Sideways Knit - Finished!

I actually knit this sweater back in the 2006 timeframe, but never wove in all of the ends or blocked it.  Since then it has been hanging around in my studio, most recently occupying a corner of my cutting table.  This weekend I finally decided to block it and weave in the ends.  Typically I weave in the ends first, and then block, but given that this sweater is all-over rib I decided to block it first.  I also tried it on to make sure it fit before I tackled all of those ends.  Amazingly, it fit (I’m pretty certain that I did not work a gauge swatch), and even more amazingly it only had two holes from insect damage.  A larger one in one of the sleeves right at the cuff end, and a smaller hole in the middle of the front.  The hole on the sleeve I simply sewed up after catching the loop - the bug had taken out a column of stitches.  The hole in the body I was able to fix by weaving in new yarn (well, not really new, I used ends from the weaving in).  The collar I fold to the inside, as well as the cuffs of the sleeves, given that they are on the long side.  Turning the sleeve cuffs to the inside also hides my repair of the insect damage.  The yarn is a single ply, 100% wool, and does not appear to be superwash, based on the way the ends were already felting together.

Pattern:  Sideways Knit by Irina Poludnenko

Yarn:  Filatura di Crosa 127 Print

Needle:  US 8 (5.0 mm)

Mackintosh Socks - Take Two - One Sock Done!

The first sock worked up pretty quickly.  I took this project to work with me, and used knitCompanion on my phone.  It actually worked quite well, and I will probably continue to take my sock projects to work.  They are small and easy to work on at my desk.  Because of the patterning they don’t make good mindless knitting for reading documents, but they work great during meetings.  The pattern calls for a plain stockinette stitch heel.  I think if I were to do these over again I would work a slip stitch heel, but overall I am very pleased with how they came out.  They are very comfortable and fit well.

Pattern:  Mackintosh by Janel Laidman

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Yarn:  Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock

Mackintosh Socks - Take Two

I was working on the cuff of the second sock when I decided to give up.  Really, I should have known better.  As you may recall, this skein of yarn had taken bug damage (carpet beetles), but I thought I had enough to make it worth while to try to use it.  I had one join in the first sock, but when I got to the eighth join on the second sock (two in the foot, three in the heel, two already in the cuff) I decided enough was enough.  I wasn’t sure what yarn I would pick from my stash to replace the club yarn (Alisha Goes Around Tracks of Bison Fingering), but as I was cataloging (relatively) recent stash acquisitions, I came across this lonely skein of Cascade Yarns Heritage in this lovely blue.  It is knitting up at a slightly tighter gauge than the club yarn, so I added two more increases to bring the stitch count up to 64 (splitting the difference between the small at 60 stitches and the large at 68).  I am working an asymmetrical toe, so it actually mirrors the shape of my foot.  So far I am happy with the fit and it feels much nicer than the club yarn, and is easier to knit with.

Pattern:  Mackintosh by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Cascade Yarns Heritage

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Multivalence - Clue 9 Done!

I finally worked clue 9 on my Multivalence (clue 10 has already come out).  Besides the sock detour that has derailed my other WIPs the biggest delay on this clue was just deciding on the colors.  While I was pondering I ordered another set of Zodiac Hues to give me more options.  The first round was all just double crochets and I put markers every 50 to keep track of the count.  Fortunately my count has been matching the pattern.  The second round are popcorns, which actually went reasonable fast.  The third round filled in the gaps between the popcorns with more double crochets.  While I was working that round I found a popcorn that I hadn’t finished off properly, so it was just four double crochets in the same stitch, but I just used the single crochet before and after the popcorn to pull it into the proper shape.  When I was working the fourth round I found an extra double crochet between two popcorns, but I just ignored it.  I was not going to rip back and fix it.  As you can see, Jezebel approves.

Pattern:  Multivalence by Janica York Carter

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Superwash Merino Sport

Hook:  3.5 mm (E)

Mackintosh Sock - One Sock Done!

I finished up the first sock yesterday afternoon.  The cuff is not super long, so there were no issues with the fit - it never got up to my muscular calf.  Overall I’m very pleased with the fit.  I think the reason the yarn feels different from other sock yarns I’ve used is the fact that it does not have any nylon, it just feels springier.

Pattern:  Mackintosh by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alisha Goes Around Tracks of the Bison Fingering

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Mackintosh Socks - One Foot Done!

I finished up the foot of my right sock last night.  There is an error in the pattern on the heel turn, as it states to “Continue in this manner, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the M1 on each row until you p8 (12) M1p,” but on the purl rows you’re working an odd number of stitches, and you have to go until you p7 (11) if you want to get the required stitch count of 30 stitches between the markers.  Initially I was working wraps on my turns, and when I started working the last rows where you work the wraps I tried an experiment where I worked the wrap with the next stitch, instead of the stitch that it wraps, which often looks messy on the wrong side.  I did like the look better on the wrong side, but then I had that last wrapped stitch before the marker and I couldn’t figure out what to do with that one.  So I ripped back to the start of the heel turn and did German Short Rows instead.  I found the double stitches easier to see than the wraps and they work in beautifully.  I also did lifted increases for all of my make ones, working them on the stitch before the stitch that I turned on.

I have been neglecting some of my other projects, apparently socks can make me an (almost) monogamous knitter.  I have a nice little collection of hand knit socks, and for a while a vanilla self-striping sock project was my work project, but I haven’t been wearing them much, until lately.  I like having colorful, unusual socks to wear, and it is getting harder to find what are now called novelty socks that aren’t mostly synthetic fibers, and I really don’t like wearing synthetic fibers (they irritate my skin), so I have been wearing more of my hand knit socks.  I had forgotten how comfortable they are.  I see a lot more socks in my future, which is good, because I have a lot of sock yarn, and a lot of sock patterns (there was a time when I was joining a lot of sock clubs).

Pattern:  Mackintosh Socks by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alisha Goes Around Tracks of Bison Fingering

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

 

Iris Hues Lampy - Twelve Sections Done!

I am three-quarters of the way done, and am very happy with how this is working out.  I think it is going to be a complete circle, or pretty close to one

Still no decision on how I’m going to work the finishing, but I love everything about it, the colors, the texture, the feel, the drape.  It is really just lovely.

Pattern:  Lampy by Janica York Carter

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Superwash Merino Sport

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)
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Mackintosh Socks - Cast On!

This one took a couple of tries to get a result that I was happy with.  This is another pattern from the Art &  Sole Sock club by Janel Laidman.  As can be seen, it is knit from the toe up, and it comes in two sizes small (8” circumference) and large (10” circumference).  I started out working as per the pattern, with a symmetrical toe, casting on 24 stitches (12 on each needle), and working the increases to get to the stitch count of the large size (based on my experience with the Damselfly socks).

But when I started working the foot after completing all of the increases I was just not happy with how it was fitting.  This yarn is a bit different from other sock yarns that I have worked with.  It is Alisha Goes Around Tracks of Bison Fingering, and it contains no nylon.  It is 90% Merino, 10% Bison, and it just behaves a bit differently.   So I frogged and started over.  This time I decided that I would tackle the asymmetrical toe shaping, so I pulled out my notes from Damselfly and cast on on 34 stitches (17 on each needle) and then worked two sets of increases where I increased on both ends, and then continued with increasing only on the right, as this will be for my right foot.  When I got to 30 stitches on each needle I stopped working any increases, having determined that for my foot (at least) the small size was going to fit me perfectly.  I will see what happens when I get to the cuff, I may need to do some increases there, but fortunately the cuff charts make it easy for me to do that.

This is the club yarn that came with the pattern, and it did take some damage from bugs, but I decided to cake it up and see how bad the damage was.  It turned out to not be too bad.  I have two good sized cakes (40 grams & 30 grams), plus some smaller balls.  Given how much yarn a typical sock takes, and the fact that this pattern is toe up, I decided to use the yarn.

Pattern:  Mackintosh by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alisha Goes Around Tracks of Bison Fingering

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Damselfly Socks - FInished!

The second sock went quickly and I am very happy with how they came out.  I reversed the shaping on the first sock for the second sock, so there is a left and right sock and the fit is perfect.  Because the toes are asymmetrical, blocking is a bit odd - the toes don’t quite fit on the blocker but it is close enough.  It turns out that I was mistaken and that I did get a digital copy of the pattern, it just was not provided as a standalone file, it was in the Art & Sole Patterns file that contained three other patterns as well.

Pattern:  Damselfly by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Kelpie Fibers Taliesin MCN Sock

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

 

Iris Hues Lampy - Ten Sections Done!

Thanks to a couple of days in the office reviewing a document I finished up two more sections on my Lampy, one on Thursday and one on Friday.  I have also started the second half, so I am reversing the colors, as well as the short row shaping.  I am very happy with my yellow Speckles section between the two grays, and the size is looking perfect.

Pattern:  Lampy by Janica York Carter

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Superwash Merino Sport

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)