Death arrived last Wednesday, 13 February, 2008. My cat looks really concerned.

This was a quick competition for many of the knitters, but the last time I looked there were at least 80 people still in play (that’s as of last Friday.) So, it was fun. This lovely blue hat is a smidge small for me, but the kidlets have both presented cogent arguments as to why *they* should be the one to claim the hat. What’s a mom to do? I’ll probably knit another and let them duke it out.

Here’s a close-up of the new beauty. Thanks, Tanyalezibeth!

Time for a little show and tell. This time, I’ll show you what got sent off to my Hogwarts Sock Swap pal.

Meet Mirabella.

I spent a lot of time monkeying with the pattern at first, because I couldn’t seem to get anything to look right. I finally realized that I needed a smaller needle and more stitches, which was a problem with the lace and cables. After investigating several other cabling options, I decided to widen the lace panel to 21 stitches.

It all worked out, thank goodness.My favorite part of these socks is the twisted stitches up the side, which I accented by using the toe/cuff color.

Started:	October 2007
Finished:	October 2007
Pattern:	Mirabella by Mary Joy Gumayagay
Yarn:	VanCalcar Acres Sock Yarn
Needles:	Skakel size 0
Notes:	Modified to work on 64 stitches with a size 0 needle. Modified lace to 21 stitches instead of 17. Cuffs: worked 12 rows of k2p2 ribbing. Didn’t work k2tog on each side of last row before cuff; instead, k2tog on each side of cable in stockinette on back to allow cable to flow into ribbing.

The other “must haves” for the swap were yarn, a pattern, and a bookmark. I found a lovely blue and purple handpainted yarn at my LYS, and included a Red Bird Knits fair isle pattern in the box.

For the bookmark, I chose Ravenclaw-colored beads from my local beading place. The brown bead is agate, and the blue/bronze one is porcelain. The bookmark came together quickly and looks useful – I see more of these in my future. The pattern for the book mark was Book Thong.

Finally, I sewed up a quick knitting bag in house colors. This drawstring bag is based on the Yarnmonster’s bag tutorial. Instead of leaving an opening for the drawstring in the top seam, I put buttonholes on either side of the outer bag and fed opposing drawstrings through. I’ve always liked the ‘cinch it from both sides’ kind of bag.

I’d show you photos, but we had a drive failure and I lost about 10 days of photos. Ah, well.

That’s it! I’m done with swaps for a while; time to sit back and knit for my family for a bit.

Hey, y’all. Long time no see.

I’ve been busy for a bit, but couldn’t show you any of the yumminess because it was all destined for my swap buddy, the wonderful Duchess of Gravity. So, I thought I’d start back in again by showing you what the Duchess sent in my Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 goody bag. It showed up on time near the end of October… I’m just this late with the show-and-tell. Lookie!

I’m pleased as can be. See the pretty socks? Okay, they were prettier before I stretched ‘em all out of shape by wearing them yesterday, but still. The cathedral bookmark reminds me of my mom, and the bag is pure genius. The yarn? Yummy, squishy Louet Gems in just the right color to go with jeans, and plain enough to show off any lace or cables I throw at it. Mmmmm. Oh, sorry, my mind drifted for a bit there.

It took me a while to hunt up everything for this photo, as the patterns were in a pile where I’d been showing them off, the socks were in my room, the bag has my current project in it… well, you get the idea. Her pattern choices were fun. I received Cookie’s Gothic Spires pattern – which I’ve been fighting the urge to cast on since I opened the package – and a lovely mosaic pattern that I’ve never seen before called Ode to Eames.

Thanks, dear Duchess, for such a fun swap.

In other news, I’ve been swatching for Rogue. I *had* been swatching for Eris, but you can only go down so many needles sizes with Aran-weight yarn. I was knitting it on US-2′s and STILL not getting gauge. At that point, it occurred to me that buying the pattern for Rogue – which I’ve ogled from afar for many years – was cheaper than buying new yarn for Eris.

So, swatchy-swatchy. I got perfect flat-knitting gauge with a US-6. I’m certain that watching the swatch will sufficiently screw it up; we’ll see. I don’t have US-6 circulars to swatch on, so I guess I’ll have to shop.

Have a great weekend, everyone. It’s a three-day weekend for our family, and I plan to snuggle in and enjoy it to the fullest.

Have you ever had a conversation with a child who is utterly convinced he’s right? As the sensible adult, you lay out a reasonable argument and then lead the child through the conversation to the inescapable conclusion that lies beyond. The child, who has been down this path before, can sense the conclusion looming. He doesn’t quite know how you’re going to lead him to it, but he knows it’s there. So, he does the only thing he can think of… he digs in his heels and denies everything. The sky is blue? No… more of an interesting shade of gray. Water wet? Well, let’s leave it at perhaps-a-bit-more-than-damp, Mom.

As the mother of two seven year old boys, I experience this sort of thing a lot. Last week, I experienced it from the other side. The part of the reasonable adult was played by my sock yarn, while the mantle of the recalcitrant child was assumed by the only adult in this house that plays with yarn on a regular basis. The conversation went something like this:

Yarn: Oh! Hrmmm, my fabric isn’t lying as flat as it could. I have some wobbly stitches, don’t I?

Me: Wow, I’ve never done a whirlpool toe before. Maybe it’s affecting the tension. Look how interesting, though. I’ll do the toe again, and make sure to tighten the middle more. It’ll be fine.

Yarn: Dear, it’s quite possible that you’ll need to correct the wobbliness by going down a needle…

Me: Hey! Look! New whirlpool toe – look how nice the middle is this time. Pretty. Let’s start the foot.

Yarn: I don’t mean to interrupt, but there are still some wobbly…

Me: Oh, that’s just a whirlpool toe thing. It’ll be fine.

Yarn: …

Me (an inch and a half later): Well, maybe the whirlpool toe just doesn’t look good with you…

And so it went. Through a few more toe attempts, I pushed off my well-intentioned yarn because I knew what that inescapable conclusion was. For me, this yarn needs to be knit on a size 0 needle. When I finally gave in, it was rather a relief.

The next argument, about how best to short-row in a yarn that shows everything, was much shorter. I don’t know whether I was beaten down from the first go-round, or whether I’m actually learning. I’ll opt for the latter.

Three short row toes later, and I’m pretty happy. I know a few new toes and a bunch of ways to do short rows that I’d never tried before. But, most importantly, the yarn and I are finally getting along.

Saturday at my house. A little too hot, but who am I to complain? I have central air.

I’ve been knitting here and there, in fits and starts. I made it to my very first knitterly meetup this week, and was pleasantly surprised. I’m quite looking forward to doing it again next month.

Last week, I received my copy of New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi. A lovely book; it’s worth its price to me already, as she explained where I was going wrong on my short-row heels and toes. One side of my sock always shows the wraps, and I kept telling myself that I’d sit down and fiddle until I figure out what I need to do to hide them. You know, on the next pair of socks. But, voila, Cat did it for me (thanks!)

Also, this little baby practice sock was a fun knit:

The practice Coriolis sock from the book, knit from Patons Classic Wool Merino in “New Denim” on size US 6 needles. I’ll be experimenting with ideas from this book for years to come, and what else can I ask from a knitting book?

And, last but certainly not least, the newest pair of socks on my needles: Hogwarts Sock Swap II socks. I’m not going to tell you how many patterns I’ve selected and thrown out, or how many times I’ve started this toe. Frankly, I couldn’t tell you at this point, as I’ve blocked it out.

Knit on!

I finally took my Hogwarts Sock Swap (1) goodies outside for photographing today, so here’s a little show-and-tell. Behold the gorgeous Fawkes Socks Mel of Knit Frog Repeat made me. I think the colors and pattern represent Fawkes perfectly. I also received these cute Gryffindor stitch markers:

A Ravenclaw eagle, yarn and needles, an owl, and a Gryffindor lion. Cute, no? They’re hanging from my new lovely Crystal Palace bamboo needles. I hope the needles and I get along; they’re so pretty I’d hate to snap them with my… erm… enthusiastic knitting style.

Also in the package was this yummy yarn from Tempted Hand Painted Yarns in the ‘Sundance’ colorway. I’m thinking some colorwork against a black background is in store for this skein.

So, that’s the recap for Hogwarts Sock Swap 1. Thanks again, Mel, for the lovely package.

Oh! It’s Saturday. Today’s sky was leaden gray. Here’s a sky from about a week ago…

Happy Weekend, everyone.

I seem to have slipped and hit the sign up button for the second round of this swap on my way to the floor. Oh, dear.

Hogwarts 2nd Year Questionnaire:

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Hufflepuff. Absolutely no idea how that happened. I briefly contemplated citing Slytherin or Ravelclaw just for the colors, but that would be cheating. 2. Shoe size? Foot length? Foot circumference? US 6, 9 1/4 inches (23.5 cm) long, 8 inches (20.3 cm) around.

3. List your three favorite sock yarns.

Can I be honest here? I haven’t USED a lot of sock yarn yet. The one I’ve used more than any other is the sock yarn from Dave at Cabin Cove Mercantile. If it’s superwash, or a superwash blend, I’m in. My skin reacts in a violent way to all other animal fibers, with the possible exception of alpaca, which I haven’t tried. So, please no blends that contain mohair, angora, or wool that has not been superwash-treated. My tootsies thank you.

4. Would you like to try a new brand of sock yarn? If so, which brand?

Hmmm. I’ve heard lovely things about Cherry Tree Hill, but I haven’t tried them yet.

5. Do you prefer variegated or solid sock yarn?

I lean toward variegation within a color family / almost solid if I’m working anything intricate, so that the pattern will show well. Truth be told, if the colors are pretty, I’ll buy it even if it’s wild. Wild socks match everything.

6. What colors would you like to add to your sock yarn stash?

I need more blues. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a darkish red. Ooh, green is nice. Purple is one of my favorite colors. I love color. Anything, anything!

7. What kind of sock patterns do you gravitate toward? Lace? Ribbed? Fair Isle?

I love it all. I like highly textured and complex socks. I’d love to do something along the lines of the Bird Foot socks. Intricate cables or lace would be fun, too.

8. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, animals, etc.)

I have animal allergies. Fur or feathers? I’m allergic. That said, I have found a stray cat hair or two in some of my hand-dyed purchased yarn, and it hasn’t affected me at all.

I DO have a strong skin reaction to non-superwash wool and other animal fibers. Oh, did I mention that already? I’ll hush now.

9. Will your socks be exposed to cigarette smoke or animals as you knit them?

Nope! But, let me know if you’re allergic to 7-year-old boy. They’ll be exposed to a bunch.

10. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?

Absolutely!

Well, my Hogwarts package is wending its way to my swap partner. I actually cracked out the sewing machine and whipped up a sock bag to send along. I used this great tutorial from 2paw. I must have made some sort of error with the size of my top and bottom circles, because it really gathered. Other than that, I’m happy with the bag. It’s the perfect size for socks in progress. The top is embellished with the HP logo, and the handle has a little-known spell for summoning fleece: Accio velius!

Hi all! No Saturday Sky today, as I was frantically running about doing errands before our big camping trip to the mountains. Lovely clouds, though, and we actually got a smidgeon of rain. In what is becoming a bad habit, here’s a sky from earlier this month. It’s pretty much what we saw today.

I’m working my way through the River Valley socks – I’ve never done a toe-up gusset & heel flap before. I rather like it! I’m heading up the cuff of the first sock.

My Hogwarts socks have been languishing around, waiting for a good blocking. Since THAT isn’t happening anytime soon, I decided to take a quick picture of them. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact I needed proof of a June sock for SAM3. Here they are…

The color’s not true.

Started:	24 May 2007
Finished:	15 June 2007
Pattern:	Loosely followed Tiptoe Through the Tulips pattern with my own modifications. Fair isle charted from sock picture in this entry of the Yarn Harlot’s blog.
Yarn:	Knit Picks Essential in Black – about 20 grams. Knit Picks bare that I dyed in shades of golden yellow – about 58 grams.
Needles:	Addi Skakel dpns, size 0 for cuff, 1 for regular work, and 2 for fair isle.

Today’s sky is blue, with just a cloud here or there if you really search. More exciting is this cheater sky from this May in the Smokies.

I found out today that I won the Fantasy (Yarn) Island contest over at Crafting Morrighana’s. I’m really excited – I haven’t won anything in decades! Well, except for my hubby, but that wasn’t really a write-in sort of contest.

In knitting news, I’ve started on a pair of River Valley socks with a nice subtly shaded dark blue yarn from Cabin Cove. A pair of socks for me, me, ME! I love the pattern, but I’m thinking I need to drop down a needle size. So, I have some experimentation to do there.

I spent the morning designing a pair of sock blockers so I can block my Hogwarts socks in style. I haven’t cut out or prepared the blockers yet; if the next picture you see is the Hogwarts socks on purchased blockers, you’ll know how it went.