A Week to File Away with the Others

I've actually got quite a bit to post here.  Oddly enough, I'm having a hard time recalling all of it.  When you blog in your head all week long, you'd think that you could call some of it up.  No, of course not.

Well, for knitting, actual picking up sticks and string and making something solid, I finished my first pair of toe up socks.  I used Knitty's Toe Up pattern, and STR Watermelon Tourmaline.  I have thoughts on both.

The yarn is gorgeous, like all STR, however, I was hoping for pooling that went just a bit deeper.  The yarn is made up of several very gorgeous colors, and I just think that the finished product was a bit muddy in comparison.  I love them, and they're mine.  Mine.  Measured to my foot, they fit like a dream, with a 3x1 rib (that's nature's invisible rib, honey.  Almost looks like stockinette with the hug of a rib).  Mine.  I don't knit for myself as often as I should, and a lot of things that I start to knit for myself actually end up going to someone else.  What can I say, I'm selfless.

Now, on the pattern... I am going to use it again.  In fact, the next sock is already on the needles (and is getting off the needles as quick as I can manage it, but more on that later) but I'd ponder on a reinforced heel, and I wouldn't ever use a normal bind off.  The pattern neglects to mention that.  This is where Elizabeth Zimmerman steps in.

Now, those of you who were present for my Pi Shawl debacle will know that I haven't talked to her in some time.  She had hurt me badly, and I wasn't ready to let her in again any time soon.  When I finished the first sock and bound it off, and wound the end in, I found that, as well as it fit when it was still live, the bind off would not fit over my heel.  This was a ridiculously loose bind off, but not loose enough.  I bravely started the second sock, swearing that I would find a better cast off and rescue the sock that sat and waited in a sock coma. 

I am a fan of the Knitty articles.  I am always a bit amazed at the number of people who just look at the patterns.  Me, I read it for the articles.  That and Playboy.  Just for the articles.  Anyway.  Tricks with Theresa is a wonderful feature that you'll find in there, and in the Summer issue she extolled the virtues of bind offs.  I tried the K2togTBL, pass resulting stitch back over, repeat... not stretchy enough.  I tried something else I couldn't remember, and then, I tried EZ's sewn bind off.  It seems a bit drastic at first, as it involves cutting the yarn as you still have live stitches, but trust me, it's for the best.  The bind off is just as flexible as the ribbing that it secured.  I finished the second sock, then I went back to the first, fished out the ends (so glad I didn't unply the yarn and weave in four ends) and did it with the first sock.  It actually uses less yarn than your conventional bind off.  Elizabeth Zimmerman can now be a topic of discussion over dinner at my house once again.

With Liz back in my good graces, and work coming the next day, as it is wont to do, I needed to start another pair of socks.  I wanted to knit with a sock yarn that I hadn't used yet.  I've collected a lot of sock yarn, but there are a few different kinds in my ownership that hadn't been used, just sniffed a lot.  I decided on some Opal.
                                                                   

This yarn looked incredibley fun on the skein, but I've got to be honest, I wasn't nuts about how it was knitting up.  Yes, both of the pictures were taken at work, no, not everyone has as fun a cube as I do.
                                                                   

The yarn's grown on me, I'm past the heel, and knitting like hell.  Not because I want the socks.  No, this lone sock will go in a ziplock bag with the leftover yarn and pattern notes.  No, as soon as this sock is done I will be starting the 2 on 1 technique.  Double knitting, that is.  I was going to start them on my 40" 2's, but Chris is using those, and that sock is on my 1's.  I could put the sock on waste yarn, but it would die there.  I could logically buy another set of needles, as I live in a 2 knitter household, but no, I will plug on.  Watch me, brave little knitter, forging ahead.

In the meantime, my yarn for my first set of DK socks has already been selected.  I got this yarn in my first SP swap from AliassaK.  I hadn't made socks yet at that point, so I tucked it away and vowed that it would be used for something special.  Well, what is more special than discovery?  I'm going to do a plainish sock, and focus on the color.  So yes, you understand why I must finish this Opal sock.

If the geekery of the article on Knitty didn't get you in the geek button hard enough, go check out the author's blog entry clearing up some of the questions we've had for her.  Yep, that's me on the top.  Issues of note are magic loop and toe-up.  And promises of later installments involving cables and lace.  *gush* isn't she great?  She's amazed at the high level of geek knitters out there.  I always knew we were out there lurking.  Some of the blogs I read make me feel damn normal.

Ok, so that's enough on socks, maybe, for now?

There have been several knitting outings.  A bunch from the group met up last Sunday at Ewe'll Love It, where we poked around the yarn and talked with Beverly, the shop's owner.  I picked up (you'll be shocked, I know) sock yarn!  I've been through this before, but sock yarn is great, and the shelf life on it is phenomonal.  I grabbed some lime-aidy Fixation, some Heirloom Easycare (which technically isn't sock yarn, but I'll be using it for my Sock Wars project) and some Regia Silk.  Let me take a moment, breathe deeply, and give a little whine of appreciation for the latter.  Really, this stuff is fantastic.  I'd like to make a pair of socks for my dad, but I'm not sure how he'd feel about hand washing socks.  Some men.

It was a good few hours spent with friends, and before we left, Gina entered her socks in the store contest.  (I saved that picture a bit bigger than the rest, incase you wanted to swipe it for your own blog, G.) Everyone please note the number.

And today (this entry is not even going to pretend to be chronological.  I'm skipping around, I can do that.  My blog.) we went to Joanne's shop, A Knitter's Garden, for her sale.  It's been a few months since I had been there, and I'm very impressed.  Her stock has grown immensely.  She's grown into a second room, across the hall.  Shopping at a friend's yarn store is probably the perfect way to welcome back fall.

I picked up yarn for Christmas presents and acknowledged that fact that I'm probably done knitting for myself until January.  The closest I'm going to get is Sockwars, which starts this coming Friday.  Although I am toying around with joining up with Lolly's Socktoberfest.  Heather, that link is for you.  In fact, look at me, I just joined.  Utter tool.  I will celebrate with my DK socks.  In between fighting evil with Sockwars.  I said I was going to talk about things other than socks, but it all comes back to socks, doens't it?

Well, anyway, fall is here and the hibernating knitters (you know, the ones that take the summer off) are coming back to us.  And I've got two sweaters, 3 pairs of socks, and a hat and scarf set to get on top of.  Obsessed?  I think I'm just crazy.  Knitting is what I do when I'm sitting still.  I don't sit still well.

OK, I'm off to beat another few inches into that sock.  Cheers!

Comments

[Arleta]

I love all of your sock yarn pics, the colors are great. I still can't believe that two socks at once, inside each other thing. I really feel like trying it. My UFO pile has other ideas, though!

[aliassak]

Socks. Gotta love 'em. About EZ's sewn bind off. I'm loving it. I finished the first sock of Baudelaire (watch for pics soon!) which calls for that bind off and I was pleasantly amazed that the bind off wasn't too tight. That's my usual excuse for avoiding toe-up socks-- too tight of a bind off and I can't get it over my heel (even when I think I've bound off loosely).

Thanks for the linky! Hehehe, it's been how long since I sent you that sock yarn? Even I forgot that I had sent it to you (of course, I think the only gifties I remember sending are the ones that I culled from paying close attention to various statements in your blog, such as the tea items, the tarot cards, etc).

[Jackie]

The STR socks look great (is that Moose eating your toe?). I can't wait to see the 2 in 1 method of socks. Maybe I'll try it too, if there's hope for us loopers.

Loopers, I like that.

[Lora]

OH Socks... I just started some yesterday trying the magic loop method. I want to learn the 2 on 1 like I see Jackie doing so my socks will match. I'll bring my first pair again Wednesday and you'll see what i mean :)
I'm going to have to stash up on some sock yarn. Good Christmas presents ahead!

[Gina House]

Thanks so much for posting up my "Goody Gumdrops" sock...we'll see how the contest goes...I think I was just lucky that she let me enter in late! Your newest sock in Opal looks GOOD! I really like those colors. I also went to Joanne's shop...picked up Heather's "Watermelon" sock yarn to make the fingerless mitts. Also got some more Trekking XXL and some cotton/lycra for making shortie socks. She had a really nice arrangement, I thought. We missed you last week and I hope you'll come this week. Oh, I also ordered more business cards for us to pass out. Have a super week!

[Nichole]

So do you actually get the pleasure of knitting while AT work? You lucky bee-atch! lol I did notice the "calming lotion" on your desk though -- how perfect! ;-) I need a big bottle of that for my work!