the best sock photos ever.

Lolly posted these on her blog, you might have seen them over there, but i had to re-share them because they are awesome!

uploaded by jenn tx at Flickr.

Lolly's Socktoberfest questions...

i know i'm late to the party... that's not unusual for me.

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
i think i started making socks about 2 years ago. my dad wanted a pair of red hand knit socks... i learned how to knit socks to make him that red pair. he still doesn't have them. *blush* i *will* finish them for Christmas this year.

One person had great advice on knitting socks for me... Sharon at our Thursday night stitch n bitch. she's the one who turned me on to knitting from the toe-up... i haven't tried cuff-down since.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
if i remember correctly, my first pair was done in Regia. i think they were in the clown colourway... and i think they're in my mom's sock drawer now. these, however, are one of my very first pairs and they've held up very well...



What would you have done differently?
the things i do differently now... i have learned how to do a better short row heel and how to increase the toe without holes. i've learned how many stitches i need to create a good fit for myself (those first socks were a bit on the tight side!) and how to bind of *loosely* at the cuff.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
Trekking XXL (love the colours), Fleece Artist (soooo soft!), and Koigu. i love trying new sock yarns, but those three i know i'll use over and over.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
i knit them on dpns, usually size US 1, toe up :)

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
i've only ever done short row heels.

How many pairs have you made?
ermmmm... i've lost count. hang on... let me think... at least 20 pairs.

Juliet's socks... done!

yarn: Gedifra Fashion Trend Sportivo
pattern: my own toe-up pattern
needles: size US 1 dpns (the brand walmart carries... Boye, i think)
the recipient: happily wearing her new socks :D

what the well socked family is wearing this Socktoberfest

my daughter's socks, in the pink, are done in Elann's Sock It To Me yarn and the pattern is Simply Lovely Lace socks from the Spring 2006 issue of Interweave knits. she likes them but wishes i had made them a little taller. she's growing out of them fast... i need to hurry up on her Gedifra socks. :)

my socks (in the middle) and Jaywalkers in Trekking XXL colour 105. one of my favourite pair!

and my son's socks are my own plain toe-up pattern in Austermann Step. they're short because i just used up what was left from his last pair of socks from the same ball - the first pair were taller. he *loves* his Step socks and wears them constantly.

omg. i'm an idiot!

i have been purling 'wrong' for the past two years. it was causing my stitches to be oriented wrongly on the knit side... resulting in a fabric that looked kind of like it was 'weaved' rather than the usual straight lines of lovely stockinette other people produce.

if you look closely at my Simple Knitted Bodice you'll see what i mean. the top part, the shoulders, above the lovely colours of the Silk Garden was knit back and forth. you can see how it's not as straight and smooth as the bottom half of the pullover, which was knit in the round (no purl stitches).

go ahead, click on the photo to see it a little bigger.


and here's the Caftan Pullover i knit for my mother... you can see how the stitches are rather twisted looking on the purl rows.


okay... say it with me...

D'OH!

Ten Knitterly Things You Didn't Know About Me...

Tracy tagged me for this. i'm not sure if i even know if there are ten knitterly things you don't know about me... but i'll give it a go :D

1. my ex-husband/best friend taught me how to knit. i'm pretty sure my mom must have taught me during my childhood, but i never retained the knowledge. so when my daughter asked me to teach her how to knit i had to relearn the craft... enter John and the rest is history.

2. you know this one, but probably not to the extent that i would like you to know it... i hate finishing my knits. it's tedious and boring to sew all the pieces together. i like the knitting... not the sewing!

3. i knit in bed. every night. i cuddle up in my blankets with a sock in progress and something on the television (the latest being back episodes of Lost so i'll be all caught up for the new season) and knit until i can't see straight anymore and fall asleep.

4. i always forget what needles i already have and have ended up with many doubles. except dpns... i have found i just can't have too many size US1 or US2 dpns. they're always occupied.

5. i inherited two really cool wooden needles holders from my grandmother last year, but i don't use them to store any needles. if i did, i'm sure i'd have even more needles of similar sizes around my house.

6. i use acrylic yarn. yes... i do. not often, mind you, but i don't have anything particularly against acrylic yarns. they're very handy for knits for the kids... washable AND they grow with the child making my hard work wearable for that much longer! lol

7. i machine wash all of my hand knits. most of them shrink a little, so i knit a bigger size in preparation for the machine-wash-shrink. i don't do hand washing.

8. i wish i had more funds for more yarn!! oh... that doesn't really count, does it... who among us doesn't wish for a bigger yarn budget?

9. i very very very rarely knit directly from the skein/ball/etc. even if it's a handy center pull ball i like to hand wind everything into balls... that way i find any knots. and it's so much easier to knit from a hand wound ball, yarn rolls off the ball so smoothly with very little resistance... i keep the ball in my knitting bag so it doesn't roll away and just knit knit knit. okay... that and i'm absolutely anal.

10. i have stabbed myself with my dpns. a size US 1 dpn to be exact. i left a sock in progress on my bed when i got called to look at something absolutely important on the computer by John (don't remember what the hell it was now though), forgot about the sock in progress, plopped back onto my bed and OUCH. needle sticking straight - literally - out of the side of my thigh. i had to just inspect the carnage for a few moments, call the kids over to look and laugh, before separating myself from my beloved needle. i put a band aid on the wound and just kept on knitting, but you can bet i keep my eye open for any dpns before i plunk myself down anywhere now.

skateboarding!

we have a new skate park in town! (the only skate park in town... heh). it's not officially open as they're still working on landscaping and some construction, but it's usable 'at your own risk'. it's only a five to ten minute walk from our house and it's free, so the kids and i have been heading over there to enjoy it. we try to go during school hours... it's not so busy, just a few teens on spares and a few young adults with a day off work. it's been fun so far.

we've been looking around for bigger skateboards since the kids have so obviously outgrown the wee little pocket boards i bought them a few years ago. but, since the new skatepark 'opened' the stores have been sold out of skateboards. or at least sold out of the 'affordable' skateboards... as much as i love the kids, i'm not going to spend $50 per board just yet. i'll think about it if either of them actually stop riding on their bums ;) LOL.

one down...

one to go.

this is, by far, the tallest sock i've ever knit. i went toe-up and just kept knitting until i ran out of yarn. i really really like how this sock turned out! these are going to be for my daughter, but they fit me too (her feet are almost as big as mine already... she's only ten!), so when she outgrows them i'll get them. they're snug across my calf (that's me in the photos), but fit her perfectly :D

just in time for Socktoberfest...

i just love it when sock yarn shows up at my front door...

8 balls of Gedifra Fashion Trend Sportivo in colours 5793,5763,5768,and 5704 that i purchased from FunKnits. and another ball of the ever popular Trekking XXL 100, from the Knitter.com.

i cast on right away with the Gedifra because i have never used it before and just had to know what it was like.

it's rather funky. it has a thin elastic running between the twists of yarn... it makes the socks in progress really springy and stretchy (i like!). but as i'm knitting with it the yarn is bunching around the unstretched elastic...


and lastly, i have one Tropicana sock finished... ermmm... almost finished. i have to weave in the ends (yarn is Trekking XXL in colour 106).

Sockotta Jaywalkers... done!

weird things are happening in this, the land of UFO's... two FO's in less than a week. i know myself well enough to know this isn't the beginning of a new trend.

Simple Knitted Bodice... done!

not the best photos, but they'll do. i shouldn't have had a black tank top on underneath for the photos so you could see the neckline better. ah well.



Simple Knitted Bodice
Yarn: Lily Sugar and Creme cotton (9 balls) and Noro Silk Garden (2 balls)... someone said that combination is like 'wearing pearls with your jeans'. LOL.

i LOVE this pullover!! it was so very easy to knit and it was SO nice to have no seaming to do! everything turned out wonderfully except the neckline, which is a little floppy, but i don't think i'm going to do anything about it unless it stretches out during wear. i really like how the silk garden looks in the black. and it is so comfy to wear!

all in all, i'm really happy with this one and i think i'll be using the pattern as a base pattern for other pullovers.

my little (growing) sock yarn stash.

here are my full balls of sock yarn. i have piles of leftover bits of sock yarn everywhere... and some skeins that i've rolled into balls and didn't photograph.

and i have a habit of starting socks and then moving on to other projects (usually more socks).

so here it is:




the pink yarn is the lovely Fleece Artist i bought a few weeks ago. there are three full balls of Austermann's Step in there (one that i rolled into two equal balls for socks i haven't started yet), some Elann sock yarn (love the plain beige for lacey patterns), Opal Petticoat #1290 (a new addition from Fun Knits), Sockotta, two mismatched balls of Regia (i'm planning on striping those).

i've been working on socks. i have a pair going for my father in solid red Regia. i didn't take pictures of them in progress because they're just plain ribbed... i'll wait until they're done for photos.

here are my Tropicana socks in progress. i'm doing these in Trekking XXL colour 106. i had some trouble photographing them. here's a shot with the flash and one without. i like the subtle wavey pattern in the soft colours a lot. i'm considering using this pattern with the Opal Petticoat.

flash:


sans flash:


i'm almost finished the Simple Knitted Bodice... another few inches to go on the second sleeve and then the neckline. a few bits to weave in... but no dreaded seaming. wooooot!

oh yeah...

the new Knitty is up!

too late to join the battle

by just a few days. darn it.

what battle you ask?

the SOCK WARS battle! doesn't that sound like a blast? i'm sure i'd be one of the first ones out, but dammit if i wouldn't have a blast battling :D

i'm going to follow that one and join in on the next Sock War.

i have pictures... sock yarn, socks in progress... but the energy to post 'em i don't have. yesterday i felt a little funky and just thought it was the lack of sleep. blech. i wish. i have some kind of funky stomach thing going on. no headaches, no coughing, no stuffy noses, no other pain whatsoever, just one heck of an upset stomach. i must have chowed on something that's not sitting well. so i'm just chilling out in bed today with the laptop. i fall asleep for a while here and there and i'm slowly beginning to feel a little better. the kids have been GREAT. they've been pretty content to have a homeschool-free day and have been keeping themselves busy with video games here in my room... aren't they sweet? they both came in here to play to keep me company. i love those little monkeys :D

insomnia sucks.

the entire house is asleep... except me. i'm tired, oh am i tired... but my brain will NOT stop long enough for it to let me sleep.

i've had so many things on my mind. the first is some crap that's been going on here in my complex. i'm the president of the board here and i'm stumped as to what to do. the person in question knows the rules and by laws so well she also knows how to get around them, crawl through the loop holes and bullshit and intimidate those who aren't familiar with the bylaws (and sometimes even those who are), so it seems we can't do much. but it's getting to the point where something HAS to be done before the rest of us get in trouble for her actions. it's really frustrating.

and the next is that it's slowly nearing that time of the month again... but i'm just feeling all down about it. this is the FIFTH cycle of TTC. i'm seriously wondering if it's ever going to happen. *must.think.positively* as much as i hate seeing AF, it does give my brain a break... no wondering and worrying or charting and timing when she's around!

i'm trying to think of happy things... like what i'll spend my next yarn allowance on. i've heard some nice things about Apple Laine yarn, so i'm thinking i'll order some of it from Pick Up Sticks when i can. and perhaps while i'm ordering from there anyway, i'll try out some Sweet Georgia yarn too. a girl really can't have too much sock yarn, can she now ;)

and i'm trying to think about what goodies i'll be getting in the mail soon. i have a ball of Trekking XXL in colour #100 coming my way... and a friend bought me some dollar store HPTs in the USA and they're heading this way too. i don't understand why we don't have HPTs in our Canadian dollar stores... i hate spending so much money on them, especially because they've all been negetive so far - *frown* - $10 for two of the "cheap" brand ones or $10 for one of the name brand ones. yet in the US, the same thing costs only $1! and reading on the TTC forums i do, i haven't heard of one person getting a false result with the dollar store brand tests.

i'm working on sleeve #2 of the Simple Knitted Bodice (yeah, i didn't have it done for Thursdays SnB). the pattern is so easy, and it would be fast for most knitters to whip up... i just lose interest quickly so i switch from one project to another and back again... sometimes in the matter of a few minutes.

...next time i'll try to stick to the usual knitting content.

so i've learned some things about felting...

the first being that stockinette edges flare during the felting process. what went into the machine looking bag-shaped came out looking... well... wonky pancake shaped. (sorry, i forgot to put the body lotion bottle next to the 'finished' product for size comparison).

the second thing i learned is that the length shrunk more than the width did. so i'll keep that in mind.

and the third thing? i think i'm a glutton for punishment because i've been working on this to felt... it'll be another bag... hopefully from what i've learned i'll be able to pull it out of the washing machine still bag-shaped.


pssst... i used Headwater Daina wool for the bag... it felts up LOVELY.

do you know what today is?

the first day of school!!

oh... the peace... the quiet. it's so lovely.

it's 11a.m. and there has not been ONE KNOCK AT THE BACK DOOR! it feels surreal. all summer long the kids have been knocking at the back door starting at around 9:30... and ending only when they finally got called home to go to bed.

the kids have been chilling out on the sofa watching SpongeBob all morning. when i'm showered and dressed we'll start our school day.

in the meantime... here's how far my Simple Knitted Bodice is. i'd really like to have it done for Thursday so i can wear it to the SnB i go to :)


and here's a bag i knitted that i'm going to felt. i ran out of yarn while binding off. i threaded the yarn through the remaining unbound off stitches... i hope it holds up while felting. (with my favourite body lotion for size reference).

oh.my.goodness.

my Fleece Artist socks have been worn... and recently washed... and wow. i put them through a regular load in my laundry machines (washer and dryer)... they are now officially the SOFTEST socks i have ever owned. i can't believe how much they have softened up! they were lovely to begin with... now they are heaven!

Koigu rainbow-ish socks are done!

just in time for chilly weather.

remember this?


it's now these:


i left out the yellow because the socks were tall enough. and i didn't use each entire little ball of colour, i just did 18 rounds of each colour. so i have enough koigu for another pair of socks with yellow toes, heels and cuffs.

i was pretty short on the blue at the end, so the cuffs are very short and roll a bit. i wish i had a little more, enough for another 2 or 3 rows would have stopped the curling. but that's okay, they still turned out nice.

now i just have to weave in the ends.

Simple Knitted Bodice progress...

it's coming along nicely. i'm really liking the Silk Garden in place of the lace inset. and i think i'm going to have enough with two balls :D

and i really really like that there won't be much finishing with this pullover. it takes me forever to sew up my knit creations because i don't enjoy seaming.

i tried it on last night and it fits nicely so far :) i can't wait to finish this one :)

the boy in his new room...

i think he likes it. we got him the new bedframe and the storage unit/bedside table. Ikea is awesome :)

i just couldn't help myself...

John brought me to Georgetown's Yarn and Crafts for a ball of Noro Silk Garden (more on that later)... but i came out with this instead...


i wanted another ball of Silk Garden for the Simple Knitted Bodice pullover from Stitch Diva Studios. i was given two balls at Christmas time and i'm kind of worried two won't be enough to replace the lace inserts on the bodice and arms.

lo and behold, Yarn and Crafts didn't have the colour i needed of Silk Garden, so i guess i'll have to look online for it... but i couldn't leave the store with nothing, could i.

we also went to Ikea where i got Jake a new bed and some storage... and a comforter cover and new curtains for me... i'll post pictures of our new rooms when we're all done setting up.

Fleece Artist yummy-ness

i finished my Fleece Artist socks. i love them. i wasn't so sure about the colours for myself, but now that they're all done, i think the colourway is growing on me. and the yarn. ymmmmmmmy!! i think i've developed a preference for Fleece Artist over Koigu.

oh no...

a new online yarn shop. a new CANADIAN online yarn shop. a new Canadian online yarn shop that specializes in hand-dyed yarns. yarns that seem to be mostly sock yarns...

Pick Up Sticks.ca

and right when i'm just a few bucks short in my paypal account to order any for myself. i guess i'll have to upload some more $ so i can order some... i'd like to see what the Apple Laine yarns are like... i've seen some Sweet Georgia yarns on other blogs and i'm curious about it too...

must. finish. other. sock. projects. before. buying. more. sock. yarn.

Trekking XXL colour #106

oh my... a wee little slice of heaven came to my mailbox today from TheKnitter.com. now i must must must get all those other socks i have on the go finished to free up some needles for the Trekking. (you know, i counted... i currently have 5 socks on needles, all in various states non-completion).

another new project...

lol. i think i'm developing a problem. i cast on for things so fast and easily, but casting off and finishing any projects is like pulling teeth... it's painful and i don't look forward to doing it, but i'm usually happy with the end result.

the new project? the Simple Knitted Bodice pullover from Stitch Diva Studios (i'm going for the long sleeve version if i have enough yarn). the yarn is the same black cotton yarn that i had used to cast on for the Lotus Blossom tank. that didn't get far... i don't know WHAT i was doing wrong, but every time i got to the 'flower' part of the lace pattern everything went wonky. with the Stitch Divas pattern there is nothing for me to mess up... i think instead of the lace insert around the middle and on the arms i'm going to use some of the lovely Noro Silk Garden (#217) i got for Christmas :D

the Fleece Garden and Koigu socks are coming along slowly... my hands need a break from the small knitting (yes, that was my excuse to cast on for another project ;) )

... and i lost a comment... sorry Tracey! i seem to have lost your comment into the bowels of blogger doom. i told the bugger blogger to publish your words, but i don't see them now.

my beautiful dresser!

wow! wow! wow!

my father came today to pick up the kids for their usual weekend trip to my parents' house and surprised me with this!!


i've had this dresser since i was a little girl. my dad bought it at an antiques auctions back in the day... and my mother was so mad at him because he spent $50 on it and it looked awful. it had layers and layers of ugly paint on it. it was the very first peice of furniture he ever refinished. now it's one of his passions. and he's very very good at it.



he took it a while back to refinish it for me... i wasn't expecting it back for a long while because he only worked on it at my grandfather's house. my dad lives in an apartment and works in my grandfather's garage/workshop. he even went and found porcelain wheels for the legs... and the handles... i don't know where in the world he found those, but aren't they gorgeous?



wow. i am blown away. it is so beautiful. the pictures really don't do it justice. he wants to do my bed next (another antique). i am SO willing to sleep on a mattress on the floor for however long it takes. my dad does miracles when it comes to furniture... quality miracles at that. he is awesome at what he does :)

a finished frilly tank top

i finished my daughter's tank top today. and she put it on immediately. i think she likes it :)

the frill on the bottom is from Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge. the yarn is Sirdar's Breeze. i knit it in the round and added an elastic around the top in the picot edge.

i'm not terribly happy with the way the straps look at the moment, i'll probably tighten them up when she takes it off tonight.



i turned the heel on one of my Fleece Artist socks last night and the Koigu socks are coming along at a steady rate. the kids have been outside playing a lot the last few days, which gives me loads of knitting time :)

koigu sample skein socks

a while back i got some sample skeins of koigu from my LYS owner... she was in the midst of ordering koigu for the store and the women at koigu had given her sample skeins of their colours. i think many of us who frequent the store ended up with some sample skeins of our own one way or another.

on top of my sample skeins, i have leftovers from other Koigu projects. the other day i had an epiphany... i'm going to make fun stripey socks out of all the small bits.

i rolled each colour into two seperate but hopefully equal enough balls so that i know what i have available for each sock and then played around with what order to knit them up in. i'm thinking about adding a row of dark blue between each colour change... should i? here's the order i've come up with (blue on the toe, yellow on the cuff):


i think they're going to end up taller than my other socks :)

i've been knitting on my Fleece Artist socks too... they're coming along nicely. if i have any leftover yarn from this project i think i'll add it to the Koigu socks.

John was nice enough to drive me to Georgetown so i could spend a few minutes in Yarn and Crafts where i treated myself to some Fleece Artist merino sock yarn, i think the colourway is called Jester. i wound the skein in the car and cast on as soon as we got home. i've never used Fleece Artist's merino before... it really reminds me of Koigu so far... but as you can see (or not... sorry about the crappy photo, i took it in a rush) i've only gotten 3 rows into my sock. i like it :)

i haven't done much on the Freedom throw because i've gotten back into a pair of Sockotta jaywalkers i let fall by the wayside when the first completed sock ended up too big.

and i still haven't finished the Corset Pullover. it'll get done eventually.

capitalizing on the heat to make some $

my children and their 'lemonade' stand. never mind that they weren't selling lemonade. they were selling coke and iced tea. and in about an hour they made $6, which they split when they came in because it was too hot to sit out there any longer. notice my son and his form of advertising... he's drinking the coke himself... i guess that sent out the message that it's goooood and coooold to everyone walking by ;)

yep. it's hot. 36degreesCelcius hot, but 'feels like' 48C. that's 118Fahrenheit if you live in the USA. toasty.

i am ever so grateful for our white trash window A/C units today. the kids are now inside enjoying the cool air while playing, one on her computer, the other on his Xbox.

i keep meaning to finish up Juliet's tank top, but i keep getting distracted. i'm going to blame it on the weather... who can concentrate on anything when it's so hot? *wink*.