Socklets, Swatching, Sci-Fi and Going on the Road!!

New Sock Class - Way Fun!
As my new knitting friend Ellen has written, a good time was had by all at the Toe-Up Sock Knitting Class taught by Cookie A on Friday at my favorite LYS, Unwind Yarn. Knitdevil Madge was there, along with another 8 or so knitters. Cookie is a very thorough and patient teacher, being able to provide individual attention and clear step-by-step directions. Unlike the previous sock class I've taken, we produced a demo sock that actually can be worn by a little kid. So here is the Socklet. Well, it will be more useful when it gets the other sock to match.

I've included a AA battery for scale in the first picture, then two views of the Socklet with my dear Midnight. She was not particularly amused at the 'Sock on my Cat' idea, rolling over into her signature Elegant Pawsitude pose to glare at me.



Will I become a toe-up knitter? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe sometimes. As the class discussed, there is a lot to be said for both toe-up and top-down sock knitting. While my Turkish cast-on looks perfectly OK, I'm not sure that 8 stitches of Kitchener is more difficult to do than this cast-on. Toe-up is certainly the choice if you're concerned about having enough yarn for both socks.

Cookie's signature short-row heel and gusset make a very nice looking sock, and are worked in a way that will allow making the heel in any number of lovely pattern stitches. I picked up a couple of Cookie's simpler sock patterns; I particularly like the Thelonius pattern.

My sock-knitting mojo is really back, Hurray!!! I think this Nashua superwash worsted would be better done with size 3 needles rather than the 4s I used, since the fabric would be a bit tighter, but my old problem with uneven gauge seems to be gone.


Mystery Shawl 3 - Knitter #6706 Here

My dear friend Madge convinced me that I should join the 6700 other knitters working on Mystery Stole 3. I'm beginning to think that she's going to take over the title of Evil Enabler, which I've carried for a year or two, at least according to the members of the About.com Knitting Forum.

I've made the swatch, using some beautiful pale cameo 20/2 bombyx silk I bought from Treenway Silks, when I was on Salt Spring Island 2 years ago. I have nearly 1100 yards. This is only half of the yarn; there were some technical difficulties in winding the yarn, involving yarn wrapped around the swift and some VERY tiny knots, which somehow resulted in 2 balls. As you can see, I've applied good advice I've had from experienced lace knitters, and used a toilet paper roll to keep the ball from collapsing inward.


The swatching required several changes of needle size and a few start-overs, but I think I finally have a good result, using size 3US Addi Lace needles. The blocking is rather wonky, since I started with dry yarn and then spritzed it - hey, that's what the directions said!! I'll use my own experience for the next blocking efforts.


I'm Off to Canada!

I'm not planning on starting the stole itself until after I get back from my trip to Vancouver, BC. Not to be confused with Vancouver, Washington, I'll be cross-border in Canada, home of the Loonie and Twonie, the most excellent hard cider, as well as some outstanding yarn sources, including (but not limited to) Koigu, Fleece Artist and HandMaiden.
Warning: Sci-Fi Content!!


Vancouver International Airport is so open and filled with light. If you're a StarGate SG-1 fan, the airport is the setting for one of (IMO) the best episodes from Season 4, "2010 ." An alien race has offered all sorts of technical advancements to Earth, but somehow transported to 10 years in the future, the SG-1 team learns that the aliens have made everyone infertile so they can take over the Earth. All of the team die in the effort to toss a message through the StarGate (set up in the airport) to warn themselves 10 years earlier. Paradox? Yes. SF trivia - you betcha!! But it's a beautiful airport!!

I'm going to be spending a week in the Vancouver area, visiting with my knitting friends up there. I'll be staying with my dear (blogless) friend Lunadog, and getting together with the fabulous Jayne to observe her wonderful yarn dyeing skills. (Check out her gorgeous products at her Etsy shop!) I've sent her some pale grey Optimum, and while I'm there we'll be deciding what colors the yarn wants to be. Jayne's new 'Brandy in the Garden' colorway is the current top contender.

I'll also have a day or so over in Sidney, on Vancouver Island, visiting with some other knitterly friends, Uleta and Alice. Unlike the whirlwind of activity that was my visit to San Francisco, this will be a quiet week. After buying lots and lots of the lovely Artfibers yarns, which came right after the going-out-of-business sale at Black Sheep Knittery, I'm literally and figuratively "stuffed" full of yarn. Though I might pick up a skein or so of Fleece Artist or HandMaiden loveliness, maybe for holiday prezzies??

One of the few 'must-do' items is to find some of the wonderful Growers' Hard Cider I enjoyed so much on my last visit. Growers' isn't shipped out of British Columbia, sad to say, and I couldn't find a website for them.



In other knitting news, I've finished a couple of other projects, but I'm actually and mentally too preoccupied with getting ready for my trip on Wednesday to try to block them before I go. I'm back on the following Tuesday, and I promise to take lots of pictures!

Knit on!!