Lickety Split FO

One pair off the needles means another pair on (not counting the TTL Mystery socks, of course). I wanted to start a pair of socks that I could easily work on during staff meetings and while riding in the car across town to soccer games & soccer practice. Little did I know that my car project would take such a hold of me that I would work on them outside of riding in the car...

Presenting:

Van Dyke Socks by Wendy D. Johnson

Yarn: STR Mediumweight
Colorway: River Rocked
Needles: Knit Picks 2.75mm
Size: 52 stitches - 5 repeats on the foot before gusset increases, 6 pattern repeats on the leg

Neato-Bandito trick: Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off. It is slick & makes a nice stretchy cuff, perfect for toe-up socks! You can find the how-to in the Fall issue of Knitty.

Cast on: Sunday afternoon, October 11, 2009
Finished: Saturday afternoon, October 17, 2009

These were such a blast to knit. I was inspired after reading the Rockin' Sock Club forum on Ravelry & saw another knitter had used her Sept. yarn for a pair of socks other than the intended pattern. I felt like I had been given permission to deviate from the club shipment. I loved the yarn - such pretty fall colors!, but the pattern did not interest me that much. So - I followed her lead & knit the Van Dyke socks - a pattern from "Socks From the Toe-Up" by Wendy D. Johnson of Wendy Knits! Fantastic, fun, quick pattern. It certainly didn't hurt that the yarn was a heavier weight than what I've been knitting with lately & that every other row of the 10 row repeat was a knit row.

True, instant gratification knitting. Now to find another project that will be easy to work on while in the car....

Happy Knitting! Ciao~

Socktober is for Socks!

Nothing like a witty name for the month of October to get me inspired to finish languishing pairs of socks!


Details:

Pattern: Shur'tugal

Yarn: BMFA Socks That Rock Lightweight

Colorway: Star Sapphire

Size: Medium (64 stitch count)

Needle: Knit Picks 2.25mm

Cast On: March 28, 2009
Cast Off: October 11, 2009

These were started for the Socks That Rawk Ravelry group's Q2 KAL. I finished the 1st sock in a reasonable amount of time (for me) & then let it sit, and sit, and sit. Fortunately I left it on my dresser so I'd have to look at its lonely face every day. Finally I'd had enough & in my flurry of finishing of late, decided to finally knit up its mate once and for all.

So glad I did - this is a great pattern & the socks fit fine. I really love how the pattern flows into the heel:


Expect a couple more pairs over the coming months. I've finished clue #2 for the TTL Mystery Sock KAL and cast-on a pair using a pattern from Wendy Knits' Socks From the Toe Up book.

Happy Knitting & Happy Fall!

Ciao~

2-Fer

I interrupt this 3-week vacation to present not 1, but TWO FOs:

"Rainbow Sherbet Socks"

Details:

Pattern: Tessuto Socks - The July Knit/Purl Sock Club installment

Yarn: Knitted Wit in "Saturday Market" colorway

Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm)

Comments: A great, toe-up, slipped stitch pattern. Very easy & relatively fast to knit. I really like the texture the slipped-stitch creates. The texture plus the colorway reminds me of rainbow sherbet. I'm not crazy about the short-row garter stitch heel - but I think that's more a function of my ability with the short row heel rather than the pattern. For some reason I've lost my heel mojo - I need to go & inspect earlier projects to recreate acceptable SRH. My only real issue with the socks is that they are a bit looser than I'd like. I think either a smaller stitch count, or a smaller needle size would take care of this. Otherwise, a great sock to take (and finish!) on vacation. I cast these on after we took off from Anchorage & finished the foot by the time we landed in LAX.

Next....


Details:

Pattern(s): Just in case you've been out of touch with the knitting world, it's the infamous Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman. This baby sweater pattern is the work of a knitting genius (EZ, not me!). Again, I'd forgotten to take a photo of the sweater before I'd seamed up the arms - it really looks like an amoeba!

The booties are the Saartje's Bootees. These are just the right accessory for this sweater & helps to use up most of the skein of yarn.

Yarn: BMFA Socks That Rock, Mediumweight - "Typhoon Tina" colorway.

Needles: US 4 KPH (Knit Pick Harmony)

Recipient: My dear friend, Hilarey's baby "David Matthew" (at least that's what I've named him until further notice). I hope the weather in San Diego gets cool enough after he's born (he's due in Nov) so he can actually wear a knitted wool garment.

So I guess that's actually 3 FOs! Wow - however, most of the knitting of the BSJ was completed back in May, and the booties were finished during our June Alaska road trip (gee - I still need to post about that!) Only the socks were truly cast on & finished during our recent vacation.

Less than one week of vacation left, but plenty of fun to be had. Sock Summit begins this week! Here's what I'm working on:

Pattern: "Orion's Sock" - the official sock of Sock Summit 09. This was a pattern available through the Sock Summit swag shop. Rumor has it that it's no longer available to download. Perhaps it'll resurface during SS09. Most of the sock (gusset to ribbed cuff) was completed during our 10 hour drive from Las Vegas to Sacramento.

Off to cast on sock #2. Hope to bring the blog up to speed on San Diego, Las Vegas, and Sock Summit.

Ciao!

FO - Surprise!!!

Hooray - another FO & again, not a pair of socks. Now it seems like I'm on the baby sweater kick.

May I present Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket

Completed BSJ w/buttons, originally uploaded by Arctic Knitter.

This is actually the 2nd BSJ I've knit - but the 1st that I've finished. I cast on one earlier for the impending birth of my friend Jen & Steve's baby #2. The original BSJ was knit w/yarn in shades of blue. Then - on June 2 we received word that shades of pink might be more appropriate for the BSJ. Fortunately I'd thought ahead & had cast on during the Alaska cruise. Now that baby #2 had arrived with two X chromosomes, I was inspired to finish the BSJ completely. The original BSJ will have to wait for a baby who possesses a Y chromosome.

I love how it resembles nothing like a sweater while you're knitting & even after you bind off. I love how Elizabeth Zimmerman asks you to trust her. Trust indeed! Once markers are placed appropriately, construction is rather simple. Above you can see the 'amoeba' on the left. I had already seamed the top shoulder before I took a photo. I think I was just too excited to finish!

Inspired by Knitting Nuggets' YouTube video, I decided to also add two eyelet rows for a little pizazz. I added the first right after the increase in stitches to add fullness for the cuffs and then again after I bound off stitches for the neck. I think it looks pretty cute - just right for a little beba with two X chromosomes.



Details:

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock: Mediumweight
Colorway: Faulty Dyer
Needle: Knitpicks Harmony Interchangeable in US4
Mods: Eyelet rows, 3 buttons rather than 5, 3 stitch i-cord bind-off with integrated buttonholes.
Size: 3 - 6 months, I'd guess

I think I'll knit this several times more - great TV knitting. Now to find recipients!

~Ciao

May Flowers

April showers bring May flowers!!

Details:

Pattern: Rogue Roses by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka The Yarn Harlot)
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock, Medium weight
Colorway: Gertrude Skein
Needles: KnitPicks 1.5
Dates: April 25 - May 8, 2009 (I knit the 1st sock in 2 days!!)
Size: Medium
Modifications: None really, other than not continuing the pattern all the way to the toe. I stopped after 5 repeats on the foot & then knit a standard wedge toe.

Recipient: My friend Julie in honor of her impending motherhood

These were such fun to knit. Lots of stockinette to let the sock fly by, but plenty of other things to keep you from getting bored. Making the little rose buds turned out to be pretty fun. Although -somewhere along sock #2 a rosebud 'fell off'. Oops - noticed that as I was knitting the foot; no way in hell I was ripping back. Rosebuds fall of bushes all of the time, right? Knitting with the medium weight also allows the socks to fly off the needles.

My friend inadvertently saw these socks before the planned unveiling at her baby shower next week. Fortunately, she doesn't know they are for her & her reaction with oohs and aahs lets me know she will like them. :0) Now to finish the baby sweater for her little bump.

The photo makes the yarn look very orange-y. I think that's because I rushed out to take photos this morning (around 7:40am) as the sun was just above the mountains. Here's another to show the detail & the color:

Enjoy the weekend! I know I will - the sun is shining & the snow is gone! :0)

Ciao ~

A Day Late....

Well - I had hoped to have a finished project in time for my blogiversary, but nursing duty for my DH (he had ACL/Meniscus surgery on Tuesday) prevailed over knitting. Anyhoooooo - may I finally present:

Leyburns Pair #2!

Leyburn Pair #2, originally uploaded by Arctic Knitter.

Details:

Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight
Colorway: Carbon Dating
Stitch Count: 56 Stitches on Foot, 60 Stitches on Leg, 64 Stitches on Cuff
Construction: Toe-Up using Judy's Magic Cast On w/gusset & heel flam a la WendyKnits!
Now to decide what pair of Shoes to wear w/my new favorite socks:

My New Keens

My Fave, and Tried & True Danskos

My New Merrells

Zappos is a dangerous place!! (Go on, click! I know you want to!!!)

Ciao!

Where did February Go? *Epic Post*

The original title of this post was going to be "February Funk". I can't believe I can look back on February & have no finished knitting to share. It's not like I wasn't knitting - I just wasn't finishing. So - in the interest of bringing the post 'up-to-date', I'll do a quick synopsis of what I've been up to:

FIRST Technology Challenge

5 members of my science club said they wanted to participate in the FIRST tech challenge (FTC). This is a program where students obtain a kit of parts from LEGO and design, build, and program a robot to perform certain tasks. For more information, go here. It's not as intense as the FRC (big robot), so I figured this was doable - with me knowing nothing about building robots and all. The Alaska state competition was held up in Fairbanks over the Feb. 21st weekend. Of course, our schools don't have anything budgeted for academic competitions (don't even get me started), so my kids had to fund their way ~$400 each. We flew (only 1 hour trip) & stayed at a local hotel for the weekend. The University of Alaska, Fairbanks hosted the event & covered the meals (at the student commons) for the kids - it was great! My husband also had a team competing, so we also took our munchkins along. Boy - they thought the UAF cafeteria was the best place on earth; pizza, cereal, and ice cream all in one spot - what more could a kid ask for? It'll be interesting to see how their opinions about college food changes when they are older. So - I figured we'd be all done on Feb. 22, the day we flew back to Anchorage & then I'd have 2 weeks before the start of the high school soccer season to hang out & knit (and finish???).

Yeah - not so much. Something about those best laid plans and all. Go figure - my team won the entire competition! Not just won, but dominated all qualifying rounds, won the quarter final by one point (that sprouted a few gray hairs), and won a very close final match after our robot died with a minute left to go. Our 'bot got bumped by another 'bot, the flag pole fell off - to which the POWER SWITCH was attached (hello - why didn't I notice that earlier!) & essentially fell in such a way to shut itself off. Fortunately the other robot alliance had driving issues & when they were about to score the winning pucks, they got hung up on our robot & couldn't finish.

So - with winning the entire competition, and winning the INSPIRE award, (FIRST's highest honor), we've received an invitation to compete in the National (billed as World) FTC Competition in April. Only trick is - the competition is in Atlanta, Georgia & as I've mentioned before, our district has no $$ to help out with an academic competition (robotics = applied science, math, engineering, & computer programming => extremely academic). So now we're scrambling for funds. BP has already turned us down. So now, in addition to teaching, and knitting, I'm encouraging my students to become child beggars & ask for $$ to support their trip. So much for a nice relaxing 2 weeks before soccer begins!!!

See - robotics ate up my February. Hubby has been down in Portland, Oregon for the FRC (big robot) regional competition for the past week, so I've been 'single mom' for a while. Doesn't leave too much time or energy to knit in the evenings. At least it's now the beginning of spring break. Yesterday we went to a friend's house for the annual Iditarod Breakfast. We spend the early parts of the morning eating yummy food & then bundle up to walk a smidge to line the trails & watch the dog mushers come by. The weather was glorious - nice bright & warm sunshine. Yesterday was the ceremonial start from Anchorage. Today the mushers set out on the 1049 mile trek to Nome from Willow, AK. I only took one picture of a team & one of the boys. I guess I was side tracked w/socializing w/friends too much.

Bundled up for fun!

Musher coming up the trail

Knitting Ahead!

Okay - here's the reward for slogging through this rambling post - knitting stuff! As I said, while I didn't finish anything in February, that doesn't mean I wasn't knitting.

Leyburns Pair #2:

Colorway: Carbon Dating (any knitter who is a chemistry teacher must have this colorway)
Yarn: Socks That Rock, lightweight

I modified this from the 1st pair I knit. I decided to add a heel flap / gusset construction. I first knit the gusset using the Cleopatra's stocking pattern as I thought those looked pretty cool. However, I began the gusset too late, so the sock was a bit too long. So - rip, rip, rip. I then looked up Wendy's basic toe-up pattern & used that. Of course, the 1st time through the heel didn't look right & I somehow got off center. Rip, rip, rip. Third time's a charm, right? The stitch count is only 60 stitches on the leg - makes it a bit more snug, although getting the sock over the heel is a tad tight. I've already begun sock #2 & I'm at the gusset increases. Hopefully February Finishing Funk will lead into March Madness in finished objects!

Queen of Beads - RSC January Kit

I am in no way a queen of beads! While I love the pattern & the finished product, I don't see myself working on a beaded project ever again. First - you have to pre-string all of the beads. The pattern calls for 190 beads per sock for a size medium. This assumes you are going to include beads on the instep. Yikes! I couldn't fathom having beads inside my shoes, and the fact that I began hating adding beads to yarn meant I only added 118 beads to the yarn - perfect amount (by sheer good fortune) to end the beads at the heel flap.

There are several methods for adding beads. The crochet hook method can not be used with this pattern as that method puts the beads on top of a stitch while this pattern calls for beads between the stitches. I used a Big "Eye" needle - a long thin loop of wire - slide one end of the yarn through, poke pointy end of needle into bead, and then pull down onto the yarn. Yeah - getting the beads over the double thickness of the yarn loop turned out to be a real bear. This is what I ended up with after threading the beads for the 2nd sock:

Lots of little pieces as the needle would break the yarn. Extremely frustrating - I think the wire actually bit through the yarn loop making it weak. I bought some threader floss for beading sock #2 (see Naomi's post here) but apparently purchased the wrong kind - so now I'm all set for good oral hygiene instead.
Beading in groups of ten makes it easier to keep track of numbers.

Once the beading portion of the leg is finished (I knit an extra repeat so the socks would be longer), the pattern goes rather quickly. I just seem to find knitting with beads interrupts the flow.

Pattern Detail. It is beautiful & I know I'll love the finished product. As soon as I finish the 2nd Leyburn, I'm committed to getting these done.

Okay - I do have a few more WIPs to share, but I think I save those for later - a motivation to return to blogging with a tad bit more regularity!

Until then ciao!

Celtic Braid Socks - Complete

The Knitting Gods were smiling on me today! I'd forgotten that ribbing and cables really eat up yarn & boy did this hold true for this pattern. Upon completion I had only 26" (out of a 360 yd skein) of yarn left over! Can't cut it much closer than that!

Gory Details:

Pattern: Celtic Braid Socks by Cabin Fever

Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight

Colorway: Oregon Red Clover Honey

Needles: Knit Picks, Size 2 (2.75mm) - Magic Loop

Cast On: June 4, 2008 (Oregon Coast)
Cast Off: June 16, 2008 (San Diego)

Euro 2008 Update: Germany 2nd in Group B - moves on to face Portugal in Quarterfinals. Michael Ballack scored the winning & only goal today (swoon!)

Funky Monkeys

Who'da thunk that these socks came from the same skein of yarn....

Yup - same skein of yarn...

Same needles ... in fact, the same exact needle - I knit these one at a time...

Can someone explain to me what mysterious knitting mojo was at work here?

I just don't get it.

Details:

Pattern: Like I have to tell you - it's Cookie A's Monkey Sock Pattern from Knitty. It is very addicting! However, I'm not sure the pattern was right for this yarn. I'm just not totally excited with the results.

Yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight in the Undertoe colorway. I *LOVE* this yarn. It's like knitting w/butter - smooth sailing. Knitting bliss!

Needles: Addi Turbo Size 2 US Circular, Magic Loop

Modifications: Star Toe (to avoid the kitchner thing...). I also think the heel flap is a bit too long.

These socks count for my September socks for SAM4. They are intended as a gift to my dear friend in San Diego (Hi!) since she was with me when I purchased this yarn on impulse during our Dave Matthews Band long weekend. I'm a little distressed on how the striping doesn't match at all. I ordered some sock blockers from The Loopy Ewe - so a quick soak, blocking & in the mail they go. Certainly they'll be good for hanging out at home on a cool San Diego evening. :0)

Next up: Finishing another pair of Monkey Socks for my MSS pal. The plan is to get them off the needles & in the mail within the week. Also - I've signed up for Sock Wars - my competitive nature just couldn't let it pass by. In addition I ran across Sockin' it to Maggie - a site dedicated to sending healing vibes through hand-knit socks to a seriously ill young woman.

A gift from the hands is a gift from the heart.

Speaking of good vibes - if you get this before Thursday morning 8 am EST - please send good vibes to the U.S. Women's Soccer Team as they take on Brazil in the semifinals of the 2007 Women's World Cup Soccer Tournament. Go USA!!

The Holy Grail...

STR - the yarn I've heard so much about is turning out to be akin to the Search For The Holy Grail. I'm in Oregon, I've visited 3 yarn shops, and still - no luck. Hmmm - Oh well, I will not be deterred - I WILL find this yarn. I love the wonders of the internet - I quickly found another yarn shop which just so happens to be on our way north to the Seattle area. This time I let my fingers do the walking & found out said establishment does in fact, have some STR in stock. Wish me luck.

Yesterday, Wade & I set out sans children for the 1st of our 2 RUSH (not Limbaugh) concerts. We set out from Sacramento around noon for what was estimated to be a 9 hour journey to the Portland area (don't you love Map Quest?). We crossed into Oregon & my knitting radar went off - a quick trip into Ashland (home of the Shakespeare Festival) & I found Websters. No STR yarn, but I did manage to make my trip worthwhile. :-)Wade is really sweet to allow me to indulge in my knitting addiction.

After our quick stop in Ashland, Wade had the inkling to take a "quick" drive over to the coast to see the sunset. Yeah - not so quick & not so great for the sunset. We drove along a very windy logging road to Coos Bay & then headed north along 101 toward Florence. It took us nearly 2 hours to drive 69 miles to the coast & not only did not see the sunset (it was very cloudy), but hardly saw the ocean! The 101 took us near the Oregon Dunes which were pretty cool to see. At Florence we decided to head back toward I-5 & Eugene. Again - another windy road & this time in the dark. Dinner consisted of water, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches (the dinner of Road Trip Champions), Grapes (Thanks Sylvia!), and a candy bar procured at our gas stop in Redding. Quite the gourmet, romantic meal. lol

Once we hit I-5, we had to decide on a place to camp for the night. By this time it was 11 PM (our "quick" trip to the coast took us about 5 hours), and we were still 100 miles south of our friends' house. Wade thought it might be funny to just show up at their house & pop the top in their driveway for a fantastic early morning surprise. At about 11:30, Wade had second thoughts & decided perhaps we should stop somewhere else. A well-lit rest area along I-5, about 20 miles south of the state capital of Salem was our overnight accommodation of choice. Apparently it is also the rest stop of choice for truckers who cruise I-5. We awoke bright and early at 6am thanks to the wake-up call of diesel engines & a rooster somewhere near by. Truck engines are LOUD!!

The "view" from our suite

After a quick breakfast, we hit the road & arrived at our friends' house in Lake Oswego. We Roaches are a swell bunch - we even provide morning wake up calls!
Next stop: White River Ampitheatre to see "An Evening With Rush" to celebrate their Snakes and Arrows album. We're crashing at a friend of Margaret's tonight. Margaret even arranged for the new HP book to be reserved for me at a local book store! We might even take in some of the local sights of Tacoma tomorrow before we head back to Portland for concert #2. :0) This road trip is turning into something akin to "Where in the World Are The Roaches"? Where will we turn up next?

**In case any of you are wondering or concerned, we didn't abandon our children. They are spending some quality time with their grandparents in Sacramento while we enjoy the 2 concerts. Wade's parents are driving them up to Portland on Sunday. Have I mentioned I love my in-laws? You couldn't ask to marry into a better family!

Oh yeah - finished the baby socks. I guess these can count for my July Socks of the Month. I'm near the heel on the Embossed Leaves Sock #2, so I should get two socks done for credit for July.

~Ciao!