Slip Up Socks

Ooops, B is back from sea, my dad is not so well and scheduled for more surgery, so real life has got in the way of things lately. I can't believe how long it has taken me to post here.

I have been knitting, not a lot to show for it though.

I finished these socks a couple of weeks ago and just managed to get me, my camera, the lead for the camera, and the computer in the same place at the same time I liked the pattern a lot, though I did modify it a little to knit toe up with a short row heel, and i love the colour of the yarn. It's trekking xxl, colour 128.

The short row heels weren't quite right as i didn't have my usual instructions with me. They have a row of holes along them, which i am trying to consider a decorative feature.

These took less than a week, and most of the knitting was done whilst travelling to and from a band weekend in France, so i had lots of spectators. I had intended the stripes not to match, but actually they are very close to matching, but they don't quite, which is more annoying to me than if they had been very different, but i guess noone else will ever notice!I have just over a 1/3rd of the wool left, and I'm wondering if I have enough for some trainer sock types socks...

I did start knitting a bayerische sock, but i didn't have the right size needles, and it is far too big for my foot and needs frogging. It just seems a shame when all the cabling was going so well, and looking okay.

I love bank holidays

This 3 day weekend has seen me quite busy. Not with any of the things that I really should have been doing, cleaning, tidying, washing clothes, finishing DIY.... but I have found time for knitting, sewing and dying.

I finished a pair of Monkey socks.




Pattern: Monkey socks from Knitty
Yarn: Trekking XXL, colour 188
Needles: 2.5mm dpns

I love the pattern, and these were a quick knit. I wish i'd chosen some more colourful yarn though, so i might well knit another pair at some point.

Koolaid dying!

I used some undyed trekking sock yarn from .... and some koolaid from ....
The dyed skeins look very bright at the moment, but maybe will be less so when wound into balls, and eventually knitted. The colour combinations tried are:

Kool-Aid Mad Scientwists - Wild Watermelon Kiwi
Kool-Aid - Lemonade
FlavourAid Lemon and Lime

Kool-Aid - Orange
Kool-Aid - Cherry

Kool-Aid - Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade
Kool-Aid - Magic Twists Changin' Cherry

Kool-Aid - Black Cherry
Kool-Aid - Strawberry
Kool-Aid - Magic Twists Grape Illusion

I already have plans for most of these skeins, Potomus socks, Elfine Socks, Cairi's Sweetheart Socks

http://www.kool-aid.co.uk/ http://www.knitty.com/issuefall02/FEATdyedwool.html http://www.koolaiduk.com/

Sewing- I made a pair of trousers, no photo as yet

Pattern: Built by Wendy, Simplicity no.

Fabric: Cottom Twill bought for about £4 a metre, 2.2 metres, but I have loads left over.

Finished objects

I had a busy weekend with both sewing and knitting featuring. I thought i'd finished Wicked, but some small mistakes i made and thought wouldn't be noticable, are noticable, and annoying. I am also not convinced about the sizing, and am wishing i hadn't added the extra increases before dividing the sleeves off. I also wish I had knitted the sleeves a little longer, say nearer elbow length. I also managed to miss the fact that the pocket edgeing is moss stitch, and mine is single ribbing! All in all I think I would be happier if I frogged this a lot, and sorted it out. The thought of undoing all that knitting is a bit daunting, so this has gone nowhere fast for the last few days.

Some happier finished, or nearly finished objects follow.
Pattern: Arisaig from Knitty

Modifications: I knitted the rib with the same size needles as the rest, I added rib at the bottom of the arms, I added an extra inch of ribbing to the body (and it is still very short, especially considering i have a short body to start with)

Yarn: Sirdar Countrystyle 4-ply.

I only used 262g of the 450g of wool specified and have almost 2.5 of the 5 balls i bought left over. I wish i'd bought less of a nicer yarn with a higher wool content and a nicer drape, but I love this colour. I knitted the 36 inch chest size, and the arm and sleeve geometry worked fine as written, despite me worrying a fair amount that it wouldn't, and mesuring half the jumpers I own to check dimensions!

I've finished (almost, just the grafting of the toe to do) a Monkey sock. I really like this pattern, and I'm looking forward to being able to wear the finished pair.

And I finally made myself a little bag for carrying round a small knitting project. Made mostly from a pair of cords I loved but had got too faded at the edges to wear any more. Lined and with a small internal pocket, this is just big enough for a ball of wool, needles and a pattern. This has been planned for a while and I'm so glad I finally made it! It was also a good reason for a play with my new sewing machine, which was great.

Door Snake and Knitting Labels

I have found time for some crafty things which aren't knitting this week. Number 1 was a new door snake to keep out the drafts and the road soot which squeezes under my front door.



Number 2 was these little labels to sew into my knitted items. I saw the idea on Grumperina's blog and thought it was brilliant. I have designed the labels and got as far as printing them yesterday, before realising my transfer paper needs the image to be reversed. I'm about to find out how to do that. Hoping to get some finished and sewn in soon.






Edited to add: Applying these using a hot iron on a synthetic, shiny, iron with a cool iron only ribbon was so not a good idea. This project looks to be one of those that turns into an ongoing one!

Wicked

I still have no decent photos of Arisaig. There are no good reasons, but a lack of photography skills mean the photos I have tried so far were awful. One day when the sun is shining and I don't feel too stupid to try and take some timer photos in my garden, I will definately try and get some better ones.

Meanwhile, I started knitting on Wicked on Saturday, after the lovely people at John Lewis let me swap the 30cm circular needle I had mistakenly bought for the purpose on Thursday. The new 80cm needle is a much better idea! I wasted time on Saturday evening worrying about how the increases looked. After studying a book I've borrowed off my mum I decided they could look much better if i just paid more attention, and also used small bits of wool instead of the stitch markers, which just seemed to be getting in the way. I frogged back to the ribbing and it is now looking absolutely fine.

I love how quick this is knitting, i loved being able to try it on this morning to check there were enough increases to fit round me and my arms comfortably (I have added a couple of extra increases) and I love knitting something in wool thicker than 4 ply!

A hurried progress photo as of Monday morning is below, although I have knitted a lot since then and am now just past where the sleeves split from the body.

This wasn't the only knitting of the weekend. I did start on some socks in Trekking XXL. I had intended ot knit Monkey socks from Knitty, but I hadn't realised the yarn was stripey. I frogged and start the Jaywalkers pattern instead, but I'm not sure I like these. I love the heel construction, my first time knitting a heel flap, but I'm not sure I like the patterned yarn. I'm still undecided what to do about these.

That was my roof...

I have been a bit busy recently, still knitting, but also avoiding the mess where I am having double glazing installed and my flat roof redone. I was greeteed by the evidence of much having been done when I returned from work yesterday. This was my roof...



Unfortunately, although we'd planned only to replace the roofing felt, the wood below was found to be rotten, so that got replaced too. So, everything is still yet to be finished and the builder is coming back tomorrow, so meanwhile there is not point cleaning the mess, so i'm living in it!

Knitting news, Arisaig was blocked at the weekend, and is now sewn up, but no photos yet. I am very pleased, and looking forward to wearing it to knitting group this evening!

Not really any knitting to report. I now have 3 peices of knitting that look like the one in the photo from Tuesday., the back and two sides of Aresaig are knitted to armhole height. I would like to check the maths on the sleeve caps before i continue. I have started knitting both sleeves though.

On an un-related topic I saw this quiz somewhere else this lunchtime, and liked it a lot.

Take the Quiz here!

I spent a lot of time watching the Jane Austen film on tv last night, and the how it was made type programme earlier in the day yesterday. I'm wishing i had a good excuse to visit Bath again!