March 15, 2010

Kai Mei Socks ... done!

After knitting dd socks from Cookie A's Sock Innovation, I decided that I'd like a pair, too. I picked the Kai Mei in STR's colorway Lucky. I've have knitted most of my socks on magic loop in the past 3 years, so that's what I started until it came to the gussets. I just couldn't make it work, so I took each sock off, frogged what little I had done, and ended up working them individually on dpns until I was ready to knit out the foot. When placed back on the circ, I place the lace pattern gusset with the instep on one side, the "plain" gusset and sole on the other. That way, I would work a m1 on the sole and do the dec at the edge of the pattern to make it "travel" across the top of the foot. When I was finished with the pattern, they fit my size 10 foot perfectly. Here's a close-up of the stitch pattern.
Happy knitting! TLGB

March 1, 2010

I'm Still Alive and Knitting!



Once again, I'm using the same title for my knitting. I have really been neglecting my blog along with the "busy-ness" of the professional development requirements for school this year. Retirement in another year appears most attractive.
DD and attended the 2010 Knit-In of the DSM Metro Knitters again for some "get-away" time from the midwestern winter ... this year an especially snowy one. We both had knit a Fiber Trends Huggable Hedgehog for the two dd of our knitting instructor from Sock Summit. The first thing we did after getting to the room was to add the eyes and nose to our creature and stuff them. DD had purchased some plastic pellets in the doll supply section at Hobby Lobby for a weight in the "bottom". We enclosed them in a fabric "sack" made from some scrap material and that worked quite well to give each one enough weight in that area to sit up well. DD is planning on shipping them to the girls very soon!

As part of my 2010 knitting intentions, I want to complete socks each month for the SAM group here on Ravelry. My arthritic right thumb isn't causing too many problems, so I've made it through February now. I used the Wollmeise Socks by Monica Jines to knit with the gradient colorway Coffee House Reef from the Unique Sheep's Stitch 'n Sip Club, a gift from dd. I didn't use the 4th color, however, since it wasn't needed. I hadn't checked the US's website for beginning the new color until dd suggested I do so. I had to frog about 6 rows of colors 1 and 2. To change colors, I knit 2 rows color 2, 4 rows color 1, 4 rows color 2, and 2 rows color 1 ... then just continued with color 2. It really "blends" the colors together quite well.

I've also been working on several WIPs ... the cabled dog sweater for dh's Brittany, the New Shell scarf (part of a swap package from Hreow in the RSE), socks for dh, and started the socks for March, Holidazed with some OnLine sock yarn from my stash.

That's all for now ... wow, spring is only 20 days away and we still have about 3 feet of snow on our yard. We have received 5+ feet this winter. That's enough!

Happy knitting! TLGB