I finished the Vogue Wrap Cardigan and blocked it last weekend. It wasn't dry until Sunday night, and I can't get a decent shot inside. Hopefully this weekend we will have nice enough weather to do a photo shoot outside. I think I'm going to do something with this cardi that I haven't done in a very long time, and I'm starting to get excited about it. More about it in my FO report.

Are you tingling with anticipation?

Update

Catchy title, no? No. Well, I'm too tired write now to think creatively - Work has been taxing my brain lately, and Monkeyboy has been up 2 times so far tonight with leg cramps. I had stitch group tonight, and I finished the first sleeve of my Vogue wrap cardigan and cast on for the second. I expect to be blocking by Thursday or Friday night, and seaming this weekend. We'll see.

As far as the Mega Boot Stretch socks, I'm a couple of inches up the leg on the first one. After I finished the heel, I started a K4 P2 rib and am trying to knit until about half of the skein is used. I think that should take me 8-10 inches up the leg. However, it's creeping along now. I measured today and I'm getting 12 rows per inch, so that was really encouraging. (Not.)

I'm also too tired to take pictures tonight too. I'm sure you noticed. I'm going to bed so hopefully I'll be in a perkier mood tomorrow :D

Note to self: Must take photos of new handknit sock-friendly shoes from Target.

WIP Update

I don't have any FO on the horizon to report, so I thought I'd post a WIP update. Currently I'm working on a pair of socks in Lana Grossa Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch color #704 (is the name of this yarn really that long?). I just finished the heel on the first sock. Obviously, this picture was taken before I got that far. Actually, this is the third go at this sock. First I cast on for a 64 stitch foot with US size 2 1/2 (3.omm) - too loose and too big. Rip out, start over with a 60 stitch foot, US size 0 (2.0mm). This sock was so tightly knit, it could have stood on its own. Finally, I'm working now with 60 stitches again, on US size 1 1/2 (2.5mm), and it seems to be fine. It looks too big to look at, but it fits fine. this is the first time I've worked with this yarn. It doesn't seem to have a lot of stretch, but I do like it, especially the color changes.

In between all those cast-ons and do-overs, I also cast on for the Rockin' Sock Club sock for January, Serendipity. I couldn't get gauge with (what I thought was) the recommended needle, size 1. Turns out I have size 1 1/2 (2.5mm), and I have actualy size 1's (2.25mm) on order as I type.

Also in progress (after a long unnecessary time out) is the Wrap Cardigan by Margaret O'Leary from the Holiday 2006 Vogue Knitting. I can't get a decent picture of this to save my life, so you'll just have to visualize. (Here is my Ravelry link to it.) I've knitted the back, both fronts, and am working on the collar. This is interesting in that the outer half of the fronts is knitted with one strand with size 10 needles, and the center half double stranded with size 11s. Can you picture that? So about halfway across the row, I had to switch needle sizes and pick up or drop a second strand of yarn. Now. Once you reach the shoulders, the single stranded portions are cast off, and you continue knitting the double stranded part for 2-3 inches more before binding off. These sections will be sewn together in the back and form the shawl collar. Now you know how I have to change it up. I left the back stitches live, and when the time came, did a three needle bind off for the shoulder seams. Then as I continue knitting the 2 stranded collar portion, I am picking up the live stitches from the back neck, one at a time, and knitting them together with the collar. (I'm halfway across this part now, hence the present tense.) When I get both collar portions worked to the center back, I'll Kitchner stitch them together. Then onto the sleeves!

Oh, I do still need to do FO post for BHE's Apple Socks, I just have to get him to model them for me!

FO Report: Tiny Soxx

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Soxx Appeal in Purple Dusk, Knitpicks Risata in Navy
Needles: US Size 2.0
Started: January 27, 2008
Finished: Febuary 8, 2008

Details: Toe up, Turkish cast on, 36 stitches on the foot and leg. Short row heel and 1 x 1 ribbing on the cuff. This is yarn left over from the Soxx Appeal socks I just finished (as if you didn't know that already, lol). After I finished my first sock, I had about 10 grams left over, so I decided to cast on and see if I could get a sock for Sweetpea out of it. As I was working the heel, there wasn't very much yarn left at all, so I ripped it out. I went digging through my stash for some black fingering weight that wasn't already spoken for, and came up with this super dark navy Risata from KnitPicks instead. I'm not big on the mother-daughter matchy-matchy look, but apparently that is outweighed by the Depression era scrimping and saving ancestral blood in me ;)

Both yarns are machine washable (important when they are on the feet of a 2 1/2 year old), and both have a bit of elastic. I think the Soxx Appeal knits up a bit cushier, but really, there isn't enough difference for a 2 1/2 year old to notice.

Although Sweetpea had no interest in sitting still for photo shoot, she loves her new socks! She wore them all day long yesterday, which is an acomplishment for a little fashion plate who wants to change her clothes everytime you turn around!

FO Report: Soxx Appeal Socks

Pattern: My own, cobbled together from my favorite techniques

Yarn: Soxx Appeal in Purple Dusk

Needles: KnitPicks US 2.0

Started: January 20, 2008

Completed: February 6, 2008

Details: Toe-up, with a Turkish cast-on, 56 stitch foot and leg, Eye of Partridge heel with gusset, and a picot hem at the top. Stay tuned for the mini version for Sweetpea!

Kniting MacGyver

So, what's a girl to do when she plans to finish a sock on her lunch hour, but forgets her notions bag? What would MacGyver do? Well, I don't know, but here's what I did:

I took a small paperclip, unbent the small loop out of the big loop, so that it looked like an "S" of sorts. (Sorry, I didn't take a picture of this.)

Then I straighted out the larger loop, as straight as I could.

I used my staple puller to compress the smaller loop into a smaller "eye." Then I wrapped scotch tape around around the end of the wire to prevent any snags, and to make a handle of sorts. I had so much taped wrapped that it made a ridge, so I had to wrap more, but less concentrated, to taper the ridge down.

Finally, I determined what length needle I wanted, scored the metal with my scissors, and bent the wire back and forth until it broke.

I used the emery board to smooth the end so it wouldn't have any snags.

I did manage to impress myself pretty well, if I do say so myself. If anyone sees the need for photo laden tutorial of this handy dandy fix, let me know.

This was supposed to be "bulleted" for easy of reading the steps, but Blogger isn't cooperating.