Finished! Sort Of.

While there were gads of people who finished their first Tour-de-Sock pair of socks within a few days of beginning, I'm pretty dang proud of finishing just this one sock within 9 days:

BMFA Socks That Rock Lightweight, colorway Bleck

Not bad for a week and a half of interspersed knitting! The pattern is The Secret Fan by Adrienne Fong. It has just a little bit of beading but most of it is pretty straightforward knits, purls, and twists. The heel was pretty neat, eye of partridge surrounding normal slipped stitch heel patterning that flowed nicely into the fan on the back.

 

The toe instructions were somewhat unclearly written but I have to give props for how neatly the toe decreases resolved themselves into a centered double decrease, forming a perfect inverted V.  I love when a designer pays attention to such details. This sock also had gusset decreases on the bottom of the foot, which was new to me but I don't think I like it any better than having the gusset decreases nearer the instep, I don't really notice a difference when worn.

Now, my dilemma: try to knit the second sock of this pair ASAP or move on to the second pattern of the TDS challenge? Chicane Socks by Debbie O'Neill is next up, involving a bit of colorwork and lots of little cables:

Copyright Debbie O'Neill

That pair is supposed to be done by Wednesday, June 19th. Besides the usual impediments to my knitting progress (a.k.a. work and life) I also have a very good friend visiting this weekend (who is not a knitter, sadly) and the yarn I want to use for the socks is not yet wound (and without a ball winder, that's slow going). So, really, there's no chance in hell I'll be able to finish that pair and probably not even the first sock in the next 9 days. That said, it was pretty fun trying to finish one sock by the deadline. I didn't quite make it, I've been a day behind the whole time, but why not try, right?

How's that for talking myself into then out of then back into a plan, eh? What would you do?

IS #25: The Ultimate Book of Yarn Design

I've posted about being inspired by an excellent spinning book before, but MAN this one is fabulous, too.

This textbook-like tome will not teach you the very basics, like fiber characteristics and exactly step-by-step how to add twist to fiber, it assumes you've done that once or twice before. However, it does detail nearly everything else in a very simple and straightforward manner. Great information on washing fleece, using handcards and combs, using a drum carder, the differences between worsted and woolen yarns, different kinds of drafting to achieve those yarns, and (finally!) descriptions of Z/S twist and twist angle that I actually understood are all provided.

The basics are followed up by separate chapters on every conceivable type of yarn you can make. And I do mean every. I can't imagine any other yarns existing, truly. These crepe yarns are ones I'd really like to try out, they look so interesting and are pretty similar to the cabled yarn I'd made before, except they are 3-ply instead of 4-ply which creates a neat effect.

The book also covers the really crazy novelty yarns with very simple, easy-to-understand instructions. Best of all, it shows photos of nearly every yarn either knit or woven up so you can get an idea of what the yarn might look like in a finished fabric, which is super helpful with crazy yarns like the beehive pictured above.

And as an added bonus, the instructions for all of the different yarns are provided on little notecards that you can punch out and keep near your wheel or take with you for reference. As I hope you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to try my hand at all the crazy yarns within. Here's a review from the Knitty blog that I think is pretty accurate and shows additional photos from the book. It also reminded me that the author also did a sock knitting experiment to figure out which yarn construction formed holes the slowest, which was super interesting! As you can see in the first photo, I've marked many many pages that I want to refer back to, so this book was well worth the money for me. You can also see my spindle, I've been doing my best to spin for a few minutes every single day this month. I missed 2 days out of 8 so far... hopefully I'll be less busy in the coming weeks!

What books have been inspiring you lately? And are you spinning along this June?

FO Friday #18: Beautiful Bugga Blues

I finished this WIP early last week but was waiting to get better photos before I showed it off. However, the opportunity to get better photos is eluding me so you get crummy ones instead because I'm impatient! Hopefully the awesomeness is apparent regardless.

SG/CY Bugga in colorways Box Jellyfish and Blue Ringed Octopus

This color combination is no doubt, hands-down, my absolute favorite of ALL FREAKING TIME. Yeah. It's that good. The deep dark teal and pale greeny-blue-aqua together just makes my color-lovin' heart sing. Not to mention that it coordinates with nearly everything in my closet.

Freakish, right?

Somestimes the Fiasco and I play the "how many matching accessories is Alicia wearing right now" game. I don't know why but I get a strange OCD thrill from matching/coordinating everything I'm wearing, which I've done since at least high school. (Aside: but I weirdly hate when people wear an entire outfit all the same color, those velour pantsuit lungewear things from Old Navy drive me crazy...) Anyway, back to the shawl.

I started this puppy back in February 2012 and it took me 16 months to finish because it was boring as hell. The pattern is Flamboyan by Stephen West and it is without a doubt a clever, striking, and stylish design... I just hated knitting it. I am not a fan of large swaths of stockinette (it's the purl back rows that get me) and juggling three balls of yarn for the (very simple) intarsia was annoying. And then there were the endless three inches of ribbing for the edging. By the last row there were over 570 stitches on the needle and I think 570 stitches of ribbing is just too much for my taste.

All that aside, I do love the finished piece. It's a bit small for me to use as a stand-alone shawl (as in it doesn't cover too much of my upper arms, which I like for warmth) but it is a generously-sized shawlette that is perfect for the around-the-neck kerchief-style of wearing. I used Cephalopod Yarns Bugga on size US 6 needles and the combination made for a fabulous fabric. The stitches are smooth, even, and gorgeous. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that using anything besides Bugga (or another sportweight Merino/cashmere blend I suppose) would be a crime for this shawl. Bust out the big guns for this thing to make it extra special. The only thing I changed about the pattern was the bind off. I used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off alternating between the knit setup and the purl setup where appropriate which made for a neat zig-zag effect on the edge. In short, I definitely recommend the pattern for looks and style if you're in the mood for a whole lot of mindless knitting. However, I will probably never knit one again. :)

WIPWed #28: It Has Begun

Tour-de-Sock has officially begun... and as of this posting, 48 people have already finished their pair of socks. FORTY-EIGHT! Finished pairs! In less than 4 days! Insane. Absolutely insane.

BMFA Socks That Rock Lightweight, colorway Bleck

But hey, I'm on the third repeat of the leg of the first sock and I'm done with the beads for now! Not half bad, eh? The pattern is The Secret Fan by Adrienne Fong. I like the idea of the beads as an accent on just the one fan. I'm using slightly larger beads than called for, though, and think they look a little wonky (6's instead of 8's). Hopefully it'll look better on the leg!

BMFA Socks That Rock Mediumweight, colorway Budding Twig

I haven't shown off my Budding Lintilla shawl in a while, check out that progress! The pattern is intended to be knit with any amount of yarn, you just start the final ruffle when you have 25% left. However, my shawl didn't seem long enough at that point so I am knitting to the end of my ball and then will do the final ruffle with leftovers that some kindly Ravelers are sending to me. (I love Ravelry.)

I also got this, which isn't quite a WIP yet but will be someday:

My first fleece!

At the farmer's market over the weekend they were doing a sheep shearing demonstration on four Southdown sheep... and one of the fleeces came home with me. Woops! I've never washed a fleece before but the ladies in my spinner's guild made it sound so easy... we'll see. :) All that wool is currently residing in my shed stored in paper bags, after airing out some of the moisture from the heat of the day/being on the sheep, as pictured above.

I think it's neat that you can see where the dirt stopped penetrating into the wool in each lock.

The locks are relatively short-stapled and fine and have a springy feel. I think it's going to make great yarn (but what do I know, really) once all that dirt is washed out... I've ordered some mesh laundry bags and some drying racks and then will just need to wait for a free weekend at home (with good weather) to get this thing done. Honestly, the washing will be easy compared to the endless carding and spinning that will follow! Oh boy. Here we go.

IS #24: So Many Tours!

Something very simple has been inspiring me lately.

Ahhh, the humble spindle. I feel like I haven't spun in ages-- in reality it's probably been more like 6 weeks, but that's pretty long! There has been much talk of spinning on blogs and Ravelry lately and man oh man is it getting to me. My fingers are itching. My wheel is waiting. My spindles are dropping. Yes, I'm joining the tour.

In a previous post, I had mentioned how I wanted to spin a little every day starting in June. Well, turns out my spinner instincts must've been buzzing because June 30th is the start date of 5th annual Tour de Fleece! The idea is to do something awesome and challenging, perhaps not quite as awesome or challenging as a crazy long-ass bike ride, but cool nonetheless. The main guidelines are as follows:

1. Spin every day the Tour rides, if possible. Saturday June 29th through Sunday July 21st. Days of rest: Monday July 8th and Monday July 15th. (Just like the actual tour.)
   
2. Spin something challenging on the challenge day (usually the toughest high mountain stage: this year, it’s Stage 18, on Thursday, July 18th, when they climb Alpe d’Huez twice).

There are a few others but those are the big ones. You can join teams or not, spin a little or a lot, whatever your personal goal/challenge might be. I joined a team of fans of Verdant Gryphon yarns, even though they don't sell any fiber, just because people on the VG boards on Ravelry are always so fun, friendly, and knowledgeable. And there are prizes, always prizes. As we all know how I love to plan, I've been having fun thinking up things to do. Unsurprisingly, I have a few ideas.

1. Spin for at least 15 minutes every day (which I will begin practicing starting tomorrow because I already said I would).
2. Finish two skeins (8 oz) of gradient-dyed BFL from June Pryce Fiber Arts on my wheel (which I've barely begun but won't touch again until the tour starts).
3. Finish 3 more breeds (3 oz) for my Ongoing Spinner's Study.
4. Extra-special-gold-star-challenge: Wash, process, and spin 1 oz of wool from my first fleece.

Yeah, you heard me: my first fleece! IF I mange to get to the farmer's market before my yoga class today, I MIGHT be able to get a hold of a Southdown fleece for a pretty reasonable price. I've never used Southdown wool before but I'm itching to give this whole fleece-to-spun thing a try and don't mind practicing on one I'm not totally invested in. For those keeping track, I've planned to spin 12 oz. of fiber in 3 weeks. That's 4 oz, or a typical braid of fiber, every week... while simultaneously knitting a boatload of socks. And trying to fit time in for designing. And, you know, work. And life. This is my way of declaring: I am pretty crazy and all of these plans will probably never happen so please don't be too disappointed when the beautiful socks and fabulous handspun yarn that live in my head don't quite make it to the blog. A girl's gotta dream, right?

What (crazy idea) is inspiring you lately?