The socks are finished!

And I've started a new pair, even though I wasn't really feeling it.

But first, the socks I've finally managed to finish: I got the Rick socks off the needles and into a cold bath on Wednesday night. It seems like once I was able to get past the frustration of having had to rip out a week's work made the second time around go a whole lot faster. It also helped that I followed the freaking chart. The best thing about those socks, though, is the color. I had no idea when I bought that yarn at Sock Summit (two years ago!) that I would love the color so much. I'm sure it has to do with their being dyed with indigo and other natural dye colors. There's a softness to the colors that I find really appealing. Since I have to send these socks away, I'm determined to have something for myself in this yarn. As soon as I have a few bucks, I'll order some more from the folks at A Verb for Keeping Warm, maybe in DK-weight, and make myself a cowl or a shawl or something. I also like how squishy & soft these socks are after washing and blocking. I think my aunt is really going to love them.

The new socks are Stephanie van der Linden's It's Tea Time, knit from the skein of Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga that I purchased at Sock Summit (actually, all three pairs of socks my mom guilted me into making came from yarn I bought there). The color is Golden Orb Weaver, which I knew I had to buy as I had just seen that cool tapestry at the Art Institute of Chicago at the beginning of that trip. These socks seem to be moving along quickly due to the simple knit/purl patterning and absence of lace and left/right charts. The yarn is knitting up beautifully. One sock has a hint of pooling, but I think it will be alright. There's not much I can do about it anyway. It's not like I'm going to rip back 4" of leg if I don't have to. If I'm especially diligent, I could finish these in less than three weeks and then I can knit whatever I want with NO DEADLINES. Right now, I don't know what that would be, but I'm thinking it will be a new spring sweater for myself.

Anyway, that's all I have for now, Friends. Until next time.

So, I started a pair of socks.

Like that's a surprise to anyone. After finishing my mother-in-law's Veil of Rosebuds, I was looking for another good commuting project. Since I didn't have the yarn to make Salted Caramels for my father-in-law, I decided to start some socks for my husband. He's been getting a lot of wear out of the Milo socks I made for him almost two years ago (!), so I thought it was high time he got another.

When we were looking through my stash for yarn for his dad's socks, he remarked that he liked the skein of Miss Babs' Windsor Sock yarn that I'd bought last year at Sock Summit. It's a good thing I bought that with him in mind! The colorway is called "Frankensock," which has a lot of lovely greens and blues and black. It's definitely a high-contrast hand-dyed yarn, so I was pretty careful about which pattern I was going to use with it.

After considering lots of patterns, I ended up deciding on Scylla by Fiona Lucas. It's a nice slipped-stitch pattern, with a little bit of texture thrown in to keep it interesting. It's knitting up pretty quickly, which will come in handy as it starts getting closer to Christmas and the panic knitting starts. The slipped stitches are a nice contrast to how the yarn is striping, and I love that I'm getting to do some toe-up socks for the first time in a long while. I'm hoping to finish them pretty quickly, so husbeast can wear them soon, and so I can get started on his dad's socks.

Well, Friends, that's all I have for tonight. Maybe next time I'll have an update on the Columbine needlepoint.

WIPs Wednesday? You betcha!

I've had a bit of start-itis lately and so I have plenty of projects on the needles. Or, at least, plenty for me. I think there are currently five. And that's only if you count the knitting projects. I also have a little needlepoint thing I'm working on, and two unfinished quilt tops that I'm not working on. The quilt tops send occasional messages to the guilt receptors in my brain, asking if they might someday be allowed out of the closet. I ignore them.

As for the knitting WIPs, I tend not to let them languish, but for whatever reason, I've decided that right now I'd rather start new projects than finish the old ones. It's much more exciting! This bout of start-itis might also be from realizing that I currently know at least four people who are pregnant (whose babies really should have handknit gifts) and that I have a big exam coming up, that I don't really feel like studying for.

So, one of the recently-started projects is the Punctuated Rib Socks, by Ann Budd. The pattern for these socks is in Carol Sulcoski's book Knitting Socks with Hand Painted Yarn. In this case, I'm using a commercially-produced variegated yarn: Berocco Sox Metallic. I've only just gotten going on the pattern, as these socks are meant to be worked on while I commute to work on the bus. I wasn't sure at first how I'd like the metallic bits in the yarn, but I think they look nice. Definitely not tacky.

Another is the intarsia-in-the-round socks that I'm doing toe-up from the technique I learned at Sock Summit from Anne Berk. I've gotten a lot faster knitting these. I usually work on them in the afternoons when I let the cat out. Since he's blind, I have to be out in the yard with him to make sure he doesn't wander into the alley or find some other kind of trouble. All he wants to do is eat grass and throw it up. If the neighbor's dog comes out, that's when he wants to go back in. He wants nothing at all to do with any dogs. Anyway, as for the socks, I think they'll end having an afterthought heel and a fairly short cuff - I'm just going to knit them as far as the yarn lets me, then quit.

The last of the WIPs that I can share (the baby projects have to be secret, I think) is my Peasy cardigan. I really don't know why I haven't just sewn the freaking buttons on, but that's the last thing that remains to be done. I keep telling myself that I'll do it insert evening here, but then I get distracted by cute little bitty baby projects and the cardigan goes one more night unfinished. It probably won't happen tonight, because a friend is coming over and we have plans to drink wine on my front porch. And tomorrow I have a work-related function, so it won't get done then, either. This weekend is a holiday, so maybe it can happen then. I really do want to finish it soon, as I'd like to have it washed and blocked in time to wear the first minute that it's cool enough to wear.

So, that's current projects. Maybe next time, I'll be able to show a finished project. Until then.

It's called restraint.

And I exercised it. Mostly. At Sock Summit, the Marketplace was a marvel. High-quality stuff as far as the eye could see. Hand painted yarns. Roving. Books. There were so much awesome temptation. This is all I came home with:

A respectable haul, but certainly not outrageous. Enough sock yarn for four pairs of socks, a skein for a friend, some lovely handmade soaps, some ceramic buttons, and a cute little ceramic bowl. I skipped the books, as I was worried that my luggage would be too heavy on the way home. I also skipped the roving and spindles as I'm not sure I'm willing to take on another hobby which will involve new gear and a whole 'nother stash. But those undyed rovings were really beautiful and intriguing.

The first booth I really spent time in on the first night was Sanguine Gryphon. The line of people waiting to check out wrapped around the side and into the next aisle, but I decided to sharpen my elbows and take a look inside. All the yarns were beautifully painted, and when a skein of Skinny Bugga named after the Golden Orb spider found its way into my hand, I knew I had to have it. It's mostly different blues, with a little gold thrown in. Its 80/10/10 merino/cashmere/nylon blend will ensure that the socks made from this yarn will be mine.

The other yarn I purchased the first night came from A Verb for Keeping Warm. A voice over the loudspeaker had just announced that the Marketplace was closing for the night and I sort of slowed down at their booth. They were so kind as to invite me in and let me shop. I didn't want anyone to get in trouble for any illicit after-hours sales and hoped we wouldn't get thrown in Sock Summit Jail for it. This set off lots of musing about how nice Sock Summit Jail would be, with its handknit afghans on the cots, felted slippers, and ubiquitous handknit socks. I bought two skeins of Creating, and they gave me a free pattern.

On subsequent days, I managed to get to Little Red Bicycle, where I bought a skein of yarn for a friend. His only request was that it be in a "manly" color. That would be the red skein in the top photo. The dyer at LRB is someone whose posts I read a lot on Ravelry, and at the LSG party, she wore a dinosaur suit. She's pretty awesome and her yarn is gorgeous!

I also managed to find my way to Miss Bab's booth, which was full of beautiful yarns and lots of patterns. In addition to all the gorgeous hand-painted yarns, she also had lots of beautiful semi-solids, which are probably my favorite yarns to knit - I like how the saturation of the colors adds depth to the things I knit. Anyway, I ended up with one semi-solid and one hand-paint. I can't wait to see how they knit up.

Aside from the yarn, I bought some lovely handmade soaps from Goodies Unlimited, which smell so good, I can't stand it! I think the peppermint is my favorite, but I also love the lavender soap and the almond one, too. I gave the citrus-scented one to a friend, and now that I've looked at their website, I expect I'll order some more. The other non-yarn purchase I made was from Jennie the Potter, who had all kinds of ceramic awesomeness in her booth. I only ended up with a set of buttons and a cute little bowl, but I was glad to have them. All her vessels, be they yarn bowls, vases, or mugs, had cute incised decoration: sheep (some wearing socks), squirrels, trees w/birds. They were all so cute! I was looking pretty hard at some of the bigger pieces, but I was worried about how well they'd travel home, so I just got a small bowl with a robin on the inside. It will do well for stitch markers or pins or something.

I think this is the end of my Sock Summit posts. My State Fair submissions have to be turned in this weekend, so I've been busy washing and blocking all kinds of stuff, which you'll get to see soon enough. Until next time, Friends.

Actual Knitting Content!

You've been waiting awhile, yes? Once I actually arrived in Portland, I got on the MAX and headed straight for my hotel for a shower. Except it took longer than I planned because I went the wrong direction and ended up at Pioneer Square. But, once I got my bearings, I got going in the right direction and checked in.

The first thing on my agenda was to get to the Oregon Convention Center to check out the Marketplace. I took a lap to check out all the booths before I made any rash decisions. There was so much awesome stuff! Signature Needle Arts was there, and their needles are really awesome. The only thing that kept me from buying any is that I really prefer a long circular to dpns when I knit socks. As soon as they come out with a US1 needle, I'm all over it. There were at least two booths full of knitting books, one of which had the most excellent Japanese stitch dictionary: 1000 patterns for $119. (Honey, if you're paying attention, you should consider this a hint.) There were also vendors of glass, wood, and carbon-fiber knitting needles; spinning equipment and roving; buttons, stitch markers and yarn bowls. And a metric ton of yarn: hand-painted, hand-dyed, hand-spun and lots of commercial yarns and especially yarn from indie dyers. I bought plenty of stuff, but I think I'll save that for another post.

After I finished in the Marketplace, I went up the escalator to attend the opening night reception, at which Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (AKA the Yarn Harlot - you might have heard of her) and Tina Newton (both of whom were collectively known as ST-1) were speaking.I have no idea how many people were there, but since I was in line buying myself two glasses of wine (it was a long line, I wasn't going to do it twice), I ended up at a table near the back with some nice people I met in the wine line. ST-1 had plenty to say about how the folks in charge of the Convention Center didn't quite understand what they were in for, how much fun the conference was going to be and how rewarding (and exhausting) it was to finally be under way.

The next morning I was scheduled for Anne Hanson's "Holes in our Socks" class, which was billed as an intermediate-level class. I think it was intermediate for sock knitters, but beginning for lace knitters. I have to admit, I probably should have chosen an advanced class, as many of the people in class were new to lace knitting and some had real problems with reading lace charts. What I found most interesting about the class was seeing all Anne's samples. She had many where she knit up the same swatch in multiple yarns, all of which behaved differently due to the fiber content of the yarn, its thickness, or how it was spun. It really impressed on me the importance of swatching and yarn substitution.

On Saturday morning, I had Lorilee Beltman's "Seismic Socks" class, which was about vertical intarsia in the round. It's a really neat concept and definitely a challenging technique. Lorilee had so many samples of finished objects that I was really excited to learn how to do this. I've had at least two of her patterns in my queue for awhile, but I'm so glad I took the class before I tried to knit the socks. They'll definitely be the better for it. I also have to say how much fun Lorilee is: when we were taking our picture together, we used some samples as sock puppets. We knitters are wild! Wild, I tell you!

On the last day of Sock Summit, I had Anne Berk's "Intarsia with a Twist" class, which was about working intarsia in the round. Seriously. It works. I can't wait to play around some more with this technique. I think that once I get a fairly basic sock down, I'd like to see if I can make cables work with the color changes. At Stitch 'n' Bitch last night, everyone's eyes were glazing over as I tried to describe the process, but I'm sure it's because I made it sound more complicated than it is. That happens to me sometimes. Anyway, Anne Berk is probably one of the most energetic people I've been around and her enthusiasm is contagious. I'm so glad I took the class.

It seems like I should have more to say about my non-class experiences at Sock Summit, but there was so much going on, it could take more text than you're likely willing to read to describe it all. There was a fastest knitter contest, whose winner knit something like 57 stitches per minute. There was also the Fleece to Foot Challenge, in which teams of 5 people had to spin the wool of some freshly-shorn sheep, spin it into yarn, then knit it into a sock. And most famously, there was the flash mob of some 600 or so attendees, who performed yarn-themed choreography to "I've Had the Time of My Life." It's on YouTube. I'm embarrassed to admit that I forgot when it was supposed to start, and I was on my way to the Japanese Garden as it happened. Had I been there, I probably wouldn't have danced, but I would have cheered those who did. It was cute.

I think that's all I have for this time. Next time, I think I'll show off all the goodies I brought home from Sock Summit. Until then, Friends.

All Aboard for Sock Summit!

Well, so much for getting two posts up before I left - I didn't even get one!

Early last Tuesday morning my husband drove me to Indianapolis, where I got on a train to start my journey to Sock Summit. It was an uneventful drive, which started a little late because I forgot to go to the ATM and I couldn't find my neck pillow. (Yes, I know: First World Problem.) We got to the station with a few minutes to spare before boarding and then my dear, sweet husband turned right around and drove back to Louisville, fueled on a 20oz. can of Red Bull.

Once I found myself a seat (I had two to myself!), there was a short wait before we could depart. At one point, they cut all the lights in the car, and for half a minute, I was expecting Dementors to show up. It was pitch black both inside and out. But then the lights came back on, we felt the locomotive power up, and we were off!

I pulled out Damask, which only had about 1.5 chart repeats to go before I could call it done. I've been very pleased with how well this project has gone. No major mistakes, just one dropped stitch, which I was easily able to fix. I didn't even have to use any lifelines, which is not a practice I recommend, as lifelines really are your friends. The only thing I might say I was unhappy about would be that the front of my shirt was covered in alpaca fuzz, but it was not really that bad. As the train rolled along toward Chicago, I completed Damask while the sun came up over the corn and soybean fields.

Having grown up in northeastern Indiana, these fields are my favorite view. As a kid, I rode my bicycle for miles and miles on country roads surrounded by acres and acres of corn. I don't remember many fields with livestock, just crops as far as the eye could see, occasionally broken by a barn or silo. This morning, there was a mist over the fields, giving them a dreamy quality as the sun rose over them. It was a great way to start the trip.

Next time, I expect I'll be writing about my Peasy cardigan, which I cast on last Monday, in anticipation of completing Damask. I also had a little Sock Summit homework to do - I needed about an inch of ribbed cuff for one of my classes. Until then, Friends.

A Short Update

For the last two days, I've been traveling toward Portland, Oregon, for Sock Summit. I'm writing this post from Spokane, Washington, while the Amtrak folks separate my section of the train from the section that is going to Seattle. It's been an uneventful trip, so far, although I feel like my ass is becoming one with the seat. I've written a couple posts, which I expect to put up once I've arrived in Portland.

Looks like I'm out of battery, so that'll do it for now. Until next time, then.

Now it's finished.

So, last time I was whining about how I couldn't finish my Kristi socks because I'd run out of yarn. Well, I finished them the very next day, thanks to the kindness of the nice lady at Blueball Mountain and the speedy service from the United States Postal Service. (And that's the truth - no sarcasm here. At least today, anyway.) I mean, I think I was on the phone with the yarn shop around lunchtime on Friday, and the little box was waiting for me Saturday when I got home from work. It was amazing! As soon as I could rip open the package (and it was a diabolical little box), I got back to work closing those toes.

I added the new yarn to the sock where I only had a 3" yarn tail, and a few rounds later the second sock ran out of yarn, so I added on from the other end of the ball to finish that one. Once I completed all my decreases, I grafted the toes closed, wove in my ends, then put them in the tub for a wash. Finished, washed, and blocked! Whee!

Since the socks were finally finished, I decided that it would be a good time to start preparing for Sock Summit. Never mind that it's just about the only thing I can talk about - I haven't looked at my class requirements since I registered. I'm taking three classes at Sock Summit: Anne Hanson's Holes in our Socks, Lorilee Beltman's Seismic Socks, and Anne Berk's Intarsia with a Twist. I'm really looking forward to all of them! Each class has a little homework, so that's where I'll be focusing most of my knitting attention for the next two weeks. Thing is, I have to choose some new patterns, and that's where the power of the internets is overwhelming me a bit. There are so many choices!

I've looked through my Ravelry queue and through the pattern database (a couple times) and I can't make up my mind. I think for Anne Berk's class, I'll take an argyle sock pattern I saw a few months ago in Piecework Magazine (which it turns out she wrote!). In the magazine it's seamed, but I think I read on one of her project pages that she has done argyle socks in the round, so I hope she'll share how she did it during the class. For Lorilee Beltman's class, I think I'll do her Ankle Panes sock - they look like they'll be a good introduction to her vertical intarsia technique that she'll be teaching. I've had her Thistle Plaid socks in my queue for a while now, but I think simple will be good enough for class knitting. As for Anne Hanson's class, I just can't decide. There are all kinds of lace sock patterns out there, but I think I might take a look through my stitch dictionaries to see if anything looks interesting. The class will have a bit about design in it, so that may be the way I'll go. I'll probably take another look through her pattern shop while I'm at it, just to make sure there isn't something there that I want to work on for the class.

This process has made me dig through my sock yarn to make sure that I have the appropriate yarn for my classes, which has made a mess of my living room. For the most part, the instructions have said I need smooth yarn in light colors, and I do have some, but I'm not sure that what I have is quite right. I'll probably take all of my Cascade Heritage (3 light colors and 1 dark) as well as all my Kollage Luscious. I'll probably leave the Classic Elite Alpaca Sox at home, as it's probably not smooth enough for these classes. I'll also take my bag of leftover sock yarn as well, which I think will be good for playing around with. Hand painted and striping yarns will be staying home. Gah! So many decisions! I should take a breather.

That's all the mania I think I'll share today. Next time, maybe I'll talk a little about having started the Damask shawl (which I hope to be able to wear at Sock Summit) and whether I've completed the Monkeybread scarf (which is moving fast). Until then, friends.

WIPs Update

It seems an age since I posted about my knitting, so I thought I should do that tonight. I'm still working on the Kristi socks, which have been in progress for more than a month now. I only have about half an inch to go before I start closing the toes, but I'm getting a little nervous about whether my yarn is going to make it to the end. The socks are lovely, and I've gotten comfortable enough with the chart that I'm knitting both feet at the same time.

In Monkeybread news, I've completed the hat and started the scarf. This set will be for my mom for her birthday this fall. The last time I was home, we talked about it: about how soft the mink/cashmere yarn is, how nice the cables look, and how the blueberry colorway would look great with her winter coat. So after I ordered the yarn and downloaded the pattern, I called her to ask her to measure her head so I could make the right size. Her response?

"What hat? You're making me a hat?"

She had completely forgotten the conversation and had also forgotten that we looked through the Great Northern Yarns website to choose the color. All I could do was sigh. She's still my mom, after all.

Anyway, the hat has been washed and blocked, but it turns out I misunderstood the directions, and knit 9 rounds too many in the beginning. I don't think it changed the hat a whole lot - it just made it a little slouchier, which will probably make Mom happy, as she likes to pull her hats way down. I think I may just make this set for myself, but I'll have to wait until GNY restocks. Last time I looked, there were only two colors available. (Editor's note: as of tonight, there are three colors, with a fourth available sometime this month. -SZ)

I'm making the small size of the scarf, since Mom is a pretty tiny person. Right now it looks a little narrow, but I think that after washing and blocking it will lay a little flatter and look a little less skinny. I'm going to knit until I run out of yarn on this one. I'm hoping I can get it to end up at least 5' long. That's a good length for a scarf, especially one made from cashmere and mink. I think she'll be pretty happy with it.

That's about all I've got tonight. It's less than three weeks until Sock Summit and I think I have a little homework to do before I get there. Next time, I hope I have at least one finished object, and I hope they're the socks! Until then, Friends.

I'm Going (Redux)

To Portland, Oregon, for Sock Summit! Wheee! I'm really excited. I fully expect the city to be lovely, with only a little of what Fred Armisen & Carrie Brownstein are having so much fun with.

I'll be taking 3 classes from some really fabulous instructors whose work I really admire. First, I'm taking "Holes in our Socks" with Anne Hanson. I really like her aesthetic. I've made her Alhambra scarf twice and have many more of her designs in my Ravelry queue. I have made lace socks before and can't wait to hear her take on it. My second class is "Seismic Socks" with Lorilee Beltman. I've got a few of her patterns in my queue as well, all of them socks. I'm excited about this class, as I'm very curious about this vertical intarsia business. Plaid socks without duplicate stitch! Lastly, I've got "Intarsia with a Twist" with Anne Berk, who, I understand, is a total badass. I have to admit I'm a little scared and intimidated by her rock star status. I have a feeling I'm going to learn a lot in this class and I can't wait to soak up some knowledge.

Of course, one of the big attractions of Sock Summit is the Marketplace. I feel like I could pee my pants, I'm so excited. My husband is less so, but so he often is. It's a yin & yang thing, I think. There will be more than just yarn here, and I can't wait to see all the goodies! I was looking at one vendor's glass needlework accessories, but I'm afraid they're more expensive than I can afford. I will, however, look longingly at them while trying not to drool. Actually, I think not drooling on things will be a good goal for getting through the marketplace.

That's all I have for tonight. Next time, I speak to the frustration one feels upon finding three knots in one skein of sock yarn.

I'm Going

Squee!

I was all set to put up a sad, mopey post, but it turns out that I totally have a squee: the Sock Summit class list is up! Whee! I'm so excited, I could pee my pants. The classes! The teachers! The marketplace! The exclamation points! Oh. Mah. Gahd. I don't know what to do with myself.

First, I squeed on Facebook. Then I looked at the classes and was promptly overwhelmed. So many of the classes look interesting, but there are only two classes a day for four days. That means, at most, I can only take 8 classes of the many that are being offered. But in an effort to exercise a modicum of restraint, I'll only be taking three. Having read many of the Sock Summit threads on Ravelry, I noticed that more than one person who attended the first Sock Summit wished they had taken fewer classes, so they could better absorb the information. I think that's a great idea and I'm happy to learn from their mistakes. That will also allow me more time to check out the Marketplace.

I'm really looking forward to this. My husband isn't, but I am. I will do my best to be responsible. I will do my best not to be seduced by all the pretty hand-dyed and -painted yarns. I will appreciate the utility of the project bags and accessories on display. I will moderate my intake of alcohol, and so reduce the likelihood of having to knit myself a tent to live in after my husband puts me out on the street for being powerless against all things yarn-related. In short, I will try to be good.

So, there it is, a short post tonight, and no photos. There's a holiday weekend coming up, maybe some photos then. That's if I can stop with the happy dance for Sock Summit. Until next time, then.