Long Awaited

When I cast on for these socks back in August of last year, it was recently after I had finished both the Heart Crook and Turkish Stockings. I was on a colorwork sock roll. The first sock went pretty quick, but then I hit the skids. My knitting slowed to a crawl as time ran at a premium. Dog shows, family events and just life in general kept getting in the way.

But, after a twelve hour plane journey, I am very happy to report they are finally done. Once I got back into the groove of knitting them, the second one flew off the needles (as I flew over the ocean!).

Pattern: My own. Inspired by the pattern on this Vogue Knitting cover.
Yarn: Tess Supersock & Baby
Needles: #1 KnitPicks 32" circular
Mods: Well, it's my own pattern, so I guess everything is a mod! Lucky for me, the stitch count on the pattern fit into the sizing I needed for my sister's feet. I learned quite a bit knitting on the Turkish Stockings (the heel flap and picking up stitches for the gusset) so I put that into practice. I'm still not 100% satisfied, but these came out a lot better than the Turkish. They have yet to be blocked, and that should even out some of the stitches.

An inside shot (unblocked remember!):

My sister was really glad to finally get her pair of stranded socks. These socks also provided me a jump start back into sock knitting. I really loved knitting them! When I picked the needles back up on the flight from Boston to Houston (our first leg), I wasn't really sure how I'd feel. By the return flight from Quito to Panama City, they were complete. Reading the chart, knitting with both hands, it all felt so natural and comfortable. Like I was home again. I do have one other single sock to finish up (story for another post), but after that I will be doing another stranded pair. Hubby doesn't have a pair yet!

The photos have been edited, now I just have to do some uploading. Travel pictures tomorrow!

Halfway

I made it to the halfway point. The fit for my sister should be good - it is a bit too short for me and makes my toes curl a little. Perfect. I did have to rip out about 1 1/2" before I started the toe. It also needs a good blocking to even it out. There is some bagging in the ankle that goes away when I even out the stitches.

I'm not sure what happened towards the end of the sock. I just lost the love. But, I'm happy to report that it's back and I have cast on and knit the ribbing for sock #2. In finishing the first sock, I found myself at work ready to cast on for #2 with no extra needle in sight for my three needle bind off (my new favorite way of finishing toes). When knitters are desperate, they will use anything on hand.

It worked really well! I made sure it was one of those larger, heavier paper clips. In a pinch, it made a great needle! I'm looking forward to knitting the second one so I can send them down to my sister to keep her feet warm during this cold snap we've been having! Tomorrow it is supposed to be a little rainy and only in the mid 60's. Welcome to fall in New England.

I know you all want to get more puppy goodness. They are growing so fast and now run around and play! Here is some video we took on Monday:

I love those little puppy barks! They are so much different than in this video that was a mere 2 1/2 weeks ago!

In exciting news, the Fall Knitty is out! Go check out Aija's sock pattern - it is awe inspiring!!!

Chowing Down

Another little puppy milestone. They had their first "not from mom" meal yesterday! A mush of puppy food soaked in Goat's milk all ground up in the blender. Yum. (at least they thought so!)

They all really enjoyed it. Their little bellies were completely stuffed! Slowly over the next few weeks, we'll wean them off of mom and onto food so they can be happily transitioned by the time they are ready to go to their new homes.

In another milestone of sorts, the Turret sock has reached the toe. Overreached actually.

It's about 1/2" too long. I knew I should have tried it on sooner! For me, this would be the perfect spot to start the toe. Unfortunately, my sister's foot is a couple of inches shorter than mine. Rip rip. But, the end is in sight. A little break after this one is complete may be in order. For some reason, I'm just not feeling the love of the sock and colorwork right now. Terror of SSS strikes in me though at the thought of not picking up and starting sock #2 right away. Maybe it's the crisp (cold!) air we've had the past few days, but my thoughts have turned to sweater knitting. There are just so many amazing patterns out there. Full of cables and texture. Co-Op Cables (from the Spring 04 IK - great one shown here), Demi (amazing ones here and here), the Cable Down Raglan from the Spring 07 IK, and this really interesting new find - the Tree Jacket by Zephyrstyle. There is just so many to choose from! I would really love to use stashed yarn. I'm thinking that the frogged Soho Bulky Tweed may be a nice match for the Co-Op cables. Plus, to add more and more to my queue, I got The Celtic Collection and Aran Knitting both by Alice Starmore out of the library (does my library rock or what??). Of course, this doesn't include all the previous pattern books and magazines I have stockpiled! I feel lots of pattern browsing coming on. You never know, there may also be some (gasp!) yarn buying!

Unfortunately, the fall agility season is in full swing and I am at trials every weekend until mid-October. We then fly out to Arizona for the 2007 USDAA National Championships. Tucker is not going, but I am going to support both my instructor and several friends who qualified. Maybe Tucker can go next year! I'm planning on bringing along a few books or magazines to each trial to give me some time to browse and plan some fall knits!

Resurrection

I managed to squeeze in a little knitting time this week inbetween puppy watching. It is so hard to tear myself away from them to get anything done. Each day they change and grow.

So, the leg on the Turret sock is now complete.

I really like how it came out. The way the chart is laid out, it starts with half a hexagon shape, then a full, and ends with a half. I'd love for one of the hexagons to be centered on the front of the leg. If I do that, then the spacing for the heel flap is off (Naomi decided she'd like the pattern carried down the heel flap) as I would like some solid border on the sides of the flap. So, I have a little cutting and pasting to do to figure out the best way to approach this. I think I will be able to get two vertical hexagons in the flap. Planning is also involved to make sure the hexagons end at the correct point on the flap. This is the exciting part! I really do love all the planning, laying out and organizing of the charts. Since I've always been able to visualize in my head fairly well, I can see a concept and translate it relatively closely onto paper. The most fun is seeing it actually knit up how I envisioned it!

Licorice Whip is on hold now pending receipt of the generous yarn gift from Lolly. It is kind of a good thing - there is only a few hours at the very most left to knit on it, and it has forced me to look at what else I had on the needles.

The Street Smart Hoodie returns! This was started back in (gasp) January and it is my longest WIP ever. Yes, ever. When I start a project, I finish it without really letting it sit. It sits, it gets ripped. I'm kind of weird like that. I tend to freak out if I have more than 2 or at the very most 3 things on the needles at once. Dividing my time is not the easiest thing! So, last night I got out the started front to the hoodie. Back and sleeves are already done. All that is left is the front and maybe a hood (I haven't decided if I want the hood. I may just make it a pullover with a skinny v-neck).

Ribbing - check. On to the cabling. I think I stalled here because I wasn't sure where or how many cable columns I wanted. The original is a zip front and has two cable columns on each side of the zipper (nice shot of it here). The back has the four cable columns but I wasn't sure if, in converting it to a pullover (I hardly ever wear cardigans - my goal is a comfy sweatshirty type sweater), I should do all four columns or maybe the outside two and leave the middle. All four are kind of nice, and match the back. The front would be very plain without them. Four? Two? What do you think?

The puppies are growing so fast. Gaining about 2 oz. every day, they are now getting pretty speedy and are trying to stand. A few more days and their eyes and ears will open and they will look so different! Our new puppy has been narrowed down to one of three:

L to R: Geo, Nine and Orb

Since I do not want to show in the breed ring, I volunteered to take a mismark. This is a dog, because of the placement of white or it's color, is deemed "unacceptable" in the breed ring. Geo and Orb, both blue merles, have white splashes on their bodies - this is considered a mismark. Nine is a blue tri - a color very rare, but also unacceptable in the breed ring as an accepted color. There are plenty of people who are interested in this litter who are only looking for performance puppies, like me. As the weeks progress and their personalities come out a bit more, I'm sure one of them will pick me......

Fiberlicioius Friday

This morning when I was packing my lunch for work, I saw the perfect Fiberlicious opportunity.

I think I have come up with a name for my newest socks. When I look at them, they make me think of those big rugs with the family crests that you would see hanging in castles in medieval times. I immediately thought of the turrets that are such a feature in castles.

Turret Socks

The pattern is really starting to come out now. The next "layer" of patterns are totally different - kind of a mosaic effect. I can't wait to see the next patterns evolve! It is slow going, but fun.

Today, you get the ubiquitous puppy picture, but also a bonus:

My friend's huge Ridgeback - she loves beds of any kind and willed herself to fit into this tiny one. (the thing was only about a foot across!)

And, what you have been waiting for....

They look very similar if not the same as yesterday, so I'll just be posting some cute ones until they have a big change in appearance. I am very excited to see their eyes open in a week or so. We have no idea if their eyes will be blue, brown, green or any combination thereof! Dad has brown eyes, and Deuce has one blue eye and one eye that is 1/2 blue and 1/2 green.

Have a wonderful weekend!

You Asked For It

More puppy pictures! It was great to read all the comments. I think (dare I say) puppies may be more popular than knitting! (I'd have to do some major blog re-vamping!)The little ones are now a day and a half old as of Monday evening when the pictures were taken, and are plumping up. Deuce is doing a great job keeping them clean and well fed.

They are a bunch of little miracles! It's amazing that even only hours old, each had it's own little personality already - the bossy one, the shy one, the always hungry one...

As promised yesterday - knitting!

Naomi's sock (I so need a better name) is about 10 rows into the colorwork. This is going to be a while - the repeat is a whopping 60 rows so I'm just doing one for the leg. Each row takes a while as no repeats means no memorization! It is fun to be doing colorwork again. I did miss it. The colors are working nicely together so far. They do remind me of another pair of socks I made not to long ago. Huh. Note to self - branch out the color choices! I'm not sure if I should have done a column of plain colored stitches between the two colorwork panels (the repeat is 40 stitches wide, I'm doing two repeats). I kind of like all the colorwork mushing together at the sides. The repeat should be invisible on one side where the two repeats meet, and I will make the messy jog side the inside anyway. So far so good, but a long way to go.

Licorice whip is now past the waist and I ended the current ball of yarn I was on. I plan on doing the sleeves next and seeing what yarn I have left. I ended up never increasing back out for the hips. Ashley finished hers so it's spurring me on to get mine done. I decreased down to where I wanted it at the waist and just went straight. The fit seems pretty good. For the sleeves I plan on looking back at the notes on my Houglass Sweater - currently my best fitting shaped sweater.

We also got our weekly CSA delivery yesterday. I just barely finished last weeks supply (eating a lot and giving some away) in time.

Luckily I also started a new diet last week. I have cut out all processed foods, sugars, beef, pork, starches and starchy veggies for now. A cleansing. My body needs it! I was not kind to it this summer, and it deserves to be treated better. A week has passed and I feel really good. All the veggies I have been eating have been organic, I have not eaten anything with anything artificial or that has any kind of preservatives. We only get one body. I'm trying to do it right!

Lichen Rib

For some reason, sock number two took forever to finish. It must have been that sock number one was done in the 11 hour ride down to the outer banks - my knitting time hasn't been that plentiful since we got back. I did manage to sit down and get them done the other night. Hubby wasn't around for a photo session, so you get my feet - the socks are a touch big (Thank goodness! His feet are about 4 sizes bigger than mine!) but the yarn is wonderful. (the photograph is horrible however - I took them the night I finished and had to use the flash)

Pattern: Lichen Rib Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Interlacements Tiny Toes in color #220
Needle: #2 (2.75mm) Inox circular
Modifications: I used an eye of partridge heel and increased the stitch count to accommodate hubby's bigger feet.

The yarn is really nice. The colors are beautiful and the twist is really tight. I'd highly recommend getting some from Alison.

It seems that is the only positive knitting progress I've made this week. After reading all the comments and advice about Licorice Whip, I decided to rip back to the armholes and start the decreases there. Per the pattern they are every 5 rows, so I may just keep that interval and start right at the armholes. I like the fit across the chest, so I'm reluctant to rip back and make the chest smaller. Running out of yarn is a huge concern. I hate trying to race the yarn to the end!

Finishing the Lichen Rib socks gave me permission to start on my sister, Naomi's socks. I promised to design her a pair of colorwork socks. After she saw the Mamluke, Turkish and Heart Crook socks, she wanted a pair of her own! I looked through many books to seek just the right colorwork pattern. I wanted something a little different. Inspiration struck when I saw the preview of the Fall 2007 Vogue Knitting.

I fell in love. The pattern was beautiful! (if only I could wear a dress like that!) After looking at the chart and having Naomi approve the pattern, I started on the ribbing.

I'm using Tess Yarns Supersock & Baby purchased at this year's Sheep and Wool. It looks like sherbet! (as a total aside, why is there no "r" in SherbeRt? That is how everyone says it!) The contrasting color will be a dark blue Tess yarn purchased at Stitches East last year. This should be a fun one! I'm not sure if I'll do solid color heels and toes, or continue the pattern down the heel. That's up to Naomi.

Puppy watch continues. She is growing bigger and bigger every day!

Time to Get Creative

With the contrast yarn commandeered at the festival, I can now get on with designing some socks for my sister. She, much like me, prefers graphic designs versus snowflakes, flowers or animals. With some help from Excel, I started playing around.

These are just a couple. I'm not sure if they will truly work as there are quite a few long runs of color. Too much of an opportunity for puckering or pulling of floats. Both of these were inspired by designs in the book Celtic Charted Designs. Of all things, it's a needlepoint book! It has wonderful graphic charts though, and I found quite bit to be inspired by in there. I'm getting closer to what I want, but not quite there yet. Borders and side motifs have yet to be determined also. The colors, however, are good to go.

I'm not sure if I'd like the blue as the base background and the orange as the accent, or the other way around. It seems like I automatically think to put the darker color as the base, but I'm wondering how the orange would be as the main color. It is a great orange and deserves a lot of knitting real estate.

As the next design takes shape, I am still puttering away on Canal Du Midi. I am at the heel of sock #2 and am very anxious to get these done so I can move on! I do have to do a bit of ripping at the toe of #1 - the recipient changed mid-stream, so I need to make them a few rows shorter than originally intended. No big deal.

Still on a high from the festival this past weekend, I'm loving reading everyone's blog recaps of the event. I even found a few stealth photos taken of my socks on the move! How neat is that!

With no time to waste, all it took was me reading a post on one of the boards and my mind was racing towards the next yarny event. Last year was the first time I attended Stitches East and had a great time. Any excuse to get down to Baltimore and visit! Well, they have put up the class brochure for this year and I'm already thinking about what I'd like to take. I have never taken any kind of knitting class before (I am totally self taught via the internet and books), but I'd love to learn continental knitting, or maybe intarsia. There are so many to pick from! What knitting skill would you would like to learn?