the Akamai Knitter

The pretty blue yarn has been put away and will be knit into a Swallowtail Shawl (Ravel It!) sometime in the future. For now, I’ll be knitting with Plymouth Sockotta.

Now I just need to figure out if I want to do a simple ribbing or actually throw in some patterning. Since we all know what a decisive person I am, the process should only be as agonizing as nails on chalkboard.

At least one decision has been made.

I’ll be lemming with Jeanne, Cookie, Sallee, and JessaLu.

Basically you stick the yarn with the pattern you want to use into a bag. Do this for each month of the year and then you have your own personal sock club.

Putting twelve balls of yarn  into twelve little bags made me realize just how much sock yarn I have. This is going to be a good thing! I’m really excited!

I think that I should try for a sock yarn moratorium as well. I still had some yarn that could have been put into paper bags and that doesn’t include the yarn I have in reserve for special projects that require extra concentration. (Like Cookie A. projects.)

Still, I can’t stop drooling over the yarn. Even Sammy is on the lookout.

I hope Monday treated you well! Hopefully there’ll be handspun tomorrow!

I grabbed some yarn out of the sock yarn bin the other day for my next pair. It kind of languished for awhile, but I finally cast on yesterday.  I have no idea what kind of yarn it is as the lable is MIA, but it was in the sock yarn bin. Thus, it must be sock yarn.

However, as I was knitting with it, I began to wonder if it really was sock yarn. It’s very thin and I could go out on a limb and call it laceweight. Even some of the girls at knit night commented on how thin the yarn is. Not a good sign.

Take a look. (Please excuse my dishwater hands. Also, they yarn is blue. Not purple! Stoopid camera.)

I’ve knit about an inch of ribbing and I like the way it feels. Only these socks are meant to be a gift and I’m worried about them wearing out if this yarn is a lace yarn rather then a sock  yarn.

So I have a dilemma. Continue to knit this as a sock or choose a yarn that I know will hold up. The practical choice is to choose another yarn, but I do so love knitting with this  yarn.  What with me being me, the decision on what to do with this yarn could be an epic battle.

My knitting mojo is really out of whack. First there’s the FLS with the gauge issues. Now we have the sock with yarn issues.

Issues, people! Serious. Knitting. Issues.

Thank the fiber gods for spinning.

That’s more Butterscocth for a custom order. I loves me my 80-count Merino.

And since it’s ECF.. why not a cat picture?

He doesn’t look too pleased, does he?

TGIF! I am so glad this week is over. Have a fabulous weekend!

Here it is! My first knitting FO of the year. Woohoo!

Pattern: My own (cuff down 3×1 rib with round heel)

Yarn: Opal Harry Potter yarn in Ron colorway

Needles: size 1US/2.25mm

Started: December 6, 2008

Finished; January 25, 2009

For the most part these were a relaxing knit. The part that was not so relaxing was the yarn vomit. I think I’ll either rewind my sock yarn or work from the outside of the ball from now on.

In the end, I was saved from the tangled mess by my friend Mary (sadly blogless) on Saturday, when she kindly rewound it all by hand. Isn’t she a sweetie? But wouldn’t you know that I finished the socks the very next night. Ain’t it always that way?

Another little thing I finished is a necklace to match some earrings I made for a customer.

In my brain dead state, I couldn’t remember all of the crystals I used on the earrings. It turns out I didn’t use all the same colors as the earrings. It’s a good thing my customer is a sweetheart and loves it anyway.

I also finished plying all those singles yesterday. I washed them and they’re drying as we speak, so hopefully I’ll be able to blog about them, as well as two other skeins,  on Friday.

Speaking of fiber, I may have fallen rather hard during Hungry For Handspun’s shop update yesterday. I’m still recovering from the shock of it.

Even Quincy took to hiding from the impact of the fall from fiber restraint.

Happy Hump Day, everyone! Be good to yourselves!

I’ve been working on the Harry Potter socks (Ravelry) in bits and pieces, here and there, now and then. As you can see, progress is being made.

I have turned the heel on the second sock! *fist pump* Now there’s just 8 inches of foot left to do before I hit the toe.

Did I say “just” 8 inches?

Blargh.

My motivation is hampered.

Why? Because of this.

There we have Grade A yarn vomit. I keep meaning to wind that mess into a cake, but I am daunted. Daunted by the task of untangling the gnarly knots. So many gnarly knots! I cringe from them.

At least there’s the Clapotis. I worked on it during football Sunday and it’s growing at a decent pace.

Do you see it? There are dropped stitches going on! Want a closer look? Otay!

I’m still not sure how the overall effect will be like, but I’m really enjoying the process. I’ve also reconciled myself to the fact that it looks like snakeskin. (Hai, Becky!) In fact, I’m rather fond of the comparision.

I’ve put the Clapotis on the backburner until those Harry Potter socks are done. I’m hoping this will motivate me into demonic speed knitting. Beware my glowing red eyes.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I have many opportunities over this past weekend to knit not only at home, but in public. The fruits of my labor are a completed pair of socks.

socks for kai

Pattern:  my own 64 st 2×2 rib

Yarn: Universal Ditto; Color No. 4813

Needles: Size US1 / 2.25mm

Started: October 20, 2008

Finished: December 6, 2008

detail shot

Although I like the colors, I’m not much of a Ditto fan. The yarn is rather scratchy and it’s also splitty. I do like the way it stripes. I don’t often get a nice stripe on self-striping yarn and I don’t like it when yarn pools.

another detail shot

I knit these socks for Kai because she likes handknit socks. Not as a birthday present or as Christmas present. This is a “because you’re my friend and you don’t have enough handknit socks and I need to not knit anymore socks for me” present.

Next on my needles are more socks for yet another friend. He picked out some Harry Potter sock yarn in the Ron colorway. I decided to change things up and do a 3×1 rib instead of my boring 2×2 rib. The reason they look small for a guy is because it’s not for him.

harry potter sock yarn in ron

So, yes. Hard to believe, but I’m still knitting. :-)

Happy Wednesday everyone!