SOCK HELP NEEDED!

SOCK HELP NEEDED!
I’ve knit 5 pairs of toe up socks. I love toe up but I wonder if converting patterns changes them. So I decided to follow the instructions rather than being stubborn and doing it my way. Maybe there was something to learn in a cuff down construction. This was my rational. Previous rational had been that The Knitting Samurai is not patient. Chances are that I would be anxious to finish the project and make the socks too short. Too short in the cuff and too short in the foot. At least with toe up I’d have a foot the right size since I typically don’t get bored with a project until after the 60% mark. So there is the back ground.

Now this current pair (really I’m much further along than the picture but it’s too gray and rainy out to take photos presently). I’ve hit 7” for the foot length, lying flat on the table, unscratched. When I put it on, with a little gentle tugging it reaches the 2” mark when the toe can begin. Did I mention I wear a size 11, but I do like snug socks. So can I start the decreases yet? How long do you typically make your own sock foot? What size shoes do you wear?

Color Trends towards Zucchini

I seem to have a real color scheme going on today.
I’ve been busily working on the Twisty Turn wrap from Wrap Style. I cast on at 10pm the other night using the Lime-Navy Malabrigo I got at one of the trips to Webs. I love how the colors transition from one to the other. Front of the photo

I’m also working on the Lillehammer Hat by Cider Moon. Back of the photo and chart Using the Navy Pastaza and the amazing green Pastaza I got at Mind’s Eye Yarn Shop last week. I’m flying through it although my right hand is protesting such dense knitting. Why does it do that? Doubled yarns or two colors on medium sized needles and my knuckles start to cry. Which means I can only do about an hour at a time and then rest.

I've also turned the heel on one of the Space Needle socks that have been shoved down to the bottom of my knitting bag these past three weeks. I've picked up some momentum and hopefully will finish them in the next week or so.

But I’m sure you’ll find this the most interesting part of my day…I made a “Fake Apple Pie Crumble”. It is amazing! And what’s Fake about you may say…well…it doesn’t have any apples, in their place it calls for zucchini! We had a giant one from a friend’s garden and I didn’t feel like making a normal zucchini dish. So skeptical as I was, I dug in and peeled, seeded, and chunked the zucchini. I found the recipie here, and if you’re sick of eating zucchini that tastes like zucchini I encourage you to give it a shot. Oh and The Boyfriend didn’t notice anything different about it. I told him that it wasn’t just apples that it was zucchini and his jaw dropped. He finished his serving and I said “maybe next time I’ll actually use apples” to which he looked shocked and amazed, “it was just zucchini?!?!?!” You betcha!

Mac’s Sunday Morning Shenanigans!

Mac’s Sunday Morning Shenanigans!

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Both boys were in fact running around crazy. Linus kept jumping into bags and Mac spent some time hanging on the door.

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While Mac and The Boyfriend was playing around I finished what he is calling a “Teletubbie hat”. I absolutely love this pattern. It's called Meathead and it's so simple. I might just knit a million of them. But seriously how cool would it be to see one of my hats walking down the steet? It's not likely since the charity is a hospital but I can always hope.

Then I moved on to finishing the baby socks and matching hat for the first baby in the next generation. So cute! I hope the family understands that they are handmade and should be treated with love and passed along to future babies when he’s finished with them.

Lastly we were off to friends house (OK I know that's not gramatically correct, but I can't say a friend since they are both friends and then where does the ' go when it's multiple friends house? How is the ownership expressed? I hate spelling!) for some beer making. I don't have any idea what we'll call this one. While they did all the heavy work I of course knit. Yes that is a dish of Texas Caviar in the front. So yummy! Thank you SSK Podcast for that wonderful recipe.

Finishing kick

Five Mile Thursday….I know what you’re thinking, is this an alternate universe where The KnittingSamurai is active? No it’s just Seattle recovery. Ten miles in two days, I’m pretty proud of myself.

Last night I finished the Bulldogust socks. Words can not express how much I love these socks. 100% merino with a some sort of wonderful wash that makes them silky soft.

The pattern is just subtle enough.

I finished the thumbs and sewed up the Devon Rex Norwegian Mittens today. 100% alpaca and super soft. Knit on size 2s so it’s a very dense fabric which means they’re very warm. I can’t wait to go to a football game and drink hot chocolate with my mittens on.

Oh and I cut the final armhole steek and started the ribbing. No pictures yet…is the suspense building?

I live in a nice place

After all my adventures in Seattle, I realized that I too live in a nice place. If I’m able to sit in parks and knit there, I can certainly do it here. So I ventured downtown and knit by the river. Actually I worked on the steek reinforcements for the armholes of the vest. I moved onto to casting off the V-Neck stitches and then onto knitting the armhole ribbing on the left side. At about the time to cast off the armhole stitches my butt began to object to sitting on the hard bench. I’m definitely on track to finish the knitting of the vest by the end of the month. I have about 3 hours of ribbing work to go and then….dun…dun…dun!!!! It’ll be time to weave in those millions of ends.

If that isn’t done by the end of August that’s fine, if that’s done by January that’ll be great.

I just can’t imagine the situation in which I’ll be driven to sit and weave them in. Maybe I’ll try for ten a day so it’s manageable. At least I started weaving them in as I went from the armholes on up so it’s really only the bottom half of the garment.

In other news, the Space Needle socks are coming along nicely. I’m never going to use this yarn again…too itchy…harsh…lofty…perhaps a wash will help it but it’ll have to include some fabric softener. That’s what I get for ordering online and not touching the yarn first.

In contrast, the Bulldogust Socks seem to be stuck on pause. I have about two inches to go with the best sock yarn I’ve ever used. I think I’m subconsciously drawing out the knitting so I can use the yarn longer.

Back From The Edge

Leaving after work on Thursday we raced the sunlight and headed into the heart of darkness. Well not really, it just felt that way to me. I was a bit nervous as we drove an hour outside of cell phone range, an hour away from restaurants, and an hour from any sort of hospitals. I pushed those thoughts from my mind and played with one of the two pieces of technology that would accompany me into the woods, my camera. The other of course is the trusty Ipod. So there we were rushing into the woods and I was clicking away taking this and other fun photos.

We did not beat the dark or the rain, which meant the bonfire was a no-go. Instead, we acquainted ourselves with a little game called Settlers of Catan. For all you Futurama fans out there, I kept singing “We’re Settlers of Catan” to the tune of “We’re whalers on the moon”. As you can see the Girly Beer was also engrossed in learning the rules of this addictive game.

The next afternoon we had a bit of a slapstick comedy routine. At least I felt like it as I sat on a rock knitting while the others played on the shore, skipping stones and enjoying the scenery.
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Here you see, one of my companions decides to throw the biggest stone into the water.
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Together they admire the ripple.
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Then as his attention is elsewhere The Boyfriend puts the rock back in its proper-responsible position, out of the water where future visitors are sure to see it and not ram their boats into it. I watched and chuckled.
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The second evening we had sun and another round of Catan. Anxious not to miss our opportunity for a fire, we started it well before dark and dinned outside.

There was a conflict between The Boyfriend and I over the appropriate use of sticks and fire poke-age. I felt there could not be enough poking and demonstrated this at every opportunity, saying “pokey-pokey” with a smile and hearing my father's voice when I was a child walking slowly saying “come on pokey-pokey.”




The Boyfriend confiscated my stick on several occasions and all agreed there should be no sitting without knitting for me, far too fidgety.




As we drove home today I continued to work on my Undulating-Rib socks (I’m in love with the Claudia Hand paint yarn). The Boyfriend snapped this picture of it look you can see him reflected in the rearview.

Amongst mice, sleeve burning marshmallows, waterfalls, cribbage, flatulence, brick-wood-wheat-sheep-oar, cooking, poking the fire, and “that’s what she said” I discovered that we really do have a wonderful pair of friends. So often the daily grind and different interests cause us to loose track of what caused the paths of our lives to intersect to begin with, nothing more than the pleasure of just being ourselves together, to relax together, and being able to just laugh together.

And yes, I did survive and even enjoy the wilderness.

I might even do it again sometime, (as long as there's indoor plumbing).

Update! Update! Update!!!!

As of twenty minutes ago the Ivy League Vest has been cast off!!! I’m so happy to have the bulk of the knitting behind me. It also worked out perfectly that the cast off row would be a solid row so that the front and backs of the shoulders will match perfectly. Tomorrow in class I’ll learn to secure a steek and then it’ll be snip snip!!!


I recently watched the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still. I found it surprisingly good considering its age and lack of special effects. A good story will stand the test of time, regardless of how flashy the presentation.

I’ll be very curious to see how the remake does as compared to the stark original. The trailer features the line,
“If the earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives.” This does not fit with the original telling of the story which is that other worlds find humans to be hostile. Humans must refrain from using atomic weapons on each other or the universal police will step in and destroy Earth.

It would seem that today’s audiences need to learn to be environmentally conscious which doesn’t have the same bite. The quote makes it appear that the Earth is now of some value to the aliens which is not the case in the original telling. We’ll have to see in December when the film is released.

I cast on another pair of socks from the Favorite Socks book. The Undulating Rib Socks in Claudia Handpainted Yarns are not far along but I can already tell you that the yarn is like buttah!!! It’s silky smooth and so nice! I can see these flying along since the pattern is super easy to memorize.

Trains, Salem, Waving Lace

We road the train yesterday. It was my cousin’s first time and she was excited to check it out. There are only two stops between my house and my parents. As we pulled into the station at the second stop and looked at the people out the window.
I saw white hair, with a white mustache, and a green Timberland t-shirt. Three strikes, that’s my Dad!!! Then we saw her dad and our mothers. Confused, we jumped up thinking they’d come to pick us up a stop too soon. Then we saw them in line to board.

The mothers joined us on the train and road the five minutes to our destination. We giggled the whole time. It was a good surprise.

All day we giggled, which was a nice feeling compared to the sadness that permeated our day yesterday. We girls had been so excited to go to Salem Massachusetts and visit the witch museums and see the sites.

The first museum was fine. The cemetery was fine. In fact we enjoyed viewing 200+ year old grave stones and marveling at how similar it was to Disney but without the shiny plastic, this was an authentic haunted cemetery complete with giant old trees and falling stones. The architecture was beautiful and there was a red line to follow as we walked the streets in a picturesque New England town.


Did you know that Salem is actually Salem town, and it was Salem village where the witch hunt actually took place. Salem Village has since changed its name to Danvers. The second museum, was too realistic of a retelling for me. The sadness of a community turning on it self and murdering 19 of it’s own members was overwhelming. We all felt it and we all were ready to leave.

I took my “little cousin” to knitting group that night. She threw caution to the wind and trusted me enough to venture out for the evening with a group of strangers. The girls were very welcoming and she really enjoyed herself. Speaking of knitting, I’m at 21” on the Ivy League Vest. I need to hit 22 to start the back neck deceases and then…it’ll be time to cast off and cut the steeks…eeeeek!

I finished the Waving Lace Socks yesterday. I love the color, used Colinette Jitterbug on size 2s. Although for casting off I need 6s to keep it from being too tight aroudn the top of the ribbing. Next time I should use size 1s for this yarn and add more stitches if I use this pattern again. The waving is stretched more than I’d like. I have almost a whole skein leftover, and I wear size 11s so what’s up all the extra yarn? I’ll save it for the barn raising quilt someday.

Sacre Blue!!!

To answer your question, yes I did finish 2 pairs of socks in June.
Please see Exibit A

Are they not the cutiest baby socks ever?!?! So small!

And now may I direct your attention to Exhibit B.

I know you've seen them before but for comparison. Is it winter yet? Can I wear my new socks?

Unfortunately, they were not two pairs of socks for me as I had planned, nor were they from Favorite socks. But they are two completed socks none the less.



Which reminds me, have I told you about our Nessa Rose’s Son? Yes his name is Curlfect's Big Poppy Socks since my Mum has become a die hard Red Socks fan. SO funny! I grew up in a house where my father was frequently heard to say

“We’re going to watch the Red Socks play some football against the Lakers.”

Seriously, I knew nothing about sports until the boyfriend forced me to sit through a few games. After which I decided I could stand hockey and baseball. Go Maine! All the rest remind me of gerbils on wheels.

But I digress, the point, is that, seemingly out of the blue my Mum has gone crazy for the Red Socks and informs us that Jacoby wouldn’t be a bad name for a grandchild. So when Nessa had her baby it wasn’t a big surprise to hear a Socks reference. So Big Poppy isn’t cute very cute, but at 2 weeks old you weren’t either!

SO now what, well it’s time for the July Challenge. It’s ALIVE! (evil laugh!) No it’s not, that’s the Frankenstein talking. Thank you Craftlit.

Seriously, July shall honor one of the greatest sporting events of all time. A mammoth undertaking that can be condensed daily into a 30 minute recap which is interesting enough to even keep me entertained. July shall be the Tour De France!

There will be 3 stages in my tour...

Stage 1: I will knit a French Design (probably finish Lutea-Lace Tank or create a Clapotise)

Stage 2: I will knit with a French Yarn (I think I’ll be ordering some Bergere de France yarn)

Stage 3: I will knit a pattern designed by a French Citizen –for this I will knit a Jacqard pattern as Joseph Marie Charles Jacquard, a French silk weaver designed this type of stitch pattern and fittingly his birthday is July 7th! Sacre bleu! (OMG) the same day as The Boyfriend! It’s faite!

So there you have it. Mychawd’s Tour De France. Anyone want to join?
Come on....I know you are yerning to win the yellow jersey.

Carton Complete

While Carton socks were fun to knit, well after I picked out the zigzag stitch pattern and watched the pattern slither up the foot and leg. I did not enjoy the stripped yarn. Had I realized it would be stripped I would not have purchased it. That’s one thing that drives me batty, every type of sock yarn needs to have at least a knit footlet to demonstrate how the yarn will pool/pattern/stripe etc. It seems that only the crazy colored, childish looking yarns ever have samples and those are never the yarns I’m interested in.

So the Regia yarn isn’t the greatest. One of the podcasts I listen to recently trashed it. I didn’t mind working with it but this worries me that the socks will not withstand a lot of wear. Oh well, for now they are my second completed pair of socks. I did have to use size 6 needles to cast off the 1x1 rib so that the top was elastic enough to get on. I don’t remember this being an issue with the Governess socks but then again, I will cursing them 90% of the time.

Onto the next sock for June. It’s the Retro Rib Footlet. Do you know what a footlet is? It’s an ankle sock, something that’ll cover the foot and just above the ankle bones. The pattern is out of the Favorite Sock book. I’m trying a knit 1, slip 1 pattern for the sole of the foot. Perhaps this will be more cushiony and durable. The reason I’ve turned the pattern into a top up footlet is not that I’m trying to finish the quickly or that I dislike tall socks, its just that I have one skein of Dorchester Farms Handpainted Sock Yarn. It was too pretty to pass on at NH Sheep and Wool Festival. But I wasn’t completely enamored with socks at that point in time so I only bought one skein. Silly Girlfriend!

Made another loaf of Amish bread last night. Used a can of tropical fruit salad and vanilla pudding. Exactly as I remembered it from my childhood.

In movie news, I’ve begun watching both Dejeerling Limited and A Tale of Two Cities. First, Mr. Nate will be sad to know that Dajeering Limited is not the witty romp that Life Aquatic was. The wry humor of it is interesting but the pace is too slow for me. I need to finish off the last hour. And the Tale of Two Cities version I have stars “Prince Humperdink” from The Princes Bride. I’m a third of the way into it. I know Catron will dye and the actor is doing a nice job playing both Darnee and Carton but I can’t seem to get beyond his evilness in Princes Bride. And also, Lucy isn’t pretty enough.

Now I shall return to my regularly scheduled Saturday morning activies…Knit Spirit Podcast and knitting with a Linus on my lap. Have a good day.

Socks of Summer

Alright I’ve decided I really want a monthly challenge and extending one month into another is lame. So since I’ve got 3 socks on the needles, and considering it was Mittens in May, it appears it should be socks in June.

I recently picked up Interweave’s Favorite Socks. It’s rare to find a knitting book that you want to knit every pattern from, and this isn’t one of those books. But, Natural Knits for Babies and Moms was the closets I’ve ever come to that. My MIL got this book for me since she loved it so much. I quickly knit 6 of the patterns in that book. I'd guess that's about a quarter of the total patterns.

Now the thought occurs, it would be fun to knit every pattern in a book. And why not this book…Favorite Socks? That’s just 25 socks. I'm already working on one of them.

I’m wondering, could I do 25 socks by the end of the year? Probably not, that’s about a sock a week and considering I’m not an exclusive sock knitter, and for heavens sake, I'm only just now working on my second and third pairs. I knit about a sock every two weeks, perhaps over an entire year long challenge of knitting everything in this book by next June would be fun. So for now, I will embark on Socks of Summer and attempt to knit 3 pairs this month. And consider doing a Year of Favorite Socks.

Video Blog

How about I talk to you instead of write to you?

Scrap the Snicket

In addition to working on the mittens I’ve been doing some toe up Snicket socks. I was itching to cast on socks for a simple travel project. I received some wonderful suggestions which filled my Ravelry queue. I choose the snicket pattern because I had recently purchased the recommended yarn. It seemed I was destined to make these socks.

I cast on and realize that the pattern is for cuff down socks. Being that I have the tendency to get over anxious and make things too small, in my rush to hurry-up and begin the next part of the pattern, I don’t think cuff down is a good choice for me. I’ll make too short socks and end up with a lot of left over yarn.

No problem, I’ll just switch to a toe-up construction, the patterning should be the same. Cast on two toes and I’m off. Well not quite, upon further inspection it turns out it’s a 19 row repeat for the pattern and on top of that it’s full of cabling stitches to the front, and then back, in such a way that I can not hope to memorize it. I made it through the first 19 rows on one sock and 5 rows on the other with the pattern in hand and intense concentration the entire time. Then I realized, this isn’t any fun, and it isn’t what I had in mind.

Next I pulled out the 19 rows and pulled out the Encyclopedia of Stitchery for a pretty stitch pattern. I believe that using the magic cast on and short row heels, I don’t need a formal pattern to follow. I’ll just improve my own design and if it looks good I’ll share it. Simple enough.

Ha ha, fooled again! The twisted zigzag pattern I select seems straight forward. 10 rows in I realize that it’s not at all looking like a zigzag, just a mass of purl ridges. Oh wait, I’m knitting in the round. "D'oh!" change those purl rounds to knit rounds! Alas, it’s frogged again.


At least it only noon on a Friday and I have the entirety of the weekend to set these socks right. Also the fact that Sydney Carton just “fed” the guillotine in A Tale of Two Cities has set me off down a teary road for the day. If Dickens is to be believed, then the French Revolution was a fearful time with death lurking around every corner. I had not considered the bloody consequences of this liberation. Perhaps my socks are as doomed as Sydney.