Sock Madness Round 4: Mad Weave Socks

Yes I know, I know...I should have posted about this already. So I finished Round 4 and made it onto Round 5! Yeah me! It was my most challenging round yet...as well as the MOST challenging knitting pattern that I have done so far. That includes lace! When I was done I was exhausted...to say the least.


Pattern: Mad Weave by Tina Lorin
Materials: US 1 dpns, Claudia's Handpainted in two colorways...the lighter one is called "Purple Haze", unfortunately I could not find the label for the other colorway (sorry).
Time: I cast-on at about 6:45 am on Saturday the 14th and cast-off on Sunday at about 5:30 pm. I am told (by honey) that I spent about 28 hrs working on these socks! wowie zowie.

Thoughts: LOVE THIS PATTERN! Tina Lorin came up with a creative and unique design. Everything about this pattern was new to me with the exception of the ribbing. There are little mock-cables down the sides and dropped stitches which turn into this elongated cross stitched. Take a look at the flickr group so you can see the different effects from the different types of yarn that were used. My only problem with the socks is that they came out WAY too big for me. I followed the instructions to the letter, using the yarn and needles that were recommended but they came out really big. I was not the only one with this problem. Anyway, honey has a new pair of socks. Just to show how big they came out they fit him a little loose and he wears a size 13 shoe...they were supposed to be a medium sized woman's sock. LOL Btw...Claudia's is fantastic yarn to work with...the colors are vibrant and I got a nice soft fabric. I am think though that the Claudia's may be the reason the socks came out so big, it is a bit thicker then most other sock yarns. I want to do this pattern again but will probably use a thinner yarn and go down to US 0 needles.

Round 5 has been announced...it will begin on Friday (27 April). The specs given state that the designer created the socks using the Magic Loop method. This has been a method that I have wanted to try but have kept putting it off. We were told that we could use dpns if we wished but I have found in the past if I have to re-configure a pattern to use different tools that I get confused.

SOOOOOOO.....WHAT TO DO? LOL...well I Googled, "Magic Loop instructions" (I love Google...did you see their Earth Day graphic? Well done!) I came up with a ton of links that teach the technique. The best one I found is a video at Knittinghelp.com. So on Sunday I cast-on (from cuff down) and as of this morning I am at the point of picking up the gusset stiches! It is a REALY easy method...there is a trick to doing the gusset I believe but I didn't have time to figure that out yet. I am using a simple pattern from Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. I have modified to make anklets, since this is for practice. I am hoping to try the toe-up method for magic loop before Friday (just in case the pattern is toe-up I want to be ready LOL) Oh and I am using a 40" Addi Turbo in US 0. When I finishe the sock I will post picture of them....Oh and I am doing two at a time...really really easy! I like doing socks on dpns but this technique is way cool and adds a new skill to my knitting toolbox.

I LOVE how much I have learned from being in Sock Madness, Magic Loop, Short Row heels (which are my fav so far), toe-up on dpns, cabling....oh and just to be ready I have been working on the Knitty.com pattern called "Pomatomus" by Cookie A...its a lace pattern, and so many other things that I could keep going on and on! Also, as I said before...the other players are way too much fun! The posts and comments on the flickr page can be hilarious.


Well, there ya go...I have some other things going on but for now this will be all!

Projects Galore 5

Orange Warming Set:

This is the set I made for my honey for Christmas. The hat is a modified cable hat pattern from Stitch n' Bitch Nation. I added extra pattern rounds, made the cable brim longer so that it would fold. The book's pattern called for a short ribbing prior to the cabling but it is too short to cover the ears. So I made it longer and then when the hat was done I picked up stitches around the edge and so that it would fold neatly. As for the scarf, I took the cable pattern for the hat and figured it out so that it would be a flat pattern. I love, love, love how it came out. I am really proud of this scarf, it looks like something that would be found in an expensive store. Finaly I made him fingerless gloves. I used Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride worsted weight in orange. I just love this yarn. It isn't expensive and knits up so nice. The colors are really bright and varied. I wish they made variegated colors. The yarn is perfectly suited to variegation. I have also been told that it felts wonderfully. I am hoping to make something for felting with it.

Speaking of felting I was told also that Patons SWS felts really nicely as well. It comes in really nice colors and has a nice sheen to it. The variegations are done so that there will be a stripping pattern. I am going to buy some soon.

Projects I am currently working on:

1. Shawl (page 20 of Victorian Lace)

2. Socks (in Mag Knits "Jaywalker" pattern with one of Opal's new colorways)

3. Socks (in Modea Sassy Strips, no pattern just my own thing)

4. Afghan (no pattern, just my own thing, using Lion Brand's Homespun and Caron's Simply soft carried together)

5. Butterfly Bag (my own pattern for the bag using a graph for duplicate stitch a friend gave me)

6. Dyeing yarn (did my first try tonight, colors did not come out as deep/bright as I wanted, but it was a first try, skein is hanging in the shower to dry; I used Wilson's food coloring dyes)

New things I want to learn: (some of the links for examples of what I mean are from Knitty Otter, whom is extremely talented and has completed pieces that are excellent examples of the kind of work I want to do as well)

1. Intarsia

2. Cabled type sock pattern

3. Mobius Scarf type project

4. Intricate Lace pattern

5. Faire Isle

6. A sweater

7. Entrelac

8. Making something with sock yarn that isn't a sock. lol

Sigh and school starts back up next Monday. The break went way too fast for me.

Project Pictures

Finally, I have pictures to post of my knitting.

This is the cable hat and cuffs (minus the beads) from "Stitch 'n Bitch Nation". I did them in Brown Sheep Wool. First time I have used this yarn it felt really nice in my hands and it has a nice sheen to it. I am making another one like this for a friend for the holidays out of Encore and James wants another one in Brown Sheep Orange Cotton Fleece. This time I am going to do the ribbing a little longer and add and extra pattern round because it fits more like a cap if I follow the pattern exactly and doesn't cover the ears. It gets cold enough here that one wants their ears covered.

So here are the socks I am making for my brother-in-law for Christmas. My second attempt at socks, the first one is done now on two its mate. The notes they are laying on is the pattern that I put together by combing what I liked from about 6 different sock patterns.

This is the first sock. Sock gone bad. I followed the pattern to the letter and I knew I wouldn't like it after I got a little past the ribbing. The pattern said to do the ribbing for 6 rounds only and it looks ...well...wonkey (for lack of a better word). The third pic is of the two that was totally a disaster. I should have just stopped and ripped it all back when I thought the ribbing was off but I couldn't stop myself....I was way too excited about making my first sock...the heel and the gusset came out so great that I kind of just ignored how strange the ribbing looked. LOL oh well...



I have more pics but I will save them for another post.
Time for class.

Projects everywhere!

I was able to add another book to my collection "Magnificent Mittens" by Anna Zilboorg (it was on my wish list). I am working on the beginner's mitten project. This is my first two color knitted project. I thought it would be harder but I am happy to say that it isn't at all. I was hoping to complete at least one mitten of the pair but I am stopped at the thumb because I do not have enough short double points of the size I am using (Latern Moon Ebonies 3 US, Length 4 inches). The pattern calls for creating the thumb on a seperate set of needles in a tube and I currently have 4 of a 5 needle set on the tubular part of the mitten. So I will have to now wait until I can get some more of the same size. Frustrating!

Anyway, I am trying to get myself organized so I decided to make a list of the projects I am working on to see just how many I have going (yikes!).

Current projects:
1. Sock yarn cell phone bags (on going)
2. Mittens (just started)
3. James' afghan (mentioned in the previous blog)
4. Camel bag. (not begun yet)
5. 2 Dolls (not begun yet)

Future projects:
1. Socks: for James and for me (I never make myself anything)
2. Shawl
3. First sweater
4. Something cool and stylish for my beautiful niece!
5. More complicated mittens
6. Something made from all the sock yarn I have that is not a cell phone bag or a sock.
7. Design funky and unique dolls.
8. A "heirloom" type afghan.

There are a ton of other projects that I want to create. I just hope I will live long enough to create them all AND paint the paintings that I want to leave to the world (dramatic huh? lol).