1, 2, 3 ........

Last time I posted was how many days ago? 10? No, 11?

Note to myself, next year do not take, repeat, DO NOT, take any wholesale order for the yarn business while your other business is open 7 days a week. Last time I checked, still 7 days in a week (and 24 hours in a day.)

Anyway, if you are a member Full Toes Ahead, I hope you are happy with the colorway and the pattern. If you do not, what are you waiting for?

In the mist of skeining, dyeing, and re-skeining, there was one FO: I finally finished and felted the felted bag that was 95% done since August:



Needle: US 11 / 8.0 mm
Yarn: Lion Brand Lion Wool Solid 1 skeins = 158.0 yards (144.5m) in Sage and Lion Brand Lion Wool Prints 2 skeins = 286.0 yards (261.5m) Majestic Mountain
Pre-felting dimensions: 18x19"
Post-felting dimensions: 14.5x11"

But mostly there were WIPs while I am working my x-mas list.



Socks for my brother, toe-up, but see what I am doing? I have put the first sock on hold on some scrape yarn and started the second one from the other end of the ball. I have developed a real phobia about running out of yarn. It have not having good sock karma lately (after the Gryffindor sock, even the Jaywalker has been misbehaving, but we won't talk about that.)

I have received some wonderful stitch markers from Emma Crookshanks of Hufflepuff for Hogwarts Sock Swap I:



Aren't they beautiful? I do appreciate the paper as well!

But my good fortune did not stop there, I won one of the prizes for Knit Unto Others and a skein of sock yarn from Wooly Wonka Fiber is on its way to me!

Owl Post

My Hogwart Swap wonderful pal Celestina sent me a awesome package full to the rim with HP goodies and candies:



My kids could not believe their eyes and declared the package theirs tossing me these:



I have not idea where they stashed the candies and the goodies, but I am really happy with what I got - THANK YOU, CELESTINA!

When everything else fails

When everything else fails and things go wrong, nothing set everything right better than a Jaywalker:



Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Jungle Stripe, toe-up because I want to use all the yarn (and because I am not over my last top-down trauma yet), nothing can go wrong. Casted Tuesday night, and I already turning the heel. I am at peace with socks again.

The Gryffindor socks? Take a peak.

I had a plan

I had a plan for my little contest, and that should have been a source of worry by itself. My plans do not work. Ever. Period. If I do not put much thought into something, it usually works. If I do not follow the plan, everything goes well. Try to plan something out and follow through? This happens:



My plan? My plan was to reveal the pattern once I have knit enough of it to make it evident. So, I ripped that darn thing about 5 times in 3 days.
For honesty's sake I need to admit that much rippage had occurred even before this latest bout of it, so I probably should have given up earlier, and that the yarn was right, it is not meant to be this pattern.
Redford Phyl was right, it is Cat Bordhi's Clematis Vine, and it had driven me crazy from day one.
First, do I need it to say? gauge. It needs a gauge of 8.5, I got 11. On Us #1. So off the window goes the plan to get gauge reducing the needles size (not that I did not try.)
Well, let's look at Chapter 10 - Freedom of Number and get the right numbers from the tables. Nice plan. The tables go up to gauge 9.5 - did I mention that I got 11?
Study the master plan for the Riverbed architecture and calculate my own numbers.
Figure out pretty soon that this is not your standard Riverbed architecture so the standard numbers do not work. Recalculate the numbers (and hope that I got the logic right.)
Imagine several rip back due between all these steps and you got the picture. Pretty much the one above.

I officially give up. This yarn is not going to be the Clematis Vine, it is pretty clear even to me now that it does not want to. And no, it cannot change its mind now.

So, it is October 10, and these socks, that are a pair for Gryffondor socks for the Hogwart Sock Swap (I do hope that my partner is not reading this, and if you are, just have faith), are due on October 31st. New plan? No, plans do not work. I'll just wing it.

Contest winners: Redford Phyl because she was right and Caroline because Paperino picked her name from the hat. Please email me.

Disaster recovery

1. Post on the blog, so that many people smarter than will give me sympathy and suggestions. Agnes is a genius, I kept thinking that I could not possible send my pal a pair of sock with one toe in a different color, but of course, as she said, both toes in a coordinating color!

2. Go to the LYS and see if I can find that coordinating color (you would think that in my stash of 200+ different yarns I could find something, think again.)

3. Get an amazing package from Karen of ABC's of Creative Pursuits:



3. Dye some new yarn:



Panda Sock Yarn, a wool, bamboo, and nylon blend, that I just got and love. It will go on etsy soon, and look on the side bar ---------->
I even have a newsletter now!

4. Swatch my freshly dyed yarn:



Swatching a new yarn always makes me happy, new yarn with new colorway, double points.

5. Dye some more:



6. And more:



7. OK, enough with the dyeing, let's go back to task. I fished this from my stash:



and I sent it to my pal with an apologetic note telling her about the disaster and that her socks are doomed will be a little late.

9. Finishing the Gaeta Tank Top for One Planet Yarn and Fiber:



Nothing to do with socks, but saying "Done!" always feels good.

10. What if the coordinating toes thing does not work? Need to knit another pair of socks right now. Toe up socks, it would take a while before I muster the courage to knit another top down sock. Decide to use my pattern, it should go fast and smoothly (stay tuned on this blog to see how many times I can screw up a pattern that I wrote.) Look for yarn, and decide on this one:


Yarn Botanika Merino/Tencel in Hot Summer Nights

Roll the yarn in two equal balls:





Swatch the yarn, and NOT get gauge.

11. Go look for another yarn and spend few hours debating between this:



and this:



Fleece Artist won because it is superwash. Swatch. Get gauge. Do the happy dance.

12. Since I am swatching, swatch for the Hogwarts Sock Swap as well:



And while I am at it, email Sheri to see if she has an extra hank of Louet Gems in Burgundy in dye lot # 80-1582-9, you know, just in case.

13. Cancel Paperino's party for Sunday, since most of his friends are on vacation, and reschedule for September. Thia has nothing to do with the socks, but the idea I do not have to deal with a bunch of 7 years old this Sunday makes me feel better anyway.

Mostly socks

I have been back home since last Thursday, and I am still digging my way out of emails, 54 still unread on my gmail account, 83 on yahoo, while I managed to read (notice I say "read" not "answer") all my work-related emails. Italy was beautiful as ever, and hot, so what did I knit? Mostly socks.



These are the socks for my brother that almost did not get finished thanks to the Prague airport security that decided that my plastic dpn'd were too dangerous to be allowed on the plane (my birch dpn's were ok though - go figure!)
So I got home from Prague with no US 4 dpn's - and I had none because "home" in this case is my parents' place on the beach near Roma, of course I had plenty "home" in the US. Buy another set? Easier said than done. After several days of search, I settled for 80 cm circular, and I magic-looped. Me, magic-loop. Let's just say that I am very glad that all the sliding stitches around is behind me.



These were finished on my way to Italy, thanks to several hours of delay in London. I wonder, what muggles do when they are stuck in airports? Besides yelling at the guy behind the desk, like that is going to make the bad weather go away or airplanes apparate. At least, I get socks.



Ravenclaw sock on their way to my Hogwarts Sock Swap partner, with a ball of yarn I picked up for her in Dresden, chocolate and cookies from Italy, stitch markers and needles. And I graduated to second year!

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire - Second Years

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Gryffindor

2. Shoe size? Foot length? Foot circumference? US 9, 9 inches, 8.5 inches

3. List your three favorite sock yarns.

a. Lorna's Laces

b. Artyarns Supermerino

c. Koigu

4. Would you like to try a new brand of sock yarn? If so, which brand? Yes, and surprise me!

5. Do you prefer variegated or solid sock yarn? Solid

6. What colors would you like to add to your sock yarn stash? White, red

7. What kind of sock patterns do you gravitate toward? Lace? Ribbed? Fair Isle? Lace

8. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, animals, etc.) No

9. Will your socks be exposed to cigarette smoke or animals as you knit them? No

10. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal? Yes

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?




Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?



2. Shoe size? 8.5
   


3. Foot Length? 9.5
   


4. Foot Circumference? 8
   


5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
a. Clover Bamboo 7" 2.5 mm (US #1.5)
b. Brittany 5" 2.25 mm (US #1)
c. Bryspun 7.5" 2.75 mm (US #2)


6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
   I would love to try the Crystal Palace or the Lantern Moon needles, any size between US #1 and #3 is fine.


7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?
   I am Gryffindor.


8. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?
   Yes