random threads

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…

Much progress has been made on the Two Musketeers sweater–I finished the front on Sunday! I have been knitting the neck edging (it is knit as a separate strip and then SEWN! to the neckline.  Not exactly sure how to do that–whip stitch on the wrong side, mattress stitch or ?  I think have sufficient length of the edging (26″) to go around the neck, so the next step is blocking the front and back so I can three-needle bind off the shoulder seams before I sew on the edging.  Then the medallion in the center front is knit. No pics of the finished front yet–it has been raining for two days and a sweater front is too big to photograph in the house. However, I was able to photograph the edging for you. It is similar, but a bit narrower than the sleeves’ edging.

Meanwhile, I am teaching Toe Up socks-two-at-a-time in October again at Baskets of Yarn, so I need to get some sock samples to certain stages for class demos.  I picked up my Roman Rib socks again and began knitting on the leg.  I need to get these to the bind off stage for the second class on October 18th. I do like this stitch pattern–very cushy feel to the knitted fabric, and the 8 row pattern is easy to memorize–half of the rows are all knit!

And, since the Two Musketeers sweaters is near completion, it is time to cast on for the socks made from the rainbow sock blank I dyed ten days ago. I hope to do that tonight. Just have to decide what size needles with this sock yarn and what stitch pattern–maybe US 1’s. I’ll use my usual toe-up pattern.

Before Wednesday slips into Thursday, I’ll post my latest photos of the WIP that is getting the majority of my attention this week–the Two Musketeers Sweater.  So-called because it is a combination of Norah Gaughan’s designs Athos and Aramis.  Basic design is Athos, but I swapped in the elbow-length sleeves from Aramis instead of the small cap sleeves Athos calls for.

I finished the back (lots of mindless stockinette knitting, with just a bit of waist shaping) on Friday, and started on the sleeves on Saturday–I couldn’t face more stockinette for the the front yet.  The Aramis sleeves have an interesting knit band at the bottom of the sleeve.  You knit a strip of 9 stitches wide in a lacey pattern for about 11″, then bind off and pick up 52 stitches along one of the long edges.  Then you knit up to the cap of the sleeve from there.

The sleeves worked up quickly, once I determined ‘large’ needles for my gauge in this pattern is US size 7s not the 9s called for in the pattern.  A bit of ripping and I was underway again.  I finished the first sleeve on Saturday night and the second sleeve on Monday. I started on the front yesterday and have about 3″ knit so far. 5″ needed before I begin the waist decreases.  I also need to wind up the rest of the Berroco Linen Jeans yarn I have–I think I may need to buy more–I think I had 17 or 18 of the 50 gram skeins to begin with, but I am making the longer sleeves and have added a bit to the length.  Hopefully Betsey can order me the same dyelot if she doesn’t have 2 or 3 more skeins in the shop.

I’m hoping to finish this in time to get some wear out of it before the weather turns cold. It is still in the high 80 degrees (Farenheit) around here, so there is hope.

It being Wednesday, time to update you on the knitting in progress.  My passion for small, quick knits continues, and the larger sweater projects are languishing in the knitting bag (my Two musketeers’ sweater Athos/Aremis did a few rows done last Saturday).

With a brief interruption for a dishcloth for my mom (more on that on Friday FO day), I have been knitting bibs, more specifically the Petal Bib from Leigh Radford’s One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit or Crochet book. I had a stash of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK I bought for an afghan project but then rejected as not suitable, so it was just sitting there, awaiting a purpose.  So far I have knit up five of these bibs in the past week, and have picked out another 2 or 3 colors to knit yet more. The yarn is machine washable and quite soft to the touch.

What is it that is so appealing about this project? First, it can be completed in about 2 evenings of my knitting time.  It has sufficient challenge in the knitting itself to keep me entertained rather than bored: increases, short rows, decreasing, i-cord and attached i-cord.  On the negative side, there is a lot of counting in the short rows, and the petals have a tendency to curl up.  Hopefully, once I block the bibs, they’ll lay flatter. I do like the bright solid colors more than the pastel multi-color I made last week.