That’ll Do
I didn't want to throw the lovely stripes completely to the wind, so I thought I'd do something different for the heel. Now I hate short row heels, they just don't fit my feet. I needed to keep the heel flap/gusset structure. The gist of the plan was 'keep working in the round in pattern. On every other round, toss an extra purl stitch in at the beginning and end of the needles that hold the heel stitches.' Turns out it works, though I haven't quite decided how many rows of the flap/increases I'll need. It seems like it will [...]
Take a Dip
I know that some people hate pooling...loathe it...devote great amounts of time and energy to stomping it out in all its forms. I get it. Really I do. Under the best of circumstances, pooling is chancy and unpredictable. Any hint of pooling seriously increases the risk of knitting failure and dramatically lessens the likelihood you'll get two matching socks. And, if we're being honest there are some really staggeringly ugly examples of pooling gone bad. But...every now and then...just by chance...it works. And by works I mean works for me. You may think this is the ugliest thing ever to [...]
Sunshine
It seems you all did an excellent job of sending the sun my way this weekend. While the coast was getting their exciting wee blizzard, we got 2 inches on Saturday and lovely bright sunshine on Sunday. See? I'm overly amused by how well the socks and the fence match. I'm sure this speaks poorly of my character, but that's just the way it is.
Housekeeping
After my shameless whinging about sock blow outs, someone asked how I wash my socks. It's a totally valid question. There is a special washing regimen for fancy socks at Chez Violence. (Fancy socks are both the hand knit ones and the cashmere/alpaca/angora/generally spiffy ones from the store that I buy The Boy to make up for my inability or unwillingness to knit him work socks in the quantity he needs. The first hand-knit socks got him addicted to awesome socks, and this is a quicker way to feed the addiction than actually knitting a whole sock wardrobe. Yes they're [...]
The People Have Spoken!
You want Graupel, Graupel you shall have. I will release it later this month and then release Caprice in March. A few people have mentioned that they'd like to have the pattern for some of the various Olympic themed knitting events they're participating in. The pattern is done, so I can totally do that. I'll plan to put it up Thursday the eleventh. Of course this does mean I absolutely positively must get pictures taken this weekend. If you see the sun, send it this way. For any of you dedicated athletes out there who want to start training (ie [...]
Such a Tease
I warned you this was coming. I really did. There is a new sock. It's soft and warm and lovely. I admit I'm biased, but I am fairly hopelessly smitten with it. It's all done...but you can't have it quite yet. It's exclusive to Gaia's Colours Sacred Sabbats Yarn Club members for the next three months. I probably shouldn't say anything. It's probably just mean to show you the pretty sock when I can't give it to you just yet. But today is the release date, and I've been keeping quiet for weeks and weeks. Such silence is quite against [...]
Choose Your Own
I am a child of the 80s. As such, "Choose Your Own Adventure" books play an alarming role my memories of my distant youth. The writing was contrived, the illustrations dreadful, and yet they still filled me with an unreasonable fascination. In honor of their (doubtless unsavory) influence, I'm letting you choose your next knitting adventure. I have two patterns ready to go, Graupel (on the left) and Caprice (on the right). Click on either to see gigantic versions if you're so inclined. One will be released in February and the other in March. You pick. I will take it [...]
Proof of Concept
So the weekend bit didn't work out. It was cold and rainy. I am valiant enough to hang about in the snow to get pictures, but not the rain. The snow came back today, so I dashed out for a quick snap, just to prove that they really are done. Alas, this is not a pattern-worthy photo, so I still have to wait a bit before I can start wearing them full time. It is, however, enough to tease you with. See?
Taunting
Graupel are done, and they are taunting me. There they lay...finished...blocked...totally ready to go. And yet, they are not on my feet. That's because I don't have good pictures of them, and the rule is 'no wearing the socks till they're photographed.' At least it's a weekend, which increases the number of people around during daylight hours, and thus dramatically increases the chances of getting photos. With any luck at all I'll be wearing them tomorrow and I'll have finished sock photos to post some time shortly after that.
Mailing List
Want to hear when a new pattern comes out or something fun is going on? Sign up below!
Patreon
Want to support the content I create, get nifty bonus material for some of my favorite patterns, or get every new release delivered right to your inbox? Head over to patreon and sign up!
