A decision made

The RPM socks are complete, and very happy on the feet of their new owner! (please ignore the ridiculous amount of dog hair on the carpet - a result of a few extra paws here over the weekend!)



Record time for me - 10 days! The medium weight STR was a real treat to knit with. No snags or splits (aside from the knots), and the twist was beautiful. Not to mention the color! I love the little bit of pooling I got on the leg, and the stripes on the foot. Hubby loves them and has been wearing them since they came off the needles!

Love those ridges!

Speaking of knots, I got an email back right away from Kaci at Blue Moon. She said that when the mill runs out of one ply, they just tie on the next and keep it moving. I guess it is not unreasonable for them to have 3 knots in a 3-ply yarn. She also said that they try and catch them in the skeins but some hide from them. She added that they would like to make sure that I get a skein to replace it. Two days later I had this:

Socks That Rock Lightweight in Star Sapphire. Beautiful. Almost solid with a hint of variegation. I can'’t wait to use it! They were paramount in satisfying the customer, and enough cannot be said about their wanting to please. I will be buying from them again!

After casting off the last stitch and weaving in the ends on the RPM'’s, I immediately went off looking through patterns and trying to decide what to use for the Trekking. I went back and forth, clearly having a hard time. I consulted the web, my sister, and any other sources I could find. Should it be Cascading Leaves? Or The Gentleman's Fancy Sock? Or Pomatomus? Or the Fluted Banister socks? (similar to the Gentleman'’s Shooting Stockings in Knitting Vintage Socks) Finally, I realized that it is only sock yarn! It will look good in whatever pattern I do it in! So, after way too many contemplative moments, I chose my pattern.

I figured in the end, simple is better for this pretty yarn. Let the yarn show off. Yes, that is my new KnitPicks needle! I am using the #1 and now I just have to remember how to cast on for two at once on one needle!

In exciting weather news, it'’s supposed to crest the 100 degree mark here by Wednesday. Remind me of this when the snow is flying and it'’s minus –100 out...

How Generous!

Little did I know my burst of creativity would yield such a great reward! I was reading Deb’s post on her new yarn and her quest for a name for the color better than “hemorrhoid” dubbed by her husband. In looking at it, I immediately thought of those Navajo rugs you see hanging all over people’s homes and in stores, etc in the Southwest. I commented that the name Navajo may fit well, and she agreed! Being the incredibly super generous and nice person she is, I got a skein of my very own!


The color in my picture isn’t completely accurate – it’s more of a muted brick red and has none of the pink overtones my image shows. (Deb’s picture here is a much better representation) It is squishy soft and so beautiful! Thanks Deb! I can’t wait to find the perfect pattern for it! Check out her Esty shop as well as her listings on Ebay - tons of great stuff at wonderful prices!

The second RPM sock has advanced to the heel – I have a dentist appointment this afternoon, so I’m hoping (as sick as it is) that they are running late and I’ll have some time to get through the heel!

The Trekking socks are up next – I finally decided on a pattern.

The Gentlemans’s Fancy Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. I found a few photos of completed ones and socks in progress using the Trekking, and I like how it doesn’t disturb the subtle striping of the yarn but yet you can still see the pattern. A match is made! Plus, I get to try the new KnitPicks needles I got. I’m hoping I don’t poke holes in my fingers pushing the needles through. I heard they are quite pointy!

Edited to add: Now I am having second thoughts after seeing all the great cascading leaves socks out there! Hmmmm...decision time!

Fit to be tied

The first RPM sock is done. It fits him really great (well, maybe 1 or 2 rows too long, and the toe could have started out a bit flatter) and the most important thing is he said "I can't wait to start wearing these!".

My only trouble so far has been in finding knots. I remembered something that Aija wrote a while back, and noticed the same thing that she found. After taking a few pics, and re-reading her entry, I emailed Blue Moon. I found 2 "knots" (not really knots, but the plies were broken and knotted back together - the whole yarn wasn't knotted, but just a few of the plies) in 1/3 of the skein.

I have only used about 55 gm of the 170 total on the skein, and have found 2 of these so far. I knit past them, but I wanted to let them know from a quality control standpoint more than anything. I wouldn't be shocked to find a knot in a skein, but when I found a second one and I had only done one sock, I figured I needed to let them know.

I do really love working with the yarn. It is super soft, the twist is nice and tight (something I am finding I really like in a sock yarn and will be looking for in the future) and the colors are beautiful. I'm glad I have another skein (Rose Quartz) waiting in the wings! Sock #2 has been cast on, and should be just as quick a knit.

The Vogue Knitting fall preview is up. Surprisingly, there are a handful of items that look pretty good.

Cables, like in the IK preview, seem to be big this fall. I like the one where it seems as if the yarn is woven through at a diagonal. Simple with a nice touch. I also like the fair isle that has almost a cowl neck. And then the socks! The black and white pair remind me of some that can be found in Meg Swansen's Knitting (Grumperina posted a picture here) - the feet look like a fun challenge and a different way of doing a sock. The blue pair look a heck of a lot like Pomatomus of Knitty fame - slightly different, but very similar in the look. The pastel ones look like they have an interesting top of foot construction....all in all, I think I may actually buy this one!

We are doggy sitting again this weekend. 16 extra legs in the house! Six dogs, two people. Good thing we have a huge sectional sofa and a king size bed!

Go speed racer!

I am really happy with how the RPM's are coming out so far, and how fast this Socks That Rock medium weight is working up. Super fast! I finished the foot, the "fake" heel flap and the gusset decreases. The leg isn't going to be too long as hubby likes shorter socks, but I should have plenty of yarn as the foot weighs in at 50gm and the total skein before I started was a whopping 170gm.

The fake heel flap looks just like any other sl1 k1 flap. It is shorter though as you do it at the same time as the gusset decreases. But, it will be right where his shoes are, so it should wear nicely.

I'm using the toe up pattern here, but altered it to fit my number of stitches. I read through it and actually have not really looked at it - I guess I'm kind of winging it. I shocked myself that I understood sock construction to the point where I figured out what to do and when without looking at the pattern! One big step for me in my recent obsession with socks! I also made sure I took plenty of notes so I could duplicate it on the second sock which I hope to be starting tomorrow!

Look at it go!

I got a few inches of RPM done last night - I am loving the way the stitches swirl! I am doing a flat (stockinette) sole, and had to add one more repeat of the pattern to compensate for hubbys bigger feet. I will problaby decrease back down around the leg area though. This is my second use of the magic cast on and I really like it!

I really love the colors in this yarn. Because of my higher stitch count, it isn't striping as much as Aija's in her sample shown in the pattern. I got a little pooling (which is so tigerish!) and the stripes seem to be a bit thicker. However the colors want to play, I'm in! Even wound up in a ball the colors are rich and beautiful.


I stopped in at the farmers market they have begun to offer at work on Tuesday afternoons. I got some really yummy, fresh corn - so summer! Everyone enjoyed it!

Please sir, can I have another?

Another pair done! Can you believe it! Dad's poor socks have been languishing on the needles as I resized them multiple times. Finally, I think I have it right. They are big and almost slouchy on me, but very comfy. I think they will keep his feet nice and warm down in his office this summer!

In catching up with all the blogs I read I came across some great stuff! (Not that this was any different - I seem to always stumble across great stuff on everybody's blogs!)

Rosie has a great primer up on dying and color theory - I still have a cone of sock yarn to dye, so I'll be reading this first!

Need I say more - waffles!

The fall preview for IK is up. Definitely a few potentials here. I still have a few sweater quantities of yarn that I have projects slated for - Mariah and a cabled sweater from Rebecca being two, but it's always neat to see what a new season brings. Cables seem to be really popular - whose complaining! I love them! I really want to do the Tahki cabled sweater I started then frogged eons ago.

KnitPicks needles - love them! I have a feeling I'll be picking up a #3 circular for socks pretty soon (I ordered 0, 1 and 2's) as I have that whole cone of Henry's Attic Kona to knit up eventually. I won't go into a huge review as there are tons out there, but I like the pointier point and the cables are incredibly flexible! For $4.99 how can you go wrong! I had 3 shipped for just under $17!!

Have you seen the new yarns from KnitPicks? They are really expanding their line! The Knittyboard has a huge thread on them, and there are pictures here. The Gloss looks like it will make some indulgent socks! Worsted weight superwash! Yipee! I'd also be curious as to how the Shamrock knits up - I love tweedy!

I plan on swatching/starting the RPM's today. I wound my Tigers Eye yarn, and I'm set to go. I did find a neat tip on KR on how to knit it so you don't have to keep track of rounds (nice!) - I think I may do them toe up as well as two at a time - they are for hubby and I don't want to run out of yarn! I will have to re-size as even the large is not big enough. Gauge swatch, here I come! I'm guessing it will be pretty close to the socks I just made as the Louet Opal and the STR medium weight look very similar in diameter/twist. Hopefully they will be just as quick a knit!

Simply Lovely Vacation! (and socks!)

After a week long vacation at the beach, I’m still trying to get my stuff together and organized and unpack. We had such a great, relaxing time. The weather was great, lots of sun and warm, and there was so much to do! We stayed in North Bethany about a block from the beach. The house was beautiful with a huge screened in porch that I took advantage of almost every morning to do some knitting before everyone got up. (Trek even joined me when he got up in time – we loved the rocker/glider seat!)


Downtown Bethany was only about 3 miles down the main road, so it was an easy ride. We walked the boardwalk a few times and explored the many shops downtown. I loved the totem pole at the “entrance” to the downtown area!

The beach was beautiful. Since we were renting a house in a community, it was a private beach and was incredibly empty every day.
It was really nice to have plenty of space around us and not feel like we had to be out there at 8am just to get a spot. The Simply Lovely sock #2 and I spent a few moments together on the sand (though not many – the kids kept us moving!)
We did manage a round of mini-golf in Fenwick – right down the road. Viking Golf was a compact course, but packed full of twists and turns.

I’m a pretty competitive mini golfer, and the hubby and I were tied going into the final hole. It was pretty much only a few stroke difference between us the entire game (I’d lead, then he’d lead back and forth) and we each managed multiple hole in ones when it counted. We both teed off from the final hole with this result:

Amazing. I don’t think we have ever ended up in a tie before! I’ll get him the next time.

Ocean City, Maryland was also only a short drive away past Fenwick. We took the kids down one day and they had a lot of fun on the boardwalk and all the rides. It seemed like much more of a high activity place than Bethany. Tons of high rise hotels and a mini golf course every block!

Gas was a bunch cheaper too!

The hubby and I spent lots of time up in Rehoboth Beach. It was only a 10 minute drive up the road, and had lots of shops and a nice boardwalk. After much coercing, he managed to take me on a few of his Geocaching expeditions. For those who don’t know what geocaching is here is a great explanation. Basically, it’s a treasure hunt with a GPS. The treasures aren’t anything big, but it’s the fun in finding it! Assawoman Bay Wildlife Area was one of our first hunts, but the road was closed the first time due to flooding repairs. We tried to walk it, but we literally ran for our lives out of the park and towards the car after being attacked by deer flies! Unless we had a suit of armor we figured we should avoid the ones in parks, so we then concentrated on some in-town ones in Rehoboth. Got to do lots of sight seeing and learned our way around pretty quick.

We did end up heading back to the park a few days later and drove in to find the cache. The flies were all over the car! I think we each got a few bites, but nothing major. It is a lot of fun, and you get to see all kinds of places you would never go normally. Some were pretty and scenic – Delaware has some great shoreline and inlets!

I did stop in at Knitty Gritty in Rehoboth, but wasn’t really impressed. A lot of the shelves were empty and they didn’t have much stock. Not one skein of sock yarn was to be found! A complete 180 from Knitty Gritty was Sea Needles right in Bethany about 3 miles from the house. Half the store was knitting and half was needlepoint/cross stitch. A great store! Huge selection, stocked from floor to ceiling and a helpful staff. I forgot my camera, but not my wallet!

Austermann Step yarn color #03 - Clover. I haven’t seen it in person yet, so I figured I’d pick up a ball and try out the Aloe and Jojoba claim. It feels like pretty normal sock yarn in the ball.

We hated to leave, but extended the vacation a little longer by taking the
Cape May-Lewes Ferry home.

I doubt it saved us any time, but it was nice to relax for an hour or so and end up in New Jersey! The sock enjoyed it.

As did the truck (it’s first ferry ride!)

On the ride home I finished up the second Simply Lovely Lace Sock. These were a quick knit and easy to memorize!

Pattern: Simply Lovely Lace Socks from Spring 2006 IK
Yarn: Louet Gems Opal
Needles: 3.25mm 32” Addi
(I just noticed how extremely long my feet look in these from this angle!)

The pattern is (in my opinion) much prettier all stretched out.

They fit pretty well, but are a bit snug to get on. Once on, they are fine, so I’m happy with them!

Even on vacation, I managed to remember the purple Project Spectrum theme!


I got my KnitPicks needles the day we left - thoughts on those tomorrow!

Back to work and life today. I have probably a bazillion bloglines to get to, along with email and unpacking! At least the summer heat is supposed to continue!

On Packing.....

I've never been a fan of packing for anything - moving, travelling, etc. It involves making decisions about the unknown. You can be pretty sure what the weather will be, but odds are I will not have that one garment that I could really use.

This trip, I'm not so much worried about the clothes packing - we're staying at the beach with a boatload of family and 4 children under the age of 5. I say shorts and tshirts and Tevas - not much else except a sweatshirt to ward off the chill of central air.

The sock packing I am having a bit of a problem with. I will bring the SLLS to finish (maybe on the ride down!) and I was thinking another pair to work on during the week. The 2 skeins I had in mind were the Trekking and the STR Tigers Eye. I'm still not sure what I want to do with the Trekking, and the Tigers Eye will be for hubby, so something simple and ribby for him. Fluted Banister Socks maybe? Or perhaps the Matrimony socks? I haven't knit with the STR yet, so I'm not sure what gauge I'll get - I guess a few patterns and needles will be making the trip!

As far as the trekking goes, I'm looking at a few patterns from Sensational Knitted Socks that are variations on ribbing. Twin Rib, Slip Stitch Rib, Waffle Rib or Garter Rib.... something that will keep my interest but not really disturb the yarn patterning. Or, I could go simple stockinette. Nah...

I'm also patiently waiting on the arrival of my KnitPicks Options classic circular needles. They shipped out on 6/29 so I really hope that they make it here today or else I won't be able to get them until I get back!

Hope everyone has a great week - I'll be basking and knitting on the beach!!!

Edited to add: Mere minutes after I hit "publish" the Summer Issue of Knitty came out. Behold the perfect pattern for my STR Tigers Eye! RPM!! Thanks Aija!

More Travel Ahead!

After coming back from Albany (Tucker did well - got a 2nd place!) Sunday night, we headed out to my parents house. It feels like I have been travelling non-stop for the past few weeks! Tucker had surgery Monday to remove his rear dew claws. He's doing good, but not too happy about wearing his E-Collar!

We ended up spending a beautiful day on the Cape - we dropped off Tucker, then took Otis and headed up to Provincetown. I'd never been there, and we had the whole day to kill, so we figured why not! It was a pretty ride up the cape, and PTown was entertaining as well! I forgot the camera, so no pictures to tell the tale with, but it was a great place for walking, people watching and wading in the ocean. Otis got a good swim in, as well as a roll in the sand. We got a great mexican lunch, then headed back to pick up Tucker.

The SLLS (Simply Lovely Lace Sock) is done through the gussett and working down the foot. Gotta love this sport weight yarn! I actually got 90% of it done during the trial in Albany, but ended up having to rip back about 1" of the leg when I got home as it was too long! The pattern is simple to memorize, and looks very pretty!


We head out tomorrow for Bethany Beach! After a quick pit stop at my cousin's in Baltimore, we are off! I hear they have town wide Wi-Fi access - then I can keep up with you guys instead of having 900 bloglines to read when I get back!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!