Miscellaneous Pyewacket Picture

I have *so much* to show and tell you about! I spent the better part of four days knitting.  My hands are a little sore but there was progress. Also, there were some things already gifted that unfortunately you'll not see.

But for now, a feline to tide you through the day.

Pye doesn't especially like sleeping under blankets, but she agreed to pose for you.



She's under my giant log cabin squares blanket, which I need to photograph on the bed, because the couch cover is totally borking up my camera--it being far lighter in color than any of the afghan squares.

I still need to crochet around the edge of the blanket to give it some firmness but it was in heavy rotation for a year before I got ends woven in (that's now done), so I'm not in too much rush.

Wherein I am invisible (at least the yarn is shiny)

I managed to get caught on pictures with everything except the slippers I mentioned last post. And since I've already gone through all the pictures that I took this evening, I'll just have to show them to you next time. Trust me that knitting up a bulky weight slipper sock in a matter of a very few hours feels oddly indulgent.

There have been some weird internet issues at Chez Hedgehog, hopefully that's short rather than long-term.  Of course, I've been having some odd internet issues at work for a few days too. Computers that randomly decide they don't see our network, email that doesn't want to copy to the send folder so I have no idea if it sent or not (I think I sent one email four times Monday and then had to resend it on Tuesday because it still wasn't clear if the recipients had gotten it), etc etc. I'll let someone more astrological than I tell me if Mercury is indeed in retrograde, at least insofar where computers are concerned.

Also, I've been meaning to describe my shopping experience at Knitty City in New York since I got back.

To give you some history, the last time I had been to Knitty City, I still lived in Queens and was just starting to buy yarn on the scale I currently do. In that trip I found myself utterly ignored and, after wandering around the shop, I left without buying anything.

Now, several years and a whole lot of yarn buying later, I thought I'd give it another shot. I'd heard so many good things about Knitty City, so many people who say it's their favorite yarn store, such wonderful selection, etc. etc. Perhaps I had just looked too much of a poor grad student last time? Also, what better way to give back to my beloved hurricane stricken city than by indulging myself in a little wool while I waited for the Brunette? See, look at my altruism.

I have apparently perfected invisibility in Knitty City. I counted, in the half hour I was there, four staff members. The only time I was spoken to was when the woman who I believe is the store owner checked me out--though the young man behind the counter with her had just lowered himself to ask if I'd found everything--and her conversation with me was perfunctory.

It's unclear what else they expected me to do. Did I not make eye contact or attempt to enough times? Was my sitting at the small central table obviously comparing three shades of electric orange not perhaps a hint that I was weighing options? Should I have been more obvious with the Color Affection shawl I was wearing? The friendly local designer who was in the shop tripped over me three times, which we chuckled about, though the lack of floor space meant moving amongst the yarn was challenging. But to the store staff I remained patently transparent and unacknowledged.

I wasn't hoping for someone to hover near me, but a greeting or question as to why I was fussing with three skeins of orange yarn would have been appreciated. By the end of it I was amusing myself, standing back to observe the store and feel like a member of London Below, albeit one who still has to pay for the wool.

I probably should have left again without buying anything. I thought about it. Ultimately, I wanted the Lorna's Laces that was hanging down a back hallway almost unnoticeable and since I was visiting the Blonde and the Brunette, I wanted to plan for my next knitting for them. Having the yarn in hand helps.

But I won't go back. It probably won't effect their bottom line too much, an infrequent NY yarn buyer such as I am, but in the future, I'd rather spend my yarn money places where I am visible.

I've already started knitting up the Lorna's Laces, which is the Shepherd Worsted in the Amy's Vintage Office colorway. I've been admiring this colorway for a long time and I decided I needed a new hat.

Behold:
 

It will have cables at the top, I'm working off a Lion Brand Cable Twist Hat and Scarf pattern. I love the yarn and am almost hoping it gets cooler again soon so I can wear it. As soon as it is finished, of course.

For the Blonde comes a non-shocker. She adores the color orange and was wearing a pair of pants nearly this color last time I saw her.  This yarn is La Jolla from Baah, who are the same people whose yarn I used for the Warm Water socks that I made myself earlier this year.  The color saturation on this stuff is fantastic.  I got a better picture without flash, but include a small one with flash in case you'd like to damage your corneas. Not sure what I'm making yet.






Finally, the Brunette tells me that his Dashing Mitts are finally starting to die. And since he's wearing a little more brown these days, we're going for gray instead of new black ones. Of course, what one knits for the Brunette, one should also knit for his husband. They both really appreciate hand knits. So he picked out some yarn from the Loopy Ewe Solids line, but I haven't ordered it yet.

For the Brunette we have Berrocco Vintage DK. The picture came out a little bluer than the yarn is.  It's a true warm gray.




Once I get through holiday knitting and finishing pair 11 and 12 of socks for this year (or at least 11), I want to start spending a lot of time on mitts.  Thankfully, Brunette-by-Marriage is okay not having flip top mitts.

Inspirations Always Strike Late

Why is it that every time I think I'm not going to be knitting until Christmas Eve, I'm suddenly struck with inspiration? It's not a horrible thing. I've been struggling to find ideas for M. She has wonderful taste and periodically I've been able to surprise her with things but this year I find myself tired and rather anti-buying things just for the sake of buying things. Fortunately, she mentioned recently that she needs some new slippers and that got me thinking about bulky weight slipper-socks. They knit up far faster than your usual pair of socks and would be very toasty. Started one pair (I'm past the gusset, let me see if I can find my camera) and wouldn't you know that I've come up with at least two other people that need a pair?

As I discussed these with AudioGirl, she requested for some worsted weight slipper socks, and she'd like taller ones that she can wear with her winter boots. I agreed, though said they might not be available until after Christmas. As it's presently over 50 degrees in Chicago and supposed to be nearly 70 tomorrow, and as she has at least four pair of wool socks that I've knit for her, we're not in too much of a rush. I might save those as plane knitting (going to Atlanta in a couple weeks) and then see if I can finish them up the week after Christmas. They'll be an interesting knit, I expect that she'll wear them til they develop giant holes and then most likely turn them into legwarmers.

So that's two people on the Christmas list who I can put a clear gift listing by. The Philosopher isn't getting any knitting for Christmas but I have another project to get started on for him soon and he's got socks already on the needles, so I don't think he's feeling too neglected. Also, I got his Christmas gift figured out in September. It's currently residing in the lower drawer of my bedside table (yes, he knows that it is there, no, I don't think he's peeked).  Now then, three more to figure out in the next twenty days.

I'm also trying to figure out how to get rid of some yarn. There are a few things lurking in the stash that just don't appeal anymore. For now I'm going to toss stuff up on Ravelry but don't expect much. I'd like to at least not deeply lose money on this, particularly since it will require running to the post office, and cost of shipping is high enough that the yarn looks really overpriced. I've had mediocre luck with trading too and without a local knit group to say "hey, anyone want to buy some wool off of me?" not sure what I'll end up doing. Presently I'm trying to resist wrapping it up for the White Elephant party I'm attending next weekend.

A Smidge of New Wool

If you were reading closely this week, you'll notice that I said I didn't buy any new yarn on Sunday. That's true. Despite the temptation to click over to BMFA and whisk through all the money I'd allotted for Vogue Knitting live, I instead went to the stash.  I did remember, though, that there have been a couple of yarn purchases that we've not discussed.

First is the last Blue Moon Fiber Arts purchase that I did make.  When Tina posted in August about the online barn sale, I may have been first in line at the check out. Certainly I was trying to be.  3 skeins of mediumweight at $13/skein? That was a price I could not resist.  I was momentarily hesitant--what if the bag that Tina selected for me just wasn't in my palette? What if it was all yellow? But the price point won over my concern and, as most of my socks are gifts anyway, colors outside my usual palette would go nicely into the gift bin.

I shouldn't have worried. I don't know if Tina or anyone at the barn consulted my order history when choosing for me but they couldn't have picked a better bag. One skein of pinkish-purple with teal, one vibrant dark purple, and one shockingly bright green with pops of purple and blue. My favorite color was obviously tying these three skeins together.

(Apologies, I realized as I was winding skein 1 that y'all hadn't seen these yet).  See my post from late Sunday night for a better picture of the purple skein.



The best part, though, was when the Philosopher saw the package as I unwrapped it. We had been discussing colors that the esteemed Philosoparents might enjoy in knitted gifts and I wanted to add these to the potential pile. He examined them and immediately announced he wanted all of them for himself.

That's right, my boyfriend, who is never happier than when dressed in jeans and a black shirt, wanted the bright purple, green, and pink/teal yarns for his feet.



I found a good one, fellow knitters. Not only does he identify what of the stash he'd like, but he likes to wear his handknit socks when we're going to events where he can take his shoes off (parties in people's homes usually) so other people can see and admire his handknit socks. Last Saturday I suggested that it was cold enough for a pair of handknit socks and he was very excited to get to break them out for the first time this season.

And in the category of outside of my usual color palette: the travel yarn I bought while attending a wedding in North Carolina.

We were in Raleigh and I was pleased to see that a yarn store was only about a ten minute drive from the hotel.  I went the morning after the wedding, in between the morning-after brunch and a spectacular bbq lunch that preceded a lot of sitting in the airport waiting for our flight.

The store was called Great Yarn.  It's a small but interesting store. The lady who was working was trying very hard to talk catch all of the people coming in for help on the three hours they were open on Sunday. After two passes through the store though, I didn't see anything I couldn't buy at home. It's one of my strong preferences to not buy major brand yarn at a festival or a store in another state.  I can get Cascade and Berroco etc at home, that's not yarn I'll remember.  The lady minding the store noticed my frustration and asked what I was looking for. Did they, I ask, have *anything* locally dyed?

They did, a few skeins in a bin that was mostly full of Malabrigo, which is how I'd overlooked it as I'd gone through the store. I don't imagine they get a lot of tourist traffic, but it would have been nice for the dyer for them to make it a bit more prominent.  The yarn is from Three Waters Farm in Graham, NC and--since the dyer didn't name it--I'm calling the colorway Strawberry Banana.



The base is superwash merino and it's probably destined to become gift socks. Right now it's just memories of a really good Bloody Mary with extra olives and a really beautiful bride.



Bonus picture: Pyewacket likes to help with photoshoots too!

Proof is in the Bindoff

The biggest thing I finished recently was a pair of flip-top mittens for a very patient brewer. Last year he swapped me for some homemade mead and I have been woefully behind. The mittens were delivered to him on Saturday but third hand and so I do not have photos. Suffice to say that I heavily modified a pattern, made up a lot of things, and never ever want to knit fingering weight mittens for someone not in my immediate family ever again.

I do have proof, however, of the socks that have come off the needles. 

We have three pair, two that are entirely done but for the end weaving and one that needs a toe but I'm calling it close enough. 

First up are the Windsor Socks:

These were knit on size 1 (2.25mm) needles out of Miss Babs Windsor Monochrome. I think this was my first experience with Miss Babs' yarn. I sincerely hope it won't be my last. It's a pretty, squishy blue-gray yarn.  

Next we have the Ground Up Muppet Socks. Yes, that's what I think this looks like, leftover felt pieces all ground up together.  The yarn, Schaefer Nichole, is incredibly decadent. It's a heavy fingering, so I knit it up on 1.5 (2.5mm) needles instead of size 1s. These will cushion the feet of the wearer and are so ridiculously bright and cheerful. 

I was surprised that the yarn didn't stripe more, but imagine that had a lot to do with my gauge and the fact I was using ribbing. If I'd been knitting on a different needle size, I would not have been surprised to have more striping or blotches of color.  

This yarn was part of a spontaneous Loopy Ewe sale in May 2011. This was only the first skein of Janis Joplin colored Nichole and it has a lovely enough hand on it that I wouldn't mind knitting with it again. I'm a little done with the colors though. I might see if I can find someone on Ravelry who would like to trade for a similar skein.

Finally are these Louet Gems socks. These have been on the needles FOREVER.



I love Louet Gems. It's a little bit pricey and one could wish to not have to buy two skeins just to make a pair of socks but it's great yarn. I left these at work, I've ignored them willfully in the face of shinier yarn, everything I could do but stuff them back in a bin and pretend I didn't cast them on. But I'm ready for the toe on sock 2 and then they go far far away. Or at least into the gift bag.

With these, though, I hit a milestone. These are pair 8-10 for 2012.  And it's just the end of October which means I'm on track to finish a dozen pair of socks this year! Certainly, it's not last year's 18 pairs but considering that I've been primarily working on smaller needles, and did the mittens (1 sock pair equivalent) and knit the Color affection (3.5 pair socks equivalent of yarn), I'm not doing too poorly in my book. According to knitmeter, I just passed the 5K mark as well.  I really must start knitting up worsted weight again, it goes so much faster.

Next Up On the Needles...

With last week's storming, Chicago saw the temperatures drop from an abnormal high in the upper 60s to lower 70s to it's much more normal late October temperatures. Saturday night I wenched around the apartment, wondering why our radiator heat wasn't percolating along. I know it's been turned on for the season, it has kicked in before. Finally, sometime after 2 a.m., we got steaming clicks and rattles and the apartment warmed up.

It's been a quiet weekend at Chez Hedgehog. The Philosopher, just finally at about 80% after a nasty bout of food poisoning, is presently laid low by something new gastrointestinal. A couple of hours ago he finally fell asleep for longer than 20-30 minutes, so I think we've come over the worst of it. Dinner has not revisited either (chicken and rice soup and a loaf of sourdough bread, thank you Campbell's for making this evening easy), which is an even better sign. I'm still chomping my way through the sourdough, one slice has peanut butter, one slice has honey.

I love good bread. Chewy dense slices slathered in peanut butter, jam, honey, Nutella, cheese, it's all very appealing. I haven't made bread in a long time, though once upon a time I think I was fairly successful with yeast breads. And with a really good bakery down the street, it's always tempting to race home and catch a roll or loaf before they close up shop.

I was supposed to go wool shopping today. It was the last day of Vogue Knitting Live and I thought I might even be able to stalk Franklin as I raided the marketplace and spent too much money. The Philosopher's illness meant I got no further than the grocery (four blocks). I was faced with a minor dilemma though: I'm on my last "current" pair of socks.

It's uncommon, especially after the disaster of three pairs of size 0 (2mm) needle socks simultaneously, that I don't have at least two pair of socks on the needles and going. I've been working through sock yarn that I wound up prior to the move in July, mostly because there hasn't been anywhere to set up my swift and ball winder. But I've gone through most of that yarn.

So I faced the stash--that's right, I still owe you a picture of the newly sorted stash on it's shelves:



Lighter weights are towards the top, a rather ridiculous amount of yarn in sweater quantities towards the bottom, and the cotton cones on the top. Why I still have that much cotton baffles me, it seems like I keep knitting through it. AudioGirl has hinted that another large mat would be welcome and I think we need one in the kitchen as well.

I went for two bins that had been identified as holding "next project" yarn, mostly sock weight but also some worsted and some seriously old DK that's I've been considering for a baby project. I dug the swift out of the office and cleared off the dining room table.

Here are most of the winding victims of the evening (except the far left skein, that one got squeezed and put away for a couple more weeks).



These will probably become tediously familiar in the coming weeks as they turn into three pair of socks and a scarf. The Lorna's Laces Worsted will probably become a hat but I thought it best to leave it in it's skein for now.  I can hear it sighing in the stash..."So close."

An hour and change of winding later, all my project bags are full and I'm once more prepared for commuting and meeting knitting.  And I didn't spend any money on yarn (today).

Shed Leaves: Sock Sized

You didn't think I'd really given up sock knitting, even when hurting, did you?  Sure, it slowed me down a little but you can't keep a frustrated woman from the needles.  I've also come to the not especially brilliant conclusion that I should only do one pair of socks on size 0 (2mm) needles at a time. I'd been wading through more than that and was definitely at the point of disparaging all sock knitting ever. Switching to a size 1 needle (2.25 mm) made an enormous difference.

As proof that they are done, I present to you three pairs off the needles.

Black No. 6  was the sixth pair I'd started in 2012. I think I'm officially out of Black Cascade Heritage yarn now.



This is not a particularly exciting picture but they aren't particularly exciting socks. Squishy, sure. But not festive.  They're in the gift basket.

The Tiny Teal Socks seemed never ending. These were on size 0 (2mm) needles, out of Berroco Sox. The yarn is not the softest, though I expect it to be really hard wearing. When I finished these I banished my size 0 dpns so effectively that I can't find them. I'm not kidding, I've managed to lose 2 sets of size 0 needles. I have no idea where they are and a casual flip of the apartment hasn't helped.  Someday I'll do something crazy like put needles away when I'm done. Apparently I haven't reached that point yet.



The Warm Water Socks, at least, made me happy. The yarn was so vibrant and seemed to fly off my needles.  Even knitting on size 1 needles (2.25 mm)



These are out of Baah! La Jolla yarn, which I recently discovered at Loopy. A word of precaution that this might be the most money I've spent on sock yarn. That being said, the yarn is vibrant and squishy and just what I needed to get out of the doldrums.

I tried something new with the Warm Water Socks, decreasing the gusset at the heel rather than on the sides of the foot. I don't like how it turned out. The Philosopher described them as high-heeled socks and it's pretty apt. The arch to the foot is too severe.  I think I want to try TurtleGirl76's model of double decreases on the bottom of the foot. With a single set of decreases I ended up with extra material at the heel and it's already felting after one wearing.

That is everything that is done at the moment. I've got three pair on the needles to show you on Thursday for Sock Show Thursday, assuming I can find my 1.5 (2.5mm) needles and continue to make progress on one pair....

If you're keeping count, I've finished seven pair of socks so far this year and I'll have these next three done pretty soon. That will put me to ten pairs, averaging one pair per month. I don't think I'll make the 18 pairs that I knit last year, but last year's socks were primarily out of sport weight yarn and this year has been much more about fingering weight.  I have another 10 skeins picked out that I'd like to knit up "next" as socks, so I should be covered well into next year.

Someday I'll start knitting worsted weight yarn again. Can you imagine how fast that will go?