Labyrinth socks

So this is the pattern that was playing in my head. It does not work in the round with all those diagonals, so it's mainly on the top of the sock. After the heel I added a bit of the pattern to the back without completing the whole circuit to avoid staggering.



Did you notice that they are mirror images? I am sometimes anal like that. If I have not made a Pomatomus pair it's because I am too lazy to figure out the mirror image of the pattern.

By the way, I know I said these other socks look like camouflage, but the name fits this yarn much better.



If you ever want to knit a pair of socks to go with a camouflage outfit, choose Panda Soy in the Chocolate Almonds colorway.

I am still busy packing, we are moving a week from now! Here's one sock on a foot, posing on one of the moving boxes:

More Scraps Soup

This is my second version of Scraps Soup. This time I used only one strand of yarn when knitting the cuff, though I did change yarns halfway. I'm not sure I like how it looks.



I am running out of ideas regarding what to do about the cuff. I am also running out of scraps, which is actually a good thing, because I was itching to try a non-wool yarn and a different, lacey pattern that has been running through my head lately.

I actually finished these socks more than a week ago, but I have been very busy lately. Why? Because we're moving to our own home pretty soon! We are ecstatic, but overwhelmed with packing. I started with the books, and I've filled up 50 boxes already. Luckily, I have the ideal packing material.

Scraps Soup

Not that you'd ever catch me making soup from food scraps. It's just that I find the name fitting for socks made with leftover scraps from two previous pairs.



The pattern is the Pinwheel Socks by Elise Duvekot. Except that they don't have the characteristic pinwheel on either the heel or the toe. I prefer not to use garter stitch on my socks, that's why. Additionally, they're knit from the toe up, using 60 stitches for toe and heel and 40 stitches for the body of the sock.

I added a knit one, purl one cuff after increasing again to 60 stitches. I was making all the purls with one yarn and the knits with the other. I don't like the results much. The cuff is not as stretchy as it would have been when using only one yarn, and it does not create the contrast I expected.



Still, I am not ripping, just making a note an moving onto the second pair, with more scraps. Though not with these yarns. This is all I have left:

Pretty in Pink

Well, I finally finished those sleeves. I must have knit them three or four times before deciding on a final version. Even now, I am not totally satisfied with how they look. They are a little baggy.



Also, I was unable to block it properly, given that all I have is this piece of styrofoam. It has worked for me well with all my sleeveless projects but now there was not enough room for the sleeves. I had to improvise, block it sideways and fold the bottom lace section up at the seam and pin the lace edging to the body.

It did not work. That bottom part took two days to dry and the lace was still a bit curly.

After adding the crochet edgings, here's the final result:





Yep, the sleeves look baggy, but so be it. Either I learn to live with them or I bring the whole thing back to a plastic bin to age for another three or four years.

I wore it to work, got a few compliments, and nobody said anything about the sleeves, but maybe that's because they're too polite.

Remember the lazy pink thing?

This blog has been all about small projects (socks, mitts and hats) for too long. I am kind of fed up and want to go back to larger things. Which brings me to the lazy pink thing that I started back in 2007. I hated it then, having made some mistakes when modifying the pattern and then having to start over. Also, I was a little fed up with pink back then.




I am less averse to working with it now. Except for the sleeves. They are designed so they stick out, just like t-shirt sleeves. My first attempt at a sleeve looked really awkward when sewn in. My poor sewing abilities are partly to blame but I also think they would look ugly anyway even when sewn in by a pro.

Here's when ravelry saved me. NaiadKnitter finished this project but wrote on her notes that she would pick up stitches and knit the sleeves down from the shoulder on the next one.

And that is, precisely, what I am attempting to do:



I hope it works...

Chess Whim

The husband wanted a very thin hat, in a solid color. I chose "Merino Dream" by Lucy Neatby.

Oh, how I regret that decision.

I started with 3 mm needles (the recommended needle size on the label), and ended up going down two needle sizes and using 2 mm. That's US 0. Which meant that I needed hundreds of stitches (Oh, how I miss the joy of the Addi hats, with their 46 stitches).

The yarn is also splitty, and uneven in both texture and color. The label warns you about color variations, but what I encountered were spots where the hank had been tied too tightly and the color did not penetrate. I seriously hate, hate, hate this yarn. I have about 55 grams left, enough for another hat if I wanted to, but I don't. The spouse suggested matching mittens and I growled at him.

Another problem was that the spouse wanted to have chess pieces as decoration. Without the benefit of a contrasting color, my only choice was garter figures. As I found out, those work well with light colors, but not with pitch black. So even after spending some time charting the figures and experimenting until they satisfied the spouse, once on the hat, they are very difficult to figure out.

Oh well. You can't always be happy with all your knitting projects.

Another Hiatus

Well, I have been knitting, but obviously not blogging. Rest assured, all is well and it's just been a matter of being too busy. I'm still enjoying the new job.

I finished the tabi socks. I followed the method described by Lyn Vogel in the Twisted Sisters' Sock Workbook. Here's a picture of the sock before the big toe was finished.



My, the spouse really has an ugly toe.

And here's the final results.



I hope they fit my father, who is the actual recipient.

New Project

Ugh. Another grey one. This one will be for my father. I have not made a cuff down pair of socks for a while and I think I made the cuff too long.

Final Results

I like my new socks. I was not crazy about the colors but let's face it, neutral colors can be combined easily with any attire. I could have made them longer but did not bother.

Panda soy is splitty and caused me some headaches, so I will not buy it again. Unless, of course, I find other advantages after wearing and washing them several times.

Camo socks approaching the end

I started the ribbing and noticed that somehow, I was missing a stitch in one of the socks. Somewhere I must have missed an increase. I was straining my eyes, trying to find the mistake when it downed on me that if I could not see it up close, I could completely ignore the mistake. So I just added one stitch at the ribbing and all I have to do is finish the cuff and bind off.

Last weekend I was at Stitches West. I only went to the Marketplace, and did not attend any classes. Here's what I got:



I was searching for bargains, but did not find so many. Still, I am happy with my stash. We'll see if I ever get to use it.