happy new year!

where has the month gone? i tried blogging about a week ago but blogger was being bad so i gave up.

i did manage to finish 3 1/2 pairs of socks this month. this was the cutest pair.

"horcrux" for my niece
she loved them

panda wool "ultramarine"
us size 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
modifications: longer ribbing for cuff, shorter leg after "horcrux", eop heel, plain stockinette foot, and a six point star toe.

i made a vanilla pair (elann puzzle) for my bil; and a textured pair (opal) for my manager. the 1/2 was a "crosswalker" for my brother. i had him try on the one sock at christmas and promptly frogged it. the sock was too tight and the toe was definitely wonky. i am using my own design for the yarn. one sock done, mate just cast on.

my one year blogiversary is next month. check back for a contest!

have a safe and happy new year!

"zen garden"

most of the members of theknitter.com's luxury sock club have received their november kit so i can now share the sock with you.

may i present....

"zen garden"

claudia's hand paints in "zen garden"
colorway custom dyed for theknitter.com (silver, teal, & lavender)
us size 1.5 needles (2.5 mm)
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch in stockinette

here is a close-up of the stitch

i already had a pattern in mind when judy mentioned that she wanted to start a luxury sock club. i said, "pick me! pick me! i wanna play!" it was fun to help select the colors for the yarn. i really love how the pattern and colors compliment each other. this is my favorite kind of pattern - cables, lace, and a lovely yarn. what more can one ask for? i did run out of yarn byjusthismuch so ended up with a slightly too short sock. not to worry though. i adjusted the pattern so the clubbers should be ok. and i have made arrangements to get justalittlebitmore yarn so i can redo the foot to fit ME! ME!! ME!!! yes, i want this sock for me! i still have the mate to knit.

i can't wait to see what judy has in store for next year. "PICK ME! PICK ME!!!!"

busy month

well, it's been a busy month here in the bellybutton. but i don't seem to have much to show you...yet. i got the yarn for theknitter's november luxury sock club kit around the time i went missing. it wasn't judy's fault that the yarn was late. i already had a design in mind for the yarn and everything came together very well. the colors and design compliment each other perfectly (if i do say so myself). judy and i selected some colors and let the indie dyer do her thing. it was kind of scary because the dyer does not do a prototype colorway so what you see is what you get. i also made the leg on my sample a bit too long so i ran out of yarn byjustthismuch (so my sock does not quite fit me). not to worry. the pattern has taken my shortage into account. the kits are arriving now so i should be able to post a picture next week.

i also designed theknitter's december sotm club kit. i hope that you don't get "bellybutton" overload this month! i designed the sock last year but judy and i couldn't find colors that worked. i had the pattern written up so i should have been able to just knit the sock for the photo but no! i had to tweak the pattern some more which then entailed a major rewrite. i added a larger size so that required more head-scratching, math, and more rewrite. i finally got that pattern off to judy for test knitting last week. can't show you this one.

then, i did a rewrite for blue moon fiber arts. nope, can't show you that one either.

here is one i can show you. it's a unisex design written in 4 sizes for crystal palace yarns. i sent it to susan a couple of weeks ago. it's hard to see the pattern stitch in the dark yarn but it's there. i was undecided about naming the pattern. i thought that the stitch looked like hershey kisses so was leaning towards "panda kisses" but susan wanted something hawaiian. well, hershey kisses and volcanoes look a lot alike to me! (besides, what kinda guy is going to appreciate wearing a pair of "panda kisses"?!) so, may i present....

"kilauea"

panda wool "nightshades" now with more yardage! (186 yds/50 gm)
us size 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
gauge: 8.5 sts/inch

i swatched it up in a lighter color so you can see the stitch better. it has enough going not to be a boring knit but not so much as to distract from the yarn. i will let you know when the pattern is available.

and i have a secret but i can't tell yet. my lips are sealed. oh, i am so excited!!!!!!!!

i hope that all of you here in the us of a had a wonderful thanksgiving holiday!

wayback machine

kitkatknit is having a "wayback machine" contest.

i didn't have a blog a year ago but i do believe that i was working on a pair of regia socks for my co-worker/manager. it was a surprise so i was just guessing as to size. i kitchenered the toes but left a length of yarn in case i needed to lengthen the socks. i put a BIG note that he was to return the socks so i could "finish" them; ie weave in the ends if they fit OR shorten/lengthen them if need be.

well, i didn't hear anything from him. i finally asked him about the socks. "oh, they fit but i didn't know what to do with the ends so ... i cut them OFF!" DUH!!!! READ THE NOTE!!!! sometimes, he scares me.

free lotus yarn!

actually, not on my blog!! but over here at lotus knits. she wants to know if you swatch and what you do with your swatch. i admit that i don't usually swatch and if i do, i usually don't wash and dry it. but then, i have been knitting mostly socks and lace shawls so i guess those would be my swatches!!??!

let her know i sent you over. she is doing bonus entries. hurry, her contest ends on friday, nov. 9th, i think. it's a friday drawing but she didn't actually post the deadline time.

"serenity"

...is now available! i just got the latest newsletter from swtc in my email this morning and discovered that my pattern for "serenity" is featured. you can get it from your local yarn store when you buy TOFUtsies or it can be downloaded here.

it's fun and exciting to see something you created appear in"print." my plan is to knit myself a pair one of these days...and yes, i will use my us size 0 (2 mm) needles to get that 10 sts/inch. small needles, humongous number of stitches, but i love the fabric...sigh.

drooling....

carola and i are each other's enabler. she sends me wollmeise and i send her socks that rock. she has knit up the socks that rock that i sent her at the beginning of the year. i have been petting the skein of wollmeise that she sent me. (actually i have it wound in a ball and have swatched it. that is called "progress")

she still has not knit the tofutsies but then i have not knit the drachwoole.

in september, when she asked if i was ready for another swap; i, of course, promptly said YES!

so i sent her some more socks that rock and i got these beauties...

l to r: veilchen dark, rittersporn medium, drachenblut light, pfauenauge medium

i notice that i must like blue a lot. i actually sent her a list of 7 colors that i thought i wanted and these were the ones she was able to get. i love them all.

she also included a couple of ornaments for my christmas tree that she tatted. i don't tat. it looks too hard! thank you, carola!

check out this contest!

go over to baabaablacksheep and guess how much gus weighs. you can win some very pretty sock yarn. you have until nov 2 at 10:15pm central time.

mystery kal's

i am finally to clue 3 of mystery stole 3. i am, obviously, way behind; but there are advantages to this too. first, if there is a mistake in the pattern, someone else finds it. then there are always folks who tweak the pattern just a bit. i will be using beading banshee's clue 4 ending which wraps the lace border around the end before beginning the wing. i think it makes a beautiful transition between the two sections.

i signed up for secret of the stole (sos) and secret-of-chrysopolis shawl kals and am following the action closely. i have not started either one yet. i am not crazy enough to have more than one lace shawl/stole on the needles at one time. (socks, of course, are another knit! and please don't ask how many i have going right now. i am in denial and really don't want to know).

if i am counting correctly, that is 3 mystery kal's! but wait, there is one more... the mystic waters lace shawl kal. go there and read the description of the shawl. go ahead, i'll wait........ (cue in double jeopardy music ). doesn't it sound gorgeous? so, yes, i am signed up for that one too. and i may just have to cast on. a while back, carrie sent me some knit picks alpaca cloud in tide pool as a prize. doesn't this sound like destiny? sign-ups end tonight at midnight somewhere time. anybody wanna join me? now you can say i'm "crazy"!

eta: i actually signed up for 5 mystery shawl/stole kals. i missed one, spring shawl surprice. it doesn't start unil january 1, 2008 so does it really count?

someone needs help!

and you get a chance to win some sock yarn!

knitting linguist needs hints on how to memorize stitch patterns. leave her a comment and you get entered into a drawing for a couple of skeins of gypsy girl creations. i have never tried that yarn either...so the catch is to tell her that i sent you over so i can get some extra brownie point entries.

a gal can never have too big of a "yarn collection." you have until oct 25th so go on over and help her out!

i am trying to limit my wanderings around ravelry. anyone else having problems too? i am a ravelry addict...sigh.

i'm on ravelry

thank you so much for the suggestions. i am now on ravelry as "bellybuttonknits" . i was going to use "bellybuttonknitter" but i guess you are not allowed to use that many letters.

i've already spent an hour getting lost. there sure are a lot of groups. am wondering the purpose since many are duplicates of those in yahoo, etc. i don't think i will join too many because i will probably find myself spending too much time reading instead of knitting.

i will "friend" all of you. and you can look for me!

invite to ravelry

i got my invite today but i won't have time to play until next week. meanwhile, i guess i had better come up with a user name that i like since there is that BIG warning that you can never, ever change your name once you pick one.

somebody help me with a name!

ravelry

this morning, there were 903 people in front of me. here is where i am now.

Found you!

• You signed up on August 21, 2007
• You are #27426 on the list.
• 423 people are ahead of you in line.
• 15151 people are behind you in line.
• 60% of the list has been invited so far

maybe i'll get my invite tomorrow. i can't wait to see what's going on there. who else is on ravelry? i may need help!!!!!

my very first pair

...of socks that rock socks for ME!!! are finished. i kitchenered the second toe just a bit ago. yippee!!!! they are all MINE!!! and to celebrate (what perfect timing), i drew winners for my contest. but first, i wanna show you my socks. i know how to prolong the agony; but i know you all are very happy that i finally have a pair for ME!

"socks that rock" lightweight
nodding violet as a skein

here is the skein open so you can enjoy all the pretty colors

and here are the bottoms of my new socks so you can appreciate how the colors knit up. just awesome!
i heart my new socks.

addi's 2.5mm for leg/knitpick's 2.5mm for foot
[has anyone else noticed that the knitpicks 2.5mm seem to be a bit smaller than the addi's 2.5mm]
gauge: 8 sts/inch stockinette using kp

i can't really show you how cute they really are yet. i knit these in the same pattern as the ones i did in "backstabber." i love this colorway. they will be so nice with my jeans.

drumroll, please. who will get to knit a pair of foofoo (i love that name) socks that rock socks?! i loved reading your reasons for wanting the yarn. and i enjoyed wandering around your blogs. of course, you all will have to let me know when you are hosting a contest so i can play. i love contests with yarn for prizes.

oh, you want to know the winner of the socks that rock lightweight in the foofoo colorway?! the winner is....

iris (risiko)

and thanks to those of you who posted about my contest on your blog. the winner of the tofutsies is...

knitting linguist

congrats to both of you! and i wanna see what you knit with the yarn. email me at ajmcfong at yahoo dot com with your snail mail addy and i will get your prizes out to you.

come back and visit. who knows when i will feel the need to "share the wealth" again!

sharing the wealth

i won a couple of blog contests and just received my prizes. alisha had a drawing for some cute little bear stitch markers and for these beautiful earrings which she made. she claims her jewelry making skills are primitive, but i beg to differ. aren't they gorgeous?!

then christina had a "stalker" contest which i prefer to call "getting to know christina." "stalker" sounds horrible, doesn't it?
she sent me these:
a jar of sugar scrub to keep my hands soft and smooth for snag-free (too bad it's not for frog-free) knitting, some cute little stitch markers, and 82 yds of hand dyed hand spun merino art yarn (which christina spun).

here is a close-up of the yarn. isn't it pretty?

any suggestions for what to make with it?

i am excited about my three patterns for blue moon fiber arts. i am finally knitting myself a pair of socks that rock in one of these new patterns. i am a happy camper! so, i want to share some of that happiness.

would you like to win this?

it's a skein of socks that rock, light-weight in the semi-retired "foofoo" colorway

leave me a comment telling me why i should send this beautiful yarn to you. it doesn't have to be fancy. a just "because i want the yarn" comment will suffice!

and to make things more interesting, i will also be giving away this skein of tofutsies #787. you will get an entry for posting about my contest on your blog (leave me a comment that you did) and i will give you brownie points entries if someone tells me they came from your blog. brownie points entries will apply only for the tofutsies.

i will randomly select a name for each skein. deadline for entering is wednesday, october 3rd.

let the fun begin!!!

sos!

"summer of socks" is almost over. i have two more pairs finished but cannot show you the entire socks as these are destined for blue moon fiber arts. but i can show you the colors this time.

pair #3 is socks that rock lightweight in the "24 karat" colorway. the colors are pretty true to life in the photo.

pair #4 is knit with "backstabber." the colors are lighter than the actual yarn. i had a hard time getting these to show in true color. there are beautiful variations of magenta that you really cannot see here. i loved the colors but my conservative son thought these socks were a bit "bright."

the only problem with this summer is that i finished 5 pairs of socks but will only end up with 2 pairs in my possession! i guess i didn't achieve my goal of knitting up socks for me! i still do not own a pair of socks that rock. i am sad.

i started playing with the panda wool that susan sent a few weeks ago. i am working on a uni-sex pattern because there is a major lack of interesting "guy" patterns. my men don't seem to get too excited with my lace socks. don't know why!

contest central

gingerbread house is having a contest to celebrate her new drum carder. she is giving away some jojoland melody sock yarn, a cute bag, and some roving. i've never tried the jojoland yarn before; although i do keep looking at it. tell her i sent you so i get the brownie point entries, please!

sos design contest update: they have decided to continue with the contest even though they did not get the 15 entries that they wanted.

and a note to anne: thank you for the very nice compliment. i seem to be on judy's even month list this year. my next sock for theknitter's sotm club will be december. oops! i guess i need to make sure that i am shuffled more next year.

the anatomy of a new sock

the august sotm club offering for theknitter has been sent so i can now show it to you. i named it "crazy over you" because i literally went "crazy" trying to find a pattern that would compliment the yarn and colorway. judy sent me some panda wool in "circus." no problem. i love panda wool! ah-h! variegated colors. oh, a slipped stitch pattern should be great. enter pattern #1. and yes, i stubbornly knit the sock almost to the toe before admitting that the pattern was TOO BUSY for the color. even my husband didn't like it and he almost never says anything.

so, i started another pattern with the second ball of yarn. another slipped stitch pattern (no, i was not going to give up with the slipped stitches yet). i got as far as half a leg before deciding that this was TOO BORING!! at this point, i frogged my first attempt back to the cuff. i still liked the cuff.

attempt #3: i thought maybe if i combined the exciting cuff from sock #1 with the simple leg from sock #2? knit all the way to the heel. NOPE! still too boring and i was not having fun. i feel that knitting should be fun. you know the feeling...you want to keep knitting just to see what happens next.

it was frog pond time AGAIN! i was ready to throw in the towel and tell judy that i just couldn't find anything to do justice to the yarn. but, stubborn i am! combing through the stitch pattern books, i finally found something else! and yes, it was a fun knit!

i proudly present attempt #4....

"crazy over you"

panda wool "circus" colorway
us 1.5 (2.5mm) needles
gauge 8 sts/inch in stockinette

and i mirrored the socks too. i am that way! see the toes?! you will be happy to know that the panda wool can be frogged an unmentionable number of times and will still look like new. it is that good! i swear that i must have knit at least 5 socks to get this one pair! but i think it's worth it!

of course, don't be surprised if you see attempt #1 or #2 show up in your mailbox sometime in the future. i have NOT given up.

eta: judy usually has extra kits available. just email her and let her know you want the august sotm kit.

mandy's candy bag

here is my "mandy's candy bag" for nh knitting mama's contest. i was hoping that it would be big enough to be used as a sock bag but it's not so i may rework the numbers. it is very cute. you still have time to knit one up and enter her contest. deadline is sept 3rd.

i've almost finished writing up the third pattern for blue moon fiber arts. now to knit the mates for two of the patterns.

on the disappointing side, summer of socks may cancel the design contest because there are not enough entries. i will be major bummed if it is. i guess i can always try submitting to knitty or magknits. it takes a lot of time to write a pattern. it's not fair (whine, whine...)

ok, now i feel better.

check out

...this contest at schrodinger knits. she is giving away three cute little bags which are perfect for holding your sock projects. i want one. go on over and leave a comment. tell her i sent cha so i can get brownie point entries. i want one of those! you have until sept. 4th to enter.

i did win a skein of peaches and cream dishcloth yarn from barbara at romancing the yarn. the catch is i have to show her what i make with it. of course, sock yarn would have been more fun...and of course, i want "that bag".

don't worry. i'm not holding my breath.

someone else is celebrating

rachel will be celebrating her almost one year blogiversary! it's really in october but she is really excited so decided to start the celebrating early. go over and tell her the name of your blog and why you decided on that name. it's fun to read the comments. you might win some cute stitch markers that she made herself.

of course, she may have so much fun with this that she will celebrate again in october! we can hope!

and please mention that i sent you...yes, brownie point entries.

back to finishing that 3rd design for bmfa. good thing i like knitting with str! (no peeking, p-la!)

edited to add: check out golden purl for her 6 month blogiversary contest (august 4th entry). she's got some great prizes. once again, she's giving brownie point entries for telling her i sent you.

another contest!

this kitten knits (aug 24th entry) is having a contest to celebrate her first blogiversary. go over and wish her a happy blogiversary. and tell her i sent cha! brownie points are always good!

color my world

i know my last entry was definitely lacking in the "color" department (though rich in "tease"), so i thought i would show you what's new in my yarn collection. yes, yarn collection, as i am a connoisseur of fine yarns! hahahaha!

TOFUtsies from the second collection
much brighter!
do you notice a color preference going here?

TOFUtsies #791, #789, #787, #790
limited edition #2

and then susan at cpy sent me these new fall colors of panda wool for inspiration! they are even more gorgeous in person. the colors are very rich and i like that they are more subdued for people who don't want bright, happy feet. i really like the blue/green one on the left!

panda wool in new longer yardage balls (186 yds/50gm-yay!)
l to r: neptune, chocolates (browns, gold, royal purple), menswear, nightshade

meanwhile, i am trying to finish up that third design for bmfa. then i need to knit ME some str! i keep knitting them and sending them to bmfa. i don't have any for ME! ME! ME!

sos: well, i sent in my entry for the design contest. now to wait and see.

sos!

... is for "second (pair) of socks!"


i know it's kind of boring looking being just sock bottoms in black and white but i can't help it. this pair is one of the new designs for blue moon fiber arts. tina sent me one of the new colors from the fall line-up. so, what's a gal to do?

sos!

...is for "set of socks!" and i can now claim a successful "summer of socks"!!!

yes, i've finally finished a pair of socks! may i present...

"peony-the remix"
(the pair of socks that would have one toe)

tofutsies #733
us 1 (2.25mm) leg/us 0 (2 mm) foot
gauge: 10 sts/inch on 2 mm needles
modifications: knit large size pattern for medium sock
carried pattern down toe

see?

those toes were going to be the death of me. i easily finished the first sock but then got distracted by three little skeins of yarn from bmfa for 3 new designs. i was also trying to work on the design for the "sos" contest. i guess "peony" must have gotten jealous because i could not finish the toe of the mate. first, i counted the squares to the toe decreases WRONG! can you believe it? i completely finished kitchenering that baby and put the sock on. hm-m. something wrong here. seems a little short. count...one square short. ok, frog and try again. oops! a little too long. dang! started the decreases on the wrong row. frog again. knit toe again. start kitchenering ...number of stitches is not the same on the instep and the sole. frog pond time again. let's try this one more time; i finally got it!

i personally thought i was insane to use 2 mm needles for the foot but i really like the fabric i got. tofutsies is so much thinner than the other fingering wt sock yarns. i will continue to knit it using a smaller gauge. however, for designing, i may not go smaller than 8.5-9 sts/inch. i don't know how many people want to cast on 72-80 sts for a pair of socks.

question: would you knit socks that have a cast-on of 72-80 or more sts? just curious.

design for the "summer of socks" contest is almost ready to send in. just have to take some pics and polish the pattern up. i actually have finished the pair for this too but am not posting yet.

two pairs of socks done!!! actually 3 pairs if you count two mismatched socks as a pair and that would definitely count if you were dobby...yes, i am reading harry potter. hey, p-la!! show me some socks!

another contest!

i love contests! of course, it is even more fun TO WIN! and nh knitting mama is having one! go knit one of her "mandy's candy bag" and let her know so you can get entered to win some "swag"! it's a cute little knit bag that looks to hold a ball of sock yarn...perfect!

sos: i have finished writing up my pattern for the "summer of socks" design contest. it is now being test knit by barbara. isn't she a sweetie? so barring any more tweaks, i am pretty much done - except for finishing the second sock! then maybe i can get to finishing a few more pairs before "sos" is fall!

sos!

for "stupid ol' sock" again!

look!

i am working on a sock for the design contest at sos and i ran out of yarn at the toe byjustthismuch! can you believe it? after sampling the pattern with about 3 different yarns (first, claudia handpaints, then cherry tree hill, and finally wollmeise), i finally went back to the claudia handpaints - only because the pattern was causing the other two yarns to pool really funny and i found it very distracting. i really love the wollmeise though.

so, what do i have to show after 6 weeks of sos? i have 4 single socks...one "peony", one each of 2 different designs for bmfa, and this last one with an almost toe. I 'M ON A ROLL!!!! stay tuned to see if i manage to finish any socks for "summer of (NO) socks (so far)."

mystery stole 3 progress: i am still on clue 2. i plan on knitting the "wing". how cool is that?!

so what are you working on?

another contest!

no, not mine. head on over to ridiculous obsession. she is celebrating a blogiversary and a birthday by giving away fiber-y goodness. go wish her some happiness. of course, if you win (and i don't), you have to send your winnings to me! it's only fair.

sos (silly ol' swatches): well, i have decided on a pattern for the design contest for "summer of socks." i "swatch" by knitting the sock and so far, i have tried 3 different yarns for this pattern. yes, big "swatches"! i think i have finally settled on wollmeise in am kalten polar (which i received in a swap). it is truly wonderful yarn. the colors are swirling very nicely and i am getting great stitch definition! ya-HOOO!!! i may need to get me more of this stuff!

and to holly: i used regia #5047 (papagei) for my original "betsy" swatch. i liked what the pattern did to the colors but thought it was kinda BRIGHT! i still plan on knitting this one again in more sedate stripes. let me know if you do finish a pair with papagei. i would be interested in seeing it!

we have a winner

once again, i used my low tech bottle and dumped everyone's name in; did the hokey-pokey; shook the thing around; drew out a name; and that's what it's all about! (my version of the random number generator would be to im my son and ask him to pick a number between 1 and ....)


congratulations, amyp! email me at ajmcfong at yahoo dot com with your snail mail addy and i will get your tofutsies out to you. i have several colors in my yarn collection so let me know if you have a color preference and i will see what i can find.

i will have another pattern available from swtc soon. let me introduce you to...

"serenity"
tofutsies #793

i love contests! knitting sutra is giving away some wollmeise and a cute little bag perfect for carrying a sock knitting project. tell her i sent you so i can get brownie point entries. that skein of wollmeise looks VERY nice!

and kathy wants postcards...send her one (or more) and she will enter you into a drawing for some koigu! pick me! pick me!

celebration time!

look at what arrived in the mail the other day...

it's the 2008 knitting pattern a day calendar

and look at june 6th (7th, & 8th!

IT'S ME!!!

so, don't you think it's time for a celebration contest?! tell me the one knitting related thing you hate to do. i hate finishing...seams, ends, etc. leave me a comment and i will randomly pick a winner for a skein of "TOFUTSIES" probably on monday.

as for "sos", i have finished one peony in tofutsies #733 but haven't started on the mate yet. i am knitting it with a gauge of 10 sts/inch (instead of 8.5sts/inch per the pattern) and really like the fabric much better. of course, i am using a size 0 to knit the sock! the mate is going to have to wait since i have been lured away by the siren call of some socks that rock...i have two new designs for blue moon fiber arts! gotta go knit!

mystery stole 3

i joined mystery stole 3 in its early stages but had not started because i procrastinated over getting the beads and i wanted beads. i already had some black zephyr in stash. lucky for me there is a bead store in the bellybutton so i managed to wander down there yesterday to buy some shiny black beads. i liked the metallic jewel-tone beads so bought a package of them too but had a hard time fitting my size 12 crochet hook through the holes. for some reason, the beads & holes are a bit smaller than the black beads. so the black beads win! i figure knitting will be hard enough without having to fight with the beads too.

mystery stole 3 - clue 1
jaggerspun zephyr in black with black #8 beads
us 4 vintage all plastic circular

the only other mystery thing that i have ever finished was the mystery shawl 2...one of my first ventures into lace shawls. i learned to knit from a chart. pretty spiffy. lace is still a wonder to me.

now to put in a lifeline...i am not THAT fool-hardy yet!

sos

...is for "start (an)other sock"!

i have knit 3 pairs of "peony" in one yarn or another and do not have a pair to my name. can you believe it?

peony is a sock i designed for swtc many years ago. my first "published" pattern. it began life knit with "bella" which was considered fingering wt but being single ply knitted up much thicker. i don't think this version was ever released.

next, i rewrote the pattern for their dk merino, "optimum". i really liked this yarn. it was soooo soft. the pattern stitch showed up very nicely in the solid colors.

now, the sock has been reworked once again, this time in a real sock weight yarn, "tofutsies". i think the pattern is already available but don't quote me on that.

i have decided that i need a pair of "peonies" for ME! i am using "tofutsies" #733 and my new knitpicks size 1 (2.25mm) circulars. i actually like the "tofutsies" knit on a smaller gauge than i used for the pattern so am knitting the large size which is working out to a medium with the smaller gauge. i think i like this...
the problem with designing things is that quite often, you have to give your final product to the company that is purchasing your design. all that knitting with nothing to show for it, so to speak. so i have decided that i will use the "summer of socks" to reknit those patterns for which i have no socks. it'll be fun. two of the pairs are for blue moon fiberarts -one in str lt weight and the other in "seduction" (i love that yarn!).

and to nancy g: thank you for the hint to knit the larger sidewinders with a smaller gauge. i will probably try that if i ever venture into the world of sideways socks again. i saw your socks and they are cute. maybe some day. who knows, i may try again before the summer is over! (someone shoot me!)

sos!

...for "stupid ol' sock"

i am 3/4 of the way done with knitting the first sidewinder. i am not loving it. there is nothing wrong with the pattern. i am loving the uniqueness of the construction. even the kitchenering at the end does not scare me.

why, look at the cute little pocket for the toes.

i just don't like the yarn i picked. the sock would probably be cuter with a variegated yarn with short color repeats. the broad stripes are doing nothing for me or the yarn. i am also not happy with the fabric either. 7.5 sts/inch when i routinely use 8.5-9.5 sts/inch just doesn't work. so if i were to try knitting this pattern again, i would probably use a heavier weight yarn or attempt to redo the math for a smaller gauge.

say good bye to "sidewinders'! i will give up my obsession with sideways knit socks for now. this one is going to visit the frog pond. so i am back at "zero" for summer of socks, sigh.

happy 4th of july

...a day early.

meet "betsy" - my design for theknitter's sotm club kit for june.

"betsy"
regia nation (lost the color #)
2.5mm needles/gauge 8.5 sts/inch
and yes, i adjusted the yarn to make identical socks!
i was going to go back and redo the toes to have a narrower stripe of blue too but got lazy.

just thought i would show you my sample "swatch" for "betsy." colorful, huh?! i might redo this sock with some yarn with narrow stripes. the "waves" are kinda nice.

be safe!

eta: found the ball band. the color is regia nation color #5396

sos!

...is for summer of socks 2007!

yes, i joined and here is the beginning of my first summer knitting sock. i am obsessed with knitting a sideways sock. i tried the opal yarn pattern in january and gave up on that one. now nona has designed another version, sidewinders: a perpensockular pattern, which she presents serially on her blog. so i am trying again. this is like my third attempt with this pattern. there is nothing wrong with the pattern. i, of course, am having a problem following directions...the first being to do a proper swatch for gauge. i think i might have a chance this time. wish me luck, otherwise this summer may be the "summer of no socks!"

sidewinders
opal yarn limited edition "butterfly"
2.75mm needles-NEW circulars (YES!)
gauge: 7.5 sts/inch and 10 rows/inch (hopefully! with fingers crossed)

anyone want to join me in knitting the sidewinders?!

and to answer rachel's question: "road to hana" is a sock i designed for theknitter's sotm club. i have a picture of it on my 3/20 blog entry if you want to take a look. judy usually has extra kits so you can contact her if you are interested. it's the march 2007 kit.

meet me at the fair

i really enjoy attending our county fair. i get to indulge myself with funnel cake, cotton candy, hawaiian shaved ice with ice cream, bubba's pulled pork sandwiches, etc. too yummy!

i also like the creative living exhibit with its quilts, hand knits, crochet, & art competition. i have been entering things in the county fair competition for over 10 years now. it is fun to see what others are making. i love looking at the quilts; probably because i do not quilt...yet...but am amazed at the beauty of the finished products.

this year, i entered 4 items. i received TWO best of shows! how EXCITING is THAT?!

"sideways baby sweater"

"lilacs"

my "road to hana" socks received a third and my baby surprise sweater (yes, i did finish it, thank you) received an honorable mention.

so who else plays at their county fair? i feel a contest coming......

meet "sophia" and "larry the llama"

this is "sophia," my new sock blocker key chain that i won in a blogiversary drawing over at violiknit. i named it after violiknit. unfortunately, she (the sock blocker not violiknit) is still nekked. i am hoping that she will be a well-dressed key chain one of these days. it's not like i don't have the materials to make her "too cute."



i won "larry the llama" here from a blogiversary contest at procrastiknitter. i also got this skein of opal elemente #1074. pretty, huh? one of these days, maybe "sophia" will be dressed with some "larry the llama" yarn. the usps is really unpredictable. can you believe that hope mailed this first class from ny on june 18th and i received it today? 2 days! now if they can figure out a way to get my bluemoon fiberarts order here from oregon using priority mail in less than 5 days! i can drive there and be back home faster than that!

thank you, sophia and hope for my prizes! it's so fun to receive mail.

mail call

thank you for commiserating with me. my new knitpicks needles arrived today. i got FOUR of the 2.25mm/32 inch circulars. now i can have many more socks on needles half done! seems the points may not be quite as sharp as the original batch. i sure hope so. i developed quite a hole in my left index finger from using the 2.5mm needles. i still have a nice callous there. pointy is good; too sharp is not.

i won a contest over at lady knitterly's a while back. her contest involved opera. i was very lucky since i have only been to two operas in my life. one was at the san francisco opera house and i do not even remember which one i saw. the only other one was at the open theater in verona, italy where i saw aida. one cannot visit verona without attending the opera. the main draw was the chocolate which i have never tried. she also included 3 skeins of knitpicks alpaca cloud in tidepool since i mentioned that i like knitting lace shawls. i may use this for a "creatures of the reef" shawl...the pattern was part of a wonderful and generous prize package from kerry (yes, the same person who sent me some sol joy).

meanwhile, i think i have finished my sample sock for theknitter's sotm club's august offering. i've frogged so many times that i think i have finished knitting at least 2 pairs of socks...and i have one sock to show for the effort. the yarn has held up quite well. now to write up the pattern.