Socks!

Specifically, my first pair of socks. I started these a year ago, got to the heel turn, then put them aside for other projects. As part of a WIP-along I decided I should finish them - the second was completed in a few days.



I used Charlene Schurch's "Sensational Knitted Socks" as a reference, and one of the basic patterns converted to just plain stocking stitch. The socks fit very well - I followed the instructions regarding measuring feet beforehand, and swatched the yarn. The latter was one of the skeins of unidentified sock yarn that I dyed with Kool Aid some time ago. After struggling with the joins between the two circulars I was using, I eventually got the hang of a neater join, so the second sock was a much more pleasant and quicker knitting experience.

I will definitely be making more handknit socks in the future!

Just Enough Ruffles

Pattern: Just Enough Ruffles by Laura Chau
Yarn: Jaeger Shetland Aran
Needles: 5.5mm circulars
Yardage: approx. 320 yards, 1.75 skeins
Size: approx, 51" long before blocking, 60" after

A fairly speedy scarf to make, it is knit lengthwise using short row shaping. The yarn is gorgeous, blocking really well, and the scarf was a big hit with the recipient. I might have to make one for myself!

I am currently knitting a Hemlock Ring blanket, and am well over 400 stitches on the needle at the moment.

This is how it looked when I'd just started:



I'd also like to say a big thank-you for all the comments and good wishes for Flamboyance Yarns. I'm pleased with how it is going so far - the shop has barely been open two weeks but it seems like longer! The shop also has its own blog where I aim to post updates and the like, and it's also on Twitter. This week's update will have laceweight and also Splendour merino/cashmere/nylon 4ply.

Experiments in colour

Various yarns dyed with standard acid dyes:

75% merino 25% nylon superwash sock weight

100% merino sock weight

100% superwash Bluefaced Leicester sock weight

80% merino 20% silk laceweight

I think my favourite is the merino sock in bright pink/orange/green/yellow. The orange is purely from colour blending within the skein, I love how there are so many variations of shade created.

The photography of different colours presents a challenge too. The camera coped well with three of the skeins, but the blue-green BFL gave it some problems. The auto white balance wasn't up to the job, and the first shots were distinctly blue-biased. I must note that the photos were taken late in the day and the lighting conditions were far from ideal to start with. I finally deciphered the camera manual's instructions on custom white balance, and set that up as the light was fading fast. The end result isn't bad, but what you can't really see is the subtle purple shading on some of the strands. However it was a useful lesson in photography!

Purple

One of my favourite colours! First up is the completed Robin beret in RYC Cashsoft 4ply, shade Loganberry:





This only used 1.3 out of 2 full skeins, and I didn't add the contrast pompom. I knit this flat on straights as per the pattern, but it could easily be converted to a seamless pattern in the round. The RYC Cashsoft is beautifully soft, as per its name. A lovely beret for the winter and a great fit.

More purple, this time some yarn I hand-dyed for my swap partner in the current CT'n'Y Summer Secret Santa. It's a 100% merino laceweight, which I snagged as a bargainous cone.



I used Procion MX dyes bought as a kit. The first dye run gave some lovely shades, but there were paler patches that I wasn't happy with. The yarn was then overdyed with one shade of purple which gave a rich semi-solid. I'm very happy with the end result, as this was my first "proper" acid dye project and I wasn't expecting anything quite so good!

Not purple - this is my latest WIP, the Heather Hoodie Vest from the current Knitscene:



The yarn is Sirdar Denim Chunky in a cream/beige marl shade. It's the first time I've knit with it and I'm very pleased with how it knits up and handles.

My Basil sweater in Summer Tweed is complete, and waiting for me to finish seaming the sides! It's too hard to see under electric light, but I'm hoping to finish the sewing up tomorrow in daylight.

Finally, I had a lovely surprise last week, as Simply Knitting had reviewed my blog on theirs! This was most unexpected, my thanks to SK for their kind review!

Of WIPs and knitting

I've been casting on for more projects as the mood takes me, most recently Tempest in this lovely Violet Green Socrates 4ply I originally bought for Shoalwater:



I'll have a WIP photo soon, as I only started this last night and am about 20 rows in to the back. It's a cardigan I've been wanting to make ever since I saw it, but I'm doing a non-striped version instead. There is plenty of the Seascape, and I love the colours without adding any toning stripes. Thanks are due to pictish for suggesting this as I hadn't considered this option before.

Shawl That Jazz is on a mini-hiatus, about half way through the first section. I generally like the colours in the yarn but have a small bee in my bonnet about the dark bottle-ish green elements. This is one of the very very few colours/shades I don't really like. That said I like it overall, and thankfully the rows are getting shorter!



I've also been working on Ishbel this week, heading towards starting the lace section. The WIP photo isn't terribly exciting but it's on Ravelry should you wish to see it. The red Eva is showing its semi-solid nature, when observed in daylight you can see quite a variation in depth of shade. More interesting than a true solid shade, I think.

There is also my first ever sock! I had to learn the long tail cast-on for this, having never bothered with it in the past. Once I watched the video on Knitting Help I "got" it, I do seem to learn much more readily from demos rather than pictures in books. It doesn't help that I can't often make out what goes where in the diagrams in books, despite how clearly they are drawn. Photos are easier, and I learned how to knit in the round with 2 circs from a very helpful tutorial I'd printed out (which now seems to have disappeared online). My "join" stitches are a little loose so far (not helped by plumping for plain stockinette for the main sock body!), but I'm getting there!



This is the yarn I dyed with Kool Aid a couple of weeks ago, I rather like how it is knitting up!

A foray into dyeing

A while ago I won a Kool Aid dyeing kit, which comprised a skein of sock yarn and quite a few sachets of drink mix. This week I decided to make my first attempt at dyeing yarn. The original idea was to dye two skeins of sock yarn a pale lime green, basically a solid-ish colour.

In attempt 1, I used a stock pot on the stove top. For the green, I mixed one sachet of Lime with one of Lemonade, and small amount of Mango. I'd printed out some instructions from Knitty, and also had an info sheet that came with the other skein of yarn. Based upon these I put the dye solution into the pot, then put the soaked skeins in on top of this. I quickly realised this wasn't going to give an even distribution of colour, far from it! The yarn took up the dye incredibly fast, and because at this point there was very little water in the pot, it was pretty much confined to the lower parts of the skeins that were in contact with the solution. Now I realised that my original plan was probably rather ambitious, given the quantity of dye available, but even after adding water, I could tell the solution was just about exhausted before I switched on the heat!

Ending up with 2 skeins dyed in patches in green, I mixed up some Pink Lemonade and some Grape. The first skein I just used the pink, applying with a turkey baster that we have never used (skein laid out flat on some plastic). The second got the purple with a few splashes of pink. This bit is a lot of fun - I wasn't aiming for anything terribly organised, just trying out the techniques. These skeins were set, one by one, using the microwave. They have turned out pretty well, considering they have been through twice the process!

Pink/green skein, rewound into a centre-pull ball:



I had to snip this part way through, as both skeins had developed a few tangles due to not being tied well enough (I just left the ties on that they came with, which probably weren't quite snug enough to begin with)

Green/purple/pink skein, rewound:



I wound the first part of this one off by hand, as this had got a wee bit more tangled.

All in all, I'm pleased with how these turned out, especially as a first attempt!