Have You Any Wool?

busy busy

Last week, I was so happy to see winter end and spring begin. We've had a mild winter in the area of Germany that I live in, but just knowing that it's officially spring somehow makes me feel better. Unfortunately, Mother Nature has decided to play a cruel joke on us, making it snow every single day since spring began. No snow all winter long, and now suddenly my crocuses, tulips and hyacinth blooms are hidden under a white blanket. Boo.

I know I shouldn't complain, because many of you have been buried under several feet of snow all winter long, but if it's going to snow, it should at least do so in the proper season, don't you think?

I was getting all geared up to start some spring knitting, but I've decided instead to work on finishing up some of my long-standing projects so I can start anew. A knitter's spring cleaning, if you will. The projects would really like to finish are my Tangled Yoke cardigan, Isabella, and the Victoria shawl (Ravelry links).

I don't know what my deal is with Tangled Yoke, but I just do not want to work on it. The bottom half of the body is completed, and I'm on the sleeves. I chose to knit both sleeves at the same time, in hopes that it would encourage me to finish faster, but it seems to have the opposite effect. I really should get to finishing this one up, because it would be great to have it to wear this spring.

I started Isabella last June, and finished up the back pretty quickly. Then I screwed up the front, ripped it out, stuffed it in a knitting bag, and forgot about it. I picked it up again a few days ago, and I'm making progress on the front. I really need to get moving on the Victoria shawl, because I would like to give this one to my mother for Mother's Day. I'm halfway through the knitted-on border, and it's boring and tedious. I will persevere, though. I think my mom could really use it in her overly air-conditioned office.

Even though I should be focusing on those old projects, I'm still tempted to start something new. Lately, every sweater I've swatched for hasn't worked out, so I find that I'm sticking to sock knitting. It's portable, it's reliable, and it's still cold enough to have to wear wool socks, and new socks always make me happy. These bright striped ones, especially.

Pattern: basic stockinette socks with picot cuff
Yarn: Vesper sock yarn in Aquamelon
Needles: 2.5mm Addi circulars
Time to knit: March 14 to March 24, 2008
Notes: Love the stripes! The bright colors make me happy.

I've also been doing some spinning lately. I had stepped away from the wheel for a couple of months, but now I'm back in my spinning groove. I had a commissioned spinning job that I finally finished up last weekend, and now I'm working on some brightly colored stuff for spring.

Some of the yarns pictured were actually finished up months ago, I just hadn't gotten around to taking photos and measuring the yardage. The details are all on the Flickr pages, if you're interested.

As if that isn't enough, I've been hitting the dyepots again, as well. I'm waiting on a shipment of base yarn, which should be here soon, so I'll be dyeing up new colors in the near future. Today, I dyed up some rovings, and a couple of custom orders, and it feels good to be playing with color again. I'm hoping to have a shop update the first week of April. For now, though, everything that is currently listed in the shop is 15% off!

socks, continued

I've been working diligently on whittling down the pile of socks in progress. I think Socktoberfest has renewed my sock-knitting desire, because it had disappeared for a short while. Clearly, it has returned, because socks are all I want to work on. Part of it has to do with the temperatures, but the biggest reason for the current sock streak is simplicity. Socks are so portable, which I need right now, and relatively mindless. At the end of the day, when I get a chance to knit, I don't want to have to think. Two of my socks in progress are fairly complicated patterns, which means they've been neglected. One pair was very close to completion, so I sat down last night and finished them up while watching a movie.

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock lightweight in Ruby Slippers
Needles: 2.25mm Plymouth Bamboo DPN
Notes:  These socks were knit from my own pattern, which I really don't consider a complete success. I was trying to design something that would work well with handpainted yarns, but I didn't really achieve my desired effect. The stitch pattern I used (I thought it was "Checkered Acre" from  Barbara Walker's first stitch dictionary, but upon closer inspection, it's not, so I don't know what the stitch pattern is, except something that I jumbled up) is highly textured. For this reason, I kept the patterning on the leg only, and went with a 3x3 ribbing on the foot. Otherwise, I think the socks would have been terribly uncomfortable in shoes.

While I don't consider these socks a complete success, I don't consider them a complete failure, either. I really needed a pair of red socks, and the color of this yarn is a perfect match for many items in my wardrobe. They are comfortable, and stay up reasonably well. So, while I feel the design is not that great, they are wearable, which is all that really matters.

Pattern: Waterfall by Miss Babs
Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy sportweight in Waterfall (from the Woolgirl sock club
Needles: 3.25mm Brittany birch double points
Notes: I've decided that though sportweight yarn knits up quickly, I don't like it for socks. The colors in this yarn are gorgeous, and the base yarn itself is very soft, but when used for socks, I find it too bulky. I prefer my socks knit at a gauge of 8 to 9 stitches per inch. My gauge was slightly off for this pattern (6.5 stitches per inch rather than the 6 spi called for), yet the socks are still loose and baggy. The only modification I made was to add an extra lace repeat to lengthen the leg of the sock, which is still a bit shorter than I would like.

The reason I joined the sock club was to break out of my comfort zone, and these socks helped me do that. I'm not crazy about them, but at least I gave it a shot.

I finished these socks up last night in between listing yarns in the shop.

There is a whole bunch of new sock yarns, as well as some handspun. I'm still waiting on a shipment of roving to arrive, but I'm hoping to update the spinning fiber in the next week or two.

sigh of relief

This three-day weekend has been a godsend for me. I'm finally feeling like my batteries are recharged, and I'm ready to go again. Since the start of school in September, I feel like I've been going nonstop. The days and weeks are flying by at lightning speed, but the months are crawling at a near standstill. It's so weird how that happens. All around me, people are amazed that it's already October, and all I can think is that it's only October? There are still four more months of this interminable deployment left, and time keeps dragging ever so slowly.

Anyway, I went into the weekend with very little in the way of plans. I took the kids to the local pizza joint/indoor playground on Saturday for a few hours, but that was about it. I had planned on taking them to the zoo today, but A told me this morning that she didn't want to go anywhere today, that she preferred to stay home. Who am I to argue with that? She had a friend come over to play, so while they were otherwise engaged and K was napping, I spent some quality time in the kitchen. Spaghetti sauce with meatballs that spends hours simmering on the stove, and apple pie with homemade pie crust. Yum.

Weekends also seem to be the only time I get any spinning in. During the week we're so busy, I don't have time to sit down at the wheel. But on Saturday and Sunday mornings, after we've eaten breakfast and the kids are entertaining themselves, I get some time to sit and spin. This weekend I managed to finish up some merino that I've been slowly plugging away on when I get the time.

This is 920 yards of DK weight two-ply merino, spun from roughly 10 ounces roving dyed by Erica, in the color "Ice Princess". I had seen this color spun up on Erica's blog, and thought that the colors would be perfect for A. I emailed Erica and asked if she would be kind enough to dye up enough for me to spin to make a Tomten jacket. I'm sure there will be enough for the sweater itself, but I was hoping to put a hood on it, but I'm not sure how that will work out. I'll just wait and make the decision when the time comes.

As for knitting, I did work on several of the socks in progress that you saw in the last post. It seems like some of you would be a little antsy having that many WIP's at once. Sometimes it drives me crazy, but most of the time, I don't really notice how much is actually on the needles. I keep projects scattered strategically throughout my house, so I work on something different depending on what room I'm in. I also have a mindless project ready to go at all times, to take with me to dance classes and the like. I can't sit still, and always need to have something to work on. The socks I made the most progress on this weekend were the ones I mentioned that I had started, even though there were many other socks on the needles.

This is the yarn and pattern from the first installment of the Woolgirl sock club. I've resisted joining a sock club up to this point, but when I saw the signups for this one, I caved. The price was right, and I managed to sign up before all the slots were full. Though I have more sock yarn than I'll ever be able to knit, I am really glad I joined. This first month was a sportweight yarn, which is something that I don't normally use for socks. I know they knit up much faster than fingering weight socks, but I don't find them to be all that comfortable in shoes. However, this yarn is incredible. It's amazingly soft, and the colors are gorgeous. These may not become my favorite socks, but I think they'll do a lovely job at keeping my feet warm this winter. The pattern name and yarn color are both "Waterfall", from Miss Babs. As you can see, I'm already past the heel turn on sock #2, and I imagine that I'll finish it up by tomorrow.

 

socks for socktoberfest

Clockwise from top: Test-knit socks for another blogger, using Wollmeise in Rosenrot, Child's French Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush using ShibuiKnits in Bark, socks of my own design using STR in Ruby Slippers, Winding Cable knee sock using Lorna's Laces in Manzanita, and simple stockinette socks using Vesper sock yarn in Neapolitan. Does anyone notice a theme here?

I took this photo on Tuesday, fully intending to post about my goals for this year's Socktoberfest. I went around the house and gathered up all of my socks in progress, and set them out all in one spot. This made me realize that I need to start finishing some projects before casting on for something new. I chose the pair that were closest to being finished, and focused my attention on those.

Pattern: Simple stockinette socks with picot cuff and round toe, knit over 64 stitches
Yarn: Knitterly Things Vesper sock yarn in Neapolitan
Needles: 2.5mm Addi circulars
Notes: I tried very hard to keep the striping sequence in order when I knit the heel flap and gusset, and on the first sock I got it right on the very first try. I started the second sock in the same place as the first, but I had to rip back the heel turn four times to get it right. Weird. I also had to rip back the toe decreases on the second sock. I thought I had started the toe decreases in the same exact place as the first sock, but on the last two rounds of toe decreases, there was a brown stripe showing up. I had to fix it, because I knew that little bit of brown would drive me crazy. I'm not usually such a perfectionist, but I've gotten to the point now where I want my self-striping socks to match exactly.

And just because it's been a while, I thought I'd throw in a shoe shot:

Now that I have one pair down, I should be working on the next closet pair to being finished, which would be the ones I designed in STR. I'm not in love with the pattern, and those have been lingering on my needles since June, so I'm not in a big rush. The Child's French Socks should be a main focus, because they are a gift for a good friend who will be moving very far away next month. The test knit socks should be a focus, too, because the designer will be releasing the pattern soon, but it's one of those patterns that need my undivided attention, which is something I haven't had time for lately. And the Winding Cable socks, well, I think those are just destined to be a very long-term project. What the hell was I thinking, knitting knee socks covered in traveling cables and twisted stitches? They're pretty, but tedious.

So with all of these socks, and *cough*threesweaters*cough* in progress, what do you think I did? Cast on for a new pair of socks, naturally. At least the new pair is in sportweight yarn, and even though I only started them this afternoon, I'm already at the heel flap on the first sock. I think I just need some instant gratification, and then I'll go back to finishing up what is already on the needles. Then again, maybe I won't :)

The funk that I thought had finally abated last week has returned with a vengeance. Little things just keep adding up and my stress level is reaching a breaking point. This afternoon I was thisclose to losing it. Luckily, I pulled myself together and made it through the remainder of the day without a nervous breakdown. the Princess's fifth birthday is Thursday, and I'm trying to get everything set for her party. I'm fairly antisocial by nature, and am not much of an entertainer, so planning parties always stresses me out. On top of that, we're trying to prepare for her first day of school next week, dealing her cranky, teething little brother, and the regular sundry of household issues that are falling squarely on my shoulders.*

My intention in posting was not to write about how miserable I am right now. Really. I actually wanted to post last week that I did in fact meet my self-imposed challenge to finish my Huron Mountain socks. I think I started this pair of socks back in February. The first sock was finished quickly, because watching the pattern emerge was so much fun. After the first sock, the novelty wore off, and then the poor single sock lingered in the recesses of a knitting bag for many months. Finally, last Sunday, I picked up the project again, and had a matching pair by Tuesday afternoon. It's amazing how far a little focus will get me.

Pattern: Huron Mountain from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Uschi Strumpfwolle Universal (75% wool, 25% nylon--very similar to Opal or Regia)
Needles: 2.25mm Susan Bates DPN
Notes: I didn't change the pattern at all, aside from using a different yarn.. I love these socks, and remember being drawn to them the first time I got my hands on KOTR. Nancy Bush designed this sock pattern to commemorate the sighting of loons while on vacation in Michigan, but this pattern has always reminded me of Maine, where I was born and raised.

I've been working on several different knitting projects since finishing these socks, but nothing is near completion. I have a sweater in progress for each of my kids, one for myself, and only one pair of socks. I would love to cast on for a new pair, something simple, but I'm trying so hard to reduce the number of works in progress I have.

There has been a little bit of spinning, but admittedly not too much. There were a few weeks that passed where I hardly sat down at my wheel at all, but over the last week, I've gotten back into a spinning rhythm. A couple of months ago, I got the jumbo flyer for my Traveller, because the tiny Ashford bobbins just don't hold enough yarn when I'm plying. The jumbo bobbins hold plenty of yarn, but I just couldn't get the plied yarn to look right. The tension was always off, and I felt like I was learning to spin all over again. I think I've finally made peace with the stupid thing, and am now plying yarn that is reasonably even.

This is the latest skein to be finished (though the singles have been spun and waiting to be plied for weeks and weeks). There is 460 yards of fingering weight yarn in this 4.1 ounce skein. It's a merino/silk blend, but the tag on the roving did not have a color name or the name of the dyer listed. I can't remember where I bought this from, so it remains a mystery skein, though I am happy to at least know the fiber content. If you are interested, you can also see more of my handspun on Flickr (the most recent skeins are at the beginning of the set).

One last thing, before I go. About a month ago, I had a contest, asking you all to guess the gift that my husband bought for our anniversary. Well, our anniversary came and went on August 9th, and I am ashamed to admit that I completely forgot about the whole contest until today.  I didn't want to give hints, and there were lots of good guesses, but only three of you got it right. After months of subtle (and not so subtle) hints that I really wanted a new camera, he broke down and bought me a new digital SLR. He says I deserve it (which I probably do), but I think the purchase is based more on guilt for having to be away for so long, and missing yet another anniversary. While the camera doesn't replace his being here, it is making it easier for me to take nice photos of the kids to send to him so he can see what we're up to. So, anyway, the person who gets a skein of Wollmeise of their very own is Danielle! Thanks to all of you who played along, I really enjoyed  reading all of the guesses.

*For those of you just tuning in and wondering what the hell my problem is and why I'm so whiny ;), here's the scoop. My husband is deployed for 15 months, and I'm living in a foreign country trying to raise our two small children (ages 5 and almost 2) on my own. We're  about 10 months into the deployment, and it's really taking it's toll right now. I know there are lots of people out there in far worse situations than I'm in, so I try not to blog much about this stuff, but it has a huge impact on my daily life, as you can imagine, so the whining creeps in every now and then. And now you know. End of sob story :)

waving lace

Pattern: Waving Lace by Evelyn Clark, from Favorite Socks
Yarn: The Knittery 4-ply sock Merino in Daisy (I bought mine from The Loopy Ewe)
Needles: 2.5mm Addi circulars

Notes: I knit this pattern pretty much as instructed, except I substituted my preferred round toe for the regular wedge toe (I find I like the fit of a round toe or a star toe better than the squarish shape of the wedge toe--just personal preference). The Knittery yarn is wonderfully soft, and is dyed beautifully. I love that the colors didn't pool or spiral, and allowed the pattern to show through the subtle variegation. However, I encountered many knots in the skein, which frustrated me to no end. Winding the ball of yarn was an adventure in itself. The skein was hopelessly tangled, and required a fair amount of time and patience to get the job done. Unfortunately, as I was winding, two of the knots let loose, and left me with three different balls of yarn. The largest one was about 72 grams, enough for me to knit two socks and still have leftovers, and there were two smaller balls totaling about 29 grams. There were still two more knots in the largest ball of yarn, which also both came undone and left me with extra ends to weave in on each sock. I'm not sure if this is a common problem, but I was mighty disappointed to have that many knots in a single skein. It's a shame, because it really is lovely yarn. I have a skein of their merino/cashmere sock yarn in my stash, and I'm curious to see if I encounter the same problem. Let's hope not.

Aside from the knotty yarn, I am quite pleased with how these socks turned out. The pattern has been on my "to knit" list for some time now, and last week I decided it was time to give in and cast on. I'm glad I did. The socks took me approximately a week to complete, though my knitting time wasn't completely dedicated to this project. The colors of the yarn seemed to lend themselves to a lacy sock, and the way it was dyed really allowed the pattern to stand out.

Now I'm considering my next sock project. I do have a Winding Cables knee sock on the needles, but it's slow going, and I need something more simple to tote around with me. I also recently found a forgotten project, my Huron Mountain socks, that have been on hold since January or February. I really do want to buckle down and finish those. The first sock is completed, and the second sock is about a third of the way finished.  I don't know why they've lingered for so long, because I love how they look. Maybe it's the fact that they're knit in two colors, and are a bit harder to carry around with me. Lazy, I know, but it's the truth. Perhaps by writing this post I'll be more motivated to finish Huron Mountain. Will you all be sure that I finish the second sock by the end of the week?

About a month ago, Keri wrote a post on suggestions for what to do on her vacation time. She wanted to take a trip to Europe since she had three weeks off. I told her in the comments that she could come visit me in Germany, and right after I left my comment, Erica said the same thing. Now, I've been in Germany for over two years now, and I've been reading Erica's blog for even longer than that, and though we only live about three hours apart, we've never had the opportunity to meet in person. Keri was the kick in the pants that finally got us together. It took some schedule rearranging and lots of emails, but we managed to pick a time and place to meet up. I was so happy to meet these two wonderful women in person, and there was certainly no shortage of conversation. We had lunch together, hit the local yarn shops, then headed back to my house, where we were able to knit and chat until the wee hours of the morning. I had such a great time, and I'm so glad that we were able to meet up. I didn't even think to take pictures, but Keri did snap one of all of our socks in progress, and maybe she'll post it sometime after she returns from her trip.

Erica was kind enough to bring with her a treat for me, some of her gorgeous handcarded batts. I've bought several batts from her shop, and each time have enjoyed spinning them. These were no exception. First of all, they're pink, which I can't resist, and the wool had been blended with sparkly nylon, which I also cannot resist, so these batts were perfect for me. Her preparation and carding is impeccable, and these batts spun up with barely any effort.   

Out of the 4 batts, I got 328 yards of fingering to sport-weight two-ply yarn. I had a hard time capturing the subtle sparkle on camera, but in person it shimmers in the light. It's absolutely lovely. Thank you so much, Erica!

I haven't been posting much for works-in-progress lately, instead tending to just post about finished objects. It's so much more interesting to write a blog post about something that's finished, rather than to keep updating on the status of a knitting project in progress. This is probably the reason I post so infrequently. That being said, this evening I suddenly feel the need to write about what I'm working on now, if only for my own record. So often I finish a project, and completely forget when I started it, mainly because I never took the time to write down the details. In an effort to help me remember how many projects I have going, here is my current WIP list:

 

This is the beginnings of the Winding Cable Knee Socks (PDF link), a free pattern on the Interweave website. I wanted to knit these since the pattern first came out, and since I seem to be knitting a run of knee socks right now , I thought it would be a good time to start them. I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Manzanita, which is the exact yarn called for in the pattern, and I stuck with it because I really like the color.

These simple stockinette socks are my portable project, the one I work on while the kids play outside or at the playground, waiting around at dance classes, etc. The yarn is Lovesticks BFL sock yarn in Just Beachy.

And then there's Sahara. The last time I posted, I was one row from finishing the neckline. I stopped to look at the pattern and the picture, and realized that I had picked up the stitches incorrectly, and had to rip the neckline out. I'm sure it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, but ripping back a yarn that is strung with sequins is NOT FUN. At all. Feeling defeated and frustrated, I left the whole project sitting there, untouched, until this afternoon. I managed to summon up the motivation to pick up all of those stitches again, and start over. The Tilli Tomas yarn is lovely, but the sequined Disco Lights requires lots of concentration to work with. I think the edgings and neckline will end up taking me as long as the body of the sweater did. Too bad the weather here this summer has been so chilly, and I'm completely losing my will to knit summer tops. My mind keeps drifting to warm woolen sweaters, but I still have Isabella to finish up at some point, too.  Perhaps I should buckle down and finish some stuff up and stop casting on for new projects.

Koigu stockings

For some reason, I have knee socks on my mind lately. I started a pair a while back, and I have several more pairs planned. But first, a finished pair.

These look simple (and rather boring) from the front, except for the lace cuff. But when you look at the back side...

...a little more interesting.

I wanted a simple stocking with lace running down the center back, like a seam of sorts. Those stockings with the seams are pretty sexy, so I set out to create a handknit version that was comfortable, and at the same time a little sexy. They look darn cute with a denim skirt.

Pattern: my own, though I know the idea is not completely original. There are many other sock patterns available   
that are along the same lines. These socks were knit to my exact measurements, so I have no plans to release the pattern.
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM P319, 3 skeins
Needles: 2.5mm Addi circulars

I have already cast on for a new pair, this time using Wollmeise yarn. I like these Koigu ones so much that I plan on using a lace pattern down the back again, but I'm still working out which one I will use. I also would like to start Bellocq sometime in the near future. So many socks, so little time!

by popular demand

ETA: If you downloaded the pattern before 2 p.m. CET (8 a.m. EST) June 23rd, please be forewarned there are errors. Erica has already started on these socks, and has been kind enough to email me the corrections. If you follow the link in this post or in the sidebar, you will be taken to the corrected version. Sorry about this, and thanks again for the interest! Also, if any other errors are noticed (and I'm sure there will be more), please email me and I'll correct them as soon as I can.

Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm about the Whisper Lace socks from the last post. I'm so glad that you all like them! I am so proud of how well they came out, and I can't wait to see how other knitters interpret this pattern. "How can we do that?" you ask. Well, my friends, after some subtle prodding ;), I decided it would be a good idea to sit down and write out the pattern right quick. I appreciate the offers to test-knit the pattern, but since it's being offered for free, I didn't want to wait to have someone test knit it. I guess whoever goes ahead and knits the pattern first will be a test knitter of sorts, anyway. Certainly if I were selling the pattern, I would be sure to have a test knitter or two, but I don't feel comfortable asking people to pay for my patterns at this point. I'm an untested designer (and I use that term loosely, because I don't really consider myself a designer), and I think my pattern-writing skills are severely lacking. It takes a long time to write these patterns out, and I tried to write them so that anyone from an inexperienced sock knitter to the knitter who has knit hundreds of socks could follow along. I won't know if I achieved that until you knitters let me know. I promise I will correct any errors or make clarifications to the pattern ASAP. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially if it helps me make more sense of pattern writing. I'm hoping this will be the gateway to more designing in my future!

OK, enough about the sock patterns. I have some lovely handspun yarns that have been waiting to be shown.

225 yards of incredibly soft alpaca yarn (16 wpi), spun from Spunky Eclectic alpaca roving in Blue Moon.
This stuff was a dream to spin, and even dreamier as finished yarn. I'm not sure what it will become yet, other than some sort of lacy scarf, but I can't wait to see how it knits up.

Note to self: buy more alpaca.

This is 150 yards (13 wpi) of BFL in Blood Orange, from Mama-e's Twisted Knitters club (I think this was the May fiber). I completely overplied this yarn, as usual, but somehow through all that twisting, the fiber still maintained its softness. It's actually quite sproingy (that's a technical term), and would probably make good socks. It may be overplied, but at least it's evenly overplied :)

Have a great weekend!