February 4, 2008

• Finally!

  As you may or may not be aware, tomorrow is Mardi Gras. It's kind of a big deal in Louisiana, and so we have three whole days off of school! Woohoo! Of course, this means that our profs have given us extra work, because heaven forbid we have any fun or catch up on other stuff that needs to be done, but it also means it's a tad bit easier to squeeze in some concentrated knitting time between problem sets. As I've mentioned before, I tend to pick projects that are portable and don't require much concentration so they can be knit on the bus, but occasionally there are parts of the pattern that require focus and a place to sit that is not careening around corners. WIPs tend to pile up when they hit that point, and they sort of hang over my head, nagging to be finished. I'm happy to report that two of those nagging WIPs are now FOs! Yay!

  

  Yarn: Lion Brand's Magic Stripes in Color #207, purchased on sale when the Hancock Fabrics in CS went out of business.  It's an ok yarn, but not the softest I've ever used.  The self-striping aspect is awesome though! =)

  

  Pattern: The Yarn Harlot's Generic Sock Recipe from Knitting Rules! A great recipe that I highly recommend for first socks. The rest of the book is great, too - you won't regret purchasing it!

  

  The only thing I don't like about these socks is the bagginess around the ankles. I have really skinny ankles (which I love) and didn't take that into account. I decreased from my CO of 64 sts to 60 sts about halfway down the leg to try to add some shaping, but they need more decreases to fit properly. Alternatively, in the future, I might just keep the ribbing going all the way down to the foot on generic socks like these, and pick patterns that are ribbing- or cable-based when I want fancy socks. Here's one more gratuitous action photo:

  

  (Ravelers, project page here.)

  On to the second FO:

  

  Yarn: SWTC's Karaoke, a 50% wool, 50% soysilk blend. It's a soft yarn that's very pretty, but very frustrating to work with. It's poorly spun and so it tears a lot while knitting, even without being under much tension. I thought this might be just a problem with my ball, but I saw that many other people mentioned this in the comments on the yarn page (sorry, link is for Ravelers only). It also biases a bit, which can be seen in the edge of each rib. So, as pretty as it is, I probably won't use it again, except maybe for felted projects where the biasing won't show, and the many ends to weave in will be hidden better. The color variation is quite nice though, and subtle. You can see it best in this pic:

  

  See how it's brighter pink on each end, and more cranberry-colored in the middle? It varied in a matching pattern on both hands, which made me happy. =)

  

  Pattern: Cheryl Niamath's Fetching, published at knitty.com. A great pattern, and a quick knit, unless you catch Second Wrister Syndrome (very closely related to Second Sock Syndrome). I had a pretty bad case, so these took me about a year from start to finish. In actual knitting time, it's only a few hours.  (Ravelers, project page here.)

  It's been my observation that knitters are the only people who really 'get' fingerless gloves, aka wristers.  Yeah, they look sort of 80's, but they are so tremendously practical; I use them much more often than actual mittens or gloves.  They are perfect for slightly chilly days, and for the many hours I spend working on the computer or on homework in cold buildings.  So don't hate.

  And speaking of homework, it's time to get back to it.  Hope you have a Happy Mardi Gras!!! =)

  • 10:28 pm
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