SHOW N TELL : HSS5 Update

Okay some quick update photos:

this is the arch expansion on the foot ... all the inc are under the foot keeping the top smooth for a pattern.

This photo is after the heel turn -- it is a different type of turn let me tell you! you end up doing the heel gusset/grafting without even realizing it, but it is done in two seperate moves.

here is a quick look at the leg ... don't worry, it will be different afterwards ... it turned out too tight to slip over the heel so I will have to frog them and use the next sized needle..

The stretch problem seems to be happening where the colors switch every other stitch ... moving up a needle size will change the st/in ratio and should allow enough room to pull over the heel (it was still stretchy due to the properties of wool, but not enough)

Okay, I openly admit that while proud of how well this little bird shows up - it wasn't the 'scattered' look I was hoping for. I should have put more brown and less blue in the skein, and on a smaller-more frequent repeat- so that the colors would have 'flashed' more than pool ... but not so close that they would stripe every row the way that Shephard Socks seems to do.

Although, while I didn't like the way 'Bee Stripe' worked out ... the "Becca's Last Day" is working out great.

Show N Tell

Colored section #1
the orange is the life-line which will be pulled when the socks are done .... I could do it now, but I think I'd rather wait.

This section is done now so I feel its ok if my partner gets a sneak peak.

SNOW N TELL Tuesday

Okay ... so here a few pics of what I'm working on now ....

HSS5 socks -- which I had ho ped to get done this week (I've got two weeks to kick it up) but the

Baby Blanket .... needs to be done by Friday for a Saturday baby shower (which I hadn't planned on going to, but I know I can do it).

the blanket should go quick, but I figure I need 21 of the squares ... put on point ...

Its based on a pattern in a book - but I think I've found a few errors which I 'fixed' - but since I looked at the photo first instead of just making it up even though it is very simular to what I wanted (I got the book as part of my inheritance from my mom) I can't call it an original pattern at all.

pooh.

but since the socks are a blending of several different components of patterns which I have never seen blended before -- yes I can call that an original pattern.

Happy Valentines Day!!

Made in Japan -- yes this is an actual live calf .... AIN'T it cute?????

Show-n-Tell

Okay its been a while since I've put up some updates on my socks (which technically the should be done by now - if it weren't for all the interruptions) ... these photos are from last week but you get the general idea.

I've gotten to the point to where a decision had to be made on two things.
1. is the leg long enough
2. to heel or not to heel .... I've decided not to heel because of the final characteristics of these socks would really work best if my partner isn't forced to wear them one particular direction.


So photo A shows the sock slightly above the calf flare, I think its a little too high myself, but the end of it is just above the ankle about where the heel flap would normally get started... hmm.

Yes I have totally played with these photos so my partner won't get too much of an idea of what they will look like ... I'm so mean aren't I?
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photo B is kind of tough to see but it is just below the ankle and sits nicely, I think, at the bottom of the calf flare; it puts the back midway down the heel where normally the heel flap would have gotten a good start by now.

But like I said, I'm not putting a heel on this pair.
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Photo C has the sock lower, about half way between an anklet & calf-sock .... we call these sport socks where I'm at.
The bottom of the sock flares nicely over the instep and I had actually contemplated putting on a flat heel on after seeing how it worked out -- it looks just like the socks in 'New Pathways' that it was a real consideration.

But I had to remind myself about the final look of these socks and how that won't work out for the final effect.

So I have gotten a few more rows done and have a nice idea of what the next section will look like -- wish I could make it bigger but I'm working with a deck of stitches here (52 that is) so it can only use patterns divisible by 1,2,4,13,26, and 52 ... that doesn't leave much wiggle room for patterns.

I know, I know -- if I work in a heel I will have some extra stitches to work with for the pattern ... but that still is going to effect the final product in a what that would force my partner to wear the socks in only one direction.

I am constantly making sure that the stitches will stretch enough to get over the heel/instep without pulling the pattern out of shape too much. I have to be careful though ... I'm carrying the yarn on the inside ... oops, maybe I shouldn't have said that. but it is a worry if I accidentally pull too tight and don't leave enough slack for the sock to stretch enough.

Show-N-Tell: sock update

Okay so as promised here are the Show-N-Tell photos of the progress I made this weekend on my partners socks.

I am a tad concerned that the gold is a bit too orangy ... although the kids like it a lot better than the others I had to choose from which was just too yellow, and they are tougher critics than I am on my projects (they have no problem telling me 'oh that's ugly' or 'it would look better with these colors')
As you can see I got adventurous and decided to do two at a time on circs. Very adventurous taking into account that I hadn't finished the original red socks that I had started on two circs just to get an idea of what it would be like -- and these are going so much better, probably because the needles are metal instead of wood too.

Now I watched the video on "Let's Knit 2Gether" that featured the 2 cable method for making socks and Kat did a great job at explaining it so it finally kicked in. she used two needles with silver tips just different cables (Knit Picks purple, Addi nickel) ... however I rarely look at the cables themselves and I'm one of those 'product loyalty' type people so I got Boye's in two different colors -- pink and green/blue (depending who you ask) ... and then I can tell if I am using the correct needle at the point I make the stitch instead of finding a mistake when pushing the stitches off the needle onto the cable.

Kat doesn't really get into it, but she does mention the Magic Loop method and gives a quick peek as to how to work the stitches without really violating any copyrights.

Now on the HSS4 group we were talking about Stop-Fasts and how to keep yourself from real head aches when you have to rip stitches out ... so here is a shot of the first Stop-fast (aka LifeLine) on my socks.
I placed it where the sock switches from ribbing to plain stockinette stitch, so that if there is an issue I will not have to worry about redoing the ribbing again ... well okay, I did a single row of stockinette so that if I did have to rip bit back I would know which way the stitches were to face.

As you can see I use a yarn that contrasts or is different from the colors I am using so when I finish the sock it will be easier to find for removal.

The important part is to make sure you leave enough extra yarn so that when the time comes to take it out, you can cut it without risking hitting your stitches. In this case I used a bright yellow acrylic so it would really pop.

This method is easier on the cabled needles but I really like the stitches on the needles so that I don't accidentally split the yarn/wool while passing the Stopfast thru. You can find instructions for this all over the web but I will put up my version if anyone shows any interest.

I just hope I will have enough yarn to complete the socks. As you can see I am keeping things extremely simple, at least for now, it won't get fancier until the end. There is so much I want to say about the pattern but I don't want to give away too much yet.

to be continued ....

What did you do with your weekend??

I went to a banquet where we got to see two belly dancers go after each other with swords!

I should have been knitting -- but hey -- this was a tad more fun.

SHOW-N-TELL

Ooo its been a while, huh? Well here are some shots of the socks I'm working on for my daughters graduation ... in two years (so there isn't a rush yet to finish them).

SHOW-N-TELL: Cell Phone Popcorn

Okay I saw this on GMA (Good Morning America) this morning and had to do some research since the clip I saw didn't say much about what it was ... just that they needed to do some 'myth busting' ....

first here is the video that started it all:

and here is one of some Americans giving it a go:

(is it just me or does the gal look a lot like Willow from 'Buffy'?)

Even the French figured it out:


wow that worked better than my stove top or microwave oven.

They tried it on GMA, but could not get it to work but then they didn't do it quite right -- they put the popcorn on the back of a plate so that the phones were not pointing at each other, thru the popcorn. They way they had it the phones were angled such that the point of intersection would have been at least 1 inch above the popcorn.

I will have to see if I can get the kid & his friends to give it a go.

And a bit of humor:

Show N Tell: Fun with Candy

So kid #3 had a science project for school .... he had to make a candy launcher (and he gets to eat the extra family)

During trials it went 54 ft wrapped and 75 ft unwrapped. So how did it perform at school?

104 feet!!

SHOW-N-TELL: 'Siren'

(its a couple of days late but I just found out about this and had to share with you)

Hopefully I won't get in trouble for this -- but a good e-buddy of mine is the author of this book and I want to give her a free plug.


Follow the link and read the excerpt offered by the publisher (its under the ordering information)

The little bit that I've read ... it seems like 'Odysseus' but the hero himself has powers enough to give the Siren a run for her money. It seems like a romantic-fantasy .. but I'm still waiting for a reply from my friend to let me know if it is suitable for teenagers.

The book itself is offered in three different eBook formats and only costs $3.99

The author is very sweet and I hope everyone buys a copy.