Socks and Stuff
O.K., I guess when I got knocked out of Sock Madness, I kinda took it hard. I didn't stop doing stuff, I just stopped writing about it. So, now I guess it's time I got caught up.
First, for some reason, the second pattern for Sock Madness and I just didn't gel. I love the yarn I picked, but it wasn't the right one for the pattern, and I knew it fairly early on. I had already decided to knit the second sock in the "pair" out of fingering weight yarn, as someone else in the game had already done a mis-matched pair, but I got beat before I could implement that plan. And, because of the confusion about the amount of yarn needed for the socks, I ended up ordering WAY more of that yarn than I would have needed, even if I had finished the socks in that yarn. Some of the socks in the Flickr group looked quite nice, but I can't help thinking that the pattern would show off to much more advantage in a solid yarn. I'll keep the pattern around, and may do it, or a modified version of it, at some point.
On the lighter side, I'm looking forward to seeing what Pattern #3 looks like when it comes out tomorrow. I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be lace, but have no data whatsoever to back that up. Well, we'll all know in about 15 or so hours. (Am having second thoughts about this; lace in a varigated? Not sure that appeals.)
In the meantime, I ended up using the leftover yarn from my Round #1 socks to make a matching pair for my daughter. She likes them, and I would have been quite happy with them if I hadn't run out of the red yarn with, literally, 2.25 rows left to knit in it. (I ended up scavenging the red yarn pieces out of the purple colorway, so I had a about a bazillion ends to weave in, but it worked O.K., and saved me buying another skein of yarn, at $11 per, to use less than a yard of it.) It was the first time I had knit socks for her, so there was knitting and frogging and re-knitting involved, but I think I now have a good pattern for fingering weight yarn socks for her, so I am pleased (as is she).
To round out the sock news, I finished the cabled socks for my mom, a pair of self-striping socks for myself, and started on a matching pair of self-striping for my daughter. Am also planning to use the left-ever DK weight from my mom's cabled socks to make a pair for DD, but as that will require another new pattern (different yarn weight), it may be a bit before I get to that.
I have also recently taken a trip into tea cozy land. I have an idea for a silly tea cozy, and I had never knit one, so I've been looking for (free) patterns, so that I can learn what they are all about. Have worked these two from other's patterns, then DD decided her tea pot needed one, so I invented one for her. Have two more patterns to explore, and then I will do a grand review of the patterns, and What I've Found is Most Important in Making Tea Cozies.
Have done a little more on the embroidered tablecloth....What embroidered tablecloth? I hear you cry. Well, several years ago, my sister-in-law asked me to embroider a tablecloth for her. It was from her mother or her grandmother (can't remember now, which) and was from England and very old. Unfortunately, all she had was the tablecloth: no floss, no diagram, not even a picture of what it was supposed to look like. Just the stamped design, one in each corner of a small, square tablecloth.
Now, those who know me know that I have an INORDINATE respect for rules, which includes directions of all sorts, and that I don't do real well if I have to "be creative". (Well, I do, but only in certain, very circumscribed realms, and this ain't it.) So, between having a long list of things ahead of this project, and, literally, not knowing where or how to start, I agreed to do it, with the caveat that it might take "a while".
Three years later, I realize that I really have to at least start the darn thing. (I had, in fact, planned out colors at one point, even to buying the floss, but foolishly forgot to write down what colors I planned to use where, so that only advanced the process so far.) I decided that the leaves were pretty basic, and started with those, then moved on to the small, Margeritte-type flowers, which also seemed pretty straightforward. But, eventually, I got to the point where I had to start on the big flowers, and couldn't decide where to put the darker color, foreground or back; so I did one of each, and asked the Monday Stitching Group for opinions. Their opinions were unanimous (and counter to what we all expected, oddly enough) and jived with mine, so I feel I'm on pretty safe ground at this point. It's going faster than I expected, but it is difficult to find time to work on it, because I can only do it with excellent light and with a minimum of 20 minutes to work, as it takes so long to haul it out and get started, then tear down and put away. (I foresee many early morning hours spent on the floor of my bathroom (the heat lamp gives wonderful light) just as I did with the dragon cross-stitch (no pics) and the one for my mother.) But I am happy with the progress I am making, and even have some hopes that I will get it done in time for Christmas. (Wish me luck!)
Oh! And I finished the re-do on the cowl for my mother's friend! I had finished the knitting some time ago, but, as I used scrap yarn, I ended up with a lot of ends to weave in. I was not completely happy with how the new shaping had turned out, and I hate weaving in ends, so there was a lot of procrastination going on, but I finally took one evening of the Tuesday S&B and finished the darn thing. I'm happy it's done, and I can deliver it when I go down to my mom's for Easter this weekend. Whew!
Rarely finish a project w/o several more mugging me, so I'll just list the new ones briefly: poncho for Sam, sweater for Sam (need to use a stitch pattern I learned from one of the tea cozy patterns), bobble scarf for Vicky, DK weight (cabled? faux cabled? other?) socks for Sam, faux cable socks for mom, something for me to use all the sport weight yarn that I didn't use on the Sock Madness Round #2 socks, oh, and all the tea cozies for the sewing circle ladies.
Sigh! Isn't finishing things supposed to make the list shorter?
First, for some reason, the second pattern for Sock Madness and I just didn't gel. I love the yarn I picked, but it wasn't the right one for the pattern, and I knew it fairly early on. I had already decided to knit the second sock in the "pair" out of fingering weight yarn, as someone else in the game had already done a mis-matched pair, but I got beat before I could implement that plan. And, because of the confusion about the amount of yarn needed for the socks, I ended up ordering WAY more of that yarn than I would have needed, even if I had finished the socks in that yarn. Some of the socks in the Flickr group looked quite nice, but I can't help thinking that the pattern would show off to much more advantage in a solid yarn. I'll keep the pattern around, and may do it, or a modified version of it, at some point.
On the lighter side, I'm looking forward to seeing what Pattern #3 looks like when it comes out tomorrow. I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be lace, but have no data whatsoever to back that up. Well, we'll all know in about 15 or so hours. (Am having second thoughts about this; lace in a varigated? Not sure that appeals.)
In the meantime, I ended up using the leftover yarn from my Round #1 socks to make a matching pair for my daughter. She likes them, and I would have been quite happy with them if I hadn't run out of the red yarn with, literally, 2.25 rows left to knit in it. (I ended up scavenging the red yarn pieces out of the purple colorway, so I had a about a bazillion ends to weave in, but it worked O.K., and saved me buying another skein of yarn, at $11 per, to use less than a yard of it.) It was the first time I had knit socks for her, so there was knitting and frogging and re-knitting involved, but I think I now have a good pattern for fingering weight yarn socks for her, so I am pleased (as is she).
To round out the sock news, I finished the cabled socks for my mom, a pair of self-striping socks for myself, and started on a matching pair of self-striping for my daughter. Am also planning to use the left-ever DK weight from my mom's cabled socks to make a pair for DD, but as that will require another new pattern (different yarn weight), it may be a bit before I get to that.
I have also recently taken a trip into tea cozy land. I have an idea for a silly tea cozy, and I had never knit one, so I've been looking for (free) patterns, so that I can learn what they are all about. Have worked these two from other's patterns, then DD decided her tea pot needed one, so I invented one for her. Have two more patterns to explore, and then I will do a grand review of the patterns, and What I've Found is Most Important in Making Tea Cozies.
Have done a little more on the embroidered tablecloth....What embroidered tablecloth? I hear you cry. Well, several years ago, my sister-in-law asked me to embroider a tablecloth for her. It was from her mother or her grandmother (can't remember now, which) and was from England and very old. Unfortunately, all she had was the tablecloth: no floss, no diagram, not even a picture of what it was supposed to look like. Just the stamped design, one in each corner of a small, square tablecloth.
Now, those who know me know that I have an INORDINATE respect for rules, which includes directions of all sorts, and that I don't do real well if I have to "be creative". (Well, I do, but only in certain, very circumscribed realms, and this ain't it.) So, between having a long list of things ahead of this project, and, literally, not knowing where or how to start, I agreed to do it, with the caveat that it might take "a while".
Three years later, I realize that I really have to at least start the darn thing. (I had, in fact, planned out colors at one point, even to buying the floss, but foolishly forgot to write down what colors I planned to use where, so that only advanced the process so far.) I decided that the leaves were pretty basic, and started with those, then moved on to the small, Margeritte-type flowers, which also seemed pretty straightforward. But, eventually, I got to the point where I had to start on the big flowers, and couldn't decide where to put the darker color, foreground or back; so I did one of each, and asked the Monday Stitching Group for opinions. Their opinions were unanimous (and counter to what we all expected, oddly enough) and jived with mine, so I feel I'm on pretty safe ground at this point. It's going faster than I expected, but it is difficult to find time to work on it, because I can only do it with excellent light and with a minimum of 20 minutes to work, as it takes so long to haul it out and get started, then tear down and put away. (I foresee many early morning hours spent on the floor of my bathroom (the heat lamp gives wonderful light) just as I did with the dragon cross-stitch (no pics) and the one for my mother.) But I am happy with the progress I am making, and even have some hopes that I will get it done in time for Christmas. (Wish me luck!)
Oh! And I finished the re-do on the cowl for my mother's friend! I had finished the knitting some time ago, but, as I used scrap yarn, I ended up with a lot of ends to weave in. I was not completely happy with how the new shaping had turned out, and I hate weaving in ends, so there was a lot of procrastination going on, but I finally took one evening of the Tuesday S&B and finished the darn thing. I'm happy it's done, and I can deliver it when I go down to my mom's for Easter this weekend. Whew!
Rarely finish a project w/o several more mugging me, so I'll just list the new ones briefly: poncho for Sam, sweater for Sam (need to use a stitch pattern I learned from one of the tea cozy patterns), bobble scarf for Vicky, DK weight (cabled? faux cabled? other?) socks for Sam, faux cable socks for mom, something for me to use all the sport weight yarn that I didn't use on the Sock Madness Round #2 socks, oh, and all the tea cozies for the sewing circle ladies.
Sigh! Isn't finishing things supposed to make the list shorter?
Labels: embroidery, knitting, projects
posted by Bridget @ 11:25 AM
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