Socks from My Yarn

This lady is saving my life, to say nothing of my sanity. She is knitting socks from my yarn on a 1903 LeGare circular sock knitting machine. If I had a spare $2,000 sitting around I'd probably get one for myself. Oh, the wonderful socks I would churn out and out and out!

My stash ain't so bad .... I think

OK, I saw this link to the World's Largest Stash and felt I needed to share it.

I feel better now. I have a lot of my stash in a storage unit, but it's still not as much as that lady has.

I started in a bit on a new sock design but got nowhere. It was an ambitious set of two cables plus a center lace panel. It sucked.

Knitter's Heaven

I purchased a very cool skein winder from eBay. It arrived yesterday. I put it together last night and transferred two skeins to it (I wanted longer skeins for dyeing). I like this thing so much that I'm considering getting rid of my umbrella swift.

This is a piece of simple yet ingenious craftsmanship. It folds up easily (just undo the center screw and pull out the pegs) and it turns like greased lightnin'.

I also purchased a pound of blue-faced Leicester sock yarn. It came on a cone. I'm sorely tempted to knit it into a lovely shawl, then dye it, but I remind myself that I got this to dye and attempt to resell (or knit for myself). We'll see. . .

Confessions

I didn't frog the Manos hat. I finished knitting it last night. It and the scarf are in a bag with a nice note for my regular doctor who has taken good care of me and my DH for a few years now.

Also, I started work on a blue scarf for a Harry Potter friend. It's all acrylic yarn since she's allergic to wool and other animal fibers. I shouldn't have started something new, but it hoped to get it done before winter finishes flying through the midwest.

I have about 12 more rows before I start the toe decreases on the HoofleFoofle socks.

More Done, and Dyeing Prep

I finished the Manos del Uruguay scarf on Thursday night, and I've been making progress on both the red socks for my SIL Deb and the HoofleFoofle socks. I started a hat from the leftover Manos, but I'm going to frog it and save it for a felting project or something. I do not need another project staring at me, especially with all that is glaring at me from the UFO stash.

I'm going to work on the HoofleFoofle socks until they're done, then start on Deb's socks. After that, I'm going to tackle that cardigan and finally get out from under it.

Oh, and I keep finding UFOs as I dig around into stuff. Yuck.

I've gotten a few more things for my great dyeing adventure. One is a set of measuring spoons and measuring cups that will be ONLY for dyeing. I also got another plastic tray and handily holds these items. I'm going to try out several new yarns for dyeing. I've been using the Henry's Attic Kona DK superwash, but I'm also going to dry Sidhe Sock, Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Thin (just a tiny bit thinner than regular Super Sock), and blue-faced Leicester. And I got myself a large wool winder from off of e-Bay so I can have skeins up to 72" in circumference.

Lorna (my co-conspirator) and I are going to get together and try out some color mixing with some yarn swatches to see what we come up with, and then I'm going to dye yarn until my fingers are purple.

Two Items Done!

I finished Alice's socks as well as chunky-weight scarf. I'll post photos soon enough.

Here's the problem: I keep finding more things I've started but not finished. I keep adding to my list (below) and it's kind of driving me crazy.

Oh well. All knitting is good knitting, right? Well, even my worst day at knitting is better than my best day at the office!

Zig Zag Lace hell

Here's a pattern for something my friend M and I are calling "Zig Zag Lace" —









It's a multiple of 6 +1 that the talented M has been using this pattern for socks. I think it should be done only with the section in the Pattern Repeat box. Or, perhaps it needs to be offset by one stitch? Or . . . ???

I'll work with it and then see what I come up with. Anyway, it should make a lacy zig-zag.

This year . . .

I will finished one project before starting another.

But first I have to finish the projects I already have on needles:

• Socks for Marky (need to start #2)
• Socks for Deb (#1 near heel turn)
• Socks from Austermann Step yarn (#1 near the toe)
• Hoofle-Foofle Socks (#1 done; #2 started)
• Cardigan (finish sleeves and button band)
• 8-3-5 Pullover for Marky (back done; front started)
• Scarf from bulky weight Silk Road *Done • 5 Jan 08*
• Scarf from 2 strands of Manos del Uraguay *Done • 10 Jan 08*
• Socks for Alice *Done • 5 Jan 08*
• Shrug for Mary (started back panel)
• Baby Blanket for Jorge y Liliana

These are the projects already waiting for me to start on:

• Socks for Joan
• Swag Socks sample for String of Purls
• Marjaana/Hermione pullover for myself
• Scarf (non-wool) for I-Pie

Hmmm....lots of socks again this year!