Finis

My first pair of socks in just over a year (last pair were finished 20 March 2012).

Pattern: no pattern used, just started at the toe, increased till it seemed about right, knit the foot for a while, did a short row heel over >50% of the stitches (for extra heel room), knit the leg until I ran out of yarn (Sock A) or it was the same length as the first one (Sock B).
Yarn: chain plied handspun, "Gobbler" Cheviot from the Hello Yarn Fiber Club, 95 yds for Sock A and 130 yds (not all used) for Sock B.
Needles: US 4/3.5 mm and US 3/3.25 mm. I should have gone down one more needle size for Sock B, as the fabric is a bit too loose for socks IMHO, but c'est la vie.
Start/Finish: 11 March 2013-20 April 2013.
Gauge: yes
Comments: so...I love this colorway beyond all imagining, and am very happy with the socks except for one thing: clearly my winging the pattern (i.e. not using the Sock Fitting Bible*) has resulted in socks that are too big for me. The heavier weight (thicker yarn) sock is better, but I got a bit too caught up in making the stripes line up perfectly (mostly) and ended up with a second sock that is just a hair too loose. So be it - these will be lovely around the house socks when the cold weather shows up again. In June**.


My next pair of handspun socks (handspun skeins in this post, also with a large edible bird-inspired name) will be done a bit more mathematically, and so hopefully will fit a bit better.

* any and all books about socks written by Cat Bordhi.
** a certain fatalistic British-ness is infiltrating my attitude towards the weather. I suspect this is completely unavoidable. My apologies!

FO: Cornflower Grace

Now that this baby has been delivered to the recipient, I can finally blog about it.

Pattern: Cinnamon Grace by Katie Harris
Yarn: Green Mountain Spinnery Sock Art Forest, 70% wool/30% Tencel, 400 yds/100 gr - this scarf used about 80 gr, so approximately 320 yds total.
Needles: US 3/3.25 mm circulars
Start/finish: 6 April - 9 April 2013.
Comments/modifications: This is a very nice pattern, despite some issues that I will discuss farther down. The center panel is knit from tip to tip, then you pick up stitches along the long side and knit the edging downwards.


There is a large increase in the number of stitches for the edging within the first couple of rows, giving it a bit of a ruffled effect.

The final dimensions were 76 inches long and 8 inches deep (including the ribbing) , making it long enough to wrap nicely around the neck.

I did have a couple of issues with the pattern, however. Some portions of the directions were very confusing on first (or second, or third) reading, but I was able to figure it out eventually. To be completely fair, this is a free pattern, so I don't expect tech editing, but some careful editing and a bit of clarification would have been very welcome.

My only other issue was that I expected the scarf to end up a bit wider - the pictures in the pattern show it worn more like a shawlette then a scarf, so I was expecting a slightly wider final project. I did work the ribbing a bit longer then called for, but if I knit this again, I will keep increasing on the center panel until it's wider.

An aside: The events of the past week have thrown me for a loop, having grown up in Boston, so that's the reason for prolonged blog silence. I am researching the charities available, but I plan to donate 100% of all sales of the Boston Toque (Ravelry link), and 50% of sales of the Travelling Hats ebook (Ravelry link) from now until 15 July to a charity focusing on the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings on 15 April. I'll have a decision on the charity, and more information on Monday, but if you feel inspired to go buy either the pattern or the ebook right away, feel free. And thank you!

Because you can't have enough mini-socks

Same pattern/yarn details as previously. 

Wysteria, Rosebud, Birch and Lawn

Jade, Rockwater, Stormchaser and SitkaI can not get enough of this yarn. Which is, I suppose, a good thing, as I've got one more bag of mini-skeins to go!

When all you can do is pick up the needles

I've been knitting up a storm recently, but it hasn't been a particularly happy experience. A dear friend is dealing with her father's just-diagnosed late-stage metastatic cancer. We've been lucky enough to get to know her dad, Himself even more so then me, and the news about his cancer has been very difficult.

I don't set much store in prayer, but my immediate reaction to the news was “I must knit him something”. After consultation with the daughter, I decided to knit him a nice, warm jumper to ward off the post-chemo chills.

I did a bottom-up, saddle sleeve sweater all in one piece, á la Elizabeth Zimmerman – a technique I've wanted to try for a while. I did a simple 2x2 cable up each side and along the outside of the sleeve up to the collar. The yarn is Colorado Yarns Durango, a wool/acrylic/viscose blend I've had in stash for a looong time. The finished sweater is cozy and warm, easy to care for, and hopefully will help keep him comfortable and warm in the coming months.

After finishing that off, I knew I wanted to knit something for Mum as well.

This is Cinnamon Grace, and since that picture was taken, I've knit the border and started the cast off. Once I've got it blocked, I'll take some better pictures and give some details.

They have a hard road ahead, and I knit every stitch of these pieces with good thoughts and hope for them in what is statistically a pretty hopeless situation. I hope they'll wear these and feel us close to them, sending mojo and strength across the miles.

Productivity in miniature

Catherine and I seem to be sharing a brain today: we're both blogging about finished mini-socks. Here are mine:


And here's what they looked like in skein/ball form:


Pattern: Kate Atherley's Training sock, but done in fingering weight yarn instead of worsted weight.
Yarn: Sweet Georgia Yarns Tough Sock, 80% superwash merino/20% nylon, 425 yds/115 gr (4 oz)
Needles: US 2/2.75 mm
Start/finish: I had 16 mini skeins to knit from, and each sock took me about 45 min once I'd memorized the pattern. According to my Ravelry project page, I started on the 23 March and finished on the 28th of March.

Comments: Kate's pattern is great, easy to follow, easy to memorize, just plain easy (and that's all good when you're in production mode!). The yarn is fabulous - no splitting of the plies at all, and the colors are glorious. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

From left to right: Berry Tart, Boheme, Stillwater and Rusted

Cold Mountain, Midnight Garden, Stella and Violet Hill

Honey Fig, Summer Dusk, Maple and Hummingbird

Snapdragon, Peashoot, Coal Harbour and Lakeshore Drive.

I am finding it absolutely impossible to pick a favorite. I love them all. I want enough SGY Tough Sock to fill a bath tub so I can submerge myself in a rainbow of vibrant color. Sadly, I have to give these back to the yarn provider.

More happily, I have to start on the next batch...