Crafts Update

Much obsessive knitting has been going on and, drumroll please....

I am on day 14 of not smoking!!!!!!

Now onto what has been keeping my hands busy

Silky Sock socks

Here is the first one in all of it's finished glory - well almost finished as I have not woven in the ends. I did intend for it to be a regular-sized sock (length that is - I have huge feet), but it was getting way too painful moving the 16 inch size 1 circular needles around - the joins kept snagging on my work, so an anklet it became. Here is it's mate being worked on size 1 Addi Turbo needles. The joins are a dream - I can knit as tightly as I want and still slide my stitches over those bad boys. There are two things I don't like about them. The sizes are slightly different from standard US sizes - an Addi size 1 needle is 2.5mm where a standard US Size 1 needle is 2.75mm which means that if you change horses midstream it will be noticeable to the obsessive knitter. They are also not pointy. For a regular stockinette sock this doesn't phase me, in fact it makes it a bit harder to split my yarn. I tried to do a lace pattern with them and gave up after the first k2tog because there was no way I was going to get that needle in there. They are a bit tight in the instep so I am going to extend the heel a bit more so they don't pinch on the top. Using the numbers from Knitty's Unicersal Toe-up Sock Pattern, I am going to go with between 30%-35% for the unwrapped stitches on the heel rather than the 40% the pattern uses.

Super-Mecha Socks

Here is a picture of the yarn that came in my magic yarn ball. It's a fantastic sock yarn - how Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock should feel like (instead of the bedspread cotton it does feel like). It has a nice, tight twist of Shepherd Sock with all of the springieness of Cherry Tree Hill Super Sock. What type of sock did this yarn want to be? I have two socks that are on my list to be done - Lickety Split and Falling Leaves. After Michael woke from his nap on Saturday, he was bundled into the stroller and I hoofed it up to the LYS to get some coordinating yarn (I walked 14 city blocks in under 30 minutes, yay me). After spending some time with both patterns, I came up with one that I have dubbed the Super-Mecha Sock!
The pattern as it stands is a bit clunky since I did not read things through as well as I should have in my zeal to get started. Rather than frogging, I am just going to chalk it up to a learning experience and make the next pair (with the oposite color combination) correctly. This is a deviation from my normal knitting anal-retentiveness, but I need to nice socks, damnit, and I will have some nice socks. Anyone who has anything to say about socks knit for a size 10, extra-wide, high-instep foot with a gauge of 8sts/inch on size 0 needles can bite me.

Oh what a tangled web...

S and I went out to Chestnut Hill on Sunday where I told her that I would be making her baby a Baby Surprise Jacket and that she would be picking out the yarn for it today. I am knitting a whole bunch o'stuff for the baby-to-be (probably way too much) and I need to have at least one thing that I can post on the blog - you'll have to wait for the rest until the end of March.

We went to The Tangled Webb which is now officially my favorite Philadelphia LYS. It comprises all of the best parts of each of the three Center City LYS's into one store. The only fault is that it's in Chestnut Hill and Michael does not travel well on the Regional Rail or bus, so it will be a solo trip or I'll have to con S into driving me there again. I just started to organize a local moms SnB so maybe we can meet up there for our next meeting...but I digress.
This is the yarn S chose after much consideration (I'll update with specifics later). I really like it - she doesn't know what her baby's gender is and this is bright without being gender specific.

Here it is swatched in garter stitch for almost a complete color repeat (there is a stripe of the green before and after). I am working it on US Size 4 (3.5mm) needles at 6sts/inch. The self patterning looks very cool here, but I think it's going to look even cooler in the finished product.
It works out that at 6sts/inch, one color band goes for about 1.5 rows so you get some very cool effects. I'm probably going to have enough left over to make a pair of tiny baby socks as well. That is how she told me she was expecting - I was showing off one of my infant sock prototypes and she asked me if I could make a pair for her.

I also got my birthday present early from S. I was not a gracious recipient as I tried to fight with her over spending that much on me, but I did relent considering I am knitting her baby way too much stuff and she will have to accept that with grace and aplomb. I am not good at accepting presents, something I vow to work on, or at least not argue over while the giver is trying to purchase said presents. She bought me a skein of some sock yarn that I have been lusting after for the past few weeks because it is so me (and no I haven't cast-on for them yet even thought I really, really want to). I also received a small bag that attaches to your belt-loop or purse strap for easy knitting on the go - I was that woman knitting a sock on the corner of Broad and Walnut on Sunday - now I will be able to do it from this nifty bag rather than the back pocket of my satchel. Last but not least she replaced my Chibi which Michael lost the lid for and of course I found the lid that evening so now I am blessed with two Chibis!

Housework calls, TTFN!