16 posts tagged “socks”
i have decided to grace vox with my presence. *grins* i never think about updating here when i finish something! But here I am... I will post some pictures of some FO's. I guess I just assume everyone could just look at my stuff on ravelry if they realllly wanted too. but alas, i like reading about everyone else's FOs on their blogs too... and ya'll are just like me i bet! so how about some pictures?
i did a test knit for a yarnie... she sent me the yarn and i knitted her some socks. i'll get free yarn when i decide what i want from her store. which reminds me: *stalks etsy store* I was aggravated with all the patterns I came up with for this sock, and finally Amy came to my rescue (AGAIN!) and I went with the cables, yo pattern. it's a really speedy pattern, i do recommend it for everyone! It's in Sensational Knitted Socks book.
and some in progress shots:
the yarn didnt really do what i wanted, but eh, what can ya do? yarn has a mind of it's own sometimes! I will knit this pattern again for myself sometime.
Hmmm, what else have I finished lately? I made Derek some thick wool socks to wear when he hunts... they took me all winter to make. Ha, oh well! I knitted them toe up so that they'd fit him.
let me see if there is anything else in the flickr album...
And it snowed here the other week or so...and I finally got a good snow picture after messing around with all the settings on my camera... it was snowing soooo much when i took this.
i also have this lacy scarf dealio on the needles.... i saw this pattern (omo scarf) on ravelry and it was so pretty in some cashmere yarn.... but the only DK wgt yarn I had is this pink berroco (cotton) so I went with it...it's not my favorite thing... but it's not for me anyways. I have quite a bit more done on it since this picture was taking...almost thru the first skein. i really suggest you look at the patter in other yarns. maybe blocking this will help some too. HAHA, and if you notice, I was using pretty bamboo needles, that I got for free, on it... but dang! SO SLOW! I have since switched to my knitpicks circs and it's zooming along now.
here is a funky picture of me and derek at the arch, while amy was here. i think at this angle, everyone has several chins! LOL
me and my aya, while she was here visiting! I MISS YOU COME BACK RIGHT NOW!
writing this entry from the mental institution? :D it was very stressful. Very Stressful. I got mad several times... heck, I even got sick feeling a few times. my tummy was in knots for practically 24 hours. i threw my sock down no less than 5 times. I stopped to take deep breaths. To calm myself.
I'm not even playing... it's probably the most stressful thing I have ever done. I did it right before my knit group yesterday... I worked on picking up all the stitches that i thought I already had picked up. Knitted fabric after it as already been knitted is a odd thing... it's very frustrating. It probably took me 3 hours of working on it constantly to pick up all the stitches and get them oriented correctly.
but yeah, it worked. :D
can you tell which one i cut???
i really like them... they are very comfy! and finished!! :D
yay socks!!
send in the men with the white coat. i think i am still even in denial that i did it. this is why someone should always be online to talk me out of stuff. left to my own devices and impatience things just get out of hand. my heart is beating really hard still. i cant believe i did it. i'm crazy, it's the only answer.
look, i finished my sock. the pair is complete! pretty, huh?
but remember how i hated the ribbing? and i had the idea that i would just undo the cast on and rip out the cuff, lalala. easy.... well it wasnt easy... it's not easy or fun to rip out from the "wrong" end.
you cant see how intertwined knitting really is...but this is after i picked out the cast on and tried to pick out some of the stitches too.
but it wasnt happening fast enough... i was getting mad! and 2008 is supposed to be Happy Knitting. So I thought of something else that might work. It was a crazy idea and could work. Then I came online did some research on the topic then looked online for my knitting friends to talk me out of it. but no one was there.
so i just did it. i am so obviously crazy.
so i just started cutting it off. i had put my needle back in to the stitches so they will catch on my cable.
I CUT MY KNITTING LIKE AN IDIOT! no one cuts their knitting. (well sometimes they do, but not in cases like this) you are not supposed to CUT cuffs off. I cant even believe i did it.
but i did.
i can barely catch my breath. this is insane. i really really hope this works out.
knit stuffs! whooo.
ok so i casted on this sock last sunday... it's the 2nd purple jaywalker in my beloved lorna laces yarn! wee! i casted on about 3 times and then ripped it out about that much too. realized that i am knitty stupid on a daily basis. i'm not getting into it but just know it's about ribbing. stupid ribbing, i dont like you either!
i knit a few inches and then amy conned me in to starting another sock. after casting on so many times, i agreed that i needed some instant gratification and nothing does that like a zen sock in dk weight yarns. she even picked out the yarn and everything! she found it in my stash and i would have never thought to use it for socks!
this is plymouth yarn dreambaby dk yarn. it is light purple and light blue. it's an acrylic microfiber... i think it feels like my couch. LOL but it's soft but sturdy and they fit good. cast on of 54 stitches. it just needs a buddy!
so there ya go! the purple/blue sock only too 2.5 days to complete! pretty good if you ask me! now back to the purple jaywalker grindstone! :D
long time, no vox! my last update is july 4th. oopsy! i'm sure no one even reads this any more, but i am going to write out a long boring knitting post anyways. because i am bored and there is no one online to entertain me. *looks pointedly* you know who you are.
anyways... what is going on the knitty world o' sparkli? a few things. as you may or may not recall, my best friend turned up pregnant earlier this year. i have been trying to crank out the baby knits something crazy, but of course, not as much as i'd like. one of the main reasons is that i am stuck in baby blanket limbo. i have 2 baby blankets on the needles. festive fish and the pinwheel. i have no issues with the fish blanket other than i am kind of tired of knitting fish. i need to remedy that.
i have major issues with the pinwheel. can someone tell me what it says about a knitter who starts a blanket with only 2 skeins of yarn that dont even match? i'm sure that knitter has serious mental problems. that knitter would be me. i started it with 2 skiens of brown sheep cotton fleece... same color, just two different dye lots. and it's not reeeeaaalllly noticeable but it is to me. so after knitting the 1st skein, i bought another skein from a fellow raveler, thankfully, even tho it was a different dyelot, it matched my first skien. so now the pinwheel is 2 skeins big and measures a whopping 27 inches in diameter. which is *not* big enough. so i have this other skein that is a shade (or two) lighter. now in my mind, it's perfectly ok to knit a border with this lighter color... but it is not ok to start in the stockingnette portion with this lighter color. see, issues? so do i just start the border at 27 inches and just make a wide border (and the 3rd skein probably wont be enough for a wide enough border to make the blanket a decent size) or should i just try to procure another skein of this yarn and hope that it matches the yarn i have been knitting with?
what would you do?? i'm going to tell you what i am going to do right now. today, and i mean TODAY, since i have been putting it off for over a week, i am going to put a life line thru about 20 sts of my blanket... then i am going to knit a swatch off my blanket with the 3rd skayn and see what it looks like. so will see how bad it looks, or doesnt look. but otherwise, i am going to have to figure out how to get a skien of brown sheep cotton fleece in sage. anyone??
what else am i knitting? oh last weekend, i knitted up a baby sized center square hat. it's really cute. i used some knitpicks.com mainline yarn i had in the stash. it's navy blue and ivory. i had gauge issues (of course) and completely finished the hat before i finally admit to myself it was way to small, even for a baby. so i ripped it all out, which was fine, because i did a really shitty job on it anyways. you cannot magic loop color work. you just cant. but the second go around was a success. i still need to block it. i did a roll brim instead of ribbing. it's very cute.
i also started another hat with the bits i have left over from the mainline... trying to stretch the yarn, yo! it's just a plain roll brim hat too... blue and white random stripes. just something easy (pfft, i have started it over twice too).
THEN, i casted on a baby sweater on friday night. kipling. it is SO cute. well the one on the site isnt THAT cute, but i have seen other pictures of other people's and they are V. CUTE. so i started that with some of that vanna yarn from lion brand. that yarn is CHEEP. like 2.99 a skein and it is sooooo soft. it's acrylic, but really... with babies, it has to be washable... and they are just going to grow out of it anyways, right?? so i knitted about 3 inches on it... logged on IM saturday morning to discuss it with amy and then she conned me into not working on it til next week and she will knit it with me. so now it's laying here and i keep petting it. :D i'm trying to be patient.
hmm. and i still have 2 second socks hanging around... i really should cast one of those on. but again, i wouldnt say that i have issues with them, more of road blocks. one is a jaywalker and i have been thinking for months if i want the 2nd sock to have 1x1 ribbing like the first one...even tho i dont like it. i suppose the should match, but eh... i dont like it. and the other sock is just a zen for my sister...but i did a picot edge on it instead of ribbing... and while a picot edge is really cute, it's a pain in the arse to do. and i was thinking about it last night and i cant remember if i did a 52 or 54 stitch cast on. Amy?? it's pretty bad when i know that my friend will know my knitting details when i dont myself. what would i do without her? be pretty lonely and have long drawn out knitty conversations with myself, i guess. :D
i'm trying to think if there is anything else hanging around on the needles. i dont think so... i think that is all. there is so many things i want to knit. but no time or i dont have the yarn that i need or i have other things i need to knit first. and i dont like to have a ton of things on my needles either... so i need to deal with some of the issues in this entry and get moving on some stuff. because the knew knitty came out and i really like several things in it... one day... one day! i need to find them on ravelry and put hem in my queue to help me remember.
and in addition to all this knitty stuffs, i am moving from florida to st. louis, mo in just a mere 2 weeks. we have been working to find a place to live and stuffs. but we are about to uproot our lives and move to some place we have never been again. twice in one year! it's ridiculous! i'm really in denial about everything that still needs to be done... i just want to hide under a blanket with a flashlight and knit.
ok! i am off to deal with the pinwheel blanket, once and for all! so atleast i will know either way about the other dyelot. oh and the reason this is one long knitty post with no pictures is that my camera died a few weeks ago. hopefully i will have one on loan soon and can take some pictures of stuff.
ok the thing about ravelry is that you spend time on ravelry and you dont want to knit. it's just click, click, click and then hours have passed and you are just overwhelmed with everything you want to knit and yarns that just look fabulous. it's really a great site... when you get your invite make sure you add me as a friend... it's sparkli over there too. it's just amazing over there.
another reason i am slacking off in the knitting area is that i'm stuck on sheldon the stupid turtle. i have everything knitted. the directions say to single crochet 2 rounds around the part that holds the turtle in the shell. when i do that it's making that part too small to fit the bottom of the shell. i have redone it twice now and ripped it out twice too. it fits fine if i dont crochet it. it probably doesnt help that i am using a hook that is about 3 sizes smaller than what the pattern calls for. but i dont want to go pay money on another hook either. (but i probably will if someone tells me this is a very important step) otherwise, i am thinking about just trying the applied icord with that part with out the crocheted rounds.
and that is another thing! applied icord! i have read the directions atleast 5 times and it sounds so freaking complicated and i dont even understand it. i am hoping it's one of those knitty things that when you actually just *do* what the pattern says that it will work out. because if it isnt, then i am screwed. and it's july 4 and it needs to be IN tennessee by the 10th. pffft.
here, i will leave you with pictures.... but you better give me some freaking turtle advice... i dont know what i am doing over here! :D
and a sock i knitted for my sister.
this is from saturday evening when we fishing at a pier close to our apartment. i really love this picture alot.
it's me! i'm sparkli! this is me posing with the clappy. doesnt look that great with tshirt and shorts. my car back there in the background!
first off, the clappy in all it's blocked goodness. it just looks so different! i meant to crop my ass out of this one but i forgot. oh well.
+
my mom really liked it. i'm glad for that.
Remember how I wrote about the first baby hat for my best friend's new baby not yet born.... here out to be called, "little timmy" ... and if it ends up being a girl.... well i'll figure it out then. but this hat is the one i was talking about it being random and wierd. it's so odd how all the white lined up on the 2 sides and the other 2 sides has perfect stripes.
and here is the 2nd hat... it's a bit bigger... babies need hats in many sizes. and it's normal!
close up
and here is my newest sock in the lorna laces that my amies got me... the purple lornas laces jaywalker that i started... i'm not too sure about it right now tho. i'm going to work a bit more on it and try it on and decide.
i really love the yarn tho. it's so squishy!
and here is my loot from [kemma]! i love this purple alpaca! it's so awesome! and more sock yarn! i was running low! thank you again, kemma! you are the bestest!
here is the little fishie that i caught on saturday!!!
it took me over 2 hours to write this entry! got on the phone with candice and i havent talked to her in forever! but there ya go, pictures!!!
first off, i have heart burn and my ear hurts.
ok now, knitty talk.
i'm knitting my sock still... 4 more repeats til the toe.
and i'm knitting on the clappy too... but eh! i'm confuzzled again. first pictures!
i have 2 concerns....
first concern: IS IT UGLY? i'm just not sure about that color... too much yellow, i think. but do you think it's hideous? i'm knitting this clappy for my mom's birthday and mother's day. mother's day is may 13th and my mom's birthday is may 14. so do you think it's too crappy to give? i dont know... maybe i will like it better once i start to drop the sts and it's more drapy and have more contours to it. so tell me the truth (amy, you promised!) IS IT FUGLY?
second concern: yarn usage. i have 9 balls of this yarn... and what you see in those pictures is practically one knitted. so i have heard that with the clapotis, you can divide your yarn into thirds... one third for increases, one third for the straight knitting and one third for the decreases. do you think i should do this? i could do 3 balls each. oh and with the one ball i have knitted, the increase section only lacks one repeat before i start the straight sections.
if you follow the pattern it should be 21x55 finished.... is that big enough? should i just follow the pattern or try the one third theory? tell me what you would do.
(i am so indecisive, it's not funny.)
(also, i have a big interview at a big tv station tomorrow, wish me luck)
ok here are the mods i made on the cable twists sock pattern from hello yarn. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn but these mods are for regual sock yarn... i used katia mississippi 3.
this pattern is a 7 stitch pattern with an 8 row repeat.
Pattern Stitch:
Row 1: *LT, K3, P2* repeat around
Row 2 and all even rows: *K5, P2* around
Row 3: *K1, LT, K2, P2* repeat around
Row 5: *K2, LT, K1, P2* repeat around
Row 7: *K3, LT, P2* repeat around
Row 8: as for row 2
Repeat these 8 rows for pattern.
Left Twist (LT) as follows: Knit second stitch on left hand needle through the back loop. Without slipping the stitch
off the needle, slip first stitch purlwise onto right-hand needle, allowing the second stitch to slip off left hand needle.
cast on 63 sts. work leg portion for 10 repeats.
10 repeats gave me a 6.5 inch leg cuff. i suggest you try it own as you go because the cable repeats stretch alot when on and therefore making them more narrow than what they look like on the needles.
heel:
K13 sts., turn.
Slip 1, P29, turn.
Heel Pattern Stitch:
Row 1 (RS):*SL1, K1* repeat
Row 2 (WS): SL1, P across.
do row 1 and 2 til you get a square, probably a total of 30 rows...again, i usually just try the sock on til i get to the point i want it. End at the end of a RS row. Turn
now doing it this way does not give me any purl ridge doing down the side of the pattern on the top of the foot. when i do these again, i will fix the heel to where i would have 1 purl st. at each end of the top of the foot. to do this now, you would knit somewhere around the 13 and just knit til you are in that number area and leave on purl sts on that side, then turn and slip 1, and purl back til you are close to 29 but stop before you get to that last purl sts. i think you should have a heel flap with 28 sts on it if you have the 1 purl st on each side of the top pattern.
turn heel:
SL1, P14, P2TOG, P1, turn
SL1, K3, K2TOG, K1, turn
SL1, P to 1 stitch before the gap, P2TOG over the gap, P1, turn
SL1, K to 1 stitch before the gap, K2TOG over the gap, K1, turn
Continue in this manner until all stitches are used up, ending at the end of a right side row.
Gusset:
Pick up the stitches along the left hand edge of heel flap. I think i picked up 14. I picked up one for each slipped sts on the edge.
Knit across instep stitches in cable twist pattern.
Pick up the stitches along the other edge of the heel flap. (again, i think mine was 14, but depends on how long your heel flap is)
The bottom of the sock will be knit in stockinette stitch and the top of the sock will continue in pattern stitch.
All decreasing for the heel will be done on the bottom of the sock.
ok decreases.
Knit one repeat of the stitch pattern.... with stockingnette on the bottom. Then I started decreasing... I decreased over all down to 70 stitches.
so knit to the last 3 heel stitches, K2Tog, K1, keep in pattern over instep stitches, K1st heel stitch, ssk, knit across heel.
Knit one round plain.
Alternate these rounds until 70 sts remain on sock.
the foot of my sock has 8 total repeats before toe decreases.
after 8 repeats, the first row of decreases is this:
knit to last 3 sts on needle 1, k2tog, k1
on needle 2 and 3 (or top of foot with pattern) knit all the purl sts with the knit stitch beside them. so after you finish with the top, all the purls will be gone... then on the 4th needle, knit 1, ssk, knit to end of row.
THEN!
you should have 60 sts on your needles. that should have decreased enough to where you can do the toe for the zen socks... which is this:
Now it's the toe decrease:
- on 1st needle, knit to last three stitches, k2tog, and knit last stitch
- on 2nd needle, knit one, k2tog, knit to last three stitches, k2tog, and knit last stitch
- on 3rd dpn, knit one stitch, ssk (I normally k2tog), and knit to end.
- alternate knitting a round and the decrease round until 16 stitches remain
- slip stitches onto two needles, 8 and 8 each.
- graft remaining stitches.
DONE!
ok, tell me if this make no sense... i have never really wrote out a pattern before LOL
a couple of notes... if your foot is narrower, you make have to decrease down more than the 70sts at the heel... just try it on and see how loose it is and keep decreasing. so... any questions? how confusing is this really?? LOL
someone is demanding pictures... and because she yelled at me the pictures for her will have to be last. hmm! :D
on friday we went to a greek community here in florida...the community is also known for sponge diving... you know, getting the sponges out of the ocean for use of, well, spongy things. anyways, i didnt really take any pictures but i did talk derek into taking me to the beach... i am monitoring the temperate of the water... still too cold to get in.
i love the beach. alot.
this is a boy and his dog. being lazy. together.
this is my sweet, pretty dog, patton.
this is my big mean, i-am-going-to-eat-your-face dog.
so freaking hilarious.
this is going to be my signature "i finished knitting a pair of socks" shot.
but yeah, the alpaca socks have been finished for a while... the ends not woven in. it's too freaking hot here to be wearing alpaca socks. stupid FL.
and now for the socks i am working on now... the cable twists socks from hello yarn. i'd link it but derek is rushing me... it seems he is not able to go get gas in his car by himself.
i love these socks so much. the fit is perfect.
and this is where i am on the 2nd sock:
happy now??? now show me yours!! :D
