Awake at 6 a.m.

Being awake at 6 a.m. without an alarm clock going off means serious jet lag for me. I am not a morning person and my "natural" awaking time is between 10 and 11 (not that I can do that many often, hence the need for alarm clocks.)
But I am up, and I even had breakfast (me hungry in the morning? something is wrong with me!)

As I said before, my plan for the Ravelympics was socks, so let's talk about socks.

I knit the second Swim Team Jaywalker on my way to Europe:



Yes, it is right, definitely bigger than the first one. I had forgotten that the sole has fewer stitches than the instep. Rip rip rip. Then I knit the heel three times, because I could not remember what I did with the first one (I did remember that I had some serious problems like it is documented here and here.) But at the end I won:


Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi, 2 skeins = 430.0 yards in Jungle Stripes

The there are the Upstream Socks:


Pattern: Master Upstream Pattern by Cat Bordhi
Yarn: LuLu's Yarns Supersock Merino Light, 1 skeins = 483.0 yards

These were a relatively quick knit since I did not make them very long; glad I made them, but really not sold on the whole "let's put the gusset increases someplace else."

Coming soon ...... December Socks.

First FO's of 2008

Since I seldom knit for myself, here you go, the first two FO's of 2008 are not for me.

Cardigan for my niece, in Universal Yarn Classic Worsted and Tango; as I said before, I did not care for the Classic Worsted (too much acrylic in it), but my sister will be able to throw it in the washer. The Tango, on the other hand, is a hoot.

More pictures here.

Basic Cable Hat by Christine Quirion, from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation, take 2.
I first knit this hat following the pattern, and it came out about a newborn size.
So I frogged, re-knitted it adding more repeats, and I ran out of yarn.
So I frogged, changed yarn, added more repeats, changed the ribbing so that it would flow into the pattern, and Principessa loves it.

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!

Feeling overly confident

Remember when I said that nothing can wrong with a Jaywalker? Ah ah, look here:



No, the sock was not supposed to be 11 inches long, but sometime toward the end of the foot I forgot I was knitting them toe-up (I think, it looks like the only explanation for what I did), and I decided to knit the heel and then turn it, so I have a sock with the heel under the foot:



Do you think I noticed? No, a friend of mine, who is not a knitter, looked at my socks and asked, "You are turning the heel now? Isn't it too long?". Yes, I do have friends who do not knit but know stuff like "turning the heel", because, well, what do you think I talk about all the time?

So, rip rip rip. And a FO (every once in a while something needs to go right):



Men's handwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, in Claudia Handpainted Worsted, just half a skein, for my dad. Another check on the x-mas list.

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.

Back to school

The kids are back to school and I spent the whole week running around like a crazy lady. I thought the plan was that they went back to school and I had more time not less. The lack of time is mostly due to the fact that their schedule is not set yet, I am anxiously waiting for September 10, when everything is supposed to fall into places.

Even with soccer season already in full force, I haven't had much time to knit, but something I did. I finally finished the piece for One Planet Yarn and Fiber (I am so late but they have been so good and have not complained), I finished the first of my Lace Mock Cable socks that I am knitting for Sockapalooza 4 (I did mail my pal the contrasting toe socks, but still ......), and I took out of hibernation my SKB:



Can you believe it was on my January 2007 wip list? I was really surprised to see that I had finished the body - I did not remember that! But it looks awfully short, good thing I can easily lengthen the body (I do have plenty of yarn!)

And yes, I have been dyeing more and more, shop is updated!

New socks

Last night I suddenly realized that I had only one pair of socks on the needles, the Lacy Mock Cables Socks. Only one? Well, yes, I should be knitting the Hogwards Sock Swap II socks as well, but for now those are in the frog pond, coming back soon.
Anyway, last night I needed to knit on something new, so casted the Madder Ribber Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks, in Ornaghi Luna Park:



Soccer season has started, I need plenty of mindless knitting.

Need opinions

I bought a skein of CTH in Purple and I made the contranting toes. So, what do you think?
Good? Ok? Hideous?



Would you be extremely disappointed if your pal sent you these socks?

It is easier on vacation

Sticking to the planned projects is much easier on vacation. Even if I pack enough yarn that if there is a crash and we are lost, everybody will have socks and the baby clothes for his first year, still I do have a limited selection to choose for. I get bored easily with the yarns I pack, so since nothing new excites me, I stick to the planned projects.
When I am home, I have books, I have my stash, I have the internet (my parents in Italy are still on dial-up, believe it or not), the possibilities are endless.
So, I should be working on these:



I casted on for a felted bag and a EZ Surprise Jacket.



I do not even like felted bags.

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!

Posting from a borrowed DSL line

Rome









Dresden









Prague

Breathe, relax

I am leaving for Italy on Thursday and I am starting to freak out.

1. The shipment. I do not want to talk about it.

2. Packing. Or actually, not packing yet. The grandparents will cloth the kids if we arrive with no luggages. Me? Don't count on it.

3. Presents. Just realized my brother's birthday is while we are in Italy. Socks on the plane? Thuja? I have nothing in superwash and worsted that works. It really drives me mad when I can't find what I need in my stash, 492+ balls for 86,338 yards, and still nothing that works?

Tops for my nieces - check!



Socks for other niece - check!



Vest for my nephew - in progress.

It's up!

The pattern I designed for One Planet Yarn and Fiber is up:















The yarn is Lana Puras Melosa in fingering weight, and I must tell you, you do not know what's soft is if you have not touch this yarn. You will wonder if it is made out of butter.

Click here for buying info.

What's wrong with this picture?

Once again, on Thursday I went to FTA to have lunch with Hollis and drop these:



After lunch I wondered around the store knitting one of the many socks on the needles, and I was so mesmerized by all the new yarns, especially the table covered with Sea Wool, that look what I did:

A hat, a sock, and some more

I have knitting, and I can actually show some of it!

First of all, a baby hat:



I have been playing with making self-striping yarn for my Etsy shop, and this is my very first experiment. I think I'll keep playing, and maybe dye some in the Hogwarts House colors.

Then, one sock:



Yup, just one because it is for my LYS - Hollis asked me if I would knit her a sock with JoJoLand Melody. Me? Knitting a sock? Of course! We chose one of JoJoLand pattern, but I felt it was not showing off this gorgeous yarn very well, so I ripped back and decided to go with another pattern (now that I think about it, Hollis does not know this yet), the Lichen Ribbed Sock by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks. I think that the 3x1 rib really shows off the yarn. And the heel was pretty interesting too - not sure I liked it, but hey, something new.

For more in the "I can show you this" category, it looks like both Principessa and I will have a new cardi soon:



Snap Cardigan, pattern by Leslie Scanlon, yarn: Pakucho Organic Cotton, for me and



Mia, pattern by Debbie Bliss from the book "Junior Knits", yarn: Cascade Sierra, for Principessa; and it is actually done, I just have to sew up the sides. AND, it counts for my UFO Resurrection 2007, because it was there, in the photo, number 7.

What else? I have been dyeing up a storm, new yarns, like this merino and tencel blend:



or this Blue Faced Leicester:



A lot of it is going to Foreign Strand, all the way to the UK.

Things that make me happy

A very short phone call I received put me in a very bad mood yesterday. Funny that it bothered me so much because it is really nothing, and I did receive very good news on other matters, so I should have been on cloud nine. Being my usual "I never have enough to do" me, I am trying to launch two businesses at once. My own hand-dyed yarns are going wholesale, and I am opening an imports from Italy business with a friend of mine (we are not going to import yarns, sorry, but, now that I think of it, if I found something when I am over there .....)
So got very good news on both fronts, then the petty whine phone call, and boy, was I unhappy. Solution? Let's concentrate on things that make me happy.

1. Yarn. Enough said.

2. My yarn:



This is 100% Blue Faced Leicester Superwash in sock weight, 3-ply, that I am going to offer in skeins of 90gr/380yds. I fell in love with BFL at Stitches, when I bought a skein at Lisa Souza's booth, and I decided on the spot that I needed to dye some myself. BFL is an especially soft yet strong fiber and has a luster to it that makes colors stand out. I am knitting a mini sock with this colorway, and I am loving it!

3. Finished socks:



Pattern by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Icehouse - 1 hank

4. People knitting up my patters - check out The Very Berry T-shirt gallery, and if you have knit one (or any other of my patterns), please send me a photo!

One sock, two socks ..... six socks?

How did I end up with six different pair of socks on the needles? Spring is in the air? No, that's not it, because it is more like "summer is in the air" around here these days I do not even like summer (too much light.) I think the culpit is this darn jacket:



See, I told myseff that I was not allowed to start another cardigan for myself until I finish this one (I started it in November 2005). But do I want to rip those fronts once again and re-knit them? Oh, yeah, sure, let me do it right now. As soon as I am done with this sock. And the other ones. And while I am at it, Paperino wants red socks (he was going for this, and he does not even like green, what's up with him and nice sock yarn? Other kids go in their mom's closet to play dress-up, he goes there to pet my yarn.)



I started the sock toe-up with all intention of making socks for him, but this stuff is so nice I want it for me it is almost summer here so he is better off with cotton socks - a ball of Cascade Fixation from the store and we are all set. So:
1. Jaywalker in Knit Picks Sock Garden - I still do not know how and why I am making those, I swear, you do not pay attention for a minute, and a pair of Jaywalker jumps on your needles!
2. Infant's Fancy Silk Sock by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Icehouse - making those only because I had just one skein in that color.
3. Gentleman's Fancy Sock by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks in Trekking XXL in #140 (kind of because I did not read the pattern so I am not making them much shorter.)
4. Lace Mock Cable Socks in Lana Puras Melosa (and these are the ones I should be working on since they are for One Planet Yarn and Fiber and I do have a deadline.)
5. Calze Rosse in Filatura di Crosa "Zarina"
6. Cascade Fixation socks for Paperino
7. Sampler sock, just because I dye and sell yarn and when it is gone, is gone:



Six pair of socks at various stages. And, I spent Friday and Saturday swatching for socks that I want to make with the Shelridge yarns I bought at Stitches. The only reason why I haven't started them yet is the one of the charts I was swatching drove me crazy. It's from an Italian collection of stitches I have, and the English translation of an Italian pattern or stitch chart would be, "Just figure it out!"
I am not kidding. You want more than one size? Why? Can't you do math? You want all the rows in the chart? Why? Isn't it obvious how you should knit the wrong side? No, of course, it is not all purls, even a child can see that. It's k1, p1, but not all the wrong rows. Some are different, I am sure you'll figure it out, you have the picture, right?
So while I was cursing (in Italian, I still cannot do it effectively in English), I had the epiphany above: I am casting on more and more socks to avoid the cursed jacket.
I am litterally dreaming of making something else for me. After seeing Cara's Ariann, I decided that I need one. So I bought the pattern at Stiches, found the right yarn in my stash, and set it aside because I have finished the jacket yet. Then I saw Cara's (again!) Central Park Hoodie, I found the right yarn again in my stash (is it scary, isn't it? pretty much anything I want to make, I have the yarn for it already), and set it aside.
Then last, when I was about to cast on for socks #8 and #9, I told myself why don't I cast for two cardigans instead? that it is summer already here, I have no use for a wool cardigan even if I finish it, so why don't I make myself a cotton cardi since I desperately need one? Wow, that sounds so rational, I am proud of myself. So, this what I am making:



Snap Cardigan, designed by Leslie Scanlon. I am using Pakucho Organic Cotton (Do I need to say it? From my stash.)

And maybe that will stop me from casting on more socks.

Random

Busy life makes a lousy blogger, so here it is, almost a week of posts in one shot, completely random.

Monday, Feb 26

I have become addicted to Swap-Bot, like I needed it. But the concept of one time swap, instead of keeping the commitment for months, fits my life better right now. The last package I received was from Sherrin for the Snobby Single Skein Swap:



Two skein of Patons Classic Merino, two fingerless gloves patterns (so I can choose), cable needle, DPNs, stitch markers, tapestry needles, she did not forget anything!

Thank you, Sharrin!

Tuesday, Feb 27

Guess who came by the FTA booth to say hi at Stitches? My Sock-ret Pal spoilee, Louise:



She came all the way up from Minnesota, wearing the socks I sent her.

Wednesday, Feb 28

The pattern for those socks will up on One Planet Fiber soon. As soon as I knit another pair with this:



Lanas Puras Melosa Fingering Weight in Fantasy - soft as butter, can't wait to swatch!

Thursday, March 1

New Magknits is up, with Principessa modelling the Very Berry T-shirt:



I took that photo almost a year ago, and she has grown so much. Remember this? Let's not go there, please.
Magknits states that the t-shirt is shown in Lana Grossa Point Print. The one Principessa wears is in Lana Grossa Point Print, but the one at the bottom of the page is in SWTC Amaizing.

Friday, March 2

My Project Spectrum projects for February/March:



Trekking XXL socks, Sugar Maple Shawl in my hand-dyed cashmere, and Infant's Fancy Silk Sock (pattern by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks) in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Icehouse.

Coming soon, It's Not a Gift, Knit from Your Stash, and UFO Resurrection 2007 updates.