WiP Wednesday

Oh yeah. The Blog. Right.

 I feel like the old Johnny Cash song “I’ve Been Everywhere” rather accurately describes my 2013 to this point. But now I can stay in one place for a little while. I have multiple finished projects to show you, but it’s Wednesday, so for now I shall show you my WiPs.

As has become custom, I started a pair of socks while at the Women’s College World Series.


I started it the first day I was in Oklahoma. And that was pretty much the last “normal” thing about the 2013 WCWS. What a strange week it was.

Once I got home, I started on a project I’d been wanting to take on since the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival in March. I worked in the SpaceCadet Creations booth, and wore one of the shop samples while working in the booth. I got so many compliments on that Lintilla that I decided to make my own!


Yes, I still love garter stitch. I’ll be garter stitching right along for quite a while, and yes! I’m happy about that!

Ginormous Man Socks

Every year, I head to the Women’s College World Series with a plain vanilla sock plan. Most years, it’s too damn hot to even think about knitting, and I barely get a few stitches in.

This year, it was in the 50s in Oklahoma City in June. I was freezing, and knitting was helpful in many ways. Since I married a man who wears a US 11.5 wide, there was lots of knitting to be done, both at the WCWS and as I walked the floor at TNNA. The Hubster got a new pair of socks out of the bargain.


I used my favorite toe, a garter toe.


New Pathways heels are also my favorites. If you’re going to knit a gigantic sock, twice, then dammit you should do your favorite things. Especially when the recipient won’t wear colors.


I made the legs fairly tall, and increased a bit so they wouldn’t be overly tight on his calves. They took a while, but overall, I’d say they were a win.


So, now, my super-awesome husband has TWO pairs of handknit socks. Go, me.

Softball Socks 2012 

Pattern: Riverbed Master from New Pathways for Sock Knitters 

Yarn: Socks that Rock Mediumweight 

Color: Korppi 

Quantity: I used two skeins, one for each sock. Had leftovers on both. 

Needles: US 2/2.75mm for feet, US2.5/3.0mm for legs 

Started: 1 June 2012 

Finished: 13 July 2012

WiP Wednesday

Another week, another sock photo. Slow progress this week since the Hubster was nice enough to share the cold her brought home next week. I need to keep resting up so I’m ready for Maryland this weekend. Oh, yeah. The sock!



Two more repeats and I’m ready for the heel flap. Huzzah! And now, I need a nap if I’m going to manage to go to knit night long enough to hear about a friend’s trip to Sock Camp. So excited for her, and I can’t wait to hear all about it!

WiP Wednesday

It’s been a busy week, but I’ve scratched out some knitting time here and there. The I.B. Footsie socks are getting faster, which is awesome. I’m enjoying both the pattern and my Signature DPNs!


More writing on the horizon, and I’m plotting my next sweater. Might be another Swirl, might be a regular ‘ol cardigan. We shall see.

WiP Wednesday

Well, it’s Wednesday, I’ve remembered to blog, and I have something to show you that is NOT the Wiggle Wrap!

That particular endless project was completed on Friday night and is patiently awaiting end-weaving and a bath. Which means I needed a new project.

Meet I.B. Footsie


I’ve been slacking off on my sock challenge in a pretty big way, so I figured it was time to have a sock on the needles again. It’s another pattern from my good friend Heather Zoppetti, and like Dawn Gnot, it’s part of the CSI sock project. So far, so good!

Oh, and despite the fact that I seem to have an ever-growing pile of SpaceCadet yarns, this is the first one I’ve wound and started knitting! It’s the Estelle base in Calm Before the Storm.

Apparently, my 2012 socks will primarily be from friend-written patterns in friend-dyed yarn. I think I’m OK with that.

Sweet Tomato Foot Ovens

This is probably the fastest pair of socks I’ve ever knit.


After reading the Yarn Harlot’s Foot Oven post during the Christmas season, I thought they sounded like a great idea. I started as “directed,” starting with 8 sts/needle via Judy’s Magic Cast-On, increasing up to 32 sts. Note for my next pair: 32 is a little thin. I’m thinking 36 is a better number for me with this yarn.


toe pic!
Yeah, I know I don’t like standard toes. But these were so quick they hardly had time to irk.

Stephanie’s Foot Oven recipe sounded great, except for one thing. I can’t stand short-row heels. I don’t like the fit, and I don’t like the process of knitting them. So I made some adjustments!

As you know, I’m quite the Cat Bordhi disciple. She published a great new e-book last fall, for her new Sweet Tomato Heel. I figured this was a perfect time to try it out!


As I chugged along on my first STH wedge, the thought did cross my mind that this would be a little easier if I’d used the light blue yarn on the heels. But it was fine. The fit is not perfect (they are a little too snug at the navy stripe across the instep at the hinge of my ankle), probably because my midfoot number was a little thin for my feet. I thought about tinking and expanding, but these socks were so fast I figured it wasn’t worth the time. I’ll leave this pair at the Lake, where they will be rarely worn.

The execution of this heel, in my opinion, is simple and elegant. And it’s a perfect 1::1 sub for a short row heel. Highly recommend, and I’ll use it again in the future.

Per the Foot Ovens recipe, post-heel-turn, I simply knit with my “main color” yarn until I ran out. I divided the skein in half by weight before I started, so it was easy to know when to stop. Then I changed to the navy and knit 12 rounds of 2x2 ribbing. Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off, and boom. I was done.


As promised, I sat back and marveled at how quickly I had a pair of socks. Basically three knitting sessions and I was done. And yeah, I’ll make this recipe combo again. Probably in the same color scheme, since I have one more skein of the light blue!

Sweet Tomato Foot Ovens

Pattern: A hybrid of the Yarn Harlot’s Foot Ovens recipe
and Cat Bordhi’s (basic) Sweet Tomato Heel
Yarn: Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky
Colors: Light Blue and Navy
Quantity: 1 full skein light blue, roughly 52% of the Navy skein.
Started: 31 January 2012
Finished: 6 February 2012
Mods: It’s a hybrid of two recipes, so yes.

WiP Wednesday

Just under the wire!

I finished the test-knit shawl. Photo shoot coming soon.

I finished my Koolhaas hat. FO post coming soon.

So what’s on my needles?

I decided the Yarn Harlot’s Foot Ovens post sounded like a great idea. And, I’d been very much wanting to try Cat Bordhi’s new Sweet Tomato Heel.

So I combined the two.


Foot Oven socks with a Sweet Tomato Heel. I cast on the sock in that picture around when the Penguins game started on Tuesday night. I finished it at knit night tonight.

Stephanie was not kidding when she said you will be amazed at how quickly you wind up with a pair of socks using this recipe.

Oh, and I really like the Sweet Tomato heel. Win!

In other news, how jacked up/completely unseasonable has our weather been?


The bulbs that my mother plants in our backyard are sprouting. In January. This is crazypants.

In other news, my loom is starting to resemble a Nordic Track. You know. Something that has become a dumping ground for other things, therefore rendering it useless for its primary purpose.

This is completely unacceptable. I'm hoping that once I get through the whack of deadlines staring me in the face, I can change this. It may have to wait until after my California trip at the end of this month, but dammit. I'm going to be weaving again soon. It's Important.

Dawn Gnot

Dawn Gnot reportedly works for a yarn company specializing in acrylic yarn, but was captured by CSI Purl City Police Detective Moss Stitch for the crime of putting knots in skeins of yarn.

-from pattern description

It was snowing in big puffy flakes that were sticking. I had to take a picture!
These socks were designed by my friend Heather Zoppetti. I like her, and this sock pattern, enough to suffer through a standard toe-up toe, which is annoying, but do-able when necesary.


I did make one small alteration to the pattern. I took the 35 stitches on the back of the sock (oh yeah. I also took the 68-stitch pattern to 70 stitches) and executed a mistake rib pattern on the back of the leg. It made the leg plenty stretchy to compensate for the tightness of the cable in front.

Plus, I kind of love mistake rib. I got addicted when I did Cristi’s Calvin & Ripple Socks.


I also added one column of stockingette stitches to each edge of the cable pattern to set off the mistake rib. I still can’t table without a needle on socks (my gauge is tight for socks. If those bad boys get “into the wind,” they are off to the races.) but by the time I finished the second sock, I hardly noticed.


The socks fit perfectly. I love them, they’re great. So is the yarn I used, dyed by my friend Sairy, who runs the Stitches ‘n Rows Etsy site.

Oh, and I thought this last photo was crucial. After seeing Heather’s Dansko Marah shoes at Bloomin Yarns’ Black Friday sale, I had to have a pair. I love them tons, just like my awesome new socks. Thanks, Heather!

Dawn Gnot Socks

Pattern: Dawn Gnot by Heather Zoppetti
Yarn: Stitches ‘n Rows luxe soles
Color: Royalty
Quanity: 1 skein (430 yds, racquetball-sized leftover cake)
Needles: US 2.5mm 16” ChiaoGoo red lace circs
Started: 1 January 2012
Finished: 16 January 2012
Mods: Knit over 70 sts instead of 68.
Subbed mistake rib for the stockingette on the back of the leg.
Pair #1 for “12 socks in 2012” Ravelry group

WiP Wednesday

There hasn’t been a whole lot of work on the Koolhaas hat, but believe it nor not, I actually did finish the third of the five suggested repeats.

And since someone asked last week, yes, that is a row-counting stitch marker. My very most favorite kind, and it’s from Hide and Sheep.


Most of my knitting time has gone into my Dawn Gnot socks. The first sock is finished, and last night I knit the second toe (geez, I hate standard toes!) and one repeat of the pattern. And, yes, that’s another Hide and Sheep row-counter on the sock toe!


The first sock is practically perfect in every way, just needs the ends woven in. I’m really excited for this finished pair of socks. Not to mention that I’m all ready to get started on the next pair for my 12 in 12 project. Zoom!

WiP Wednesday

There has been some knitting going on around here, and it’s Wednesday, so you get a look!

The Hubster left town last week for football, so of course I had some knitters over. I needed some hostess-friendly knitting, so I busted out the Shokay I got on sale a few months ago and got started on my Koolhaas hat.


Getting through the cast-on and ribbing was no problem at all, but I managed to mess up the first round of the pattern. However, nobody but me is ever going to know or notice, so screw it. It’s staying.

In other news, I have several enabling friends who pushed me into doing the “12 in 2012” sock-knitting challenge. I cast on my friend digitalnabi’s Dawn Gnot socks in yarn dyed by my friend Sairy on Sunday. The first full day of knitting was a little rocky, but it’s going like gangbusters now. Much fun!


Sadly, the crafting news is not all wonderful and happy. Marianne’s socks boomeranged on me. I haven’t gotten detailed information, but I’m betting the cuffs are too tight. I’ll confirm before I rip and re-knit the cuffs (yay toe up!) on a far larger needle. Here’s hoping it’s a pretty quick process.

Empty Needles

From time to time, I have knit socks for my sister-in-law. She has small feet, it’s a quick project.

Her mother, who I have also known for most of my life, has admired Erin’s handknit socks. And asked me to knit a pair for her.

In August, I took my stash of STR-Mediumweight in colors I didn’t love up to the lake. And had Marianne pick out a skein she liked.


I essentially cast these on over Labor Day weekend. They took a few good long snoozes.

Shortly after I started knitting, I decided that a pattern would both add to the stretchy-ness of these socks and help keep me entertained. So that makes this my third pair of Holidazed socks, a Rockin' Sock Club pattern from (I think) my first year in the club.

Toe pic!

I used my favorite garter toe, knit for an inch or two, then was off to the races.

Marianne has extremely narrow feet and a high arch. These socks are funny-looking (and slightly overstretched on my sock blockers), but I just hope they fit properly.


I used New Pathways along with the pattern stitch, as usual. And once again, I’m happy with the results.

This leaves me with precisely ZERO active knitting projects. Really. It’s a strange feeling. I know the next pair of socks that I want to cast on, but if I’m going to do a “12 in 12” sock challenge, I need to wait a week before I cast those on. But really, it’s kind of nice to have a little bit of relaxation this time of year, isn’t it?

These socks are not a Christmas gift, so the timing is coincidental, not planned. But I’m really just happy to have another project finished. That’s a good feeling these days!

Marianne’s Socks

Pattern: Holidazed by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Socks that Rock Mediumweight
Color: Bumbleberry
Quantity: I’d guess about 2/3 of a skein. I have a lot left!
Needles: US 2/2.75mm 16” ChiaoGoo red lace circs (which I love, by the way)
Started: 2 September 2011
Finished: 23 December 2011
Mods: Plugged the pattern stitch into a New Pathways/Riverbed Master architecture

WiP Wednesday

Sorry I’m late today, I’ve been busy writing for pennies.

Since my Friday finishing binge, the two stretches of knitting time I’ve had have both gone into my socks-in-progress.


I got from pre-arch-increases to the heel turn in one sitting, from short rows to heel flap decreases in the second. Now all that’s left is the leg and I’m back to knitting on my own projects.

Sewing is going to be taking up a decent chunk of time in the immediate future. Both some gift-sewing and a flavor of commission sewing. All holidays, all the time around here.

Speaking of which, that rather simple picture shows three of my favorite things.

Socks that Rock (this particular base is their Mediumweight)

The stitch marker you see is a 10-row counter from Hide and Sheep. They are my very most favorite row counters and I intend to acquire more.

And, finally, the bag is from my new favorite pusher, JessaLu. It’s becoming quite the addiction. Although that puts me in some good company, so it’s OK. Plus the sewing on these bags is awesome. Go give her Artfire and Etsy shops a look. You won’t regret it. (and, if you happen to be shopping for me, I'd love one of her Stormtrooper bags. Which is the same price as her Dr. Who bags. Just sayin' ...) A sneaky friend got me that particular bag already. But I'm sure JessaLu will come up with another one I love in the not too distant future!

WiP Wednesday!

Hi there! Last week, I didn’t have anything decent to show you. I was between socks in the pair-in-progress and hadn’t touched my Swirl. But there has been progress in the last week. Yay, progress!

I finally picked up my Swirl again.


I’m on my 30th welt and increasing along for the sleeves. It’s good to be chugging along on this again. After seeing my friend Dianne’s finished Swirl, I now want my own sweater finished post-haste.

But it’s a little … gigantic … to work on just anywhere. So socks are always the answer!


First sock finished. Second sock well on its way. I love STR-M. It makes for a very fast pair of socks and it’s just wonderful to work with.

And, in the biggest news around here, I’ve been weaving!


The bit of fabric that is disappearing over the front beam is the third placemat of the set, then the hems and the start of the fourth and final placemat. At the top of the shot, you can see the knots tying the warp to the back beam, so the end is near.

The minute this warp is finished, I’ll take the front and back beam and all eight harnesses off the loom, tie down things that might move, and I’ll try to shoehorn the loom into the front room. Please cross your fingers that plan works. Because if it doesn’t, then I’ll have to almost completely dismantle the loom to get it in there. And while it’s good to know your loom that well, it would kind of really suck to have to do that.

In other news, my primary freelance gig kind of went up in smoke a few weeks ago, but a former employer has brought be back on staff to do some feature writing for them. If you’re interested, I’ll be posting links to the stuff I’m writing HERE, on my work blog.

Sun Devil Socks

Welcome to the FO (“finished object”) post for my 2011 Softball Socks. The 2011 NCAA Champions were the Arizona State Sun Devils. I really enjoyed the student-athlete I spoke with for my ASU feature story, and a good friend of mine was taking her swan song with the Sun Devils before heading back to her hometown (gee, I don’t know anyone else who has done that!)


Once again, trying to knit outside in Oklahoma in June is a nearly impossible task. It’s hot. Very hot. And humid. So I got started during the WCWS, but didn’t really hit my stride on these socks until a few days later. On the floor at TNNA.


Toe pic!
The first sock of this pair was knit almost exclusively while walking around the marketplace at TNNA in Columbus. We did a lot of walking around and a plain vanilla sock was just the ticket.


New Pathways heel, as per usual
The first sock was finished on June 13, just over a week after it was cast on. The leg on that first sock is a bit tight. All of my 3.0mm needles have taken a walk, so I didn’t have them handy to keep my sock leg on the loose side. Oops.


Turtle Daddy sock blockers!

Once I finally got to the leg of the second sock, I focused on keeping things nice and loose. The second sock is perfect. I’m still reserving the right to rip and re-knit that first leg, but I think it’s fine aside from a bit of extra work to put the sock on.


Another success for both New Pathways and Socks that Rock Mediumweight. Win!

Softball Socks 2011

Pattern: Riverbed Master by Cat Bordhi, New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Yarn: Socks that Rock Mediumweight
Colorway: Boobie 2
Needles: US 2/2.75mm (2-16” HiyaHiyas)
Started: 5 June 2011
Finished: 7 September 2011
Mods: None!

WiP Wednesday

My previous pair of socks finished up at the end of last week. Everything you see below is on a semi-commission pair of socks (for a friend of the family) and it has been zipping right along. I think I started to focus on this on Friday night.



Do they look super long and super narrow? They are. But so are the recipient’s feet, so it’s OK. For reference, this is a 7” midfoot measurement and a 48-stitch sock.

I’m still neglecting my swirl. But I’m in git ‘er done mode on stuff around the house and things on my must-finish list. So I’m working on that. If I can get a few things finished around here, I’ll give you a full tour of the newly-renovated house!

WiP Wednesday

I must admit that I haven’t been doing a whole lot of knitting. The knitting that has actually been happening has been socks, and after a couple hours, my wrist starts to hurt, so I put it down and do something else.

I need to pick up my Swirl again. Maybe using a US 8/5mm needle instead of a 2.75mm sock needle will help with the problem? Meanwhile…


My primary socks-in-progress are about half an inch away from finished. There is a decent chance that I’ll have to rip and re-knit the leg of the first sock, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Possibly tonight at Hurricane Knitters.

Last Thursday night, we had a packed store with lots of people who needed help and since I was working alone, things got crazy in a hurry. When Sairy (who was visiting from New Jersey. YAY!) and I left the store to go to dinner, I couldn’t find the above socks. After dinner, we stopped at the store again so I could take a quick second look. No dice.

It turned out that somehow my GoKnit bag had hopped onto a shelf with yarn in the sale section of the store? Yes, that is how crazy things got that night. And since I had a bunch of friends headed for my house on Friday night and I knew margaritas would be involved, I obviously had to start another pair of plain vanilla socks:


More Socks that Rock Mediumweight. I need to take a look at stitch counts and see if Holidazed will work for these bad boys, since the recipient has insanely narrow feet. They are a semi-commission pair for a family friend.

You may have noticed that these socks are attached to some ChiaoGoo red lace needles. Obviously, I’m early in the sock knitting process, but so far I’d give them an A+.

And now, it’s off to cross a few more things off of my list. Yes, I’m planning on a final “house tour” soon, but I’m not quite ready to show things off yet. Gotta get that 30” loom through the 29” door for its new house first!

WiP Wednesday

Hi! So I really didn’t do any knitting on vacation. And since we’ve been home, I’ve been busy clearing out the future-weaving-room and doing other stuff around the house. No knitting.

But since the last time I WiP’d you, here’s what I’ve gotten done.


Sock is un-jacked-up and the heel is turned. I’m now decreasing away on the flap.

The Swirl sweater is partially bound off. I’ve started working on the sleeves and bodice, but I’ve hardly started on that portion of the program.


And, since you know I’ve been doing some serious cleaning, that’s going to include a pretty good-sized destash. This is what I pulled yesterday. I have a list with prices. Lemme know if you want it.


All of it is on Ravelry, but none of it has been tagged for sale/trade yet. Figured I'd give folks I "know" first crack at it. I just have toooooo much yarn.

WiP Wednesday

Once again, the bulk of my knitting time has gone to the Swirl sweater. I’m on my last full welt, so I have just a few short rounds left before I start binding off and starting on the sleeves and bodice.


My streak of reading comprehension FAILs continued. I was excited and in a hurry to cast this on, so I just looked at the chart and didn’t READ the instructions. As a result, I’ve been knitting this thing “backwards” from the get-go. If I’d been thinking, I could easily have fixed the problem seven rows in when I did my first set of decreases, but the good news is that I’m pretty sure I know how I can rectify my mistake seamlessly. Hooray!

Moral of the story? Pay attention when you read directions.

In other news, I made a point of getting both of my smaller projects back on track. I ripped out about an inch of my socks-in-progress a week ago, put in my increases markers at the proper point and have been off to the races ever since.


So basically, the V between the markers is everything I’ve knit since last week. Yay, small project that can take a few stitches here and there!

And, last night, I got a few rounds in on my Bagstopper. Inching ever-closer to the top border. Hooray!


We start vacation on Saturday night, so it remains to be seen whether I’ll be doing more knitting or reading next week. For whatever reason, reading usually wins when I’m on vacation.

Socks Fit for a Queen

Believe it or not, I have a finished project. Actually, they’ve been finished for more than a month, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I buckled down to weave in the ends and take pictures. Of course, this is also NOT their internet debut as a finished pair of socks. I tweeted a terrible dark just-finished picture when I took them off the needles during a nearly never-ending extra innings game at the Women's College World Series. With a joke about how the game won't end, but my socks did!


This yarn, Miss Babs sportweight, was purchased at Maryland Sheep & Wool in 2010. I had heard lots and lots of stuff about Miss Babs, and the dyer herself helped me pick this skein. I prefer heavier sock yarns, so she steered me towards the sportweight section.


Toe Pic!
I cruised along on these socks with my standard memorized Riverbed Master pattern. My most favorite garter toe, a plain foot, arch increases and the NP heel.


One of the best parts of these socks was the colors. They had people making comments pretty much everywhere I went, and I loved seeing the colors progress across my needles. Especially that light teal. Yum. Cleopatra is one of Miss Babs' signature colorways, and I can definitely see why.


They fit perfectly, are very comfy, and I think the way the reinforced heel stretches out when the socks are worn is just too cool.

It almost looks like an Eye of Partridge heel. The flecks of color from the variegated color is just great. But meanwhile, my first Miss Babs experience was outstanding. I will certainly purchase her yarns again!

Cleopatra’s Socks

Pattern: Riverbed Master by Cat Bordhi, New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Sport
Colorway: Cleopatra
Needles: US 1.5/2.5mm
Started: 4 February 2011
Finished: 2 June 2011