big slippers

My slippers are falling apart again. Darn those store-bought slippers! I was debating whether to buy a high quality pair from LL Bean or make some. In the end I decided to try making a pair of felted slippers and perhaps attaching a leather bottom since I know someone with 3 totes full of various leather bits.

The pattern I chose comes from Knit One, Felt Two by Kathleen Taylor. I borrowed it from the library and managed to complete all the knitting in a week. The yarn is Lanaloft from Brown Sheep Company. It’s a singles yarn I bought from Kindred Spirits for no particular reason and I liked it. It’d be nice to try it with the suggested needle size instead of an 11.

They have not been felted yet – currently I have two HUGE floppy socks, as shown below. These have a lot of shrinking to do.

just stuff.

I guess I have this thing about having two unrelated subjects to talk about in one day. And guess what? I’m doing it again right now. First, some knitting. I’ve been working on the Snicket Socks since July 10, but I don’t have much to show for it. It’s a really neat pattern and I think it’ll end up really awesome looking, but it is very slow for me. I can’t really do it willy-nilly; I have to give it my undivided attention. So, I’ve only got a few inches done thus far. Perhaps while at Pennsic I will have more free time to give to these socks. I know my mum would like them before the end of the world comes. Initially I was concerned that the colors would be too busy for the stitches and the pattern would disappear, but I think it looks really great.

Second, the weather! Yesterday around 3:45 a CRAZY storm came blowing in while I was at work. It got really windy and wild, the trees were bending in half, the rain was hitting the side of the building, coming in between the doors. I couldn’t see out – just water everywhere – gushing down the windows! And hail! I was mesmerized and scared at the same time. I don’t think I’d ever seen anything like that. The road out front became a river, street lights were twisted around. It was amazing. While digging out the drains, I found this pile of hail in a corner. The green bits are chewed up leaves.

More photos of both sock and hail in my flickr photostream!

a few sock-related things

1.) The first sock of the BFF Socks (Summer of Socks Pair 001) was completed last night. I’m pleased with the way it turned out, except that I forgot to do the little thing Stephanie Pearl-McPhee suggests in order to make the toe less square. It became very obvious once I put the sock on and the toe stuck out in a corner.

2.) The second sock for the above set will be put on hold in order to knit a pair for my mother who was very excited when she found out I was making socks. I expect her to wear them more frequently than someone else in my family.

3.) The pattern that will be attempted on behalf of my mom is the Snicket Socks by Sabine Riefler.

4.) The yarn that will be used I received in a fantastic gift package from Christabel a few months ago. I think the colors suit my mom just right and so does she. 

5.) I wound the skein into a ball using my clacketty ballwinder (one of my first knitting/ebay purchases) and my yarn swift. They worked together quite nicely, except for the complete inability of the ballwinder to actually fulfill its duties. For whatever reason the ball it creates is a shameful mess of yarn and I was then obligated to rewind it by hand using my awesome NOSTEPINNE. If you do not have one of these, I strongly urge you to acquire one. I took several photos of the yarn cake partly because I was so thrilled with my yarn winding capabilities and also because the yarn was posing so nicely.

I cannot express to you how much better this looks than the ball I pulled off the mechanical winder. And yes, you too can have such lovely balls of yarn using only a stick of wood! It is possible. Soon I will compose a brief tutorial on the benefits and magical abilities of the Nostepinne (excellent for reenactors also!).

weekend update

So, yes, I did some dyeing this weekend. My intent was to spin some or all of it, but since I currently have no BFL listed in the shop, I decided to list them instead because I thought they were quite nice looking and someone else might enjoy them too. I also dyed several skeins of sock yarn, but they never look very good so I didn’t photo them. 

Speaking of socks, my BFF socks are coming along really well. I’m into the foot, and since my foot is short, that won’t take too long. The next pair will be for my mum. I’m not sure what pattern I will do next. I really do like the Twisted Tweed I mentioned before. Also, I fiddled around with the Magic Loop in the middle of my current sock, which was on 2-circs. I think with a slightly longer needle, it will be more successful, but it’s not hard at all! 

“Water Iris” 4 ounces Falklands

“Market Day” 4 ounces Bluefaced Leicester

a sock, finally

So, I signed up for Summer of Socks 2008 because I never sign up for anything. And now I know why. It’s because I can’t keep on any sort of schedule or make myself knit things when someone tells me I’m supposed to. It started on June 21 and I just finally got around to starting my first sock of the summer. One of my goals was to do something more than just stockinette or ribbing, so I went looking for a pattern that I could handle without being overwhelmed. I like cables, so I ended up with BFF Socks by Cookie A. I think I mangled that first little cable increase. The slant is going the opposite direction of the rest of the cables. blerg. I like it anyway.

Other socks I’d like to make include one made with handspun and something coarse and bulky that would be more like a woolly boot than a sock. Another sock pattern I want to tackle is the Twisted Tweed Socks by Schrodinger.  One of the pairs I make will be for my mum since I haven’t made a pair for her yet. I figure socks are a good project to take to Pennsic because they don’t take up a lot of space. I’m thinking about adding the magic loop method to my sock making repertoire also, you know, options and variety. Just to say I can.

progress and beginnings

Hilarious! Somehow I manage to spin the most even yarn in my personal history directly following the fiber show and skein competition. The worst part: I’m not entirely sure what happened. I spun it on the middle ratio and predrafted all the roving. It was not plied via center-pull ball, rather I spun two separate bobbins and plied them. Of course it’s not perfect, but I am very pleased. I was also trying to work on lighter weight yarns. Every time I think I’ve got a worsted weight, it’s closer to heavy worsted or bulky. I didn’t measure this one yet, but it feels lighter to me. Although apparently I’m not a good judge.

Disco is Dead. Blue-faced Leicester, handdyed using Wiltons Icing Dyes.

While I’m here, I’d like to share this lovely handknit item: 

It is my first sock from May/June 2005. It was supposed to be a tube sock, but it resembles more closely a golf club cozy.  I knit it during my ‘acrylic is awesome’ phase. The yarn was Red Heart and of course I just thought it was fantastic and inspiring. Now I barely glance at the yarn department in craft stores. Overall the knitting isn’t bad. There are a few spots of blah, though.

  

I screwed up the ribbing right away, but managed to “fix” it and continue on. You can see the switch-a-roo in the second photo. That didn’t really fix it though, because I have two ribs that are larger than the others. There are a few other minor things. And the decrease isn’t too bad. I guess I decided that because of it’s incredible wideness, I wouldn’t bother making the length to match. Funny!

something to show for it.

Something knitting-related?? What!? Yes, indeedy-do. Modeled by my Father, these socks were made using Knit Picks Felici, colorway Clay. Knit on size 2 circulars (2-circs method).  Ribbing on top, stockinette foot.  The stripes don’t match and I don’t care. In fact, it would have been an impossibility because halfway through there was a knot and the striping reversed!  If I had actually been making the stripes match, I would have been mad.

I had to beg him to put them on so I could take pictures. He said modeling was quite exhausting. He just sat there with his feet up on my spinning stool. Sheesh. I asked if he would wear them to work and tell all his pals I made them. He said, “oh, I guess I could do that.” How long have you been asking me to knit for you???? I’ll just chalk it up to non-emotional men.

 

merry christmas eve

Socks are done! I finished them last night and I am very pleased with the end result. The pattern has ribbing on the top of the foot which is an excellent way to get a good snug fit. I tried a sock in self-striping yarn with a similar pattern, but the heel flap was too short and I finished the sock anyway. I was not inspired to start or finish its mate. From now on, I think I will stick to 2 circs for socks. For some reason, the tiny needles and yarn don’t bother me as much as tiny DPNs. Although, for my fingerless mitts, I will stay with the DPNs. My next pair will be for my dad since I haven’t made him anything yet!

Tomorrow is Christmas! I can’t believe it. My mom said I’m not getting anything because I am too difficult to buy for. Isn’t that thoughtful? Well, in the end I don’t really need more stuff. I know of at least two things I’m getting. We’re also doing the medieval dinner again. It’s so much fun to dress up and eat old time food. Our dining table is right in front of our biggest window (it’s actually in the living room, but since we do more things at the table than on the couch, it sits in the largest room), so when people drive by they can see RIGHT into the house! So, if you happen to drive by our house tomorrow afternoon, we’ll be dressed in 13th century clothing eating duck, barley, and pea soup.

While I was snapping [bad] photos of yarn the other day, Phoebe got up on the stool and sat right on top of it! This is a BFL 2-ply, dyed in green, turquoise, and purple (jacquard acid dyes). I gave it to Laura for Christmas! Did I forget to mention Phoebe sat on it? I hope you aren’t allergic! ^.~ And below is the debut of Thomas, our large fellow. He’s very difficult to photograph because he’s always moving around and the pictures end up being streaks instead of eyes.

40 minutes left

Along the lines of naming, I looked up “quasar” and found the definition to be very amusing, especially in relation to me.  Below is the entry from dictionary.com:

 

Short for quasi-stellar radio source. A compact, starlike celestial body with a power output greater than our entire galaxy. Believed to be the oldest and most distant objects ever detected, quasars are billions of light-years from Earth and moving away from us at nearly 80 percent of the speed of light. For this reason, quasars are highly important to astronomers’ understanding of the early universe. Little is currently understood about the nature of quasars; one theory suggests that they are produced by giant black holes destroying enormous amounts of matter, causing the subsequent ejection of radiation along their north and south poles. Many astronomers believe that quasars represent an early stage in the evolution of galaxies such as our own.

As for my spinning wheel, I still haven’t come to a conclusion on the name. I have narrowed it down a little bit though.  I packed it up last weekend and took it to Cosy’s. I brought two braids of BFL and spun them both before dinner was ready! Where else can I take it?

Elaine, Effie, Eliza, Ella, Eloise, Elsa, Enid, Erica, Esther, Ethel, Eunice

The socks are coming along nicely.  I finished the first one Monday evening and started the second on Tuesday. Last night while watching Christmas specials, I knit the heel flap and turned the heel. It seemed to go a lot quicker the second time around. This sock is probably the best looking thing I’ve made in a long time. I know it’s the best looking sock I’ve ever knit. My first pair was too funny. One of the gussets ended up on the top of the sock!  Not to mention one was blue and the other green.  I also knit a pair of felted slipper socks for Rich last year and a pair of socks at Pennsic.  There have been quite a few false starts and socks with no mates. Maybe the 2 circulars is a break through for me! I think I’ll stick to DPNs for my mitts.

staying in the house

Saturday, while knitting at Cosy’s, I started a sock using the 2 circulars method. She provided me with the yarn, which she dyed. I want to call them “Forest Walkers” or something. Anyway, the first pattern in the book was a simple ribbed sock in 3 sizes, none of which were mine. Originally I did the child’s medium, but it was determined after turning the heel that that was too small. So I got out my Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook and Knitting Rules by S. Pearl-McPhee, and did something new. I worked a gauge swatch (though tiny) and measured my foot. After finding my numbers in the charts provided, I cast on 56 stitches and went to town! Early into it, I could tell that these were going to fit me much better. I continued to refer to the 2 circs book in case there was something vitally important that I need to know regarding the intricacies of working socks on 2 circular needles. Everything went fine – I made the heel flap using a different yarn, got the heel turned, gussets, and now I’m into the foot and I feel great!

This has been a very positive experience, especially after Thursday’s series of unfortunate events.  I must be transparent in my struggles and it has been coming out here. Well, I have not had any formal training in anything – no art, no nothing! At first it was fun just to bumble through things with nothing particular in mind. But now I can’t say that. I want more predictability and I’m just not getting it. I need to take a class or something or just keep trying or just shut up.

A photo of my Birthday Axes from Richard. If you recall, from Saxon Summer, I enjoy throwing axes quite a bit.