I knit some socks for B, and we’re both quite pleased with ‘em, but other than that I can’t really think of too much else to say. So today’s post will be written by my good friend (and non-knitter) G, pictured last time with the pub quiz trophy he, and his thorough knowledge of Norse mythology, was mostly responsible for winning.
Firstly Id like to thank Maia for immortalizing my midsection and right hand and forearm on the internet. Secondly Id like to thank Jesus for making large beer steins and Spaten beer.
If I were you Id be knitting some of these bad boys because they go well with jeans and concrete everyone has some of those. Seriously though I would always carry a pair of these socks in case you step outside of your apartment barefoot in the cold. That way you could whip them out and have warm and toasty feet like no problem.
There you go, good advice from G. Personally, I think that having “warm and toasty feet like no problem” can only make a day that much better.
Yarn: Regia Patch Antik, color #5759. 1 ball.
Needles: 2.75mm/US 2
Pattern: My own, for feet of unusual size.
12 Dec 07 | 11:12 pm
Sorry about that. Two months and counting without a post, what a ludicrous way to start a blog huh? Truth is that for a good while there I was too distracted with birthdays, showing off my fabulous town to friends and family, enjoying what it is that makes my town so very fabulous, and uh, wining gigantic beer steins at my local pub quiz, to do any knitting.
Yup, there was no knitting, sorta unheard of around here. Fortunately (and strangely) October brought with it a near constant demand for ipod socks.
These little guys were quick, simple, and totally made me hungry for longer, more complicated projects. Knitting appetizers if you will. So yeah, it’s now almost December and I’ve been making other things that I’m all excited to talk about, but why not start off with what got me back on the couch in the first place?
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, color #115, way less than 1 ball.
Needles: 2.75mm/US 2
Pattern: Made it up, but in a nutshell:
- C.O. enough sts to stretch around your ipod (should be divisible by both 3 and 2,) join.
- Work in 2×1 seed or broken rib for an inch or so. P 1 round. K until the thing is long enough.
- Divide sts between 2 needles and graft together.
Yarn: Regia Strato Color, also way less than one ball. I’ve no idea what color because I lost the ball band and the internet isn’t helping me out either.
Needles: 2.75mm/US 2
Pattern: This one’s even simpler and more obvious but:
- Magic C.O. enough sts to stretch around your ipod (should be an even number.)
- K around until your sock is an inch too short. Work k1 p1 rib for an inch or so.
- Tubular B.O. all sts.
01 Dec 07 | 1:1 am
When I was still a semi-beginer, knitting wise, my oldest friend announced she was gonna have a kid. She was the very first of my friends to do so and visions of smooshy blankets, little cardigans, tiny hats, and most adorably, booties that can fit in the palm of your hand, danced in my head. I bought this book and picked out a basic bootie pattern. I also bought some yarn, it might have been called Softee Sweetee Cloud for Angel Baybees, or something. Anyway, it was light blue, it came from a big ol’ craft store and it was acrylic.
The pattern really was ok, clearly written, error free - all that good stuff. It was just a little too adventurous for a knitter who up until then had a pretty monogamous relationship with scarves, perhaps occasionally cheating with a hat or two. The foot/toe junction was awkward, confusing and required a fair bit of blind faith on my part. Finishing was worse: one regular straight seam (no problem there) one between two pieces of curved seed stitch (scary) and some grafting (scarier.) None of this made any easier by my yarn choice. However, between The Big Book of Knitting, the internet, and my own willingness to do the same tedious thing a couple times over, I got through it. And I even ended up with one fairly cute, honest-to-god baby bootie. But that’s it, just one. I was so over it that I have never ventured into bootieland again, not even to finish the pair.
Little tiny feet are undeniably cute though, as are little knitted garments to keep them warm. So when another favorite couple announced their big news I decided to make these:
Besides I like making socks, socks are fun.
Pattern: Better-than-booties baby socks by Ann Budd. Free from Interweave.
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere in cashmere blue, less than one ball.
Needles: 2 mm/US 0
Man I love a picot hem. No matter how fussy it is to k2tog off eight tiny needles, I always think the end result is charming.
I also really like the zig-zag bind off. It sorta mirrors the picot hem and makes a functional element decorative. Plus I’d never seen it before. I don’t know when my attitude changed, but nowadays coming across an unfamiliar knitting technique is thrilling, not scary.
My one mod was to replace the the chevron lace with a row of 9st diamonds I unvented in the interest of gender neutrality. I realize that the idea of a picot sock with lacy diamonds being less girl-specific than a picot sock with lacy chevrons is silly, and if I had truly been committed on the whole gender neutrality issue I would have made some plain ribbed socks, but these were more fun.
21 Jul 07 | 6:21 am
