Sock Show Thursday: 1+

It's a sign of how many meetings I've been in at work that I managed to do the vast majority of this knitting only at work (I'm still slogging through the afghan strip at home) that I can present to you....the first finished sock of 2012:

Here it's posing on top of some papers and a laptop. Oh, and it's inside out.







Close up of the leg, color is a little better here.  You can definitely see where I changed needles with this yarn, I'm hopeful that it will pull itself together after a bath.

And yesterday I did manage to at least cast on Sock 2.  I'm all of five rows into the leg and this probably won't get picked up again before next week. I'll take it home over the weekend though, there is a baby shower that needs attending where I might have some knitting time.









Here are the specifications on these socks:

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock
Needle Size: 1.5 (2.5mm)
Stitch Count: 64
Pair Count for 2012: 1
Ravelry Project Link: Gray Lady

Testing....

Pay no attention to the felines behind the curtains....

Back to the Chore Wars

One of the myriad things the now defunct Lime and Violet podcast got me into was Chore Wars. At the time, there was a rabid flood of sign ups when we all decided we too needed to participate in KnitWars, using the website as a way to track how much time we spent knitting, reward ourselves by spending the earned gold pieces earned on shiny new wool, and perhaps keeping ourselves a little more accountable.

As I've been trying to think about more mindful crafting and using up some of the sock yarn around Chez Hedgehog rather than going on a shopping spree, I thought getting back to it might be a good way to help me toe the line on spending.  So I reset my gold to zero for the new year (I hadn't used it in quite a long time and had lingering gold) and I'm working my way back up again.

The last time I did this, I equated each earned gold piece to being $1.  I've heard of people who did similar, those who were more hard core about reducing their stash equating 1 gold piece = 1 cent.  I'm not quite that focused on destashing and besides, I recognize that some days a new skein of sock wool is the only thing to take away the crankies. Also, I recognize that as a crafter I like having tools of my trade around me, perhaps just not as many as I currently have.

This time, I thought I'd do a 2gp:$1 ratio. Considering how much I knit and can accumulate points/gold pieces, that could easily give me a knitting allowance for the month and a buffer in case there is a festival that I can't miss out on.  Currently I have 58 gold pieces or approximately 1 skein of sock yarn.

I've tried other stash reduction methods and certainly it makes sense to go through and clean out stash occasionally that you no longer love, aren't ever going to use, etc. I dislike having to ship things though, especially as it's a royal challenge to get to the post office.  So for now I'm working on knitting things up, using yarn as I had originally intended or for new patterns I've discovered, and filling up the gift box.

Sock Show Thursday

After assaulting you all over the past year with picture after picture of me and my double pointed needles, dutifully clicking away, I thought this year it might be nice to limit myself to a weekly update on socks. That way, hopefully, I'll be able to show you some progress.

In a fit of too much coffee, I had the brilliant thought that I could finish a sock per week and then I'd have 26 pair this year and wouldn't that be great? And then I realized that I haven't touched the sock I'm presently working on in over a week due to other knitting deadlines and as soon as the current knitting deadline is done I have two other pressing ones.

Anyway, here's Sock 1 for 2012

Hmm, no it's not actually blue, it's gray. Here's a close up shot that shows it a little better.

Specs:
Yarn: Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock
Needle Size: 1.5 (2.5mm)
Stitch Count: 64
Pair Count for 2012: 1
Ravelry Project Link: Gray Lady

It's my first time working with TIG, and this was purchased on my first trip to Windy Knitty. I really do need to get back to that shop again, I liked what she had. The yarn is very nice. It has a tight twist that shows everything and actually, as you can really see in the second picture, I'm getting ladders between needles. They aren't bad and I'm sure a washing will smooth that right out but it's not something I've had trouble with for a while. You might consider two circulars or magic looping with this yarn. I would like to get some more of their yarn eventually though, the colors are lovely. 

Gypsy Makes Headlines

Gypsy was spotlighted today at the Sunflower Musings blog, home of Three Cat Limit, who is our Kickstick provider of choice. I've bought two large kicksticks from her etsy store and shared some minisquares she thoughtfully threw in with other cats in my life.  Everyone loves them!!  It's really high quality catnip.  I'll have to see if I can make a video soon of Pyewacket with a kickstick that's about the same size she is.

I did finish my first project for 2012 yesterday, the Squish Cowl is done! 130 yards of super bulky are now a very large cowl. I haven't decided yet if I'd like to keep it for myself or give it to someone else so for now it's in the gift bin.  Pictures soon.  

What With the Goals...

Happy 2012! I hope you got all of your ends woven in from the holiday knitting and the New Year's champagne hasn't stayed around in the form of a bad headache.

So 2011 wasn't very successful on the goal front for me. Having knit up 13km in 2010, I set myself a goal of 20km in 2011. It was extremely optimistic considering the radical life changes in the past year (moved, new job, death in the family, new relationship, new pet--I go way off the charts when it comes to those stress counters). So it probably doesn't come a surprise that I didn't make it. The end of the December saw me make 7km.

The goal was to knit down stash and to clear things out. To some degree I have been working more from stash, certainly I've spent less money this year on yarn than in previous years. However, hitting that one cotton sale meant a huge amount more of stash that came in and adding some from fiber festivals and the occasional Loopy Ewe update has not helped.

I did, however, do some amazing things. I knit 18 pair of socks. Considering each pair takes me about 20 hours, that means I dedicated 360 hours or 15 full days just to making socks.  For those of you paying careful attention, why yes that count went up one from the last blog post.

Behold what I did over Christmas weekend: The Philosopher's Socks.  They're done and he wore them for New Year's Eve! He's shown them to two other knitters and already started mentioning that I've only knit him one pair of socks so far.  ;)  This is a step up from the not very subtle hints that I've never knitted for him.



They are Blue Moon Fiber Arts Medium Weight in the CopperTree Colorway that I purchased at Stitches Midwest this year (with the Philosopher no less, though at the time the yarn wasn't necessarily destined for him). Knit on size 2 (2.75 mm) needles over 52 stitches. It's my standard vanilla sock pattern of 2x2 ribbing.

I'm debating various goals for 2012.  I did okay with the "knit a certain project every month" for about four months a couple of years ago, but then got waylaid.  I didn't do well with a certain amount of yardage.  I tried for the Stash Dash that the KnitGirllls did last summer and made it through about 3K. But a full time and very busy job and a full time and very busy boyfriend does keep getting in the way--even when that boyfriend is very understanding that I will bring my knitting along all the time and work has gotten used to my knitting through meetings.  So for now, here's the plan...

• Work on the afghans that need to be completed here at Chez Hedgehog.
• Work on the WIPs sitting around the house.
• Knit more socks for other people.
• Continue to mostly knit from stash.

2011 was the Year of Socks

Considering that two years ago, I was not a sock knitter, it's rather surprising to me that I've knit well over a dozen pair of socks this year. And actually, as I'm counting them  up, I'm realizing that my counts were off and I've knit even more than I thought I had.  

(1) I started off the year with a pair of Footsies, using up the rest of some very luscious Sanguine Gryphon Bugga. 

 (2)Then came the Purple Pond Socks. These, I discovered after wearing a couple of times, have a dropped stitch on the sole. They're sitting in time out until I can get that fixed.



(3) Next was Subtle Stripe Sunday. These socks are wearing like iron. I can't say enough good things about BMFA Medium Weight or my desire to own lots and lots more of it.



(4) The Seafoam socks are rustic socks, made from wool from a farm in Viroqua WI and I wish I had more of it. Once I get through the rest of the Ewetopia Fiber Handdyeds, I'll have to email Kathryn and see if she can send me some more. Or I might just finally make myself sign up for the CSA. The only challenge with that is I think it comes undyed and I would rather rely on Kathryn's color sense.


(5) The Ugly Work Socks are somewhere around AudioGirl's apartment. Hopefully she'll still dye them a different color for me. Otherwise I will have to round up some Koolaid and see what havoc I can wreak.


(6) I started getting called out by friends about how many socks I might be knitting at any given time, hence the What New Socks? These were a birthday gift for M. Maybe I should have noticed the trend by then?



(7) But when one is reflecting the Summer Sky above, how can you turn down pretty wool?


(8,9,10) Besides, I wasn't only knitting for myself....AudioGirl got three pair of socks for her birthday in Indulgent Green, Corn for Cristy, and New Green. Not sure if she's broken them out as yet, it's not been a super cold winter as yet.







(11) I finished Sock UFOs, wrapping up the Languishing Socks from the last Knitting in Public Day I did at La Crosse.


(12) When I realized that maybe I already had a lot of green socks, I decided that a friend finishing her graduate degree could use the Do You Feel Lucky Socks. Fortunately, our foot size is the same.



(13) And the Incredibly-Patient-Mother started getting something I know she'll wear---Pair Number 13 Basic Black Socks. For a long time, she's preferred simple black socks. She'll wear the other ones I make her around the house or to bed (always good, I inherited her cold extremities) but these might get some out of the house wear.



(14) The friend who is getting the Rainbow Stripes still doesn't know they are for her, so I can't mention her name here.  And unfortunately the gifting will have to wait until the New Year because I just haven't/won't make it to the post office. These can't go out of style too soon though.



(15) I took yarn and needles to Hawaii. Actually I took several projects to work on, not realizing how much driving I'd be doing on the trip. Next vacation, M drives.  I did get the Hawaii socks done though and I love how the blues do remind me of all the beautiful water we saw.



(16) I like the impressionists, so as I struggled for a name for these socks, I thought about how they put me in mind of Waterlilies, hence they became the Monet Socks.


(17) Finally, it's another pair of black socks for the Incredibly Patient Mother. These have been a slog. The yarn, same as Pair 13, is still great. There's nothing particularly wrong with these socks, they've just not been getting time and love and that means slow going. I'm nearly to the toe though and I'll get them out the door yet!

(Almost 18) There was another pair of socks that I started and those were for the Philosopher. Unfortunately, when I get to the heel of the first sock, I had him try it on and we determined that the stitch count was too high. Since these are his first experience with handmade socks, I decided to rip back and reknit. I am back to the heel nearly again of sock 1 but I'm not sure this will make it by the end of the year. We'll see.


And please note, this doesn't include two shawlettes, dog sweater, a two lb bath mat, a 1 lb red kitchen rug, the giant purple shawl (still owe you pics, will ask my sister to take at Christmas), a super fast scarf to wear when I would see the designer, and a hat that was part of a barter trade I'll have to tell you more about next week.

Hmmm, suddenly I feel better about my productivity this year. I'm a huge slouch compared to Elizabethan cottage knitters but at least that "spare" time is being turned into warm feet for me and others. Of the completed (or very nearly so), nine pairs went into my sock drawer and are in current rotation at Chez Hedgehog and 8 pair are/were gifts spread out across five people. If I stay at this rate, using all yarn that's is intended to be socks as such (rather than shawls) and not buying anymore yarn I'll use all that up in just over two years.