Java January 16, 2011

I can’t tell you how happy I am.  After many tries, I finally made it into Knitty with my socks, Java!

 

 

I hinted at these socks back in March of 2010.  They were designed during one of my “ribbing periods.”  That’s a (short) length of time where I am obsessed with ribbing.  I think that it’s the bee’s knees.  I think that ribbing is misunderstood.  I think that it will change the face of knitting as we know it.  This usually passes when I remember that, in general, I don’t enjoy actually knitting ribbing.  But, often after a complicated project, I crave the predictability of a ribbed pattern.  Lucky for these socks, the ribbing period coincided with a desire to design men’s socks.  I thought to myself, “What’s more classic than a ribbed dress sock?”

 

 

 

Then the other, bitter part of me said (in a voice like Tim Gunn), “Classic means it’s been done to death.”

With that less-than-helpful advice in my head, I tried to find a balance between interesting and “classic.”  When I was first dating Lowell, he described his criteria for clothes to me.  He told me that colors and bold patterns mattered less than the close-up textures- the small details that weren’t obvious from a distance.  I thought about that idea while I worked on these socks.  I wanted to stick with the spirit of a plain dress sock but to play around with the details.  So these socks have a little caffeinated wiggle every other rib.  From a distance the wiggles look like regular k2 ribs, but the texture is great up close.  Fun to knit, too.  And the gusset isn’t just patterned- the decreases aren’t normal either.  Also, I kept the pattern going down the toes because, well, why not?  Plain toes are no fun!

 

 

 

 

 

I had plenty of fun knitting Java, which is good, because I knit it twice!  Which I suppose is really four times, since there are two socks in each pair.  The men’s pair is made with String Theory Blue Stocking.  I loved working with that yarn.  It has great stitch definition (always a priority for me) and is still soft and lofty.  They’re modeled by Lowell in our kitchen, who was a really good sport about the photo shoot.  The women’s pair is made with Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock which is always a great sock yarn.  The women’s size is modeled by my sister Katie and taken at 3 Cups in Chapel Hill, NC.  They were really nice to let us photograph there (and they only gave us a few funny looks).  Good coffee, too!

 

 

I am over the moon about this.  I think Java is a great pattern and I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did.

 

   

 

 

 

If you’ve just hopped over from Knitty and haven’t been here before, welcome!  Check out the blue menu (top right) for illustrated lists of projects, tutorials, and patterns; the green sidebars have tags and archives, etc.  Enjoy!

 

Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go drool over the rest of this issue!

Rush to the Finish March 10, 2010

The next deadline for submissions to Knitty is March 15.  Yes, Monday.  I can’t show you the submission that I’m working on, but this is the yarn I’m using.  I’m loving it.

 

I have the heel, gusset, and foot of a 10” sock to knit so that I can take publication-quality pictures of the socks on Lowell’s feet.  Oh, yeah, and then I have to write, proof-read, and format the pattern for said socks.  Not to mention write the introduction for the pattern, my bio, and the “cover letter” email.  Before end of day Monday.

 

Oh, did I mention that I’m going out of town this weekend for our anniversary?  (6 years, woo!)

 

Can I do it?

 

I think I can, so long as I don’t royally screw up.  It’s kind of an easy pattern, so I think that’s unlikely— Uh oh.  I shouldn’t have said that. 

 

Maybe I should get back to knitting now.

Titles are hard September 15, 2009

Well, that was an unexpected hiatus.  Let’s see what’s been going on lately.

 

One of my best friends got married (congratulations again!)  I was a bridesmaid and the dresses were strapless, so I knit up a shrug using some yarn that I bought at the Sock Summit for just that purpose.  I was knitting this as we drove to the ceremony- it’s a good thing that the location was so far away!

The yarn is Toe Jammies Merino-Tencel, from Sweet Grass Wool in Mulberry.  I really liked this yarn.  It’s soft with a delightful shine and didn’t split at all.  The pattern for the shrug was pretty much improvised as I knit.  It started circularly, with a few rounds of moss stitch and then a few rounds of Larkspur Lace (which I used in these gloves.)  Then I worked the shrug flat until I nearly went insane the night before the wedding and when my sanity was hanging on by a mere thread, I joined it back in the round and worked the other “sleeve” in the opposite order.  Actually, it was all finished, even with some blocking, by the time I got in the car to leave, but then I stupidly decided that since I had an extra hour I would add a moss stitch border to the flat section.  And I finished it too… except that I wasn’t paying attention when I cast off (there might have been some champagne involved) and the cast off was too tight to get the shrug on.  So I ripped out the border and all was well.

 

Then I rushed to finished a last-minute submission to Knitty.  Unfortunately, if I show you any part of it, I would have to kill you.  So, that will remain a mystery until I hear back from them.  I think I can show you the yarn I used, though, this very pretty Malabrigo Sock in Persia.  The design uses twisted stitches which have become so much of an obsession that I’m actually dreaming about them.

 

After that, I had an unexpected and fun visit from my dad.  We took a day trip to Mt. St. Helens and hiked around there as well as doing some biking closer to home.  We also had a good time being dorks in the Sci Fi Museum.  But there wasn’t much knitting, so I’ll leave it at that.

 

And finally, which brings us up to yesterday, I sent off a submission to Yarn Forward for an issue later this year.  Again, I can’t show you anything but the yarn, which is Cherry Tree Hill’s Sockittome in Loden.  I like this yarn a lot (the stitch definition is great!), although it knit into a very stiff and somewhat scratchy fabric.  After a good, aggressive blocking (a treatment I rarely pull out for socks) the yarn softened up and the fabric became soft and pliable.  Amazingly enough, the socks that I submitted have absolutely zero, nada, no twisted stitches in them!

 

 

In positive news, I just remembered that I have a few patterns all written up from last year that I’ve been saving for this fall.  Those should be up soon!

WRX November 14, 2008

Remember, a few months back, I said I was knitting on some secret projects?  Well, one of them was a project that I submitted to Knitty for the winter edition.  My pattern made it to the final cut… and just didn’t quite make it past that.  Oh well, next time maybe; I’ve got a few ideas.  I’m thrilled that the pattern got so far in the process, really.  This just means that I get to show the project to you now instead of having to wait until mid-December.  It’s been killing me not to show these off!  (And I still have the other designs I submitted to the Knitting-Pattern-a-Day Calendar that I can’t tell you about, oy.)

 

Lowell came to me one day and said that he’d really like fancy driving gloves to match his new WRX. Not one to back down from a challenge- er request, we scoured local yarn shops and the Internet for just the perfect shade of yarn in “Impreza blue” to match the car. He wanted something shiny and, in his words, “fast.” The yarns we decided on were not only an almost perfect color match; they’re also soft and luxurious. I love the natural shine of the silk and silk/wool blend. These gloves are knit with only a few rows of ribbing and then a mesh back adds some sportiness to the gloves. The first glove works across the back of the hand and then the palm; the left glove works across the palm and then the back of the hand. These gloves work up to the color work band shockingly fast. The larger size fits an average man’s hand. The smaller size is about a women’s medium.  They’re pretty stretchy, but be careful to keep the floats loose during the color work. Personally, I think these gloves would look stunning in black and Ferrari red.  (For more information about knitting glove fingers, check out Knitting In Color’s technique posts.)

 

      

WRX

Download the PDF: WRX

• Finished Size: Women’s medium/Men’s medium, circumference 7 1/2", length 5"; Men’s large, circumference 8 1/2", length 6"
• Needles: Size 2 (2.75mm) double-point needles
• Yarn: MC – Argosy Luxury Fibers Hanna Sport, Blue Mills (1 [1] skein) CC: Alchemy Yarns Silk Purse, 36F Lantern (1 [1] skein)
• Extras: Tapestry needle, two stitch markers, 3 6" pieces of smooth scrap yarn or stitch holders
• Gauge: 30 sts/42 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch

Errata: 10/26/10 – fixed some formatting, removed extra Round 8 from Left Glove

Special Stitches

M1R: Insert left needle tip into the strand between stitches from back to front and knit into the front of the loop.

M1L: Insert left needle tip into the strand between stitches from front to back and knit into the back of the loop.

Mesh Pattern:

Round 1: K1, *YO, ssk* over next 18 [20] sts, k1. 

Round 2: Knit

 

Right Glove

Cuff

Using the Twisted German Cast On or the Long Tail Cast On, CO 40 [44] sts. Distribute evenly between the needles.

Join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.

Round 1: *K1, p1* to end.

Repeat Round 1 2 more times.

Round 4: In CC, knit 1 round. (This keeps the “purl dots” of the other color from showing and makes the stripe look smoother).

Round 5: *K1, p1* to end. Break CC.

Round 6: In MC, knit 1 round.

Round 7: *K1, p1* to end.

 

Hand and Thumb Gusset

Round 8: K20 [22], k1, M1L, k10, M1L, k1 to 1 st before the end of the round, M1L, k 1. 3 sts increased. 43 [47] sts.

Round 9: Work Round 1 of Mesh Pattern, then knit to the end of the round.

Round 10: Work Round 2 of Mesh Pattern, then knit to the end of the round.

Repeat Rounds 9-10 1 [2] more times.

Next round: Work next round of Mesh Pattern, place marker, M1R, k1, M1L, place marker, knit to the end of the round.

Work 2 rounds even, working the Mesh Pattern as established.

[Thumb increase round: Work Mesh Pattern to marker, slip marker, M1R, knit to next marker, M1L, slip marker, knit to the end of the round.  2 sts increased.

Work 2 rounds even, working the Mesh Pattern as established.]

Repeat instructions between brackets until there are 15 [19] sts between the markers, ending after the second even round.

Next round: K1, M1L, k18 [20], M1L, k1. Place all sts between the markers on scrap yarn or a stitch holder (markers can be removed now). CO 3 sts, rejoin round, and knit to the end of the round. 15 [19] sts removed, 5 sts increased. 48 [52] sts.

Knit 24 [27], k1, M1L, knit to 1 before the end of the round, M1l, k1. 2 sts increased. 50 [54] sts.

Size L only: Work 1 round even.

 

Swirl Color Work Band (click on the chart to enlarge)

Size S: K13, M1L, k26, M1L, k13, M1L.  2 sts increased. 52 sts.

Size L: K13, M1L, k13, M1L, k13, M1L, k13, M1L, k to end of round.  4 sts increased. 58 sts.

Both sizes: Join CC and work Right Swirl Chart for 15 rounds. The chart within the red lines repeats 3 times.  Work the first 3[5] sts once, then the next 16 sts 3 times, then the last 3[5] sts once.

Next round: K1, k2tog, k20 [23], k2tog, k2, k2tog, k20 [23], k2tog, k1.  4 sts decreased. 48 [54] sts.

Next round: K38 [48]. Place next 10 [12] sts (the last 5 [6] and the first5 [6] of the round) on scrap yarn or a stitch holder for the pinky. CO 2 sts at the end of the round and rejoin in the round.  10 [12] sts removed, 2 sts increased. 40 [48] sts.

Knit 2 rounds.

 

Ring Finger

K6, place the next 28 [31] sts on scrap yarn or a stitch holder, CO 2 [3] sts, k8 [8]. 16 [17] sts.

Work 8 [10] rounds even.

Next round, S: *k1, p1* to the end.

Next round, L: *k1, p1* until 1 st before the end of the round, k1.  (This will keep the edge from curling.)

Bind off sts using EZ’s Sewn Bind Off.

Middle Finger

Return 7 [7] sts from the back of the hand and 7 [7] sts from the palm on the needles.

Join yarn at the back of the hand and k7, CO 3 [2] sts, k7, pick up and knit 4 sts along the cast on edge of the ring finger. 21 [21] sts.

Next round: K1, k2tog, k11, k2tog, k4. 2 sts decreased. 19 sts.

Work 8 [10] rounds even.

Next round: *k1, p1* until 1 st before the end, k1.

Bind off sts using EZ’s Sewn Bind Off.

Index Finger

Return remaining sts to needles.

Join yarn at the back of the hand and k12 [15], pick up and knit 4 sts along the cast on edge of the middle finger.  18 [19] sts.

Next round: K1, k2tog, k8 [9], k2tog, k4. 2 sts decreased. 16 [17] sts.

Work 7 [9] rounds even.

Next round, S: *k1, p1* to the end.

Next round, L: *k1, p1* until 1 st before the end, k1.

Bind off sts using EZ’s Sewn Bind Off.

Pinky

Return pinky sts to needles.

Join yarn at the palm side, k10 [12], pick up and knit 4 sts along the cast on edge of the ring finger. 14 [17] sts.

Next round: K1, k2tog, k4 [7], k2tog, k4.  2 sts decreased. 12 [15] sts.

Work 6 [8] rounds even.

Next round: *k1, p1* until 1 st before the end, k1.

Bind off sts using EZ’s Sewn Bind Off.

Thumb

Return thumb sts to the needles.

Join yarn and k15 [19], pick up and knit 5 sts along the cast on edge of the hand.  20 [24] sts.

Next round: K2, *k2tog, k3 [4],* three times, k2tog, k1 [2].  4 sts decreased. 16 [20 sts.]

Work 8 [10] rounds even.

Next round: *k1, p1* to the end.

Bind off sts using EZ’s Sewn Bind Off.

 

Left Glove

Work Cuff as for Right Glove.

 

Hand and Thumb Gusset

Round 8: K20 [22], k1, M1L, k10, M1L, k1 to 1 st before the end of the round, M1L, k 1.  3 sts increased. 43 [47] sts.

Round 8: K1, M1L, k8 [10], M1L, k8 [10] M1L, k26 [26]. 3 sts increased. 43 [47] sts.

Round 9: K 22 [25], then work Round 1 of Mesh Pattern.

Round 10: K22 [25], then work Round 2 of Mesh Pattern.

Repeat Rounds 9-10 1 [2] more times.

Next round: k21 [24], place marker, M1R, k1, M1L, place marker, work next round of Mesh Pattern.

Work 2 rounds even, working the Mesh Pattern as established.

[Thumb increase round: Work Mesh Pattern to marker, slip marker, M1R, knit to next marker, M1L, slip marker, knit to the end of the round.

Work 2 rounds even, working the Mesh Pattern as established.]

Repeat instructions between brackets until there are 15 [19] sts between the markers, ending after the second even round.

Next round: K1, M1L, k18 [20], M1L, k1. Place all sts between the markers on scrap yarn or a stitch holder (markers can be removed now). CO 3 sts, rejoin round, and knit to the end of the round. 15 [19] sts removed, 5 sts increased. 48 [52] sts.

Size L only: Work 1 round even.

 

Swirl Color Work Band (click on the chart above to enlarge)

Size S: K13, M1L, k26, M1L, k13, M1L. 2 sts increased.  52 sts.

Size L: K13, M1L, k13, M1L, k13, M1L, k13, M1L, k to end of round. 4 sts increased.  58 sts.

Both sizes: Join CC and work Left Swirl Chart for 15 rounds.  The chart within the red lines repeats 3 times.  Work the first 3[5] sts once, then the next 16 sts 3 times, then the last 3[5] sts once.

Next round: K1, k2tog, k20 [23], k2tog, k2, k2tog, k20 [23], k2tog, k1.  4 sts decreased. 48 [54] sts.

Next round: K38 [48]. Place next 10 [12] sts (the last 5 [6] and the first 5 [6] of the round) on scrap yarn or a stitch holder for the pinky. CO 2 sts at the end of the round and rejoin in the round. 10 [12] sts removed, 2 sts increased. 40 [48] sts.

Knit 2 rounds.

Next round: K38 [48]. Place next 10 [12] sts (the last 5 [6] and the first5 [6] of the round) on scrap yarn or a stitch holder for the pinky. CO 2 sts at the end of the round and rejoin in the round. 10 [12] sts removed, 2 sts increased. 40 [48] sts.

Knit 2 rounds.

Work the fingers and thumb for the left glove the same as for the right glove.

 

Finishing

Weave in all ends. Use tails and/or left over yarn to conceal any holes around the base of the fingers.  Lightly steam block if desired.

 

 

Please Note: I post my patterns as soon as I’ve completed them because I’m excited to share them with you. They have not been fully tested, but they are free. I’ve made every effort to make sure that the instructions are clear and error-free. There may be typos or pattern mistakes and if you find them or have any questions, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me, dailyskein at gmail.com.

 

This work by Cailyn Meyer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

The Ghost of FOs Past June 25, 2008

So, it’s been busy around here. But, really, where isn’t everyone busy? My in-laws are coming to visit next week, which I’m really excited about. I get to do all the things we never do on our own, like take a ferry and visit Pike Place and drive down to Mt. Rainier and maybe go to a baseball game (I don’t really care about the Mariners, but think of the knitting time! And the snacks, or course!) You know, I think this paragraph holds some sort of Daily Skein record for “Most Links in Fewest Sentences.” Or maybe it’s just an unoriginal Seattle tourism ad, lol. We’re going to do lots of other things too.

As I mentioned earlier, things are busy. As much as I’m excited for their visit, in-laws coming does mean a lot of cleaning. Mainly of the fiber room- I mean, guest room. Right now, it’s fairly trashed from my recent spate of sewing projects and my periodic stash divings to find inspirtation. I haven’t had as much time for knitting, between the cleaning and errands during the day (not to mention exercising) and being busy at night…

I may not have mentioned yet, but I am a huge geek. I love playing video games and sci-fi and math. I even combined all these loves into knitting with my Space Invader gloves, which were my first colorwork project (and full of mistakes.) They’re made from Knit Picks Palette and very much inspired by the BMP socks on Knitty and Eunny Jang’s Endpaper Mitts. They turned out slightly too narrow, so all the invaders look like they’ve been stepped on when I’m wearing them. The shooter and spaceship on top are done in duplicate stitch but the invaders are stranded. Some of the floats are really long and because the grey and black are such a contrast you can easily see the spots where I had to twist the yarns. But I did learn a lot and tried not to make the same mistakes on my Snowflake Gloves.

Like I said, big geek and proud of it. DH and I particularly love playing video games together. We used to play World of Warcraft and now we’re playing Age of Conan together. It’s taking up a lot of our evenings, but it’s so much fun! Anyway, my evening knitting time has been reduced to loading screens and bathroom breaks (his, not mine!) I have started a new project with the Pagewood yarn from Accidental Yarnage. I am so totally in love with this yarn that it’s not even funny. It’s phenomenal; it slides easily on my bamboo needles, it doesn’t split, it’s springy and soft, the colors are rich, and the stitch definition is great! I adore this yarn. I’m not going to tell you what I’m working on right now, but here’s a teaser (well, it’s not much of a teaser- I bet you can figure it out, even from the bad picture.)

To keep you amused while I finish these unspecified items, I thought I’d show off some of my early projects. These’ll eventually make their way to the Knitting Gallery.

Ah, my first project. Well, my first project from my knitting renaissance. I’m sure some of my original garter stitch doll scarves are still around at my mom’s house; I’ll have to take some pictures the next time I visit her. This, if you can’t tell, is the Calorimetry from Knitty. I decided that this would be a fun and simple first project that wouldn’t bore me to tears. It’s done in some cheap DK acrylic. I had pretty much forgotten anything I’d learned when I was ten about knitting. As you can see, I ended up knitting almost every stitch twisted! I did figure it out eventually, though, and I ended up remaking it in a nice 100% wool.

Continuing on chronologically, there are 2 projects that I can’t find to take pictures of. They’re here somewhere… they probably just fell behind the shelf or something. I wanted a pair of slippers that weren’t too warm, so I tried Lacanau in worsted acrylic (at the time, I didn’t really know the differences between fibers, but I quickly learned that I don’t like pure acrylic on my feet.) I then moved on to Widdershins in Panda Wool. I knit the first sock in a heartbeat, trying it on constantly. It fit like a dream. You can imagine my dismay when I cast off and could no longer get the sock over my ankle! Brokenhearted and determined, I ripped the sock out, went up a needle size, and tried again. Since I didn’t realize that the problem was the cast off edge, not the sock, the second sock had the exact same problem as the first. I figured out the problem, but now I was sick of knitting that pattern and I gave up on it. I switched to top-down socks and didn’t knit another toe-up sock for a long time.

Finally, a success story! My first completed pair of socks (although the second sock is missing right now.) Thuja, knitted in Lion Brand Wool Ease that I had lying around from a crochet project. My only problem with these socks was that Wool Ease can be very slippery on aluminum needles- my stitches slid all over the place! Oh, and I picked up the heel stitches rather wonkily. I’ve gotten much better at that now; picking up stitches is one of my favorite part of knitting socks! These socks are a little big, but they’re wearable. Can you tell I really loved looking at Knitty when I first started knitting again? 🙂

Will our intrepid author ever knit something that’s not from Knitty? Tune in next time: same knit time, same knit channel!