Still here

Time flies. Two weekends ago, I was on a plane to Toronto and didn't have a chance to write. This weekend was consumed with Alpaca shearing (YES) and a friend's wedding (Congratulations again!). Today, I'm finally back home and settling in to a routine. Lots of exciting things have happened since I last posted, and I have tons of fun things to share with you. However, pictures will take a while to sort through and process, so I thought I'd pop in today to say Hello! and give you a sneak peek of what's I've been up to.

Since we last spoke I:

Finished my Cotton Candy Fractal Handspun, and began a shawl which I have no pictures of (but it's almost done, so you'll see it fairly soon!).

Went to Toronto...

CN Tower

Unexpected waterfront beach

 where I toured several local knitting shops...

Romni Wools

Americo Original

The Purple Purl

and came home with a fabulous yarn and fiber haul.

Oh Canada! Besides the Malabrigo, everything here is from Canadian indie dyer/yarn/fiber companies.

Helped with the Spring alpaca shearing at Plain View Farm...

Before

During

After!

and left with the promise to return in a few weeks to help process alpaca fiber, and teach the farm-owner's wife how to spin.

I also built a wee drop spindle:

0.8oz; standard-size spindle in the background for comparison (2.2oz)

and can finally spin cobweb-thin Merino. I'm a little worried about the logistics of spinning copious amounts of this (can I spin 4oz of 2-ply laceweight this way?), as the weight of the spindle will grow as I spin and I may need to spin each single in sections, and then graft together to ply...?

I'll be back soon to share more about my yarn tour of Toronto. I am insanely jealous of the knitters who live there and get to have these shops as their LYS's - they were absolutely delightful, and I only got to 3 of the ones on my list because the ladies at The Purple Purl were so nice I decided to knit and chat with them for a few hours (!!).

Talk to you soon!

--Amanda

So you want to be a knitter...

Lately, I've been getting lots of requests from people who see all the fun I'm having with knitting (and knitting-related things), and want to know how to join in. So you've decided you want to learn to knit - how do you get started? I thought I'd put together a blog post, so I can point people to the same place and keep it updated. Here it is!

First Things First

Why do you want to learn how to knit?

This is an important question.

Like many learned skills, knitting can be easy, relaxing, and stress-relieving - once you know what you're doing. It is a wonderful creative outlet, which also has an air of practicality to it: I'm cold, and a store-bought wool sweater is quite expensive - if I knit it, it could be cheaper, will serve as hours of enjoyment, and produce wearable warmth with which I can clothe myself and my family.

Recent neuroscience research has studied how repetitive crafts like knitting can help individuals recover from trauma. It can reduce stress and improve recovery from eating disorders, improve cognitive function in elderly adults, and calm mothers of hospitalized children (summary here). It may produce a runner's high, and there's even a world record for running a marathon while knitting.

It can be as artful, practical, fast, slow, expensive, money-saving, public & communal, or private & reflective as you wish. However, like any learned skill, depending on your background and natural inclinations it may be more or less difficult to learn.

So, why do you want to learn? I won't go into my reasons; you need your own. Hold on to those reasons, and remember that this is supposed to be fun. Nobody's first knitted thing is perfect, so give it a go and see if you want to continue. If you try it and hate it, then don't fret. In the words of Elizabeth Zimmerman:

        "If you hate to knit, why, bless you, don't; follow your secret heart and take up something else." -- Knitting Without Tears

Learning styles are vital to understand here. I've arranged resources below by type. If you already know, for example, that you like learning from books, go straight to that section and skip the others. If you're not sure or you want a more balanced approach, give a bit in each section a try.

Knitting Books

"Knitting Without Tears", by Elizabeth Zimmerman

If you love a good line drawing (as I do), a hearty dose of sarcasm and wit, do not find old BBC shows dull, and have no patience for modern marketing, this is the book for you. This is very no-nonsense and has everything you need in it to get started. Originally published in 1973, it is no more out-of-date than Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." 

"Knitting for Dummies", by Pam Allen et al; latest edition updated in 2013

For a modern take on clear, no-nonsense instruction, the "For Dummies" series is a good place to start. Includes online resources. I used a previous version of this book that was quite good, and the authors on the latest edition are veritable giants in the industry today. 

"Stich 'n' B****", by Debbie Stoller. 

Published in 2004, this book launched a bit of a revitalization in knitting among young people. (Don't let current news articles sway you - the "knitting revolution" already happened.) It is quite rude and snarky and the use of profanity bothers me, but underneath all of that is actually a very good learning reference. It covers the basics of material & tool selection, hand positions, step-by-step stitch instructions, and works from a beginner's first scarf up to a knitted bikini and a hat with kitten ears or devil horns (your preference). 

Knitting Magazines

People tell me this is extremely odd, but I learned to crochet (which then lead to knitting) primarily through the instructional section at the back of craft magazines. Your nearest bookstore likely carries several of the titles below. Each will have a section at the back that goes through the basics of casting on and forming various stitches. For some, this may be enough instruction to get you started, and the patterns and articles in the main portion of the magazine are excellent for inspiration. 

KnitScene - my favorite of the bunch; fairly trendy. Great for beginners and seasoned knitters alike.

knit.wear - modern, minimalist knits designed to be worn today. I adore this magazine but it is probably geared towards more advanced knitters. Also one of the most expensive of the bunch.

Interweave Knits - classic & timeless patterns. 

Knit Simple - this is a great beginner's magazine.

Creative Knitting - also a good beginner's magazine.

Love of Knitting - feels out-dated to me usually, but check it out and see for yourself. 

You'll also see Vogue Knitting, but I can't recommend that publication. The patterns are usually fairly avant-garde, and (similar to their sewing pattern line) they publish very technically difficult patterns which can be hard to follow. 

Online Video Courses

Craftsy: Knit Lab with Stephanie Japel 

Craftsy is a really neat platform. For each class, you get a "home-room" front page where you can track your progress. There are high-definition videos for each lesson, which you can reply and add notes to at any time. Video notes can be added at particular timestamps so you can bookmark pieces you want to review later. The homeroom also includes forums, where you and your class-mates can interact with the instructor directly. I've taken several Craftsy classes before and they were all fantastic. This one goes from basic how-to-knit all the way up to advanced stitch patterns and lace. 

NewStitchADay 

Rather than a full class, here you can enroll in individual mini-lessons. Each individual class is $9.99, or you can buy a 'class pass' for a month of access to as many classes as you wish. NewStitchADay has a lot of free online resources as well, and hosts live "knit night" Google Hangouts. I have used a lot of their free materials, but have not purchased any classes. From the free materials I'd say the classes are likely of very high quality - if you try them, please let me know what you think!

Online Resources

There are tons of other resources to check out; so as to be not overwhelming I will highlight just a few things.

The Simple Collection by tincanknits

Tincanknits has put together an excellent (free!) compilation of tutorials, short videos, and highly annotated patterns that can walk you through a simple first pattern all the way up to a custom-fitted adult sweater. I made the Rye Socks from this collection (blogged here) and found it to be an excellently written pattern. Pattern PDF's contain links to instructional videos and tutorials related to the section at hand. I highly recommend this as a way to get started.

knitty.com

Begun in 2002, Knitty is a free online knitting magazine. They publish 4 seasonal issues each year, along with mini-issues here and there. Issues contain editorial articles and free patterns, ranging from beginner-friendly to highly advanced. They've also recently begun covering spinning. 

Twist Collective

Begun in 2008, Twist Collective is a stunning online magazine that can be read for free. Patterns can be purchased individually. Issues are published quarterly and feature many excellent articles and inspiring photographs of beautiful knitwear. Patterns are usually advanced, but if you'd like to be inspired to further your craft definitely check it out. 

Local Yarn Shops (LYS)

Search Google maps for "Yarn shops near me" and you will likely find several in your area. These specialty shops are the place to go if you want hands-on instruction but don't know any local knitters (yet). Your LYS will offer regular classes and project nights, where fellow knitters gather to knit and socialize. 

These shops are an excellent resource for knitters, but as a new knitter I will offer two caveats:

1. It is an unfortunate truth that small-shop owners may have poor attitudes towards new knitters, or anyone who asks for help. Popular media has tried to turn knitting into a fad, and seasoned knitters who "knit before it was cool" may look down on those trying to enter the craft for the first time. It's unwarranted and frankly, bad for business, so I don't know why this continues. Sadly, it does. Read online reviews, and engage the shop owner first thing when you walk in. Say hello, tell them you're new and would like to learn, and if they sneer at you try another LYS. 
2. "Big-Box" chain stores such as Michaels, Jo-Anns, Hancock Fabrics, etc carry a very different selection of materials than an LYS. Items available at an LYS will be more expensive, which is assumed to be higher quality. This is not always the case, but you may encounter an attitude of "yarn snobbery" and be encouraged to spend more than you'd like. Understand that this is a very material-dependent craft. Working with poor materials can certainly degrade your experience as a learner, but that doesn't mean you have to learn to drive in a Rolls-Royce. Be firm about your budget. 

A quick note on materials

You will need two things to begin knitting: a pair of needles and a ball of yarn. 

Needles can be made of many materials, ranging from cheap to more expensive: metal, plastic, and bamboo are the most common. Go to a store and feel them in your hands. Needle material is a very personal preference and may change as you advance, but the key thing is that they feel comfortable when you pick them up. I suggest US size 6 or 8 needles for learning. If you have small hands, smaller-diameter needles may be more comfortable. 

The cheapest yarn is made of acrylic (basically, plastic). Big-Box stores carry a lot of these. It may be appealing to choose the cheapest material possible to learn, but (as you may have experienced in ready-to-wear clothing) synthetic materials behave very differently from natural ones. If you do not have a wool allergy, please begin your knitting journey with wool. Patons Classic Wool is available most everywhere, and is quite reasonably priced. Acrylic yarn does not stretch or breathe and can be uncomfortable to work with. Wool stretches and bounces back, making for a much better, more comfortable knitting experience. 

Ravelry

Last but certainly not least, Ravelry.com is the social network for knitters, crocheters, spinners, and other fiber-crafters alike. They recently celebrated 4 million active users. You'll need to sign up for an account, but once you do so a whole world of wonder awaits. Ravelry hosts groups and forums, for connecting with other crafters; an extensive, searchable pattern database, cross-linking patterns with the knitters who have made them and the yarns they've used; searchable yarn database, including reviews and pattern recommendations; extensive documentation options for tracking your own work; and news. My username is AmandaLynA and I will happily connect with you if you'd like. When you join, a member of the Ravelry Welcome Squad will friend you right away and offer to help introduce you to the site. Check out their tutorials and explanations of what you can do on the site here. 

I hope this set of resources is helpful. If it is, I'd love to hear about it! If you have other resources to recommend please let me know and I can update this list. Best of luck to you as you begin your knitting journey!

--Amanda

Introducing: Fyberspates Cumulus!

I have a treat to share with you today!

Fyberspates, a lovely hand-dye luxury yarn studio based in the UK, has a new yarn to announce, and I get to be part of the party. So excited!

It all started out a few months ago with a tweet...

Seriously, this is why I got a Twitter account in the first place. I happened to be online at just the right time, clicked through, found the Ravelry thread, and signed up in a jiffy. And what do you know, I was selected to be in the first batch of testers!

The Yarn

When my package arrived, I was shocked at how light it was. "Cumulus" is a perfect name for this new base - it really is as light as a cloud.

Ready for my close-up!

From Jeni:

Cumulus is made up of 74% Baby Suri Alpaca and 26% Silk blend that comes in 25g balls of 150 metres [164 yards]. This Light Fingering/ Heavy Lace weight yarn is a wonderful alternative to Mohair with its’ fine ethereal halo.

As you can see in the close-up above, Cumulus has a strong, solid silk core (which is un-dyed) that wraps around fluffy bits of loose alpaca fibers. This gives a very interesting textured appearance. With more rustic fibers, such a marl could could very casual and rustic; but with these luxury fibers the resulting yarn knits up into a shimmering, multi-dimensional work of art. As a newbie spinner I found this fascinating. Is this possible to do by hand? If you spin, please let me know! The yarn is indeed very strong - after knitting, ripping back, and yanking the yarn through beads that were a bit too tight, I was very impressed with Cumulus's strength and durability. It bounces right back after all of that and looks as good as new.

My goodness, this yarn is soft. It's absolutely delightful. I've been showing it to my friends and family as I've been knitting away and without fail everyone is stunned when they feel it. My teenage brother, who has unusually good taste in yarn for being a non-knitter (and a teenage boy, to boot), almost wouldn't give it back and said that if he had a whole sweater made in it, he would "probably die of comfortableness". He also requested that he be buried in it when the time comes. Melodramatic, but it was a hilarious scene trying to get it out of his hands.

Knitting with Cumulus

Now, I have to confess, I have not yet knitted with Kidsilk Haze or any of the other mohair/silk yarns, so I can't make comparisons to those. I do love alpacas and was quite excited to see their lovely fiber being used in the same way. Be aware that this is Baby Alpaca, so even if you've experienced "prickle factor" with other alpaca yarns, this may be an exception. I'd encourage you to try it out.

Knitting with Cumulus is a bit surreal. I've worked with other lace yarns before, but not with a haloed yarn like this. I could barely feel it passing through my fingers as I knit. This makes tension interesting - I knit continental, and found that I did not have to apply much pressure to keep it from flying away. The halo provided enough friction against my fingers that I didn't need to 'squeeze' the yarn to keep it taut enough to work with. Speedy, easy-on-the-hands knitting ensued.

This photo really shows off the impressive amount of halo. If you tease it just a bit, it will stay puffed up like this until you move it. My only caution for knitting with this kind of yarn is that tinking back (un-knitting) can be difficult. Since it is so grippy, I found it much easier to pull out the needles entirely and tug the yarn gently to unravel stitches as needed. They stayed perfectly formed and were ready to pick up again without any trouble.

Florence

Jeni quite generously sent 3 skeins, as well as coordinating beads to make Karie Westermann's Florence scarf, which has been reworked and re-launched to feature exactly 1 skein of Cumulus.

You can modify the length of the scarf to be longer (use more yarn) or wider (add extra repeats), so you can really customize the pattern to suit your preferences and amount of yarn. I knit it exactly as written, and only had a few yards left (shown above in the halo picture).

Florence's lace pattern is simple and easy-to-memorize, so it would be suitable for a beginner lace knitter. Despite the halo, Cumulus has excellent stitch definition, so it's easy to see where you are in the pattern and know what comes next. Directions are given in charted and written form. Beads are added as you knit, by threading a live stitch through a bead and then knitting it to secure. Knitters often use a small crochet hook for this, but I didn't have one small enough so I used a dental floss threader. Odd, but it worked just fine :-)

I've been teasing with closeups on Instagram, but now it's time for Florence to make her full debut.

Here she is!

Viewed backlit, you can see straight through the material. It's quite ethereal! I love the addition of beads - it grounds the airy fabric just enough to give it a bit of heft. It will stay on your neck, but it will still flutter in the breeze.

Cumulus takes blocking most excellently. Even several days later, after lugging around in my bag for photos, the points at the edges are perfectly crisp and the width hasn't changed at all.

Before and during blocking, via Instagram

Perfect points

Beethoven is lookin' stylish.

Since Beethoven has a bit of a large head, I thought you should see Florence on a real person as well, to get a sense of scale.

I love this outfit. However, it is not to be - the yarn arrived a day before my mother's birthday, and shamefully this daughter had neglected to consider a present. Terrible! But the yarn arrived, and I showed my mother, and she loved it. I showed her the pattern I was to make and it just so happens that this is exactly the kind of accessory she likes - beautiful, simple, elegant, and not overpowering. Happy Birthday, Mom!

For myself, I think the other two skeins are destined to multiply and become a lovely soft pullover, such as Tule. A couple folks have told me that the skeins look like Tribbles, and I *so* wish that were the case. I would not mind at all if they hid in a corner and multiplied on their own. There are two other gorgeous shades of grey in the Cumulus collection, so I'm debating purchasing more of this gray (Slate) or pairing it with one or both of the other grays (Water and Silver) to make a subtle stripe. Please weigh in in the comments if you have any suggestions!

If you'd like to make a Florence of your own, you can check out the pattern page here, as well as Karie's other designs.

Be sure to check out Cumulus, and all of Jeni's fabulous yarns, on the Fyberspates home page.

Raveled here.

Jeni, thanks again for the opportunity to test-drive your newest yarn. It is simply stunning and I will certainly be back for more!

--Amanda

A week without knitting

(well, mostly without knitting - let's not get crazy now)

Last week's marathon knitting was not sustainable. I know my limits, and it's fun to test them sometimes, but I also know when to stop. So this week, I knit a few rows on my sock-in-progress each day,

I swear they're getting longer...

but otherwise cast the knitting aside for some other pursuits.

Instead, I:

worked on my jean quilt

The quilt requires 80 of these 8"x8" squares. I'm stacking groups of 8 and binder-clipping them to keep track; so far I have 6 stacks down and only 4 to go. The black fabric in the first picture is for the backing. It's polar fleece from Joann's Fabric, and my plan is to hand-tie the quilt-top to the backing using white thread once it's assembled. Since the backing is fleece and the denim top is already heaving, I'm skipping batting. The edging/binding is under debate - I'm a bit concerned that if I went a full quilt-binding route, my little sewing machine wouldn't be able to handle stitching through all of the layers. My other thought was to sew the edges wrong-side-together and turn inside out, and then do a wide (mostly decorative) running stitch around the border with the same thread used for tying.


organized my jewelry

No before picture, but just imagine all of that strewn on a dresser and you'll get the idea. Eventually I'd like to make something pretty to hang my necklaces and earrings on. For now, I figured repurposing this unused filing system would do the trick. 

bought flowers, baked, and baked 

Spring is coming, but it can't get here soon enough! I found some freesia at the grocery store, and I just love how it fills up the house with its scent.

The little pastries are Eccles Cakes. I got the idea from Kate Davies, who recently Instagrammed a picture of an authentic one. It is such a very British desert, and was quite an adventure to prepare! I want to document my experience with the recipe, so I'll try to get another post in this week with the full details. In short, they were quite tasty and I would definitely make them again (but it's not worth your time to hunt for currants if you can't find any locally).

The cake is my absolute favorite chocolate cake, which happens to be flourless and thus gluten-free. It is dead simple to make, rich, and oh-so decadent. If you want to make some, I highly suggest inviting some friends over to share. It is excellent on its own and also pairs quite nicely with whipped cream & berries. yum!

performed more Wilton's dyeing experiments, aimed towards finally making a Color Affection

Before - dyeing the blue & tan to coordinate with the yellow

After

The blue and tan yarns are both Vally Yarns Charlemont, a Merino-Silk-Nylon blend. The tan took the dye wonderfully, but the blue stayed very close to its original color. I may find something else to dye to get the burgandy-purple color I was aiming for...it'll be a while before I start knitting this project, so I have time.

The yellow yarn was my first Wilton's experiment, stashed here.

and spun up an ounce or so of fiber on my drop spindle. 

I'm getting faster and more consistent, but it would help if I didn't spin for a week and put it away for a month. I have too many hobbies. In related news, Craftsy just had a flash sale and I scooped up two spinning classes - From Fluff to Stuff (basic spindling) and Spinning Dyed Fibers. I'm very excited and will let you know how they go once I get a chance to dig in.

All in all, it was a very productive week! This week, it'll be back to knitting-as-usual :-)

--Amanda

Tutorial: Pattern Marking - Tracking Repeats

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that for the past few days I've had whole-day training classes at work, and I've been knitting away the whole time.

I love getting to knit during classes and other events. It feels so productive. I've always had a hard time paying attention to verbal presentations - I'm very visual and would usually rather read a book to get information. Knitting takes the edge off and helps me focus on what is being said. (It also happens to be excellent insurance against falling asleep in the afternoons!)

Now, my current WIP is a fairly simple sweater - reverse stockinette with two easy cables down the middle. But it does have some shaping going on pretty constantly all throughout the front & back pieces. How do you keep track of that, while still devoting your utmost attention to whatever else is going on? A while back I figured out a really simple, customizable method for doing this, which requires no special tools and can even handle multiple repeats (such as armhole shaping & neckline; anytime when the pattern says "at the same time..."). This method could be used any time that your attention is at risk (knit night) or otherwise allocated (class or meetings). It is very unobtrusive - no one will even know you are doing it.

Materials Required

• Pattern
• Pen & paper (can be done on your pattern, or on a separate piece)
• Enough light to see

Easy peasy, no stitch counters required!

Method

I'll run through a simple and a complex example below, but at a high level, the method is this:

1. Read an entire pattern section. If it contains any repeats, you can use this method. Be sure to read it fully before beginning.
2. Let A be the number of rows contained in the repeated section.
3. Let B be the number of times you have to repeat.
4. Draw a grid that has A columns and B rows. Each square represents a row of knitting.
5. Mark the grids where you have to do something.
6. Knit! Every time you finish a row, cross it off on the grid. When you reach a marked grid, execute the pattern for that grid and cross it off. 

It sounds complicated to lay it out like that, but once you see a few examples, it is really very simple. Here we go!

Example 1: Sleeve shaping

Let's pretend we're knitting a sleeve from the cuff up, in stockinette. We might have shaping rows defined like this:

        Increase row: k1, M1R, k to 2 st before EOR marker, M1L, k1. 2 st increased.

        Knit 9 rows even.

        Repeat the last 10 rows 5 more times. 

Here, A = 10. Each repeat contains 1 increase row and 9 even rows. 

B = 6. Note: some patterns will say "Repeat 5 times, for a total of 6", or some may just say "repeat 5 times". If the latter, be sure to add 1 - the pattern assumes that you have knit the pattern row and even rows through, once, before encountering the "repeat x times" instruction. Here, we want to capture the total number of times we need to work the patterned row. 

So here is our 10x6 grid:

Now we need to mark the pattern rows. We're increasing, so I like to write a little 'i' patterned rows.

All set! Now, we work the first increase row, cross it off, and continue along until the whole grid is crossed out. When we encounter a plain square we know to just keep knitting in pattern. When we get to a row with an 'i', we work the increase row and continue.

Example 2: Multiple repeats at once!

Here, for a more complicated example, lets pretend we're knitting a modified version of my sweater-in-progress, where things happen AT THE SAME TIME. (In the actual pattern they've worked out the numbers so this doesn't happen.) We're making a sort of bat-wing/dolman/cocoon shape, and our sweater back might have instructions like the following:

        Increase Row C: (WS) Slip 1, work in pattern to1 stitch before marker1, kfb, work in pattern to
        marker2, kfb, work in pattern to end. 2 st increased.
        Work 9 rows even in pattern. 

        Repeat the last 10 rows 5 times.
        At the same time, work Increase Row D below every 6th row 8 times.
        Increase Row D: (WS) Slip 1, kfb, work in pattern to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1. 2 st increased.

Visually, we're basically doing this:

On C rows we increase at the center, and on D rows we increase at the edges. The trick is that these increase rows repeat independently from each other. This often happens in cardigan patterns when you have to shape the armscye at the same time as the neckline. 

We'll start by making a grid for the longest repeat (increase row C). For this example, A is 10 and B is 5. We'll draw a 10x5 grid and mark each grid in the first column with "iC".

Next, we'll count off every 6th row and mark those for increase row D.

And look at that, now we have this whole confusing section mapped out in a simple, visual way. We can knit merrily along, cross things off as we go, and execute the increase rows as we come to them.



It's not terribly exciting, but I find this method incredibly useful. When I want to take a project with me somewhere, I work through a page or two (depending on how verbose the instructions are) and grid out all of the repeated sections so they're ready when I come to them.

I like to do this right on my pattern - I'm already marking my size, and any modifications, so these grids just add to the cacaphony already going on. If you'd prefer to keep your patterns clean, you could certainly draw grids on sticky notes or even on index cards.

I hope you find this method helpful! If you have other tricks for keeping track of complicated patterns, I'd love to hear about them.

By the way, the sweater I'm knitting is Jules by Julie Hoover for Brooklyn Tweed. Raveled here. 

FO Double Post: Socks!

I recently got bit by the sock-knitting bug. This was due in a large part to the Socks With Sarah KAL going on over at Knitting Sarah, and all of the social media pouring out of that effort. A lot of the knitting bloggers I follow are participating, and the flood of sock posts got my fingers itching to see what all the fuss was about. Today, I have not one but TWO finished sock projects to share with you, and I can firmly say that I "get it" - socks are a lot of fun!

A recent discovery of mine is that while my local library may not have a plethora of knitting books on its shelves, we belong to a consortium of local libraries and between all of them, there are quite a few interesting books available. I just returned Clara Parke's "The Knitters Book of Socks", which I thoroughly enjoyed, and currently have the following checked out:

• Vogue Knitting's "The Ultimate Sock Book"
• "Sock Innovation" by Cookie A
• "2-at-a-time Socks" by Melissa Morgan-Oakes
• "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off" by, you guessed it, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 
• "The Secret Life of a Knitter" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 
• "Things I Learned from Knitting...whether I wanted to or not" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 

You could say I'm a little bit obsessed. It's OK. Really.

Darjeeling

First up, we have Darjeeling by Cat Bordhi (from "The Knitter's Book of Socks").

These were knit in Malabrigo Sock, colorway "Lotus", and they are fabulous. I had so much fun knitting them, and as finished socks they are beautiful, comfortable, and warm. They are just the right height to peek out of my slouchy boots when worn over tights under a knee-length skirt. Bonus points for fitting in my shoes properly - I've heard that a lot of knitters have trouble wearing their hand-knit socks, as they are thicker than commercial socks and don't fit in their shoes. I happen to be a huge fan of really cushioned socks normally, so my shoes are quite accommodating! 

This was a fun and fairly simple pattern to knit, although it does run large. I have what I consider to be large feet (size 11 US Women's, often wide) but the Medium of this pattern is a tad loose on me (and yes, I did have correct gauge). A trip through the dryer tightened things up and thankfully didn't destroy the socks in the process, but if you are considering this pattern I'd suggest going down a size from what you think you need. 

It's hard to see in these pictures, but the heel is shaped by a triangular "expansion" on the underside of the foot, with a short-row heel & flap that gradually eats up the extra stitches. It's clever, but I think it might fit better on someone with a tall arch. Still, fun to work and not very difficult at all. 

The whole sock is done in a variety of patterns that only require simple knits and purls. It is worked from the toe-up, and I knit them 2-at-a-time. The result is beautiful and looks much more complicated than it is. Malabrigo's yarns are gorgeous, as always. This is only my second time knitting with them, and I have to say: if you have not knit with one of their yarns yet, you are missing out. 

These socks were completed in 8 days for my Ravellenics project. You can find my project page here.

Rye

Second, we have Rye by tincanknits, from "The Simple Collection". The Simple Collection is really neat - tincanknits put together a set of 8 basic patterns with full learn-to-knit instructions. The patterns start out easy, with a baby blanket and scarf, and progress up to an adult-sized sweater. So far I highly recommend this as a resource for anyone wanting to learn. Check it out here! But anyway, back to the socks:

These are worsted-weight "boot socks", as I would call them. I am wearing them RIGHT NOW and they are incredibly warm and cushy. I like them very much! These were knit in Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, left over from the sweater I made for Andrew this fall. For this pair, I started out with the Adult Medium size, but soon realized that would be way too big. Not a problem - since these are knit top-down, I decided to go for a slightly longer cuff and decrease as I went down to fit around my calf. 

Rye would be an excellent pattern for anyone learning to make socks for the first time. Heel construction is still confusing to me (I've now made 4 total pairs of socks in my lifetime), and the pattern does an excellent job of laying out exactly what you are doing. I had some math issues on the heel short-rows, but I'm convinced (for the moment) that it was my fault and not the pattern. Everything worked out fine in the end.

By the way, do you like my DIY sock blockers? I used a couple of cheap wire hangers and shaped them to look similar to other sock blockers I had seen. Unfortunately the wire coating flaked off when it was bent, so I had to cover portions of the blockers in tape so they wouldn't rust or catch on the knitting. As a result the tape kindof catches on the knitting. Oh well, I'm still glad they were free!

Why knit socks?

If you're still on the fence about knitting socks, I highly recommend just giving it a try. Each of the sock books I mentioned at the beginning of this post are very inspiring - we now have the luxury of knitting socks for fun, but this really was a necessity at one time, and the amount of engineering and history and expertise contained in the basic sock patterns we have today is marvelous to think about. Someone had to figure out for the first time how to turn a heel. Now we have oodles of methods to choose from, but they all had to be discovered. Grafting the toe shut (when knitting top-down socks) was revolutionary. Feet are oddly-shaped objects, and it's a fun engineering challenge to create something that fits them just right. Socks are also small, portable, and provide quick and easy ways to try out new stitch patterns. 

If you feel inspired, hop on over to the Friends of Knitting Sarah group on Ravelry and join in! 

Today on a Saturday

Ah, Saturday. No plans except a celebratory dinner for a friend's graduation, abundant sunshine, and a fresh disk of Castle re-runs from the library - plenty of time to work on all of my crafty works-in-progress and maybe start a few more.


Today I am:

...harvesting denim from my massive stockpile of old jeans, to finally make a denim quilt. This has been in the works for YEARS, and it's time to either get a move on it or stop lugging a million pairs of old jeans around. Get a move on it is!

...finishing my Spill The Wine cowl, which I forgot to blog about when I started. 

This cowl starts in on color with a provisional cast-on, then switches to a second color for a shorter lace portion. The end of the lace is then grafted back to the cast-on, creating a seamless, two-sided cowl with no wrong sides. Genius! 

Yellow: Baah! La Jolla in Byzantine Gold; Grey: Valley Yarns Charlemont custom-dyed by me

Raveled here.

...frogging the cowl on my sister's sweater. I finished the sleeve, made the cowl, tried it on and realized the cowl was way too tight. I didn't pick up enough stitches so it fits like a turtleneck, even though the neck opening is a wide scoop. 

...and daydreaming about casting on a pair of socks with this beauty, a skein of Malabrigo Sock in Lotus. I've swatched, looked at patters - but ultimately, I'll be much better off if I get my WIP's list under control before starting something new. 

What are you up to on this lovely weekend? 

--Amanda