Two WIPs

I finished the first Tide Pooling sock about five minutes ago. I don't want to take it off, but I suppose I must:

I used the pattern Simply Splendid Socks from Lucy Neatby's book Cool Socks Warm Feet: Six Exceptional Sock Patterns for Printed Yarns.


I figured it would be a good idea to learn the basics now that I've knitted a few pairs of socks, and using a simple pattern also seemed like a good idea for this busy busy yarn. I love the blue spiral stripe. The yarn is Socks That Rock Medium Weight in Tide Pooling. And I love the way that Neatby did the heel, with the slip stitch. It made the heel super squishy.

However, I have learned that I need a slightly smaller heel than she calls for in her socks. She says to make the heel as long as it is wide, which is about a half inch too long for me. Other than that, I didn't really learn anything new from this one, although my sock knitting skills have definitely improved.

I'm also working on a Herbivore shawl in madelinetosh Pashmina. The colorway is Fjord. I decided against making the Ode to the Bay pattern, as the lace wasn't really meshing well with my head. It is also the first release of the patterns, and there were definitely some minor errors in it, which annoyed me. I may wait until she releases an update before attempting it again.

I had originally tried to knit the Herbivore almost two years ago, and it was completely beyond my abilities at the time. I couldn't get past the two set up rows. Now, I've realized that the problem was I couldn't figure out how to make a yarn over between a knit and a purl stitch, and that is why my counts were so far off from the designer's.

Anyway, I'm breezing through the Herbivore now, and I'm pretty darned happy with my level of GAAK (Growth As A Knitter, and thank you Rose Red for the concept.) over the past two years. My twisted stitches also look LOADS better this time around with the Herbivore, as compared to the last time. I think the pattern may have made me cry in frustration the last time around, before I chucked it and knitted up a Simple Things shawlette instead.

I may eventually finish the three outstanding pairs of mittens that I have going, but I just really... I don't know. I have a block against knitting them. I've only finished one pair so far, and honestly I just find them dull. Not sure why.

Jeg lærer norsk.

Look what I picked up at the thrift store today:

Given my Norwegian friend Leonora's and my translation issues, I couldn't resist picking it up when I saw it.

(for instance, me attempting to translate English knitting instructions into, well, English this weekend for her. Also, Google translate caused some hilarity when I originally discovered her website and it very incorrectly translated her profile.)

Now all I need to do is get her a dictionary of American idiom and we'd be good to go.

Heh.

Next post: Actual knitting content.

$%$#*! Blogger. %$#$@# Internet. RAR

So, for the past two weeks, I've been all "WHERE ARE  MY COMMENTERS? WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY LOVE ME???" 

And then this weekend, when I did have time to sit and look at blogger, our $&^#$! internet was on the blink. According to Verizon, the outage was across four of the five boroughs of NYC. Guess which one still had internet. Yup. Manhattan.

ANYWAY, apparently blogger decided that all of my comments needed to be moderated, so everybody's comments were sitting in an inbox somewhere in blogger until now. Sigh.

Thank you all for the lovely comments. I am sorry I haven't been more active on your all's blogs lately, but things have been difficult, what with  not having internet on the only weekend I've been home for the past month or so.

Enough with the excuses. Off to comment on everyone else's blogs!

Rhinebeck Purchases and WIPs

I've got a few Works-in-Progress (WIPs) going right now:

Snapdragon Flip Tops

Simply Splendid Socks

Eternity Scarf (ok, this one is actually a Finished Object)

I also bought some yarn at Rhinebeck:

Briar Rose Fibers in Angel Face - 2500 yards of lace weight alpaca

Briar Rose Fibers in Abundance - 750 yards of worsted weight Corridale

Periwinkle Sheep worsted in Oxblood Lily, Truffle and Suede

I have no idea what I'm going to do with the laceweight, but it sure is pretty. And soft.

The pink worsted weight is for a sweater for Georgia. This one, as a matter of fact:

Photo Courtesy of Elinor Brown

It's called the Grow Like a Weed Jacket and it is a pretty sweet pattern. Plus, steeking! I haven't done that before.

And the three colors of worsted weight will become a shawl of some sort. Probably one of Jared Flood's worsted weight shawls.

I actually have one more WIP going, which is the Ode to the Bay Shawl by Liz Abinate, but it is too small and crumply to really look like anything right now. So eventually I'll post a pic.

Rhinebeck!!!

We went today and had an awesome time. It is definitely worth going to, although I have to say, I get Rhinebecked out after about four hours and just need to leave.

Alpaca in soft focus.

Georgia and the alpaca.

Some locks from some sheep or another. Sorry. I was crushed and didn't have the chance to see what kind of sheep they were from.

Awesome Rasta sheep.

Bruce playing around with some locks.

Georgia playing around with some locks.

Sneak preview of my purchases this year.

And another thing

In addition to all of my insanity over the past few weeks, I also had a bunch of Groupons to Knitty City, one of the best knitting stores in NYC. Not only do they have an awesome selection, but they are also quite nice.

Anyway, I had three days to use up three Groupons, and I was only allowed to use one at a time, so I had to go back each day. I know. Total tragedy.

Here is some of my booty:

madelinetosh toshsock in tart

Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in Peat Mix

Four skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in Cardinal

Four skeins Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in Tiger Eye

madelinetosh pashmina in Filigree

madelinetosh pashmina in terra verte (I think)

3 skeins of Rowan Lima in La Paz, which are already being turned into an Eternity Scarf.

Here is a picture of Bruce's sweater, unfinished:

LOVE the applied icord around the top edge and the neck opening!

Also, I managed to finagle a new camera (by saving up some amazon gift cards that I got from a rewards program, and selling another camera), so I got a Canon Eos Rebel something or other. It's pretty darned awesome. And it doesn't mangle the colors. Well,  most of the colors. It didn't do too well with the Berroco yarn in Cardinal above. But that may also be my own ineptitude with the camera right now.

So. There you go. My yarn related activities thus far.

Also, I hear that many of you have been having issues leaving comments on my blog lately. I'll see if I can get that worked out with blogger.

Uber Busy

Life, it seems, has mostly gotten in the way of blogging. It has also gotten in the way of knitting the past few days, much to my dismay. I am starting to get grumpy.

However, since I last posted, I actually finished the knitting on Bruce's sweater. I now just have to weave in all 40 million ends, graft the underarms together, and sew in a zipper. I should be able to get that done in a week, in time for Rhinebeck, right?

Also, since I've last posted, we traveled to Massachusetts for Bruce's uncle's memorial service, celebrated Georgia's 6th birthday (that was yesterday), dealt with a bunch of school related stuff for the kid, and worked.

It's been a wee bit busy. Georgia's birthday party is this coming Sunday (I'm having minimal children attend) and then the week after that is RHINEBECK!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!

It will be a relief to be able to sit down and knit this evening in knitting group.

At some point in the near future, I'll attempt to post pictures. I swear.