I’ve been swatching this week:

Splotchy:

My first swatch for the Cinderella socks (Pssst! Come join us at the KAL, over here!) - I want to knit these in tweed. I don’t have a good explanation for this want, I just do. I have no suitable tweed in my stash. I tried to “make” tweed. It sucks. I contemplated plying the two yarns, but after reading Jo’s hysterical post, decided that they would be better un-married. Rrrrrip!

Safer:

Non-tweed swatch for Cinderella socks. I cast on - I love this chocolate brown and I think these will be so comfy, but I can’t say that I won’t be keeping half an eye out for a potential alternate this weekend though, at SAFF (yarn buying restricted. very specific purposes and local/sustainable wherever possible. do not be distracted.)

Hrmph:

Brooks Farm Riata purchased at MDSW last spring for a Lady Eleanor (I’ve been in love with this pattern for a very long time). But this, sadly, just isn’t it - the color repeats are too short and the stripes detract from the entrelac. I contemplated offloading the yarn. Lady E. is obviously tabled, she’s worth waiting for the right yarn, and I’m not ready to purchase it. I had a little bit of hrmph time. And then:

Hurray!!:

Teva Durham’s Slip Stitch Jacket. I’m thinking about working the drop stitches in a single color yarn, like cream, but I love the tweedy look of the yarn in this texture (Ahh, a little bit of tweedy-ness after all. Perhaps this will settle the urge).

I have a couple other swatches in progress to share with you, but they will have to wait until next week. The doggie digestive health is relatively stable for the moment, so Tad and I made last minute plans to rent a small cabin in Black Mountain, NC for a long weekend, do some hiking, have some down time, and get to SAFF on Saturday (Woo-hoooo on all counts!) I hope to see some of you there!

It’s Socktoberfest! How about some socks?

My Kaylee’s are finished, and thus also my very first handspun, handknitted project (and it’s been a long time coming)! I know that this is just a tiny knit, and that there are amazingly talented people spinning and knitting positively gorgeous things with their handspun all the time*, but to me, this very first one feels a little like a graduation (not like grad school or anything - maybe more like kindergarten?) I spun a quantity of yarn that could be used to knit something other than a coaster! And I knitted socks with it! Damn!

My apologies if I seem a smidgen carried away - I’m just thrilled! I love spinning - I loved the whole concept before I ever tried it; and when I sat down with a drop spindle nearly a year ago and somehow actually made a tiny skein of yarn, I was completely overwhelmed and amazed. It wasn’t pretty, it certainly wasn’t even (to call it rustic would be kind), but there it was…. YARN! Fiber turns to string, loops of string become cloth, fabric that takes shape as a wearable article… It’s all a bit of magic worked by human hands. It’s so exciting to have these little socks on my feet and think that I made them! And not only that - I made the yarn that made them! I’m still grinning from ear to ear (and clapping my feet)! The yarn, it is not perfect. Neither is the knitting. But damn if these aren’t wearable - very cute - handspun socks!

The next step is to go from start to finish!! It’s time to tackle those alpaca and shetland fleeces that have been hiding in the attic until I gathered the courage to do something with them!

Oh yes, I’m getting carried away. This is an FO post isn’t it? I almost forgot!

The stats:

Pattern: Kaylee by monkeytoes

Note: Kaylee is really more of a roadmap built around a lovely stitch than an actual pattern (information only, not a complaint). The .pdf is a one pager, really more of a guideline. No gauge is given, and no specific instructions on the toe, heel or ribbing. This made it a bit fun actually, a little choose your-own-adventure. I’m supposed to start with the toe - how do I do that? I think there was a reference in the Summer IK…. Hmm, found a couple articles on Knitty as well - what about the heel, how does that work, exactly? I had fun researching and figuring out what to do here. I think patterns like this build on all the great information out there, and make us industrious knitters. If I wanted to knit something very specific (Chuck’s for instance?) more details and specific instructions would be necessary.

Gauge: 24sts/4inches in stockinette

Needles: US2 DPNs (the pattern is written for 2 circs, but can easily be done on DPN’s)

Yarn: My own! Blogged here and here, Calendula by Bonkers! - 50/50 Merino/Tencel. Navajo plied and divided into two balls of equal amounts by length.

Mods:

• My gauge was larger than the pattern intended - or written for bigger feet, thus I removed the 2 knit stitches from each side of the instep pattern to fit my foot. In hindsight, this was probably not necessary - the socks don’t feel tight, but the stitches do seem a little stretched width-wise.
• I chose to continue the lace pattern across the back of the leg after completing the heel.

New Skills:

• Eastern Cast-On (from Ann Budd’s Article, Working Socks from the Toe Up, Summer IK 2007) - I had trouble finding an online resource for this, please let me know if you know of a good one.
• Short-row heel, from the same article.
• Invisible sewn bind off, I have a couple books and magazines with this technique, but there’s a great tutorial here.

Verdict: Love ‘em - I’ve mentioned before that orange has never been my color, but since I first saw the roving these colors just made me smile. Now I have happy feet!

The evolution of the Kaylee Socks:

*seemingly gratuitous links? Check ‘em out, seriously. If you haven’t seen these yet, you should. You won’t be sorry!

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Now playing: The Shins - Turn A Square
via FoxyTunes

P.S. Amazing show Friday night - I have to admit that I don’t enjoy their latest album as much as the older stuff, but when they played the newer songs live, they sounded great and I felt like they held up well. Love the live music!

My dear Sis gave me an old store-bought hat that she no long wears for my frogging pleasure:

That in and of itself was a very kind and thoughtful thing to do (Thanks Sis!). But… It’s cashmere. It’s so soft. What a wonderful surprise for a knitter! I suspected when examining the hat that the yarn might be doubled. But look closely my friends:

It’s tripled. I don’t think Tess could possible imagine my excitement upon this discovery (which included a fair bit of squealing. And some bouncing around. As if I weren’t already excited enough!) That means the 190 yards of worsted that I unraveled is actually 570 yards of cashmere laceweight. Hmmm…. the wheels are turning… Hands, Shoulders or Feet? Oh the possibilities! Doubled at 380 yards would make a lovely cozy pair of bed socks, leaving 190 yard of laceweight, perfect for a petite lace scarf (like the airy scarf from LMKG?). Or all of it at laceweight would make such a decadent shawl! What would you do with it? And… To dye or not to dye? My inclination is not to dye, mostly because I’ve never done it before and I’m scared of ruining this lovely yarn with an unfortunate color rendered by inexperienced hands. Tell me your ideas!

A couple more photos, as I tried in vain to capture the cloud-like softness (and the color - which by the way, is most fairly represented in the hat pictures above - a slightly tweedy oatmeal):

P.P.S I suffered from ADD on the title for this one, because I can’t even tell you which part makes me the happiest - some of the softest yarn I can imagine? The fact that I’m re-using & repurposing it? Or the fun of deciding what to do with it?!

P.S. I made Tess a felted keychain from the remaining Foliage leaves to say thank you. Even though on it’s own it’s quite sweet, somehow it doesn’t seem like a fair exchange, now does it? I’m not quite sure what would be an appropriate reciprocation for this, although I know that’s not what she’s looking for. Sis, you are the greatest, and I’ll take any used knits off your hands anytime

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Now playing: Elbow - Scattered Black And Whites
via FoxyTunes

I have always loved being outdoors. But I haven’t always been, I’m sad to say, an environmentalist. The story of my love of nature began on 16 acres in rural New Hampshire nearly 30 years ago. I remember playing with leaves in the woods - and walking “tightrope” on trees felled by time. I picked weeds and wildflowers, and ate snow peas and cherry tomatoes right off the vine. I remember seeing deer and porcupine and flying squirrels on a fairly regular basis, hearing and very occasionally seeing black bear. My appreciation grew as my parents took my brother and I backpacking in the White Mountains each summer. Though I groaned and whined and generally made a pain in the ass of myself over the effort to get there, I will never forget some of the places that we went, views that we saw, and experiences that we had - and I remember them all now with a smile (and my behavior with a wry one!). My journey to becoming an environmentalist happened much later. That story begins with the loss of one beautiful person and the birth of another.

The first was a naturalist and an environmentalist. Her knowledge of flowers and trees, birds and other animals was enormous. And her care for these beings and the places of the natural world was unparalleled in anyone that I’ve met so far. This is the woman who taught me to sew, and hence the value of making things. And though I don’t remember it, it’s almost certain that she put knitting needles in my hands at some point, though for some reason this particular skill didn’t stick at the time. My father has said that nature was her religion. And I believe that it was. And it wasn’t until she had gone that I began to make the connection between the choices that I make and the effect that they have on the outdoors that I love so much. It was an avoidance brought on by a fairly fortunate (dare I say blessed?) life. When you’ve never lost something, it’s hard to imagine that the beauty that you see can be taken away. And for some of us, for me at least, I think it takes a loss of something good before we begin to see beyond ourselves. I did care before, but I didn’t care enough to examine the hard things and turn my attention outward. Now I act. And I act as much in appreciation of our world as in memory of her, and still it’s not enough.

Incredible, isn’t she?

The second person, not mine though connected to me, now makes me think twice about almost everything. Will these beautiful things be there for her to see when she is old enough too appreciate them (though one could argue that no one appreciates the wonders of nature better than children) - old enough to care for them then? Will I be able to show her the view from the mountains that I climbed as a child, or will the scenery be obscured by smog (a worry perpetuated by a more recent backpacking trip to the same mountains, when the air quality was quite poor)? She is so young - will she develop asthma or be impacted by one of the many other diseases that appear even if not yet proven to be environmental in cause?

These two beautiful people make me aware of the the connectedness of myself and my actions to the world around me and the impact of my life on this earth. I want to leave that with a balance on the positive side, if that’s even possible. I want to do more to protect the environment than I do to destroy it each day. And I don’t always know the best way to do that, but I am researching and learning. This is something that I think about now. Daily. And wonder about - and try to be more positive than worried (though I don’t always succeed).

Here are some of the amazing and beautiful things that inspire me to take action and make conscious choices to reduce my impact on the environment (click over to Flickr for details & decriptions):

And here are some of the steps that we are taking toward that end:

We have grand plans for the future as well, very happy-making plans - involving rural living, a small solar-powered straw bale home & a little farm. This is still a few years away, but we are researching and planning, and in the meantime striving to find new ways within our current home and situation to be good inhabitants of our world.

The biggest thing that we are doing now to contribute is something that I don’t know how to take a picture of, and that’s reducing our consumption in general. The following questions are becoming our mantra 1. Do we really need it? 2. Can we get it used? (thrifted, consignment, Craig’s List, Freecycle) 3. If not used, is there a green option (local and/or organic where it applies; or with the most limited environmental impact possible) The main area where we are failing in this is in the purchase of books & music (though we now purchase all our music digitally) - and for me yarn, to an extent, though I have been whittling away at the stash that I have and thinking hard about any purchases, applying the same methodology above - with the replacement of 1. Does it have a set purpose?, since yarn itself is not truly a needed item (though I may still try to argue otherwise ;)) I am also attempting to purchase yarn that is local or made in a sustainable fashion when I do purchase, and I’ve been doing a little yarn-recycling as well, which I will share with you all soon! These are the positive points about this whole post, the parts that make me happy, the why’s and what’s that we are doing about the situation. Frustration and sadness gives way to hope - I am so excited to see what some of the other bloggers participating in this event have to say on the subject, I imagine there are as many different takes on it as there are bloggers.

What inspires you toward a “greener” lifestyle? What are your favorite ways to reduce your impact?
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Now playing: Cloud Cult - Chain Reaction
via FoxyTunes

Never really being a sock knitter until just recently, I have no sock yarn in my stash - with the exception of a leftover ball which may someday become the mate to this one (I don’t know though, I really didn’t enjoy knitting with this particular yarn, it was very string-y, not soft), and the leftovers from Chuck’s which might or might not be enough for a pair of footies when combined. That’s it.

But now that I’ve knit a wearable pair and caught the bug, and there is that little thing called Socktoberfest going on, add to that the fact that I just had 3 FOs skip off the needles (no matter how long I’d been working on them - ahem) and I really wanted to start another small, satisfying knit - Seems like the perfect opportunity for a little yarn shopping eh? Well, I’m not on an official yarn diet but, Tad & I are trying to curb our consumption in general, and since I already have yarn for a handful of great projects, I’m attempting to be thoughtful about the yarn that I do buy.

So, where does that leave me in the sock category? There was that handspun that I originally wanted to make socks with. Sad, isn’t it, that I’ve been spinning for nearly a year now (though sporadically) and I have yet to make anything from my handspun? I have swatched a bit, started a hat and ripped it, and nearly finished a prototype of Chrysalis (which was also ripped, I like the real one so much better!). Anyway, this is my favorite bit of handspun so far (imperfect, but certainly my best to date), and so I have been determined to turn it into something wearable & useful. Am I the only beginning spinner with this problem? Both Heather and Domesticat suggested on my original post that I might get footies out of it, and since it is Socktoberfest, and the color seems well-suited, I thought it would be the perfect time to try!

Enter Ravelry! Quick, I need a free sock pattern, toe-up & with lots of holes to make the yarn go further! About page 3 into 30 pages of free sock patterns, I stumbled on Kaylee (and I’d never seen this pattern before - one of my favorite things about Ravelry is being able to search so many patterns all in one place!)

I think I might make it - fingers firmly & decidedly crossed.

Part II to follow (I do have some worsted yarn in my stash for another neat pattern!)
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Now playing: Ani DiFranco - As Is
via FoxyTunes

Pattern: Foliage by Emilee Mooney

Needles: US10.5 DPN’s; US10.5 16″ circ; US9 16″ circ

Yarn: Sadly, I don’t know! This yarn was gifted to me by sweet Mel of The Remarkable Cow as part of an SP exchange, maybe she will remember? The indication of how much I like this yarn it is that I wasted absolutely no time in winding it - I wanted it to be ready to go to knit a lovely fall hat and started looking for the right pattern (this was 2 years ago now, I think); the band has long since been lost or is somewhere to be found years hence when the the stash area is completely emptied in a mad cleaning or moving frenzy. And the yarn sat - there were many great hat patterns, but I just couldn’t settle on one. It eventually got tucked away in the stash, but I kept it in the back of my mind. When I saw Emilee’s great pattern I loved it instantly, and knew that this was the hat the yarn longed to be! The thick and thin nature of it obscures the lace pattern just a bit, but I think that it shows off the yarn to great advantage.

Gauge: Don’t know, didn’t bother checking (sensing a trend?) At least it was a conscious decision this time.

Mods: The hat is just a smidge big (it fits Tad!) - see gauge above. I certainly could have re-knit it a bit smaller, but I liked the way the yarn behaved with the stitch pattern at this gauge, enough not to worry about it anyway (yeah, and I was lazy). I ripped back a couple rows of ribbing so it wouldn’t cover my eyes, and in the bits that I have worn it about the house since, I have worn the front brim rolled just a bit. I had a small amount of yarn left over and couldn’t bear not to use it, so it became leafy tassels for the top of the hat.

Verdict: I LOVE it! Now I’m just waiting for some cool days - I can’t wait to actually wear it outside!

It’s taken me over a week to post on this great pattern - Of the 168 (!) pictures that I took, I wasn’t truly happy with any of them. I had trouble weeding through and finding one that showed off the pattern to it’s best advantage, but was also (relatively) flattering to the wearer. And due to more projected highs in the 90’s for the next week, I’m not sure that I have it in me to don a warm wooly hat to try to get some better pictures outdoors.

So, would you like to see the blooper reel?

Well, anyway *sigh*. I need to fix that damn chipped paint - or learn photoshop.

I love my new hat - even if I can’t seem to get it in the picture

Happy Fall everybody - hope you are having a little bit of it whereever you are!
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Now playing: The Appleseed Cast - Steps And Numbers
via FoxyTunes

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This has been a big week for projects - and for blog love - I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate all of your kind words and thoughts about my Chuck’s Cabled Socks! Finishing them made my day, but all your kind and positive responses truly made my week! There really is something neat about finishing a project you are proud of and hearing positive feedback on it from other knitters - who I get so much inspiration from every day on your blogs! THANK YOU so much for stopping by and letting me know if you liked them. I’m particularly excited to hear that there are more Chuck’s Socks that are about to or even may have already jumped onto the needles - I would love to see more of these, and I think you’ll love knitting them. Once they get going, they are such an enjoyable project - hmmm I hear it’s Socktoberfest, they might be the perfect project! In fact, I just came across another pair the other day, so for those of you who may want to see more - Check these out!! They are knit as written with the contrasting heel and are absolutely incredible - the color combination makes me swoon. Anyway, some more cable-y goodness for you - Enjoy!

Here’s one of the other September projects - a teaser of the Gryphon design. It is finished and you’ll hear more about it just as soon as the pattern becomes available! I’m very excited - it’s a rather simple item (though not without some challenges for those unfamiliar with the stitch pattern). This is a case where the yarn elevates the project, it’s wonderful stuff. I hope you’ll like it! This knit took me a bit longer than it probably should have, and that’s in part because my attention has been a little divided.

I finally see the value and enjoyment of having more than one item on the needles (or wheel!) at a time. That’s not to say that I don’t have some languishing or indefinitely shelved WIPs - I certainly am not immune to that. But in general, I tend to commit to one project until it’s done (or shelved, I get sick of it or I run out of yarn - in general!) But I have to admit, these last few weeks, it has been really nice having a couple different things going on. Chuck’s Socks stayed in the car or on the trail for the most part, which was great because I honestly was afraid to bring the Gryphon design out of the house. Afraid. It’s cashmere and silk. This is the nicest yarn I have ever worked with - and I am clumsy. I wouldn’t even eat around it - and eating occurs pretty much without regard to any other activity that happens to be going on here at any given time. That’s not to say that a few dog hairs haven’t been knit into it, but it has NOT been dropped in the dirt or on the floor of the coffeeshop. It hasn’t been spilled on, shut in the car door, snagged on a pen in my bag, or otherwise abused.

I’m not sure if Gryphon should be reading this. She may not have realized the type of person that she was sending her lovely yarn to! I was bored for a moment or two last week and took one of those quizzes - “How Gross are You?”, I think it was… Let’s just say I’m pretty gross. Don’t ask for the results, I’m not telling. Anyway, once Chuck’s were completed, I picked up Foliage by the talented Emilee for my car project (which lasted all of a couple of days - FO pics on the way!). If I needed a mental break from the design project, I could work on something else - and if the something else hit a snag, I’d put it back in the car and work on the design project. And it’s been so nice to have a spinning project going, so that if I needed a break from knitting altogether, there it was (not that I touched it once I started the Gryphon design, but still, there it was in case I felt urge!). Having other exciting projects waiting in the wings has been motivation to get to a certain point, or to finish a current project. My spinning project is waiting, as are the Festejakket (I wound yarn this weekend for swatching!) and Belle; I have handspun that wants to be used; a couple of WIPs waiting to be finished or resurrected (Bobble Blue & Vanille); and other projects are calling me too (ahem. Cinderella - look for info on a KAL soon!). Now I see how it’s possible to get SO many projects going at one time - they each suit a purpose or fill a current creative need. And if they don’t, well, those are the ones stuck in the bottom of my stash drawer that haven’t been touched in months!

So I’ve been doing a little spinning - my reward for finishing Chuck’s & the Gryphon design! I still have an ounce of the silk left, then a couple more ounces of the merino-tencel - yumm!

What projects are you excited about right now?