Done!

I finished my pair of the socks that Zonda and I are working on for the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair. Which means I've finally knit up one of the skeins of Wollmeise yarn that I've been hording in my stash. The Wollmeise knit up very nice and I'm looking forward to using more. I had almost enough yarn left over for another complete pair of socks. I could certainly knit a pair of footies with what was left over - or even a pair on knee-highs with the whole skein. But I don't really wear long socks.

This pair of socks is really pretty basic, but I did use a short row toe for the first time. I really like the process. It seemed to make the whole toe knit up a lot faster. Maybe it was because I didn't have to fiddle around with casting onto more than one needle.

The only problem I had with the short row toe was the provisional cast-on. Well, it wasn't really a problem with the cast on because I didn't use a provisional cast-on because I don't know how.

Instead of trying to learn one, I just did a simple cast on and knit several rows with a different yarn in the same weight. I figured it really wouldn't be too difficult to get the other yarn out when it was time to unzip the provisional cast-on .

It turned out to be just a little more of a hassle than I thought. I cut the first couple rows of the waste yarn. Then I tried to unravel the remaining rows.

It took a little more time to get those rows out - but once I did get the frogging started I was able to get the stitches on the second needle and begin knitting the foot of my sock. I really liked being able to cast on enough stitches for half the sock onto one needle. It saved all the fiddling I normally have to do to keep the stitches on the needles in the beginning.

Using short rows for the toes created a very nice seamless edge. I liked that too. I plan on using the short row toe more often. I just have to learn a true provisional cast-on.

Project Info

Yarn: Wollmeise Rhabarber
color: Rhabarber - skein 160 - 86 grams used
Needles: addi TURBO Lace - US# 1 (2.5 mm)
Stitch Pattern: garter rib
Notes: toe-up using a short row toe and short row heel; knit using two circular needles toe-up on two circular needles, 64 stitches per round; 74 grams yarn leftover

A Well Deserved Thank you and Something a Bit Unusual

I'm in Austin on a trip for work this week, but need to give a big Thank You to Zonda! She sent me a nice little rak that arrived last week. She sent me some leftover sock yarn so I can make another square for the Leftovers Afghan I'm making. I believe this yarn is some leftover Socks that Rock in a Christmas color. She also sent a handy tape measure, some cool stitch markers, and a sample of a wool wash I've never tried. Thank you so much!

I brought the yarn with me on the trip, but so far I haven't any knitting time except on the plane on the way out to Austin. I'm working on the matching socks that Zonda and I have planned for the upcoming wool festival.

My seat mate on the plane found the whole sock knitting thing rather interesting and got a small introductory lesson on sock construction. He claimed he found it interesting - it was fun to talk about it anyway.

I'm busy at work here in Austin, but I can't complain too much because my primary role is conference photographer. The company I work for won't pay for a real photographer and since I have a camera I got volunteered.

I don't mind really at all though. It is much better than sitting behind a registration desk for days or doing website demos for attendees. I get to wonder around a little bit too.

This photo is of some interesting flowers that the hotel has in a vase in the middle of the lobby. They are some of the wildest flowers I've ever seen. I have no idea what they are called or where they grow. They remind me of something out of a Dr. Seuss boo though.

Well my break is over for now, I'll see if I can get any more interesting photos to share later.

Fiber Fridays - Color Explosion

Yarn Details
Brand: Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Yarn Name: Socks That Rock - medium weight
Color: Chapman Springs
Fiber Content: 100% superwash merino wool
Skein Weight: 5.5 ounces
Yardage: 380 yards
Online: Website

Fiber Friday - Johannisbeer und Brennessel

I'll be casting on this weekend for my socks to take to SAFF with a skein of Wollmeise, so I've decided to show another skein of Wollmeise hiding in the stash. This is a seasonal color called Johannisbeer und Brennessel.

Yarn Details
Brand: Wollmeise
Yarn Name: sockenwolle
Color: Johannisbeer und Brennessel
(currents and stinging nettles)
Fiber Content: 100% superwash wool
Skein Weight: 150 grams
Yardage: 574 yards
Online: Website / Blog

What to Knit Next?

Well I'm about to find out what I'll be knitting next with a simply draw from a hat. Zonda and I will be travelling to the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair together at the end of October and have been joking around about challenging each other to either finish our Weekend Getaway Satchels or to knit some fabulous socks with the skein of Wollmeise Rhabarber we each have in time to have the project finished for the festival.

We decided on knitting the socks. The problem came when we had to pick a pattern. We were able to decide that a pattern with ribbing would be the way to go and Zonda came up with several great choices.

The problem was we couldn't decide which ribbing pattern to knit. We were both kinds of wishy washy about the whole thing. So we have decided to leave the choice up to chance and draw out of a hat.

In order to be as fair and unbiased as possible - I found a totally impartial person to draw - my husband. Ready Z? And the pattern will be knitting is, drum roll please ......

Looks like we will be knititng socks with the garter rib stitch pattern from either of the Sensation Knitted Socks book. Now I just need to get busy and cast on. And, if you see two ladies wondering around SAFF with matching pink and green socks...it will probably be Zonda and me so come up and say hi.

The Nina Shawl

I finished the shawl on Saturday afternoon, just before the in-laws arrived for a two night visit. This is the first thing I've knit from cotton besides a few dishcloths and I have to say I love the feeling of the cotton. It is a little heavy, but it has a nice drape to it. I love the way cotton feels against my skin. It is not scratchy at all. It's too warm to use it here - but cool weather will come soon hopefully.

This was my first project that I've finished that has a Fair Isle section too (the white and blue checkerboard pattern on each end). I can't say it's my favorite technique, but it wasn't too hard. I am now encouraged to pick up the two projects I put down long ago when I got to the Fair Isle section in each of them. Hopefully I can finish those this year too.

I liked the pattern overall because it was easy. I didn't really check my gauge, but I came out about the same for the width of the shawl that the pattern specified. But the length was a whole different story. I could tell after knitting a couple of the stripe sections that my shawl was not going to end up being the 60 inches that the pattern promised.

So I added at least 72 rows into the stripes at various points along the way and ended up with a shawl that is 68 inches from ruffle to ruffle. Overall I am please with the length I ended up with; I can easily wrap up in it. I ended up doing the ruffle in the bright green color. The ruffle should have been blue according to the pattern layout, but I ran out of blue since I made the shawl longer.

I was able to get a few rows of the blue in at the beginning of the ruffle though. The ruffle on one end was knit by picking up stitches from the cast on edge. You can see (on the right side - where the blue meets the light green) how I ended up with twisted stitches when I picked up stitches for the ruffle. The left side shows the other ruffle that didn't require picking up stitches. It may be strange but I like the "detail" of the twisted stitches - I should have done it on both sides .


Project Info
Pattern: Nina Shawl by Phyllis Howe
from Mason Dixon Knitting
Yarn: King Tut Cotton
color: #500 blue (2 skeins), #2750 ivory (1 skein),
1042 light green (3 skeins), #2560 bright green (3 skeins)
each skein: 100 grams / 182 yards
Needles: addi TURBO - US# 7 (4.5 mm)
Notes: added more than 72 rows to the original pattern in various points of the striping pattern and the finished shawl is only 8 inches longer than the finished length stated in the pattern
Finished Length: 68 inches
Finished Width: 23 inches
Date Started: July 19, 2007
Date Finished: August 25, 2007

Fiber Friday - Raku-Regenbogen

Yarn Details
Brand: Wollmeise
Yarn Name: sockenwolle
Color: Raku-Regenbogen (raku - rainbow glaze; a type of pottery glaze)
Fiber Content: 100% superwash wool
Skein Weight: 150 gramsYardage: 574 yards
Online: Website / Blog

I love raku pottery so the name of this color drew me in from the start. The colors made it a definite purchase, now I'm just trying to decide to what to cast on with this yarn. Socks are a posibility, but there is Elemmaciltor's Monte Carlo Scarf that is getting my attention too.

I should be back to more regular blogging next week. I had oral surgery this week and just haven't felt up to doing any posting.

Fiber Friday - Fat Sock

Yarn Details

Brand: Hello Yarn
Name: Fat Sock
Color: Hidden
Fiber Content: 100% superwash merino wool
Skein Weight: 70 grams
Yardage: 170 yards
Online: Website / Blog / Shop

Notes: I have two skeins of this yarn and am looking foward to using it. It is so soft and squishy. The little sheep came in the box with the yarn.

Leftovers, Snippets, and Scraps

Every knitting project I complete leaves me with some amount of leftover yarn. In some cases dealing with the leftover yarn is easy. When I knit my Clapotis, I ended up with only a couple of inches of yarn left over and it was easy just to toss away the remaining scraps.

But in some cases I just don’t know what to do with the leftover yarn. There seems to be this inner pack rat in me that won’t let the scraps go. Instead theses scraps are getting wound up into balls and placed in baskets, bowls, and vases all around my craft room. I know some of it will never be used, but how much yarn needs to be leftover to be worth saving?

Lizard Ridge left me with a bucket full of leftovers balls of yarn in various sizes and colors. I did save all of these and hope to some day knit a crazy colored felted bag or cushion cover with the project remnants – perhaps even using the pattern from the Lizard Ridge afghan.

I have found a use for my Sock knitting leftovers. I always end up with varying amounts of yarn left after knitting a pair of socks. It all depends on the yarn I start out with, the pattern I’m using, and the size socks I’m knitting. It does seem though, that I am always left with a good amount of yarn, too much really to just casually toss into the trash. So I came up with a plan for my leftover sock yarn. I’ll be knitting squares with the leftovers for an afghan. Knitting baby booties and hats would also be a nice thing to do with the sock yarn leftovers.

But larger projects I find are leaving me with anywhere from a few yards to a couple of extra skeins. When I knit Wicked earlier this year I bought a few extra skeins of yarn because it was my first sweater and I had heard it was a good idea. It was a good idea too. I ended up needing some of that extra yarn but ended up with two full skeins and a partial left over.

Now, I’m not going to throw out two untouched skeins of yarn, but I don’t want a matching scarf or hat. Maybe I can knit a scarf or hat as a gift. Possibly I can give away or trade any full skeins and they can become someone else's delima. But what about the partial skein? Is it okay to throw away a half a skein of yarn? I don’t really imagine using it for anything, but I feel bad just tossing out 50 yards of yarn. How much is too much to simply toss out?

What got me thinking about all this is I’m currently knitting a shawl in four different colors of mercerized cotton and realized I will end up with a full skein of one color and partial skeins of the other colors when I’m finished. I don’t really want to save any of it. I just want to toss it out. But I decide to see what you do with your scraps before I do the whole baby and bath water thing. So, what do you do with the leftover yarn after a project is complete?

Fiber Friday - Rittersporn

Yarn Details
Brand: Wollmeise
Yarn Name: sockenwolle
Color: Rittersporn (delphinium - knight spur)
Fiber Content: 100% superwash wool
Skein Weight: 150 grams
Yardage: 574 yards
Online: Website / Blog

Fiber Friday - Worry Doll

When I bought this yarn I realized that one of the reasons that I am drawn to hand-dyed yarn from small production dyers is the color names they come up with. I like seeing that their creativity continues past the dye pot. I like reading a color name and being able to see where the inspiration for certain color combinations come from. It kind of lets you see into more of the whole process than just looking at a finished skein of pretty yarn.


This color is called Worry Doll - and isn't that a perfect name? The colors seem to move through the skein in short vibrant bursts. The colors are totally reminiscent of those little dolls from Guatemala that are made and decorated with bright colorful bits of thread and cloth.


The worry dolls often come as a set in a little box. You are supposed to tell each little doll a worry and place in in the box and the worry will disappear. I've decided that this will apply to my skein of namesake yarn too. I can tell my yarn a worry with each stitch I knit and the worries will disappear.

I mean would you rather knit with a color called Worry Doll or 2763?

Yarn Details
Brand: Hello Yarn
Yarn Name: Hand-dyed sock
Color: Worry Doll
Fiber Content: superwash merino wool
Skein Weight: 4 oz.
Yardage: 295 yards
Care: wash cold / air dry

Four Day Socks and a Spare Square

Four days, so far that is my record for knitting a pair of socks. Granted, it was a very simple pattern, but I do have a complete pair of socks and that's what counts. It really felt good to finish a project that quickly, especially a pair of socks. The nice thing is that the self striping yarn makes the socks look a little more involved than they really were.

This is the first time I used a short row heel. I need to work on getting the wraps finished better so the heel looks a little neater. But overall, I have to give the short rows a great big HOORAY! They were actually very easy to complete. Plus, I just really like the way a short row heel looks.

I usually knit my socks toe-up with gusset increases and a heel flap. This time I omitted the gusset increases and use a short row heel. I think leaving out all those increase rows really saved some time - at least it did in my mind. I have read that a sock with a short row heel and no gusset increases can be a little tight to pull on over the heel. I didn't have that problem with this pair.

I have several pairs worth of striping yarn stashed away. Those stashed skeins will be great for trying out new construction techniques combined with very simple ribbing patterns. I think the next technique to try out is a short row toe.

I also used some of the leftover yarn to knit a square for my Hip to be Square Afghan. The square is unblocked as of now, I'll wait until I get several to pull out the blocking board.

I still have enough yarn for one more square. I'm able to get a sock and square from each of the 50 gram skeins. This square weighs in at a whopping 12 grams. I need to start swapping for leftover sock yarn to make more squares.

I've got a total of six squares knit up so far. I figure I need at least 30-35 squares to make a small baby sized blanket, so I've got a ways to go before anything happens with the squares.

Project Info
Yarn: Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett
color: 4251 - storm
skein 50 grams / 210 meters - 2 skeins used
Needles: addi TURBO Lace - US# 1 (2.5 mm)
Stitch Pattern: 4x2 ribbing
Date Started: July 25,
Date Finished: July 29, 2007
Notes: short row heel, toe-up on two circular needles, long tail cast on over two needles (10 stitches per needle), 60 stitches per round
Date Started: July 25, 2007
Date Finished: July 29, 2007

Fiber Friday - Unikat

I really like the colors of the yarn in this mix. The colors are really the main reason that this yarn ended up in my stash. They just seem really rich and vibrant. The yarn does have a nice feel to it. It isn't too scratchy, It isn't the softest thing I've ever felt, but I do think that I could wear it close to the skin.



I'm not quite sure what I'll do with this yet. Most of the time when I see this yarn online the advertisement mentions that it is great felting yarn. I'm not so sure what I would knit for felting with it, but I only have about 350 yards total. Maybe that would make a small pillow or cushion cover. Maybe a pair of mitten, I think I have a pattern for felted mittens somewhere.


Yarn Details
Brand: Zitron
Yarn Name: Unikat
Color: #7
Fiber Content: Merino Wool
Skein Weight: 100g
Yardage: 175 yds
Care: Hand Wash & Dry Flat
Notes: single ply, feltable

Keeping it Simple

Well, it was time to start a new project after finishing Wicked. I went to the spare bedroom closet (where the yarn lives) to take a look in the stash for some inspiration. I found some King Tut cotton that I dug out of a clearance bin back in January. I purchased the yarn for the Nina Shawl from the Mason Dixon Knitting book.

The cotton made it sound like a light summer project so I wound up the skeins and cast on. The other reason I decide to try this project is the small amount of Fair Isle on each end of the shawl. I have two stalled projects that both involve color work. One of the stalled projects is the Color on Color Scarf from Scarf Style and the other is the Weekend Getaway Satchel that appeared in IK. Both projects stalled at the time the color work began. I really would like to get those projects out and finish them, but I've been avoiding them because of the Fair Isle. So, I figured I needed a project with a smaller amount of Fair Isle that I could complete that would encourage me to drag the old projects back out.

There are only two sections of Fair Isle in this shawl and both are a few rows of a simple checker board pattern. The first one went okay over all. My stitches seem a little too tight and pull together slightly. I'm hoping that is will bock out a little bit once the shawl if finished. I decided not to frog it and instead I'll try to knit a little bit less tight on the other end.

I really like working with the cotton so far. It does split a little, but its not nearly as hard on my hands as I thought it might be. It is so much nicer than the dish cloth cotton I've used before. I think I'm going to have to consider knitting with cotton a lot more often. Do you have a favorite cotton yarn?

Fiber Friday - Wollmeise Part II

I've decided to share some pictures of another skein of the fabulous Wollmeise sockenwolle. This lovely color is called Suzanne and it is 100% super wash wool. The skein weighs 150 grams and is about 574 yards. That could make some long socks!


All this sock yarn makes me want to cast on for a new pair of socks. But I've kind have been in a knitting slump. I haven't really been knitting much this week at all. I haven't really done any knitting at all since finishing up Wicked. Maybe it is is the heat and the idea of wool that are just not sitting with me well at this point.

I'm really trying to decide what project to pick up next. I've got my STR blanket that I could work on and then there are those pesky man socks. Those damn socks keep eyeing me from the bottom of the knitting basket where I tried to hide them. I really need to finish those up. If for no other reason than to release the needles that are stuck in them. Ah, I'll figure something out.

Where do the Socks Go After the Knitting is Done?

It all started with Bezzie, who tagged Kay, who then tagged Zonda, who finally tagged me to show my sock drawer. My socks actually occupy one of the smallest drawers in my dresser. I need to clean out the dresser because I've got a whole drawer of t-shirts that need to sent off to the rag basket in the laundry room.

Some of my hand knit socks have migrated to a small Rubbermaid container that stays in the closet. I don't wear a lot of socks. I do buy those really short white ankle socks that I wear with my tennis shoes/sneakers. I have my hand knit socks and then a few odd pair of socks thrown in for good measure. The tabi socks are from Japan and I wear them with my flip flops on chilly days. I need to knit a pair of tabi socks sometime.

So, if you feel up to it, snap and share a picture of where your socks live!

Wicked is Finished!

This project is finally ready for a done stamp! I finished the sleeves and the weaving in all the loose ends last night. As you can see, I knit the long sleeve version. I used a worsted weight yarn and skipped the pocket on the front on the sweater.

I never really did get the right gauge according to the pattern specifications. My knitting was just too tight to get gauge. The pattern called for US #7 needles and I ended up using US #8s. I didn't really want to go up another needle size because I liked the fabric I was getting. I thought going up another size might make the fabric too loose.

So I decided to cast on for a larger size. I figured that would be okay since this sweater is knit from the top down and I could try it on as I went and make adjustments as needed.

Almost all the finished versions of this sweater I've seen show a nice form fitted sweater. My version fits more like an old baggy sweatshirt. I realized when I separated the sleeves from the body and tried it on for the first time that it was going to be big.

I think the odd thing is that for the size I cast on for (52-55"), the pattern called for 11oo yards of yarn. I ended up using about 1300 yards (with no pocket) and ended up with a sweater two sizes smaller (44-47").

I do have a couple of very important lessons to take away from knitting my first sweater. The first one is that everyone is right - gauge does matter; take the time and get it right. The second is I really need to learn about ease and knitting a sweater to fit me.

The good news is that I can always cozy up with this sweater on a cold night. It will be much better than wearing it outside in July in 90+ degree weather to get a picture. I now know what Sherman feels like on these days!

Project Info
Pattern: Wicked from Zephyr Style
Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino; color # 114
12.5 skeins used
Needles: addi TURBO -US# 8 (5 mm)
Pattern Size: 52-55"
Finished Size: 47"
Pattern Modifications: I knit the long sleeve version and left off the pocket.

Fiber Friday - Rhabarber

That's rhubarb to all of us that don't read German. This yarn was sent to me all the way from Germany from the Wollmeise herself. The picture here shows the sock yarn and a skein of merino wool both in the Rhabarber colorway. I thought I'd show both together so you could see how the different yarn bases take the same dye colors. The sock yarn comes out much more vibrant.

This yarn is part of an order I placed a while ago from Rohrpatz and Wollmeise. If you haven't seen Claudia's hand dyed yarn, you should have a look. The website also displays some iron work, so just click on the yarn, select english, and enjoy the color.

The merino lambswool is worsted weight and comes in a 100 gram hank and has about 200 meters. You can see it is one ply with a slight twist. It's pretty soft. and is handwash only. I have three hanks of this and I am currently trying to decide what to make.

There are about 40 different color combinations that are avaialble, plus a couple seasonal selections. You can get sample skeins of any color in the worsted weight. I ordered a whole set of the sample skeins so I could see all the colors in person for future orders. I'll share some photos of those on another day. You can see a sample skein on one of the wrapped packages of yarn to the left. The order arrived wrapped up and decorated like that - it wa slike getting a gift.

You can order the colors in light, medium, and dark intensity. I went for meduim to dark selections. She also has laceweight yarn. I didn't get any of the lace weight this time; I had to save something for later.

I can't forget the sock yarn of course. The scok yarn also comes in all the colors too. It is a superwash 100% wool. Each skein is 150 grams and about 574 yards! That is a lot of yardage. I'm really looking forward to tring it out. The color is what convinced me to give it a try. Zknitter has a beautiful skein she's ready to knit up into some fabulos socks. I think that the Wollmeise is fast becoming the new pet rock. I've heard that soon you will be able to order the sock yarn from the Loopy Ewe.

The sock yarn does have a nice twist and you can dance to it. Or at least the colors make me want to dance. I have five more colors of the sock yarn that I'll save to share another day.