Isn't it amazing

That a good eight hours-worth of knitting can be frogged in a few minutes. The cabled wine bag I was making has, alas, been frogged - there was no way I was going to have enough yarn for it. I have no idea what I'm going to make in it's place. I may just go with a plain one - stripes actually, so I can use up all of my odds and ends of wool. I really want to crawl into a hole and wait for Christmas to be over.

Green Scaly Socks, Part Deux

Unfortunately, there is a Part the Third as well, but I'm waiting 'til tomorrow to write that one.

Here are the changes thus far...

• Changed the CO to 32 sts (16 loops using the Turkish or Middle Eastern Cast-On)


• After the foundation rounds, worked the increases thusly - K2, M1L ~ M1R, K2 (rep for needle 2) until there was a total of 76 sts (38 sts per needle).


• Began working Pomatomus Chart B, changing the k3togtbl in line one to k2tog for the first time I worked it. There is a 1 st border on either side of the lace chart.


• Worked Chart B once and then a second time through Row 11


• Began incorporating heel from Cookie A.'s Beaudelaire sock. Work Row 12 of chart B on needle 1, then on needle 2 K1, M1L, K36, M1R, K1. Work the gusset increases every other round until there are 12 increases (until you hit Chart B Row 12).


• Work Chart B Row 13 on needle 1, then K48, W&T; then P34, W&T. Work to one stitch before the wrapped st on each row and then W&T until you have 12 wrapped sts on either side and 12 unwrapped sts in the middle. Work one more K row - K11, W&T. P until the first wrapped st, p/u wrap and p it together with the wrapped stitch. Continue until all but one wrapped st has been worked, p/u wrap and place it and the wrapped stitch back on the left needle, p3tog, turn. Sl 1, k until first wrapped st, p/u wrap and k it together with the wrapped st until all but one wrapped st has been worked. P/U wrap and place it and the wrapped st on the left needle and k3togtbl (Cookie calls this a sssk in her pattern). Turn your work. Work one more P row and then on the next K row start working twisted single rib.


• Continue working short rows, k or p until 1 st before gap and then doing a p2tog or an ssk depending on side you are on until all the gusset sts have been worked, there will be a total of 36 sts on needle 2.


• Resume working in the round with Chart B Row 14 on needle 1 and the twisted single rib on needle 2 until you have completed Chart B Row 21. On Row 22, K1 and then slip it to needle 2, work chart B row 22, and slip the last st to needle 2. On needle 2, k2tog, follow rib, k2tog - there will be 37 sts on needle 1 and 36 sts on needle 2.


• Begin working chart A - turning the first k2togtbl to a k3togtbl. Work as many pattern repeats as you want and then change to twisted single rib for the cuff, finish with a sewn bind-off.

If I did not have the feet that I do, this alteration would be perfect for someone with a size 10 wide foot and a high instep. As it is, not only do I have wide feet with a high instep, I also have thick ankles that only get thicker with being pregnant. I can get the sock on my foot, but I'm not happy with the stretching of the lace pattern so I frogged back to the end of the gusset - thankfully I had the presence of mind to put in a life line last night. I decided that I was going to work a few more gusset round to a total of 14 increases. I'm still going to work the w&t's until there are 12-12-12, but I'm only going to work the heel flap short-rows until there are 2 sts unworked on either side - there will be a total of 40 sts on needle 2. I'll finish chart B and then start it again, this time on both needle 1 and needle 2, with twisted rib in between. I'm hoping that this will fit over my foot better and there will be less stress on the lace pattern. I still have my life-line in place, but here's hoping I don't need it and I'll have a lovely finished sock to show off in the morning!

grumble, grumble, grumble...

Went to set up the Noro last night to knit the other legwarmer. On one of my skeins, the yarn broke and they attached another piece - the problem is that it's from the wrong place in the colorway. AGGHHHHHH! Despite my Herculean (?sp) efforts, my legwarmers are not going to match excatly. Since I have already spent way too much (4 balls of Noro Kureon) on a pair of legwarmers, I cannot justify buying another ball. I will just have to live the with contant galling reminder that my legwarmers do not match exactly or I will have to frog the first one back to where the snafu occured so I can get them to match.

Frogging, here I come...

Alas, poor baby surprise jacket...

I knew thee well, but somewhere along the line I screwed up and you had too few stitches.

Yes, the baby surprise jacket has been frogged. This is actually OK since now I can make the changes to the pattern to lengthen the sleeves and add a ribbed cuff more easily.

Aside from the frogging, I've been working on the super-mecha socks and they are going very fast. I don't know if it's the yarn or the lace pattern, but the rows are flying by even though it's being knit at 8 sts/inch. I may actually be ready to do the heel by the end of the day. I've been using my new little project bag attached to my belt-loop and sitting on the balance ball listening to NPR and boy is my back happy. The bag makes knitting on the ball so much easier.

On a cool knitting note, DIY Network is running a Knitty Gritty marathon on Sunday night while the Superbowl is on - how cool is that?

Froggie stikes again...

The knee sock pictured in this post is alas no onger with us. It survived being half-frogged (with a tubular bind-off painstaking removed stitch by stitch) and re-knit for about 4 inches but it was not meant to be. We must also mourn it's mate who only made it a round or two past the heel turn.

Since making so much progress on my Silky Sock sock, I am coming to realize that the foot length on the rainbow knee-socks was too long and that the gauge was way too lose. I'm going to cast-on one again tonight using my size 3 needle.

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Scratch that - I forget that a US Size 3 Needle is only .25mm smaller than a US Size 4. I'm going to have to wait a bit and get an Addi Size 2 (3mm) needle. AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!
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I bought a 40" size 1 (2.5mm) Addi circular this afternoon. I cast-on a toe for some striped knee socks with yarn purchased at Maryland Sheep and Wool. Knittymama was right - the size 1's are too big for this yarn and I am *gulp* going to have to use at least 00's. Do not expect these socks any time soon - with luck they'll be ready for next winter.