Year of Projects: Week 45

I have apparently reached the point of my knitting life that it no longer bothers me to frog a project and start again.  Remember that free form project I had started last week? I was working on the gusset before I tried it on. Let's just say 72sts on a 1US needle where most of the pattern is stockinette is WAY too big.

So it was either keep it and have it too big after the cuff or rip it out and start again. I ended up opening up a sock knitting book, trying to figure out how to free form a pattern and coming up with the gauge. I ended up starting a pair of socks that I have wanted since I first saw them in the Sock Innovation book by Cookie A. Right now, it's a lot of ribbing...and more ribbing til 6.5". I think this will be an excellent time to catch up on tv watching.

I worked a bit on the Tree of Life socks and this time, I got the colour order right and I am loving them.

Yesterday (Saturday) was the 1st year anniversary of one of my LYS's, Handknit Yarn Studio. I did a quick setup to celebrate with this today after lunch and I took a couple of my cousins with me. I made sure to pick up a button they had made for the occasion and I added it to my knittin bag.

Year of Projects: Week 44

Guess what? I can use this again:

 ...although I doubt I'll come anywhere near this total.  I finished my Mint Twist socks on Sunday afternoon. I washed them on Tuesday and wore them to work by Wednesday. I barely gave them a chance to let the sit in the drawer.

I still want to make changes for the lower foot part of the pattern but I ADORE the Manos del Uraguay yarn to the point I will always be willing to add it to my stash.

I had to frog my Tree of Life socks this week. They did not fit. They did fit when half of the chart was finished but when the chart was finished, it couldn't make it past my heel. I had 2 options: try to turn them into gloves or frog it. 

After 15 minutes of admiring my work, I frogged it and I was surprised at how little yarn of each colour I had actually used. Two days later, I picked up the needles and started again on a larger sized needle.

I got my Standard Grab Bag for Rohrspatz & Wollmeise on Wednesday. Just getting the package makes it feel like it's your birthday. All I knew was that it would be 2 skeins of Twin (80% Merino/20% Polyamid) and one would be relatively solid.

I got home really late after work on Wednesday and saw the package on the table. Picking it up, I went to my room to go see what was in it. To extend the anticipation, I got changed for bed before I opened the package. I took out the little pack of gummy bears that's always sent (they are the best gummy bears I have ever had) and the went to look at the yarn.

 

They're both WD skeins, meaning that they didn't meet the exact colour that Wollmeise was trying to attain. The top one was intended to be Allergria and the bottom was supposed to be Sabrina. I think they both look awesome and are a wonderful addition to my stash.

Somehow on Thursday, I admired the new yarn do much, that I actually caked the Allegria WD and decided to free form a basic sock since the colourwork of the Tree of Life socks really isn't that basic.

I finished the 2x2 rib cuff and I am loving the colour pooling. Half the sock is hot pink and red and the other half is a yellowish orange. Absolutely cool.

Therapeutic

It was easier than I thought. Last update I had the revelation that my Tree of Life socks simply didn't fit. Instead of trying to change into mittens, I decided to bite the bullet and frog the entire think. 

It took a couple of days but I am starting it again with some adjustments. I'm doing the cuff in a 2US and the rest in a 2.5US. I hope it works better this time.

I got my grab bag order from Wollmeise. And now I want to do it again. I had no clue what the skeins would look like until I opened the package. 

The top skein is Allegria WD and the bottom is Sabrina WD. The normal Allegria has pink in it and this skein has very little if any. I think the Sabrina I supposed to be bluer. I'm starting to see a bit of green in it. I still don't know what I'm going to make with them but I was thinking of trying the Rick's again in either Sabrina WD or my skein of Elsa. One of them is still going to be saved for a pair of knee highs.

Rethinking a pattern

I still can't get the tension right for detailed colour work. I tried on the Tree of Life socks yesterday. It was a tight for but I got it on. Today, I tried it on again since I'm almost finished the leg chart. I couldn't even get it past my heel. So I can either attempt to turn it into a glove or rip back to the cuff, change it to a 2US needle and start again.

It does look nice on my arm though. Maybe I should make arm cuff of some sort.

Year of Projects: Week 42 & 43

It is right but it still doesn't look like what it's supposed to be. Welcome to the first picture of my Tree of Life socks. I love the colour combination. I love the knitting process. I even love my mistake of forgetting to what was colour A and what was coulour B thus turning sock 1 into an inversion of itself. It still looks beautiful! You just can't make out that it's a tree, over there on the right hand side of the sock. I know I have to wait until I finish the leg, or make it to about 2/3 of the way up the chart before it really makes it's appearance.

I spent most of this week however, working on my Mint Twist socks and as I'm typing this up, I am working on the toe. 

I am anxious to have them done so I can wear them.

I finally got my bag from Sew for Ewe and it's very much loved by me.

Everyone who sees it tells me "Cool lunch bag!" Not a lunch bag but a unique knitting bag.

This week I'm waiting for an order from Wollmeise which I believe will be my last order for awhile despite my wonderful stash growth.

Books and yarns and dyes

I had said previously how I was going to purchase the Tree of Life pattern once I had the money...$6.50 for the pattern, according to Ravelry. I pressed the button to pay for it, only to find out it is not for sale (someone needs to update that pattern page). The good news is, it took me to the designer's website where she had the BOOK with the pattern (yes the book that I have hunted high and low for) for sale. I didn't even hesitate and purchased the book. It is now on its way to my house and I am grinning like a loon. Now I'll have a lot more options for colour work socks :D

I had also said that I was going to dye the skeins for this project but I kind of changed my mind. I had made an earlier order from Springtree Road for a skein of Muscadine sock yarn in Late Dusk (a deep blue, almost navy) and Kohl (an almost black colour that I have been eyeing since the first purchase I made from Springtree last year). The idea of a dark blue background and a red-orange-yellow for the foreground is very appealing. Th only problem is that Springtree doesn't have gradient yarns. I contacted the owner who was willing to send me an undyed skein so I could attempt to dye it myself. I hope I do it justice.