Reworking it

I make socks,  a lot of socks. Sometimes they fit great and sometimes they need a touch more love. The purple pair pictured below needed a touch more love.

Can you see the sock below the lower sock? That one fits my foot. The purple short sheeted socks did not. They are made from Colinette Jitterbug yarn, and while it is lovely yarn I made my leg portion too long to make a decent foot portion. 

I saw this coming somehow while knitting but did not want to rip it all out and thought how short can it be? Turns out short enough to matter. I had set aside the first sock as the thought that I may not have enough yarn hit me. I started working the second sock from the outside of the yarn ball and worked them both down to an amount of yarn that I thought I would need for the toes. 

I think I came up at least an inch short. I denied that it would be a problem and proceeded to wear them quite a few times. The issue was my foot needed a set amount of space and would pull the back of the sock down into my shoe to get that amount of space. Many days there is no denying the laws of physics, I foot needs a space and that space does not change with the size of the sock you make. 

So the socks got kicked out of rotation because they were uncomfortable and I did not want to cause undue wear on them. They sat and sat......

Till one day I realized I have a great pair of socks that I could be wearing, and I had yarn that would work with them, sort of. So I ripped back the toe and knit to the length I needed and joined in yarn when I needed it and voila. New old socks.

I feel sort of secret squirrel about them because they look normal in a pair of shoes till you take them out for a spin, then special toes.

Wizzzzz

Ya hear that? If you were at my house it would have been the sound of yarn flying past your ear. Hubby decided to clean up and organize our office and apparently that means yarn consolidation.

I have a half wall in the living room that is currently trying to become a full wall through the creative use of yarn. It is sort of a yarn doggie pile on the wall. When some of the ladies were here for knitting they asked if I was starting my own yarn shop. Here I will show you the yarn.

Yeah that is just the sock yarn. I think it may even be more than 20 pairs of socks too, thus breaking my self imposed no more than 20 pairs rule. What it was a stupid rule anyways. I mean honestly who would limit themselves to 20 pairs when there is all that color out there in the world. Of course you cannot really see it here but trust me it is gorgeous. 

And really at least one of those skeins will be a cowl and one is going to be a pair of socks for Mom, oh and lets see there is probably a pair of fingerless mitts in there too. So really it is not much yarn. 

What you're not buying my story? Good because I am not selling, my story or my yarn. I do have a skein or two from my first Rhinebeck visit and from my second visit but I think most of it is recent holiday and festival acquisitions. 

I did finish a sock today but am sad to say it is the first of a pair and can not be added to the rotation without its partner. Although I must admit that I had D pick out a skein for his next pair of socks. He chose the Fiber Optic yarn in "Ink." A beautiful dark blue and blackish colorway. Now I just need to dig out one of my needles that is hiding under the couch. I heard it hit the floor but can not see it.

Oh, I knit in the theater while watching the newest Harry Potter this weekend. I was able to catch a dropped stitch in the darkness but ended up having to ladder down to fix it when I got home. I had picked up the dropped stitch and the one below it, together. 

So now my yarn is consolidated in the living room but I caught D eyeing that space as well. I think he is going a bit stir crazy with our somewhat forced confinement. Our illness is progressing as with any viral thing much slower than we would like. 

I did take the opportunity to bag together some yarn for two sweaters I will be making this winter. It feels weird to have my yarn corralled in plastic. What will Gus bring me in the middle of the night? Poor Gus

Rambling

I am a bit under the weather. Don't worry though I am under the watchful gaze of Dr Gus and Dr Jack, aka my kitties. You're right it is not their gaze so much as their actual bodies. Gus supervised a few naps with me and Jack has commandeered my couch time.

As it seems to be a stomach bug Thanksgiving was undertaken cautiously with us. I think when we feel better we may have a couple of turkey weekends here, since turkey was what I craved.

Luckily I had made a trip to the library the day before I got ill so I have been watching Dr Who season 4 and The Closer season 5. I also started a new book by Elizabeth Peters "A Crocodile on the Sandbank." So far I like the two main characters. Which is good since I finished "1st to Die" and decided that I did not like it. It had way too much repetition for me. I ended up fast forwarding a few times. I told D to never let me read that author again as he is simply not my cup of tea. Now I need to find another book for my drive time. I looked while at the library but it is so hard to choose without knowing what I am looking for.

Drive time books can not be sad because I am a cryer and I don't want to have to pull the car over till it is safe for me to drive again. They can not be too complicated as I will be listening in 15 minute increments and it takes me a minute or so to remember what is going on in the story some days. I did listen to "The Count of Monte Cristo" but only after I had read it first and knew many of the characters and plot lines. Some accents and ways of reading may be difficult for me to hear also. I once had to stop a book because the recording was very soft till something dramatic happened then it almost blew me out of the car.

The other difficult thing with getting books from the library is that they seem to start buying when an author gets popular and that may be 3 or 6 books in. Usually I am not able to read that many books before starting an audio book.

Oh I am reknitting these socks since as you can see they need about an inch taken out of them. I've got one done and am working on the toe of the other. They seem to fit better and the yarn is striping instead of pooling. I ripped them back to the heel flap and restarted with 2.25mm needles. The tops will still be loose but it will not bother me, I really only care if the foot does not fit. Soon I will have some new/old socks again.

So that is where I am now convalescing on the couch with lots of yarn and supervised by the cats. It feels good to be loved and to love!

I have Russian Yarn!

D's coworker went to Russia and now I have Russian yarn! I debated about asking for it. She has benefited from my knitting and seems to truly like it. I thought it might be asking too much. Many people do not appreciate wool like knitters do. Although I would think that Russians would be able to appreciate the insulating properties of wool.

Yes, I am excited. My yarn is 100% wool yarn, and a color I like too (a rusty red.) So I will be looking on Ravelry for a hat pattern. It seems to me like it wants to be a hat. Ooo what about Knotty from Knitty. I bet D would look really good in it. I will post pictures when it is light enough for me to get a decent picture.

I frogged the shawl this weekend. I came up with non matching numbers so I decided to pull it all out and get it right. In theory I will be counting every few rows so I will be able to tell when I make a mistake.

I started another sock but am lacking photographic evidence also due to lighting issues. It is that time of year that I forget to take pictures till the sun has set. Anyways I started another plain knit sock for me. I am using some springy colored Socks that Rock yarn. It is quite girly. Green, rose, and a touch of lavender. I kept thinking that I should save it for February or March when winter is in full swing and has been for a bit. It was calling to me, so I cast on and have been happily knitting along.

Since it is a nice simple knit it has been promoted to my purse knitting. It gets worked on when I am waiting and at lunchtime. So I am a happy knitter.

New socks for us

I finished second socks for a pair for each of us. So we both wore new socks to D's birthday dinner. That is not totally true, I wore mine.

Zauberball Socks

Socks that Rock "Chestnutty" socks

D wore his Chestnutty socks from Portland. His new Spinning Bunny socks had an adventure earlier in the morning and were resting. I had sprayed a spot on the carpet with carpet cleaner and his comment ten minutes later was, "Why is the floor wet? Oh yeah you sprayed cleaner there". Poor dude did not know why I tackled him and ripped off his socks. I ran to the sink to rinse them and could see a soapy area. This yarn dyed my fingers and needles while I knit with it, so I was really worried about what something I had applied to remove a stain, would do to it.

Spinning Bunny "Bark" Sock

Some dye did rinse out when I gave them the initial dip in the bathroom sink. I ran some water in the kitchen sink but they did not seem to be bleeding dramatically. I added a touch of vinegar to rinse one and two. I think they will be fine. But I bet D was really happy I did not ask him to wear wet birthday socks out to dinner in November, in New York. That is a bit too much to ask of the person you love. 

My alpaca shawl is torturing me. I got close to the start of the lace portion and decided to do stitch count so I could be sure to place a life line. I came up with two more stitches on one side than the other. So I unknit a row and still had the same problem. I put it in time out and came back to count a couple of nights later and still had the same issue. I frogged back several rows and unknit two more rows and still had the same problem. So it went back into timeout for the night. The next night I recounted, hoping it was just a counting error on my part. Nope. I toyed with the idea of frogging it and starting over but I have knitting group this weekend and want to have something to show off. So I did a knit 2 together near the start and end of that portion. I don't regret it at all. Perfection is nice but a couple of K2tog in dark grey yarn on garter stitch will not ruin my day today.

What am I reading?

No, it is not a judgement question just thought you might like to know which books are strewn across the house/my life.

In the car I am listening to 1st to die by James Patterson. It is going OK. This is the first mystery I've read by him. I am a bit creeped out by the thought of a serial killer of newly wed couples. It is a bit different to know who the killer is from the beginning. I am  a "try to figure it out" person so I'm feeling a tad adrift without something to figure out. So I'll let you know how I liked it.

D's influence book: Hands of my Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love by Myron Uhlberg. It is a memoir, set in the 30's and 40's so far. The son acts as their interpreter from a very young age. He talks of how difficult it is to be treated as an adult one moment then be a kid again the next. I think confusing would be an understatement. I have a tough time with memoirs. I am always afraid that something really bad is going to happen. I don't know why I make the association, maybe because it is not just a book?

In the special reading room aka the toilet. What I read in the bathroom, I like to use my time efficiently, Agatha Christie's After the Funeral. Now this one is a whodunit. No, I don't know who it is yet and I am more than halfway. Yes, I am a little disappointed in myself. Heaven forbid I loose my special talent. How would I be able to annoy D, if I could not call the ending?

By the bed: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. We were discussing this series the other night and I remember the ending but not that much else. I think I wanted to know how it would all play out so bad that I was supersonic speed reading. So far it is putting me to sleep after a couple of pages. Which is what I want sort of. At this rate it will take me quite a while to reread it. Ah there are worse things in life, like way too expensive yarn that you want.

There is also a romance novel by the bed but I must be really tired lately, because that did not grab my attention either. I put it down to read Harry Potter.

Has anyone read Anne of Green Gables? I ran across the PBS airing of the mini series and fell in love. Now I want to read the books. It reminded me of the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved those books so much.

I don't even have any books at work for lunch time reading. I guess I am too busy knitting instead?

Bummer

I started this sweater for D last March. I questioned my sanity at that time too. I knit happily on it for about a month or so. You know till the weather warmed up enough that a lump of wool on your lap no longer feels warm and comfortable but hot and sticky instead. I also started to suspect that I may not have bought enough wool.

So I did what any good knitter does in this situation, I put it in a bag and sent it to project purgatory. Now I feel the need to point out that a great knitter would have hauled herself to the store and bought more yarn if they had it. But that is what separates the knitters from the Knitters. It is not like I shoved a sheep in the bag with it so it could grow more yarn. Nope I waited seven months so I could be sure that they sold out of the yarn. Come to think of it, I bought all the skeins they had. I went hoping that maybe they had purchased more in the same colorway. Nada.

So what do I do now? Do I turn it into a sweater for me instead? I think I have shorter arms. Do I take out a bit on the bottom of the body and make it shorter, but the sleeves longer? Do I go online and learn how to see if anyone else has a left over skein? Do I put it back into purgatory till it learns to behave?

Yeah, I don't have an answer for it either.

Oh and I am trying to get into the witness protection program too. Not because I witnessed anything but because I have burned my finger tip again in about the same spot as last year. I think I am subconsciously trying to burn off my finger prints.