random threads

Yes, I have finished several pairs of socks recently, and let several FO Fridays slide by without reporting on them. Time to remedy that situation today.

First, my beloved Rainbow Socks. I think these are my most-favorite socks I’ve ever knit.  You will recall these are knit from Knit Picks sock blanks that I dyed in a class with Sue at Baskets of Yarn. The fit is perfect, the colors glorious, and stitch pattern smooshy just the way I like it. What is not to like about these! Knit toe-up, two-at-a-time using my usual pattern. I finished these the Saturday afternoon of SAFF while I was knitting with the gals at Sue’s booth.

Next, I am working on adapting my pattern for toe-up socks to worsted weight yarn, from my usual fingering weight yarn of choice.  This is because I will be teaching knitting socks, two-at-a-time magic-loop-style at the March 2009 Baskets of Yarn Winter Retreat.  And in a 2 two-hour session format over a single weekend used for this class, Betsey and I agreed that the students would never get to the heel during the weekend if we didn’t use worsted-weight yarn or just knit a sample baby sock. I’m an advocate of getting a useful knitting project finished when taking classes, so boot-socks, house-socks (which I use a lot), here we come!

I have been testing out some yarns as candidates, and have two of my three possibilities now finished.  First up, the Tiger’s Eye Socks, knit in Berroco Geode. A lovely yarn, but not for socks, sorry.  It is a near-single in ply, and too thick and thin for my taste for socks.  Also that fuzziness, for which I am developing a real distaste.  The stitch pattern was a slipped-stitch rib.

So next, I moved onto to the Sunrise-Sunset Socks, knit in Jojoland’s Rhythm.  Much better with a twisted ply for socks.  The loooong color repeats make for some interesting color combinations.  I think if Betsey agrees on this yarn, we’ll limit it to the color choices that do not vary extemely (I knit m23, purple/orange/yellow, and I considered it NOT one of the extreme varations like m09 or m24.)

I used the Roman Rib stitch pattern again, which is one of my favorites. I had to rip back a few times to get the new sizing down when knitting with worsted weight, but I think I have it now.

I have another worsted-weight sock started in a third yarn, but I’ll save that one for another day.

Life is interesting here in Charlotte NC.  For the past two weeks, gasoline has been in short supply.  Last Wednesday the situation got quite bad, in that most all gas stations in the Charlotte area were completely out of gas.  Evidently the gas pipeline servicing Western North Carolina and Charlotte was damaged by Hurricane Ike, and with many refineries in the Gulf Coast not back operating yet due to the hurricanes, this region is hurting.  I only had 3/8ths of a tank of gas on Wednesday after work, so I started hunting for gas.  Of the 18 gas stations in the the Charlotte area I checked only 2 had any gas at all.  The first I saw had lines of 20 to 30 cars.  So I went a bit further afield, to Fort Mill SC, about 20 miles from my home. I found a traffic jam, and these days, a traffic jam is a gas station with gas!

I had to wait about 25 minutes (much better than the 1 to 2 hours or even overnight waiting some people have been doing!) in an orderly line to fill up my tank with my preferred mid-grade gas.  Two Fort Mill policemen were watching and directing traffic to the pumps.  Some gas stations have had fights break out as people are very frustrated.  The price I paid was normal (both SC and NC governers are pledging to prosecute any price-gougers) at $3.99/gallon.  Since then, I’ve been conserving my gas and limiting my driving. I worked from home today to save on gas. Plan to do the same tomorrow, except for a trip to the orthopedic clinic for an MRI of my aching knee.

The mayor and the governor tell us not to top off our tanks, only fill up when you are below 1/4 of a tank to avoid creating artificial demand, and that more supplies of gas will be coming this week.  Hopefully it will be better by mid- or end-of-the-week. Evidently shortages in Western NC mountains are adding to the demand on the Charlotte tank farm, and I hear Raleigh/Triangle area (which is served by a different pipeline) is getting shortages also. However, they are warning us that true normalcy will not return until Columbus Day (October 12th).

I did use the time in the gas line to knit more on my Rainbow socks.  Had to turn on the overhead light in the car as it was after 8pm and dark out.  I’ve turned the heel and starting on the leg now.

This week, I’ve been concentrating my knitting efforts on getting socks to the right stages so I can demonstrate turning the heel and binding off for my Toe Up, Two-at-a-Time class at Baskets of Yarn on October 4th and 18th. So, I have my Roman Rib socks all the way to the 1 inch of plain ribbing at the top, ready to be bound off. I do like this stitch pattern quite well. Easy to do and very cushy!

My Chain Rib socks in hot Regia Crazy Colors are now ready for the heel–the foot gusset is done. This stitch pattern is a bit different: every 4th row you knit in the stitch 3 rows below and drop all the subsequent stitches. It condenses the fabric, such that the sole of the foot is now longer than the top of the foot, even tho’ they have the same number of rows. I think it will fit and wear fine, tho’.
Next, I have been knitting a bit more on my dyed sock blank socks, which I am calling my Rainbow Socks.  This stitch pattern is an alternating 1×1 rib, which I don’t like as well as the Roman Rib. No cush-factor, and the 1×1 rib doesn’t pull in/stretch out very much in width. The colors are pretty and it is interesting to see how the flat color design is represented when knit circularly. First at the toe, there were a lot of green and purple stripes, and now it is mostly orange/yellow with a stripe of purple here or there. Next color section should transition into mostly blues and greens.

Lastly, I have started blocking the Two Musketeers sweater (Athos/Aramis by Norah Gaughan). I always get to this point in garment construction where I need an extra push to complete the garment because I am afraid my work will all be wasted due to poor fit. We’ll see. After soaking and spreading out to block it, the sweater front seems shorter in length and not quite as wide as I thought it would be. I did compare the width to a tank that fits me and the size looks good there, but I do believe I will regret not adding more length. Of course, if the linen/rayon yarn (Berroco Linen Jeans) droops the way cotton does, it may ‘grow’ in wearing to the length I want. Cleo is watching the blocking carefully for any unexpected movements. Smart girl, she knows not to sit on the knitting when it is damp! I removed the temptation from her today while it finishes drying while I am at work and she is unsupervised…

Oh, I had fun on Saturday and the results were spectacular, if I say so myself!  I took a class at Baskets of Yarn, my LYS, on Dying Sock Blanks from dyer/handspinner/polymer clay and all-around artist-extroidinaire Sue Dial.

If you aren’t familiar with sock blanks, they are a flat stockinette-knitted rectangle of fingering-weight sock yarn, which has been machine-knit up with two strands of the yarn at once.  They come in plain white, or some vendors sell already-dyed blanks if you don’t want to tackle the dying yourself.  Knit Picks has been carrying the undyed blanks for several months and has a tutorial on their website about dying them.  Conjoined Creations sells pre-dyed blanks to a variety of retailers, check to see if available near you or at an online store you frequent.  In the class on Saturday, we used undyed ‘Happy Choices’ from Plymouth Yarn, which is 90% superwash merino wool, 10% nylon. Plymouth is also selling pre-dyed blanks.

Sue brought six basic colors of pre-mixed acid dyes, and a ton of foam brushes.  The sock blanks were soaked for about 20-30 minutes in either plain water or in a mix of water and vinegar.  After squeezing most of the liquid out of our blanks, we then set to painting on our blanks, making sure the dye soaked through to the back side. After doing stripes, chevrons, checkerboards, color transitions, dots, and whatever we liked, each blank was wrapped in its plastic wrap, coiled up and placed in a steam bath for 30 minutes. I did an extra sock blank (2 were included in the class=2 pair of matching socks), so I have 3 pairs of socks-to-be in a chevron rainbow, a warm color stripe and a gradation from dark to medium to light blue to light to medium to dark green.

After leaving the steamed blanks still in their plastic cocoons overnight to cool thoroughly ensuring maximum dye absorption and color brightness, I washed them under cool water for a few minutes to make sure all unattached dye was washed out–almost all was absorbed in the yarn. Then they were hung on the fence in the 88 degree weather for a few hours to dry.

The advantage of having two strands of yarn dyed at the same time, means you will have matching socks, and you can knit directly from the blank (no need to re-wind the yarn into balls) two at a time, which, of course is my favorite way: two-at-a-time, toe-up.  I plan to start knitting the rainbow chevron patterned yarn first. Can’t wait to see how it looks different in the sock (but I am trying to finish up my Two Musketeers sweater first), so it may be a week or two before I have any results to show.