March 31, 2007

Second sock well on the way!
The second STR Inside Out sock is approaching the "last" leg. Although they don't go over my high instep, my daughter is delighted that she will receive them. We joined the sock club to do something "together" but apart - 200+ miles. She is using her monsoon colorway to knit RPM socks for me. She has to go to a medical conference in Boston next week ,so hope to have the socks finished when she gets back late Thursday evening. The only frogging I had to do on the second sock was the heel.....I hadn't started knitting them on size 0's like the first sock ... so the frog prince appeared albeit just a short time!
TLGB

March 25, 2007

Not My Socks
I finally finished my first Inside Out sock at my daughter's home Sat. night ... couldn't get it over my instep ... SCREAM! Well ... I tossed it to my daughter and she tried it on ... she had to work it a little, but could get it on ... so guess my monsoon Inside Out socks will be her possession ... after all the problems I had as well as a lot of others, she didn't even want to try Inside Out. When she tried it on, she did like the inside out better ... the cable showed a lot more. Now I just have to make a second one to match. Wish me luck! Will add a picture tomorrow ... it won't be on a foot, but at least I can show a completed sock.
I also had the Dublin Bay sock out of LS gendarme colorway along ... knitted on the second sock part way into the gusset ... this one is sooooo easy. I really did enjoy the challenge of the STR sock, learned some new things, but don't want to experience that much stress ... or frogging soon.
I hope to finish the straps to the Lucy bag I knitted last month and get it felted this week.
TLGB

March 20, 2007

A Rockin' Sock

Finally, my Inside Out sock from STR is beginning to work .... did the toe and 1 inch of the foot with SB 0's, changing to Brittany size 1's for the next six inches, and then to the KP 2.5 mm for the remainder of the foot and up through at least first repeat of cable ... may do the second cable on Clover 2's and the final one on KP 3.0 mm. I may put about six more rows of the 2 x 1 rib if the yarn holds out. I decided to go on-line to see how to do gussets/heel flaps on toe-up socks .... I've never had to use them on the toe-up socks that I've done previously. Found some excellent directions at http://www.socknitters.com/toe-up/lessonfive.htmnitters.com/toe-up/lessonfive.htm ... it is actually a series of six lessons with the gusset instructions in lesson three and two heel options available in lessons four and five. The pics show the heel gusset about half finished where the needles are crossing close to my ankle ... the other one is a close-up. I really think that this will solve my problem with my high instep.




March 19, 2007

Inside Out Again!
Yes.....the frog prince came again..... rippit! After finishing most of the leg of the Crooked Cable Sock from Sock Bug, I decided I'd better try it on ... couldn't even get it to my instep ... so, I decided that with everybody's comments about the STR Inside Out sock and making it fit the foot, I'd try again ... just got the toe done and started on the foot with size 0's. We'll see ... hopefully, the frog has gone on vacation for a while.
TLGB

March 17, 2007

Possessed Yarn???
Is the STR yarn possessed???? I'm beginning to think so .... I sure have frogged it enough .... even after switching from the Inside Out to the Crooked Cable Sock from Sock Bug. The cables on the latter are all back cables ... I must have front cables in my mind because I have frogged a total of four times just because of that. Instead of a nice cable, you have a "wiggly worm" cable ... not very attractive. Now I'm really concentrating so that I can get a sock done that is wearable on my foot (size 10 with high instep). The yarn shows no sign, however, of the repeated frogging.
As for north Iowa weather ... it is beautiful ... a lot better than a couple of weeks ago ... the ice, snow storm to beat all. Today is only in the upper 30's, lower 40's ... but the sun is shining and there is very little wind. The two dogs even enjoy being outside.
Suppose I'd better head back to the knitting ...
TLGB

March 15, 2007

Rippit......rippit!
Well ..... the Inside Out sock from STR is a thing of the past. I really was planning on completing the first sock entirely before frogging since this was my first sock club mailing ....... then I read all the problems others had encountered with the cabled leg ... I thought I had made enough changes to accomodate my high instep ...... NOT ......... so last night I frogged the entire thing .... I was almost finished with the second pattern repeat on the leg ....... and could barely get it on ..... the instep was so tight that it was uncomfortable. It didn't take too long to knit ... I'd received the mailing last Friday. I did want to complete the pattern since it was only the second toe up sock I've knitted. It was a good learning experience for an "old" knitter and took a lot less time to frog the sock with my ball winder. Alcariel has decided to not knit the pattern either since her instep is higher than mine.
Now I've started Crooked Cable Socks from Sock Bug with the yarn and am enjoying it ... I did six rows of 1x1 rib instead of the knitted rolled top and am about halfway through the first repeat ... hopefully these will fit better. I usually add 6-10 additional rows on the heel flap to work with the high instep, so will do the same. Better get back to the knitting.
TLGB

March 10, 2007

What bliss!
After the arrival of the STR package from BMFA, I was anxious to start.....until I discovered that I had to do a provisional cast-on.....crochet a chain. Now, I do know how to crochet, but I crochet left-handed and knit right-handed.....a little weird, I know. Did a Google search and found http://www.knittingatknoon.com/provisional.html
which offers a fantastic tutorial video where you don't need to do the entire chain and then pick-up the stitches. I've never made a toe-up sock like this one, so did end up frogging the second half of the toe when it ended up about three rows short....frogged back to the 8 sts between the WT stitches....then it came out okay......at least for the OCD I have ...really want my knitting to look nice. Here's what it looked like about midnight last night. Oh, I love the dps from KnitPicks..I'm using the size 1's for the toe and foot....will probably use Clover 2's for the leg portion.

Because of all the snow received the last two weeks, the car needed a major washing....well, we have this fantastic laser-wash here that I enjoy.....you only have the drive the car in the stall and let the machine do the rest.....even dries the car as you drive out. The line was rather long--I was the 8th car in line to begin.....but I had my sock along, so did get about 1 inch into the foot while waiting...just need to remember the pattern is different for the instep than for the sole....occasionally I did "blind" (don't need to look after all these years) knitting, but did have to tink since I goofed. Here's what the sock looks like now... I do have to let it "hang" to unwind every so often....but am really enjoying both the yarn and the pattern. Guess you are never too old to learn something new. Hat off to the staff at Blue Moon Fiber Arts for the fantastic start to STR. Looking forward with extreme anticipation to the later offerings this year.
TLGB

March 9, 2007

It's Here!!!
About noon today, my husband called while I was at Menard's about 50 miles from home with the news that "the box" had arrived. I squealed. Finally, the sock club yarn from BMFA had arrived. I really wanted to head home right away, but I wasn't driving. About three hours later, the first thing I did was ask my friend if she wanted to see "the box's contents"........she isn't even a knitter, but was excited as I opened it....she even felt it just like a seasoned knitter feels yarn/fiber. I love it......not a color that I would have chosen, but am looking forward to beginning the socks. Today, I had even purchased the size 0 dps that most knitters were talking about using.....ugh!!!!.....in the 45+ years that I've been knitting, I have never used size 0....always thought size 1 was small enough......it may be interesting. If you don't want a spoiler.......stop.

The swift is holding the absolutely .......marvelous......yarn.





Now one gorgeous "cake" of yarn is done......the colors are ...... breathtaking ..... for lack of a better word. With the aid of a food scale (wished I had a digital one...would make things easier.....or maybe the yarn meter that I gave my daughter for Christmas), I divided the large "cake" into two almost equal-size balls of yarn, so I won'trun short on the second sock.

After a supper of chili and cornbread, the socks will be started......can't wait to start "rockin".
TLGB

March 7, 2007

I'm Waiting!!!!!!
Well........I'm usually very patient, but I can't wait much longer for the STR club mailing. They were sent out starting Feb. 26th, but a thing called "the blizzard of the century" left about 15 inches of snow on top of ice (my husband is pictured about 1 of the 4 times he was blowing snow). Talked with our mailperson at the store last night and she said that the post office here didn't get any mail in last Thursday through Saturday.....they were anticipating a large "dump" of mail yesterday, but it didn't come. So.......I guess my STR is probably stranded somewhere and will be coming.........sometime........SOON, I hope!
My blizzard project (we only had 1 1/2 days of school last week) was another Lucy bag with some outback wool from Plymouth in navy, light and dark teal, and a rose colorway.....it has a number, but the label is upstairs. The dye is not totally set, however, so whenever I knit my hands turn a grayish navy......it does wash off with some scrubbing......I even used the Soft Scrub jel with bleach, but then I reeked of bleach even after washing with other soap. Well.....I'm on the straps, so shouldn't take too much longer. Also worked on the second sock from last month, the Dublin Bay......for some reason I kept messing up the pattern down the sides, but have finally arrive at the heel flap, so it should go smoothly once I get there.
This week is parent conferences at school on Monday and Thursday evenings, so don't have much time to knit......but we are off Friday because of conferences, so that will be a knitting day for me. Usually I either go to Alcariel's for the week-end (she's working all week-end) or I get together with my sister-in-law Caroline at her daughter/son-in-law's coffee shops in Clear Lake/Mason City.....Cabin Coffee Company.......great coffee and excellent cinnamon rolls......but she and my brother are leaving for Reno today for some bowling tournament that my brother participates in each year......won't be back until the week-end, so guess I'll just stay in town and knit....knit....and knit.!!!!
TLGB

March 1, 2007

Snow.....snow....still snowing!
With school dismissed at 12:30 on Wed. and not in session today and tomorrow, it is the first time since 1971 when I started teaching here that we've had this many consecutive snowdays...this week we will have had only 1 1/2 days in session. Yesterday had slippery roadways for us in northern Iowa, a relatively quiet night, but then.......this morning started with a freezing mist, pelletized ice, and then snow.......well over a foot so far and it's still coming down. Took some pics of hubby out snowblowing, but need to download them....maybe tomorrow. The winds are horrendous, but it sure is warm inside the house.....good for knitting on my last Dublin Bay sock....and tinking a bit when I mess up the lacy insert down each side....only about 2 more inches and then it's just straight knit.
Just want to get it finished before the STR sock comes.....my daughter has already received notice that her box has shipped (they dyed 2000 skeins of the yarn).....don't really know how many actual members they have yet.....it should be fun to do some more difficult patterns. Those usually don't trip me up.....it's the simple things that do it.
I'm still nursing the cold that most of the students at school have been suffering from since before Christmas. Today is the first day for a week that I have felt halfway decent. Hope the improvement continues.