Taking a break from knitting...

... with more stitch marker fun.
Tiger tail, beads, and crimps - oh, my!

Bavarian Socks DONE!

Yay!  Finally, I finished these this morning, now I can get to the other ones that have been poking the back of my brain to get some attention.

     

Really Twisted..

... the 'Bavarian Socks' pattern, from CAST ON magazine winter 2002-2003, is a Karen E. Williams design.
Plan to take your time - you'll need a lot of it - if you decide to make a pair of these, every knit stitch is a 'k tbl ' until you get to the heel and sole for this version - also, no contrasting frou frouy eylash cuff here. This particular SRH is my first attempt at one from a Regia pattern booklet, aka a 'boomerang' heel??
These socks were started over a month ago and I've just started working on the foot portion today, it didn't help that I made many mistakes and started and restarted various trial heels like this frogged 'eye of partridge' one.

eta; here's a similar pattern by Eunny Jang, now editor of Interweave Knits magazine

Also OTN is the GAL, almost to the second corner when I decided to take a break from it.

GAL

I've finished Clue 6 and will start the edging next. These stitch markers were remade last month, the ones with small beads on the end occasionally catch on this fine yarn, as often as a chipped fingernail or hangnail will do.
Galveston Mystery Shawl KAL
Galveston Shawl (PDF)

GAL knitalong update

- working on Chart F, Row 28

I've tried 3 different circulars on this yarn, Jagger Spun Superlamb, and - no surprise - find the Addi lace needles best, then the Addi Turbos next and finally, the KnitPicks Classic. The join on the KnitPicks needle catches on this very fine yarn, almost sounds like tearing when the stitches slide over it ... makes me cringe.

However I really like using the KnitPicks for socks, no problem.
Galveston Mystery Shawl KAL
Galveston Shawl (PDF)

Pomatomus

Finished yesterday
Cookie A's pomatomus pattern
http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter05/PATTpomatomus.html

- Garnstudio Fabel, col. 677
- 32", 2.5mm Knitpick circ

- 2 at a time, magic loop
- Mary Sherman heel, eye of partridge on back of heel

OTN;
- GAL mystery shawl
- 7" squares for a charity raffle

EXTREME weather - a record 7cm of snowfall last Thursday ...

...and 24C/75F today.

re: Stitch Markers

- remade some stitch markers, they catch on or snag lace, must remember to; 1. put a larger bead on the end and 2. leave off the bottom crimp.
OTN: Galveston Mystery Shawl, clue #4

More stash! DH found sock yarn in the NL.

A break from knitting ... well, sorta ...

... something fun to do - stitch markers made with DD yesterday; lots of shiny, pretty beads and some jewellery wire, some with tigertail and crimps, others with eye-pins.





OTN: a pair of men's socks and the Galveston Mystery Shawl - finished Clue 3, chart C - tested new stitch markers today, caught a couple of times on the yarn and the lace.

In today's snail mail, Knitpicks Classic circs, 4 sizes! - too bad they don't make smaller ones - and BW's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

Mockey Socks done

- superwash yarn from stash, DGB Confetti col. 3007

- Aero 2.5mm circ ML

- looped cast-on, very elastic, (Reader's Digest 'Complete Guide to Needlework')

- high instep, short row heeel, inc to 36 sts from 32 sts

http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter06/PATTmonkey.html

Galveston Mystery Shawl - clue 2 done

Galveston Mystery Shawl KAL
Galveston Shawl (PDF)

Opal Sideways Socks 2

- finished these on the weekend, the ankles are a bit baggy and the cuff is still a bit tight, but the instep fits nicely.

OTN: Cookie's monkey socks

http://tinyurl.com/3yr9dv

Unconventional -

- 1 sock on 2 circs.
My calf and instep measurements are about 3" larger than the foot and ankle ones, so I'm trying something different on the second sock.
Instead of using one 2.5 mm circ for the length of the sock I'm switching back and forth between 2 circs;

- 2.75 mm circ for the tight garter stitch cuff and heel/instep

- and smaller circ, 2.5 mm, for the leg and foot.
If I like the fit of this sock with these changes, then I'll frog and redo the first one, (just hope I won't suffer from second-first-sock syndrome!!!?)

Opal Sideways sock

The colours are quite vibrant.
- one sock almost complete, will probably redo toe so the colours end up blue/green, not yellow mix
- have started the second sock
- no negative ease on the leg and foot as the sideways knitting doesn't have much give
- the fit of the cuff and instep are snug

One sock off and one sock on

Started and finished Trekking XXL 108 last week for DD, done cuff down, socks are mismatched due to random striping and cuff is wider so it can be worn folded or not. - 32" 2.0 mm Inox circular ML, worked on 68 sts except SRH on 42 of 72 sts.

OTN:

Started and restarted these Opal 1433 Sideways socks, Hundertwasser 897 silver spiral colourway.

The knitting/crocheting for the lace Niebling is done, needs a good wash and blocking ...

... and the elmleaf zokni are also finished. These were cast off using the tubular cast off, http://tinyurl.com/2hovqx

(Thanks, JK.)

Calgary last week ...

... yesterday ...

... and today, another blast of winter, taken an hour after it started this morning.

SRH and Niebling update

... more on Short Row Heels for a high instep - inc heel sts for the SRH.

This photo highlights areas that were added to a toe-up sock, could also be added cuff down;

- yellow-grn: *3 increases to each side of last few alternate rows on the foot before starting the SRH.

If doing cuff down one would need to decide whether or not to include inc sts to charted design, ie plan ahead to either knit these inc rows plain or continue with chart and knit incs in pattern, too, otherwise, there will be a small triangular bit of stockinette, (the blue-grn triangle in photo.)

- bright green: extra rows as a result of more heel sts, eg *36 sts instead of 30 sts dec to 14 live sts

- blue-green: *3 decreases to each side of the first few alternate rows on the leg after SRH's done, (I used plain knit sts all across the back of the heel here, also could have started the leaf pattern as soon as the SRH was done.)

---*change these numbers for a custom fit.

Niebling update:

Last week I wasn't sure I had enough thread to finish this project without having to cut back on the rows. Whew, I'm relieved to have more than enough.

I'm now to the point of crocheting off the edge, at least trying to.

Increase sts for SRH

I like the look of socks made with short row heels (SRH,) however they are too tight for me when the pattern is knit 'as is.' The last socks I made have SRH where the heels are done over 60% of the stitches and they fit nicely.

My current project is the Zokni pattern, http://www.pepperknit.com/patterns/ZokniSocksPattern.pdf , done toe-up and also has a SRH, but I didn't want to use pattern sts for the heel because I didn't know if it would work using yo/eyelet sts and still look nice. Instead I added ease by increasing stitches before starting the heel, then decreased by the same amount after the heel was done.

The heel needle on these green socks had 6 inc/dec sts worked over 5 rows each, ie worked on 36 sts instead of 30 and the instep needle has 30 sts throughout.
*NB I made sure that the inc/dec sts are 1 knit st away from a yo/eyelet.

- at point A, 5 rows before the beginning of the heel, start increases on alternate rows, ie inc 1 st on each side of heel sts on first and subsequent odd rows, knit plain on even rows.*

- make SRH, start with knit 35sts, wrap last stitch, turn ... (More rows are needed to work heel down to 14 'live' stitches as well as back up to 36 sts.)

- at point B, start dec 1 on each end of heel sts* on alternate rows until you have 30 heel sts.

This should also work for cuff down socks and numbers can be adjusted for a custom fit.

Mar 11, am

chinook arch

Chinook winds ...

... bring warm temps - a balmy 12C today and 15-17C tomorrow - and develop their signature arching clouds.
- facing SW. Rocky Mtns in the far distance. The white patch of snow in the nearer distance is Canada Olympic Park (COP) where several events were held during the 1988 Olympics; bobsled, luge, and ski jump, (remember 'Eddie the Eagle' from Great Britain, I believe?) Warm temps from Chinooks that February created problems for outdoors events.

- and facing SE, the other side of the chinook arch.

Niebling update: on Rnd 182, I probably will not have enough thread to complete all 221 Rnds plus a crocheted edging. According to rough calculations I am 65% done with 40 Rounds to go.

I Got Mail ...

... yesterday's additions to my ever growing treasure collection, thanks to Irene in Courtenay, BC.

Niebling update: on Round 119, of 221, (almost 800 sts on this Rnd)- using a 24", sz 2.5mm circ for the second set of 'leaves' where the design pulls in a bit.

(- photo of Rnd 122 done, 816 sts)

The 2 balls of variegated sock yarn were purchased at a LYS last week and the 100% silk on a cone came in the mail the week before.

Niebling update: up to Round 103, noticed that there's a 3rd area where the tension in the design seems somewhat tight so will switch to larger circs again.