And the sock goes on

I am really almost finished the leg of the Dark Isle Socks. Just a few more rows before I start the ribbing. I can't wait I can put on this sock. The disadvantage of knitting a sock toe up, with DPNs is that I can't fit my foot through the DPNs to try it on. I've had to switch it over to circular needles to make sure it would fit my foot.

If I try these socks again, I'm going to go back to a 1.5US DPNS but increase the foot width to like 68 or 72 sts OR use the 2US DPNs for the entire sock and go back to the 1.5US for the zig zag portions.

I'm currently sitting here impatiently for the next yarn shipment for the sock club, which should be here in just over a week.

What is done, is done

I got home to more yarn and I finished the Ernie Socks within a couple hours. I'm gifting them to my Aunt. She was grinning like a banshee when I asked her to try it on.

I'm going to cast on the Dark Isle socks, hopefully tonight after I cake them. I can't wait to get started.

Note to self: Always Check

Imagine my dismay as I'm sitting on the bus from Toronto to Hamilton, working on my Ernie's, when I look inside my sock bag and discover that I don't think I have enough yarn to finish this sock! I have 1.5 repeats before starting the toe but I think that's going to be tight.

I do have the rest of the yarn at home, in my Blankie bag waiting to be turned into a square. I'm most likely going to have to siphon some off and use it for the sock.

This is what happens when you just throw knitting projects into the backpack without checking them first.

I had a visit with an optometrist today. Haven't done that for quite sometime.. I found out that not only do I have keratoconus (yes I had to google it to spell it correctly) which I have known for quite some time, I have astigmatism in my right eye. I have to get glasses and that bothers me less than most people would think. I'm actually looking forward do it :) I got the glasses all picked out!

Better late then never

You know when you get so distracted, you forget to do the things you have planned for the day, that you do everyday? Yeah, that just happened to me. I noticed 5 minutes ago, that I didn't update but considering blogger marks it's time by pacific, no one should notice the difference.

Today, I had planned to show what sock pattern I wanted to do with my gradient yarn but as I type this now, I remembered that I had mentioned this yesterday. So today, I will show a picture of the yarns selected to do it with. There's a good chance that I'll cast on sometime next week.

I'm finally on somewhat of a roll with the Ernie Socks so I suspect it won't take much longer to finish...phewf!

Just a little bit longer

I think I've done 3 repeats more on the Ernie Socks and that means just one more before the heel flap. I think once I make it to there, I'll finally feel like I'm making real progress with these socks. I don't think I'm ever going to do these ones again. While they do remind me very much of my BFF Socks, which I love very much, they are just not as interesting to me. So that now cuts out the guarantee of making both pairs for each delivery.

As for the sock yarn I was dying, step 1 was completed by this morning and looked exactly like how I wanted it to. Step 2/3 went well as well. Step 4? Not so much. It's not turning out the way I had planned, or more actually, the colour I was expecting is not what's on the yarn. I'm debating if I should try to do an over dye, or leave it as is. I'm giving it a few more hours for the rest of the dye to soak in, before I make up my mind.

Potential yarn name number 2? One in Two. Yeah, I'm not really feeling that one myself.

Snooze

I've got 4 more repeats of the Ernie Socks before I reach the heel flap. This has been a LONG process. I think the only reason I'm continuing is because I already finish the first sock and I can't just rip it out now. I'm still debating if I should hand over the finished product to my aunt who's foot is the same size as me. It depends as to if the socks will end up being disliked when finished.

Definitely enjoyed today

I got a little bit of everything done today. I got some jeans tailored, I went to the gym, I handed out a couple of resumes, I ate turkey wings and I went to the second knitting circle.

The best part of that knitting circle is that I got to see T! T's the one who showed me how to knit socks. I haven't seen her face to face since before she went on maternity leave. Her son is 1 now, so that tells you something. I did a bit more on the Ernie Socks while there. I'm still kinda meh about them but I am determined to finish them.

No pic of the sock progress tonight but I will show a dress I tried on today that I really want to buy!

It took until the afternoon

I didn't start the second sock of the Ernie Socks until like 3 this afternoon. It's like I was trying to avoid the second sock. I did 1 and a half repeats of the leg pattern. It may go faster this time around.

One down, one to go

I finally finished one sock of the Ernie socks. The second sock will be cast on tomorrow. I still don't love them like I do the Newton socks but that could also be because I got spoilt with the MCN Sock Yarn from Indigodragonfly. Despite the fact Julep has the same properties as the MCN Sock (Merino 80%/Nylon 10%/Cashmere 10%), the MCN feels so much softer. Maybe the Julep sock will feel differently once it gets washed.

On the dyeing side, for March Challenge is gradient dyeing. I'm going to use the Nekkid Muscadine from Springtree Road. I was going to save it for the Tree of Life sock but as of yet, I still haven't gotten the book and no one has replied to the email so I'm assuming I won't be able to get the book that way.

Anywho, back to the yarn. The plan so far is a multi step process:
1) dye skein in light yellow
2) cake yarn in 50g parts
3) dye outer part of yarn in orange
4) re-cake yarn
5) dye outer part in red
6) re-cake
7) using a syringe, deposit some purple in the middle of the cake.

Hopefully, all of that will create a one of a kind one way gradient. I'll use that along with another Muscadine sock yarn to do another colour work sock.

Status update on the cookies: out of 48 cookies, there are less than 10 remaining. What the heck is up with the people in my house?

Slow progress

These Ernie socks are taking such a long time. I'm still on the gusset; the same gusset as 2 days ago. I'm trying I give myself some motivation to work faster. The faster I finish these socks, the faster I can do something else like the Rick socks which I had attempted last year January. We'll see how that works.

Tomorrow's going to be a cookie day. Non pecan pecan Sandies again :)

I didn't intentionally miss 2 days

But it seems to be a pattern since I missed a day close to the end of January as well. This time, the app was refusing to publish or even save it as a draft.

Anywho, the cookies were a grand success. I came home yesterday to see my brother with a saucer, taking out some cookies. I asked how many were left, hoping that I would have some to take to the knitting circle.

He left 3 cookies.

How can your share 3 cookies for 10 people? You don't. By the time I came home from knitting circle, the plate washed, the stove was cleared and there were not even any crumbs left. So sorry to the transparent and the best friend. I'm going to make another batch next week once I get more ingredients.

The Ernie socks are definitely not going as quickly as the Newtons but I think it's an unfair comparison as it is. I've turned the heel and I'm working on the gusset so it shouldn't be too long to finish this sock.

I'm trying to breakdown a general time line for knitting socks:
- 2-3 days for the cuff and leg
- 1 day for the heel flap and turn heel
- 1 day for the gusset
- 2 days for the foot and toe

That works out to 6-7 days for 1 sock.

On another note, I got this idea running around in my head for a Sims neighbourhood. I may do an entry for it tomorrow.

Today was pretty much a bust

I didn't accomplish any of the goals I had in mind for the day. I still have half a repeat left before I reach the heel flap for the Ernie sock. In regards to the non-pecan pecan sandies, I softened the butter and discovered we have no eggs in the house. Colour me shocked and surprised.

I really didn't feel like knitting today there I didn't do as much as I wanted to accomplish. I have been knitting for almost 2 weeks straight, so I guess in the end that's not that bad.

I feel like writing though (this just happened like 5 minutes ago) it almost always works out for the best when it's about something I'm going through. There's already a tentative title called "Back-peddle". I think I'll have to go whip out the ol' netbook and have a go at it.

To bed, I said

I am so tired right now, I can barely stay awake. I did work a bit on the Ernie sock. I have two more repeats before the heel flap I believe. And I'm still on the time table to finish the flap by tomorrow night.

Tomorrow is also the big day to make the "Non-Pecan Pecan Sandies" which I have roped my cousin into helping with. As for the regular Pecan Sandies, I have a house to donate them to if I wish to make them. I haven't met a family with no allergies in so long, I forgot they existed.

I wonder how many socks I'll have by the end of the year

I guess I'm doing my entry a bit earlier today. I have the time and peace to do it now.

I worked a bit more on the Ernie sock a bit more. I calculated that I should need about 9 pattern repeats before the heel flap. I'm just past the 4th repeat. Maybe by Sunday I'll have that part done. I don't know what I'm going to do when I finish these socks. The next pattern doesn't come until April. Maybe I'll pick up the Slide pattern and do that one in the mean time.

I'm already planning for April. The plan is to use the club yarn for the first pair and perhaps finally use a skein of Tanis Blue. I guess now that it's not taking me as long to make a pair of socks, I can use my stash yarn.

It is finished!

I couldn't stay up last night to finish the toe of the Newtons. I picked them up first thing this morning and finished it up in no time flat. I put them on my sock blockers, took a few pictures and sent them to be washed. They are currently drying right now and look lovely. I can't wait to wear them.

I caked the the Julep sock yarn from Springtree Road, printed off the pattern for the Ernie and casted on. I've read that others say the Ernie pattern is easier; or more like easier to memorize and I think in time it will be. It's only an 8 row repeat as opposed to the Newton pattern which is 24. It's coming along nicely.

Since I've been working again with DPNs, I have been wanting to purchase more but I have requirements:
1) no metal or plastic
2) no bamboo
3) 5" long

Right now, that's leaving me with either the Harmony needles or or something else. I've been looking at the Dyak needles. Right now, the only thing I'm not liking is that wait time. Four to six months? I guess I could do it like an investment and get them in the mail, forgetting that I even ordered them.