the one where i talk about earth day….late

so you’ll notice that earth day was actually on 22 april 08 and not today. actually, it’s the day after earth day but you’re reading this a week or so later because i can schedule publishing of my posts. i’m making the effort to be more consistent. and instead of posting, say, every three days or every other day, i’ll write up a rash of posts so that there will be fresh content consistently.. at least that is the plan. (you see, i can only write when inspired and i can’t schedule to be inspired every other day…so says the drama queen slash ar-TIST).

anyway…green is the color of the moment. it’s spring!! how can you NOT want to see it everywhere? so fresh, so clean, so beautiful! it’s inspiring. it’s no wonder then, that i would want to make the effort to preserve this freshy-goodness. yes recycling folks. i’m not one to get up on a soapbox and lecture you about the virtues of consumerism. hell, i’m probably more guilty of it than most who will read this post. but a little effort on everyone’s part will make a difference. don’t think you’ll make a difference? try this attitude shift.

we quietly celebrated earth day by reaffirming our committment to the mantra: reduce, reuse, recycle!! then i knit green. (um. mostly just green yarn…but get this….)

lamb’s pride yarn label – 100% recyclable!!

i’ve also started another project. admittedly, it’s the wrong time to knit it but i’ve been itching to start so i cast on. i’ve been sweating bullets with this monster on my lap:

oscar, the green monster
pattern: einstein coat by sally melville in the knit stitch
lamb’s pride bulky in old sage
9 skeins | 125 yds : 4 oz | 85 wool : 15 mohair
started: april 21, 2008
needles: US #10 knitpicks nickel plated options
notes: miles and miles of garter (dear lord when will it end!!)

oooo….and check out this green stuff

yummy by fibranatura
100% superwash merino | 130 g : 370 yds | 4 skeins
purchased at knitter’s mercantile, columbus, oh

the plan for this yarn is an oversize stole that will double as a blanket on car trips and plane rides where the AC is on overdrive. i can’t wait to knit it up…i just need to find a pattern soon.

go green!

another slipped stitch sock

ha!

you’re surprised i’ve been posting this much, haven’t you?!? me too.

well, i have a ton to catch up on. a ton. and unfortunately, i didn’t document everything. i’ve finished a couple of pairs of socks and started a bunches of other little things (well, not too many). i’ve acquired yarn. i’m dreaming of sweater knitting (and hoping to pull through).

here’s a sock i started and finished on a trip to north carolina to visit my bff rita, baby sam and dr. brian. it’s done in the luxurious claudia fingering weight. what a dream to knit up! so soft and silky (quite the opposite of noro sock). of course, i don’t think that it will last very long considering i wear my socks to work – and i am very hard on my feet!! next time i’ll take the time to knit in reinforcing thread.

another slipped stitch sock
pattern: based on a sock club pattern by lynne (i couldn’t find it!)
in claudia handpainted yarn fingering weight
2 skeins | 180 yds : 50 g | 100% merino wool
started: march 6, 2008
completed: march 12, 2008
needles: 5 – us #1 2.25 mm knit picks harmony dpn’s

thank you gena-beena for the gift of yarn! the colorway is perfect! ps – gena is now online and can be found as knittinggale on ravelry.

hello scarf

scarves have traditionally not been know to hold my attention. well, they’re so rectangular. and the monotony just kills me. but given my knitting mojo has been waning, and the fact that i’ve been itching to knit with my kp gloss yarn…i think i’ve found a nice little pattern to keep my knitting A-D-D at bay.

the lace ribbon scarf by veronik avery (ravelry link) from knitty.com.

once you get through the pattern repeat, you start to blaze through the rest of the scarf. i’m almost up to 20″ after the biggest loser finale and a night ‘on call’. this will make great car/travel knitting…it’s hard to make a mistake once you get a hang of the pattern. and BONUS!! i can knit backwards on non-patterned rows.

lace ribbon scarf
pattern: the lace ribbon scarf by veronik avery
knit picks gloss in cocoa
2 skeins | 220 yds : 50 g | silk merino 4 ply
started: april 13, 2008
needles: 1 – #3 (3.25 mm) knitpicks nickle plated fixed circs

incidentally do you have any other favorite lace scarf patterns for fingering weight yarns? i think i’m going to have knit more scarves!

noro kureyon sock yarn

just because i haven’ been online doesn’t mean i haven’t heard about the relatively new noro sock yarn.

as an aside, i must say that i am SO elated that the sock craze is still going strong. my lys’s all have decent, even spectacular selections of sock yarn. my heart goes a-pitter-patter just thinking about the possibilities. remember when it was so hard to get your hands on some good sock yarn?!? not so much anymore!

where was i? oh yes, noro sock yarn. i caved immediately when i saw it on the shelf. what’s that?…oh, yes, i know it’s not superwash. i broke one of my cardinal rules of knitting socks. but it’s noro! who can resist the color? here is the colorway i got from my lys in columbus:

noro kureyon sock yarn, color S164
70% wool : 30% nylon | 100 g : 420 m | 1 skein
purchased at heavenly creations

um….i also caved and bought another skein of it when i spied it at a lys in greensboro, nc.

noro kureyon sock yarn, color xxx
70% wool : 30% nylon | 100 g : 420 m | 1 skein
purchase on vaca in greensboro, nc

aren’t the colors just gorgeous? so saturated. so noro. since i’m not so much a sweater person i’ve never even considered buying any type of noro. their yarn didn’t fit my scope of projects (um, socks) and while the colorways are almost all beautiful, they were too bold for my conservative tastes….in a sweater or accessory….but not for a sock!

from what i’ve read over at ravelry, people have a sort of love/hate relationship with this yarn. it is a thinnish, single-ply yarn that is overspun, often twisting back on itself and has a sticky feel when it moves through your fingers. the yarn also has spots of underspun areas; when these are knit up you can see a definite change in the texture of the fabric. still the colors are so beautiful it’s hard to resist! Despite the ‘cons’, many people still find their finished projects to be worth the (figurative and literal) pain of knitting with kureyon sock.

for my first round with kureyon sock i attempted a figure 8 cast on for a pair of basic toe-up socks. i started with knitpicks harmony dpns but the yarn would not cooperate. i would normally cast on very loosely then tighten up the stitches later; but the yarn was so sticky it turned this process into sheer torture. i immediately put it down and walked away. i didn’t want to be disappointed.

the same evening i decided to try a slicker needle and a more stable cast-on. but which one? a light bulb went off in my head when i was browsing my bookshelf for sock patterns suitable for the long color repeats of the yarn. cat bordhi herself endorses judy’s magic cast on as her favorite for toe-up socks. how perfect! and if you get it right, you end up with a perfectly tensioned cast-on with no fiddley-ness.

noro cables & corrugation socks
pattern: cables and corrugations by cat bordhi from new pathways…
in noro kureyon sock yarn color #S164
started: april 4, 2008
needles: 1 – 32″, 2.0mm knitpicks circular needle

the fabric is somewhat stiff and scratchy; but i suppose i could go up a needle size…my worry is that the thin areas will wear disproportional to the thicker parts. we’ll see if the yarn holds my attention long enough to finish a pair of socks off. i’ll let you know how it goes!!

edit: after catching up on some of my favorite podcasts, i’ve learned that i’m not original in thinking that this pattern will go well with the colorway…and…i’m far from the first to feel ‘meh’ about the yarn. maybe my second skein will turn into a scarf? what do you think?

hi there

i just thought i’d post to let you know that i’m still alive.

life has been super busy; but knitting has not been forgotten. i’ve made a few, er, five pairs of socks and i’m dreaming of making an einstein coat…but pictures and words will be at a minimum as i try to keep it together.

i do miss blogging…but something’s gotta give, ya know?