periscope knits

my KTE pal responds with questions, and I answer on the blog

Hi KTE pal,

How funny that you have to ask me these things.  I have a blog, I should post!   And, now that The Event That Shall Not Be Named is over, I will.  Perhaps I'll even post the answers to your questions – what an excellent thing!   Thanks for the idea, and sorry for being such a mystery.

To answer your questions:

I'm not a monogamous knitter at all, so there are several things that  I'm currently knitting (and thus, last knit).   The last knitted item that I finished is a Shifting Sands scarf (pattern by Grumperina), while I was in Tucson.  There are a few pictures on my blog, though no finished ones as of yet.   I'm in love with it – the texture, the colour, the length.  It's like the surface of a pearl, or the moon, or a choppy sea, or the sky about to storm.   What good things!  With this same yarn, I made a pair of shootin' stockings for my dad.  I used a different stitch pattern, but the results are the same.   I'm a bit sad that I can't get more of the yarn.  But, then, if I could, would I have purchased it?  Sometimes limited edition can be a good thing – I have to get it then then then, or I regret the chance missed.

Now, I'm in a sock phase.  On my needles I've got:

1) moss green knee socks (though I might turn these into gauntlets instead, with perhaps a hat to match)

2) red and white striped anklets

3) pink lace stockings

I'm also working on a Lizard Ridge blanket, square by square, and a couple of little mohair triangle shawls as gifts for my niece and sister.   Accessories are easiest for me.  I'm busty AND plus-sized, so the investment required for a jumper or vest is quite a bit, even in an inexpensive yarn.   I'm looking at knitting a sweater in the vein of the hourglass sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  I'd like to keep the yarn the same, but aiee!   I have to buy over a bag's worth of Cash Iroha, and that's stressful in more ways than I care to think about.

So, on my knitter's wish list?  Something to felt, I think.  I'd like to felt a bag, a largish-one to take with me to the farmer's market.  Maybe a neck pillow or something equally sweet and modern-ish.  Gloves.  Knee high striped socks.  Thermal, from Knitty.com.  Placemats.  A pair of socks using the motif that Eunny Jang created for this sweater.

What about you?

Janine

New Year, new blog.

With a finished object to start out with, even.

Voila! The Western Gentleman Gotta Do Some Shootin’ Stockings:

Beautiful, aren’t they?

Click on the pictures for a larger version.

They’re as yet unblocked, and I left the ends on the second sock unwoven so everyone could see what an excellent job my cat does of cutting the yarn for me. Right in the middle of the leg! She’s so helpful – and such sharp teeth!

What? You can’t see them? Hmm. Well, I’m going to knit circle tonight, and hopefully will have the use of a digital camera. Until then, you’ll have to believe me – fraternal twins as they may be, they’re quite lovely.   Pictures galore!  Thank you, Jazlan!

Pattern: Gentleman’s Shooting Stockings from Knitting Vintage Socks

Yarn: Sundara Yarn’s Somewhat Solid superwash sport merino in Grey over Petal.

Yardage: Roughly 400 yards, although application of a scale might tell me otherwise.

Needles: US 2, 2.75 mm Clover Bamboo DPNs, set of 5

Gauge: 26 stitches per 4” over stocking stitch in the round.

Finished dimensions (some of them, anyway): 10.25” from heel to toe, and 11” from top of cuff to bottom of heel flap.

Modifications: Plenty. Aside from adjusting the pattern to fit the yarn I used, I had to take into account my dad’s thin legs and huge feet. So, the ankles are tiny and the feet look like flippers when not worn. There’s a few purl lines in the basic 3x3 ribbing to set the eye up for the patterning (and because I liked it). I changed the decreases down the back of the leg for a more pleasing line. And, of course, there’s a good chance I’ll have to add some thin elastic to the top of the cuffs.

And next time? Hmm. Well, despite the changes I made to the leg decreases, I’m still not entirely satisfied with how the pattern melds. I’d like the disappearing pattern repeats to become a single line of knit stitches that then make their way into the finalized ankle pattern. This shouldn’t be too hard to do, and I look forward to knitting this pattern for myself.

I finished the first sock while in Tucson, and had my dad try it on. Such a perfect fit! Oh the joy! Oh the excitement! And will the next sock be finished before you go home? Well…hmm. The first sock flew merrily along, with a minimum of frogging. The second sock? Apparently it’s knit to a tighter row gauge, since there are more pattern repeats down the instep despite the fact the socks are identical in length. I also completely messed with the gusset and didn’t realize until partway through the toe decreases. I’d already frogged the toe three times (due to complete spaciness on my part), so eh. I grafted the toe and called it a day. As my father is extremely excited for his shootin’ stockings, I’ll send them off just as they are and fix anything that needs fixing when I go back to Arizona in March. Usually I’m more discerning about these things, but – hey! It’s my first pair of socks! And they’re awesome! And Dad is quite anxious to wear them, and he promised to take pictures for my knitter’s brag book blog.

I've got a few (heh) projects on the needles, and more yarn coming from Sundara.  Seriously, it's like crack only lovelier.  The Shifting Sands scarf (from Grumperina) is just over halfway finished, and I dyed some sock yarn last night with three different sorts of Kool-Aid.  And yes - I promise pictures.  Later.