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Knitting Friday

Miss A., the early years

 We are definitely looking at a big dog in the making here. She's only a couple of months and I have to position myself when I walk her so that if she takes off I won't go down for the fall. Gentle, happy, a frisky puppy who is almost through with teething.

 

Something told me to knit socks this week and I'm hoping like poor Joan of Arc, these "voices" won't get me into trouble.

#1 Socks!

 

Now any real sock knitter will look at my socks and say: Are you kidding me? since I'm using US 4 needles and DK yarn. Real sock knitters might use US 1. So I'm really a piker with this sock stuff but this pattern on Ravelry:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spiral-knit-tube-socks 

 

got me interested. They are tube socks (the lowest of socks, I'm sure) done on the spiral so I'm hoping they will cling to the foot and not droop all over the place as much as my first and only foray into real sock knitting did. (Used a pattern, good wool, and cotton thread to reinforce the toe and heel and still they were a disaster re: fit.) So far, this has been a neat project though the socks in #1 have been frogged and I'm starting again with a thinner yarn in bright yellow. I have always admired sock knitters because so many of them produce mini-masterpieces which are going to be placed over sweaty, smelly feet. I don't think I could be that generous with my knitting but working with DPNs and knowing this will be a fast project is very addictive.

Some pics of finished work now:

#2 LB Summer Mesh shawl

I made this shawl months ago but just got around to blocking it. It's 29" x 85" and I had to stop at 85" because I was getting so bored. Here's the pattern:

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L10288.html

 

#3 Sherbet Wrap scarf

In spite of the boredom factor (single crochets, picots and chain stitches every row), it's a lovely shawl and looks nothing like the LB picture (I used light fingering yarn and an I hook and they used an I hook with sport weight.) Some months ago, Lion Brand had a free shipping promo and I got some claret red cone wool in light fingering (they labelled it lace but my Knit Picks lace is finer.) No problems working with the yarn but on blocking, I discovered the dye wasn't stable so it needed a lot of rinsing for the water to come clear. But, as the picture shows, it blocks big and airy. (FYI: the bear wears a tag saying Grr! I'm a lion. No idea why, perhaps he doubles as a security guard at night.)

#4 Ends of Picture #3

Also, I blocked another Sherbet Wrap (#3). I only had one skein of Knit Picks lace, 431 yards, so it's a scarf and not a wrap. This one is 15" x 100" and here's are the edges I mentioned last week (#4). That was the one where since the lace had been frogged I couldn't do a foundation single crochet but managed a foundation DC. You can see both ends in #4 and I don't think they match (the finishing end is in half double crochet) but they are passable.

One thing I'm learning: if the pattern says "Begin each row with a chain 3 and end each row with a double crochet." go up one stitch. So if they ask for double crochet, work a triple crochet. If they say chain 3, chain 4. This makes it much easier at blocking.

 

# 5 SW in thick/thin yarn

Also this week, in a sherbet wrap frenzy I made one in a mystery thick-and-thin yarn (#5), This is mystery bagged yarn I picked up at A. C. Moore. It already has a companion top so I thought I would make a fall season scarf out of the rest. Because of the nature of the yarn, I just chained (no foundation sc) the beginning stitches and I worked the first row as *V shell, skip 2 chains*. If I followed the directions and only skipped 1 chain, the thing would have fanned out so it looked like I was increasing. Here's the pattern for the Sherbet Wrap again so you don't have to go hunting back for it:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sherbet-wrap 

 

(FYI: the yarn in pic #5 started out as the Madison Scarf and I loved how that was working out. However, this yarn is very, very thin in sections and a knitted scarf might take a lifetime to finish. But I do want to get back to the Madison Scarf pattern soon.)

 

And finally, looking through last Friday's posting I noticed I promised pictures of the Sherbet Wrap in Frenzy. Sorry it slipped my mind. That wrap/very long, very wide scarf is done and packed away for the cold weather ahead. Not only was Frenzy unbelievably easy to work with, it tinked beautifully. Pictures next Friday, promise.

 

#6 Praying Mantis

One last picture of a praying mantis. You don't see that every day (at least, I don't.) What is that mantis praying for?

 

See you next week. Happy knitting.