Happy New Year! Be safe out there.

More content later, I promise.

Greetings

Merry Christmas everyone!

More Socks 3

I'm calling these Mermaid socks, because the colors remind me of mermaid scales. This is a new sock yarn for me. It is J. Knits superwash sock yarn in the Columbus colorway. It's 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. Needles are US 2 bamboo. I really like the way these are working up so far. The yarn is very soft and easy to knit.

More Socks 2

Here is the progress on the Trekking XXL socks. One down, one to go.

More Socks 1

These socks are for Sarah. They are Koigu yarn. I forget the colorway though. This the first time I have worked with Koigu. I like the tightness of the twist and how smooth the fabric is. I am using US 2 Clover bamboo needles.

Frustrated

I have been trying to knit something other than socks. However, things have not been going well. I have a pattern I like, but I cannot get the gauge to come out right. I knit a swatch and think I have it, but when I actually start knitting the object, the gauge is too tight. Arg! I have started this thing twice already. I don't know if I like it enough to try again. I think I'll go do laundry and knit on a sock. Socks are good, right?

Christmas Socks

It's been a slow week for me. I have started several knitting projects, but have ripped them all out as they just were not doing what I wanted, or were not fun. I have lots of more ideas though.

One thing I did get done this week was my Christmas socks. I decided I needed red socks for Christmas. Why not?

These are made out of Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn in the Ruby River colorway on a US 2 needle. They are my usual Ann Norling pattern with these modifications. I cast on 72 stitches instead of my usual 64 and did a double decrease four times ten rows apart in the cuff. The pattern is a 4 by 2 rib. The toe is from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road Conwy sock (no Kitchener stitch). I'm happy with the way they turned out, and they fit very nicely.

Finished Ruana

So here is the Santa Fe ruana finished. Top photo is the ruana blocking. Middle photo is front. Bottom photo is detail of back. I wore it yesterday and today. I like it, but I wish it had more to the back. It does get a little drafty back there. And the front is heavier than the back, so it pulls forward quite a bit. It does keep my shoulders nice and warm though.

Shetland Shawl

Above is unblocked Shetland shawl. One big lumpy mess.
Shawl blocking.
Edge of shawl blocking.
Shetland Shawl blocked.
Close up of shawl after blocking.

As you can see, I finally finished the Shetland Shawl. This is from Wrap Style. The yarn is a mohair/acrylic blend. It was knit on US 6 needles. I added 2 more pattern repeat rows than called for in the book.

Am I happy with the result? Mostly. It is still fairly small. Of course, I am a tall person, so it might be great on a smaller person.

Would I make this shawl again? Yes. However, I would use a different yarn that showed off the pattern better, I would use a solid color and I would use a yarn that was all wool so it blocked better. The pattern itself is pretty easy. It's one that you can establish a rhythm with.

Done

I finished Baby Eliot's sweater this weekend. This is for a friend of Sarah's who had a baby boy in October. The yarn is Rowan Cashsoft. It was wonderful to work with. Now I want to make something out of this yarn for me.

I also finished the Shetland shawl over the weekend, but it is a lumpy, bumpy mess right now. It needs to be severely blocked. I will try to get to that today.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Quiz

For all those people who asked about the American accent quiz yesterday, the web site is:
www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

Have fun!

Quiz

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Midland
The South
The Inland North
The Northeast
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

I was surprised by this, although I shouldn't be. I was born and lived in the Philadelphia area until I was 7. However, I have lived in the south for over 45 years. I thought my yankee accent had been softened. I guess not.

Here are socks I made for my mother. I actually finished them in October, but I just now posted a picture, because I did not want to show them until my mother had gotten them. These are made with Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in the teal colorway. They have four cables that go down the front, and the leg has decreases to make the socks fit better. After I had worried and worried about the color, design and fit, everything was fine, so in the end I am happy with the results and so is my mother.

Progress, Sort of

Above is the shetland shawl as of today. I have worked all the repeats the pattern calls for in the body, but I'm not sure that it is as big as I would like. I know it is hard for you to tell the size from my photo. I'm thinking I will do two more repeats in the pattern on the body of the shawl. I know I have enough yarn. The questions I have for you out there in blog land are these. Will this shawl block out like the pattern calls for if the yarn I'm using is 40% acrylic? I did not realize the synthetic content until just the other day when I reread the label on the ball of yarn. Is there any point in going on if it won't block out correctly?
On a happier note, here is the baby sweater I am making for Eliot. I have finished the body and have started on the sleeves. It is working up really nicely.

I am also making progress on the Trekking socks and the red Mountain Colors socks, but pictures would be boring at this point.

Knitting Hell

Last night I was in knitting hell. I had been working on the shetland shawl most of the afternoon, and after dinner I realized I had made a mistake. At first, I tried to correct the mistake from where I was in the shawl, but that only made it worse. What to do? Tink! And tink some more. For those of you not familiar with knitting slang, 'tinking' is when you undo your knitting one stitch at a time as opposed to just ripping rows out. Have you ever tried to undo mohair yarn? It sticks together like burrs on your socks. Unknitting mohair is just the pits. And how much did I have to unknit? Four rows of approximately 150 stitches each. It was hell, I tell you, HELL! I seriously considered trashing the whole project, but every time I looked at what I had, I really liked the pattern and the yarn together when there were no mistakes. So...I tinked and tinked and tinked. I finally got to the mistake and fixed it. Today I have been able to go forward, and I'm glad I took the time to fix the error.

I also have a correction. In a previous post I told you the shetland shawl was in the Scarf Style book. It is not. It is in the Wrap Style book. I apologize for the incorrect information.

Last Gasp

In a last minute attempt to celebrate Socktober Fest, I cast on these socks in between 'trick or treaters' on Tuesday night. Now those of you who know me well will be saying, " But, but, Sallie, they are RED!" Yes, I know they are red, not blue or purple or teal or turquoise or any of those colors that I usually gravitate to. They don't even have any of my usual color palette in them, but it's OK. I like them. They are for Christmas. I decided I needed red socks for the holiday season. I have been eyeing this skein of Mountain Colors Ruby River yarn for several months now, so I just took the plunge and bought it.

I am trying out a new pair of DPNs also. These are Bryspun Bry-Flex needles, size US2 (2.75mm). My opinion so far, meh. They are OK, but not great. They are very flexible, which does seem a little easier on my hands, however the points are not wonderful. They would not be good for lace work. They are working fine for the simple knit and purl socks I am making, but knitting two stitches together takes some work. In the future, I think I will stick with my Clover bamboo DPNs.

Shetland Shawl closeup

Shetland Shawl closeup
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

I promise the colors are not this neon.

What's on the needles 2

Shetland Shawl 1
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

This the shetland shawl from the Scarf Style book. You really can't see the pattern very well yet, because 1) the yarn is mohair, and 2) it will need to be severely blocked. It is pretty though. The picture does not do it justice. The colors are not really that flourescent.

What's on the needles

Baby Jacket
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Here is the beginnings of a Baby Albert sweater from Sally Melville's Knit Stitch book. It's for one of Sarah's friends who had a little boy last week. The yarn is Rowan Cashsoft.

How Deep Was It?

We had buckets and buckets of rain last week. Thursday was really wet. Friday we were supposed to have the soil testing done on the lot for the house. This is what we found. Lots of water in the middle of the lot. There is an old logging road that cuts through the middle of the lot (just about where we want to put the house), and it does not drain well. Something we will have to deal with. Needless to say, the soil testing did not happen. We're hoping things will dry out enough this week so the testing can get done.

More Socktoberfest

Another sock. This one is made from Trekking XXL color 109. I love the colors and how they fade from one to the next. This is my regular 2x2 rib sock Ann Norling pattern.

Cleared Lot

Here is one view of the lot now that the brush has been removed. This is a clearing in the middle of the lot where an old logging road used to go.

Land cleared

We finally got the brush cleared off the lot on Friday. Now we can get the soil tests done. It looks pretty good with most of the undergrowth gone. It's much easier to walk now, and we can see much better which trees are good and which trees need to go. I was trying to add a picture, but blogger seems to be having some problems. I will make another attempt later.

Stripey Goodness

Here is my latest contribution to Socktoberfest. I love these socks! They are the perfect socks for blue jeans as you can see by the picture. I even got the stripes to line up fairly well. They are knit out of Trekking XXL on size 2 bamboo DPNs. I forget what colorway this is, and I can't find the wrapper. Any way, they're great, fun socks!

Sock Stuff

In celebration of Socktoberfest, I give you socks. These are the alternating rib socks that I finished a little while ago. They are made from Brown Sheep Wildfoot yarn on size 2 needles. I also tried to upload a picture of the Conwy socks that I just finished, but I am having problems with the website, so I will try again later.

Edit: The Conwy socks are now showing up. Weird. Anyway, they are made from Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Steelhead colorway. They are wonderfully soft. I think Mountain Colors is my favorite sock yarn.

House Stuff

Here is a picture of what the lot looks like right now. We are still waiting to hear back from the guy who is supposed to clear all the brush away. Hopefully, we will hear from him soon.

Things

Up to now this has been primarily a knitting blog. Things are going to change. There will still be knitting, but there will be other things, too. Mainly, at this point, house stuff. We are going to build a house. Yes, I know it's insane, but we're going to do it anyway. We are getting ready to get our lot cleared of underbrush so we can see what trees are actually there and need to be saved or not. We met with a guy who draws up house plans yesterday. He is going to take my plan (yes, I drew a house) and make it into blueprints. We have been looking at brick, flooring, appliances, windows, roofing materials, and all sorts of other things. It is truly mind boggling. I sure hope this all works out.

Another FO

I finished the alternating rib socks today. Yea! I have also finished one of the Conwy socks and started the other one. I find that if I start the second sock immediately after finishing the first, I am less likely to have second sock syndrome. Besides, what can you do with one sock?

OK, I was going to post pictures of finished socks, but blogger seems to be having difficulties uploading my files. Maybe later.

OK, here are some pictures of what is going on here. These are the alternating rib socks I have been working on. Not too exciting, but easy to work on and very portable. They are Brown Sheep Wildfoot yarn.

Next up are the Conwy socks that I showed you a post or two ago. Here's how they are progressing. I love these socks. I love the pattern (althought I don't like knitting it), I love the yarn. Look at the back of this sock. It even has decreases to make it fit. I have never done decreases in a sock before. I like the way it shapes to the ankle better.
Here is the front of the Conwy sock. The colors are pooling, but I like it.
And last, but not least, a finished object! Here is Sean's scarf. This is Baby Alpaca Grande, and yes, it is as soft as it looks. Wonderful yarn.
So that is all the knitting news here.

Civic Duty

Today I did my civic duty. I went to jury duty downtown. I had put it off twice, so I really needed to go and get it over with. So I took the park and ride. It was nice not to have to drive and try to find a place to park. I got there early (7:30), so had to wait for a while. I took knitting, what else? I also had a book, but I decided to work on the alternating ribbing sock. I got lots done on it. I did not get picked for a jury, thank goodness, and they let us go at 11:00. So, civic duty done for a while.

Observations: I was the only person there knitting. I guess I should not be surprised, but with so many people there I thought surely I would see someone else knitting. Nope. I saw lots of books, but no knitting or any other hand crafts for that matter. Oh well, I'm glad I brought something to keep my hands occupied.

What's New

Socks....yes, I always have a pair going. Right now, I have TWO pair going. What can I say? I was really, really tempted by the Conwy pattern in Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. Plus, I had this wonderful Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn in the steelhead colorway that was just begging to be knit. So I started them even though I still have to finish the alternating rib socks I'm working on.

I have finished the ruana except for braiding all the fringe. On that I have been procrastinating. I will get it finished and post a picture. It turned out very well. Now all I have to do is wait for the weather to get cool enough to wear it.

I am still working on Sean's scarf in Baby Alpaca Grande, too. It makes a nice change from sock yarn.

Santa Fe Ruana Take 2

Here is a picture of the Santa Fe Ruana. As you can see I have finished the two side panels and am working on the back mitered square. This picture gives the best idea of the colors. I like the Manos yarn with its thick and thin texture. I am hoping it softens some when blocked. Right now I think it might be a little itchy next to the skin.

Santa Fe Ruana

I am working on the Santa Fe Ruana out of Manos del Uruguay. It is teal and gold. I know that sounds strange, but it really does work. I will try to post some photos soon. Also working is a pair of socks, of course. I have to have a pair of socks on the needles. These are plain blue Brown Sheep Wildfoot. I am doing the cuff a little different this time just for fun.

Tom Ten Sweater

I never did post pictures of the Tom Ten sweater. Here's why. It was coming out way too big, and it was boring, boring, boring. I love the yarn, so I am going to ripped it out and find a new project for the yarn. I still want to make a baby sweater with it; I just need to find the right pattern. Maybe I will look in some of my mother's old knitting books. She had lots of baby sweaters. Some of the patterns from the 1930's and 1940's are really timeless.

Peacock Socks closeup

Peacock Socks closeup
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

You can see the colors better in this picture.

Peacock Socks Take 2

Peacock Socks on feet
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Here is my latest finished project. Remember the toe up socks I started with the Cherry Tree Hill yarn in the Peacock colorway? Well, I finally re-knit the socks using my tried and true cuff down pattern. They feel good, and I like the way the colors pooled.

Jaywalkeronfeet

Jaywalkeronfeet
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Here is another photo of the Jaywalkers on Sarah's feet. I love the colors, and I actually got the stripes to line up fairly well.

Jaywalker Flat

Jaywalker Flat
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Here are the jaywalkers I was working on earlier. I made one, but then ripped it out because the tension was wrong on it. So I started over, and this is the result. They were fun to do, and I like the way the yarn striped.

Lodgegrass_closeup

Lodgegrass_closeup
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Here's a close up of the Bearfoot sock. I love the colors. I know that some knitters do not like it when colors pool, but it doesn't bother me. Most of the time I really like it.

Lodgegrass_on_foot

Lodgegrass_on_foot
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

As per Ann's request, here is what I have been knitting this summer. This is Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn in the lodgegrass colorway. I love the Bearfoot yarn. Lovely to work with and wear.

Long time no post

I have been on vacation. We went to Italy and England for three weeks. It was good. We had a nice time. I did not get much knitting done, and I did not buy any yarn. Actually, I only saw yarn in one place in the UK, and it was all stuff I could get cheaper at home. I came home with a nasty sinus infection, and I have been trying to get rid of it for the past two weeks. I do feel better, but not 100 percent yet.

What am I working on? I am knitting sock two of a pair of Mountain Colors Barefoot colorway Lodgegrass. I love the Barefoot yarn. It feels so good and knits up wonderfully.

I am also knitting a Tomten sweater from Elizabeth Zimmerman's The Opinionated Knitter. The yarn is Rowan Classic Cashsoft DK in a medium blue. I love this yarn. It knits up great and feels even better. I will try to post some pictures of both of these projects later.

Jaywalker

Jaywalker
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

This is the start of my jaywalker socks. I love the way the stripes are showing up in the chevron pattern. The yarn is Austermann Step with aloe vera and jojoba oil, or at least that's what the label says. I can't tell any difference from other yarns.

Mountain Colors Steelhead

Mountain Colors Steelhead
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Here are the Mountain Colors steelhead socks finished. I love this yarn. It feels good and works up nicely. They look better than this, but I couldn't get a good picture without the flash. The colors are a little deeper than this.

Socks, socks, socks

I have gone sock crazy. I bought some Mountain Colors Bearfoot last week. The colorway is steelhead. I love this yarn. It knits up so nice, and the colors are wonderful. I have one sock done and have passed the heel on the second sock. I am using my regular cuff down pattern. And yesterday I bought some more Bearfoot in the lodgegrass colorway. I have not decided what pattern I'm going to use for it yet. I also bought a skein of Austermann Step yarn in a pretty blue varigated pattern. I am going to make Jaywalkers with this yarn. I think it will show off the chevron pattern really well.

So what about the peacock socks? you ask. I frogged them; ripped them out completely. I just was not happy with the way they were going and the way they felt. I will try something else with that yarn later on.

I also started a scarf out of the leftover alpaca from the flower petal shawl (still unblocked). It's a lacy little scarf that I found on Knitty.com. It looks like fun.

I am still working on the peacock socks. The first sock is almost finished. I will post a picture when I get my camera back. (It is currently in Mallorca with my spouse.) I have decided I am not that crazy about toe up socks. I don't like the way the short row heel knits up. Maybe I didn't do it correctly, but I get a ridge where I pick up the wraps, and I don't think it's going to be very comfy. Maybe I need a different pattern.

I finished the purple alpaca flower petal shawl last night. It needs to blocked severely to get it flat and so the points lay right. Again, I will post pictures later.

Peacock socks 1

Peacock socks 1
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

This is my latest attempt at socks. I have never tried toe up socks. Getting started was a challenge, but I finally worked it out. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill in peacock.

Black Pearl finished

Black Pearl finished
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Here are my Lorna's Laces Black Pearl socks finished. They fit well, and I like them a lot.

Black Pearl socks

Black Pearl socks
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Here are the black pearl socks I have been working on. I am trying to get through the second sock as you can see.

Crochet socks

Crochet socks 1 cropped
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

I got these crocheted socks from Noricum yesterday. I won them in her blog contest. They are great. I really like them a lot.

Current Projects

I am still working on the alpaca shawl. It is coming along. I have a little over 200 stitches on the needles now. I finish with 300. It does take a while to knit across a row. I am also still working on my black pearl socks. I have one done, and I am now working through second sock syndrome. I have gotten to the heel flap on number 2 sock, so I am making some progress. I have some other socks I want to try, but I have decided I cannot start another pair until I finish the pair I'm working on.

New project

I've had some purple (read PURPLE!) alpaca that I bought a while ago because I liked it. I did not have a project in mind at the time. Since then, I have been looking for a pattern for this yarn. Today I finally found a pattern I like that will work. It's the Flower Petal Shawl on the Elann.com website. I started working on it tonight, and it is working up well. I am really liking the way this pattern is going, and the yarn is lovely to work with. Now I have something to switch with my socks.

It's been a while since I posted. I have not been knitting too much. I may have burned out a little with the Olympic knitting, plus Sarah was home on spring break so I spent some time with her. She and I went over to Mississippi for a few days to visit my Mom and sister. We brought back some things from my mother's house that were being stored at my sister's. (My mother's house was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.) I brought back a huge garbage bag of knitted dresses that my mother made probably back in the late 1960's or early 1970's. Most are acrylic yarn, but the amazing thing about them is that my mother did not use a pattern. She just got an idea in her head and started knitting. When she was done, she had great looking dresses or suits or coats. I don't think I will ever be that proficient at knitting. The other fun fact about my mother is this: She is almost 91, and she is still knitting. It's great. I hope I do as well.

I have been working on another pair of socks. This pair is the black pearl colorway from Lorna's Laces. I just passed the heel on the first sock.

I have been trying to decide what to do for my next big project, but have not come up with a plan that excites me. I will keep looking. I have to have more than just socks going, right?

What's new

I finished the Sursa scarf. It's a monster. Lots of ruffle. It will probably have to wait until next winter to be worn considering it is 80 degrees here. I started another pair of socks with Lorna's Lace sock yarn. This one is called black pearl. I will try to post some pictures later.

I also bought some more yarn last Friday. My LYS had some lovely Italian merino in a charcoal gray at a really nice price. It's lace weight, and I knew this when I bought it. I thought it would make a pretty lace shawl. I do not know what I was thinking when I did this. I tried to work with it this weekend. First, it did not want to be wound up into a ball. I had a heck of a time winding it. I should have known this was an omen. I finally got it wound. I had to break the yarn several times to accomplish this. So I decide to try the Yarn Harlot's snow drop shawl. There is no way this is going to happen. I can hardly see the yarn let alone the stitches. I will go blind if I try this. Maybe it was just my mood over the weekend, and I should try again, but I am going to wait a while before I do.

Olympic knitting shoulder detail

Olympic knitting Bettna finished 005 4x6
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Olympic knitting back

Olympic knitting Bettna finished 2 004 4x6
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

Olympic knitting

Olympic knitting Bettna finished 2 002 4x6
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.

The colors show up better in this picture.

Olympic knitting

Olympic knitting Bettna finished 007 4x6
Originally uploaded by Tsali B.