Monday, December 28, 2015

Sorta Wordless Birthday Socks

 This is the first new yarn  in maybe three years that I bought for myself for no other reason than I loved the color. A birthday present for me! Bookworm (note that the gray in my yarn is darker than shown in the website pic- I still love it) from Twisted Fiber Art, in the Playful yarn base (my favorite for socks- thick, soft, and cushy). I got the extra long skein, which has extra long repeats.


The sock pattern is my usual regular sock (2.75mm needles, 60 sts, short row heel, star toe). The Waffle pattern is so easy: *K 4 rnds, K2 P2 2rnds*, repeat.








Wednesday, December 9, 2015

And she knits some more!




Once again, the pattern is Optical Delusion: Conflagration




These are the colors in regular daylight. Note how the blue nearly disappears.









I used larger needles than the pattern calls for, so I couldn't do the required 11 repeats of Chart #3. But it's plenty long enough, especially after blocking. The blues, which were quite visible in the skein, ended up being pale and very subtle in the finished scarf. This pattern is far too fiddly to let subtle colors blur the stitch detail, so.... I got out my blue sharpie and I traced over the lightest blue stitches.

Much better!


Also note: The pattern calls for wrapped turns, which will not leave those holes in the fabric. I did a different kind of turn (I just turned, and then slipped the first stitch), which resulted in the holes. I like them, and did not mind the effect.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

She remembers how to knit!!!

Okay, so I haven't knitted much in the last 6 months, but I didn't actually forget how. I was just waiting for the right pattern to show up on my doorstep.

Or, more accurately, in my Facebook feed.  This is it: Optical Delusion: Conflagration.

Why this one? Who knows, but it spoke to me, so I bought it.

Even from the pictures, I knew it would be fiddly. And that it would require focus and concentration. And that it was ALL short rows. But I thought it might be easier than Dreambird, which was something of a beautiful brain-breaker.

I was right. Optical Delusion: Conflagration is all short rows, and it does require focus (and no one else counting within earshot), but it is considerably easier than Dreambird. The pattern comes with charts, which are ingenious, but were too small for me to see well. So I made a list of the number of stitches to knit on each row before turning (and other assorted instructions) and started. The list made all the difference for me. Note: I do not make wrapped turns, and for this pattern, I did not do my usual short row turn. I just turned, which left some holes in the fabric, which was not the designer's intention, but which I like just fine.

So the knitting consists of working Charts 1-2 once, Chart 3- 11 times (and up to 14, if you have the yarn. I did not. And even if I did have enough yarn, 11 was plenty), and Chart 4 once. I got mixed up on Chart 4, so my scarf skinny end does not look quite like it's supposed to, but I don't care.

Oh, the yarn is Whose Socks- The War Doctor, dyed by Purls Yarn Emporium, in Asheville NC. It's perfect for this pattern because it has fairly short repeat color changes.

So, pics (this is about a week's worth of work):