Does the Pattern Really Matter?

When I start a new pair of socks I spend a good amount of time trying to match the pattern to the yarn. My general rule of thumb is the busier the pattern, the simpler the yarn, and vice versa. I've always wondered why some people churn out pair after pair of plain stockinette stitch socks when there are so may wonderful patterns out there.


So when I pulled out my Pigenroof Studios Superwash Sport in Plum Tortie, I found myself in a bit of a predicament. The speckled yarn definitely wanted something simple. A plain rib would be too simple, I thought.


I finally settled on Lace Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks. And this is what they look like finished.

I don't like the pattern. It does nothing for the yarn. But you know what looks great? The soles knit in stockinette. Yep, I learned a lesson here. Ain't nothing wrong with plain old stockinette.





Book #10 What Do You Do All Day?

Book #11 White House Nannies

Ravelry Stash Count: 113

It's embarrassing, really

So Wednesday the mailman brought me my Wollmeise package from Germany:

Stunning, isn't it? From left to right, Versuchskaninchen 2 (light), Paul (dark), Vincent (dark), and Johannisbeer und Brennessel (light and medium). This is all 100% superwash merino. They are all gorgeous, but my favorite is the farthest right.

Also on Wednesday, Sheri loaded the Wollmeise sneakup. There were many people who stayed up all night on tuesday waiting for it. At around 8am, I parked myself at the computer, set the Loopy Ewe's "What's New" page on autorefresh every 30 seconds, and vowed to wait it out. It happened at around 10:30. When I saw the new colors pop up my heart started to pound. I just threw stuff in my cart and checked out as fast as I could. Then I came back and tried for more, but they disappeared from my cart before I could checkout. Which is fine, because this is what I ended up with:

Yeah, that's six skeins. From left to right is Lowenzahn, Farn, Suzanne, am kalten Polar, Paul, and Emil. All are 80/20 and medium.

There were a lot of people who were shut out of this sneakup. I can't claim any advantage, other than being at the computer at the right time. The autorefresh was helpful, but not crucial. It sold out in 5 minutes, so if you faltered at all, you lost. I just got lucky. Twice.

So that brings my Wollmeise stash to ginormous proportions, and I think I'll take a break from it for a while.

Am I blue?

You be the judge. Here's the yarn that has arrived in the past few days:

On the left is Briar Rose Grandma's Blessing. I bought this for a pair of Pave socks. That anne is such an enabler--she mentioned on her blog that if you mention codeword "knitspot" while placing an order at Briar Rose, you'll get a 10% discount. It's impossible for me to pass up a discount on yarn, so there I fell. That discount is good until March 22, so hop on over and get some yourself. The colorway I purchased (9005) seems to be very similar to the one anne used.

In the middle is Union Center Knits Whatnot sport sock in colorways Daphne and Myth. I bought those from Woolgirl. At the end is another Whatnot sport in "The cold" that I got from a Ravelry swap.

I've got no explanation as to why I bought the colors I did, but it does make me think a bit about my recent moods.

Still on its way to me is my Wollmeise order from Germany. I'm hoping it will be delivered today. Others on the east coast have been receiving theirs, and I'm trying to be patient. And another box from the Loopy Ewe--I fell down again on monday and bought a couple of skeins, plus a few christmas gift accessories.

And speaking of Wollmeise and the Loopy Ewe, there's a few hundred Ravelers who have been burning the midnight oil, waiting for the Wollmeise sneakup. It's supposed to happen before tomorrow, and just my luck, it will show up as soon as I step out the door to pick up HRH.

More yarn coming!

I'm shifting gears

Well. Two weeks since my last post? What HAVE I been doing?

The Loopy Ewe sponsored a Knitalong. Knit a sweater with Dream in Color Classy. So I started the sweater--and finished it. In 12 days.

Then I started a baby sweater for E. E was my nurse practitioner who took care of me while I was pregnant. She took very good care of me. So I knit a little cardigan (the sex is a mystery so I'm limited by color). Now I just have to add a couple hats and a few pairs of socks, and I can deliver the gift next week.

It will be a relief to get this gift finished because there's some hot stuff waiting in the wings. Apparently, I have no less than THREE sock club shipments arriving next week. The Loopy Ewe (yes, I was very fortunate to be one of the chosen ones), Chewy Spaghetti, and Rockin' Sock Club.

I've also been thinking ahead to this year's gifts. The first being my mom's Mother Day socks. I've got the yarn already, and she'll be getting monkeys. Then I'll be making a matching scarf for her birthday in June. Another scarf for my Gram in August, and after that it's Christmas gifts. Maybe I should have started this process sooner.

I'd better go finish this baby gift--maybe I can get those monkeys finished before the first sock club shows up.

oh, and I bought some Wollmeise! Wheee! Hopefully the shipment will arrive at the end of the week.

Book #9 The Good Life

Book #10 Meanwhile, Next Door to the Good Life

Ravelry stash count: 95

I Love My Socks, I Hate My Socks

These are my new favorite socks. I love the pattern (Stansfield 196 from More Sensational Knitted Socks).

The Yarn is BMFA Socks that Rock Mediumweight, in Ms Larock.

And here we have the latest sock disaster:

This is the Nutkin pattern, knit in Wollmeise 100% superwash in colorway Velichen. It's a stunning sock, but it DOESN'T FIT! WAH! I even added 8 stitches to the original pattern because I knew it would be on the small size, but nuts to Nutkin. It just didn't work.

I'm going to take a break from socks for a bit. I joined the Dream In Color Classy KAL over at the Loopy Ewe. I had the yarn already, and I'll be making a simple top-down tunic. It doesn't look like much right now, so I'll save photos for the next post.

And I have a baby gift to make by the end of March. I have the books and yarn on order, and I'll have to start those items as soon as the yarn gets here, which hopefully will be next week.

Book #7 The Senator's Wife
Book #8 Service Included
Ravelry Stash Count: 95

Sock Love

Pattern: Stansfield 196 (Charlene Schurch, More Sensational Knitted Socks)
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Mediumweight, Colorway Ms LaRock

In the past ten days...

I've finished off 2 pairs of socks:

Log Cabin Socks in Rowan Cork

Rockin Sock Club January Socks

Started another pair:

Wendyknits Snapdragon Socks in Numma Numma

And turned one year older.

Book #5 From Here You Can't See Paris

Book #6 Eating My Words: An Appetite for Life



Ravelry Stash Count: 96!

Cherry Cola Socks with a Triple Twist

Another pair finished. This pattern is Triple Twist by Monica Jines, and the yarn is Woolly Boully Meanie in colorway Cherry Cola. Both came from the Loopy Ewe. Loved the pattern. Since it was a 72 stitch cast on and size US 1 needles, it took longer than usual to finish. I wasn't crazy about the yarn. This is the first time I've knit with a nylon blend, and I found it a little squeeky. But the colorway is gorgeous.

I immediately cast on the Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays. Completely different knit--48 stitch cast on with size 5 US needles, I knit this much in only a couple of hours. I can probably finish one sock per day. I'm using the suggested Cork yarn, the result of a bad few months on ebay scrounging around for this stuff.

That's all I have to show you--no new yarn cause I haven't bought any, surprise surprise!

Book #4 You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again
Ravelry Stash count--114

I fell down

So here I am, going on about how I was going to reduce my stash this year, and then this happens:

This was my shipment from the Loopy Ewe (last sneakup). Dream in Color Smooshy in Butter Peeps, and bellamoden sport in Prague.

Then there was this:

That's Koigu KPPPM in colorway P713. I got this in a swap with the lovely Linda on Ravelry (said goodbye to some Sundara silk).

And finally,
Five skeins of Wollmeise. Yes, I hit the jackpot. I ordered from Claudia direct, and she has some gorgeous new colors. From left to right: Franz, Rhabarber, Miss May, Vincent, and Johannisbeer und Brennessel. This photo doesn't do the colors justice--they're just stunning.

Also in the package was a sample skein of worsted weight, and gummi bears. Mmmm.




So there you have it.

Also finished are the garter ribbing socks in Claudia Sport Short:



I must remind myself to stop knitting patterns with right angles. I can't explain it, but it just doesn't sit well with me. They don't bother me when they're finished, but for some reason, knitting a squared sock pattern seems wrong to my brain.

I know, I know. Don't even try to understand.

Ravelry stash count: 115 oh dear.

One week already?

Since my last post?



I was intending to do a few posts, but I kept saying to myself "wait until..."



So, I guess I waited!



The lotus cardigan is complete.



I did a fantastic job seaming it, if I do say so myself. So I tried it on, a little loose in the bust, but acceptable. Looked in the mirror...Oh...my...god.

See that peplum? That pretty much doubles the width of your hips. It was not at all a flattering look. I'm not sure that a smaller size would have helped much either. So the finished sweater has been put away. I love it, but I can't wear it.

I finished the bellamoden socks too!



I love this color palette.

And I've nearly finished some Claudia Handpainted sport short in Peppermint Mocha:



That's my new Loopy Ewe mug I got at last week's sneakup. There was another sneakup last night, which I did not partake in. Apparently the Wollmeise went in a flash, and more than a few people got upset that skeins were snatched from their cart before they checked out. I can sympathize, but I don't have to put myself through that stress (more on that in a few days). None of the other yarns in the sneakup grabbed me, so I'm passing this week. Shocking, isn't it?

Before I forget,

Book #2 Suburbanistas
Book #3 Shopaholic and Baby

And it snowed.

Today must be my lucky day!

Look what I found on my way home from school dropoff!

Gee, wonder what I'll spend it on.

Facing Your Fears

So I finished the Lotus Cardigan on New Year's Eve, and since then it has been sitting in a plastic bag neatly folded and waiting...



Waiting to be seamed. Which I've never done before. Well, I did once. My first sweater, knit with acrylic yarn, trimmed in fun fur, in a gauge so loose it looked like crochet. Yep, I tried to sew that one up, but then the complete horror of the project hit me, and that project "went away."



For a while I was thinking of sending the cardigan to my mom, because I knew she would do it for me. She'd even knit up the neckline and add the button (without asking). But then I thought that now is the time. I've accomplished a lot as a knitter in the past 3 years. Time to take the next step.



I pulled out Stitch N Bitch, my go-to book for knitting basics, and looked at the section on seaming. It was very brief. The pictures were pretty clear. Could it be as simple as that?



So I sat down with a honking tapestry needle and worked for an hour, and lo and behold, I attached the sleeve to the body. And it even looked good! Not great, but it was a fine, fine attempt. I'm very happy with it, and hope to have this sweater finished by the end of the week.





In the meantime, I finished a pair of Cardigan Socks. The pattern is from Anne, of Knitspot. Anne is the maestro of stitch patterns. Everything she works seems so complete and balanced. I like these socks a lot. The yarn is BMFA Socks That Rock Mediumweight, in colorway Lovers Leap. I think that color is discontinued, but I bought a bunch before it went away, since it's such a perfectly true red. I'm very pleased with the finished pair.





Next up is a pair of Garter Rib (Charlene Schurch) socks, knit in bellamoden sport. The color is Fahrenheit 451 and it comes from the Loopy Ewe. I loved how this yarn looked on the skein, and it looks exactly the same knit up. These socks are going fast--they'll be done by the end of the week.





I've pitched a few more yarns from my stash!



Ravelry stash count--110



and,



Book #1 Living the Good Life: How One Family Changed the World from Their Own Back Yard

The Truth about My Stash

Well, it's a new year, and time for new beginnings. It's time I faced reality about my stash, and get it down to a reasonable level.
Here's the stash I look at all day. This is next to my knitting chair. The basket is filled to the brim with sock yarn. To the left is a bag of Wollmeise (9 skeins maybe?), Another bag with a sweater's worth of Miss Priss, and there's even some hiding under the side table to the left.

Now if this is all the yarn I owned, it wouldn't be so bad, would it? Nah. That's a tidy little stash there. But there's more. Lots more.

Over the summer we bought a new coffee table from Pottery Barn. One of its features are deep drawers--the perfect size for holding yarn. So here it is:

But wait--these drawers are double sided, so lets take a look at the other end:

And if that weren't enough (and truly, did you really think that was all?) , There's a plastic bin from my upstairs closet:
And finally, a small pile of Rowan Cork that was banished to the basement following one of the world's worst ebay transactions in history.

There. I've said it. That's all of it.

And it's way, way too much.

So here's my plan for 2008. I've added every skein of yarn onto Ravelry, and the current stash count is 113. I'd like to get that down to 80 by the end of the year. I've already destashed a pile of it on the ISO/Destash forum. I'm listing everything slightly below retail to get it moving. Even the rare indie stuff. I'm not too concerned about making tons of money, but I've already brought in over $200.

Part 2 of the plan is that I can buy new yarn only if I use a gift certificate, or if I used money I have earned by selling other stuff. I can also accept gifts of yarn. This will be easy for the first few months since I've accumulated a nice paypal balance, and I got some great gift certificates for Christmas, but those won't last all year. It's going to get rough over the summer.

Part 2 is also going to apply to purchasing books. I've got a queue of over 50 books to read that I've received from paperbackswap.com. That can easily last me the entire year.

And speaking of books,

#57 Wives behaving badly

#58 Cover the Butter

#59 Four Seasons in Rome

Which leads me to my last resolution. Read 60 books. That's up 10 from last year, but I did get to 59.

So there you have it. Three tidy resolutions that will save me money and reduce the clutter.

1. Reduce Ravelry stash from 113 to 80

2. Buy yarn only with money earned from decluttering, or as gifts,

and

3. Read 60 books.

I'm ready. Are you?

What Santa Brought

A load of Socks that Rock! From left to right, Pirate's Booty and Falcon's Eye in lightweight, and Sugarplums, Froggin', and Olive Garden in Medium weight. Sweet! Also a generous gift certificate to the Loopy Ewe for emergencies.

My new project is the Lotus Cardigan. I've finished the back, two fronts, and both sleeves, although this picture shows only the fronts and part of the back.



I knit both sleeves together on a circular needle, and it seemed to take forever. But I'm glad I got them both done. All that's left is the skirt, which begins with "Cast on 535...." Yes, cast on 535! I hope to finish that before lunch today.
I think the skirt might take me close to a week to finish, judging by the 800 yards of yarn I have left. Unless the amounts are way off.

Stay tuned for my New Year's resolutions in my next post!

I can't stand it!

Isn't it cute? I used leftover sock yarn and it took all of an hour to make. Free pattern is available here. Thanks so much for sharing Andrea!

And I had the leftovers because I finished my broad spiral ribbing socks:


Another outstanding fit. I'll be wearing these Christmas Day. What's my next project? You might be surprised!

Allow me to gloat

I've finished my holiday knitting. Packages have been mailed, gifts have been wrapped, cookies have been baked. I've really very little left to do before Christmas.



We had a severe snowstorm on Thursday, and I wore my cold front socks. I wish they were a little bit longer. That's my only complaint about the Spaghettoni--more yield please!


I finished the cross-stitch block socks:

Here's the stitch detail shot:

This is a very generous pair of socks. The leg is nearly 7 inches long, and they fit great. The colorway is Grinchy from BMFA.

On the needles now is Broad Spiral Ribbing (another Charlene Schurch) in BMFA mediumweight Jingle Bell Rock.

This is my favorite holiday colorway, but I'm not sure that this pattern was the best choice. I like the pattern a lot, just not with this colorway. I think I'm going to make this my last holiday sock for this season. I still have two more colorways I can save for next year.

Book #56 A Rather Lovely Inheritance

All better now

What I thought was the flu turned into an ugly bacterial infection. Thanks to some super antibiotics prescribed by my fantastic doctor, I was up and knitting again in just a few days. While I was staring at the tv for days unable to knit, a panic began to boil inside me that I wouldn't finish all of my holiday to-do's. I hadn't even started my baking yet!

It's been a flurry of activity here the past week and I'm happy to report that I'm all caught up. In fact, I might just be ahead at this point.

The second day of my plague I found an email from Sheri that there was a sneakup over at my favorite yarn shop, the Loopy Ewe. I didn't think I'd be buying any yarn before the end of the year, but look at that, 4 skeins jumped in my basket to help me feel better. Later that day I thought that I'd give the box to Da Man when it arrived, and he could give it to my for Christmas or my birthday. But when the yarn arrived a couple of days later I was feeling even sicker, and opened it up anyway. Here's my haul:

From left to right, Lime and Violet Yahtzee, Gypsy Knits Victorian Tea, Chewy Spaghetti Fingering weight in Cheeky, Woolly Boully Meanie in Cherry Cola, and Bella Moden superwash sportweight in Fahrenheit 451. My favorite of this lot is definitely the Bella Moden. Wonderful base yarn, and fantastic dying effects.

My final installment of Chewy Spaghetti's Holiday sock club did arrive, and the socks knit up fast.

The colorway is called Wintry '07. Pattern is Charlene Schurch's Crosshatch Lace from More Sensational Knitted Socks. I very nearly ran out of yarn on this one. I think I even shortened the length of the second sock by 2 or 3 rows just in case.

On my needles now is BMFA mediumweight in Grinchy. Pattern is Charlene Schurch's Cross Stitch Block again from More Sensational Knitted Socks.

I'm hoping to finish up my holiday preps this week so I can relax into the last week. Oh, and there's more yarn in the mail to me too.

Oops.

Book #54 Run
Book #55 The Other Mother

Sick. Very, very sick.

sniff.

Thanksgiving

The turkey is in the oven, and I have only the potatoes to peel.



I've finished %$#%^ Syncopated Cap number 3.




It finally fits Da Man. I've cast on number 4, and I'm so thankful it will be the last of these colors for a while.




Also finished are the homecoming socks, and I'm wearing them now.

Next up is Syncopated Cap #5 (the last one, yay). Also some socks in jingle bell rock, unless the final installment of Chewy Spaghetti's Happy Holidays sock club gets here first.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Book #52 Remembrance of Things Paris

Book #53 A Charmed Life

I'm Falling Behind

Even though I've finished a few projects, I still feel like I'm way behind. The Little Gems Mitts are finished. They look great, but my fingers freeze in them. They'll have to be relegated to early fall/spring.

The final scarf is done--My So-Called Scarf III. Thank god. I loathe this pattern after 4 scarves. I figure I've knit 25-30 feet of it.

Also finished yesterday was Syncopated Cap II. This is a puzzler. The first one I made in the women's size was too big for Da Man's Manly head. So I made the women's size, and it's too small. I think I used the wrong needle size on the first one. I've cast on a third version, size Manly, with the proper needle size, in the same colors as below except reversed. Hopefully it will fit someone's head.

Also finished was the first of my Thanksgiving sock from Chewy Spaghetti's Happy Holidays Sock Club. I was intending to do some modified ribbing pattern of Charlene Schurch, but I liked the k2 p2 ribbing so much I just continued it through the whole sock. I cast on 56 stitches on size 2.75 mm and they are a perfect fit. Couldn't ask for more.

I wrote last time that I had ordered some yarn. Here's one--Schaefer Heather in Julia Child colorway. I had been looking for this yarn for a while to make some matching socks for my Mr. Greenjeans, and it turned up at www.yarn4socks.com. woohoo!

Then I got the new Webs Catalog and absolutely fell in love with Nora Gaughan's Lotus cardigan. I ordered the yarn immediately from Webs, but it was a bit of a crapshoot whether I would get it or not. I don't get an email confirmation from them, so you basically just have to wait and see if the yarn shows up on your doorstep. I picked the same color on the model--Rosso Asiago.
I have a little beef with this yarn. It's put up in 98 yard skeins. My size called for 18 skeins. EIGHTEEN! That means winding 18 cakes, and weaving in at least 18 ends. Don't like that. Nope, don't like that at all. Bit it is nice yarn.

I ignored the last sneakup on the Loopy Ewe, but went back and ordered some patterns, including 3 for fingerless mitts. I thought it would make a nice departure from knitting socks. I'm still in denial about the freezing fingers thing, I guess.

And then yesterday I ran across this site. What a neat little shop! Take a look at their sock kits.
I had to have the Bird Foot kit. Had too. And I added a few more patterns too. They've got some unique patterns. And patterns don't count as stash, right?