More Sockage

Here's the portion of a sock that I've been flying though while reading. I've tried to make socks from this yarn before and the colors pooled really terribly. This time around, it's pseudo-self-striping, and I could not be more pleased. And the rib is really fun too.

And here's another piece of fabric that I might sample for a ripple blanket. It's the lining of a bag from Mom and Kate. It's one of the prettiest prints ever; I really love the colors.

Rippling Monkeys!

My Monkey socks are complete!

These were so much fun, and so fast! It's the siren-call of the repeated pattern, I'm telling you. The yarn was Knitpicks Essential Tweed, which I will not be using again for a while, if I can help it. It's perfectly fine yarn, but it splits like crazy. Also, it had a hard time sliding just so over my bamboo needles, which made me nuts in its own right. Still, I'm really pleased with the results. Last night after I finished I cast on some very bright ribbed socks in some of the spoils of Knitswap. I don't have a larger project to work on right now; a couple of things are stalled in the waiting-for-materials phase, but essentially I'm left with nothing to do but make socks at what I predict will be a furious rate. More pictures coming soon!

Also, I've been lurking around the No-End-In-Sight Ripple-Along. It makes me want to crochet so badly I can almost taste it. I was sitting there last night thinking about how much fun it would be to do a ripple a day,how inexpensively I could obtain the yarn, how I would palette it. I've already decided that if I do get it together enough to learn to crochet and make a blanket (hey, look, a flying pie!), I'll palette it after one of the skirts that Mom's made me.

Admit it, those colors would make a killer ripple blanket. The real questions are: since when am I interested in crochet? That's always been something I make Katie do for me. Why is the project that inspires me one that would take months to complete? What's going to happen if I take up with crochet with the same, or at least similar, vigor that stirs me to knit? I may never sleep again!

Spring, Sprung

The spring! It's springing! This photo is a few days old, and there has been noticeable growth since then. I think everything's been holding back for so long that now it has no choice but to burst forth. Spring in the Hudson Valley is a true thing of beauty, and I'm very excited for the blooms and blossoms and buds.

But, on to what you really came for. I'm about 97% done with Liz's graduate Clapotis. This thing just flew off the needles. I made it about two thirds of the width that the pattern calls for, which I'm glad about because it's very bulky and puffy. The yarn clings to itself so fiercely that it actually has to be persuaded into dropping stitches.

The colors are much brighter in person. That purpley stripe above the leftmost dark grey is actually magenta. I'm just having trouble getting it in the right light. I love working with the Kureyon; although it's a little scratchy, it has a wonderful hand. I'm a little worried about it for a scarf, but am hoping that a wash and a little conditioner will smooth things out.

So anyway, there I am, knitting along as happily as can be, decreasing like crazy, and pow! Out of yarn!

I'm starting to think I have a curse. I've got about twenty more rows to go to finish up the last corner, but I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and order more yarn. If this were my scarf, I would probably just bind off and go with it; after all, this scarf's natural tendency is to roll itself up like a neck-enchilada. But since it's a gift, I want to do it right. So, once my paycheck comes, I'll order one more skein, and use the leftover to felt me an iPod cozy or something. *sigh*

There is a silver lining in all this: Monkey!

I've been puttering around with a few unsuccessful socks lately: a couple of Jaywalkers that didn't fit (too small, then too big), some crap-assily pooling ribbing, and a general sense of disappointment. That said, I can't tell you how exciting it is for me to have completed the first perfectly-fitting, super-comfy, -machine washable sock that I get to keep! I started this on Monday, and it went so fast that I managed to finish in class this afternoon. I think it has something to do with the stitch pattern. When you've got an 11-row repeat, it's just so easy to say, "Well, I'll just finish this pattern repeat," or, "I'll just work the pattern once more." And then, before you know it, sock!

Project Spectrum: Lemon Pudding

This month's Project Spectrum colors are pink, green and yellow. Green is just beginning to emerge and pink has yet to really make its presence known, but yellow was just sitting there waiting for me in Kline.

The color is a little more acidic in person, and oddly translucent. It's sort of eggy, like something from space. I love it.

And now to eat the pudding.

(By the way, if anyone can tell me how to make a button from an image, please let me know. I feel like the html can't be that hard, but my fluency in computer languages is about equal to my fluency in Hindi. I want to button!)

Acquisition

Look what I found in my mailbox today! Four skeins of Noro Kureyon in color #188, also known as, "Claudia, this colorway would be perfect for Liz, so why are you messing around with anything else?" I cast on the mini-Clapotis right away, and I'm already making progress. Lately all I've had to knit on was a sock, and while I love to make socks and all that, I have been languishing in between larger projects. This is really fun; I attempted a Clapotis a couple of years ago with some godawful chenille on aluminum needles (which I hate), and it was not enjoyable. I hadn't yet learned how to 'read' my knitting, so I was constantly losing track of where I was and what was going on. Tedious. But this time it's just flying.

Once I get to the stitch-dropping part I think it's really going to bloom. I just love how this yarn knits up. I mean, come on, how amazing is that?

One Bummer and One-and-a-Half Hoorays

Bummer: I can't submit my bird sweater for publication to Knitty, as I have already shown pictures of it here on my blog, and that is against the rules. This disappointment is somewhat eased by the probability that they wouldn't have taken the sweater anyway, which leads us to the next topic.

Half-Hooray: I've been planning on moving the party over to a domain of my own in hopes of self-publishing a few patterns, increasing readership and generally working my way toward becoming one of those big-name knitbloggers and joining the ranks of those whose work I so admire. The bird sweater is the perfect launching tool for such a move. Don't rush to update your favorites yet, as I'm still in the planning stages.

Hooray: Librivox. Did someone say free downloadable audiobooks of titles in the public domain? Why yes, I think they did. I haven't tried it out yet, and am assuming that some of the readings are going to be craptacular, but still, I could not be more stoked. First on my list:

New Sock Yarn!

There is a lot to post about lately. First of all, I got my new sock yarn: two discontinued Knitpicks Sock Memories colorways, three skeins of each. Hooray for Knitswap! The colorways I got are Carnival and Flower Power. One of the skeins of Carnival is almost to the heel of a Jaywalker sock, and I have enough Flower Power for a pair of matching socks and gloves. Nothing can stop me now!

The other recent acquisition is my very own copy of Fitted Knits - thank you Mom! I'm so excited about this book; I don't often buy knitting books because it's rare for me to want to make more than two or three of the patterns, but I want to make almost every single thing in Fitted Knits right now! The only problem is deciding which to make first. Perhaps a light cotton top for summer travels, or a puffed-sleeve cardigan for working in air-conditioning? Or a pullover with buttoned side vents? How do I choose, I ask you, how do I choose?

Completed Birdness!

After a spring break-flavored hiatus, I am proud to show off...

...a finished bird sweater!

Vital Statistics: I ued Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, ten balls of Grass and 1 of Cream. I worked at 5 st/in on size 8 needles, and the whole thing took about 2-3 months. Like a I said, sleeves demand fortitude.

This picture is a bit more true to the color. It also shows my favorite detail; the crossed-over striped v-neck is so collegiate. Anyone else want to join the Harvard crew team?

Here's where the sided ribbing meets the hem, another nice-looking detail (if I say it myself). I'm working on writing up the pattern to submit to Knitty, and this is the hardest part to describe coherently. By the way, if anyone can think of a cute and/or clever name for this sweater, I'm all ears.

All in all, I'm really quite pleased with how this came out. There are some parts that I don't like - the sleeves are a little short and the body a little loose - but in general I'm very happy. Nothing soothes my soul like a completed project. Hooray!