Sunday is for…

baking.  February is almost gone and we need to get this month’s Cookie-of-the-Month shipment to Grandpa! Boy 1 chose Chocolate Crinkles.The BFL Hickory Socks were finished earlier this week.  Sunday is for photography. I really like the way these came out. And Sunday is for spinning.  It’s last-Sunday-of-the-month, which means spinning circle at Serendipity.  I’m still working on the natural BFL so I won’t bore you with another photograph of that. But I managed to get a shot of Jess’s Pretty Pirate singles, which are nearly done.  She spins very fine yarn and will navajo ply this: Hopefully Sunday will be for beginning a new sock.  This next one requires some attention on my part, so I need uninterrupted time when I’m rested.  This might happen this evening… or it might not.  Stay tuned!

FO: cozy scarf

I finished my Pei scarf last week and am pleased to say it’s already been blocked and worn.  Finally got around to photographing it: I really liked working with this woolen-spun yarn (Loft).  It’s so lightweight but definitely warm.  It’s not the softest yarn ever, but it didn’t bother me to wear it around my neck like this.  To feel even warmer, I just doubled it:The stockinette panel makes the scarf not want to lay flat, despite the effort of the designer to thwart that tendency (the edge next to the stockinette panel is a 5-round eyelet pattern, followed by some ribbing, and the bindoff is also in rib).  I think, if I were to knit this again, I would work K-K-P-K instead of all K in that section.  That might help.  It would also be interesting to make this in a smooth, drapey, worsted-spun yarn – like one of those sock yarns that is 100% superwash merino from which I’ll never make socks.  How many of those do I have left in my stash?  That’s worth a look…

But overall, I’m pleased with the result!  I think a swingy cardigan knit from Loft would be super cozy and lightweight… maybe I’ll keep that in mind for NEXT year’s sweater project.

I’ve also finished the first Hickory sock and have cast on for its mate.  Here’s a sneak peek:

I really like the branching quality of this design.  It reminds me of another pair I knit years ago, the Mock Cable Wave Socks.  I’ve been wearing those a lot lately.  This undulating quality must be speaking to my subconscious.

Beachy Felici 2nd ed

This pair of socks has been sitting on the piano for a couple of weeks, waiting patiently to be photographed:Those of you who have seen my piano know how it is possible to lose sight of things up there.  My kids probably think “piano” is synonymous for “yarn table.”

Anyway, I knit this pair fairly quickly and mostly during meetings at work – a plain vanilla stickinette sock on Felici Sport goes fast.  The colorway is “Seaside” and I followed my formula for the Ecology Socks almost exactly.What was different?  Two things:

1. I made the leg a bit longer, mostly because I wanted the heel to emerge from a dark brown stripe rather than the oatmeal-y lighter stripe that preceded it.
2. I knit a more rounded toe than before.  This is my current favorite toe.  I decrease every other round until I have 28 stitches left, and then I decrease every round until there are 8 left.  Then I do a hat-style closure (twice).  But I do the regular wedge style toe for the heel.

For stockinette socks in fingering weight yarn, I cast on 64 stitches on 2.0 mm needles.  For this sportweight yarn, I cast on only 52 stitches and use 2.5 mm needles.  They really fly.These will go directly into the sock box and I predict that they’ll be in the dirty sock pile by the end of the week!

I just geeked out a little in Ravelry and counted up my Felici projects to date – this is my 14th one.  I do love Felici!

Hilarious

Have you guys seen this funny video from WEBS, America’s Yarn Store?  It made me laugh out loud today.  I love the scene where she puts her hat on a fire hydrant to photograph it.  I live on a fairly well-traveled corner in a small town, and I have to wonder if people talk about that crazy lady who takes pictures of her feet outside.  One can get into some crazy positions trying to photograph her socks.

Sweater: 2011-12 edition

You know me… I’m a one-sweater-a-year type of knitter.  More than that might interfere with my sock knitting.  I finished knitting this several weeks ago but it took a while to block and even longer to photograph.  But finally, I give you… Vodka Gimlet!

You may recall that this yarn colorway is “Barely Birch,” so I posed in front of an actual birch tree so you can compare.  I think “Barely Birch” is a great name for this shade of greige.This sweater has a basic topdown raglan construction, but the details make it stand out. 

The slipped stitch detail repeats on the neckband, waist, and hem.This 4-ply yarn renders sculptural stitches.  I found myself admiring the simple 2x2 rib at the wrists all day long because it just looks so great in this yarn!

Do I need to repeat that this yarn is awesome?  Once again, this is Plucky Primo Worsted (75% merino, 20% cashmere, 5% nylon) from The Plucky Knitter.  I fell in love with her yarn at Sock Summit 2011 and ordered this online when she released a kit. I am very happy with this knit.  I think I could have stopped the raglan seam increases a little bit sooner than I did… and maybe I should have made the neckband a little bit wider… but it’s still a lovely sweater and I’ll wear it often.  I would not hesitate to buy another sweater’s quantity of Plucky yarn. 

Now, back to our regular sock programming… (to continue the tree theme, I’ll have a Hickory update next time)

Green Pei

I ate a piece of extremely green pie at lunch today – the dining hall had grasshopper pie on the dessert table and I couldn’t resist it.  It was wicked witch green.  But I didn’t take a photo of it.  Instead, I give you Green Pei:

I’m working on the Pei loop scarf from BrooklynTweed, made from the new Loft yarn.  This is a fingering weight, woolen spun, 2-ply yarn.  This heathered green colorway is called “Button Jar” and I’m smitten with it.  See how many colors show up?  It’s not “just” green!

If you haven’t seen how the Harrisville Mill makes this heathered yarn, I recommend reading Jared Flood’s mill tour posts.  I would LOVE to see this mill in person someday!

By the way, I heard some negative feedback about the integrity of the Loft yarn on the SpinDoctor podcast – Sasha’s skein broke several times while winding it on a ballwinder.  I’m happy to report that I had no such issues (though I did wind especially carefully because I heard her podcast first).

…and speaking of mill tours, The Mannings is sending a busload of folks to Nazareth, PA, to tour the Kraemer Textiles Mill.  I’m thinking of taking a vacation day to go along.  I’ve always wanted to see a spinning mill!  Don’t get me started on the Mingus Mill in Great Smoky Mountains National Park…  I could stay there all day watching how the mill grinds the corn.  And then there’s the David Macauley book called Mill.  Yeah, I think I just talked myself into a vacation day on April 13.  Who’s with me?  To the mill!

In other news… I posted a few photos from our NYC trip on Flickr, including some delicious pictures of the yarn at Habu Textiles, for those who are interested.

New sock

I cast on for this sock many weeks ago when I needed something to begin during one of Kris’s and my Thai knitting lunchdates, but then it languished.  Until now!  This is a fairly simple sock with a little surprise.  When it’s on the needle, it doesn’t look like much.  Mostly stockinette:But look what happens when it’s on a person (or a water bottle) – the stockinette forms branches!

The pattern is called “Hickory” and it’s in Clara Parkes’ The Knitter’s Book of Socks.  I’m using some of my Sock Summit 2011 yarn, a lovely 3-ply 80/20 BFL/nylon blend from Huckleberry Knits.  The colorway name is Creme Brulee.This yarn feels sheepier than the usual merino blends.  I’m anxious to see if it will wear well.  It should, as BFL is a longwool breed and those long staples should add strength to the yarn.  I sure hope it works well, as I bought 4 different colorways!  (My excuse was that I was hungry at the time.)