

The Vital Statistics:
Pattern: Swirly Girl by Deby Lake for YARN Magazine
Yarn: TOFUtsies colour #847
Needles: 2.25mm & 2.5mm DPNs
Modifications: I worked them toe-up rather than top-down as called for in the pattern, and used a provisional short-row toe and a reverse gusset heel (I pretty much abandoned the pattern and just superimposed the lace chart onto my standard ‘Autopilot’ socks). I added a little calf-shaping by increasing one stitch in each purl column at the start of the second-last pattern repeat, and then changing to 2.5mm needles for the final repeat and the ribbing. I also did my first ever tubular bind-off, which I love truly, madly, deeply.

Amen!

What a concept! Amy and Bells have joined the ranks of my heroes.

Go check it out. Join the revolution.

Totally Tubular, Dude!

(and so saying, she tells everyone exactly how old she is).

The point is, I have finished Sorbet Swirl sock #1 with a tubular bind-off, and it is just the absolute duck’s guts, people (and there I go again with the age-specific vernacular)! I have been playing about lately with a tubular cast-on, and I like it a lot: simple (if a little fiddly), and very, very beautiful with ribbing. I had read somewhere on the blogs about a matching bind-off, but had never actually seen a tutorial, so I Googled it, and started working my way through the results. My heart began to sink as I waded through one confusing set of instructions after another, all with still photos (I have difficulty with still pics – I learn more easily from video). Then lo and behold, the brilliant Lucy Neatby came to the rescue (she is now on my list of Superhero Knitters)! Take a look – it is so clever and easy I can’t even tell you! (I learned it with no pics of any kind – not even those newfangled moving pictures!)

Anyway, here’s the result:

Stretchy, yet still pleasing to the eye; I love it – this will be my default toe-up cast-off from now on.

C is for Cookie, that’s good enough for me.

Remember the good old days, before Cookie Monster got all health conscious?

Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Recipe here.

Excuse me, the kettle is whistling.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

I’m a little behind schedule with this week’s sock. Friday is normally my big knitting day, because Sasquatch is at preschool, and I can focus on knitting (instead of the 32,576 questions he asks me every hour). This Friday however, I got a little bit carried away playing with my new toys.

So here we have half a sock:

I love this sock! It is intended for a Christmas gift, but once the Silly Season is over, I’m thinking I’d like a pair in this same colourway (TOFUtsies #847). It reminds me of rainbow sherbet, so I’ve decided to call these socks Sorbet Swirl. Love, love, love.

Several people have asked me how I’m liking the Harmony Needles (it seems I may be the first person in Australia to get her hands on a set). The answer is, I’m in lurve. If they weren’t so pointy, I’d roll around on the floor with them. They are everything that I like in a knitting needle, plus they are stripey and brightly coloured. Totally worth every penny.

Finally, a word of advice for all the preschoolers out there: when throwing a tantrum, it completely ruins the moment if you stamp your foot and your pants fall down. Your mother is much more likely to fall about laughing than to cave in to your demands.

Ask me how I know.

In Which I Get Carried Away With Italics and Exclamation Marks!

Tomorrow is my birthday. I tell you this not to fish for comments or to solicit presents, but to explain the extraordinary haul I am about to display. I know that strictly speaking, I shouldn’t have opened these until tomorrow, but when you see what I got you’ll understand why I simply couldn’t wait (I knew they were coming)!

A whole stack of gorgeous goodies from Knitpicks, and two issues of Interweave Knits. That Pencil-case looking thingy at the top? That is full of these:

That’s right, those are the Harmony Wood Options tips. Aren’t they pretty? (you oughta feel ‘em – they are silky smooth to the touch!) They aren’t available here in Australia yet. Hee hee! (sorry, I’m trying very hard not to gloat, but it just comes burbling out a bit). Becky forwarded them for me. She also slipped this in the parcel:

Sorry for the blurry. This was the best I could do (and that’s with the camera’s anti-shake doohickey on) . I was a teeny bit excited. This is Mountain Colors Bearfoot sock yarn, in Indian Corn colourway. I admired some on Becky’s blog a while ago, and she remembered. Isn’t she a sweetheart?

Also, I have the following cottony goodness:

That’s twelve balls of Den-M-Nit in mid-indigo and ten balls of Lara cotton in Brick, both from Elann.com. They will be respectively, this and this. I can highly recommend the service at Elann. I ordered this on the 28th September (which was a Friday) and it got here from Canada the following Wednesday! That’s five days, including a weekend, to get halfway around the world. Kudos to both Elann and Canada’s Postal Service.

Al this is because my lovely husband gave me a birthday budget a couple of weeks ago, sat me down in front of the computer and said “Go shopping!”. If he wasn’t already married, I’d totally run away with him.

The cherry on top? Today is Friday, and I am a child-free zone. I get to play unmolested all day!

This might just be the best birthday ever!

A Call to Arms

One of my bloggy friends, Elizabeth, is just beginning her final year at University, and needs knitters en masse to assist her with her senior project. This is what she has to say:

Hello Knitters,

As of September, I have entered my last year of undergraduate study and am working on an academic year-long senior project. I’ve been immersed in knitting for many years, and it was only logical that I use it as a theme for my thesis work.

Over the next year, I want to work with the knitters of the world to create a piece that not only dispels the stereotype of the knitter, but also creates an accurate portrait of who we are. A lot of life happens “between the stitches” and I want to illustrate that to knitters and non-knitters alike.

Your contribution will be a knitted piece of your choosing which will be “tagged” during the knitting process. The “tags” will resemble clothing tags and will be attached to your knitting much like you would attach a locking or split-ring stitch marker. Each tag will represent a very short journal or blog entry. You will be asked to write the date and time, and a sentence or two about what you are doing, how you are feeling, or any thoughts you may be having at that time.

When the piece is finished, it will represent the process of creating it and what life was like while it was being created. Your finished knitted pieces will be curated and exhibited in a Philadelphia gallery in May. All pieces will be returned, and the tags will be removable and are designed to keep your gauge in tact. When your piece is returned, you can snip off the tags and wear it!

I will cover the cost of shipping to and from Philadelphia. The tags will be mailed in late November or early December, and the deadline for mailing finished pieces to be will be in March. Pictures of the exhibition will be provided electronically (through email or Flickr) which you will be able to use for you blogs, Ravelry, etc.

I encourage every knitter to contribute to this project–even if you think you’re “just a beginner.” I want to represent as many knitters as possible! If you are interested in contributing, please respond back with a yes or no. An email with more information will be sent shortly.

I’m very excited about my project, and I can’t wait to see what you all create!

*

If you can help her out, post a comment on her blog let her know that you are interested, and spread the word. Let’s see if we can get too many knitters (is there such a thing?).

…and a good sock.

Beatrice: With a good leg and a good foot, uncle, and money enough in his purse, such a man would win any woman in the world, if he could get her good-will.

Much Ado About Nothing, ACT II, Scene I.

The Vital Statistics:
Pattern: Earl Grey, by Stephanie Pearl McPhee
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country Naturals 8ply, colour 1832 (brick red) and 1812 (navy)
Needles: 3.25mm dpns
Modifications: I changed the gauge, but otherwise I followed the pattern .

I’m very happy with these, and more importantly my hubby loves them. They are the first thing I have ever knit for him (which is pretty bad, considering we’ve been married for better than 17 years).

In accordance with item #1 on my personal challenge list, we are two weeks into the knitalong, and I have two socks to show for my trouble. So far, so good.

I have cast on my next sock, too. It’s a basic toe-up out of the Knitpicks Simple Stripes yarn that my Sockapalooza pal Becky sent me in August, which I am knitting continental, in accordance with Goal #4 of my Personal Challenge list. It is s l o w going, but if I keep practicing I can’t help but get faster, right? Right?

I don’t know if you can see it, but I’ve incorporated a tiny bit of texture into the sock. I’m working [K2, K2tbl] , which gives a very subtle ribbed effect that is keeping me amused and preventing the boredom-induced liquefaction of my brain that inevitably results from endless stocking stitch, even when I’m working with a new technique like Continental knitting.

Before you ask, that trashy little tart ball of Tofutsies that was touting its wares calling my name last week is having a long hard think about its behaviour. Swatches were knit. Lies were told. I don’t want to talk about it.

Submitted for your approval…

…one BSJ.

Front…

…and back

The Vital Statistics:
Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Heirloom Easy Care 12ply; colour 787 (green) 3 1/2 balls, 760 (red) 1 ball, 799 (navy) 1 ball.
Needles: 5mm Addi Turbo 80cm circular
Modifications: I lengthened the sleeves a little, and as I opted for toggle/loop fastenings I didn’t need to make button holes, but otherwise I followed the pattern to the letter.

I can’t tell you how happy I am with this little jacket. I see many more EZ goodies in my future. Maybe even an Adult Surprise Jacket someday.

I had a very pleasant day by myself in Orange. I had a nice wander about the shops I never get to go into, because the boys would fiddle with all the pretty, shiny, breakable, expensive things. I went to the library and borrowed some books, and took myself to lunch, and as anticipated some yarn followed me home (this was not entirely an impulse buy – it is intended for Christmas gift socks).

Four balls of Patonyle, in a denim-blue and a light beige. The beige will likely get a dip in the dye-pot in the very near future.

Meanwhile, back to the Sock Mines.

Woohoo!

It is school holidays here in the land of the Frog, and while I love my children dearly, the two of them together all day every day can get a little…. Well, let’s just say the cracks must have been showing, because my wonderful husband has taken a day off work so that I can run away and have a day to myself. The which I will do just as soon as I have finished this post.

I will post again tonight, with a nice arty shot of the now totally finished BSJ, and given the fact that both of my LYS’s are open today, there is a good chance that some yarn will follow me home.

Buh-bye.