Challenged - A Yarn Saga

Yes, I did have to ask....

Last year for my birthday, my lovely DD#1 sent me sock blanks and a dye kit so that I could experiment with creating my own personal color of sock yarn.  It sat untouched quite a while for a plethora of reasons. 

A little bit ago, the moderators announced the lineup for the challenges for the next season of SKA (Sock Knitter’s Anonymous Ravelry group). Each month’s challenge is centered on a technique and a specific designer or couple of designers. Every other month there is also a mystery sock challenge.   The September challenge is to knit socks all in one solid color. The mystery sock must be knit in the color of the month.  That color is Chartreuse (or “C” as it is affectionately referred to on SKA).  As defined and shown in the swatch in this picture, it is a clear, light green with a yellowish tinge.  

SKA September Challenge Rules

Now I don’t have anything against any colors.  However, I’ve never considered green to be one of my favorites, and since retiring from the Army, I personally prefer not to wear it at all; in any shade, but especially this one. So basically, I avoid buying green yarn for wearable projects unless it is for a planned gift.

Before I headed out to Sock Summit I took a picture of my stash so I could be clearheaded amidst the yarn fumes and try to choose colors that I didn’t already have large quantities of in my stash.  (Basically I succeeded in that mission) There was no “C”.  This challenge was announced after I got back from Portland, and right after I put myself on a yarn buying fast. When I saw that the challenge was going to be for a solid color Chartreuse yarn I may have felt a little queasy (you might even say that I turned the Sept challenge color).  I do have a couple of skeins that are green, but definitely not solid, and definitely not that shade.  

Now, according to the SKA rules, finding the specific color yarn is part of the challenge.  So I thunk on that a little.  It is a fact that I really, really don’t need to buy any more sock yarn and also it may be that my credit card is still in post-summit quarantine, so I needed to figure out how to meet this challenge with what was on hand.

That is when I remembered about the sock blanks.  There were two in the kit.  I only needed one for the dying project that I eventually have planned.  (One blank makes a pair of socks).  Several people mentioned that they were going to attempt to dye their own yarn rather than violate personal yarn diets.  It seemed like a good idea for me as well.  I did not have any “C” dye in the kit or the subsequent dye colors I bought for aforementioned PLANNED project.  So having experimented with it once before with decent results, I just thought to myself, “self, we can try Kool-Aid” so on the next trip to the grocery store, I picked up a couple of packets of lemon-lime drink mix.  I dug out my kool aid dying directions and went about dying the yarn blank with a mix of the lime drink mix and rooibous tea.  Here’s what I learned from this challenge:

1. The colors I chose will yield chartreuse when properly mixed – I did not properly mix.
2. If the sock blank is all scrunched up when you pour on the dye, you will get variegated not solid or semi-solid patterning.
3. Sock blanks are hard to dye.  (note to self: figure out how to spread this sucker out and handpaint dye onto yarn for next adventure in dying)
4. I might be able to salvage this experiment by over-dying, but I think I’m done.
5. It was still kind of fun anyway.

 Here’s what I ended up with:

In progress

Dried

Not bad for stepping up and doing something a little challenging.  Not really the result I had in mind, but something I think I can work with.  Too variegated and not “C” enough.  I’m going to go ahead and knit the Mystery sock for the challenge of doing a mystery sock; even if I don’t qualify for the official SKA challenge. (You’ll have to check back in September for the results) The process has been fun and I suspect the finished socks will end up being a gift somewhere down the line.  Oh well.

Happy Knitting,

Nana

In the Meantime

I’ve been busy trying to get a handle on my stash; I keep finding undocumented skeins whenever I go to put projects on Ravelry.  How can this be?  So in an effort to get things under control and make sure that I can match queued projects to yarn I have I started an inventory to compare the stuff in my actual stash to what’s entered in Ravelry. I’ve done 5 out of 8 drawers and am flabbergasted by what I’ve uncovered so far.  I suspect that it might be mating season or something, what else would explain where all this extra yarn came from?  Needless to say, I will have to make a day of updating after I get done with the whole inventory.  I’ve been photographing the missing yarn as I go.  I actually had more stash pictures than project pictures on my camera when I uploaded this time.

Yarn shock notwithstanding, it’s been good getting reacquainted with some of the things I have squirreled away and helping me focus on specific projects I should be planning.

Speaking of projects, I’m still working away on the Vines and Leaves Cardi.  I have one sleeve about ¾ the way done and one more to do. I’m hoping I can finish it by the middle of next week.  And in the meantime, I’ve managed to finish a couple of other things.

I took a short break between finishing the body of the cardi and starting the sleeves to work this up for our granddaughter in MI (who we’d like to visit sometime soon). It’s a belated birthday gift for her 2^nd b-day. Her mom and aunt call her "bug" so I thought this pattern would be perfect for her.

Pattern: Mrs. Beetle from Babies and Toddlers: A Knitter’s Dozen (XRX Books)

Yarn:  Jil Eaton Minnow Knits

I also finished these socks:

Pattern:  Diagonal Lace by Wendy Johnson

Yarn: Down Home Sock by Knitivity color Purl Grey

Size 0 needles / Toe Up

And started these:

 Pattern: Prism Socks

Yarn: Lang Jawoll (yellow) and Rio De La Plata 

I may have to adjust the stitch count on these, but I am really liking the effect of mixing these two yarns on the look of the pattern.

Happy Knitting!

Nana

Five Quick Things

I haven’t had much to write about for a couple of days since all of my current projects are

WIPs you’ve seen before and they are still in progress…

But I did cast on for one new thing.  

Pattern:  Squirrely Swedish Mittens by Elli Stubenrauch (Elliphantom Knits)

Yarn: Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed in Spruce and Eggplant

Size 2.25 needle / Magic loop

I’ve knit the cuff and have worked the chart up to the last row of the squirrels section… see

(Squirrels!)

On Monday, I got this in the mail:

Malibrigo Sock yarn (806 Impressionist Sky) … I’ve wanted to try it, now I need to look for a good pattern

Then the doorbell rang and this arrived:

Flowers from my Mom and Dad

On Tuesday, this came in the mail:

Two Skeins of Knitivity Down Home Sock Yarn and Knitters Winter 09 issue (full of some nice patterns)

And finally, this is what it looks like out my front door…

DH departs from Alaska tonight and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow afternoon (Christmas Eve), please cross your fingers that there are no issues with his flights (thanks) that’s the only Christmas present I am asking for this year.

Happy Holidays to all!

Happy Knitting!
Nana

You Might Have a Sock Yarn Problem …

IF You check your stash on ravelry and more than half is tagged as “sock”. . .

You knit one pair and buy yarn for two more then queue three patterns. . .

AND

Your storage system is labeled like this:

And looks like this: AND

(there are still more skeins in another basket)

AND

You can’t decide which yarn to use for the next pair you plan to knit…

You might have a sock yarn problem

(Sigh...and I thought the sock-a-month KAL would be my twelve step solution!)

Next post, the finished couplet socks!

Inquiring Minds Wanted to Know

Thanks to the comments from Happy Place and Knitnana. They both wrote nice things about it, so I thought I'd expand the entry on the baby bunting to let you know why the front and back look different. I'm using two different colorways of the same yarn in alternating bands of stockinette/reverse stockinette which gives it sort of a horizontal corrugated effect. The yarn is Claudia Handpaint in Copper Pennies and Turquoise Jeans. The project is designed to showcase the yarn and possibilities for using it in projects besides (gasp!) socks. PS... I feel more like a snail knitter with all these things in the works and nothing getting done! I plan on finishing at least one thing by Sunday... I'll keep you posted!

Stitches Midwest Report

I had a nice time. I checked out the free fashion show, attended a class, and of course checked out the market. I really didn’t have too much that I needed to buy, so I enjoyed looking around the market mostly to see what is new, to check out gadgets and books and of course feel-up as much yarn as possible. I stayed with my wish list as far as purchases went. I made one substitution for an item I couldn’t find, and I bought one item left over from the Midwest Fiber and Folk fest list (the vendor had a better selection this time). There were several items that I will be giving serious consideration and possibly putting on my wish list for Christmas. I also WON a prize at the banquet which was cool and received a lovely parting gift just for attending. Since posting pictures of each individual would make both blogger and I crazy, I’ll just give you an overview. There are also a few freebies in this pic! Clockwise from top: Interlacements sock kit(Door prize), 2 skeins of yarn& pattern; Yarnzone sample; Creatively Dyed Yarn 100% Merino fingering; free patterns; Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn; Heartland Knits Fanning the flames sock pattern; XRX Guy Knits (parting gift); Addi Turbo Lace needles size 4/47”; Debbie McComber Twenty Wishes (autographed); amazing wall of stash yarn samples; SWTC Bag (underneath) and sample skein of Cherry Tree Hill yarn. the only thing not in this picture is: Debra’s Garden Spiral Needle gauge… isn’t that the coolest thing ever? It can be worn as a pendant, attached to a key ring, used as a zipper pull, whatever it takes to keep it handy! (and it’s purple!) My Class was excellent. The instructor Candace Eisner Strick was enlightening and entertaining. She introduced us to several different ways to intentionally put holes in knitting to create different pattern effects, here’s my swatches: Clockwise from top left: Zauberglockhen (little magic bells); The Strick hole; Fluct Nach Kenilworth / one row buttonhole (on same swatch) and Kleeblatt (cloverleaf) .

I’m sure I’ll find uses for a couple of these techniques! I came home tired, but filled to the brim with information and having made several new knitting acquaintances while getting a chance to chat and catch up with a few previous ones. To borrow a phrase “Too much good stuff… “

A Reason To Procrastinate

Another rainy Friday, but before I can knit I have to pay bills. (My justification for being on the computer, ha, ha!) But before I do that, I thought I’d do a quick post.
I managed to get the Earl Grey socks done in time to post to SAM5 and get credit for an April pair.

Pattern: Earl Grey Socks by Stephanie Pearl McPhee (Yarn Harlot)
Yarn: KnitPicks Essential, Flint
Needles: Size 1 dpn
Mens Medium

I need to remember to take the camera to work on Monday to show off the pretty socks I’m knitting there.

Next, I got 6 repeats done on Branching Out #2 (probably won’t post any pics because it’s exactly the same as the other) and started the right front on the vest so I did have a pretty good round of knitting.

Oh yeah, and to reduce panic later this month, I started these:
Monkey; two-two-at-a-time, Magic Loop, Wildfoote Rock-n-Roll… not much to look at yet, but I’m not taking any chances on May sneaking off and turning into June before I’m done knitting my KAL socks.

Oh, and remember that sassy yarn at the LYS where I work…pretty sure that I mentioned it before? It followed me home yesterday….
Sooo pretty… and yes! It is sock yarn. I rationalized this after reading some of the comments on the Knitting Daily informal stash survey…. Even DH agreed that if I kept it under 160 pairs worth I was being conservative!

(Besides how else was I going to keep it from tripping me the next time I walked past?)

(Claudia Handpaints - Thistle...It's really purple in person... for some reason, the camera doesn't like this color)

A Little Accounting… Math, That Is

24… pairs. I did a little stash review and discovered I have enough sock-weight yarn to knit at least 24 pairs of socks. There were a couple of odd skeins in there as well, so I might be able to get 25 or 26 if I get creative. Now, I’m not admitting to a problem or anything here, it’s just that I was curious. My friend “H” from knitting group (who is also a huge enabler- but we won’t talk about all the ways I can be enabled) was telling me about trying to get her WIP problem under control. She’s not allowing herself to start any more new projects until she crosses four (!) WIPs off her list. Now, I’ve been known to be more of a one-project-at-a-time type myself, but I must confess I cast on for another one yesterday. That takes my current WIP count to 3; the diagonal delight vest; the earl grey socks and now the Branching Out scarf. It’s just the time of year when it gets hard for me to focus so having several different things to work on seems right. But as for my sock yarn, I think I will let “H” enable me in a positive way. I’m going to resist buying any new sock yarn until I go to the Fiber and Folk Festival in July. Reason 1, that gives me a couple of months for knitting socks – I’ll try to knit 2 pair each in May and June. Reason 2, is I know that one of my favorite sock yarn sellers will be a vendor there and as hard as it is to resist online, I will be helpless in person. But maybe I’ll only take cash with me when I go (Bwah, ha, ha) Well, it isn’t a promise or a declaration. Just a goal… I’ll let you know if I succeed. (you see there is some Claudia's that has been waving and winking at me in the shop…)

So... just to distract you from any thoughts of calling in the sock-yarn-addiction crisis intervention team...here’s a peek at Branching Out. The first 6 repeats anyway:


(BTW, and the heel flap is done and gusset stitches picked up on the first earl grey; and I have cast on for the second).

Stand and Wind

Yeah! Another payoff of getting the office done and all my knitting stuff together in one place is that I don’t have to use the winder on the coffee table (which meant getting down on my knees) anymore. I can use the sewing table so I can stand up while I wind a ball of yarn now! This makes me exceptionally happy.

See:

Yarn being wound is Fleece Artist Basic Merino Socks in Blackberry (prize yarn from Jodi's contest). I think I’ll finally try the Jaywalker pattern using this yarn, but will switch patterns if the striping doesn’t come out right. If I don’t get bogged down working on these this pair will be the first socks I do for the Sock-a-Month 5 Knit Along (SAM 5) that is the follow on to SAM4. I really enjoy having the KAL as motivation to get socks knit… especially since I really have a lot of sock yarn (hee, hee). Just one drawer full....... (I didn’t say “too much,” just “a lot”) I don’t really think there could be such a thing as “too much;” do you?

Anyway, getting back to my original train of thought: Since tackling this office redo; I realized that I have a terrible tendency to under- or over-estimate the size of a project. ‘Little’ projects turn out to be major undertakings and big projects take far less time than I had anticipated. I always get the feeling that there is this giant grey cloud hanging over my head when I have a project I need to start. Sometimes it works that way with knitting too. It has been that way with this office redo. It was on the to do list for so very long that the more I thought about it, the bigger that cloud got and the less motivation I felt to get started. Also, not doing that project led to me not doing other things (large and small) that needed to be done as well. (Like using this yarn to knit with because it needed winding) That is a terrible cycle to get caught up in. So, the good news is that I feel like I’m near the end of my projects around the house. Today, I reorganized the books on the shelves that were moved into the family room and have a few more odds and ends to finish up there. Next I have Christmas Decorations to take down (yes, I’ve been distracted); and some paperwork to organize (those blasted Army records). Just being able to see a light at the end of the tunnel is an enormous motivator. Think of all the knitting and reading I’ll be able to get done once everything is finished!

I think I’ll go do a little happy dance now….

Look what came in the mail today!

Yeah, my prize yarn from Jodi's contest has arrived! (Thank you again Jodi!) Isn’t it beautiful? I love these colors and anybody who knows me knows that the bulk of my winter wardrobe is red, navy, grey, purple and black. Now, just to find a nice sock pattern to bring out the best in these colors. Until then, I think I will keep it in my knitting basket so I can pet it.

An update on the list I posted Monday….

Surf Socks – only the toe left to go (should finish that tonight)
Book read, book club meeting attended, fully participated in discussion.
Office – 1 container purged and sorted; storage solution store reconnoitered.
Bathroom – hubby still patching and sanding; painting will commence Saturday or Sunday
Purse – Partial progress: bottom and side seams sewed (purse fabric and liner fabric); need to cut pieces for handles; sew handles and then pin whole mess together with lining, zipper and what not for final sewing

Have a happy, crafty weekend one and all!

Not just another to do list

So didya ever have a day where you wrote what you did on your “to do” list just so you could cross something off? Well today sorta qualified for that. I did get two of the original things done, but so much else just needed doing and I did that instead of what I thought I should be doing. Yeah, like that…

Oh, but I did win a contest! Many thanks to Jodi. I stumbled onto her blog awhile back and check it now and then, I checked it one day last week and she just happened to be doing a contest… so, what the heck I entered on the theory that you can’t win if you don’t enter - and won a skein of sock yarn. Yeah!

Right now the cat is totally hogging the desk chair, so I’m trying to type while sitting on the very edge of the seat. I don’t think this arrangement is going to work very much longer.

Saucey Says:

I’m not giving up the chair... if you don’t write about me you can’t blog today.