Where have I been?

I've been around... around and around, resisting temptations of the knitting sort.  Succumbing to temptations of the ice cream sort... but giving in.  Today I looked at one of my "Ravelry Friend's" newest creation.  Socks.  Yes, we feed each other, don't we.  I saw her "Monkey" socks from Knit. Sock. Love. and somehow my fingers clicked all the boxes that ended with me gasping in amazement, and wondering how I avoided this book for so long.
Dang it, Ravelry!  You make it so easy...
Yes, when it first came out, I looked at it longingly, then it was in my shopping cart at Amazon, and then it wasn't.  And today, I downloaded the eBook.  But I still wasn't sure I had done the right thing until I started to click through it.
#1:  I thought I found a nice pattern, then
#2:  I found there were more patterns, then
#3:  I found I was on page 116 and
#4:  There were many more pattern, then
#5:  I started thinking I better get busy!
There are SO many sock patterns in the world, and I am still overwhelmed with the designs I see in this book.
Didn't I just finish a pair?
Don't I have 2 other pair on needles? And who's counting?
Ahem... later, Gator!

Turkish socks

Can you see me kicking up my heels?  (Reference to a Turkish dance.)  Yes, it's getting too warm to wear wool socks, but I had a bout of startitis a few weeks ago, and when it involves using some left over yarn, I put aside several other things to finish these.  

When will I learn?  I'm usually happier with socks that match as identical twins, rather than fraternal, so maybe next time I'll try to fix that.

The red on the left gradually turned to a rust and back again.  It shows up in the foot, then the third large band, the top braid and heel, in that order.  When it repeated itself for the right foot... I should have yanked out a bunch of it to get it back to red,... but I didn't...  By the time I got to the final heel, it still wasn't red again.

Maybe I'll make another fraternal pair!  Fat chance at identical... two other yarns have long striping repeats (blue and yellow) and it would be my luck to run out of something, completely.

After much head scratching over the directions for making a snazzy tassel to hang from the upper edge, I scratched it.  I mean, REALLY!  Does it need more?

Turkish Socks by Anna Zilboorg from Knitting Traditions, Winter 2010

Yarns:  Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine, Regia Design Line Hand-Dyed Effect by Kaffe Fassett, Regia Lace (doubled), Zwerger Garn Opal Hundertwasser Cotton, Lanett by Sandnesgarn.  

Bad Behaviors

Yes, it was Knit Nite again.

Finished and BEADS, Beautiful!

A lot of laughing, a little knitting, somewhere in between there was eating and drinking.  As I reflect on it, two days later, I can see many similarities to Vegas!
Bringing me to the first topic:  MEBE isn't allowed to go to Vegas.  She's been lucky before, but now she has to be chaperoned;  a pact was made to avoid accidental marriages, you see...  What marriage isn't accidental?  OK, this comes from some "old-timers".

More Fingerless Gloves

Great yarn, and ... is that a swatch?

And then there was the swatch!  SEEME was knitting... a SWATCH!

Ol' four  six eyes!  When one pair isn't enough. LOL

 My bad... I nearly jumped out of my seat and down her throat.  And she thought she was being a good girl.  I'm sorry, publicly apologizing, for questioning her motive.  She just wanted to see what it looked like!

What about online dating?  Who should fill out the form, and can you be more than 38% complete?  I say, 38% is enough!  What else should they know?

Sheep in Progress; NOT crocheted!

Two movers and shakers of our group decided that it was best to arrive without knitting rather than not come at all (or late).  How does that feel?  Comforting?  I think they were hiding UFO's.  They couldn't bear another photo session of the same project.  I guess we'll just have to take their excuses at face value...

Bed time! or "What happened to my shawl?"  How beautiful is that!

I love you all!

Giving up?

I cast on last August. Seven months ago I fell in love again. With the Dahlia cardigan. I realize now that I fell in love with the Dahlia pattern back. Not so much the front. The back is knitted first and is so interesting and rewarding... Then comes the stockinette, forever. The top the bottom the sides the collar and the sleeves. Just now I'm pleasantly surprised to find that there's a tiny bit of lace pattern on each sleeve. Yay!

Only after all these months I get to try it on. No way of knowing what's what until the body is completed and the arm holes are opened up. That was the shocker: The front. It looks like ... Crap!

 I convinced myself that blocking will be the answer and solve all the ugliness. So I soldiered on, knitting a sleeve, and not liking the join at the top of the sleeve to the shoulder. How can that fit?
I tried it on again, and then I went to Ravelry to see what others thought and have done. My conclusion is to finish the .... thing and block it and pretend it's fine. If I can't wear it, it will rest in my stash.

 Gosh, I LOVE that yarn. Yummy Drops alpaca. At least that's not gone! Just my time.
By the way, someone used the dahlia back in another long coat-like pattern that looks great! I guess I could rescue the back and start another pattern...

The drappy front.  

And I don't mean to bad-mouth this pattern. I bet it looks great on long lean bodies. Not mine. The pattern even includes three variations of how to wrap the front into different styles. Until it's blocked, I won't know.

Socks, and more Socks

Just when I could be focusing on something to finish, I start TWO, not one, TWO new pairs of socks.  I know, I had it in my mind just yesterday that I would set up my loom which has been in pieces for 25 years...  And I start TWO pair of socks.
One is just too beautiful:  Turkish Socks from Knitting Traditions, 2 years ago.  I admired them then, and I just felt like it.  Twice.  The first color combination didn't do it.

 Too much variety is each color, so I started again with two solids.

The second time casting on the toe went MUCH faster!  I pretended I knew what I was doing...
Two is for down time.  I found all 6 projects on needles are either too big to carry around or require too much attention to accompany me around town.  My number two cast on is upper left, self-striping.

My third pair is really a pair:  Argyle style from Think Outside the Sox.  Now I have a choice:  Three projects of socks to choose!  Lucky me.

Old, New and Finished!

I was very surprised after yesterday's post to discover I had only 10 rows to do, and though that doesn't really seem like it was close to finished, I knitted a few more rows.  THEN I was seeing the end... The last 8 rows are border lace, with 2 rows of beads (which slows down the knitting), and with each completed row I felt like I shouldn't stop.  And I didn't, until...

There I was, blocking!!  Yippee!  And points, just like I promised myself.  Remember I started this in September, and finished in less than 2 month.  But, my cast-on wouldn't let me pull those points out.  After languishing almost 2 months, unblocked, I knitted gifts and this and that.  Finally, December 30, I started to knit a new one from the old one, and made sure I had a super stretchy cast-on, only to rip that one out and cast-on a bit firmer, but still stretchy.  I've been holding my breath since the beginning of the year, waiting for this day!
It's Spring, and I love it.  Thank you, Susanna IC!

 Polaris by Susanna IC from ArtQualia Designs

Yarn:  Hand Paint Lace by Misti Alpaca, Lace / 2 ply
100% Alpaca, 875 yards / 100 grams

I used 60 grams, and 11 grams of beads. 

Two problems solved:

1. The bind off edge instructions: "*p2tog, return st to left needle; rep from * to end of row; a strong non-stretchy bind off is essential in order for the crescent shape to form during blocking."  It was SO rigid, and restricting that I was sure I'd have a circle when I blocked, so I frogged it, and bound off with a simple k2, pass first stitch over.
2. Again, a repeat of Oslo Walk Shawl, I found a hole.  It was made by a yarn over, which increased the whole thing by one stitch, which I fixed when I got to the lace top border.  This yarn over was close to the top tip of a big diamond... about five rows into the short row section.  This time, I didn't have to rip it all out, but was able to crochet it down to the diamond and fasten it with a little extra yarn.  Hardly noticeable, until you LOOK!  LOL  This sort of thing makes it "handmade". Right?

Other posts: 

Better, this time! Tuesday, Jan 10 2012

Resolutions... As if! Monday, Jan 02 2012

Tale of Two Shawls: Part 2 Saturday, Nov 05 2011
Tale of Two Shawls: Part 1 Friday, Nov 04 2011

Good needles, Bad needles Sunday, Oct 02 2011

?? Wednesday, Sep 14 2011

Old and New

Being away the month of February, has caused that month to become the watershed for old and new projects.
This one, is old and new:  My KAL Polaris Shawl.  I presume no one is 'knitting along' so it's all mine now!
History:  Started as KAL, and kept up, finished, but just before blocking I noticed that the cast on edge was not loose enough to accommodate the lovely points that were intended.  I was sure of it because I had recently finished another Susanna IC shawl with exact same result.  NO points.
I decided to keep the first shawl/scarf and I love it - color, yarn, beads, ... all of it.  And I wear it proudly around my neck... with no points.
Polaris... You have to tow the line... Points you will have!
Here's what's left of version 1:

It was once a complete shawl, like this:

And now I have this:

Those points are going to POP! Or else, I'll be having a very bad day...
I have a few more of the short rows, though they are the longest of the short rows, and then the top border.  No deadline... and five other projects on needles, all calling out to me!