Since Kelly asked, I’ll wrap up my Ravelypics project.  I did not win a Ravelympics gold. I didn’t even manage to finish one of the socks that I was designing and knitting.

I’ve had several setbacks along the way. I thought that I had the design mostly complete before the event started, but the truth is that I only had the main pattern and heel charted. I hadn’t planned the sizing for the calf; I hadn’t swatched the ribbing. I spent the first weekend just finalizing these details.

Once that was worked out, I was able to just knit down the leg with some minor tweaking to the calf sizing. There were a few setbacks, like the time I realize I had jumped ahead about 20 rows in the chart and didn’t notice until I had knit a significant portion. All that work was ripped out and re-knit.

Then, I got stuck at the heel. I spent an entire week knitting, ripping, and re-knitting the heel, and it just didn’t look right to me. The key finally came to me while I was drying my hair one morning – a smaller needle. Since the heel is primarily one color worked back and forth instead of two colors in the round, it made sense. Once I had that revelation, the heel worked for me as I had originally intended and I was able to work my way down the foot.

The failure to advance plan hit me again when I got to the toe. I thought I’d be able to work through it as I went, and that did not work. I need to sit down, plan the toe and knit it. That is my plan for today.

I haven’t given myself a deadline on finishing the pattern. I thought it would be fun to enter them into the Socks Revived Contest (Ravelry group).  In order to do that, the pattern has to be available by April 19th.  While that is a month away, there’s quite a bit more work to do. I need to finish charting the other sizes. I’d like to have the pattern test knit. I’d really like to finish the second sock. There’s a lot of work to finish this, and this pattern isn’t my priority right now. I’ve got a project with a deadline this month. We’ll have to see what I can do in such a short time.

You may want to check out the links to the Socks Revived contest even if you’re only a sock knitter.  It holds the promise of a bunch of new sock patterns.

I’ve decided to take part in the Ravelympics this year.  My primary project is a pair of self-designed, knee-high colorwork socks.  They’re being entered in three events:  Nordic Colorwork Combined, Sock Hockey and Designer Original Dance. 

I’ve been swatching ideas for this pair of scoks for a few weeks now.  I had the chart for the main pattern and heel flap completed prior to the opening ceremonies, but hadn’t actually thought about the ribbing or how the decreases would work for the wider calf-area of the sock.   I managed to swatch through those issues on Friday night and Saturday morning, and am now progressing my way down the leg of the sock. 

I’m using the green (Lime) and purple (Mulberry) Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn that I got at Sock Summit.  Jim doesn’t really like the color combination, but for some reason I love the super bright contrast of the two colors together.  There’s no way this patterning will be lost in photographs.  Plus for those of you who know me, wearing super-bright socks with my primarily black wardrobe is a pretty common thing since I became a knitter.

I’m concerned with my overall pace.  At the rate I’m going, I don’t think I’ll finish both socks by the closing ceremonies.  Being sick for the last few days hasn’t helped my progress, but I’ve got to find a way to step it up.  I’m feeling a little better today, so perhaps I’ll spend the day sitting and kntting.  I’d love to be all the way to the heel flap before I head off to bed tonight.

I finally knit my first pair of handspun socks.  I finished knitting them in December, but I just finished up weaving in the ends and blocking them.

The yarn was spun from a Dicentra Designs 80% Merino / 20% Tussah Silk roving in the Margartiaville colorway that I received for my birthday.  I started spinning it on Labor Day and finished the spinning in early November.  The yarn is my first true 3-ply yarn.  I managed to spin about 350 yards from the four ounces of roving.

The yarn had a lot of color changes, so I decided to keep it simple with a simple 60-stitch stockinette pattern.  I used the Welsh Heel from Knitting Vintage Socks with an eye of partridge pattern on the heel flap.  For the toe, I use a variation on the Flat Toe from Knitting Vintage Socks.   The toe calls for decreasing four stitches every other row until there are 24 stitches remain and then finishing the toe.  I prefer to continue decreasing four stitches every round until eight stitches remain.  I then use kitchener stitch to finish the toe.

I haven’t worn the socks yet, but I’m excited about them because they are so soft.

Project: 60-stitch handspun socks
Designer: Me!
Yarn: Handspun Dicentra Designs Merino/Tussah Silk
Quantity: 350 yards
Color: Margaritaville
Needles: US1.5 (2.5mm)

Started: November 12, 2009
Completed: December 9, 2009

It’s been a crazy few weeks around here.  We’ve had a ton of out-of-town visitors, which has meant very little knitting and spinning time for me.  I’ve had two projects that I’ve been working on.

With the visitors and other things, I was in a bit of a project funk.  I had nothing on the needles and there was nothing I wanted to make.  I’ve found that the best way for me to deal with this is to just sit down and make something.  Socks are usually an easy answer because I know I’ll wear them, I’ve got plenty of stash, and there are a ton of patterns in my queue.  So, I sat down and picked a sock out of the new Cookie A. book, Sock Innovation, and I cast on for Devon.  The first sock was finished fairly quickly.  However, it may be the first time I’ve had a case of second sock syndrome.  I finished the first sock and had no motivation for the second.  I languished again with nothing on the needles and then finally forced myself to cast on the second.  The pattern isn’t the problem, it’s well written and makes a nice sock.  I’m on the leg of the second sock, but not sure when I’ll finish them.

At work, there’s a bit of a baby boom going on.  Three baby girls are expected in my department over the next three months.  When it comes to baby gift knitting, I’ve always been a bit hesitant.  It’s a lot of work for someone who may not appreciate the effort, and I usually don’t have much baby-safe (machine washable) yarn in my stash, other than sock yarn.  Since the baby parents to be are not knitters, I never feel comfortable giving gifts that require any special washing.

I’ve loved the look of the Tiramisu blanket since I first saw it on Ravelry.  Yes, it’s crochet, which I rarely ever do, but I’ve just really wanted to make it.  When I was at the store the other day, there was a great deal on a few colors of the Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice yarn.  I picked up some in Rose and Fern.  I got enough to make two blankets.  One will be Rose with a Fern border, and one will be Fern with a Rose border.  It’s actually a project that I’m excited about, so I think it may be the way to get me back to knitting.

I’m making quick progress on the blanket.  I’m not sure if it’s because crochet uses more yarn than knitting, or if I just am so used to knitting with lightweight yarns.  I’ve crocheted about 250 yards, and I’ve only worked on it for one evening.  I don’t think there should be any problem getting the first one done before the first baby, as long as she doesn’t come too soon before her July 10th due date.

Finally, this weekend is Black Sheep Gathering.   I’m headed down to Eugene with Kate.  I’m pretty excited.  I wasn’t a spinner last year when I went, and there is a ton of fiber at this event (lots of yarn, too).  I’m trying to decide what my budget should be.  I have a feeling I might go a bit overboard on the fiber buying.  I’ve been managing my yarn stash for so long that it isn’t a huge deal to me to not buy stuff.  But, my fiber stash is relatively small, and shows like this are only a few times a year.  I’ll be sure to take pictures and post details when I get back.

April was underappreciated pattern month for the Ravelry Sock Knitter’s Anonymous (SKA) group knitalong.  To qualify as underappreciated, there had to be no more than 15 projects on Ravelry.  Before the month started, I did some research, and found that the Dresser Scarf Socks pattern in my queue qualified for the challenge.

Luckily for me, the knitalong began at midnight eastern time on April 1.  Since I’m here on the west coast, I logged into Ravelry, created my project, and cast on my socks.

The socks are an interesting constuction.  The length of the legs are knit flat and then grafted to form the back seam of the sock.  Then, stitches are picked up around the edges and the rest of the sock is knit in the round.  This construction has one flaw.  The sock has a tendency to want to bunch and sag down over the seam that is crated from picking up the stitches.  It doesn’t seem to matter what I try, it just does.

Overall, I like them and am glad I made them.

Pattern: Dresser Scarf Socks
Designer: Priscilla Gibson-Roberts
Source: Interweave Knits, Spring 2003
Yarn: Elann Esprit (100 yards/ 50g)
Quantity: 2 (200 yards/100g)
Color: Charcoal
Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Started: April 1, 2009
Completed: April 12, 2009

Pattern modifications:

• I knit additional rows in the round before starting the heel.
• Replaced short row heel with the German Heel (37 stitches) from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks.
• Replaced short row toe with the French Toe (54 stitches) from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks, reduced to 9 stitches.

Yarn oveview:

• I’ve knit with Cascade Fixation before, and this yarn is very similar (identical?).  Some people can’t stand the yarn, but I don’t mind it.  I like having a cotton sock to be able to wear in the warmer weather.
• This is the second elann.com house yarn that I’ve purchased in a shade of gray that appears with very strong blue overtones.  I’m not sure that I would call this color charcoal.