Spoke too soon

I was looking through older posts, trying to find info on my projects (updated at the right), and came across this post about mom's socks. "shouldn't have to do major rips this time..." Ah, I was so young and naive back then.

Multiple WIPs? OK!

I am becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of having several projects going at once. I really like Wyvern for my next pair of socks. I want to start ChildHood for Graham soon. I need to get his bear from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts started; I hope it's as quick as the bunny was (what was that, 4 days?). And I want to get started on my Noro Kochoran-yoked cardigan with a charcoal-grey body from the yarn from Elann. Eee!

The endless sock journey.

These socks (for Mom) are just doomed. I was showing them to Dharma last night, and I put the new one together with the first one and was noticing a slight color difference--when Dharma noticed that the new one is WIDER.

Significantly wider.

So this morning, I counted... and the new sock has 36 stitches where the old one has 32. That's on one side. So 8 stitches more. For about 4 inches now.

Ugh, how many times will I have knit these blasted socks in the end?

Satisfaction

One of the aftereffects of the Knitting Olympics was a yearning for fast projects. I started a watch cap just before our trip to Portland, and finished it the first day we were there. It looks great. I used some Cleckheaton superwash wool in a beautiful navy-maroon-teal variegation. Mom had bought the wool a while ago, I think for a cap for Graham. So this one was ostensibly for Graham, although since he stole mine a while ago, I think it'll end up being mine. It used about 1 1/3 balls of the wool so I have lots left over. Hm, what to do with it? It is so soft and you can't beat machine wash & dry wool!

I got about 4" done on my mom's 2nd sock while I was there; she tried on the finished 1st sock and was quite pleased. Interestingly, the color patterns of the wool are parallel; had I known, I might have pulled out a few yards of the first ball to make them completely match. So interesting.

Bought so much yarn at Mom's LYS; wow. Very reasonable prices for a shop that is about the only shop for an hour's drive around. They had lots of sock yarn and fun fur-type yarn that I passed on (except for some super-soft milk-chocolate-brown fur I want to make a scarf/cowl from), and lots of basic yarns too. I got to feel Cascade 220 (GREAT yarn) and found out each skein contains 220 yards (oh, duh!). Also chose a skein of brown yarn for Graham's teddy bear I'll be making from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.

And I just got a box from Elann.com... eeee!

In the end

I started my mom's other sock. It's kind of fun so far. I had to figure some things out with the pattern (one row had "Sl 1, k1 across," which turned out to mean "(sl 1, k1); repeat across"), but it's already looking neat.

And I'm thinking that since I shouldn't have to do major rips this time (knocking on wood), it will be easier and faster.

And then I can start my next pair of socks.

At a loss

Finished the bunny Saturday night, while watching Lethal Weapon 4 (not great) and with Graham "helping" by shredding stuffing before we stuffed it. It's pretty challenging to hold stuffing in and do a good stitching job at the same time, but he looks pretty cute, if a bit melancholy.

Then I thrashed around for a while, looking for what to start next. I measured the swatch from my French blue Tahki cotton yarn and found size 6 needles to be exactly right (I knit in the round on Crystal Palace dps and rediscovered how fantastic those needles are--so smooth and easy to use). I swatched with the brownish-grey handspun my mom gave me years ago (stranded with one strand of a grey Lopi yarn) and the first swatch, on size 11 needles, was so stiff, it was like a brick wall. Re-swatched on size 15; ditto. Finally broke out the size 50 Speed Stix Sue & Sarah gave me as a (joke?) present. With those, it finally has a drape. I'm going to search out some size 35 needles and see what comes of that. If it doesn't work, I'm looking into a bulky-weight vest pattern. (The problem is that there are only 250 yards of the handspun. I'd really like to use it in a sweater.)

Then I cast on for the blue cotton sweater. The join in the round is AWFUL. There is at least 1" of yarn between the ends. And I can't see how the 128 stitches can possibly go around my waist (I'm making the L/XL size). I'm about to break out my "try-on tubing" from Machine Knitting to Dye For to see if it can possibly go around me.

I feel like I'm flailing and need a new project to pop up and scream, "knit me!"

Up to shoulder shaping.

Finished row 24 of the body today at noon. Next is a row of shoulder shaping, then 4 rows till head shaping.

I'd say "HOO-ah!" if it tied in better with knitting an angora bunny toy.

Bunny update

Two arms, two legs, and almost 1/2 of a body done. This is going quite fast, and I'm pleased. The legs are knit flat but then joined to the body, which continues upward seamlessly.

The yarn is so soft--70% merino wool, 30% angora. I'm starting to understand what folks say about angora going up your nose. I don't know how it works, but I'm constantly rubbing my nose because of tiny tickly fibers.

Can't wait to start the head. The ears get pink angora in them--sweet!

Two more FOs, and future knitting

I finally wove in the ends on the hat for Dharma's mom. (Gee, would have been good to send it with her while she was gone. Darn it.) Tried to iron down the crease of the band and failed; it's just ornery, I think.

Bound off Mom's black/shiny "knotted" scarf. I'll mail it to her this week.

Started the bunny from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, on behalf of my mom, for my godmother's grandchild-to-be. I have decided that I hate, hate, hate my size 8 circulars. The cable is actually metal and I have to fight with it all the time. So I went to the yarn shop (in and out in 15 minutes; a record for me!) and bought 2 new bamboo circulars. I hadn't realized that the pattern calls for 2 circulars anyway. I asked her whether she carried the Crystal Palace circulars (their swiveling cables are very cool) and she said absolutely not. I said, cringing, "Is it because they snag the yarn?" because that's what happened with my size 7s from Skein Lane. She said yes, that's why. Dang it. I had hoped it was an isolated incident. Their dpns are terrific. She agreed, and said she stocks the dpns but not the circs.

After the bunny, I'll start the corn bunting; am hoping it's a fast knit! I still need to swatch for it and see what changes I'll need to make.

Finally, I'll be swatching for the blue cotton sweater from an old Vogue Knitting. Someone on the glb-knit list asked today whether side seams added stability to a garment. Oof, I didn't even think of that. But I really hate seams, so I'm going ahead with my knit-it-in-the-round idea. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out, since I'm making so many changes to it (removing the lower part entirely; knitting in the round; making the sleeves either shorter or all k2p2 ribbing instead of the awful eyelet section). Oh, and whether I'll have enough yarn in the end. That's why I hate swatching, too--don't want to run out of yarn.