Thursday, June 19, 2008

Socks are your true friends

Socks are forever.


I love knitting socks.


Especially two socks together. But a sock at a time is okay too. As long as you cast on the second sock right away. Always have a sock-in-progress with you and you will never be bored. I even like kitchnering.


I am leaving for Thailand Saturday. It's a 24-hour flight. I never sleep on a plane. Do you think I can finish a sock? Maybe a pair if I knit two at a time? We shall see.

Sweater, on the other hand, can either be your friend or enemy.

This is the latest craze on Ravelry.

February lady sweater. Based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's baby sweater by the same name in the Knitter's Almanac. Free pattern is here.

Seems like everybody is knitting it, so I joined the crowd and cast on with some modifications.

I knitted the bodice in stockinette instead of garter. I also did yarnover increase instead of M1 as the pattern says. The yarn is Dream in Color Classy in Nightwatch. From stash. (Yeah!!) Lovely hand.

Unfortunately it needs to be frogged back a few inches. I did the eyelet increase too soon. The eyelet row should be just a couple of row above the beginning of the lace pattern. Off to the frog pond I go.

I told you. Socks are good.


Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Shrug experiment

Cables and lace

I want a little summer shrug.

I have been searching high and low for a shrug pattern. I wanted some lace, but not too lacy. I wanted some cables, but not too bulky. Picky, picky. I didn't know exactly what I wanted. I would know when I saw it.


Then I saw this picture.




Debbie Bliss shrug in Pure Silk book. The picture is so unattractive! But something caught my eyes and I began to search through Ravelry. Much better pictures there. Love it! Yes. Cables and lace. Just the right kind of cable and the right lace. This is want I want. But not in silk. Not me. Cotton. 24 st to four inches in stockinette. Hmn. Cotton. I can never get gauge in cotton.

I couldn't get gauge. I tried it in Sublime organic cotton. DB cathay. Rowan wool cotton. Couldn't get gauge. Went down to needles size four and still the work looked sloppy. Tried it in pattern. Nope. Didn't like what I see. It just didn't feel right. Hmn. Didn't look good. I wanted this.

Then Caroline at Uniquities, my second-favorite LYS, said to try Rowan's Calmer, a cotton DK yarn with a little elastic. She said I would like it.

I love it.

Just right. And the yarn was on sale. So much for stash diving. This is a DB lace-and-cable pattern but I am not using her shrug pattern. I don't like that it is done in parts and seamed together. The shoulders don't look right. Back to Ravelry and the search. I am following this 1936 shoulderette pattern:

Much better.

Now I am knitting in earnest. I also finished my second pair of socks (knitted two at the same time). Now I will just need to clean up a couple of single second socks and I shall be crusing away with two at a time onwards! It is so rewarding.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

A sock ahead

Great leap forward!


YEAH!!!


Best thing that ever happened to sock knitting since the magic loop!

No more second sock syndrome!