using stash…then adding to it.

a long time ago i decided that it was time for me to dye my own sock yarn. i decided to go with food-safe dyes because i didn’t want to chance it with toxic acid dyes. i can be very messy at times, you know. anyway, i ended up test dyeing a number of mini-skeins…and if i must say so myself, i’m pretty darn proud of the colors that i dyed up…here’s an old pic of my stash with the skeins front and center:

see the mini-skeins in the middle? i dyed those!
click thru to see notes via flickr…this photo is an older stash photo, btw.

i’ve turned those little skeins into these:

little fisheys…and a cute mini-project bag

i’m sure that y’all have heard of the tesselating fish blanket. the yarn harlot posted a pic ofthe blanket a while ago. apparently it was published in a magazine years ago and was re-engineered by a blogger. of late, there is some discussion on knitter’s review about the blanket too. from there i found the blog knit, knit, frog, where stell ambitiously decideds to make a blanket from sock yarn. she is on fish #77 (i think). i am only on fish #12:

[zoomed out] 12 fisheys and a cute bag

i bought the bag at one of my lys. it is made by lantern moon and is made of silk. the bag is big enough to hold 4 mini skeins and my circs so i can bring my fisheys with me in style! the store name is “the yarn shop” and they have a huge selection of yarn, needles, notions and books…now while i walked into the store to get replacements for my ebony dpns…i walked out of the store with the bag and these:

yeah!! who would’ve thought…in my LYS!!

claudia handpainted yarn sport weight in buckeye
1 skein | 225 yds : 100 g | 100% merino wool

claudia handpainted yarn fingering weight in black walnut
2 skeins | 180 yds : 50 g | 100% merino wool

in the interest of self-disclosure i must also admit i gave into another yarn purchase. but all i have to say is….

 

(whine)…but it’s sweet georgia!!

 

sweet georgia speed demon sock yarn in stillwater
purchased from knit picky via telephone order
1 skein | 225 yds : 112 g | 100% merino wool

um…come on!! this was from possibly one of the last shipments ever of sweet georgia. i just had to….didn’t i?

green socks…

garter rib socks adapted from sensational knitted socks
for butter (k) in yartini 4-8-15-16-23-42
started: march 7, 2007
finished: march 17, 2007
needles: 2 – 2.5mm, 60 cm addi circ’s
notes: toe up, 72 stitches, short row heel, back-stitch bind off

they are done! hooray!!! i can’t say enough about the yarntini yarn. yummy. so yummy. anyhoo, butter (k) said that he loved them and immediately put them on. (well of course he needed green socks for st. patrick’s day!). here’s another look at them. (our beloved daughter was the stylist for this shot)

kiss me i’m irish!

instead of opting to finish the second sock to this or this…i pulled out MORE green yarn.

lime green... get out your sunglasses.

cherry tree hill supersock in lime green

i’ve been itching to use this yarn for awhile. i love the super bright color…it’s so happy and spring-like! i’ve also been hankering to use a solid sock yarn with a cable pattern. most variegated yarns obscure all the hard work one puts into cables, don’t you agree? with yarn in hand i picked out this pattern:

uptown boot socks by jennifer l. appleby
from favorite socks: 25 timeless designs from interweave

the pattern describes the sock as “a fluid, allover cable pattern…suitable for casual or dressy use. a modern classic.” i’ll add “that screams for attention with it’s vivid texture/color combination”. take a look:

uptown lime boot socks
for me in cth supersock lime
started: march 17, 2007
needles: 4 – #2 latern moon ebony dpns
notes: 72 stitches cast on, 2″ cuff, cuts yarn at heel?!?

it’s a somewhat enjoyable pattern. things i would alter…i would knit it with 5 needles instead of four; there is too much tension. unfortunately. the boogie man stole my fifth needle…oh, and the pattern has you cutting off the yarn when you start the heel flap, wtf?!? weird. otherwise, i can’t wait to see how this one turns out.

 

a vacation knit…

a week of vaca will definitely recharge you! but, man, a day at work can really drain your batteries. i slept in today and i’m still hurting. the near-spring allergies aren’t helping either. ugh. anyhoo…as promised…i have more pictures of my vacation yarn finds and a sock i nearly finished…

but before i do that, i must give credit where credit is due. the second yarn shop that i visited in winston salem was named ‘knit one, smock too”. i will not digress with a rant about web presence. grrrrr….ahem…. this store had a nice selection of yarn as well as quilting, embroidery and smocking supplies. (the lady nicely told me that smocking is a sort of embroidery on the smock of a child’s dress). i asked for ebony dpns and was handed some bamboo with a pleasant,”here you go!” …(huh? i asked for ebony. maybe i was mumbling.)… she was distracted by a phone call so i took the opportunity to scope out the selection of yarn. i think the selection was worth seeing for most knitters…but being mostly interested in sock yarns i was knocked out by the simple fact they had jitterbug. of course, i get knocked out if i just see something in person for the first time!! i walked away without the dpns…and with the jitterbug in jay. all in all, a nice store, but not worth the 20 minutes that were lost when we got lost trying to find it!

thankfully, i had a project to distract me while in the car.

garter rib socks adapted from sensational knitted socks
for butter (k) in yartini 4-8-15-16-23-42
started: march 7, 2007
needles: 2 – 2.5mm, 60 cm addi circ’s
notes: toe up, 72 stitches, short row heel, back-stitch bind off

here’s a detail of the rib:

garter rib detail

i think the b.o. was pretty stretchy…what do you think of the looks?

back-stitch bind off

this yarn is soooo yummy. it is a joy sliding through your fingers while you knit…and so soft knit up. i caught butter rubbing it against his cheek! i am mad at myself that i didn’t use it to make myself a pair (but i guess not too much since i bought two skeins of the colorway!!).

to make the endless ribbing go faster, i knit in the combination style. ( i think there was a knitty gritty episode on this technique.) me thinks that my stitches are not as neat when i use this technique, but it is said that combined knitting will prevent ‘rowing out’ (where you’re purl kind of separate from each other…think reverse stockinette that’s not so even). if there is any interest, i’d be happy to shoot some pics so show you how i knit this way.

what else?!? oh! more yarn….

colinette jitterbug yarn in marble
destined to be mother-in-law socks (pattern tbd)
purchased from shuttles, needles & hooks in cary, nc
100% easycare merino wool | 100 g : 267 meters

i will not digress with a rant about web presence. (have i said that before?)…but i almost forgive this store because of it’s quirkyness. if you google this store, you’ll find mixed reviews. the best description i have for it is “a crazy yarn house”. there is yarn on the floor, on the shelves, on the walls, under the stairs. they have cotton, wool, novelty, alpaca (achoo!), baby yarn, bulky yarn, they have tons of sale yarn upstairs and giant looms, too. there was yarn everywhere…so much it looked like the house may explode. you name it, they probably had it! this is what i imagine what my house would look like if i had unlimited yarn funds…(sorry baby…i promise that i will be more organized, though). butter and rita immediately felt claustrophobic and overwhelmed… as usual, sock selection was sparse…but i foud some jitterbug, and the usual staples of regia, trekking and the like. the ladies were pleasant…i say you should go just to see it…if but only once. then go eat at the diner across the street. it was yummy.

 

great adirondack yarn company soxie in bahama mama
purchased from great yarns in raleigh, nc
100% merino superwash wool | 360 yards

great yarns was a much more….um….civilized yarn store. lots and lots of high end yarns. very accessible, very organized and very friendly staff. they had a nice selection of books and patterns as well. they had koigu and jitterbug in their sock yarn selection but the yarns were definitely picked over. (sigh). i was very pleased to find soxie, though. again. another first for me. the above pic doesn’t show much of the yellow…but it is gorgeous. a little loud…but what the hell, i was on vacation, right!? go to great yarns or their sister stores if you want a more ‘upscale’ yarn experience. oh, and don’t go dressed like a skater. they’ll be nice…but i felt out of place. i will definitely stop back on my next visit to see rita.

whew! ok. i’ll shut up now.

a vacation yarn…

we’re back from vacation! (for yarn/knit stuff scroll down)

we try and get away from the dreary ohio weather about this time of year. butter (k) swears he has s.a.d., and sometimes i feel like i do too! i mean, come on, anyone who has experienced the ohio ‘winter’ months of gray skies would probably say the same. our cure was a trip to north carolina to visit our best friends in cary (near raleigh-durham). while the cold temperatures dipped into the 20′s here, we were enjoying blue skies and spring-like weather.

originally, we were going to start our drive on wednesday, butter’s birthday, but a twharted birthday surprise left me with the idea to leave one day earlier for skateboarding – especially for butter. he mapped out his skate stops (thanks to concrete disciples) and i searched for local yarn shops and found us a hotel in winston salem.

during the drive there i finished my first roza’s sock AND finished my first slipped stich sock with a 2×2 rib and tubular bindoff. whoot!

roza’s socks by grumperina (interweave knits spring 2007)
lorna’s laces shepherd’s sock douglas fir
started: february 27, 2007
needles: knitpicks size 0 dpn’s
notes: very snug fit on me with this needle size, first sock finished on 3/06/07

do you mind the tubular bindoff slanting to the left?
slipped stitch sock pattern by lynne
midnight fire from the sock club (jan)
started: february 2, 2007
notes: small size, toe-up (12 stitches) with short row heel; first sock finished 3/06/07

if you haven’t visited winston salem, go now!! the people were super nice and the city was so charming. we will plan to stay longer our next trip there. being smaller than columbus, i wasn’t sure what to expect of the lay of the land. we had no idea where to eat. (i tend to distrust the hotel concierge for some reason). instead, we turned to wheel of food. no, not the wheel with pat and vanna. it’s a wheel similar to the wheel of fortune wheel but with restaurants. you enter in a zip and spin away!! it’s not without it’s quirks (mcdonald’s and other food chains show up as choices)…but we hit the virtual food lottery! the west end cafe (a pub with great atmosphere and fantastic food) and mary’s, of course (a local hang-out with plenty of character and an imaginative menu) are two definite musts if you visit the city.

before we hit the skate park, on HIS birthday, butter drove me to two yarn shops. now that’s love.

we hit knit picky first.

knit picky is located in historic hanes town, a short drive from downtown winston salem. the store is an adorable renovated 1910 vintage house with a large sign in the front. as soon as we walked into the store, i was struck with how charming it was! displays of yarn and accessories quickly drew me in. almost immediately, we were greeted by store owner sammie jo thomas (hi sammie jo!). she was ever so helpful and so nice, too! although the store was small, i could picture myself spending a lot of time (and money yikes!) there. they had a nice selection of yarns ranging from standard cascade to noro to debbie bliss…oh, go visit and see for yourself! she also carried a few different types sock yarns by including trekking. there was a table in the back room for lessons and for knit-in’s as well as a large selection of pattern books. wireless internet access and a screened porch are also two amenities worth mentioning! we were introduced to another lady from near my old stomping grounds canton, ohio (i was so yarn shop-drunk i forgot your name, i’m sorry!)! we walked away with favorite socks, by interweave press, and an adorable lantern moon notepad with knit picky post-its! sammie jo, my whole experience at your shop has set the bar ever so high, i’m afraid that all of my future yarn shop experiences will be ruined by this! this stop was one the highlights of my vacation this year.

yeah! favorite socks and a lantern moon trinket
i really do think you MUST stop by knit picky if you’re in the winston salem area

we went to visit another yarn shop after that…but i’m afraid that all i can rave about is the fact that i was able to see colinette jitterbug in person! oh, and i took some home

colinette jitterbug yarn in jay
purchased from (the other winston salem lys that escapes me at the moment)
100% easycare merino wool | 100 g : 267 meters
thoughts: the color is beautiful, but the yardage is skimpy?!? thank god i have freakishly small feet!

i have more knitting news, including new socks started and more yarn!! but i’ll have to end this already long post…and put up pictures later.

(sigh) i wish i was still on vacation.

roza’s sock progress

my roza’s socks are flying along…quite an addictive pattern.  the slick metal knitpicks needles and the smooth yarn just seem right together.  and the fabric created has just the right amount of ‘cush’.

i used the recommended size 0 needles…however, i’m finding them to be more snug than i expected. i am a tight knitter…but i would definitely go up a needle size or two if i planned on gift knitting these in the future. i also heard on the lime and violet podcast that they found these were not so stretchy and tended to slouch a bit (right?). not so with my socks. perhaps cuz lime substituted yarn? (ps-they are coming to columbus!!! i’m hoping that i’ll be able to catch their live podcast. give me a shout if anyone out there in blogland is planning to go to knitter’s connection)

manny is modeling the 7.75″ of the leg i have finished. she is doing great and says hello to her fans:

roza’s socks by grumperina (interweave knits spring 2007)
lorna’s laces shepherd’s sock douglas fir
started: february 27, 2007
needles: knitpicks size 0 dpn’s
notes: very snug fit on me with this needle size

mini-sweater…and roza’s socks started!

this week i’ve been working nights, so this post is low on pictures and high on whining. you’ve been warned.

i’ve been making progress on my sweater, but i’m afraid that i’ve sorely underestimated my size. ouch. how’s that for an ego buster? how far will the limits of blocking take you. i thought for sure that my mother was wrong…but i’ve shown my sweater to a couple of friends and i’ve heard “wow. that’s a small sweater.”, one too many times. so, needless to say, that project is stalled on the needles.

quick, change the subject before i get upset!!!

oh. my week? other than working my butt off i’ve been good. and sometime in feb i pre-ordered this:

published by martingale and company and authored by the infamous Charlene Schurch, i expect this book to be as great a resource as the first. i expect it to be very similar in layout…which may bore some but the book helped me to understand sock construction and practically gave me permission to go out and and be creative. you know, mixing toes and heels and even interjecting your own {insert # here} stitch pattern into a completely unique sock. so, naturally, i bought the second book sight-unseen. cannot wait.

and that darn amazon. i was short on my order for super-saver shipping. so i HAD (cough) to get something else. besides, i was trying to use a gift certificate my mom got me for christmas. look what else i found:

i have….i mean….um…my step-daughter has an obsession with harry potter….damn it. okay. i have an obsession with harry potter. so again, sight unseen, i pre-ordered the book. anything to promote h.p. and knitting. (i CANNOT wait for the next movie and the last book!!!). authored by alison of the blue blog, i don’t think i’ll be disappointed. but i will certainly let you know what i think once i get it!

lastly, to make up for non-progress on my sweater, i started roza’s socks by grumperina (found in the most recent interweave). i was gonna skip this pattern…but i’ve heard some buzz and thought, why the heck not, i have some ll’s hanging around…and remember? i bought the yarn to cheer me up….so i should use it as a knitting-pick-me-up, no?

roza’s socks in lornas laces shepherd’s sock douglas fir
started: february 27, 2007
needles: knitpicks size 0 dpn’s
notes: no current mods