Clap Off

It is done!  With five days to spare, I finished Clappy before the KAL deadline.   That also means, I do believe, that I won the race Anita and I had going too. 

The devil’s in the details, so here you go.

Pattern:  Clapotis   It was my first dropped stitch pattern, and I’m just sorry I waited so long to suck it up and drop ’em!  That was fun.  The pattern itself was fine; I get bored quickly, and with all the repeats…  I got bored.  It was a good travel pattern though, because I didn’t have to read the pattern again until I got to another section.  I did do fewer increase (and thus, decrease) repeats, because I wanted a summer wrap, and to assure that I had enough yarn. 

Yarn:  Caron Simply Soft Shadows, in Merino (colorway, not fiber content).  It was fine to knit with, but the subtle stripes were too subtle for my liking in the end.  As I predicted, MJ loved it and claimed as her own, which also cuts down on my Mother’s Day knitting…  She’s delighted that it’s machine wash and dry too.  I used 4 skeins, but I had more than half of the last skein left over.

Needles:  Bryspun #8s. 

I don’t know that I’ll do another.  I think I like my lace better, but then again, this was very close to mindless knitting.  The Knight could talk to me while I worked on this, Sissy launched herself into the midst of it several times, but I would have preferred socks.

While I have your attention, swing over and check out THIS yarn dyeing tutorial.  The Knight even stopped writing up a work order yesterday to look.  I think if anyone in our house takes up dyeing, it would be the Knight. 

Then, swing over and visit Nichole.    March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.   It’s a disease that has impacted my family too, so more awareness is important for me.

Also, don’t forget Ann’s Sublynnminal Healing.   Her cousin hasn’t had good news of late, so I’ve cast on for my hat.  I hope to finish it in the next few days and send it on its way.

Fredfoot is also calling to me, and I’m sure I’ll accidentally cast on with the Maizy for MJ’s pedicure socks sooner rather than later…

In spinning news, I got a great book in the mail yesterday.  I’d already mentioned Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn but now that I’ve read most of it, I can assure you that if you’re interested in spinning, you *NEED* that book.   It covers everything Barbara taught last week, complete with lots of photos.  I wouldn’t say learning to spin from a book is ideal, but I bet it’s possible with this book and its photos. 

Not that I’m going to take up spinning as a regular hobby…

More Crow?

(Photo stolen from Yarn Market, but downloaded on my server) 

I may have to belly up for more crow.  (Let’s see if Stacey’s  REALLY on hiatus.  The “sounds” of me reach for Noro with my Magic Loop should catch her attention!)  Yarn Market  is tempting me…  It’s called Taiyo, and it’s Silk Garden’s summer “face”.  A bit pricey, at $17.85 for 220 yards, but with wool, silk, cotton and nylon in there with that self-striping goodness, I might have to try just one skein.  Has anyone seen it in person?  While yesterday was heavy on multi-tasking and errands, a little knitting happened.  Anita  and I both have projects we need a little nudge to finish.  So, we’re having a race.  She who finishes first – Anita, her wrap, me, Clappy – wins sock yarn.  I need to get it in gear, because somehow, I totally missed that the KAL  has a deadline of March 31st! 

I’ll be announcing my Bloggiversary tomorrow, a day early, because y’all know I’m not about to usurp Dogs on Thursday.   I don’t have a post for DoT yet, but Sissy’s full of herself this week, so I’m sure something will inspire me.  Of course, there will be a contest.  I have a few special prizes in mind, but need to check with my potential “sources” first.  (Gee, maybe I should wrap this post up and do just that, huh?!) 

On that note, I’m off to secure goodies for y’all to win.

Twins!

Two socks, cast on and off at the same time, on the same needle.  Wee! 

Details: 

Pattern: Pedicure Socks  My second pair, but these were done via Magic Loop, two at a time, courtesy of 2-at-a-time Socks.  I did jump off track and do the heels separately, so the next pair, I’m going to follow one of her patterns to a tee.  Then, I hear there are variations on the 2 socks on one circ theme, so if doing it her way doesn’t seem absolutely perfect, I’ll search out more. 

Yarn:  More Wick.  Can’t get enough of this soy blend.  This is colorway #565.  I really like named colorways better, just in case any yarn makers read my blog.

Needle:  Knitpicks Options Harmony #6, 40″ cable.  I can’t imagine doing two socks on anything shorter than a 40″, but I might have to, because Addis only go down to a #1 that I can find, and KPs only make their tiny sizes in a 32″ cable. 

I cannot tell you how much satisfaction there is in pulling a PAIR of socks off the needle at the same time.  I also didn’t mind all the pushing and pulling as much as I did with my first pair of ML socks – my very first socks EVER, done one at a time.  I think it is comparable to the pushing and pulling with two circs, so I’m now sold on Magic Loop. 

I love this colorway, and hope my friend will too.  It just goes to show that there are no absolutes for me on colors.  I say I don’t like yellow or orange, but they’re both in there, and look great!  I think if I could name this colorway, I’d call it Spring Garden. 

I had another package yesterday.  While chatting about Magic Loop and socks, Ruth offered to trade her 40″ Addis for some 32″ Knitpick metals.  Most of you know Knitpicks are slow shippers, so I hope Ruth doesn’t have to wait too long for my end of the trade!  You’ll see she also included some teas for me to try.  The lavender certainly has my attention, and I think once I hit “publish” here, I’ll try a cup.  Thanks Ruth!  Hopefully soon, we’ll both have sock needles we like.

The weather and Sissy finally cooperated.  There are my first (and only so far) dropped stitches.  After seeing the finished Clapotis yesterday, I’m glad Grace suggested that I do fewer repeats for a summer wrap and to assure that I have enough yarn.   I think I’ll spend the afternoon with Clappy.

That’s just about one skein’s worth.  I don’t think you can see the purple in there, but it’s there.  Blue, yellow, tealish green, and a bright purple are the colors twisted in with the base of blue to form the stripes.  Seeing the completed project yesterday has motivated me, so I think I’ll get to knitting while I’m so inclined. 

Clappy Happy and Castonitis

Did I mention that I joined the Fashionably Late Clapotis KAL?  Well I did, and after TREMENDOUS ado, I settled on a yarn, quite by accident.  I’d forgotten I had the yarn, until Sissy found it for me.  (Don’t ask.)  I cast on last night, and I think the yarn is going to do exactly what I wanted, and it didn’t require any additional purchases!  I wanted something self-striping.  I wanted something light-weight in its feel as I wear it.  I wanted something that would go with absolutely everything I might wear in the spring and summer. Caron Simply Soft Shadows, I thank you.  I’m not going to make apologies for its easy-care fiber content.   My concerns about knitting forever and a day with cotton are behind me.  I don’t have to agonize over a colorway either.  See?!  *THAT* is why we stash…

The color isn’t quite that vivid.  I think it was overcast enough the flash went off, but you get the idea. 

I cast on for clappy last night, because I was just trying the yarn out.  Y’all know I can’t wait to start on Bigfoot, so I guess I don’t have much of a little, portable project right now, which means I might need to cast on for another pair of pediwicks…

If you’ve forgotten, that’s the Fred Yarn, custom-dyed by dear Jessi of Alabama Fiber Dreams.  The sad-looking, used cake is what is left after the Knight’s socks.  The other cake not looking so freshly wound is what I cast on in vain with in my search for the right wrap.  At any rate, I have enough yarn to make a hug me from beyond wrap that will forever comfort me as I think of my Hooey Hound.

In the meantime, while I was discovering yarn I didn’t know I had, I needed to whip out a wee baby hat to make the Knight happy.  I returned to my favorite hat pattern, the Rolled Brim Hat from Knitting for Peace, but they didn’t have an infant size.  So, I guessed.  I cast on 60 stitches in the Oh My! on #7 dpns and ran with it.  Four inches in, I decided to move into the decreases as written, and the rest of the way, I followed the pattern, even adding that cute little i-cord doobee on the top.   It used less than the remaining one skein, so I have a little bit of this left over, but not enough to do anything with.  Sigh.

What do you do with your remnants?