Eisaku Noro, you are an evil, evil man. How dare you make such beautiful things possible, knowing we lowly knitters will be unable to resist them.
I am completely and hopelessly addicted to my Stripy Kureyon Scarf. I started knitting it at about 11 PM last night, and as of 4 PM today, it's already 28" long. I can't put the damn thing down, I keep wanting to see what colors come out of the skein next (the element of surprise being heightened by using a center-pull ball).
Kureyon is kind of notorious for being scratchy, but I soaked it for a bit (how-to here) and it's now quite a bit better. It's also softening noticeably as I knit it, and hopefully it will continue to improve with wear.
I'm using one ball each of #213 and #207. Pre-knitting shot:
#213 is the purple/green/orange skein and #207 is the blue/green one.
Finally finished these drat things last night. This is the last time I make socks for a guy with a size 11 foot in a light fingering (really closer to laceweight) yarn.
Stats:
Pattern- Gentleman's Sock with Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks (Interweave Press, by Nancy Bush)
Yarn- Southwest Trading Company TOFUtsies, in color #720 (Sweep You Off Your Feet)
Needle-set of 4 US 1 DPNs
Size- leg is 7" long, foot is 10.5" long, 9" circumference
I love the sock. I love the pattern and yarn. The one thing I don't love is how long they took to finish, even though I shortened the leg. Hopefully they'll last him forever.
The grapes in the sock picture are Muscadines from my arbor. They're native to Florida and were used by the Spaniards to make the first wines in the US.
Muscadines are sweet-tasting when ripe and have a hard skin that cracks audibly when you bite into it. You don't eat the skin or seeds, just the flesh. Birds and raccoons LOVE them and it's usually a battle for us to pick them after they turn sweet but before the critters do.
The two shown in the picture are sort of smallish for my vine, they're usually a bit larger. I've seen grapes the size of ping-pong balls, though mine don't get that big.
Here's another shot:
I wasn't planning on writing a post until later, but I'm stuck home until it stops storming (I am NOT walking two miles to the library with lightning less than a mile away), so here I am.
Sometimes we fall in love with a yarn, eyes meet from across a crowded LYS. It's beautiful, the colors are so vibrant, the thick/thin texture is so pretty, I want to rub it on my face... OH MY GOD IT FEELS LIKE SANDPAPER. And then it's all you can do to not drop it on the floor and run away screaming.
Ever had that happen to you? Yeah, me too.
Well, all hope is not lost for you and your beautiful stranger. With the right care and a few tricks, you can get her scrubbed up and presentable. It won't turn the roughest of yarns into soft silk, but it will be a huge improvement.
Loop me, Skein Me
How is your yarn put up? If it's already in hanks, you're all set! Skip this step and move on to the next one. If it's in a skein or ball, you've got a little bit of work ahead.
Grab two chairs out of the dining room and place them back to back, about a foot apart. Or use a swift, if you're lucky enough to have one. Wrap the yarn around the chairs in a big loop (not too tight) until you reach the end of the ball. Cut a few pieces of scrap yarn and tie them around the yarn, so it doesn't get tangled and stays in a nice loop shape.
I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of my... Yarn
Now it's time to wash.
There are lots of commercial washing products out there. Soak is one popular example. However, I've found the cheapest and easiest method is conditioner. Yes, the same stuff you use on your hair.
Run a sink (or bathtub if you have a lot of wool) full of cool water. Mix in a few drops of conditioner (I use about two drops per gallon) and swish around to get it all mixed together. Drop in your big yarn loop, and push it under the surface of the water for a moment to get all the air bubbles out.
Pina Colada time!
Take a break and let the wool soak for about half an hour.
When time's up, come back and get your yarn. You may see some of the dye bled into the water, but that's normal and not something to worry about (unless there's so much left that you could dye another 10 skeins). Wrap your yarn up in a towel and gently squeeze out the excess moisture. Don't twist or wring it, as this could break the fibers.
Now hang your loop up to dry. The towel bar works well, as does the shower head. Anywhere that it's not going to drip on your rug. It might take some time to dry out completely, but resist the urge to take it down until it's completely dry, or you risk mold. And that's gross, homes.
Final Step
All done! Doesn't it feel much better? Yeah, probably going to be much more pleasant to knit with after this.
Now you can twist it up to make a hank, or just wind into a ball and start knitting straight away. Enjoy!
I am very, very proud of myself today. I completed my first start-to-finish project, from roving to knitted item.
Photo progression, from roving to yarn to headband:
The roving is a black-and-white striped mill end from The Sheep Shed Studio. It came as a "free gift" when I ordered two pounds of white roving. I'd guess it weighed about 4 ounces, give or take a few.
The yarn I've decided to call Moki, after one of the white tigers at Busch Gardens Tampa. I met him last week :3
Yarn stats:
- Woolen-spun (meaning the fibers go every which way instead of being combed to go in the same direction, resulting in a loftier, fuzzier yarn)
- 2 Ply
- Thick-and-thin and slubby (the thinnest parts are laceweight, thickest are super bulky. I'd say it's a bulky on average)
- 100% wool
- Spun on a drop spindle
- 38 yards per 4 oz
- Knits to 11 sts/4 inches on size 10 needles
- Ravelry page
Headband stats:
- 3" wide
- 20" long (stretches to fit my 24" head)
- Size 10 needles (OK, one 9 and one 10, I couldn't find a pair of either... you caught me.)
- Uses 27 yards
- Knit as a rectangle with two ends grafted together
- Slipped stitch edge
- Makes me lust for the mountains.
- Ravelry page
How many months until winter?
