Thursday, October 29, 2009

Cold and Miserable (but only outside)

Ok, so it's well and truly Fall now. It's been raining on and off for the last two weeks, and the temperature has dropped below 10°C more than a few times. It's time to crank up the needles and knit warm woollies, obviously. If you really want to know about the canoe adventure, leave a comment and I will write it up, but seeing as nobody asked, I'll leave it be. I've got a written record at home of it anyways... Besides, the blog is due for some actual knitting content, so I might as well get on with it. First there's a pair of socks.

noah's ark/the ants go marching

They're either the Noah's Ark or The Ants Go Marching socks. Because all 8 inches of the leg is 2x2 ribbing. I couldn't get away with the cables on the Crossovers, so I decided to suck it up and just do a ton of 2x2 rib in hopes that it would accommodate Marksman's skinny ankles. They were both knit at the same time on a 1.5mm or 1.75mm addi turbo lace needle. I actually like the method, though I'm not sure when the next time I will use it is; I like the striping on my socks to go in the same direction on both socks, and this pair is inverted. Perhaps when I have two balls of yarn instead of one. In any case, they have been secret knitting since I started, and they were supposed to be "discovered" in the sock drawer unawares, but the day I finished them he was out of socks, so I handed them over. He likes them and they fit, so I should be off the "please can I have some socks" hook for a bit. The yarn came from the sale bin at Steveston Crafts and More, so I'm not entirely sure what it is, having lost the ballband ages ago.

Next, there are some tiny aliens.

Aliens!

I discovered them on Ravelry, and I love them dearly. Each takes about 40 minutes from start to finish and the pattern is super simple. They're all made of scrap worsted I have sitting about, some wool, some acrylic. I'm debating making more and turning them into christmas ornaments...

I've also got a new pair of Jaywalkers in progress, in Lana Grossa MegaBoots Stretch.

Drittens

So far, so good, except that the colours didn't land where I wanted them to. Oh well. Better luck on the next sock, perhaps. These were actually started ages ago, but I ripped and restarted earlier in October because my pattern mods weren't working how I had originally planned.

Then, there are the as-yet unfelted Fiber Trends Felted Clogs, made from Patons Classic Merino in grey and teal.

Clogs

I pretty much love this pattern. Other than the annoying counting part, it was super fun to knit, and I love how the sole becomes the sole; it's quite ingenious really. I made the womens' large, because when I started the medium it was coming out far smaller than I expected it to. So they still need a trip through the washer, which I will probably have to go and visit Jake and Susan for, because I don't want to do them in the washer at home, nor the laundromat.

I have two more, and then I think I've totally caught up on all the knitting. There's been no spinning lately, so I should be clear on that one anyways... In any case. There's a scarf which may or may not ever get finished, and a hat, which is complete and got worn for the first time today even though it was still a little damp from last night's blocking party.

The hat is for Marksman, because he lost his toque back in early February on the bus. I had started a new one for him, intending for it to be finished in time to go to Rovent. That didn't happen. The weather got warmer, and the toque imperative was lost. And then it started to get cold again... So I dug out the hat I had started, and determined I didn't like the way it was looking, and started a new one. I've got Charlene Schurch's Mostly Mittens from the library right now, and pulled a mitten chart I liked and turned it into a hat. I actually started with one, and then he tried it on and it was too small, so everything got ripped and restarted. (Those two words seem to be the theme for October's knitting, more on that later.) I ended up using pattern #26, after finding the repeat instead of just the mitten section.

#26 in progress#26 

The in-progress photo is more accurate for colour's sake... I forgot to change the white balance when I was taking pictures inside last night.

Two shades of grey might not seem like the best idea for a geometric patter but they worked out nicely. And it's subtle and manly enough that he likes it, which is the important part. I ended up using leftovers from a bunch of different things on this one. Dark grey from the felted clogs, light grey from a bunch of different things (Emily's mittens, Dad's gloves, and Tristan's jacket are all the same yarn) and the semi-solid grey Smooshy from Marksman's first socks. Now I want to knit myself a new hat, but colourful.

Last but not least, though definitely the oldest, is the Shifting Sands scarf.

IMG_5181
That's going to need a good blocking before it's presentable...

I started this ages and ages ago, back in Australia, and it was far too wide the way it was. So I started it over again, because when we went to my grandparents' for Thanksgiving it ended up being a pretty cold evening, and Marksman asked very nicely if he could have a scarf. I jokingly told him I would teach him to knit and he could make his own, which might still happen, but this one is on the needles just in case. It's a "triple-knit" weight (chunky, I guess?) so I'm not using the pattern exactly as written, but the cable pattern is still the same. It's 8 inches wide and so far about 10 inches long, though of course that will change. Hopefully sooner as opposed to later. But that, friends, is all the knitting :)

2 comments:

KarenDW said...

The Aliens would make a wonderful mobile!

Vanessa said...

The aliens are SOOOO cute. I definitely endorse the Christmas ornament/Christmas gift idea.