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I'm so busy with ring stuff today, that I haven't had time to photograph my LL socks, but I finished them last night. Yeah!
Look at that asymetric, purple-y goodness! Yep, I started the Debbie Bliss sweater in the new Cathay yarn. And I have to say that I do like the yarn quite a bit despite my prejudice against cotton. I couldn't knit for hours on this, mind you, but an hour here and there will be fine. And the design is just wonderful. So far the pattern has been clear and without errors. Yeah!
And what's this? A little wool to give my wrists and mind a rest. Good old felted bag comfort. It's like the mac & cheese of knitting for me. This is my latest design, and if all goes well it should be available in about a month. I'll post more soon!
And a big thank you for Lisa over at blogdogblog for this wonderful gift! It's Opal Royal. First of all, I have never knit with Opal before, so I'm quite excited about that. And secondly it's sparkly! The colors are just perfect for me too. I can't wait to finish my Lorna's socks now so that I can cast on with this yarn! Thanks Lisa!
Marjane Satrapi has a new book coming out on April 19th! It's called Embroideries and is said to be a look into the sex lives of Iranian women. Satrapi worte & illustrated two of my *favorite* books from last year (well, I read them last year), Persepolis & Persepolis 2. If you haven't read them already, I *highly* recommend them! I can't wait for the new book to be released. After reading her other two books, I was left wanting more. She's that good!
I have been knitting too. Pictures tomorrow!
I always like to keep a list of books handy for trips to the library or bookstore. Here is my current list (in no particular order):
American Pastoral by Philip Roth -- Why? I recently read The Plot Against America and enjoyed it. This book also won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1998.
Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer -- Why? This book won the Hugo Award in 2003 and I'm a sucker for good sci-fi. I'm actually reading this book now and loving it.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson -- Why? Several people I know have read this book and recommended it. In addition, one of the main story lines is about Daniel H. Burnham, a huge name in Chicago architecture and the girl in me who minored in architectural history would love this.
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson -- Why? From the author of Cryptonomicon, an incredible book. And once again the whole sci-fi thing. But will I be able to finish this massive 960 page book? (Which is only the first of three volumes!) We shall see.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson -- Why? I love everything that I have read by Bryson! Funny, entertaining and informative. Some of my favorites include: A Walk in the Woods, In a Sunburned Country and I'm a Stranger Here Myself. Travel writing and more at it's best!
Blankets by Craig Thompson -- Why? I've become somewhat interested in graphic novels since reading Persepolis & Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi. So, I went out looking for more graphic novels and stumbled upon this one which has gotten some really good reviews.
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie -- Why? I've been meaning to read this book for ages! It won the Man Booker Prize in 1991 and the best Booker Prize winner of the award's first 25 years. It's a family saga set in the time period following the independence of India.
Saturday by Ian McEwan -- Why? I absolutely loved two of his other books -- Atonement and Amsterdam. I'm looking forward to his latest novel with high hopes. I don't think that I'll be disappointed as I have heard many good things about the book so far.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini -- Why? I haven't really read much about Afghanistan, and while this is fiction, I am under the impression that it gives you a feeling for the climate of the country at the present time. Education and entertainment at the same time -- sounds good to me.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke -- Why? I don't know why, but I think I'll like this book. I've heard it described as an "adult" Harry Potter book, a combination of historical fiction & fantasy and even a Victorian age work of literature akin to the works of the Brontes. Hmmm. . . this could be good!
Ireland: A Novel by Frank Delaney -- Why? Sounds like an enchanting read! From what I gather, it's an epic tale of the history of Ireland told in the style of the traditional storyteller. I've heard nothing but good reviews for this book.
Well, that should keep me busy, don't you think? I also have to review The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon which I just finished. It won the Nebula Award in 2003 and was an excellent book!
Here are the suggestions for what I should make with the Kidsilk Haze in Dewberry:
I think I listed everything! It was a lot of work to get all those links in there, but what good is a list without the links? There are so many great ideas that my head is spinning right now! I'm leaning towards Birch because I have been admiring it for some time now and I have the magazine that it is in. I drew a name and Felicia over at sweet georgia is the winner! Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions!
Remember that Irving Park sock yarn that I got from ThreadBear a couple of weeks ago? Well, I've already knit up one sock and the second is well on it's way. The patterning is pretty regular except for the usual pooling around the instep/gusset area. (I decided on 64 stitches and a US1 needle.)
Thanks to my Secret Pal, I have another option besides the pooling. She (or he?) sent me a gift certificate to Elann for my birthday. Now, I know that they have lots of good deals on yarn, but I had been wanting Lucy Neatby's Cool Socks Warm Feet for quite awhile and they had it in stock. This book is packed with good sock info! I can't wait to try out some of the different heels and toes.
CONTEST REMINDER! The contest will end at midnight tonight, so make sure you leave a suggestion!
Ooooh! Aaaaaah! That's Kidsilk Haze in Dewberry. It's the contents of the first package to arrive from Jannette. No, you can't win this yarn, but I will send you something fibery and fun if you tell me what to make with it!
I can't wait to see the suggestions!!
Amanda & Kevin are married! Here's the happy couple at the reception! Aren't they cute? They are laying on a beach somewhere in Jamaica right now.
Here's Maddie with her aunt before the ceremony at my Mom's house. The pictures on my digital of Pete and I didn't turn out, so I don't have a full length photo of the bridesmaids' (or matrons' in my case) dresses, but this will give you an idea. . .
They were very pretty and flattering on all (nine!) bridesmaids. Amanda did a great job picking them. A great time was had by all. Even me, who was still sick. My sore throat is lingering, so I am taking today to recover and do pretty much nothing.
In knitting news. . . I'm almost finished with the first LL sock. Pictures soon!
First of all, my baby sister is getting married today! Congratualtions Amanda & Kevin! (I'm actually in the wedding, and am posting this on Friday.)
Now for the knitting news -- I bought the yarn to make the Asymetric Ribbed Top from the new Cathay book by Debbie Bliss! I bought color #11 -- Lilac. And who did I buy it from? Well, I bought it from Jannette on eBay. She is *so* nice and a great business woman in my opinion. She treats her customers really well and has great prices too. Can't beat it!
Or, third times a charm. . .
This Irving Park colorway did not want to cooperate with my plans. Since I'm impatient and a bad blogger, you will have to take my word for it as there is not photographic proof. Here's what happened. . .
Attempt #1: I like the Double Woven Stitch that Marilyn used in her Crusoe Sock pattern (she calls it the Stranded Stitch), but I didn't really like the sock design. So I decided to cast on using my custom formula, but I needed an even number of stitches on each needle. The 44 stitches that she used in her pattern seemed WAY too small, so I cast on 56 on size 1's. Still seemed small, but I'd give it a try. After knitting the ribbed cuff and about 8 rows in the Double Woven Stitch I knew it was going to be too small. Rrrrrrriiip!
Attempt #2: Okay, I'm thinking that 64 stitches is going to be too big, so I decided to go up to US2 needles and stick with the same plan. Everything was going smoothly through the ribbing, then I hit the "body" of the sock. After four rows I noticed some pooling. What the heck, I thought, let's keep going. Maybe it's just a fluke. About six more rows and I knew that it was a lost cause. The two colors that didn't look good next to each other were staying together and the least intense color was pooling into a nasty greyish-purple patch. Ugh!
Attempt #3: Time to do some research. I knit these socks using Lorna's Laces on size US2's, casting on 60 stitches and I always felt that they were too loose. And I also made these socks using Lorna's Laces for Pete. These were knit on US1's casting on 72 stitches, but the entire leg portion was knit in 2 X 2 ribbing. I figured that a happy medium would be socks knit on size 1's with 64 stitches around. Voila! No pooling so far. And the fabric is nicer on the US 1's in my opinion. (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I ditched the Double Woven Stitch. Guess these socks just want to be plain Jane.)
Since I'm up so early, maybe I'll go knit a few rows.
I finished up Pete's Trekking socks today. Pete has given them the stamp of approval and I figured he would since he chose the yarn and decided upon the height of the top portion and such. The Trekking I used was color 66. This is the first time I used Trekking XXL and overall I was pleased. It is a bit inelastic though and near the end I had some ugly knots coming out of the center pull skein. I had a lot left over despite the large man sized socks, which will be good for later darning. Here's a shot of them laid out on the office floor:
Manly colors are not easy to photograph. They are pretty dark, so your monitor is not decieving you. And so I remember -- I used Crystal Palace Bamboo dp's size 2US. And I used my usual sock pattern (which is based on Yankee Knitter Designs' "Classic Socks for the Family" which is a great all purpose sock pattern), casting on 64 stitches.
Can I resist the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Irving Park? I think not.
I'm sick again. I can't even believe it. At least this time it's just a cold and not the flu, but still.
Anyway, I had a nice birthday and got lots of nice things. I even bought something for myself:
That's Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in one of the new colorways -- Irving Park. Isn't it pretty? And I got it from the guys over at ThreadBear. BTW, did you know that Rob and Matt are posting to their blogs again?
Here's another picture for you, the completed Angel Wave scarf made with Lorna's Laces Angel (skeins):
Wow, I had a heck of a time getting the scarf to look purple, my camera wanted to make it blue. You get the idea. The scarf is doubled up in the picture, so it's not as short as it appears. The finished length is about 50".
And since I need to go lay down and rest. . . *sniffle* . . . I'll leave you with a mysterious picture. What could this be? (hint - Theresa will know :)
