a quick thought about nupps…

“nupp” rhymes with “soup”

but it also rhymes with “POOP!”

i hate nupps today.

eet iz feeeneished.

it’s nice to have something easy peasey on the needles. since my brain is currently full, partly of school stuff, partly of work stuff and the other part full of snot (i’m having this awful, awful mid-winter allergy thingy), i found myself reaching out for these babies! i like them.

double wrapped short row heel

matchey matchey!!

simple socks
pattern: my own (my ravelry link)
knitpicks simple stripes in vineyard
2 skeins | 231 yds : 50 g | 75 wool : 25 nylon
started: january 10, 2009
completed: february 25, 2009
needles: US #1 2.25 mm knitpicks nickel plated options
notes: figure 8, toe up cast on 10, increased to 64. basic 2×2 rib. a little baggy on the ankles…but not too bad.

more sock mojo…a photo vignette

i love it when you find the right combination!  this was attempt #2 with the variegated yarn on the right.  i have been dying to knit with the sundara yarn, too.  my records say i bought it from ebay, but i don’t remember buying it.  anyway…a photo story:

lovely yarn.

lovely pattern.

lovely start.

grey spot socks
pattern: spot check socks by beth parrot (my ravelry link)
in knitting socks with handpainted yarn
sundara sock yarn ochre over lime & cth supersock in african grey
started: january 28, 2008
needles: US 2.5 and 2.75 mm knitpicks harmony dpns
notes: started with the smaller needles…my guage gets smaller with two colors.

more progress.

sometime last year i did a roundup of my unfinished sock projects. (yes, i realize that my last post introduced YET ANOTHER sock).

i counted seven at the time. of the seven (plus another i started later in the year) i finished one. ripped out and remade another. gave up on three not-so-exciting socks. two others are still waiting wips.

i have officially given up the claim that i only work on one project at a time. (including my other non-sock knitting…the grand total of wips is (drum rolllll)……14!  (high hat!)  crazy.  even crazier?  i couldn’t find anything to knit last night.  i ended up spreading out my stash over the living room floor, hoping to find inspiration.  instead, i found a lot of sock yarn.  much more than i thought i had.  so much for keeping an up to date inventory (is it okay that i blame lack of time and lack of decent camera?)

anyway, this morning for my “study break” knitting, i picked up a long forgotten project i started made of this:

cidermoon ‘flurry’ in jackie o
100% superwash merino | 440 yds: 110 g
note: purchased at kc ‘06

cidermoon is a now defunct business.  what a shame!  their colorways were fun and i really liked the base yarns they chose.  during their heydey i was attempting to be more conservative in my buying habits.  thus, i only have two colorways in their fingering weight yarn.  (sigh).  i should have snatched up a couple other ones.

for those interested, one of the owners opened up shop as tuscan grove fibers.  i’m not sure if it sells online, but i do know she sells through a lys, knitter’s mercantile.

anyway, i had the cuff and the ribbing to go….then i needed to fix the non-stretchy bind-off for the first sock.  it was my first and only attempt at a tubular bo for 2×2 ribbing.  i failed miserably.  i debated if i should i try again or just use a sewn bo a la elizabeth zimmerman.  given my enthusiasm might have waned quickly, i was going to just go for the EZ (pun intended!) way. ha!  i kill me sometimes.  how corny can you get? instead, i just did a loose standard bo cuz i was too lazy to find a yarn needle.

jackie o! lace socks
pattern: cross hatch lace from more sks (my rav link)
cidermoon flurry in jackie o
1 skein | 440 yds : 50 g | 100 merino wool
started: july 2007
finished: jan 27, 2009
needles: US #1 2.25mm knitpicks nickel plated circs
notes: fig 8 cast on 12, increased to 60, loose traditional bo…and yes, i know, almost two years in the making!!

hooray! i already have 2 fo’s for 2009!! this is probably due more to procrastinating from studying than a propensity for being uber-productive. oh well. i’ll take it.

now…what’s next?

look! new wip!

beep! beep!!

hey you! don’t look!!

(ha! made you look!) drive by posting….

simple socks
pattern: my own (my ravelry link)
knitpicks simple stripes in vineyard
2 skeins | 231 yds : 50 g | 75 wool : 25 nylon
started: January 10, 2009
needles: US #1 2.25 mm knitpicks nickel plated options
notes: figure 8, toe up cast on 10, increased to 64.  basic 2×2 rib.

this is a discontinued yarn.  i loved the old knitpicks sock yarn.   very durable and not squeaky like the new essential.  the new essential is just okay.  and i would knit with it if i *loved* the colorway, which i do in the kettle dyes.

i happen to love knitpicks.  yarn snobs be damned!!  the lace yarns (gloss and shadow) are fantastic and while in the past the color choices were not to my taste, they are now becoming more sophisticated.  add to that the pointy and inexpensive options needles….and an obsession is born.

wooley nylon

hooray for the ability to schedule posts!!  this allows for more regular content and takes the pressure off.  it actually feels nice to be consistent with this thing.

ANYWAY…have you ever had a sock that wore thin in places?  i have.  and was i upset!  i barely even used the socks.  (sniff).  i think the problem was a combination of too loose a guage and super soft merino yarn.  the stuff is like crack but doesn’t wear like it’s nylon-blended counterparts.  (yes, i could knit in a tighter guage…and i do now!).  but there is also another solution.  wooly nylon.

wooly nylon is a a type of serger thread, i think.  you can buy it in craft stores like joann fabrics and the like.  it is relative inexpensive and comes in a multitude of colors.  i did a quick search on ravelry to see what people had to say about the stuff and i found that many sock knitters use it for their 100% merino sock yarn (the short staple and softness lend to its propensity to wear through more quickly).  it is a very thin and airy thread that you use as a carry along (or weave in) for added strength and durability. i heard that people knit it just into the soles with long floats – then cut out the floats and NOT weave in ends cuz they fuzz and stay in place!  i even read somewhere that people ply it into their handspun yarn for some elasticity!

wooley nylon still life
the purse was the most convenient back drop at the time.

now i chose this color for no particular reason.  i think i was going for neutral = will go with more yarns.  however, in the two applications that i have tried this particular color, i have been unhappy.  the first was with the knotty or knice socks.  i chose to attempt to weave it into the finished toe of one of the socks.  i found i hated this technique…too fiddly and i did not have the patience to reinforce every stitch.  plus, although it was hidden, i found it to be very ugly looking.

this time i chose to carry it along with my heel stitches.

it looks marled and messy!
see the little fuzz bug?

i’m not happy with the result…but i’m not UNhappy, either.  i just didn’t want a marled look.  hmm. if i get around to it and i like the end result, maybe i’ll buy more colors.  well, my ultimate goal was to extend the life of my socks (i LOVE the yarn and feel of the finished product, you see).  so we’ll see how that works out.  more details to come on this sock…

what have your exeriences been with wooly nylon?

adding to my fo pile…

i’m still lacking in the camera department.  (my old camera is a bit cumbersome since the manual focus requires at least 100 button pushes and some magic pixie dust to work).  to make matters worse, it uses compact flash for media and my new laptop does not have a built in reader AND i can’t find my card reader.  my mom’s point and shoot that we *cough* aquired this past weekend uses xd for media leading to the same above problem….so, i’m using our old point and shoot.  it works…but one wishes for something a little more flexible, ya know?  plus, the color it captures leaves much to be desired.  not a problem most of the time; alas, there is no photoshop installed on the laptop either.  soon, the technical difficulties will be fixed.  but in the meantime my photo essays will be a bit bland and uneven.

ANYWAY.  meet my new socks.  (hi socks!)…they have made a new friend today 

“baaaaa!” “{insert sock greeting here}”

they made friends very quickly (but we know how nice wool socks can be, don’t we?

knaughty or knice socks
pattern: knotty or knice socks by chrissy gardner (my ravelry link)
from interweave knits, autumn ‘08  in shibuiknits sock
2 skeins | 191 yds : 50 g | 100 merino superwash
started: december 9, 2008
finished: january 23, 2009
needles: US #1 2.25 mm knitpicks nickel plated circs
notes: the bind off is just meh…if i would do again i would do a tubular bind off.

in the end, the cables got a little fussy.  and i think i would go down another needle size if i were to use the same yarn.  i want the socks to wear well, but the soft yarn feels like it may just wear through rather quickly.  i may weave in some nylon if i get the energy.  all in all good looking socks….i like them. 

25 random things about me, a facebook crosspost.

a friend tagged me on facebook…so i’m posting here and there!  consider yourself tagged if you want to play along.

1.  i don’t have interests, i have obsessions.  seriously.

2.  my feet are always cold.  i wear wool socks in the summer, too.

3.  one of my first nicknames was motorcycle head.  (i had really long hair my mom used to put into long pigtails).

4.  i am married to the most wonderful man in the world.  and he’s hot.  (bonus!)

5.  i feel guilty when i buy yarn.  so i can only buy in small quantities.  i think this is why i knit mostly small projects like socks and lace.

6.  i’m turning into my mother.  i am both pleased and mortified.

7.  i prefer silence to background noise.  yup.  no tv white noise…and radio only when i sing along or with talk radio.

8.  i am really glad i’m a nurse.

9.  i like to play the lottery once a week because it’s fun damnit!

10.  stupid people annoy me.  rude people infuriate me. people who are both stupid and rude should be shot.

11.  i recycle. i hate feeling trendy about it, though.

12.  i tend to get along with people that most others don’t.

13.  i once ate white castle every day for almost a whole month.  my arteries still hate me. no i don’t know why i did it.

14.  i am a nurse and a hypochondriac but i avoid medicine at all costs.  i think it’s a sub-conscious protest against all the other hypochondriacs and people who think there is a pill to cure everything.

15.  i am currently procrastinating.

16. my favorite color is black. it’s hard for me to wear anything else comfortably.

17.  i am a gadget freak.  my current dream device will replace my phone/pda/ipod/camera/gps/wallet.  this device does not exist yet…and it must be on verizon’s network.  my contract is not up yet.

18.  sometimes i think google has made me dumberer.

19.  i don’t like strangers touching me. can’t stand back massages (from said strangers)

20. i can fall asleep standing up.  i can sleep anywhere.  it is both a blessing and a curse.

21. i forget birthdays and significant holidays on a yearly basis.

22.  i like prunes.  they remind me of spending time with my grandmother.  they taste good and they keep you regular!!

23.  i am completely and utterly paranoid about getting bug bites.  cannot take it.  they think i’m a friggin all you can eat buffet.

24.  i voted against both Bush and McCain.  for the first time in years i feel hopeful for the future of the country.

25. if i were a monster i’d want to be a vampire.  but i promise i’m not in love with edward.

dear ravelry,

i didn’t know how to say this in person, so i am writing this in a letter.

i think we need to break up.  our relationship is not healthy.  but i hope it softens the blow when i say, and please, forgive the cliche, it’s me – not you.

i thought i loved you.  really, i think it’s more an obsession. how many nights should i have gone to bed but instead spent the evening with you?  you had all the answers.  you made me laugh.  you showed me things that no one else could.  remember how you introduced me to all of those lace projects?  we we’re together time just rushes away…we have so much to talk about…

then i realized that i needed you more than you needed me.

all my issues of codependence aside, i knew that our time together has taken away from another that i care very deeply about.  my blog.  my original muse.  my blog cared about ME, depended on ME…applauded my successes and encouraged my creativity.  with you it’s just empty desire.

and besides all that.  i know there are others you are involved with.  i knew that from the start.  so i can’t blame you.  and of course, we can still be friends…if you want.  i’ll visit.  i promise.

always,

.: tani :.

~~~~~~~

all silliness aside, i’m going to make an effort to keep off ravelry…you know, remove it from my fav’d links and all….i’m still thoroughly addicted…but as much as ravelry brings the knitting community together, i feel more isolated.  and somehow i attribute the popularity of ravelry to the demise of many of my favorite bloggers.  it is a time suck.  and i’m sure if we charted the rise of raverly against the number of knitting posts, they would be inversely related.

forums were never my bag, either.  the small coversations i used to have over comments seem more warm and relevant to me.  anyway, i’m guilty of blog abandonment, and not all due to ravelry…

hmmm…maybe the best of both worlds would involve rav-blogging…

(sigh)  the reality is that life is busy and most likely we will all be weaving in and out of our relationships with our blogs and ravelry until our craft becomes more of a priority in our lives…and not to sound too sappy – but the center of my life is my husband and family.  knitting is so very important to me (and my sanity!) but they come first.  so i guess we’ll have to settle for transient relationships.

home alone

so what does one do when their husband suddenly leaves for an overnight business trip?

retail therapy.

sock yarn and cute notions bag!

araucania multy sock yarn, color 325
75% wool : 25% nylon | 100 g : 376 m | 1 skein

~ and ~

frabjous fibers “baby sheep” felt notions bag
handmade in nepal
purchased at knitters mercantile

sadly, the yarn and the felted bag does not fill the emptiness.  i should have went to another yarn store and tried again.

as it is winter, and my aging hand knit sock collection is doing heavy rotation, i thought i would maybe get something to spark a little sock mojo.  the rather poor picture (taken with my treo phone) doesn’t well represent the teal/blue/gray in the skein.  it sort of reminds me of the color of the ocean in a shaded rocky alcove.  summer.  and warmth.  the little sheep guy jumped into my hands at check out (point-of-sale marketing at its finest).

meanwhile i have been stealing some knitting moments by working on my red sea shawl (ravelry link, no pictures yet).  i’m over half-done.  and get this – no stiches to pick up around the border.  if you’re curious, it’s the baltic sea stole pattern by by faina m. letoutchaia from fibertrends.  i like the pattern immensely.  even down to the pattern delivery mechanism (it’s printed in color on a heavy card stock bi-fold)…however, other fiber trends patterns i’ve noticed are printed on a darkish colored 8.5 x 11 paper with a picture glued on, served up in a clear jacket protector…and, extra instructions and charts are thrown in, in a different color and different size paper!  this has prevented me from purchasing other fiber trends patterns at the lys.     oh well…

there are a ton of other patterns/pattern designers i want to try out anyway…