Written Out Mermaids Lagoon Sock Chart.

If you are following the chart from Knitty.com or you want to but have problems with charts, here is the written format. (Note* there are four repeats per round of the chart per round).

Row 1)*SSK,YO,K1,YO,K3,K2tog,K1,SSK,K3,YO,K1,YO,K2tog* Rep. to end.
Row 2 and all other even Rows)K all Sts.
Row 3)*SSK,YO,SSK,YO,K2,K2tog,K1,SSK,K2,YO,K2tog,YO,K2tog* Rep. to end.
Row 5)*SSK,YO,K1,YO,K1,YO,K1,K2tog,K1,SKK,K1,YO,K1,YO,K1,YO,K2tog* Rep. to end.
Row 7)*SSK,YO,SSK,YO,SSK,YO,K2tog,K1,SSK,YO,K2tog,YO,K2tog,YO,K2tog* Rep. to end.
Row 9)*SSK,YO,K4,YO,Sk2po,YO,K4,YO,K2tog* Rep. to end.
Row 11)*K2,YO,K11,YO,K2* Rep. to end.
Row 12)K all sts.

Mer Socks

There were a couple of things I wanted to add to the Mermaid Socks, among them is this:

This was the original chart (note that unnumbered rounds are knit). I knit the socks off this chart (although I did much swatching with the other chart), I thought I would provide it to the masses incase they prefered this, note* this chart only goes for when working all sts tbl.

I’m also going to be putting up the written charts soonish, as I understand some do not like or get charts. This will probably happen after I get over the evil stomach flu that has kept me from life for the last day ish.

It’s here!

The Mermaid’s Lagoon Socks (which I’ve been hinting at like an elephant in a china shop) have landed.
So go check em out, knit a couple pairs, have fun with them, cause I did.

Plagues, carding, socks, and Poe.

Can’t keep my mind from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earthbound misfit, I
- Pink Floyd

Okay, I started the Waterlily Top. I found my 9mm circs and boom, a skien was knit up, and now I’m onto skein two, because really… what else is there to do with ones evening? (Don’t mention the homework or the impending letter of intent please).
I also finished spinning up 4 oz. of the Ram that I had processed. It came out in a grey/blue kind of color and then I navajo plyed it. I tend to like the ram in a more worsted woolen aran weight anyway.
This however means I need to card something. There is an itch in my soul for carding and oh yes it shall be done.
The Thelonius socks by Cookie A. are still on the needles Sock #1 was finished two days ago and sock two is well into the pattern. I’m useing the “Night’s Plutonian Shore” colorway from the Poe Club that Violet (of Lime and Violet/Happy Housewife) and Cables and Lace are doing. They’re actually taller than I had expected but the generous helping of yarn will surely make the pair (there probably won’t be much left though).
I’ve given up the ghost as far as attempting to keep myself on only five projects this summer. I throw caution to the wind, let the startitis plague me I do not care. Eventually everything will get knit and eventually everything will get spun, so while I’m busy decluttering and destashing my life, I will just have to accept that the stash of fibre stays no matter what (we will not speak of the acrylic – it serves it’s purpose).

bouncing off of clouds

While the top secret project has demanded a fair amount of my time and minimal photography skills don’t assume I haven’t been busy.
As part of my 101 I wanted to knit six different Cookie A patterns, so here is number two, as I did two pair of pomas recently. It’s the red Herring pattern, I’m calling these my socialist socks, or the communistas. The first one is done, I haven’t weaved the ends in yet but you get the picture (literally). I may do the second one in opposing colors just for a change. It could be fun. Either way I may need to buy more black as it is running much lower than the red. Also a factor in the opposing color for the second sock.

This here is my new pen (a Lamy) and my Andre scarf thus far. I find all the colorwork very intense and really if it weren’t Andre I doubt I would have made it this far, but I want it, and that keeps me trudgeing along in a line. Once I get the the solid black circular knitting I’ll laugh but right now it hurts my brain.
It seems like my color pallet has become blindsided by black and red but I’m also working on a brown cardigan and the blue top secret project.
I also got a bag of stuff off to good will today, which made me feel better (better out than in my tiny apartment). Slowly I’m clawing my way out of the mess that is my life and apartment. slowly.
But now I have a gazillion pages to read for classes so I am going to go, and if i get half of it done you better believe I’ll be knitting.

Hot Chocolate and Essay Breaks.

As you can see I’ve been spinning. Well I’ve been spinning and doing lots of knitting, but most of the knitting won’t be seen on here until after it’s gifted away. This lovely skein is my first time spinning BFL, and also my first large try at navajo plying. I gotta say after having done the whole roving navajo that I really like the color graduation as averse to the barberpole, don’t get me wrong I still like the barber pole, but the overall color transitions are magnificent. There’s roughly 121 grams there, enough to do something with.
This here is Fibermonster (http://fibermonster.etsy.com) in the colorway “Stained Glass”. I spun it as medium thin singles, and really think that this yarn wants to be a cowl. I’ve been hunting down a good pattern for after I’m done the christmas knitting, and then ooh boy will I be in a spin of knitting shit for me (THATS RIGHT ME). As much as I love knitting in general and therefor take pleasure in knitting for others, I’m getting sick of this knitting for others. Just sayin. I wanna keep some of my socks.
Since I blogged about the fibermoster batts together last time I figured I’d show the spun up versions together as well. This is the sunrise colorway and I want to have it’s babies. Seriously I could buy a pound of this, I LOVE it. It too is a single and it’s a medium to heavy yarn. It may become a hat, a panta, I’m not quite sure yet, It’s that skein you have that you love so much you never want to knit. I was trying out the long draw method gleaned from Amy during stitch and bitch when she brough her Louet to show off. (Yes I drooled copiously and she even let me spin some).
Speaking of socks I don’t get to keep, this here is a pair of Pomatomus that I do not get to keep. They are also maniaclly too big for me. I hope the recipiant likes them as much as I got frustrated with them. Nothing against them but the pattern was way too involved for this time of year for me. A nice way of saying they drove me batshit insane.

So this is october

Here are some commissioned knits awaiting their new home. It’s safe in the bookshelf. Three pairs of men’s socks. Next up, or already started should i say are the two pairs for Janelle, harder to make but maybe I need that to stay awake in classes. These three pairs however are done and waiting. I gave myself a deadline to make them and came in in good time so yay.
As you can see I’ve been working on that 101 things, here are some grasses waiting to be stuffed and eyeballed, all the neiclings and nephling are getting one for x-mass. I’m going with the rule of four for x-mass. Then I’ll pad what I have with more if I need to or feel I need to. But for now I’m two and a half grasses done. That’s right I’m accomplishing things even in the haze of books.
If you think it’s been all knitting in my world you’d be wrong o. I have been spinning too. I finished this bobbin last weekend, and am spinning it’s accomplice at the moment. It’s stuff I dyed myself so I’m attached to it on many levels, it doesn’t know what it wants to be yet. It’ll tell me when it feels like. I’ve still got a skein that needs to be set. I’m going to wait until i have a few skiens to set before I go all set crazy and have an apartment that smells of wet sheep. Kinda makes the cats nutty. Just sayin. They all stand in the bathroom mewling at the hanging yarn, which is strange cause they generally ignore all yarn. I have good cats that way, they have no urge to play with it, only errant strings.

And last but not least, a hat. Yes it’s a strange hat, maybe that’s why I made it/like it. It’s modified from cosymakes geometric helmet hat pattern. I used hand spun silk/merino handdyed with elderberries plyed with silk hankie spun and romney spun, basically a mishmash of things. It looks a little odd, like me. And it hides a multitude of hair sins, since the hair and I are not getting along lately. But I think I’ll make a semi-normal hat to go with as well, and another beret…. okay so I’ve been on a bit of a “I NEED TO MAKE HATS NOW” kick.

Socks and Shawls oh my.

The swallowtail shawl (pictured here) is going again, as you can see. I stopped again to work on the Top Secret Mother’s Day Present, but that is finished so its back to Auntie Donna socks and the Swallowtail. The shawl has been ripped once already (it was once long ago the MS3 shawl but I wasn’t a fan of the second half of the shawl so rrrrip.

This is the Auntie Donna socks, the first sock is now done, the second sock is awaiting it’s start (sorry the picture is old but whatever). Again they got stalled for mothers day (that project just needs to be blocked and then it should be ready). I’m happy to be going back to socks and shawls but the urge to cast on is strong, seriously, but I want to finish more things before I start another big project. Getting job has significantly changed my ability to knit and my time so I’m sure the summer will prove to be a slower time in Sadieville knitting. Sad I know. But so it goes.

Since the papers have landed.

I Know I haven’t been posting much, what can I say six papers in two weeks and finals to boot (I question my sanity daily).
But here is Nutkin which I started in the Koigu, it’s goregous. And the pattern is fabulously easy to memorize. It’s the perfect sock pattern, I’m putting it up there with the Monkey socks in my mind.
Until the storm is over I bid thee good knitting.

The haul

Mom got this kit so I could knit it up for her. It’s definatly a mom thing. The color is actually a creamy beige and very shiny. It should be fun to knit, the pattern itself seems easy which is nice since I have little brain power at the moment thanks to finals+papers season.
Okay, so mom went to help auntie Donna and uncle Mike move to B.C. and since i was under the influence of the mutant flu from hell she brought me back some yarn… okay a shwack load of yarn. So in order of appearance. The fuschia cascade heritage.
Followed by beatle modeling the lovely Tofutsies in a browny/tan colorway, she really liked the tofutsies because they smell like cat treats to her, not that I can smell it but I could tell she was impressed. I think she’s made the Tofutsies her fave, I have yet to knit with it but I am excited since it’s something we don’t get here in Regina town. The colors are interesting, I shall have to find an adiquate pattern. I’ll surf the net and check the books I have around, I may just go with a traditional sock to see how the colors work.
The verigated Cascade Heritage in a lovely red/wine and blue stripe kind of colorway, again modeled by Beatle (in fact all yarns seem to be modeled by her, but how could I resist the photo-op. She didn’t much mind and liked sniffing all the yarns so I take it as a win win situation. These colors seem indicative of my mother, perhaps she is trying to tell me something… perhaps she wants a new pair of knit socks….
The blue is for Auntie Donna, she bought it and sent it home with mom for another custom pair. If i keep this up my whole family will become addicted to the greatness that is the knit sock. And then Stephanie Pearl-McPhee will truely be proud.
Here we see the shaded green cascade, reminds me of a forest, I am tempted to do Baudilaires (by cookie a) with it. It’s definatly muted enough to support an intricate pattern.
And this is the other set of Tofutsies that was gotten. I like the brightness of the colorways. Again Beatle would like to express that she is fond of this particular stuff.