Knits

I could have surprised myself by truly finishing these before the end of the 3-day weekend. I mean it would have been a skin-of-the-teeth sort of finish, but still. However, I did not because that would have meant not having any knitting to do on the commute as I totally didn’t expect to get to the point of finishing so I saved some ribbing, the binding off, and perhaps even the weaving in of ends for the commute.

Now unless you do two socks at once or are extremely meticulous, socks one and two are never quite the same.

Sock one:

• Did my normal toe-up cast on instead of the crochet cast on as indicated in the pattern; this means it sits a bit funny since the pattern twists.
• Foot came out about a quarter inch too long so it’s actually a bit baggy.
• Remarkably I “made up” the bind off, thinking I was doing it as I have done before, but not so… I thought I was doing the Russian bind off, but what I did was k2, slip first stitch over, move remaining stitch back to left needle, rinse and repeat.
• I only got in 11 rounds of ribbing at the top of the cuff.
• I used 56g of yarn.

Sock two:

• Still didn’t do the crochet cast on, but did a provisional cast on and more or less did as the pattern stated. The toe is too pointy…
• Foot is nearly perfect (sans pointy toe)
• Actually did the Russian bind off
• Did 16 or so rounds of ribbing and could have done several more before binding off (probably due to savings in the foot length department).
• Usd 52g of yarn.

On both socks I used 2.25mm needles for the toe and switched to 2.5mm once the pattern started yet one pooled the whole way up and the other did different things on the foot and cuff. After the last pair of socks that required ripping back quite a bit, I did try these on to determine how many stitches to reduce back down to after the gussets. Since I’m not clever enough to figure out how to actually incorporate decreases into patterns, I just reduced the needle size back to 2.25mm and it worked like a charm once I was sure the sock would get over my instep and ankle and not be restricting.

I definitely could’ve done a better job of picking up the stitches on the second sock heel flap so I might go and reinforce those somehow. Not sure why this happened, the only explanation is because I was in the pub.

As for what’s next, well I think I will work on some of those other socks that need a mate or need working on in general and start on a scarf.

Hello! Well, I’ve been in bright and sunny California for a week now. It’s actually been pretty nice — generally it’s really foggy for half the day and it’s not been bad really. I’ve sat outside a few times and knit and enjoyed the warmth. I even had to go out and buy a tank top (vest) and shorts today because I didn’t bring anything suitable for lounging in the sun.

Things are going as well as they can. The first few days were really hard — very emotional. Now it’s just hard because I can’t really leave her on her own for too long (mostly because I have to keep my eye on her so she doesn’t fall or something and make sure she takes her meds on time). I’ve completely changed my body clock although about 3 or 4 I feel like I need a nap and then I get tired and ready for bed by 10 or so which is early for me.

So anyway - several things to show you. The first picture is only a fraction of the amazing gift Jillian sent me. It includes a nice grass bag, two skeins of Claudia Handpainted in Blue Fields, a set of Rosewood DPNs, some hand lotion and chapstick, and that cool “blooming” tea. She also sent the Kittyville hat she knit for my sister (which she has worn most days since it arrived last Wednesday) and a thing of coffee and biscuits. Mmmm.

 
Claudia Handpainted in Blue Fields

I’m so impressed not only with the generosity of knitters, but people in general, whether you know them or not, whether you’ve talked to them every week or only exchange Christmas cards. I’m generally pretty grumpy about people, but it’s good to know that most people are kind and have heart; I need to remember that more often, not only when there are bad times.

I also started the Neighbourhood Tunnels sock from the Socktopus sock club so I could knit it on the airplane. I’ve just started the heel flap (I actually haven’t done much knitting since the plane ride). The picture shows the yarn a bit brighter than it is. To me the pattern seems to be obscured by the yarn, but maybe that’s down to my technique. My yarn overs don’t seem to be creating very large holes (and I’m not knitting through the back loop). I think maybe I’ve changed how I do yarn overs although I can’t figure out how they might be different. I was going to follow the pattern as written, but because I was in a rush to get these started to take on the plane, I didn’t do the toe as stated so it’s probably going to be a bit wonky.

Oh the Laburnum socks are still going (starting the cuff on sock two) and I saw other people also had problems with them biasing so it’s something with the way the pattern pulls.

Time to go do some more knitting and relaxing before bed… I’ll be back soon with an actual finished object.