socks

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time to make the ornaments

I like making ornaments. I feel like I’ve come full circle about ’cause my mom used to have me make ornaments every year, but I stopped doing that a long time ago. But last year, I bought ‘Deck The Balls‘ pattern from my LYS and made several. I had fun making them! (My LYS even had kits this year).

I decided to make some ornaments again this year and I chose a free pattern this time – Alpaca Sox Mini-Socks. It was featured in a Classic Elite Yarns newsletter. I still have the yarn from the ornaments I made last year and will buy a couple more skeins. I’m using the pattern more as a guideline since I am doing a short row heel instead of a heel flap and a different decrease for the toe.

:)

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I do still knit… and I can prove it

I finally finished my socks! I present to you my Monkey-ish socks! :D

These socks were definitely about the process than the finished product. I’m really not a big fan of wearing lacy socks but I really wanted to knit these socks but I didn’t want to knit them from the cuff down as in the pattern. I re-charted it in my 2nd year of knitting – it took three tries at reworking and reknitting to get the results I wanted. In doing so, I came to really appreciate Cookie A’s skill in designing socks because recharting this to be a toe-up sock was not an easy task. But it was challenging and fun. But that first sock I tried in this revamped pattern did not work. I was using lovely yarn by Claudia Hand Painted Yarns in the Carousel colorway. It pooled horribly and the stitch pattern was lost in the colors. So I eventually ripped it out. I never posted a picture then ’cause it looked so horrible to me, but here is one, so you can see what I’m talking about:

The color repeats were just too short for the socks to look the way I wanted. Cut to almost two years later, where I had one more year of knitting experience and some lovely dream in color smooshy in my stash that hadn’t worked for another project. (Colorway: Some Summer Sky)

Inspired by chrissythegreat talking on her podcast about knitting her Monkey socks, I started to think about that chart I’d did previously and I couldn’t resist casting on. This was an enjoyable knit. And they fit!

Now I have three pairs of handknit socks, two made by me and one I received during sockapalooza 4. Yay! :) Now … what else am I knitting?

I’m finishing up the hemlock ring blanket. I’m doing the edging and it is slow going but I’m over half way done so I know it won’t be long now. I can’t wait to see how it’s going to look. As soon as it’s done, I’m going to start work on the Voyager Stole with the Skinny Dyed Cotton yarn I got from my LYS. It’s such a pretty pink! :)

Also, I’ve been asked to participate in a project and have just finished a square for a blanket. I can’t show it to you yet ‘cause that’ll give away the recipient, but I will share when it’s possible to do so.

Talk to you later! :) Happy Fiber Fun! :D

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tour de fleece begins aka I’m obsessed!

First off all… what was in the box? My very own Majacraft Rose!! :-) Whoo Hoo!!!! :) I haven’t had a chance to take some really good photos of it but here’s a peek:

I feel I made very good investment with this purchase.

See that little bit of pink in the lower left corner? It’s what I worked on first for Tour de Fleece. It was a work-in-progress that I had on my spindle for a while. I had totally over pre-drafted it but I wanted to finished it.

It was hand dyed by Spincerely, one of my favorite indie dyers, in the colorway ‘Goldflame Honeysuckle.’

I’m am very happy with the final results. I call it ‘Flower Petals’.

Started: 07-04-09 (as WIP)
Completed: 07-07-09

Weight: 3 ounces
Length: 208.3 yards

I LOVE it! I think it’s enough to follow through with my original thought to use it for a Morning Surf scarf. (If I can’t stop staring at the yarn, that is. ;) )

Now I’m working on this:

It’s from the Spunky Eclectic Fiber club in the Colorway ‘Lame Duck Mallard’ – Superwash BFL. Not one of my favorite colorways so it’s perfect to practice chain-plying. I’m going to spin 2 ounces and then ply those singles and trying to figure out why I have such trouble. I’m enjoying spinning the singles – I’ve never spun BFL before and I’m like it.

In other news, my socks…

…I only have to do the cuffs and they will be done! :) Yay!

Fiber is so much fun, isn’t it? :D

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lot’s o’ knitting goin’ on

I finally finished this hat. It was sitting on the needles for way too long and last month, I finally sat down and finished it in one sitting.

Pattern: Gretel by Ysolda
Size: Regular (I did the slouchy last time)
Yarn: Kraemer Yarns Summit Hill in colorway Aquamarine, not a whole skein
Needles: US 7
Started: December 15 2008
Completed: May 17 2009

I love this pattern. Well worth knitting again. This will make a nice gift for a dear friend. It’s nice to have a Christmas gift done so early. :)

…aaand… this past weekend, I was knitting like a fiend and finished the heels on my Monkey-ish socks so I just need to do the legs and the cuffs. I don’t have a lot of knitting time during the week ’cause I usually only have enough mental power for spinning at the end of the day so this part might take a while, but I love knitting these socks – a combo of my creativity with that of the Cookie A. Lots ‘o fun, in my opinion. :) (The yarn is Dream in Color: Some Summer Sky … perfect for this time of year, wouldn’t you say? :D )

This is the Sherman short row heel, great for someone who doesn’t like to deal with wrapping stitches.

I decided not the carry the pattern all the way around the leg. I really like how it looks.

and I got a new knitting book!

and I know what I’m going to knit next … Oh… the anticipation. ;)

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monkey-ish

It’s been over a year since I’ve knit socks. And I blame chrissythegreat from The Manic Purl Podcast for the nudge to start these. She’s been working on and talking about 2 or 3 pairs of Monkey socks that she’s knit and I was reminded of a previous attempt to work on a pair of toe-up monkeys (my own version). Those only ended up in frustration so I ripped them out. In mid May, I pulled out the chart and some Dream In Color Smooshy ‘Some Summer Sky’ and tried again.

Things are going much better this time.

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dyeing to make socks

I wanted to make some socks. So I bought this:

Dream in Color Smooshy: Nightwatch

and this:

Dream in Color Smooshy: Some Summer Sky

But I needed one more color. I looked high and low in the sock yarn section at my local yarn store but I couldn’t find the color I wanted – Yellow. Actually there was a yellow but it was too Easter-Eggy. So I made the decision to dye yarn to get the color I wanted. So I bought some ivory colored ShiBuiKnits superwash sock yarn. … I mean, I just wanted a single color … how hard could it be? *thinks of previous dyeing yarn disaster* So I set to work this past weekend, using the crock pot I got from Goodwill for the first time.

Well, I am yet at the stage where I can translate what I have in my head to the dye pot, but I managed to get a nice color and there’s even a little variation (and I do mean little) to the color.

I think it came out nice, don’tcha think? :D

Now that you’ve seen the colors, can you guess who or what inspired them? (startrouble, if you read this, please don’t answer ’cause you already know. ;) )

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Hello, again … Hello!

There has been knitting goin’ on around here and it’s time for me to catch you up. First up: Finished Objects (yes… that means more than one! :D )

Finished Objects

BBE Socks

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Yarn: Apple Laine Apple Pie
Colorway: Royal Blue
Needles: US size 3
Pattern: Basket Weave (6-stitch) from More Sensational Knitted Socks
Notes:I didn’t finish these in time to give them to the intended recipient…which I why I still have them. But I like them. The yarn is really soft.

Odessa

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Needles: US size 4 & 6
Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK (1 ball)
Pattern: Odessa by Grumperina
Notes: It only took me a week and a half to knit this. But it is too small. But that’s ok ’cause it’s basically my swatch. The gauge was given in pattern and I figured, if I’m gonna knit 4 inches in pattern, I may as well knit the hat. (I bought two balls of this yarn just for something like this.) But I really liked this pattern. Very easy to follow and a quick knit. Now I need to buy size 5 & 7 needles so I can make this hat in the correct size.

Next up: Works in progress… stay tuned! :)

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i think i can

This is what I’ve been working on:
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It’s the Basket Weave stitch from ‘More Sensational Knitted Socks’

I love this yarn by the way. It’s Apple Laine’s ‘Royal Blue’. I’ll be buying more of this at some point.

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See the subtle striping at the heel? It’s so cool!

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Anyway … I need to be finished with these by Wednesday night … Thursday at the latest. Do you think I can? *sigh* I’m not so sure.

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At any rate, I’ll keep you posted!! :)

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update … (sorry, no pictures yet)

First I want to say ‘thank you’ for all the nice comments on my last post. :)

Ok… on with the update:

  1. I finished the Very Special Socks! I called the recipient to let her know they were finished. She said “Great! Just in time for summer!” .. *rolls eyes* .. Everyone’s a comedian these days.
  2. I got my match for Sockapalooza 4! I just ordered the yarn and I believe I found a pattern! :)
  3. I’m once again working on the heel of my Amethyst socks. Size 2 needles are small, did you know that? ;) I can’t imagine using size 1 & 0 …

I guess that it for now. Hopefully I’ll have pictures to share next time!

TGIF! (I know it’s Thursday… but a gal can dream, can’t she?)

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my sock…

Here’s another look at my sock – I forgot to show you the bottom. Look at the cool stripy-ness. :D
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(It’s so hard to get the color right with this yarn, but this is close, I think)

This picture was taken AFTER I ripped out the heel. I’ve got the rhythm of the heel – I understand it and can do it, but still have trouble ‘reading’ where I am, so when I worked on it earlier today, I’d forgotten I was in the decreases and started increasing again. So I shall start the heel once more… over 40 stitches, oy vey…

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Smiley courtesy of www.FreeSmileys.org

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update…

Here’s the Very Special Socks:

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Here’s MY sock with Dave’s yarn:

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Sorry to be low on details … I’m kinda bummed, that along with my hayfever symptoms this year, I’ve (re)discovered that I’m allergic to wool. I know that there are alternatives and I will definitely explore them. This just puts a crimps in knitting AND spinning project ideas that I have for the next few months.
Smiley courtesy of www.FreeSmileys.org How many days until Friday??

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yes, it’s been quiet…

Been feeling under the weather so I havn’t been in the mood to take photos … (but whenever I was in the mood, it was cloudy – go figure)

Anyway …

  1. The Very Special socks are at about 7″ each so I will begin the heels very soon.
  2. My Cabin Cove KAL sock is about 7 inches as well. I didn’t think I’d get used to size 2 needles, but I’m a little more comfortable with them now and the pattern is looking very nice. (The colorway for these socks is called ‘Amethyst’. The color changes depending on the type of light.)
  3. I signed up for ‘Sensational Knitted Socks’ KAL, since the pattern for my socks is from that book
  4. I signed up for Sockapalooza 4! I’m very excited (and nervous) about this. As of this morning, there were over 700 people signed up so far!!!

I will have pictures eventually. Please bear with me.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for all the nice comments. I do appreciate them!

Enjoy the rest of your week! :)

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works in progess…

I was going to write a whole lot more, but I kinda had a crappy weekend so I bring your pictures (and a few comments) of my works-in-progress:

Very Special Socks:

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I was mesmerized by some absolutely beautiful socks here and I was truly inspired to try a stitch pattern (for the first time) for socks I finally make for myself. … on size 2 needles. EEK! It’ll be slow going, I’m sure, but that’s ok. I’m enjoying working on them. Oh, and yes, this is Dave’s Amethyst colorway. It’s so nice to be working with his yarn again. This is my OFFICIAL Cabin Cove KAL project! (I know, I know, it’s two months after the KAL started … but I take the phrase ‘no pressure’ very seriously. ;) )
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And this is ‘The Neverending Scarf’:

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I spent last week practicing the sherman heel and I’m about 85-90% happy with the results. I think I eliminated the big holes on the knit encroachment but it’s still looser than the purl encroachment. Oh well. I still like it better than the wrap or yarn over short row heel.
Enjoy your week!

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I changed my mind…

I cast on for the fingerless mittens, but it didn’t feel right. I wanted to knit, but not those … so I ripped ‘em out and I’m back to not knowing what to knit for the Cabin Cove Yarn KAL. *sigh*

On a positive note, I did finished my toe-up socks but was struck by a moment of perfectionism and was disappointed by the cast off, which was stretchy but still too tight in my opinion. Realistically, I knew these socks would not be perfect, and I’ve been telling myself that all along … but I guess there was still a part of me that wanted them to be. :( I will have pictures at some point.

I’ve been working on my little crochet baby sweater ’cause I just want it to be finished and I don’t like having an unfinished project around for so long so hopefully, I’ll have a finished photo of that soon. and honestly? I’d rather be knitting.

The ‘neverending scarf’ is now about 30 inches long. Things are moving much faster now that I understand ‘how’ I knit. Part of the scarf does have twisted stitches, but unless you look close, you can’t really tell.

I guess that’s it for now. Have a good week!!!

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just a small update…

I was wondering today how in the world did I become so obsessed with yarn. I could (and have) spend my whole lunch hour just window shopping at esty drooling at the lovely yarny goodness. Sheesh. 8-O
Anyway… I have an inch done on the rib for sock one so that means I’m almost done with my first toe-up socks (Yay! :D ) … which also means I’m thinking about my next projects.

  1. My Cabin Cove KAL project – Fingerless mittens in the colorway Amethyst.
  2. Using some beautiful handspun that I bought from an Etsy seller. I’ve got a pattern picked out. It calls for about 198 yds and what I have is about 185+ but I think I can make it work. Sorry, no pictures of the yarn yet … I want to enjoy it for a while before I share it with the world. (as if that many people actually read my blog :roll: ) But I will tell you that it’s blue – big surprise there, hm? ;)

Have a good evening! :)

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You learn something new everyday…

I’ve been hard at work on the Sherman Style short row heel (I just discovered it on Tuesday)… but before I talk about that, I want to share something I’ve discovered in the process. I have been doing the purl stitch in such a way that it ends up on the needle backwards, causing me to have to knit from the back loop in order to not have twisted stitches. I’ve been knitting for a year and I only noticed this last night. To be fair, most of the projects I’ve worked on have been either garter stitch or stockinette in the round.

What this means is THIS SCARF has a bunch of backward stitches and no I’m not ripping it out. What this also means is that working on this scarf will be much easier so there’s a better chance of finishing it soon.

The colorway of the scarf is one of Dave’s earlier works. It’s 100% Australian Merino wool and so soft. Softer than the sock yarn. I’m so glad I have two more colorways of this yarn ’cause it’s such a pleasure to work with. I think I’ll be finishing this scarf sooner than later. :)

YAY! as I was typing this post, the mail carrier handed me my recent purchase from Cabin Cove Mercantile. Yippee!!! Soon I’ll be holding the Summer Sky in my hands! :D

Ok … back to the short row heel. Here it is:

Sherman Heel

This picture is a little deceiving … it makes it look better than it actually is. This is the better side, what you can’t see is as big hole at the base of the heel. and I forgot to pick up the wraps at the top of the heel. And the other side is not very attractive – I did have to rip it out twice before getting to this – the first time, after I realized the problem with my purl stitch, I ended up with a nice ‘ladder’ down the center of the heel. *rolls eyes* But this is supposed to a learning experience so hopefully, what I learned will help when I start working on the 2nd heel.

That’s it for now. Thanks for the nice comments on my previous post!

Hope you have a great day!!! :)

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One more inch to go…

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My toe-up socks using Dave’s colorway, ‘Nana’s Geraniums’. I’m really not a pink kinda gal, but I love geraniums and as I work with this yarn, I can just imagine the flowers that might have inspired this yarn. I’m only 1 inch away from the heel. Wish me luck! :)

In other news … I tried to change my wordpress theme but my blog roll and webring info did not transfer and I’m not even sure what to search for to find a possible answer. :(

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You may be right… I may be crazy …

Why am I considering joining Sockapalooza? *shakes head* Well … we’ll see if I actually do it when signups begin.

There’s a possible KAL re: Dave’s Cabin Cove yarn. I think it’s a great idea. (Go Here!!) But … I’ve had my own personal knit-a-long going for quite some time. *grin* It would be nice to join other knitters who enjoy his yarn.

I’m still knitting my socks – They are about 5 inches long so far…. hopefully I’ll be at the heels soon. I’m looking forward to completing these socks. I’ve found a couple of errors but I’m not ripping anything out on these. Who says they have to be perfect? I put too much pressure on myself the last time I was working on these. This time… it’s all about the knitting and learning experience. (and the yarn :D )

Tomorrow is Friday! Have a great day!! :)

- saffronknits

It’s Tuesday…

Hello there… sorry for the boring subject title. I couldn’t think of anything else to say. :)

I’m still working on my socks… but I’m suddenly questioning if I have the right measurements for my socks. Mostly about the length. I’ll figure it out. No pictures yet ’cause they are the same as when I was working on these before. Where there is something new to share, there will be photos. The good news is I only had to do the figure-8 toes once and I don’t need instructions on how to do them. Don’t you love it when that happens?

I had lunch last week with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while and surprise! – she knits!!! How cool is that? She was impressed that I’m learning to knit socks and I was impressed that she makes sweaters. :)

Hope you had a good day. Mine actually wasn’t too bad.

Talk to you soon!

- saffronknits

news, socks and blogs

Another thing about this blog, I have a feeling it will be a temporary place until I find a format that I like. I would have waited, but Blogger was starting to frustrate me. But the URL, saffronknits.net will not change.

I started my socks last night and I am very pleased. I’m really only about 4 rows in, but I was able to tighten the stitched of figure-eight toe on the first try! WOO HOO! (No, it doesn’t take much to make my happy.

I read several blogs through out the week but there are two that I check on almost everyday. They are also the only ones I was compelled to check out the archives due to curiousity how these bloggers got to that point.

1. the blue blog – This was the first blog I discovered. I think it was through the pattern links at knittinghelp.com. I came to check out the free patterns and I stayed and read. My favorite project of hers is synchronicity.

2. Dave Daniel’s Cabin Cove – I love this blog. I don’t remember how I found it but it’s written by a cool guy with a really cool cat, Miss Lulu. Dave has a love of fiber and color and I love seeing where that love will take him next. And I didn’t have a stash until he started selling his hand-dyed yarn. One of my favorite posts is about hand-dyeing yarn.

Well, I’m gonna go work on my socks now.

ttfn! :)