Knitters (and others): goings on

[drloretta]

Anyone doing any projects to coincide with the Olympics? I don't have time for the Ravellenic Games, but I am making this cowl

Also Sock Madness 12 starts in March, and the first warmup pattern is out. If anyone is interested, check out Sock Madness Forever on Ravelry

In other news, for my 50th(!) birthday my H is treating me to a knitting retreat weekend at WEBS in MA. I'm a little nervous as I won't know anyone, but excited to learn new stuff and buy yarn!

[Captain Catnip]

I'm on a local ravellenics team. I'm working on WIP "dancing" and making a hat or two. Maybe attempting a shawl but not positive. I'm so jealous of your retreat! I just told H a week or so ago I want to do one at some point.

[mala]

I'm trying to finish up some socks before sock madness starts. My only goal is to knit the qualifier. I have no ambitions beyond that, since my due date is April 4th.

[mala]

Also, I really like the warm up pattern and even though I"m not going to knit it right now, I do think I'm going to have to do it when I have the chance.

[Captain Catnip]

Friday AM I was about 50% done with the mittens here. I finished them last night. They were a Xmas gift that just didn't get done in time because of technical difficulties (needle split...) 

(I have no idea why H is holding his hands like he is.) Hopefully the recipient likes them; he did get a preview when I was halfway done with the first mitten. Of course, the weather is supposed to be IN THE 60s the next week...:\ There's always next year, right?

(I might scream if he moves back to FL...)

[bunnies]

I just started knitting in October and I'm finishing up my 3rd pair of socks tomorrow! Squee! Knitting socks has been a long term goal since I picked up crochet again a few years ago. :-)

[mala]

Feb 11, 2018 2:35:08 GMT -5 bunnies said:

I just started knitting in October and I'm finishing up my 3rd pair of socks tomorrow! Squee! Knitting socks has been a long term goal since I picked up crochet again a few years ago. :-)

Woah! Go you! Zero to three pairs of socks that fast is awesome. I'm trying to teach my friend how to knit socks. She's been knitting for 10 years but has been too intimidated by small gauge and knitting the round to venture out. I finally got her out of her comfort zone with kitting in the round this fall (she did a bunch of worsted weight finger-less gloves) and I JUST got her to start on her first sock last week.

[Captain Catnip]

mala, bunnies, socks was one of the first things I knit, and I made 2 pairs. I have 1 single sock done and will eventually make the second, but I just recently discovered both magic loop AND two-at-a-time socks on magic loop. It is going so much faster. I need to figure out a heel I like, though, because I don't love flaps and afterthought was a bit much. I'm hoping I enjoy short row.

[mala]

Feb 11, 2018 11:55:11 GMT -5 Captain Catnip said:

mala, bunnies, socks was one of the first things I knit, and I made 2 pairs. I have 1 single sock done and will eventually make the second, but I just recently discovered both magic loop AND two-at-a-time socks on magic loop. It is going so much faster. I need to figure out a heel I like, though, because I don't love flaps and afterthought was a bit much. I'm hoping I enjoy short row.

I don't like flap heels either, though I'll do them in a pinch. I actually like afterthought heels, what is it you don't like about them? I've only done short row heels once, but I do remember I didn't care for it. I did one sock with a modified Sweet Tomato heel (http://catbordhi.com/books/cats-sweet-tomato-heel-socks-3/) and I liked the fit a lot but I haven't forked over the money to buy the pattern book for the heel yet.

I think I'm the only weirdo who doesn't like magic loop, and prefers DPN for socks.

[Captain Catnip]

Feb 11, 2018 14:02:00 GMT -5 mala said:

Feb 11, 2018 11:55:11 GMT -5 Captain Catnip said:

mala, bunnies, socks was one of the first things I knit, and I made 2 pairs. I have 1 single sock done and will eventually make the second, but I just recently discovered both magic loop AND two-at-a-time socks on magic loop. It is going so much faster. I need to figure out a heel I like, though, because I don't love flaps and afterthought was a bit much. I'm hoping I enjoy short row.

I don't like flap heels either, though I'll do them in a pinch. I actually like afterthought heels, what is it you don't like about them? I've only done short row heels once, but I do remember I didn't care for it. I did one sock with a modified Sweet Tomato heel (http://catbordhi.com/books/cats-sweet-tomato-heel-socks-3/) and I liked the fit a lot but I haven't forked over the money to buy the pattern book for the heel yet.

I think I'm the only weirdo who doesn't like magic loop, and prefers DPN for socks.

I don't like magic loop generally, but started using it on things that three see two of and I can do TAAT. So...socks and I have a pair of fingerless mitts I'm going to try. I still love my DPNs.

eta: I'm not sure what I didn't like about it aside from it being afterthought lol. I think I prefer knitting the heel during the sock body.

[aprilsails]

Feb 11, 2018 16:11:33 GMT -5 Captain Catnip said:

Feb 11, 2018 14:02:00 GMT -5 mala said:

I don't like flap heels either, though I'll do them in a pinch. I actually like afterthought heels, what is it you don't like about them? I've only done short row heels once, but I do remember I didn't care for it. I did one sock with a modified Sweet Tomato heel (http://catbordhi.com/books/cats-sweet-tomato-heel-socks-3/) and I liked the fit a lot but I haven't forked over the money to buy the pattern book for the heel yet.

I think I'm the only weirdo who doesn't like magic loop, and prefers DPN for socks.

I don't like magic loop generally, but started using it on things that three see two of and I can do TAAT. So...socks and I have a pair of fingerless mitts I'm going to try. I still love my DPNs.

eta: I'm not sure what I didn't like about it aside from it being afterthought lol. I think I prefer knitting the heel during the sock body.

I prefer knitting two at a time with the magic loop method as well, but I have friends who swear by double pointed needles.
My favourite heel is the Fish Kiss Lips heel, which is a short row heel. I hate the flap and don’t think it fits me as well. I also don’t like making a gusset or any of that nonsense. I mostly knit super plain socks though. I’m very boring and go for speed!

[Captain Catnip]

aprilsails, I bought the FLK pattern but haven't felt like doing the measurements yet. :S The pair of socks I am making now is just a plain vanilla sock. I also am liking the toe up definitely, but we'll see how this pair turns out. If I am doing something more in depth pattern wise, I'd rather it be a shawl or hopefully eventually a sweater.

[bunnies]

Captain Catnip mala Thank Y'all! I've been working on a 9" circular and love it. All the knitting I've done so far as been in the round. I haven't knit on straight needles yet, lol. My first sock was cuff down with flap heel, it was okay. My second is toe up with German short rows toe and heel. It fits better and I prefer this method! I want to try the Fish Lips Heel next! :-)

[mrs.jacinthe]

I'm trying to finish about 6 WIPs at once, but Saturday I took some time ahead of Stitches West to dig out all the yarn in my stash, figure out whether or not it's on Ravelry (spoiler alert, most of it wasn't, sigh), and get it organized and purged. There's definitely some cheap yarn I'm going to be dropping off at Goodwill this week - I don't even love it enough to put in the effort to rehome it myself.

Spreading my stash out on our (king-sized) bed should have been shameful, but it wasn't. It was rather glorious. LOL

[Captain Catnip]

My last Ravellenics item is blocking now. H and I are going out later so i'll get buttons then. This had long sleeves on the pattern but I ended up keeping cap sleeves so it's a bit more versatile. 

ETA: I've never knit any kind of sweater before, and before I started the one I bought the stuff for for myself I thought I should start on a smaller scale. Since my sister's childhood BFF is having a baby girl, and I had this yarn staring at me with no projects, I figured why not! Took me 4 days.

[Captain Catnip]

Finished it and put buttons on it!

[audette]

I really should wander to this page more often...


My latest crazy idea is a reproduction of a 12/13th century Egyptian sock. I've been grabbing all the info I can find about what they were like, mostly from online museum collections and a few papers that folks have written about examining the original items that are housed in museum collections...


I have a few working theories, so now I'm in the testing phase of the project, where I'm seeing how I can make something work that results in what I am seeing in the original items. I've finished the first test, which I think tells me the knitting technique I need to use. Now I'm testing out a heel concept I'm working on (there seemed to be two types of heels in the original items, so I'm trying one type first, and then, if I figure it out quickly, the other style). Next up are toe options. And then charting the colour patterns in the original items, and finally knitting up one.

Oh yeah, the originals were all knit in cotton, at 10-18 stitches per inch. In colourwork.



I'm hoping to display it at a thing I'm going to on April 21st. We'll see if I can make it. *crosses fingers*