WIP: One Ball Down

Oh, that pesky 10th inch!  For some reason, my brain wasn’t with it for a day or so and I just couldn’t focus on knitting.  I would finish an iteration of my scarf pattern and then look it over only to discover a large error — the kind you’d rather not leave in if you can help it.  The first time, I debated and then said “Oh heck, I have the time so I’m going to rip.”  Out came 6 rows.  The second time, I said “I think I can save this.” and I worked on fixing 3 of the 4 goofy stitches by dropping down, correcting and working up.  That went well, actually.  The fourth stitch was at the end of the row and I don’t know how to drop down and correct that, so I decided to live with it.  But looking it over one last time, I saw that the reason for that error was an undetected error earlier in the same row!  Rip-time.  Agh! Happily, the mental clouds cleared soon afterward and I finally got to the end of the ball.  Here’s a progress picture:

A pleasant discovery is that one ball of yarn produced just about 13 inches of scarf … I had hoped for 12 inches with the larger needles, so I was very happy to see this.  Since I have six balls, I will easily have enough for my target range (5 to 6 feet).  The final length will be determined when I get there (will make hubby model the scarf so I can verify that it’s a proper manly length).  Unlike the lace scarves I made for Christmas last year, I think the length probably won’t change much with blocking.  I’ll be “encouraging” the scarf to get wider to show off the cables so any slack will go in that direction.

I was so enthusiastic to get started with this yarn that I abandoned my bonus sock project entirely!   Christmas knitting wasn’t technically scheduled to start until tomorrow, so I have a jump on it.  I think it’s time to go back and give some loving attention to the Vinnlands, don’t you?

WIP: Staghorn Scarf

Let the Christmas knitting begin!

This doesn’t quite capture the richness of the color, but it’s close!  It’s Knit Picks Andean Silk in the “Hollyberry” colorway. The two stitch patterns are from Barbara G. Walker’s “Treasury of Knitting Patterns”, they’re called Staghorn Cable and Triple Gull Stitch (also a cable).  That’s seed stitch around the edges.  I love seed stitch, don’t know why, I just do!  The scarf will probably be about 8 inches wide after blocking.  So, now that I’ve settled on the pattern, it’s time to fret about whether there’s enough yarn to make between 60 and 72 inches’ worth!   I was sure I ordered enough … when I was using #8 (5mm) needles.   After one ball is finished, I’ll have a good feel for what to expect from the #6 (4mm) needles.

FO: A Prism Rainbow

I’m so happy with this color combination, and the pattern is just right for it!

 

When I saw pooling in pictures of other socks knit with the “Fly Fishing” colorway of Memories sock yarn from Knit Picks, I searched for a pattern that would minimize it … I think Prism did a great job!  It was easy too.  I did the socks toe-up, finishing with EZ’s sewn bind-off.   Lots of yarn left over, maybe this pattern would look cute in some fingerless gloves?  (Like I’m gonna have time for that … the queue is about to take on holiday knitting, ha ha!)

Did I say “holiday knitting”??  Here’s the yarn, it just came in from Knit Picks:

This is Andean Silk which is alpaca, silk and merino.  Very squishy!  This was the closest I could get to the actual colors … I think the blue one isn’t really that bright.  I used the lighter green yarn to make a test swatch:

Yes, there are a couple of errors … I just wanted to see if the needle size — #8 – was good with the yarn and to get an estimate of how many stitches to cast on for each of the SIX manly scarves that are planned.  I love how this yarn feels and drapes so far, it will make a wonderful scarf!!  I spent the morning narrowing down the stitch patterns (this, of course, is open to constant revision!!).  The one in the picture didn’t make the final cut.

And since I finished my August socks with a week left, I cast on for a pre-September pair!  I’m insane.  On a positive note, I love the yarn and the pattern so much!!!  Here ya go:

This toe-up pattern is called Vinnland and the yarn is Valley Yarns Franklin in the “spruce” colorway.  I expected a slightly more solid-color look, but I love it as it is.  The pattern is cool too.  It’s secretly a 2 x 2 ribbing with some increases and decreases which create the pattern.  I wanted to squeeze in another pair of socks cuz I have a feeling my September socks may drag into October  or November now that scarves are taking over, hah!

WIP: Prism View

What a beautiful day!

It’s difficult to sit and knit, but one more good session and I’ll have one of the Prism Toe-Ups finished.   I will definitely set aside some time after dinner because it’s so much fun to sit on the porch with the windows open at this time of year.  The cicadas fade away and the katydids take over … I think there are crickets and other critters, but the katydids pretty much drown ‘em out!  Here’s a progress picture:

I hadn’t decided on how I was going to handle the heel until I got there and once I decided on what to do I ended up ripping out some rows.  OK, going all loosey-goosey can have its drawbacks!  I thought I’d try something new and went with one gusset on the bottom of the foot instead of the traditional side gussets.  I totally borrowed the idea from Wendy Johnson’s free pattern HERE (this is a pdf file).  It was handy that the stitch count was already just what I was using (no adjustments needed!).

I’m so tempted to pore over stitch patterns and start dreaming up another pair of socks to squeeze into the second half of August but on such a lovely day it might be more fun to spend some more time outside … did I mention we went on an 11-mile bike ride this morning?   We love to ride on Forbidden Drive, a wooded road along the Wissahickon Creek.  I didn’t take any pictures, but there’s some information about it HERE.  See you in  a few days with some *FO* pictures, I hope!

Shoes News

Been waiting all summer for cooler weather to kick in so I can wear some handknit socks!  In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about what shoes would show them off best.  It occurred to me that sandals would be great!  Well, as long as they don’t have a thongy-thingie … Sure, sandal season ends on Labor Day but what if you’re wearing woolen socks with them?  I went to the JC Penney web site and found a pair on sale that looked like it might work.  What do you think?

 

The one problem with buying shoes online is: you don’t get to try them on.  I wasn’t sure if the thickness of the handknits would be an issue so I ordered one half-size larger than usual.  Turns out, it wasn’t necessary.  In fact, the shoes look a little big in the back.  But hey, they were $15!!  They’re called Cabin Creek ‘Shell’ and they’re still on sale, get ‘em while they last!

So, today I’m walking past an Aerosole shop with *no* intention to buy anything (really!) when I saw another sock-worthy pair of shoes in the window.  Here is a shoe called ‘Open Door: 

Are these the cutest or what??  They cost three times as much as the other pair, though.  Well, I needed shoes for showing off socks.  They’ll get good use!  Both pairs are fairly flat.  I bought these in my regular size too.  I tried on the half-size larger and they were definitely too large for me.  I think this style would look best on a narrow-to-normal foot.  Mine’s a little wide, and they look OK.  Just sayin’ …