On and off the needles

I finished the first pair of socks using the Fish Lips Kiss heel method.  I like it.

I like the FLK method enough that I have already started a second pair of socks, and will use the FLK again.

This pair will not be quite as 'identical', as I started one a little further into the pale yarn than the other.  Close enough. 

Fish Lips Kiss heel socks - On The Needles

Trying another new (at least to me) method of doing sock heels.  This one has the very imaginative name of Fish Lips Kiss, because of the way it looks when finished. Personally, I don't see it, but I think I like the method.  I have just finished the heels on a pair of socks which I am doing two at a time, toe up on two needles. It is a short-row method without wrapping or counting.  Very straight forward once you understand how to make the twin stitch and the twin purl and do so properly each time (guess who kept forgetting the which way to mount the stitch? urgh, senior brain syndrome).

This method also uses a footprint, similar to Cat Bordhi's footprint to correctly size the sock and to indicate where to end toe increases and where to begin the heel. I do like this, my socks fit so much better with footprints.

The sock on the right has the footprint in the sock, showing how it will fit on my foot. The socks are the same size, the left one just looks smaller because it doesn't have the cardboard footprint.

The footprint, which is a tracing of my foot, has a line indicating where to stop making toe increases, and one (determined by ankle bone) of where to begin the heel. The designer also includes a way to double check that you have placed things correctly by doing some calculations, hence the dotted line on the heel.  The white bits you see curling around the edges at the toe end are the ends of a mailing label that is on the other side, on which I have recorded the type of yarn, size of needles, etc. for future reference. When I use this method for a different size yarn, I'll add another label.

If you are interested in giving this a try the method/instructions/pattern info:

Fish Lips Kiss Heel

by Sox Therapist

Published in

Sox Therapy: The Joy of Heeling

Sox Therapist's Ravelry Store

Be aware that this is instructions for making the footprint and how to make the heel, with explanations of why this works. It is not a line by line pattern for a whole sock.  The cost is only a dollar, for me it was well worth it. There is also a Ravelry group "Sox Therapy" in which designer participates and will answer questions, should they arise.

Check out:On the Needles to see what other knitters  are doing.

Soleful Socks on the needles

Back in January I found a new book on knitted socks, one with a new type of architecture.  I keep trying new ways, because anytime I can find something a little easier means I can just make more, with the added advantage of learning something new and pleasing the little gray cells.

This book is Soleful Socks by  Betty Salpekar.  The method is neither toes up or cuff down.  One begins by creating the sole and then continuing on up over the top of the foot and up the leg.

I misread (or just misinterpreted) the decrease instructions when I started onto the tops.  What emerged greatly resembled the snout of a rhinoceros!  I was fortunate to find a group dedicated to this book/method on Ravelry and was able to contact the author to ask what I may have done wrong.  Betty lives in a neighboring town and suggested we meet for coffee and 'knitting'.  

On St. Patrick's Day I met her at a Starbucks and had one of the most delightful times I can recall. We recognized each other right off-must have had that knitterly look.  I started laughing, I pointed out that we were dressed alike, with the same colored turtlenecks and the same color coats, additionally, we both have the same color hair and eyes.

After chatting about many things for quite a while, we dragged out my rhino sock and her teaching samples.  Betty was able to discern where I had gone wrong and point me in the right direction.  Let me say I have seldom met someone more generous and enjoyable than Betty.

Making the corrections involved ripping out many rows, all the way back to the sole. Thankfully, I had used a lifeline - how apt.  I have since made some progress, but am stalled out because of some life issues that intervened.  

 

The turquoise is the lifeline and is placed through the stitches of the final row of sole stitches

Moving up the foot to the ankle and leg

Recently, Knitty has published one of Betty's Soleful patterns, one that doesn't appear in the book. If you like trying new types of socks, or just hate heels, you might want to take a look at the article, or check with your library for the book.

See more knitting projects on JudyL's blog.
 

While I haven't been posting, I have made a few things. 

One was a knitted hat that I had hoped to give to one of my sons.  I found the pattern and checked on the projects page at Ravelry to see what others had done.  I was glad that I did, as it was almost unanimous that the instructions as written made the hat too shallow.  I read how several others adjusted to fix this problem and did likewise.  For me, it is still too shallow/short. If I try again, I will make it much deeper.  Had I followed the directions to the letter, I would have had a cabled yarmulke, which is not what I was going for.

Another project was a Reading and Knit Along on one of the Rav groups, the book being a Miss Marple mystery and the project was named Miss Marple Scarf. I liked that it threaded through itself so that it would fit warmly around the neck and STAY there. Where it narrows and appears to be ribbed it is actually two layers, so one pointed end can thread through. Unfortunately, scarf met new puppy, fun for puppy, not so good for the scarf.  Guess I'll just have to make another. 

An ending and a beginning

  

In March, our little Silky Terrier Mac crossed the rainbow bridge. He was really a little dog that was all personality, and the house was unspeakably empty and quiet without him. We had decided that he would be our last dog, but the empty stillness was unbearable.

 Enter Eli.

Playing with the Grandsons

Catching up, part Deux

In the fall, we joined some of our camping friends for an outing in Tennessee.  It was very good to reconnect. It was only possible because the group selected a campground in a park that also has a motel. Since we no longer have our motorhome, we booked a room for a couple of days, as did a few others so that we could still enjoy ‘camping’ with our friends.

The outing was at Fall Creek Falls, TN. It had cottages, the motel and 3 campgrounds. I believe it also had a golf course.

      Our own patio

 We always eat well with this group

 This is the way we camp these days:

Catching up

Is anyone still out there?? It is obvious that I haven’t posted in quite a while. If you are still out there and reading, I will attempt to catch up and then be more regular in posting.

This past year was  quite …interesting. I haven’t done any quilting and little knitting. I just haven’t had the inclination to do anything when I had any free time.

About this time last year, MOTH (Man of the House) wound up in the ER with a problem that could have gone very, very bad. It required surgery and a number of weeks of post-surgical care (by me, at home, thank goodness not in hospital) and a very restricted diet.

Just about the time that MOTH was given the go-ahead to resume normal living, our youngest grandson turned one. He and grandfather warmed up for the birthday party by.....taking a nap! Such party animals.

 

That led us into the fall, whereupon our youngest son had some alarming symptoms which required tests before he was issued a clean bill of health. That was just behind him when he was car-jacked at gunpoint.  The thief also took his phone, wallet and keys, so that left his home at risk while we scurried to change locks and ask the police to patrol the neighborhood for a few days. His car became a celebrity of sorts when it was noticed by the police and led them on a chase through the city before coming to an abrupt stop and making the nightly news. Good news, car was recovered after about a week, bad news, it needed repairs. A few months later, same son was laid off from work. He found and started a new job just before his unemployment ran out.

During all this time, I have had a few health issues of my own to work on. I am grateful that following the directives worked for me and one issue has greatly improved. The second will require some surgery next week, and I am hopeful that I will be given an all clear shortly.

The year wasn’t all bad, we had some very good family times. It was heartwarming to see the way our sons rushed in to help when MOTH was hospitalized.  We also had a lot of time with the grandchildren.

more to follow......

On the needles for May 17, 2013

Actually, it is off the  needles and being blocked.  The Faroese style shawl made from leftover sock yarn.  My gauge is way off, but it still made a fair size shawl. I must knit really, really tight.  So, the shawl is finished, just in time for 80 degree weather, but it will be waiting when the winter chill returns.

On the needles for April 26, 2013

After making the socks that I have been posting about since January, I have a lot of leftover sock yarn hanging around.  I decided that before I make any more socks, I’d try to finish off those pieces.  I found a free pattern on Ravelry, specifically designed to use up leftover sock yarn.  I’m less than half way thru this shawl.  The designer alternated between garter and stockinette on the stripes, but since it starts out with over 500 stitches, I’m just knitting. No way am I going to purl  rows of 500 + stitches, not even using the Norwegian purl, which causes much less cramping for my hands.

Some of the yarns were self striping, the turquoise is the most obvious of these, and as you can see, doing something too much larger than a sock really eliminates the stripes.  The pattern is Leftovers Faroese Shawl, it uses approx. 1600 yds of yarn. For mine, I’m alternating the leftovers with a few skeins of solid purple that I had on hand….one of those “oohh, I like this, I’ll figure out something to make from it later” purchases.

Two more pairs of socks completed

I still have one pair on the needles, ready for the heel turn.  That makes 6 pairs finished since the beginning of the year.  I was hoping to make a dent in my sock yarn stash, it is more of a dimple.  I’ve also started a shawl out of the leftover sock yarns, we shall see what that looks like, if it goes from a ‘Joseph’s coat of may colors’ to a coat of way too many colors, I will try over-dying it, but probably not as I only plan on wearing it around the house.

Finished some socks

I have been knitting away, finished these socks:

and have turned the heels in two other pair, working up the legs on them. For me, this is tremendous, as I have been known to take more than a year to knit just one pair (can you say distracted?)

Of course, there have been distractions, namely this handsome gent:

When he comes to visit, everything else ceases to exist, all attention is on him!

On the needles Feb 22 2013

 

It has been a long while since I posted. Flue, holidays, lots of time with the new grandbaby and whatnot, but I have spent some time with my fibers.

This week I finished two pair of socks:

The purple pair is Deborah Norvillee, Serenity sock weight yarn, color ‘violas’

This one is Cherry Tree Hill’s Supersocke DK, color Champlain Sunset

I knit socks two at a time, toe up. I’ve tried a few different methods of starting the toe, usually using the Judy’s Magic Cast On, which is a very good method, but awkward for me, I feel all thumbs.  With these socks I tried Cat Bordhi’s variation on the Judy’s method, and it works better for me. It is the method she describes in her E-book on Sweet Tomato Heels and her book Personal Footprints for Insouciant Knitters.

I also used the Sweet Tomato Heels for these socks, and followed Cat’s instructions for fitting the socks to my foot. I’m very pleased with these methods, they seem to fit well, be relatively easy for me to execute, and produce good results (barring my own ‘creative’ moments).

Currently I am keeping several on the needles at various stages, so I can get some variety when I start to get bored.

The dark pair is Brown Sheep Company Wildefoote , color Rhapsody.  The turquoise with pink and orange is a self striping Online Supersock 100, color Holiday. The final pair, which is ready for the heel, is Paton's Kroy Socks FX, cascade colors.

Stop over at Patchwork Times to see what other knitters are working on.

Design Wall on Easy Street–Dec. 17, 2012

In spite of MOTH being quite ill for the last two weeks, and me having jury duty,I’m all caught up on Easy Street. It looks like Easy street is going to be a bright, happy place to be.  Now to get ready for the holiday……

 

Stop on over to Patchwork Times and to Quiltville to see what other quilters are up to.

Design Wall Monday on Easy Street–Dec. 3.

Just a few pieces from my Easy Street mystery quilt.  Hope to get this posted before I head out the door at 0-dark-thirty to make the public transportation connections for jury duty.  I’m in the burbs, the courthouse is in downtown Atlanta, not looking forward to it at all.

Check in at Patchwork Times and Quiltville to see what others are working on.

Design Wall on Easy Street

Yes, I plan to be working on Bonnie Hunter’s new mystery quilt “Easy Street”.  Bonnie is using Lime, Aqua and Purple, with a gray “Constant” and black and white background.  I’ve done a lot of purple, or purple and green as well as some aqua recently, so I’ll be using different colors.  While trying to come up with colors to use, I noticed the Palette Challenge for November that Judy L and Vickie have issued.  Decision made, I will use colors from that palette.

I will use black and white for the background as Bonnie is doing. My constant is still being considered. I wanted something more towards the brown than towards the orange, something more like caramel, but both of these match the colors in the given palette. Unfortunately, the flash sort of bleaches out the fabrics.  I think the color of the fabric on the left is shown more accurately in the photo above, I think that is the one I will be using.

Stop in at Patchwork times and Quiltville to see what is happening on Design Walls and Easy Street.

On the Needles on Black Friday, 2012

On the needles this week is a pair of socks which I am working two at a time, toe up. They have been on the needles a long time, as I started them on a camping trip last year, packed them away to come home and then……forgot about them!  After working the clogs in a double strand of worsted weight yarn, sock weight seems to take soooooo long.

Meanwhile, I did finish knitting and assembling the clogs. I still need to felt them, but will have to borrow someone’s top loading washer for that. Here they are, along with the left over yarn.

Hmmm, I’m sensing a theme here.  Do you suppose I might like purple??

Stop in at Patchwork Times for more knitting inspirations.