lace math and arctic stole progress

just for the hell of it, i calculated my actual progress on my lace stole:

• arctic diamond stole: 50,042 stitches
• progress thus far: 21,484 stitches
• percentage complete: 21,484 / 50,042 = 43%

holy sh*t that is a lot of stitches! no wonder i stick with socks. okay, now let’s compare…i took a pair from favorite socks (interweave press)…

• cable rib socks (p.73): 24,560 stitches

this project is roughly only twice the number of stitches as a pair of socks, but it’s taking me so long!!! i need to progress because i won’t start a new pair of socks until i finish some of my WIPs.

computer is still broken. (sigh). butter has been kind enough to let me borrow his laptop. but alas, it does not have a CF card reader (at least i don’t think it has one). so, i am using my daughter’s camera/computer setup…

here is an unretouched photo of my stole on her very bright bed.

please excuse the mess, her room is my new second office until my computer gets fixed and/or i have time to file all of the stuff away (i’m working nights again). anyway, it doesn’t seem very long, does it? i may add an extra repeat if i have enough yarn. do you think it will be long enough after blocking? unstretched it’s about 17 inches long…

knitting library: new pathways for sock knitters…

we have returned from our whirlwind vacation of vancouver and seattle. and may i say, if you don’t go and visit for the beauty, culture or sights, you have to go for the food!

i was a bad blogger and did not take many pictures. but no matter, upon our return my computer decided to flash me to blue screen of death. luckily, i can use my daughter’s computer…but alas, no photoshop for editing photos. since that is the case, i’ll keep this short and post my koigu (!!!) and travel knitting pictures later.

but i won’t leave you empty handed, knit blogging-wise. have i told you that i bought new pathways for sock knitters by cat bordhi?

a fantastic book!!

many other bloggers have mentioned this book. i personally love the book. anything new for socks is exciting for me!! like her previous books, cat’s writing style is easy and conversational. however, some people may find her instruction somewhat confusing. stick with it, though, and you will have a new arsenal of sock knitting techniques at your disposal. containing a number of new recipes for sock construction, it’s worth buying just to examine the architectural innovations. (i’m also a shameless groupie. buy the book, cat rocks!). she also includes instructional videos via youtube for some of the techniques used in the book. the video quality could be better, but i’m still happy to see the value-added content.

i need to work on this technique. i get ‘perfect tension’ except for the last stitch…so i keep falling back on figure 8.

i even found a kal via ravelry! it is called the new pathways knitalong. i’ll be keeping an eye out for their projects.

have you seen the book yet? what do you think?

have you seen this?

i don’t know how to embed you tube videos….wait…lemme google it….

wow. (hits easy button). that was easy. butter sent this to me today. and i cried. what a baby!

happy feel good, don’t you think?

i mentioned in my last post that i have acquired some stash recently….and i’ve just gotten around to posting about it.

have you tried fearless fibers yet? i was browsing etsy one day and saw some to-die-for colorways. i pounced on two skeins of sock yarn….come on….are you surprised?!?! i’ve had a hankering for more subdued tonal colors because of a recent cable fetish. have you seen the august six sox pattern? (dear god!!). so present to you a generous 550 yards (yes 550!!!) of fearless fibers 100% merino superwash sock yarn:

fearless fibers sock yarn in brick house colorway
100% superwash merino wool | 4 oz : 550 yds
note: a little more orange in real life…

fearless fibers sock yarn in smoke colorway
100% superwash merino wool | 4 oz : 550 yds
note: more blue than i expected, but still very happy with it

i haven’t posted about the sock club recently, but that doesn’t mean i don’t have beautiful yarn from that too….the most recent is a 50/50 cashmere and alpaca (ack! allergies!?! lynne says that baby alpaca might not be too allergenic for me) blend that is gorgeous and soft. it is stored double bagged and hermetically sealed amongst the rest of my stash.

the sock club, july yarn
50% cashmere : 50% baby alpacal | 219 yds | 2 skeins

as you read this, i will be jetting to the west coast to vacation in seattle and vancouver!! it will be a short, whirlwind trip…do me a favor and cross your needles and wish for good yarn and knitting!

new to the knitting library: vogue knitting 25 years…

i really have been knitting, er, crocheting lately…just on the down low. here’s some crocheted dish cloths i made from my first taste of peaches and creme worsted weight

crocheted ballband dishcloth

crocheted ballband dishcloth for grandma kathleen
peaches and creme worsted in strawberry cream,
daisy ombre, sea mist and gumdrop
started: august, 2007
finished: august, 2007
hook: G or H
notes: made smaller for wringing ease

in the near past i’ve acquired a number of books and had a little bit of stash building….i’m going to start off with the vogue knitting book:

 

the best of vogue knitting: 25 years of articles, techniques and expert advice

i’ve actually had this book for a while. when i first received it, i thumbed through the pages and was turned off by the photographs from the 80′s. i put the book on my desk and peeked at it from time to time. slowly, i came to realize that i treasured this book. not only is it a piece of knitting history, but i also gives the reader “how to’s” for techniques from casting-on, to shaping and design, to binding-off.

this book contains no knitting patterns; it is more a reference. however, it doesn’t read like a knitting reference, as it shouldn’t,
since it is a collection of articles. but by the same virtue, it is difficult to find a specific technique if you just leaf through the pages. however, this may be overcome with the thorough table of contents and index.

you won’t sit down and read this book from cover-to-cover in one shot, but you will enjoy the timeless advice contained within the articles. pick this up if you want a quick shot of knitting reading, but i would not recommend purchasing it as an end-all, be-all knitting reference. this is a great coffee table book! i’m glad i bought it sight unseen!

another pair finished!

 

i love mustang ganseys from six sox
STR in mustang sally (rockin’ sock club) by BMFA
4.25 oz / 360 yards ; 100% superwash merino
started: august 1, 2007
finished: august 12, 2007
needles: 2, #1 addi turbo circs
notes: decreased an extra two stitches in the foot

i was totally obsessed with the sock/yarn combination! i would be tempted to knit these again and sub out the heart or something a little more spicy….like a skull? anyway, for you sock lovers, i do recommend joining the KAL (through yahoo). it seems well organized and very informal. i am a lurker at the forums myself, but i do enjoy the daily posts.

ooooo! did you notice? huh? didja?! look up at the address bar!!! butter bought me my very own domain for my birthday!! (thanks babe!)… i think all past links should work fine, but if you are inclined, i would update any feeds!

i love mustang gansey socks

in another fit of startitis, i present to you, another sock:

i love mustang gansey socks
aug ’07 six sox knitalong pattern
in socks that rock lightweight mustang sally
needles: 2 – US 2 addi circ’s
mods: none

i’m not much of a joiner, but i was curious and so i caved and joined the yahoo group. am i ever glad!! the second i saw the pattern i dove into my stash and pulled this out. i’ve finished the 2nd of 3 repeats of the first cable. yum. love it.

speaking of yum. did you see anne’s new bee creation?

oh. dear. gawd.

i’m not much of a lace knitter but holy bee-jeeb-us. the black stingah is soooo up my alley. it’s being added to my ravelry queue (obviously, it’s not a complete list…the complete one would be embarrassing). knitting will commence when i finish my arctic stole. (which, by the way, needed to be ripped back….again!) oh wait, i failed to blog that i completely frogged the whole thing and started over, safety line be damned. i was soooo unsatisfied with the guage. pure stubbornness did not win over the (mostly non-) perfectionist. in all honesty, i f’d up the edging and decided that i deserved better….so i started over….but only to have to frog back to my safety line after the beginning edge.

(sigh)

more blogging next week…i was working nights this week…and next week i’m back on days!