Mega Socks

I couldn't find the ball band, and finally had to go to the yarn store to find out what kind of wool these are made of (ok, ok, I could have looked it up on the web, but there was a warehouse sale at my lys, soooo... )



Meilenweit Mega Boots by Lana Grossa, # 713. I love this yarn because not only does it slowly morph from one colour to another, but it's plied with two colours: one that is consistent throughout (in this case, green), and another strand that changes. It creates a colour depth that is hard to photograph. You'll just have to take my word for it, this stuff is beeeyooootifuuul.


Because they're knit from one ball, it's hard to have them start at the same point in the colourway without wasting a lot of yarn. So you end up with socks that are fraternal twins rather than identical. I think it adds to their charm, but some people might go crazy trying to "match" them.

In other knitting news, I've finally reached the lacy border section on the Icarus shawl, which means that there is light at the end of this dark, black, never-ending lace weight tunnel. I can't wait to put this baby on the stretcher for a bit of blocking torture, medieval style.

And I like it too!

Here's a bit of Irish spring green to liven up your St. Patty's day:


One of my all-time favourite scarves. Super easy to make. Take two balls of self-stripping yarn in the same colourway (I used Noro Kureyon). Alternate two rows of one ball with the other, making sure you start in a different coloured part for the second ball. Mine is in rib (k1,p1) to avoid curled edges. It took 4 balls in all. Ta-da! Easy-peasy stripey scarf.



Green socks in progress. Oops, can't find the ball band... It's that lovely stuff that subtly changes colours as you go. I'll tell ya later when I find it.



Filatura di Grignasco Tango (50% wool, 25% alpaca, 25% viscose) in shade 221, a lovely moss green with flecks of blue and brown. It has the same tweedy, soft texture and weight as Rowan's Felted Tweed, but since I got it from the bargain bin, it was much more aligned with my meagre budget. I think I might have enough to make this with it:



Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my Guinness...

Out of the pool and into the birdbath

I finished the now pool-free Koigu socks.


Knit with Koigu's KPPPM, in #P309 colourway, which I call sparrow, because the soft browns remind me of this resilient little bird.


Appropriate because these socks are going to my friend Kelly, an avid birdwatcher. Her boyfriend is planning a surprise birthday party for her tonight and it's my job to get her out of the house while the guests arrive. I'm taking her to our local natural history museum to see a new bird exhibition. She won't suspect a thing...

Mining the past

My vacation continues, and though I'm faithfully plugging along on the Icarus shawl, there's really nothing interesting to show. It still looks like a big black scribble. I've officially entered the "will this ever end?" stage of the project.

So instead, I'll show you something from my blogless past, knit sometime last year:


Behold the hallowed Birch shawl, from Rowan issue #34, knit with Kid(Crack) Silk Haze, in a gorgeous teal blue colour enigmatically named "Trance".


This project marks a bunch of firsts for me: my first shawl, my first lace project, my first taste of the narcotic that is KSH and my first real understanding of the miraculous powers of blocking.

Though I find the points too long and am never sure what to do with them, I really LOVE this shawl. It's warm and light, the colour suits me, and I'm really proud that I stuck with it to the end.


I have to admit that casting on 299 stitches was daunting, especially since I had to do it, oh, say, six or seven times till I got the hang of the pattern. I kept screwing up a couple of rows into it, making mistakes and not being able to figure out where I had gone off the rails (damn you, tricky yarn over!) So I'd riiiiiip the whole thing out and start again.

And again.


Till I got a clue and put stitch markers between each "leaf". I immediately knew if something was off at the end of every ten stitch repeat. Sure it was a bit of a pain to have so many markers, but totally worth it.

For stitch markers, I like using ouchless mini hair elastics, which are cheap, smooth, light and have the added bonus of being easy to cut out if you mistakenly knit one into your work. I'm also partial to their pretty jelly colours.

Not much to look at yet

I'm in the middle of a 2 week impromptu vacation (I had a bunch of overtime I needed to use up before the end of the fiscal year) and I'm in heaven. Tons of knitting, pots of tea, books on tape, cross-country skiing, walks in the woods. Balms for the soul.

Curiously, this break hasn't yielded interesting blogging fodder. Mainly because I've been s l o w l y trudging on the Icarus shawl from Interweave Knits Summer 2006, and despite clocking major knitting hours, it is not growing at a rate that is visible to the human eye. But I trust that in time and with the miracles of blocking, a shawl will materialize. One day.


As long as I don't go blind first. Knitting in BLACK LACEWEIGHT sure is tough on the peepers! I can barely see my stitches in the inky depths of black misti baby alpaca (I didn't choose this, I'm knitting it for a friend's wife). Thanks goodness for my Ott-lite!

Stop whining and try try again

A few posts ago I was kvetching about variegated yarn that pools instead of stripes. I've just learned the painful lesson that it's probably not the yarn's fault.

I was showing a heavily pooled sock to another knitter at this month's Knitting Guild meeting.

Here's one side, where all the reds and blues decided to party:


There's the other side, where the wallflower browns were hiding:


She asked:
"Are you knitting those for your husband?"
"Umm, no, they're for me"
"Is there a reason why they're so freakishly wide?"
"Er, no"
"You know, if you cut down the number stitches, the yarn probably wouldn't pool that way"
" Uhhh, yah"

That's what you get for following a generic sock "recipe" while completely disregarding yarn thickness and without swatching (What? swatching for socks? Don't be silly. I've knit dozens of socks! I'm waaay beyond swatching for socks. Swatching is for amateurs!)

Pride cometh before the fall.

Of course, I'd already finished the first sock, and was 3/4 of the way through the second so I really didn't want to rip them out.

But you know, sometimes the yarn deserves better. Especially this yarn. Koigu. I'm apparently not worthy.


Look at the difference FOUR stitches make. Now it's all heathery and delicate. I'm in love.

Why I kept on knitting after the suckfest of the first sock is beyond me.

Breaking the heathens down, one handknit at a time

When my elegant, long-limbed friend and co-worker Caroline complained that the sleeves on her new coat were too short, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to infect her with fiberitis. I see it as my mission in life to convert as many people as possible to the holy church of knitting. And I've managed, with the expert help of Judith, the High Priestess of Fleece here at work, to bring several colleagues over to the dark side through our incessant flaunting of handknit sweaters, lacy shawls, yummy socks and stripey scarves. We now have several devoted initiates and a regular Friday lunch stitch&bitch. But somehow, Caroline's immune system has been strong, and she has resisted all our attempts to pull her into yarnoholism.

Well my friends, I sense that her defences may be breaking down.


I knit her these warm wristlets using a modified version of this lovely pattern by Cheryl Niamath for Knitty. I just skipped the thumb part and knit a straight tube.


To improve my odds of a successful conversion, I used the squishiest, softest yarn I could find: Mission Falls (Canadian, yay!) Aran weight Merino Superwash Wool in Damson (a endlessly deep, lush plum colour). My next move will be to leave Rowan patterns and my "crack-silk haze" Birch lying around the office. That'll finish her off!

(Some of you more observant readers will note that the wristlets were not in my original 12 UFO list. Yep, I added another project to the pile. In my defense, I felt that it was justified if it meant saving another soul from wool perdition. Back to your regularly scheduled program shortly...)