Knitting Pharm

the Mad Scientist

I've been meaning for ages now to track just how long it takes me to complete a given project.  Not in great detail, just to ballpark it.

As promised, a little experiment involving yet another self-striping sock.

Overall details:  Online sock yarn, 32-inch, 2.5mm Addi Turbo.  Magic Loop over 72 stitches.  Toe up with gussets and flap.  Stockinette all over, with k1p1 rib top.

To be completely honest, I suspect I cranked up the speed of my knitting when I knew I was tracking progress my time.  I'm pretty quick anyway, not Wannietta quick, but probably on the fast side of average.

So, how long does it take me to knit a sock?

1. Cast on and toe increases.  Toddler dance class, 30 minutes
2. Foot to end of first pattern repeat.  Board meeting, 60 minutes
3. Remainder of foot, to end of gusset increases.  Evening TV wind down with kids, 60 minutes.  (Don't tell Dr. Phil.)
4. Bottom flap and heel flap.  Kids in bed, 30 minutes.
5. Up the leg in stockinette.  On and off through lousy TV, 90 minutes.
6. Ribbed cuff, cast off and ends worked in.  Waiting to leave for the gym, 60 minutes.

Total time spent:  5.5 hours for a large adult sized sock.

Just as I cast off the sock, I considered staying home from the gym for the mailman, just in case he arrived with my Blue Moon swag.  I opted to go, and when I returned, my April club kit was waiting for me.

No spoilers yet, except to say the ladies have truly outdone themselves.  After swatching with it for 2 days, I've finally settled on a slightly modified version of the club pattern.  Think lace.  Think silk.  Think of me humping the mailman's leg the next time I see him.

With that, I leave you to sift through the wreckage of my garage, which has been transformed into an enormous sale.  We live in a rabid yard sale town, so it should be pretty busy.  Hub has already, UNPROMPTED, told me I could use the money for yarn, since I did much of the sorting and pricing.  Midweek, I'll be here, and it's truly lovely.

If you have any other suggestions for yarny goodness to be found in Freeport (ME), Portland (ME), North Conway (NH) or anywhere near there, be a duck and leave me a comment, would you?

A stash dive through history

This plunging stuff has really made me dig deep into the stash, as I have set, broken and re-set some pretty strict rules about stash enhancement for the coming months.

I am finding stuff I have no memory of acquiring.  My taste in sock yarns has changed.  Lately I've been dabbling in a bit of extra sproing, some brilliant colours, texture to die for and a wee bit of "where have you been all my life?".

Until I can get back into that stuff, it's self-striping 'til I see stripes in my sleep.

Pair #8, Opal Petticoat Cotton.  Gifted to Miss Amy's daycare teacher.

Pair #9, more Opal, for my pal Lavinia.

Between these, I banged off yet another felted backpack.  This wee town of ours will be full of Patons Classic felted backpacks, courtesy of the three (so far) little girl birthday parties Misses A. and L. have attended this spring.

(not a great photo, but you get the idea.  Little, felted, bright and perfectly suited to a 5 year old girl.)

I also whipped out the spindle to make use of some odd bits of Opal solid.  These were used for the socks I now refer to as "fire puke".  I plied them together for another unknown project.  Kindly ignore the old lady hands and lack of mani.

Sock pair #10 is well underway, but I'm using it as an experiment, so will post in detail and with photos tomorrow.  Want a hint?

It's self-striping, and I have no idea when or where I acquired the yarn.

Knitty in the City

Not the magazine, the activity.  It's hard to make a remotely cute rhyme to the word knitting, so apologies to Amy.

Last night I had the itch to get to the city for some decent coffee and adult conversation, so I ventured to the Wired Monk for my first KOL.

What a fun bunch!  I've been blogstalking the lot of them for some time now, so it was so nice to meet them in person and play with yarn.  They were working on such varied and beautiful projects, it was downright inspiring.

Thanks, girls, for being so welcoming to a newbie!

On the knitting front, I've been doing socks.  Bored yet?  Oddly, I'm not, as I've been stashbusting and working different patterns and methods.  It feels very satisfying to be focusing on the Plunge.

Pair #6, the penance socks, were worked in Regia self-striping.  I did them cuff-down so I could practise my new skill, the long-tail cast on that I credit David with bringing into my life.  His site is currently misbehaving on me, but worth a look for the demo video.  Here are said ugly socks, which are pair #6.

Pair #7 were done at breakneck pace.  No photos, since they're being submitted.  Think Fleece Artist.  Think socks.

I cast on #8 at KOL, just because I could.  The next oldest stash yarn was some Opal cotton in springy shades, and I honestly don't know how I let this skein sit in my stash room for as long as I did.

Back to small town living I go...

Georgia on my (Tangled) Mind

These yarn road trips have really got to stop.

But do they really?

Months and months ago, another knitblogger gave me the business card for her LYS.  Knowing that Tangled Skeins was a purveyor of Sweet Georgia Yarns, and knowing that their dyer was planning a lengthy hiatus, I had to swing by and see if I could get my hands on some.

Sheryl, the wonderful proprietor and Yarnist (I just love that term), broke the news that, sadly, she was all out of Sweet Georgia.  Then the yarns goddesses smiled down, the angels sang, and I found this:

 

Superwash.  Saffron.  Sumptuous.

Sheryl's shop is homey and lovely and stocked to the gills with beautiful things.  You should visit her.  She promises to get a blog and/or site going.  You should bug her about that too.

The goddesses were not so kind as I embarked on Thelonius #2, although I'm looking forward to a repeat visit to the Loop for far more Louet Gems than I need.  What a squishy, springy delight!  So close...

And my penance for shopping is to cast on from the oldest stash I had.  Regia.  Self-striping.  Not soft, not pretty, but soon to stop haunting me from the stash room.  It's pair #6 for the plunge, and it's going very quickly.

Have a yarn-filled weekend!

How did you get here?

I normally keep an eye on the means by which people find their way to my blog, and have been keeping a running list of the most, ahem, remarkable ones.  Here are the most common knitting ones, with my reply to each:

• Handmaiden Ottawa - the best yarn in the world.  Period.
• Free felted clogs pattern - I have not found one, and the Fiber Trends one is worth every dime
• Debbie Bliss Circular Cardigan - great pattern, but don't dare try a yarn sub for it
• Patons SWS patterns - fill yer boots!
• Diagonal bag - this image search turns up every day.  I have done a few, the pattern is in my head and not on my site.  I will work on that eventually.
• Sea Silk Clapotis - do it!

In the bizarre category are these:

• H-cup chest - not that kind of site, buddy.  Go back to your tissues.
• Sexy pairs - ditto the above.  I said my Baudelaires were sexy.  Are you happy now?

The plunge continues to occupy my every thought.  Week one saw three finished pairs.

Pair #3, Monkey in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock

I did a super high instep on these, as I find the pattern a bit on the teeny size.

#4 will be Thelonius in Louet Gems (sage green), and is a ridiculously addictive knit.

The agony:  short row toe just a few rows shy of done, but look at that teeny little yarn tail!

 

The ecstasy:  loose, messy grafting...

 

gets snugged up into this:

 

I can't see the graft line, can you see the graft line?

And really, isn't this a gorgeous sock?

They will require a trip to the Loop for a third skein, but I'm very happy with the sock overall.

Must scoot, Degrassi something intelligent is coming on telly.  Hope everyone had a lovely Easter!

Me and my darned manners

Another day, another excuse reason to venture to the city.

Tuesday was the elusive day off, kids at daycare and nothing but a passport application to keep me company.  I'd heard horror stories about long wait at the Passport Office, so I figured I'd make a day of it.

I clocked in at 10:20am, and my application was processed by 11:00.

Huh?

Ah, the universe wants me to shop again.

I headed to the north end, in search of my favourite pizza.  Orgasmic pizza.  The pizza we jokingly refer to as "conception pizza", as our first daughter was the result of Salvatore's and merlot in August of 2002.  (The suggested name of Sally did not stick.)

Next door to the pizzeria is LK Yarns.  They have a great stock of Fleece Artist, including some mill end and seconds.  But really, can you use a yarn store to kill time while a pizza bakes, and not at least buy something?

I thought not.

I skipped the discounted Sea Wool, but will be back for it the next time I find an excuse to am forced to venture into the city.  But in a basket of discounted yarns, I found these:

for 16 bucks apiece.

So, for those who are keeping track, that makes a $52 pizza.

Or $152, if you count the visit to my former-only-because-I-moved hairdresser.

And add $87 for the passport.

Who ever said manners came cheaply?

Head to toe, and a-plunging we go!

I spent the latter part of March just itching to get started on my Plunge socks.  However, despite the fact that any object finished from April to April can count on my tally, I'm being stubborn.  I want the 52 to be started, worked and finished within the time frame.  I can get a bit competitive compulsive particular in matters like that.

Finishing my knee socks was job 1.  They are done and on the feet (and legs!  squee!) today.

At midnight on the 1st, I cast on with some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock.  This is a stripped-down version of Millicent, starting after the calf shaping but including that asymmetrical rib effect that intrigues me so.  Guess these socks, which I'm calling Millie, are pair #1 in the plunge.

(that angle makes the fit look a bit off, but it's perfect when pulled up.)

I cast on #2 on Sunday and got most of the cuff done, but I wanted something new for my weekly DVR cleanout.  I opted for my last skein of Sea Wool, in the amethyst colourway.  Miss Violet would have kittens at the shades in this one.

Stockinette foot, 56 stitches, toe-up with stockinette flap on 3mm needle.  I'm just starting the leg, and haven't yet decided if it needs to be patterned.  I think I'll go back to Millie #2 while I ponder that.

French Market Bag is on the back burner, but only needs a few hours of attention.  Perhaps between socks.

March's Head-to-Toe:

Off the spindle:

• About 400g of Knitpicks laceweight Navajo plied into a light sportweight

For the head:

• 4 caps for charity knit event, done in Knitpicks Main Line
• Headband for Amy in first (experimental) batch of Navajo plied yarn

For the hands:

• Derrick's thrummed mitts

For the feet:

• Todd's Opal socks
• Queen of Cups in Fleece Artist Sea Wool
• BMFA club socks
• Flow Motion socks in Kertzer Marble DK
• Knee socks in Austermann Step

Other

• Striped backpack in pinks and red
• Pink and off-white herringbone backpack

Overall, I would say my stash was reduced more than enhanced this month.  At this rate of use and purchase, I may be out of yarn before millenium menopause my kids start raiding it.

Please leave a comment if you have any splendid ideas for a lace cuff for my Sea Wool Socks.  For that matter, feel free leave a comment for reason at all!