Well that sure went quickly. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of ups and downs. We are in the process of buying a home, so much of my knitting time was eaten up by doing paperwork and back and forth emails with the realtor and everyone else involved. Add to that the election and some upsetting news from several fronts, and a trip to DC…well you get the idea. I do have some progress, and a few finished objects. Also I subscribed to yarnbox socks, so I want to show you what I got from them, now that the spoiler deadline has passed. Onward and upward, as they say.
The trip to DC was to attend a ball in celebration of the 241st birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Attending an annual ball is definitely the one of the better perks of being a Marine spouse. I wore a navy sequined cowl neck gown with my knitted Risoni silk shawl.
On The Needles: I started my next basic sock. This pair is being knit with my new Blue Moon Fibers Socks That Rock Light in Byron Lee Typsy. I am using size 1 dpns. So far so good. I am doing a 2 x 2 rib for
the cuff. I like the way the yarn is knitting up. It is going to have a nice spiral effect. I am using a digital row counter as I knit so I will be certain that the socks are the same size. This time, I am using the Basic Sock Instruction for 8 stitches per inch from the Ann Budd book, Getting Started Knitting Socks.
The Stone Croft Shawl by Judy Marples is knitting up nicely. I love the way the Dragonfly Fibers Damsel Starry Night really does knit up to look like the Van Gogh painting. I am so in love with this yarn. Not particularly the way it feels, but the colors are amazing. I am knitting the shawl on knitpicks size 4 circular needles.
My mom’s sweater is looking pretty good. I am well into the shoulder decreases for the armpit, and I have begun the front neck detail. I still think the yarn might not have enough body for the design, but it is dreamy to work with and it feels lovely on the skin. The pattern is Corrina by Ann McCauley, and the yarn is Jade Sapphire Silk/Cashmere 2 ply in rememberance.
Finished Objects: I finished my Ragg socks. They even fit. I do believe they are a fairly close match. I had to go back and count rows to be sure. In hindsight, I don’t think this sock pattern was a good choice for someone who has never knit a sock before. The pattern was Basic Adult-Size Worsted Weight Ragg Wool Flap and Gusset Sock. I knit it out of Cascade 220 superwash in orange. I do love the color of the socks for fall. I am looking forward to getting further along on my next socks. I have a very good feeling about the Ann Budd sock pattern.
I wove in the ends and blocked my three latest dishcloths. I think my favorite is the Fatcat Dishcloth by Judith Prindle. It was so much fun, I am going to make another one in grey yarn to match our cat, Wolfgang. The dishcloths are all gift knitting, and I think if I get started on this concept a little earlier next year, I will have a ton of grab and go hostess and other holiday gifts in our BOC. (bag of crap)
Yarnbox: I joined the sock club at Yarnbox.com. They have three different clubs available for subscription. The other two are Yarnbox Classic and Yarnbox Luxe. I chose the sock version because I am on this sock adventure. Here is how it works. You choose your color preferences, how bright or muted you like your colors, let them know which colors, if any, to never send. I put pink and brown. I hardly ever wear pink, and browns don’t interest me so much. They try to stick to your preferences as much as possible. My first two shipments have been basically red, but they are straying dangerously close to pink. After adding your preferences, you enter your shipping and billing information. For 19.95 plus shipping, you get a lovely hand-dyed yarn and a cool bookmark with a picture of the pattern of the month and all of the download information. The yarn comes in this cool mailing pouch. I am sorry to say that the name “Yarnbox” is a bit of a misnomer, as the yarn does not come in a box. I am not complaining. The mailing pouch uses fewer resources.
Inside the yarn is lovingly wrapped in white tissue.
October’s shipment to me was Lattes & Llamas Masquerade yarn. It is an 80% Bluefaced Leicaster and 20% Silk Fingering Weight yarn. My colorway is called, “Mount Doom”. Doesn’t that just suit the mood of the past week? The hank contains 400 yards. Find more information at www.lattesandllamas.com
The pattern of the month is Space Age Sock by Kristen Hall. I am not ready to attempt it yet, but I am going to use this yarn for my next basic sock.
That is all for this week. I should have a lot to show next week. The kid is playing in an all day chess tournament on Sunday. I always bring knitting. Until next time and happy knitting. Spread love and joy wherever you go.
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