wifeKnits

Finished Jaywalkers

Pattern: Jaywalkers by Grumperina
Needles: Size US1
Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight (Barney Rubble)

It took me almost 3 months to get these socks finished. I started them at the beginning of March and finished them mid to late May. But they are wonderful. I lost one of my dpns just when I was starting the heel of the second sock, so I know that’s most likely why one sock is slightly looser than the other in the heel, but otherwise, they fit pretty good. I didn’t want to wait too long to keep working, so I switched from dpn to 2 circs to do that second heel and the rest of the second sock. It was my first time doing socks on 2 circs and I really liked it. I do prefer magic loop, but this wasn’t bad.

Although jaywalkers tend to run small with tight heels (as I’ve read in Ravelry), I knit the small size and since I have small feet, they ended up fitting perfectly. As I said, one sock has a slightly snugger heel that is a bit more difficult to pull on, but once on, I can’t notice it. I think once the weather turns cold again, I’ll definitely be getting a lot of use out of these socks.

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Lace Beginnings

I’ve started the Little Arrowhead Shawl using Classic Elite Miracle. The yarn is so pretty, so soft and works up beautifully. This is going to be a gorgeous shawl. But it’s my first lace project. So I cast on and worked row one about 2 or 3 weeks ago, then put it aside to finish another project. I wanted to get my Jaywalkers out of the way so I could concentrate. I knew this project would require more focus than all my other previous projects. I finally finished the Jaywalkers (will show pictures in a separate post), so I thought it was time to try the lace. Besides I was getting the itch to do it.

Last night I decided to sit down and focus on the lace and see if I could make a bit of progress. I was going good and was really enjoying the work. It looked like it was coming out great. I got to row 7 and noticed that one side of my shawl had about 2 or 3 stitches less than it should. Go figure. I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention to my work. I definitely think I should use lifelines, especially as a beginner, but at only 7 rows, I just ripped the whole thing out and started over. I did make some progress though from where I started. I ended last night on row 2, so I managed to work one extra row. :)

I also need to figure out the best way to keep track of where I’m at in the chart. Last night I was just putting a checkmark next to each row as I finished it, which would work til I got to the repeat of rows 9-20. But I still need some way to mark the row so I can see what I’m supposed to do on that row. Like adding a sticky note directly below the row I’m on, so I can at a glance see the stitches that make up that row. It would be easier. I just need to get a magnetic board to put it on…similar to the one I use for my cross-stitch. But I need one smaller. Or maybe I need to input the chart into Numbers and blow it up a bit bigger.

I will try again tonight if I get some time.

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Sock Heels

I’m working on some socks toe-up and I’m just about to the gusset increases. I’ve never worked socks toe-up and I’m a bit confused. Am I supposed to work the increases without working the instep stitches or do I just keep knitting around but adding stitches? I need to look this all up. Plus I found a heel that I want to try out. Have you heard of it? It’s called the Andersson Heel. Supposedly you don’t have to wrap anything or pick up any stitches. You increase, then decrease then keep going on the leg. I heard it’s a fabulous heel, so I thought I’d try it out. But it involves a bit of math to figure out what to do. I looked it over last night, but my brain didn’t want to do any math so I just bookmarked the site for another day. ha!

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More Fiber/ Making Socks

I recently purchased more fiber. Yeah. I know. I have enough already to keep me busy spinning for months. But I couldn’t help it. I bought the same stuff as before (BFL from Sakina Needles in Woodstock), so I could spin it up and have more yarn available for the campfire socks. That way I can make socks that come up higher than just my ankles. I’m plugging away at the socks and although I don’t have photos yet, I’m make decent progress on the foot. So far they look okay although I think they will be a bit loose. I probably should have gone down to a size 3 needle, instead of going up to a size 5. I will post a photo as soon as I can.

I’m having computer issues. My battery is bad and I’m taking my laptop to the Apple store this weekend, in hopes of getting a replacement.

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Upgraded

I’ve just upgraded my installation of Wordpress from 2.2.1 to 2.5.1. Wow! What a difference. I think it’s going to take a bit of getting used to the new admin interface. I was previously using the Tiger Admin plugin to make it look a bit cleaner. I like the new interface though so far. Seems a bit cleaner than before and I like that it has a bit more color to it. :)

I’ll have to play around, because I can already see that I’ll use the tags quite a bit, instead of having to use a bunch of categories that don’t really get but a few posts.

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