Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Eighteen pairs of socks: pair number three and three a



The sock knitting continues and, during my recent trip to San Francisco, I managed to finish two pair of socks.

O.k, I actually pretty much started and finished two individual socks but each individual completed a pair.

First up, from the Eighteen Pair of Socks splurge, Beaded rib in Knit Picks Stroll, color Dusk. Made for sibling the eldest and a Squidette size foot. (Women's socks in this house get made in 2 sizes, Squidette size (woman's medium) and Mama Squid size (woman's large). If I ever knit for my aunt, I'll have to make them a bit larger.

And second, pair 3A. The pattern is Snowflake from the Knit Picks Into the Woods sampler knit in a yummy alpaca, mohair, romeldale blend that I picked up from Still River Mill. The label says "local harvest" but I don't think that that is a color name. I think it means that the fibers were all local. ( I know the picture is awful. The socks just don't seem to lend themselves to my limited photography skills. They seem to absorb all the light.) Intended feet: Squidette. These are meant to be a little felted to keep her toes warm while rowing in cold weather. I still have to do the fulling.
Pair four is now on the needles. Color is Peapod, pattern is Eyelet Rib. Intended feet: Sibling the youngest. (Yo brothers mine, if you want socks, speak up before all the manly colors are gone!)

Pair 5 goes on the needles this evening. Color is Springtime Tonal, pattern is Butterfly Garden. Intended feet: secret.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Home spun and home grown

At this year's New York State Sheep and Wool Festival I encouraged the kids to choose fiber for new sweaters. Squidette chose a really pretty blue-purplish fluff from Blackberry Mills. After it was spun up, we calculated, roughly, how many yards there were and went pattern searching.

The winner? Flame from Runway Knits. Modified. A lot. Shorter ribbing all around, by Squidette's request and other mods made necessary by the limited amount of yarn.

As I knit the sweater, I quickly realized that the cables were using a lot more yardage than I expected (I think the original yarn is a bit thicker than my homespun even though I was able to get gauge).

So I pondered . . . and modified the twists by adding 2 rows between each one. This stretched the yarn a bit and I was actually happier with the hand of the fabric.

The I started the sleeves. And quickly realized that, as written, even with my already imposed modifications (shorter ribbing and the extended cables) I was going to run short of yarn. So I reknit the first sleeve 5 times, narrowing it each time (making sure it would still fit after each modification). And then I knit the second sleeve -- even narrower. And reknit the first sleeve one last time.

I sewed the shoulders together with regular sewing thread and then knit the neck (again, much shorter than the pattern called for, by request) and then finished sewing up the seams, again, with regular sewing thread ... because I had far too little yarn left. Yarn left over -- about 2 yards. Phew!

And there you have it. Flame, knit from my own triple ply homespun on my own home grown Squidette. Aren't they lovely!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Twenty Years


Twenty years ago I said,

I do.

But my heart was given

long before.

As fireworks rose,

long years ago,

Two became one,

never to part.