Waving Lace Socks

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks from Interweave Knits Favorite Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in Lakeview
Needle: SB size 2
Cast on: August 7, 2007

I was checking off my summer queue, and pulled out my 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces when I noticed that my lovely 10 month Chocolate lab puppy had oh so lovingly chewed on one end. "This is going to make winding it into a ball so much easier." Needing a challenge, I started. Ten minutes later, I restarted. Fifteen minutes after that, I threw the whole damned thing back in my yarn bag (yes, I am a new knitter; all my yarn fits in a small little bag, and a drawer, and a shelf, okay, just the new stuff fits in the bag, liar mouth). Off to check the intenet. And onto ebay. There has to be a yarn ball winder on there somewhere. I bid on what looks like a nice ball winder, I'll have to get one of my boys to hold the skeins for me. I bid on a lovely birch swift, but lost the bid by $3. One of the many shopping disadvantages to living in Alaska, all my internet yarn comes in skeins and I would never in a million years take them to the LYS to use there baller. That would just be cruel. Don't get me wrong, I love the LYS, but sometimes a girl just needs a little variety.

Short story... long. I finally balled up my skein, after I realized that Ebay wasn't going to instantly plasma-tranfer my baller to me through my laptop, only to realize that the intended pattern from Knits summer 2007 Spiral Boot socks was far to small (11" to my 14" calf). Bummed, I stole the opportunity to browse my Favorite Socks book to painstakingly narrow my pattern choice to one. The final decision came down to the fact that the Waving Lace sock pattern was knit up in Lorna's Lace supersock. I love it when decisions are made for me!

(although I did go back online and order another lovely sock yarn through Loopy Ewe. I might go back again and order the San Diego. J.Knits needs and Alaska sock. Maybe we should get an Alaska colition together and recommend a Northern Lights colorway that actually has the colors of the northern lights?

This is the first pattern I have followed where the pattern is printed on the grid. It is difficult to get used to, but only at first. Once I got into the swing of things, it has been remarkably easy to follow. Again with my guilty liar mouth confessions: This is not the first cast on. The first cast on was two days ago. I grabbed the needles and started to knit the fifth row yesterday and inadvertantly started knitting in the wrong direction. I was knitting to the left on the inside. Frogged, cast BACK on and here is the scalloped edge. So lovely! So happy!

The only drawback I see to this sock is the color. It is absolutely gorgeous, I wish I would have started knitting it earlier. It is a total summer color, but the summer is over here. Today is beautiful, but it is starting to get cooler at night, darker at night, and by the time I get these done, the leaves will have fallen (they are turning yellow as I type), and summer will be long gone. And a funny note, the color is Lakeview. While Lakeview might conjure up thoughts of prestine beauty and quiet serenity, the only thought conjured up here is the local trailer park: Lakeview Terrace. Not that trailer parks are bad things, no. They are a necessity for affordable living for us working class. But this one is really bad, truck trailer, condemned trailers, semi-trailers converted into living space. Kinda sad, and now... they are being knit onto my feet.

Well, wish me luck in my ball bid, may the Ebay Gods be generous tonight...

Look what the mailman delivered

From Interweave Press's distressed sale:

My sweet, sweet sandal chewer: Makena

and my hero (albeit, unAlaskan): Ling

Oh, I so can't wait to humilate them in some monsterously cute sweaters.

Upside-down daisy hat

Pattern: upside-down daisy hat, Knit It! Spring 2007 and Itty-Bitty Hats
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran
Needles: Addi Turbo size7 16" and SB quicksilver dpn size7
Cast on: August 3 Cast off: August 4 finishing: August 5


This pattern was so much fun. In between installing four new light fixtures, installing a new thermostat, rebuilding a door frame, grocery shopping, and school clothes shopping for five boys, I managed to knit up a baby hat for a college roommate that is pregnant with her second daughter. There was so much left over, that I will knit up another hat next weekend. That one with a white hat with pink flower. The Addi Turbos rocked! I didn't think that they would really make any difference, but they did. I would have to say they are nothing short of amazing. I transfered them onto the SB Quicksilvers and it felt like I was knitting with chalk.



.......hat without flowers ............................sewing on the petals.....

Roza's Socks struck gold!

Pattern: Roza's Sock from Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill in Cabin Fever
Needle: Susan Bates size 2

I finally struck gold with size 3 needles. Pattern calls for size0, but I am such a tight knitter that I had to move up to a 2, from swatch at size0, first sock at size1, trial sock started on size3, then frogged back to a 2. Now I can wear them. Still waiting to make my sock blocker that a fellow Goldstreamer (once an Alaskan, always an Alaskan). I couldn't wait to block them, off the dpns and onto my footsies this morning!

Joining the Sock A Month KAL

Finally, a KAL that I can get free stuff out of (drawings only)

Hey, somebody's gotta win!

Roza's Socks: Part Three

Part One:

Quick-knit a guage swatch with size0. Gauge was too small, so I went with a size1. Sock1 finished, only to find out circulation to my wee-wittle toes was non-existent. Are ankles really supposed to bend? How much circulation is truly needed for the top of a stupid foot anyway?

Part Two:

Screw the guage swatch, I will just knit with size 2. It can not be that far off, right? Mail ordered Inox 6" in size2. Waited a week-10days for delivery to Alaska, and started knitting like mad only to find out that Inox and wool go together like teeth and steel wool.

now that brings us to... Part Three:

I ordered my tried and true SB in size1, size2, and size3. SB only come in sets of four, so I had to order two sets of each. Dropped a whopping $14.95 for all. I better be knitting socks for the rest of my life for what this has cost me in needles, time, and effort. Another week-10days later, I am jumping right in. Liar! Liar! Panties on FIRE! I made gauge swatches for each size needle. The required gauge is 33sts and 46 rnds = 4" in Stst. Well, I am "Stst" away on the round to find the size1 gives me a 41 sts and a 62 rnd. So I try the size2. That gives me a 35 sts and a 50 rnd. Can it possible be that I need a size3 needle for a size0 pattern? Can my knitting be that horribly off? The pattern calls for a Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock and I am using a Cherry Tree Hill superwash sock. Is there really that much difference, or am I just a really horrible knitter? (Don't respond to that, I can't take the abuse right now). Gauge on the size3 revealed a 32 sts with a 45/46 rnd. It isnt that horribly off the 33sts/46rnds. I have the cuff and breaking into the meat of the sock and it looks so loose compared to the first one. The sole was so fine and dainty on the first one and my gauge swatch more resembled lace than the sole of a foot.

Anyway, I am dedicating a week of work to this sock. If this sock doesn't come out, I am ditching the entire pattern and selecting a new one. My first pair came out so beautifully. What is up?

Knitting and Fishing in Homer, Alaska

Qivuit hat is almost done. Still need to sew in the ends and block. Cast off: July 3, 2007

I initially cast off a day before the Halibut charter we took all the kids on for DH (darling Husband) and 2nd oldest. They share the same birthday. As I pulled out the last dpn and snugged up the top, I looked down and thought to myself. Gee, 6 inches seems like a very short hat. And sure enough, it was. Too short. More like a yamika, and less like a nice, warm, super soft hat. So, a day after the 14 hour drive home from fishing, I frogged the decreases and added another two inches. Now it is long enough to cover both my forehead and ears.

The Qivuit experience: glamourous and enjoyable. All other fibers feel like steel wool. It will take some getting used to going back to my ewe-y wool; but a girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do!

What's for dinner?

Halibut chowder, halibut olympia, blackened halibut tacos, deep-fried Alaskan Amber battered halibut, grilled halibut, baked halibut, oh... the list goes on.

126 lbs of Halibut for the freezer. This should last us a couple years.