i am playing in Sock Wars III. i’m having a lot of fun despite the chaos and negativity that is running rampant in the ranks. i’m even enjoying working out the pattern issues.
a fairly simple chevron patterned sock is made very frustrating by lack of clarity in the pattern. two major issues seem to be giving lots of folks troubles…
- what type of increase is intended… the description doesn’t seem to match to well with any standard ones… and is not all that clear…
- is the increase stitch counted as 1 stitch (the newly made stitch) and then you knit 3 more…. or is the increase stitch counted as 2 stitches (the newly made one plus the completion of the increase) and then 3 more… which means that no one is sure if this is an 8 or 9 stitch repeat.
also, this sock is HUGE. tofutsies at 8 sts to the inch and 72 stitch cast on = 9” unstreched (and VERY stretchy) leg. no allowances are made for changing the circumference. one slouchy sock coming up! poot!
through working my way all the way through the sock, and through looking at the socks others have posted, i believe that the pattern is really meant to be worked as a 9 stitch repeat with a KRL increase. i am essentially using a 8 stitch repeat with a KLL. (ok, just gave myself a giggle at how close KLL looks to KiLL) i like the looks of both ways…
i am definitely planning on making this sock again using a longer leg, tighter gauge and longer toe. i think that depending on increases (a different increase wouldn’t be lacy) this could work very well as a guy sock.
End of Day One (friday) looked like this:
and day two (saturday):
and i stayed up late day 3 (sunday) to finish…
it went into the mail Monday morning at 9:30 am. i know it made the 10 am truck to the routing center in Oakland… so i’m hoping it will be at my target’s door tomorrow! she’s a dead knitter walking!
included with the killing socks are fizzy bath Bombs and cappuccino wafer cookies Missiles
our nephew, Damon, loves dragons. REALLY loves dragons. so when i saw this pattern in Cat Bordhi’s book New Pathways for Sock Knitters, i knew i *needed* to make them for him for his birthday.
they wrap around and button in the back when you are done draggin’ your feet. the purple yarn was a stash find – it was a gift from my SP 10. it was perfect.
when i went looking for the red for the spikes, i had the rudest experience in Article Pract yet. i left the shop just about 1 minute after i went in vowing never to return. the sales person was so impatient with being asked a question that she kept interrupting me to give me an answer that had nothing to do with my question. i never did get to finish.after the 3rd time being cut off, i just said that i thought i would purchase it elsewhere instead, since i couldn’t even ask the question without being interrupted. she yelled after me repeatedly to just ask the question then as i tried to leave the store. very unpleasant.
on the bright side, the next place i went looking was a new (at least to me) shop in albany – K2Tog. they were extremely polite and helpful. the shop was bright and cheery (unlike Article Pract). they mostly care the workhorse basic cheap but good quality yarns. they do carry a LOT of sock yarns. i will definitely be going there again. worst case, i may just have to venture farther out for the more luxury yarns… not a bad thing since it helps the random purchases, lol.
he loves them almost as much as the pirate hat made from wrapping paper. ahhh, to be 3!
also in the finished object column, socks for me. all for me! it seems like it’s been a while i’ve been knitting socks for everyone else but myself. these socks make me very happy. they are also very symbolic of the spirit of renewal of this time of year – i bought the yarn at stitches west… the same day i walked holes in my jaywalkers. as i wore holes in one pair of socks, i bought the seeds of another. the yarn is a 50/50 merino/tencel yarn from Ellen’s Half Pint Farm. i think the colorway is Great Lakes Shoreline, but the label doesn’t say. the pattern is Monkey by Cookie A.
i really don’t think the full picture does the soft colors and shine justice… so i leave you with this bit of eyecandy.
it’s been a while since i’ve posted… and there are many reasons for it, but the computer is #1
it all started with the warranty coming close to being up on our Dell. it’s 4 years old… or will be end of may. with this deadline in sight, the poor old thing has taken it upon itself to get as much replaced as possible!
warning, this is a LONG post…
Continue reading ‘(Computer) Woe is me’
