How The West Was Spun

FO: The Fellowship Socks

I finished up The Fellowish socks, the fourth out of the LOTR series from The Unique Sheep, that I'm slowly chipping away at.

 

PROJECT SPECS:
Pattern:  The Fellowship (see Ravelry link above) by Lobug.  The pattern is written toe-up and consists of travelling stitches up the foot and the front of the leg.  The back of the leg is just plain knit. They feature a great little picot bind off that I'm now quite enamored of.  I would rate this maybe intermediate.  The charts are a little confusing - the symbols the designer used are the reverse of what most standardized cable charting looks like, so you sort of have to know what you want to achieve in order to get it to work correctly. 
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep's Sushi Socks (Merino and Bamboo) fingering weight.  The kit came with a gradiance colorway, but I really wanted to do these in a solid, so I found the same yarn base, colorway: Blue Boy, in the stash, and knit it up in that.
Needles: Size 2 US DPNs.
Mods:  I used Miriam Felton's uber-awesome toe-up sock cast-on, which is now my 100% preferred method.  It yields (IMHO) a MUCH nicer result than many of the other ones out there and is very easy to do.  I also did the back of the leg in stockinette; the pattern was written for reverse stockinette.  I liked that better to keep the continuity with the sole of the foot.  

 

I'm really glad I changed this up and used a different colorway of yarn.  I like the intricate look of the cables in this almost-solid colorway, and I think I'll get a lot of wear out of these under jeans and/or khakis (Not that I'm opposed to wildly colored socks.  I just prefer these with all the cabling in a plainer colorway.)  I was a little unsure how that picot edge would work.  You know sometimes how the bind-off for toe-up socks is too snug?  Not these - nice and stretchy AND a pretty cute little addition to the ribbing at the top.

All for now......

WIP Wednesday: September 29, 2010

Last week was my Remicade infusion, so I actually had some undivided knitting time and made a lot of progress on The Fellowship socks.

I finished the first sock and cast on the second of the pair. 

I have knit the second sock up to the point where I need to deal with the short-row heel, so I'll tackle that and get started on the leg. 

Goal: I'm actually going to see if I can get these finished up this week.  And then I need to decide what's next for personal projects.  I SHOULD get back to my Sprossling sweater. I'm just not sure I'm motivated for it... still......Maybe if it actually started feeling like fall?

All for now.....
 

WIP Wednesday: September 22, 2010

Chugging along on sock #1, I've turned the heel and started up the leg.  There are 3 charts of cables for these socks.  The first chart is for the foot and you finish up one extra repeat after turning the heel.  I've done that and started on chart #2.

 

Goal:  I'm going to try to get sock #1 finished this week!

All for now.....
 

WIP Wednesday: September 15, 2010

Since I finished up my Shaelyn shawl last week, I decided I needed another personal project on the needles to balance out the couple of stealth/design things I'm working on.

I have a larger project on the needles, so while my Sprossling cardi is still languishing on the needles, I decided I didn't want to pick that up again until I get the other larger project completed.  I also made the executive decision to frog my Glynis socks.  Theoretically an "easier" Cookie A pattern, those damn things were kicking my arse.  The round where you move a stitch outside the normal pattern repeat?  I was doing it wrong (in different ways) EVERY TIME.  So.... moving on.

I dug into the stash and came up with The Fellowship socks from the LOTR sock club that I'm still chipping away at. Toe-up construction and twisted-stitch cables - much better.  I did decide that the original colorway (which you can see in the Ravelry link above) was too busy for my tastes for the pattern.  When I do cables, I like to have them be the star.  So, since I have (ahem) PLENTY of things in my stash, I went back into the bins and came up with the same fiber blend (merino/bamboo) sock yarn from The Unique Sheep that the original kit was done with, but in an almost-solid medium blue and I'm much happier with that.  I am planning on saving the Gradience colorway for a pair of Gluttony socks at some point.

So here's where things stand after some weekend foozball watching:

This is the first pattern repeat finished and I've started on the second.  I think I need 2 full repeats to get to where I am ready to work the heel (or thereabouts).

Goal:  Finish the foot up to the heel.

All for now. 
 

WIP Wednesday: July 21, 2010

Project #1: Sprossling Cardi

As I hoped, I got the left front of the cardigan finished in the truck driving to and from Ft. Stanton last weekend.  I actually did so well, I cast on for the right front and started the decrease shaping rows.

 

Goal: See below.

Project #2: Glynnis Socks

Theoretically these are "easy" Cookie A socks.  Round 5 where you have to move the end-of-round marker keeps biting me in the butt for whatever reason.  Anyhoo.  I've worked 5 of the 9 leg repeats. (I still don't have the colors right in this photo.  More yellow, less pink.)

Goals:  I'm going on a sort of hiatus - or at least from these projects for a bit.  I need to power my way thru a test knit and that is going to be my sole project until it's done, since it's on a deadline.  I think I'll probably post my progress and goals here for the next several weeks on that, but since it's a secret project, it'll be super boring for you, dear readers, with no photos.  I have cast on for it already and have worked the first set (chart A) of repeats, with 4 more repeats of chart A rows to work on next.

All for now.....
 

WIP Wednesday: July 14, 2010

Project #1: Sprossling Cardi

I got the back blocked over the last week and it looks much more normal in size.  The lace ribbing has a LOT of stretch.  I cast on and started the left front piece.  I've knit up thru the second of the decrease rows for the waist shaping.

Goal:  Finish knitting the left front.

Project #2: Glynis Socks

A new project this week, this one from Cookie A's book Sock Innovation.  This is the Glynis sock, and I've just gotten it cast on, knit thru the ribbing and the first 2 pattern repeats of the leg (there are 9 total).  The yarn is Luxe silk/merino from The Unique Sheep, in the colorway "Mordor".  

Goal:  Nothing specific on these - they will be my pick-up/spare minute project for a while, I think.

All for now.....
 
 

FO: Caradhras Socks

These socks are actually the fourth installment in the LOTR sock club I've been participating in.  (I haven't knit the third installment yet.  It's an intricate cable pattern and I'll probably start them soon, but they were not appropriate travel projects to take out and camp with.)

 

Project Specs:
Pattern:  Caradhras Socks from the LOTR sock club from The Unique Sheep.  Super easy pattern made up of various knit/purl stitch patterns.  The theme is supposed to mimic the rocky steps over the Caradhras mountains which the fellowship climb before they are forced to turn back and go through the Mines.
Yarn:  FootPrints from The Unique Sheep in the Caradhras colorway.  This is a sportweight merino yarn. 
Needles:  Size 3 US DPNs. 
Mods:  I used Mim's super toe-up cast on technique, which doesn't leave any odd holes and no grafting.  I also omitted a few of the purl rounds (like the one just before the heel) that I thought broke up the pattern too much.  Otherwise, I knit these as written.

This is one of my favorite heavier-weight yarns.  It's very soft and knits up into a nice, dense fabric.  I have totally no use for heavy boot-weight socks right now - it's in the 90s here every day - but when cool weather comes, you can be sure these'll get a lot of use!

All for now.....
 

WIP Wednesday - June 16, 2010

Quickie, drive-by postings this week, I'm afraid.  The good news is Bhen got his staples out on Friday afternoon, and he was given the A-OK for a trial ride, which we did on Sunday.  He had absolutely no swelling or puffiness or tenderness, so that means he's cleared to go for some limited distance ride times this weekend and we are trying to get ready to go do that. 

However.....

Project #1: Caradhras Socks

I had a bunch of good knitting time last Friday, as I had my Remicade scheduled in the morning, so I powered through the foot of the sock before I fell asleep, and then finished up the heel later on in the evening when I finally got with it enough to handle even simple knitting.

Goal:  I'm going to take this as my travel/camp project over the weekend, I think.  Bet I can get this one finished up with a little effort.

Project #2: Miralda Shawl

Still plugging away on this one.  The nupps rows are taking longer than "normal" knit rows would, but I have finished halfway thru the middle charts with the largest lace pattern.  (Possibly one of THE worst photos ever taken, but you can get the vague idea, eh?).

 
 
Goal:  Probably not much time on this one this week.  I'm going to try to get a few more rows accomplished before we leave, but nothing specific goal-wise.

All for now....

WIP Wednesday: June 9, 2010

Project #1: Miralda Shawl

Now that my Thelonius Socks are off the needles, I'm going to pick up this shawl again.  I got nothing done on it this week, having focused on the Cookie socks for my knitting time.  No pics - this looks exactly the same.

Goal:  Knit thru row 18 of the middle chart rows.  This is halfway through that chart.

Project #2: Caradhras Socks

I started these as my travel project during our ill-fated tour down to the Gila when Bhen got hurt last weekend.  These are actually kit #4 in the LOTR club series, but the third kit is pretty heavy-duty cables and I decided not to be tied to the instructions while on the road.  This one is knit on size 3 needles using sportweight yarn, and has a simple set of knit/purl patterns on the foot and up the leg.  They are knit toe-up, and, as you can see, I've finished sock #1 and cast on for sock #2.

Goal: Knit up through and turn the heel.

All for now...
 

FO: Theolonius Socks

And about dern time too, eh?!?  Amazing how much knitting I get done when I'm not on the horse aerobic conditioning programming. 

 

Project Specs: 

Pattern: Thelonius Sock by the fantastic Cookie A.  A seriously fun knit.  Made only slightly less fun by having knit the leg portions 3 times, but such is life.
Yarn:  Wooly Wonka Fibers Aerten sock yarn.  A blend of 80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon.  Nummy.  This was dyed in the "Ganymede" colorway, which I think I finally have photographed fairly closely to real life.
Needles: 1.5 US DPNS.
Mods: None.  There's plenty going on in these socks, I really didn't need to change anything up. As with most Cookie patterns, not a mindless project.  Two sets of charts required a fair amount of concentration for me.

As with all the Cookie patterns I've knit.  I love the finished product.  They are really interesting and intricate, but still something pretty practical I can foresee getting a lot of cooler weather wear out of.

All for now....