Questions and Answers

So, my Fall Felted Bag Exchange pal has questions.

Questions: what is your preferred sock knitting method and what needles do you use? Also, favorite sock yarn or one you want to try?

Well pal o' mine, I like anything BUT Magic Loop. Which is to say, I like dpns a lot, but two circs are so easy to travel with that I guess they are in the #1 slot. Needles? Addis and KnitPicks. I thought I was all about metal, but of late, I've been into wood and bamboo. ANYTHING bamboo appeals to me, because it's the ultimate renewable resource. The stuff makes Virginia Creeper (read: kudzu) look like a slow grower. I'm also really liking the toe-up approach to socks, just for the record.

Favorite sock yarn. Okay gentle reader, I know I've professed my love for about ten different sock yarns, but honestly, Tofutsies has to get the #1 slot. For merino/superwash, I'd go with Lorna's Laces or the local Misty Mountain, both available at the Loopy Ewe. Heck, if all else fails, if you can buy it there, I'll like it. Wick is the only worsted weight sock yarn for me, although I might be trying some others in the holiday knitting rush, which I do believe is upon us. The simple fact is, I love wee little skinny sock yarns. I want to try them all.

Lace is also working its way into my heart, but we have a problem; I'm fickle and want a fast, but passionate fling with my works in progress. Lace? She's a demanding mistress. She wants my full attention, my time, and to Mugsy's chagrin, a lot of my lap space too. She's what the boys call high maintenance, and ask my bigger than a wallet felted bags and baby blankies where that will get ya'. I'm high rent but not high maintenance, so lace is happening on my terms. (Read: Some of you will be getting pictures of your intended holiday gifts instead of the items.)

I have questions too. Why did my new-found joy in one LYS get dosed with cold water today? Do they really not want to sell me more yarn because I haven't brought in a finished project from their stock yet? (I swear. I wouldn't lie to you. That's about word for word what the lady said, in the 14 seconds she took away from her friends at the table in the back. I need to finish up something(s) with the yarn I've purchased there so I can buy more. 'Scuse me? Me and my yarn appetite walked out without even a good-bye. There's a Fiber Festival this weekend, you know!)

Do you (specifically, Anne) know how hard it is for me to not to share a cool work in progress with y'all? I'm learning new skills, trying a new yarn, and keeping it to myself is killing me. I know you'll love the bag, because I'm already thinking maybe I need one for me too...

And now, I have to walk away from this idiot box, so that knitting can actually take place.

Feel-Good Yarn

I take back all of the less than wonderful things I've said about It's a Stitch. Maybe the ladies there are a bit shy or whatever, but now that I've been frequenting it so very often, it's a happy yarn home. They've ordered a color of Louet Riverstone Chunky just because I fondled the color in the light worsted and pouted, while holding a pattern that called for the chunky. (I purchased the pattern, of course.) Remember me whining and complaining about their refusal to order KA dpns for me over the summer? Well, I came home with a set of KA #2s yesterday, so evidently, they changed their minds but the order took too long to serve its original purpose for me. There are two ladies I like better than the others, but that's the way people connect. Their new lines this fall are pulling me in every time I go to town and they're open, which isn't a good thing for me, but is great for them.



That's a shot of today's yarn love. It's Mirasol Hacho. If you haven't heard the Mirasol story, take a moment and go read. I love it when I can buy something I adore and know that I'm in some small way helping the world become a better place. As usual, the colors aren't vivid. It's a perfect fall navy, mixed with dark shades of red, green and gray. More socks for me!

Oh, and not that I ever doubt Devon, but I do like the KA needles. Am I the only one whose needle preferences have rather suddenly changed?

Froggin, a Monkey, Harmony and a Penguin

Well, after about a dozen false starts, my poor Sock it to Me pal has a sock in progress. Recognize it? Yep. It's a Monkey. I'm really enjoying the pattern, and the way the Knitpick Memories is working up in it. And yes, those are DPNs you see. Turns out I miss the little buggers when I stay away too long. They're the Addi 2.50 mm #1s I bought during the Sockza crisis. I like them too, but I think I'll be buying the lot of the Knitpick Harmony needles. Every size, every style... Seriously.

Guess what?! That color is also as close to accurate as I can get. It's a fun colorway, and I do hope it will please my pal as much as it is coming to please me. (For those of you serving as my confessors, pause for the SNOL at the irony of that statement. You've earned it.)

Of course, I couldn't stay away from Summer Daze. (More irony; it was in the mid-40s this morning. No Indian summer happening here.) If you click on the photo, you can see my happy, beloved Harmony circs. Honestly, had I ordered a larger size (these are wee 2.25 mm #1s), I think I would carry them around and/or wear them in my hair. They're that pretty, even with the diminished colorations in the wee needles. I'm not a metal girl anymore. I suspect my tried and true metal KnitPick Options will alway have their purposes (wool?), but these lighter, warm, little works of art have my heart. A couple of reviews on the Tofutsies group have challenged their use with variegated yarns, and I don't think you can get more colorful than this one, and I had no trouble at all. Now, I will have to set this treasure aside and focus - FOCUS! - on the socks with a deadline.

Friday night, I made an attempt to channel my inner scrapbooker. She wasn't quick to come out, but she did join hands with my not-so-inner shopper and swipe a couple of baby-related items so I can (get this - multi-crafting!) scrap my photos of the babies and blankies I've connected with my gifts this year. She did leap to the front of the bus during this little project. I love to journal in my scrapbooks, so a cute journal box is always a hit. My sweet consultant punched and cut out all of the pieces for each of us, so all we had to do was follow along with the adhesive of choice, but he's a doll. My stepson likes "pingwings" so it will go somewhere on a page about him.

Baby Love

Since you know I can't be without a sock on the needles, this is what jumped on. It's Knit Picks Dancing. Too much orange for me, so it was all set to live in my stash forever, when I realized it would be perfect for a baby sock. So, there it is... baby sock, done on the wee little Addis from my No Sheep pal. Honestly, I believe I could be content knitting nothing but baby socks for a while. Talk about instant gratification. (How many can I get out of TWO skeins of this yarn?) Seriously, after I finish the mate - later tonight, I'm guessing - I'm going to see how much yarn I have left. I'm sure it won't have made much of a dent. The colors are more accurate in the first photo, which is interesting, because I was sure that the redwood stain would draw out the reds and browns...

See those darling little dpns at work? I'm glad there are lots of babies around right now, because guess what they're all getting for Christmas?!

I'm also betting that on a larger scale, this yarn really makes some nice stripes. I downloaded a pattern Knitpicks suggested for this yarn, back in the spring when I ordered it, but I wouldn't wear 'em. No one on my Christmas sock list would either. Sigh. Anyone love this color?

Soy, Sharps and Swag

Once upon a time, a new swapper signed up for something called the No Sheep swap. She was contacted immediately by her spoiler, and laughed every time she got an email from said mystery pal. In June, a pretty ball of red luciousness arrived from the anonymous source, and the swapper was delighted. More humorous emails arrived from the secret pal, including a very clever email, describing a shopping trip two friends had taken, ending with the assurance that the friend's purchases were in the mail, since she couldn't carry them all back with her on the plane. The very next day, a cute (see the blue peeking out on the bottom right?) package arrived in the swapper's mailbox! Within was a plethora of knitterly goodness.

A roll call:

The current issue of Knitsimple

A large, gold bag to hold large projects (and vast amounts of swapping treats)

A teeny weeny little project bag for wee little projects, complete with a cute zipper pull with doggy footprints on the charm at the bottom

Addi short dpns (coated metal!)

A Lush bath bomb (the pretty pink and blue flower) and a Lush catalog

Two yummy treats (one with cranberries, sis!)

A knitter's dream of a travel kit (more later)

Knitters Little Helper hand balm

Here's a close-up of the outside of the wee bag. I love it! It's actually a pale, pale celery green, with three shades of pink/red flowers, green and more. There's a little pocket on the outside. (Begins at the black vine-looking print.) It will be great for my cell phone or keys, so that when Mark and I go on a little trip, I needn't take my whole purse AND a knitting bag.

If you're a regular reader, you know I'm not a great photographer, but here's the inside. There are little pockets in there too! The hand balm fits nicely in one, and the little needles stood up so nicely in a corner pocket than I nearly missed them. There's plenty of room for the little kit I'll show you in a minute and a ball of yarn. One ball of the Wick and a folded copy of a pattern will fit in there just fine.

Without further ado, the adorable little kit! It has a tape measurer, a wee little needle sizer, the sweetest, smallest snips you've ever seen, some of those coiled needle holders, and a plastic gripper clip that could hold a seam together or mark a place on a pattern, or...

I realise you're probably tired of this Wick, but I'm not. Not now, not ever. Below the Wick is the very cute polka dotted mailer it all arrived in. (Polka dots! Jamie whose blog link I hope to add soon so you can all visit her and tell her how much she rocks) obviously reads my blog, huh?) The darlin' scissors are on the left, and the I'll never use the wrong US #1s, even when on vacation again tool is on the right. (I want to buy one for every swap and prize I ever send! Am I nuts or do you want one too?)

I'll never fumble for scissors again. The ones on the left are the regular ol' cut the tags off of whatever scissors in my stationery basket. Next, is the super-sharp weapon my Knitter's Knight purchase for me because I couldn't find the trusty pair I'd used for cross stitch (they're in my old needlework bag, and can live there, just in case). Third from the left is the cute little pair my Hogwarts Sock Kit pal sent me, which can now live in my larger red tote or that lovely sock bag my Sock it to Me pal just sent. On the far right are the bitty baby snips Jamie sent in the kit that could stand alone as a cool knitting gift.

Last, but not least, is the needle shot. On the top, the new ittle, bittle Addis, in US#2/3.0 mm. In the middle, the fragile Sox Stix, size #1/2.25mm. Note how much shorter the ittle Addi is! On the bottom is a Knitpicks #3. Look at the sharp tip on that thing. I like 'em that way, but they do lead to splitting if I'm not careful.

Seriously folks, those three Sox Stix would love to come live with one of you, if you have use for them. And I'd like to know what other metal and/or coated metal dpns I'm missing. I have Inox coated and Susan Bates colored aluminum dpns, but they didn't make the photo. I was trying to get the photos taken before the meeting, and the Knight thought I was getting snap-happy as it was.

Thanks again, Jamie. It has been a great month for swapperly sweetness already, and there's still more to come...

More thanks to the ever-dear Jessi, for the date changing info. Lo and behold, despite being unable to see this post last night, I logged in a few minutes ago, and here it is, complete with the labels and everything. Go figure. I'm still mad at you though, Blogger.

Snap, Crackle...

And another snap.

Anyone have ANY use for three Sox Stix, size 1 (aka: 2.25mm) needles? I love the little length, but my love for needles of the metal nature runs deep. Seriously folks, had I tried Sox Stix first, I would have been RIGHT THERE with Anne, offering up my dpns as skewers, mini plant stakes, or whatever other uses the things might have. I knit SO SLOWLY with these things, and thus, my Sockza socks (no picture just yet folks!) were knitted on no fewer than THREE different sets of needles. You see, Mark's dear auntie and her good-natured mom took me to find the knitting shop in Myrtle Beach on Saturday, after the first needle snapped. It was okay; I was in the foot, where the pattern only called for three needles and the working one, so it wasn't a big deal. I'm glad we went; not long after we returned from our adventure, SNAP went another, and the set became useless, right as I entered the final toe rows.

Knitting Up a Storm (no website?) is a great shop, and the friendly, non-owner clerk stayed open late to accommodate our browsing. I hope she felt it was worth it; I found some great bamboo Addi dpns (slick and fast, compared to the Sox Stix!), and learned at the heel that not all size 1 needles are created equally. Uh-oh. Rip. Pout. (And that's after ripping out the cuff no fewer than five times, for one reason or another.) Luckily, Mark spotted an AC Moore's, and swung in, killing time. I am married to a Knitter's Knight, ladies. Truly! While I went straight to the yarn, he left me in his dust. Imagine my glee when he showed up at my elbow with a delightful pack with not just metal size 1's, but 000 - 1, with FIVE of each size! Whooo HOOOOO! And that's when I learned not all US size 1s are created equal. We checked out, and I didn't think we'd get back to the hotel fast enough. As you can guess, my heel soon matched the original heel, and life was good.

Mark didn't believe that the needles could be so different. So, he took one of each of the #1s, and his credit card style door key, and went to the table in our unit. When the blonde Addi raised the card above the other two needles, he made those annoying "knowing" noises, and called me over to view his discovery. Yeah, whatever. I had already showed him the 2.25mm vs. the 2.5mm labels, but... Now, I don't care to explain why the legs of the two socks still match, other than to tell you again that I know I knit rather tightly.

But you want to know what I bought, don't you? There you go. More Trekking. Couldn't help myself. Pink and green together. Yum! I also purchased some swap gifts. The pad says, "The only place housework comes before knitting is in the dictionary." Yupper! That's my new motto!

Owl Post

While I live in an area more like the Forbidden Forest than Hogwarts Castle, the owl still had no trouble finding me. After a bit of confusion brought on by my lousy attempt at sleuthing, Kit, my REAL Hogwarts Sock Swap pal, sent me the most wonderful Ravenclaw sock kit. That great silver thing in the center is a great Gargoyle bottle opener, who will be permanently placed on the deck, where he can guard the house from any creatures trying to sneak in from the woods, and so he can also open a chilled adult beverage as needed. (Or an old fashioned Coke in a green bottle.)

Lookee! Kit made not one, but TWO bags for me. In bag number one, we have the can't wait to be tried Knitpicks dpns, standing at attention in their own little compartment. Clever, eh? Hiding in the bag are more treats! Just look! See the stamp? Something from the Phoenix Gallery? Hmmmm.... I love Fawkes the phoenix, but I also adore Phoenix, AZ, so all Phoenix connotations are appreciated. And see those, there on the right? Those are the cutest, best designed travel scissors I've seen. Hubby will be so happy! He rolls his eyes when my knitting travels, because I don't carry my "good" very sharp scissors with me. THIS pair will travel with us and the sock on Wednesday for more road time knitting!

Bet you're wondering what's in the brown Phoenix paper, huh? The soap is incredible. (I'm a soap and smell-good potions and lotions kind of girl.) It's made from ground sunflower seeds and more, and I can't wait to try it. I like lavender a lot too, so it's just a great fit, all the way around. Ravenclawish soap. Bronzish sunflower, blue-ish lavender, and paperwork to read too. Yup. I'm a gooblette as Anne calls me. I actually read the whole thing.

Wanna know what's in the other bag? Can't tell. Then, you'd want me to share, and I don't want to. Lookee there. A sack full of Ravenclawed Lindt truffles. Oh my. (Ravenclaw tip: Chocolate is a nutritional supplement. Antioxidants and everything. It will have its own place in the food pyramid next time, especially if there are women rebuilding that pyramid.) I've already sampled one of each, because... I could. Since we are doing the whole virtual/electronic bit here, I can be gracious. Have one. (But just one, just in case I've under estimated your powers.)

Last, but hardly least, I'll get around to showing why it is called the SOCK KIT swap. Everything needed to whip out a pair of socks, including a pattern and some stitch markers. Love that pattern. Learning to cable has been on my knitting to do list since about January (as in, almost since I reconnected with my inner childhood knitter). Now, I *MUST*. After all, Kit sent this whole package, and it would be rude not to use the pattern she selected, right? Right. (Never mind that Kit is a delightful, understanding soul who would certainly be okay with me using the contents within as I see fit. Peer pressure works! I will cable before SoS is over!) That pattern is perfect. I see great socks I'll be able to wear with my favorite jeans and my brown clogs all winter long... Did I mention that I was thinking I wanted some simple, dangly stitch markers? Well, there they are. Some are plain, and some have a great little moon on them. Perfect, because I require stitch marker variety so that I don't get them all confused. (The end of row marker must be different from the others.)

So, thank you again Kit, for a Ravenclaw sock kit fit for a princess. I'm having a very hard time not casting on RIGHT NOW. I once was silly enough to think that I'd never have more than one project in the works at a time. Then came the spring and baby blankie stress happened. Then came socks, and I knew my knitting life would be empty without a sock to travel along on my travels. Now, I'm trying to keep myself in check and avoid starting twenty different projects at once! What's that Ravenclaw yarn? Shhhh... Of course I hear you. Just promise me my friends, that when I'm locked away because of the voices in my head, you'll smuggle in yarn and needles.

O Pioneer!

Yeah, the musical in my head is on again. Everything reminds me of a song...

But I digress. It's my first dpn sock! A bit of Kitchener, and it's done. For those wondering why it reminds me of Wagons, ho! and more, it's because the clever folks at Lorna's Laces named the Shepherd Sport colorway Pioneer. I finished the last two wee rows whilst showing of the new (to us) truck to my inlaws, and after the obvious comments about how it won't fit in a shoe (see the keeper?), my mother inlaw announced, "That's you. It just looks like you." She's right. Browns, hints of sage greens and vivid blues are indeed, me. And this pattern, of which I've already spoken, is my favorite. Shhhh! Don't bother pointing out that it's only my second pattern, my first with the dpns. Sometimes, something just feels so right that you KNOW. That's what happened here. And for those who care about such things, I'm a freak who likes to use five dpns rather than just four, but even four is better than a loop. I will indeed allow the lady at my LYS to sell me two Addis and some yarn, and try to sell me on the two circulars method, but I cannot say I'll go in with an open mind. (Just an open wallet and sock yarn lust. That's what matters to a yarn shop owner, right?)

This baby has a roomy french heel. (Quick, some sock knitter tell me the difference between that and a regular ol' heel flap as in sock #1! All I can tell is the heel seems to have more room, and I didn't do any of those funky intentionally twisted stitches.) I know it's not a great picture, but I'll do a proper, blocked photo when the mate is done, probably early next week, as Anne will be doing a lot of the distance driving, because my back doesn't like to drive. (The truck has incredible seats though, so all bets are off. I do get to drive it tomorrow, so hubby might be making a major mistake!)

Well, I have another project that must be done post-haste, and there's the housework I want to finish before my guests arrive, so that's all for tonight. Say goodnight, Gracie.

It's All Good

My love affair with SWS continues. Sure, it's easy to split, but a little tension adjustment fixes that, and since I knit tightly, it's a sinch to keep the feeder taught. It's a wee bag, but I knew it would be, and that's what I like in a handbag. This will be put into action tomorrow, and will be my little summer assistant at least until I entrelac. It holds my wallet - the checkbook included variety, lipstick, the protective cover for my glasses' sunglass clip-ons, and my cell phone is up for debate. It might live on its clip on the handle, but we'll see. I am pleased as punch. I'm even happier that the bronzy brown in the colorway faded into nothingness, just a wee stripe.

See the button? That's a Grandma Byrd button, from her (seriously, folk) thousands of buttons collection, which my mother inlaw now owns. My dear mother inlaw picked the button, based solely on my description, and it matches as well as any button can. Plus, it's got a bit of love in it, from my husband's great-grandmother. I met her at least once, that I recall, in my childhood. She was Great-Grandmother personified; she was old, told great stories, and her love of children just radiated all around her. I know she would be pleased to see her button called to action!

Here are the pre-felting shots. Thank goodness you warned me it would felt quickly. You weren't kidding! Felts IMMEDIATELY is more like it. I don't know that it agitated more than three minutes; I meant to time it, but I was rushing to get to the picnic. (That was great fun, I might add. And brownies and fresh blackberries to die for! What more could a girl want?) I have learned that I like the outdoor photos, but it's raining hard enough today, and the wind is blowing too, so you'll have to settle for the indoor finished photos.

There's lots I could be doing, but my socko was feeling very unloved, so I quickly finished the leg last night (I like short socks, remember?), and zipped through the heel flap while waiting to see if the Nascar race would be rained out - and it was. Without even realizing what I was doing, I turned the heel, first try, no frogging! How 'bout that Devon? I swear the sock is flying along faster than the learning curve can account for; I think it has something to do with the lack of pulling and pushing Magic Loop requires. That's okay; Anne loves the ML enough for both of us, and I'm grooving along on the dpns.

I need to get back to my version of decluttering - cramming things in totes to live in the shed, with the promise to myself that if I don't miss the things within, they will find new homes where they can be used and loved, but first, a gratuitous dog shot. Mugsy and the sock are napping while I blog. (No, not really, but I think it's a cute pose. The pup is going to have to say bye-bye to his down blankie though, for the summer...)

Have Sock Will Travel

I do hope you're in the mood for photos. If not, well... skim ahead to the text portions, because it's a photo day here! I'll lead off with the Charmed Knits beanie. The colors are a touch off; the blue isn't so vivid, and the heather is a cross between the bronze in the books and the silver in the movies. It's the small size, so it's moving right along. When not in the study for its photo op, it lives on the arm of the sofa, so that I can garter stitch away while using my laptop. I hope to finish it up tomorrow or Monday, so it can be owled away as my first finished object for that worthy cause of a knit along.

Next, we have the sock's travel entourage. The book with the pattern within, my own Booga bag, in service as intended, toting a little project, and the sock itself, with its supporting cast of Inox teflon coated 6" dpns, and the nifty little thingee from The Loopy Ewe to hold it all (yep, FIVE needles) together. (The Pampered Chef potholder didn't travel. It is merely an aid to better display the colors of the Lorna's Sheperd Sport yarn, also from The Loopy Ewe. The sock and its ability to travel kept me from acting like a bored eight year old as we shopped for a truck for the hubby. No, there's nothing wrong with what he has, other than it's not precisely what he wants, and as his sweet cousin (a manager at said dealership) tried to explain to me, my hubby just likes to get another vehicle every 3-4 years, whereas I am a "use it up" kind of gal. Now, mind you, I love trucks. I like what we looked at today. But... Never mind. This is a knitting blog, and the point is, the sock had its first road trip and we were both happy.

There's the happy young sock. You can't see the four-row repeating pattern (beyond the cuff) so well, but you can see the great colors in the yarn, somewhat. Browns, dark mossy greens and a nice, strong blue... The stuff jeans and clogs dream of, or at least, mine do. Come fall, I'm going to have some happy feet, jeans and clogs. For what it's worth, I couldn't visualize shoving all ten points into those bright blue caps, but it's not bad at all, and it worked like a charm. Believe me, we had lots of starts and stops. First, we had to make the 45 minute drive across the twisty-ist roads in two counties to get to the cousin's house. Put away the sock. Then, switch to the cousin's truck. No knitting, as I hadn't seen the cousin in ages, and we all grew up together and always have much to say, even when we did see each other almost daily. Then, we arrived another 30 minutes later at the dealership. Looked at three trucks. Drove around. The sock got to see that part of the world, got tucked away for lunch, and then tucked away again for a return to the dealership... You get the point.

Here's a picture of the pattern, sorta'. Hey, I've learned to blog, knit socks via Magic Loop AND now, dpns. You can't expect great photography too. I do like the addition of the cuffs, at least, as they stretch and live on the needles. Of course, the difference between sport weight and worsted weight yarn could have something to do with the whole feel thing too, but there's still so much smaller to go with these sock yarns! Thank goodness The Loopy Ewe carries all sorts. (When is the next sneak up? Hubby's asleep now... Why wait?)

That last paragraph was written with Mugsy in my lap. He thinks he should go truck shopping too, especially if the sock gets to go. He requires a lot of exercise and cuddling, and he got little of either today, so I need to wrap this up and take care of the poor boy.

One last little piece of business, before I tend to Mugsy's wishes. THAT is why I chose this book for my first dpn sock. Each little section (the blocks you can barely see) is a ROW. One single row, although the repeats aren't written out. The red lines denote a change in the portion of the sock being constructed. Very detailed, bite-sized direction. That's right up my alley, at least until I get comfortable with the sock lingo and such. But, we're getting there. I seem to have found my groove. Anne seems to think she'd rather gouge her eyes out that knit with dpns, especially after her most recent effort, which I think will be documented in her blog. Me? I'm feelin' the dpn mojo. Those little buggers just shift a bit as needed, and it flows, where the Magic Loop (as in noose?!!) was a lot of pushing and pulling for a bit of knitting in between, for me. I stopped almost mid-stitch a time or two today, shoved the points in their caps, and had no trouble figuring out where I was in the row or pattern, which would hardly have been the case with the ML. My mind evidently likes circles better than loops, as crazy as that might sound. I guess even the best of friends can't agree on EVERYTHING. ;)

Coming, Mugsy...

PS - I have my yarn for my Felted Bag Exchange's pal's bag now! (And no, you can't see!)