Lace!

I got the socks finished and washed, and they were almost dry when I gave them to her. Forgot that wool takes a long time to dry, apparently, cause I haven't used it much before now. She loves them, although they're a touch big. She's gonna try throwing em in the washer and dryer to shrink em a bit. I hope it works. I must have had my gauge off a quarter stitch or so.

But, to cheer myself up, I picked up the pattern for the Peacock Feathers shawl today right after work, and started it at SCA fight practice tonight!! I'm so excited to be starting my very first lace project. I've never done YOs or read charts before, so that's been quite interesting.

My biggest problem will be to remember not to expect much in the way of looks until it's blocked. I know it'll look like crap til then, but my brain keeps expecting to see something.

I'm at row 15 so far, and hope to get to 29 or so tonight, or halfway up Chart 1. I'm off work tomorrow, so I should get lots done over the weekend.

I also am doing Fetching in Bernat Satin, and found out you can get 3 gloves from 1 ball, so I'll buy another ball of blue tomorrow, probably, so I can finish this pair and have enough for a future pair. Maybe a Mother's Day gift?

The sock in the Kingsfoil is still only at row 5 of the ribbing. I'm not sure if it's large enough for my foot; I'm doing 84 stitches on 2mm needles. I was aiming for the larger size of Jaywalker, but I think now that I see how short the color switches are, I'm going to do yet another plain stockinette sock, but maybe with some simple lace or eyelets, now that I know how to make those :D

I also bought some Opal handpainted (color 21) at the LYS; it's on half price, and there were 5 or so skeins, but I just bought one, as my budget's tight this month because of not working for a whole week so far. But this shawl will keep my interest for some time, I know, so I will try my best not to buy anything else til March.

Well, off to the laces! :P

I'm obviously not too good at keeping this updated, eh?

I'm making kneehigh piggy-toe socks for my friend's birthday. I started them once I got her measurements on Xmas eve, and am about halfway down the gussets of the second sock. I got a lot of knitting done today. I stopped the first sock a little short of the toe section, as I want to make sure I get the toes the same, as I've never done separate toes before.

I'm knitting these in Kroy Socks - Paint Box on 2.5 and 2.25 mm needles. I'm hoping to get to the same spot as the first sock tonight, then work on the toes tomorrow. I hope to hand these to her Thursday night, as I'm unable to make her party this weekend. Her birthday's the 12th.

After that, I got a few projects lined up. I got my Dicentra yarn in Kingsfoil from Crown Mountain Farms last Friday, and bought a set of 5 Pony 2 mm needles today, and am on the second row of ribbing to try grumperina's Jaywalkers. I'm trying for the larger size, given the smaller needles. I'm not sure if this yarn will work in that pattern, but I'll frog it if necessary.

I also bought yarn today for the Peacock Feathers shawl, which will be my first foray into lace. Might as well jump in deep. I bought 2 balls of Zephyr in Basil; after I got back home, I realized there was a color called Peacock, but I don't think the store had it, as there was only a smallish basket of the Zephyr. I must see if she'll order in some for me.

The store is Tangled Skeins in Dartmouth, and I've only been going there the last 3 weeks or so, but I hope to build a rapport there with the 'regulars' as it were. I'm on the shy side, but I'd really like to become part of the knitting community around here.

Well, back to these gussets. I hope to get pictures of the finished socks Thursday evening when I present them.

98.54 miles to go...

Well, I signed up for the 100 Miles by April 1 challenge, which I needed as a kick in the rear, as I've been neglecting my walking for the last 3 months or so. I went for my first walk today, and one of my regular routes is 1.46 miles, so that's what I did today to warm up. After a week or two, depending on weather, I hope to get up to the 1.8-ish mile route. I figure if I walk every weekday, I can take weekends off and still make the goal.

Edit: Just checked, and it's 105 miles to get to Pictou, Nova Scotia, so I'm going to try for 105 miles by April 1, then hopefully keep adding from there, see how far I can walk this year :D

Well, the knitting continues. Got the first of the two-color wool socks done tonight at sewing night, and I think I'll start my sister's anklets, get the first done in that. That way, if the worst happens, I can hand em each the one sock as an IOU for their mates.

Still no pictures so far, as I forgot to take what I have so far to my friend's for her to take pictures. :( I was concentrating too much on getting this sock done. Will try to get the socks back after Xmas to get pictures of them.

My sister's anklets will be done in Eco-Fil, which is 75/25 cotton/acrylic.

Bedtime now.

New life...

Well, let's breathe some new life into this blog, shall we?

This was the first blog I tried out, as evidenced by my first 3 posts from just over a year ago. I've since gotten into LiveJournal, and have been posting there since February.

However, last week I decided to learn to knit socks, and have discovered a whole world out there involving socks. I've decided that LJ just wasn't a suitable method for talking about my knitting, as it's going to take over my life for the next several months, I feel. So that will be for the rest of my adventures, and this will be for pretty much knitting, spinning that turns into knitting, and maybe some crocheting if I get around to doing much.

I saw a lady on the 9th at a Salvation Army kettle at the store knitting socks, and for some reason, this really grabbed me, although I've looked at socks before and thought them too complicated. But I've slowly been increasing my skill in knitting, learning increases and decreases last year, and felt I wanted to learn socks now.

I bought yarn and needles (my first time on DPNs) on the 10th, started my first sock around 6pm, and 24 hours later was ready to turn the heel. Helped that work's been really slow this last week, so I got a couple hours done Monday at work. Took me 4 times to turn the heel with a friend's help, and finished the toe Tuesday at work, and got the second sock finished Wed evening. It was on 4 mm needles, in Patons Classic Wool, dark grey. I used Canadian Living's Amazing Feets pattern, size large. I hope to get pictures up sooner or later; I don't have a digital camera yet :(

Then I started some socks in Bernat Cool Crochet, a cotton/nylon blend, on 3.25 mm needles. They're my Ice Cream socks, as I used Neopolitan with the ribbing, heel and toe in Chocolate. I decided to make this pattern up, basing it on gauge and my measurements. It was my first time using 2 colors, and learning the short row heel.

I have the first halfway done, then realized how soon Xmas is coming up, so started knitty.com's Fetching pattern in Bernat Satin Sapphire on the 4mm needles. I got the left hand finished Saturday, then started what I thought was the right hand, but realized later that night that it was another left hand; I'd turned the cables the wrong direction. So after thinking about it for a while, I put that glove on another set of needles to hold it, and started the right-hand glove from the other end of the yarn. Got that finished yesterday (Sunday) after about 5 hours of knitting. They go to my father's wife for Xmas.

I gave myself and my needles 5 minutes of a break while I got water, then cast on another sock in the Classic Wool for my sister's fiance. 4mm needles, 48 stitches. Started that about 6:30 last night, using dark blue for the ribbing, heel and toe and light grey for the body. I'm about to turn the heel now. I'm using a short row heel for this one, as I prefer it to the flap. It looks like another day without any work, so I get paid to knit! Gotta love it. I hope the week turns out this way.

I still have a pair of anklets to make for my sister after this, so here's hoping I have time here at work to get those done.

Nothing like jumping in with both feet (hah!) eh?

Well, the dress fits, and my ride is on the way to take me to the event. I'm looking forward to seeing people I haven't seen in months. Like my laurel. I haven't seen him since July. I hope he likes my apprentice belt. I like it, despite the couple mistakes there are in it. *shrugs* it happens.

I've been having problems figuring out how to do this blogging thing... I'm not used to typing out my thoughts diary-like... I'm used to chatting in mIRC about my life. Maybe I'll get used to it in the future.

One down...

Finally got the banners done... took me 3 hours tonight and 3 last night to do the side banners... and one whole evening for the main one. Glad to get that off my list! Delivered it to Elena just a few minutes ago.

Now it's just the bodice and the skirt, and hope to hell that the dress fits me.

Bedtime.

First Post

Well, this is worth a try, I guess. Not that I really have time to be doing this, as I'm working madly to finish this bloody trim for the banners. Have a few more inches to do. Then it's working on the back of my bodice for the Italian gown I'm wearing this weekend. Ain't life fun?