The Dread Green Socks are almost complete! Well: one is. Turns out that while I carefully weighed out my yarn and divided by two and wound two skeins, neither had enough yarn to quite reach my toes. So, I had to dig around in the Stash for some greenness. Naturally, no chance of a match, or even an almost-match.
Toes will be in a heather green called Wildefoote (love that one anyway) by Brown Sheep. What the hey. I'm not a barefoot/sockfoot kind of gal anyhow. And besides, multicolor socks are no strangers to MY feet.
But I am not further inspired to Sockitude. Lucky me, for I have a fuzzy vest UFO that has been calling my name in Threatening Tones of late. It's now two years old, and you know how cranky tired two-year-olds can be. So, out come the giant needles, and here I go again. I think, if I knit a whole lot during the evenings this week, it should be soon done. And by that time, just perhaps I will have figured out how to post photos here.
Stay tuned to see Silly Fuzzy Vest (a designed-on-the-fly production) and the Dread Green Socks, hopefully soon!
Taking a break from socks and ON-- to Quonquer the Eldest UFO!
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Green Socks and Consolidation. Yep.
Redickle, but I'm still going on about the Green Sock. However long that ankle was, it is now vanquished-- I'm halfway through with the heel flap. Whee! Do I know how to have fun or what!
I have an excuse. Many of them, in fact. Back in August I bought out someone's hobby printing studio. I have been moving type cases filled with, what else, type. And cabinets. And all the detritus that comes with a shop of that nature, which means galleys of former jobs (now exhausted, fallen over and begging to be put back in their cases), rusty tools, and at least one mouse-poop filled case of type. About which more later.
But wait. there's more. I also foolishly committed myself to moving my storage. Not too bright an idea, but good will come of it. Good MUST come of it. I have two medium units; I am consolidating into one large unit, which is the equivalent of one and a HALF medium units. I can do this, but it requires me to get strict with myself and actually throw out stuff. And donate stuff. Because I WILL shoehorn into that unit! It will save me $100 a month, so that's good motivation.
So the weatherman almost throws me into a panic Tuesday night. He predicts RAIN by Thursday night or Friday-- and I still have a wooden type cabinet out in my _yard_ ferpetessakes, and some half-sheets of plywood out there, and I really MUST get all that stuff under cover. Assuming, of course, that this weatherman actually is correct. Here in central California, you can't always depend on it to rain when predicted. Usually it doesn't bother.
But... if I didn't get that stuff all in, of course it _would_ rain. So, scrambling around the yard like a madwoman, I managed to get the wooden stuff under cover, the outside sunshades rolled up, tarps on the Print Shop galleys leftover from the move, and other wonders. My hatches are battened. Let it rain! (and I hope it does).
Meanwhile, back in storage, I have moved about half the stuff I need to move. Hopefully I will get a tough high school kid on Saturday to help me with the rest. And I'll gloat right here in public about consolidating, and saving money, and finally finding some of my long-buried costuming supplies.
Hopefully I'll be back to sorting type and actually printing with it within 2 weeks' time. Stay tuned.
I have an excuse. Many of them, in fact. Back in August I bought out someone's hobby printing studio. I have been moving type cases filled with, what else, type. And cabinets. And all the detritus that comes with a shop of that nature, which means galleys of former jobs (now exhausted, fallen over and begging to be put back in their cases), rusty tools, and at least one mouse-poop filled case of type. About which more later.
But wait. there's more. I also foolishly committed myself to moving my storage. Not too bright an idea, but good will come of it. Good MUST come of it. I have two medium units; I am consolidating into one large unit, which is the equivalent of one and a HALF medium units. I can do this, but it requires me to get strict with myself and actually throw out stuff. And donate stuff. Because I WILL shoehorn into that unit! It will save me $100 a month, so that's good motivation.
So the weatherman almost throws me into a panic Tuesday night. He predicts RAIN by Thursday night or Friday-- and I still have a wooden type cabinet out in my _yard_ ferpetessakes, and some half-sheets of plywood out there, and I really MUST get all that stuff under cover. Assuming, of course, that this weatherman actually is correct. Here in central California, you can't always depend on it to rain when predicted. Usually it doesn't bother.
But... if I didn't get that stuff all in, of course it _would_ rain. So, scrambling around the yard like a madwoman, I managed to get the wooden stuff under cover, the outside sunshades rolled up, tarps on the Print Shop galleys leftover from the move, and other wonders. My hatches are battened. Let it rain! (and I hope it does).
Meanwhile, back in storage, I have moved about half the stuff I need to move. Hopefully I will get a tough high school kid on Saturday to help me with the rest. And I'll gloat right here in public about consolidating, and saving money, and finally finding some of my long-buried costuming supplies.
Hopefully I'll be back to sorting type and actually printing with it within 2 weeks' time. Stay tuned.
Monday, August 06, 2007
The Green Sock
Waaay back in May, I began a pair of green socks. Plain Jane, k3 p1 green socks in my hard-to-find emerald green. When I began, they cheered me immensely.
The problem is finishing! I have knitted not very much at all in the last few months. Not for lack of opportunity, but because there are so many things to do, places to go! and because when I finally do sit down... I don't even want to face the Eternal Green Sock!
I'm tired of k3, p1. I'm tired of size 0 needles. I'm even tired of green! Sock #1 is completed, but Sock #2 is dragging on half of forever. I took it traveling (see July!). Even as a captive audience on the plane, ferpetessakes, I couldn't bring myself to work on the green sock! I did Stickdoku, which I don't even like. Serious avoidence issues here.
I should show it: go on a sewing binge and get some new clothes! Finish a costume or two (I'm way behind there, too). I could actually clean house.... naaah... well, I should plant my new rosebush.
Truth is, I'm out in the shop sorting type. And adding to the collection. Warped. Just warped.
Poor ol green socks. Will they see winter, 2007? or will they languish until 2008?
The problem is finishing! I have knitted not very much at all in the last few months. Not for lack of opportunity, but because there are so many things to do, places to go! and because when I finally do sit down... I don't even want to face the Eternal Green Sock!
I'm tired of k3, p1. I'm tired of size 0 needles. I'm even
I should show it: go on a sewing binge and get some new clothes! Finish a costume or two (I'm way behind there, too). I could actually clean house.... naaah... well, I should plant my new rosebush.
Truth is, I'm out in the shop sorting type. And adding to the collection. Warped. Just warped.
Poor ol green socks. Will they see winter, 2007? or will they languish until 2008?
Monday, April 02, 2007
the Sock Factor(y), or Wart 3
Ok, I'll fess up. I'm a knitter. Mostly by need-- I'm not a fast knitter, but I am dee-termined. Silly clothing manufacturers won't market nice-looking woolen ladies' socks in California, so I determined (that word again) that I would jolly well make my own.
The reason for knitting my own is the same as why I sew. I get color, style, and design control, all with the satisfaction of having made something really cool. I am hardly a knitting maven (I'll let the Yarn Harlot do that job http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/), but I have slogged my way through about a dozen pairs of socks, so far. See? I'm _not_ fast. Just D-termined. Dee-termined. Wossname. Stubborn.
The trickiest bit about knitting socks is simply learning how. When I began, I wasn't at all sure I would even _want_ to continue. What if the dread "turning the heel" was too hard for me? I didn't want to knit the entire leg-of-a-sock, then the heel, only to find out I didn't have what it takes. What a waste of time! What it it wasn't actually FUN? So I cheated. I took a huge shortcut and made ONE HEEL, to prove that I could._Then_ I figured it was safe to invest in some yarn for an actual pair of socks.
Here's what I did, in case you want to learn how to comitt sockification:
1. Bought a 24รง sweater at a thrift store, making sure it was a hand knit so the seam was take-apartable.
2. Took the seam apart.
3. Cut off a sleeve at the elbow.
4. Unravelled the sleeve back down to the cuff.
5. Picked up the cuff stitches and began knitting in the round.
(the cuff was the stand-in for the leg-of-a-sock, as mentioned above)
6. Using Nancy Bush's book, Folk Socks, I carefully followed her instructions for a standard flap heel.
7. Worked the heel, did the heel stitch, the short rows, worked as far as the decreases, and....
8. IT WORKED!
Once that was complete, I had no excuse. Sockfication was mine. I could DO this. So I did. Now my feet walk around in hand knits-- complete with colors and styles and textures that I love. See some at http://the3toad.googlepages.com/home Warm feet are happy feet. Long live wool!
The reason for knitting my own is the same as why I sew. I get color, style, and design control, all with the satisfaction of having made something really cool. I am hardly a knitting maven (I'll let the Yarn Harlot do that job http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/), but I have slogged my way through about a dozen pairs of socks, so far. See? I'm _not_ fast. Just D-termined. Dee-termined. Wossname. Stubborn.
The trickiest bit about knitting socks is simply learning how. When I began, I wasn't at all sure I would even _want_ to continue. What if the dread "turning the heel" was too hard for me? I didn't want to knit the entire leg-of-a-sock, then the heel, only to find out I didn't have what it takes. What a waste of time! What it it wasn't actually FUN? So I cheated. I took a huge shortcut and made ONE HEEL, to prove that I could._Then_ I figured it was safe to invest in some yarn for an actual pair of socks.
Here's what I did, in case you want to learn how to comitt sockification:
1. Bought a 24รง sweater at a thrift store, making sure it was a hand knit so the seam was take-apartable.
2. Took the seam apart.
3. Cut off a sleeve at the elbow.
4. Unravelled the sleeve back down to the cuff.
5. Picked up the cuff stitches and began knitting in the round.
(the cuff was the stand-in for the leg-of-a-sock, as mentioned above)
6. Using Nancy Bush's book, Folk Socks, I carefully followed her instructions for a standard flap heel.
7. Worked the heel, did the heel stitch, the short rows, worked as far as the decreases, and....
8. IT WORKED!
Once that was complete, I had no excuse. Sockfication was mine. I could DO this. So I did. Now my feet walk around in hand knits-- complete with colors and styles and textures that I love. See some at http://the3toad.googlepages.com/home Warm feet are happy feet. Long live wool!
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