Socks!

Alex's socks were finished last night, and they are already been worn (pictures when he brings them back from his work trip).
The most important thing is that it freed the 2.75mm, so yesterday I cast on for my socks as soon as I bound his off. Yay for socks!

FO: Alex's (finally) socks

Last Thursday, I finally managed to finish another pair of Socks for Alex, the so-called Finally Socks (I'm sure there was a reason for this name). My plan was to finish them for this week, but the knitting gods conspired for me this one time, and finished them ahead of time. Just barely so: they were drying overnight in the sockblockers, and I had to take them (with full sockblocker assembly) into work so they could finish drying. I got some interesting looks!

The socks are made using the Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula (rav), 2.5 mm needles and Zitron Trekking Pro Natura in grey.
The rib pattern is a k3,p1,k1 tbl, p1, over 72 stitches. I started it around the same time as I was working on Bottom's Up, and was loving the tbls, so I decided to incorporate them in the pattern.

I had to knit the cuff of the first sock twice, because it was way too tight the first time (for the cuff pattern, I just turned the middle k in the k3 into a purl). I fixed the problem by knitting 5 rounds of the rib on 2.5mm (as the rest of the body),5 rounds in 2.75mm needles and using a very stretchy bind off, as learnt from making Ishbel (rav) (p2tog, slip stitch back to left needle). This combination of patterns and needles worked very well, giving Alex no problems getting them over the heel, but still staying up.

The k tbl is almost hidden: if you look at the sock, you can mainly see a k4, p1 pattern, but there is a p1, k1 tbl there, I swear! I like that it kind of gives "hidden" stretch. It forms a much tighter rib when it's relatively unstretched, but there is extra hidden there!

Not everthing is high-brow control theory

Some beautiful handspun silk from the wonderful SpindleImp.
Some socks from Alex.
Two, in fact.
Some ridges and ribs for me.

Holy Long John Silver, Batman! She's still knitting!

Unbelievable, I know! My migraines seems to have quiet down a little bit, so I can feel better, knit, read and play more, and then come and post about it here.
Ok, so my knitting time has been severely reduced by Olympos (book) and Lego Batman (for the Wii).

This is my foot modelling Alex's sock. You might remember I had trouble starting up this pattern. I ended up settling for a modified version of the Glob Trotter Socks. I adapted them for my gauge, and made the ribbing over a 4 stitches pattern, instead of 5. They are looking simple, as Alex's wanted them, but the seed stitch ribbing is keeping me entertained.

As well as the sock, I've been working on my Healing Jacket Take 2. I think I will have to frog the first one, but for now I don't need to worry about that. I've been working on this one during the worst of the migraines, which I thought was quite fitting. I've finished the waist decreases already, and I'm about to start the waist increases. The pattern, Knitty's Emerald, has also been modified to take my gauge, so I'm knitting and exciting combination of the sizes M and 2X.


I am quite happy with how it's turning out, especially with the tubular cast-on edge. It does look quite professional!

Ok, that might not be the bestest picture of the cast-on edge ever, but hopefully you will get the idea.

Not passing out!

Today, I have finally manage to:
1) not pass out of exhaustion on the sofa for over an hour as soon as I get home
2) take pictures of my knitting
2 is very strongly related to 1, and they are both an achievement.

I am making socks for Alex, using the pattern An American in China, although in my case they are An Englishman in England. I like making things for him, but socks is what he wants, so I'll just keep making socks! (I have another ball of sock yarn to make him another pair, and plenty of man-socks queued up!).

     

Inspired by this comic (and the next one!), I am making myself a Worry Hat, using a generic hat pattern from Last minute knitted gifts. I am worrying quite a lot about how it's turning out, so hopefully it will be finished soon and I can activate it.


Finally, I have been working on Sizzle, because I want to have it ready before it's too cold to wear, although I guess I could also wear it as a vest. I have already split the neckline, although I think I will have to go to the back again and make the armpits a bit longer. I was surprised when I took the picture of how squat it looked, but it's even longer than my Green Tea, so it must be an illusion created by the fact that it's not yet finished.


I also can't start any new big project until I finish Sizzle. I have a bit of a dilemma on that, as now I want to make Wisteria (for which I have the pattern but not the yarn, although I know which one I want to use) instead of Emerald (for which I do have the yarn). But, if I get the yarn and make Wisteria first, I will feel guilty for not making Emerald. But I want the pretty cables. Etcetera. At least I still have some days to decide!