Moda Dea Sassy Stripes Socks

More socks! Pairs #4 and 5....I think. :P

These are both made with Moda Dea "Sassy Stripes" yarn. It's soft and the striping is pretty neat, but if you'll look carefully, the two socks in each pair don't really match. Yes, they are all the same dye lot (respectively of course), but one of the blue striped socks has way more yellow, and the colors in the red/pink socks aren't very true either. Naturally the lighting isn't perfect, but you can still get the idea. Another thing that was really weird was that the pink/red yarn is really a lot thinner than the other one. So there was a bit of adjustment on the second pair. I'm not complaining at all. I look at it as a learning experience. I'm sort of tired of hearing people whine about such and such, so I hope I don't come across like that when I describe this yarn.

However, I'm sort of glad I didn't pay for this yarn. Some kind soul gave it to me from her stash. I'm wondering how they will wash. Instructions call for machine wash, and dry flat. That seems odd to me since they are 100% acrylic. I'll probably forget and throw them in the dryer. (note-I've washed and dried them several times and they haven't shrunk or faded.)



But you know, they turned out pretty nice actually. I used bits and pieces of patterns from some leaflets I'd gotten at my yarn shop (sorry, LYS is the proper acronym/jargon), as well as some patterns online. I really like the way the heels turned out. Those heel instructions are from knitty.com and the Ambrosia sock specifically. You know I'd probably better write the pattern down before I forget what I actually did. :P

Oh well, you know, they're free socks and I'll wear them proudly. lol






I've been starting a stash, so not sure what I'll do next. I think I'm very nearly ready for some size 0's and some of that really cool sock yarn I've been fondling.

Now I need to finish the KAL from the EasySocks list. More on that later. ;)

Jiffy Thick and Quick/Red Heart Strata socks

The other socks.....

The first pair shown was made from Jiffy Thick and Quick, using the same pattern as the Sharpe socks. That pattern is easy and using that thick yarn makes them go very quickly. Duh, maybe that's why it's called "Thick and Quick" lol Anyway, these fit even nicer than the worsted weight version, so I'll probably do a bunch of these for my SIL and Mom for Christmas. And who knows, if someone is extra nice to me, he/she might get a pair too!

The second pair is using Red Heart Strata Stripes, which is also worsted weight. I used a different pattern for this pair. This pair will probably go to my SIL or my Mom, because they are a bit big for me. I will use this pattern again, but will do the heels differently and also do some more decreases when I get to the foot part. The heels look a bit funky in the picture, but they aren't quite that weird in "real life."

They haven't been washed yet, but since they are acrylic, they most likely won't shrink or change shape much. But what's so cool is the way the striping works out. I used two separate skeins and fussily started the two at the same point in the yarn pattern, but they really do match quite closely.

The Jayne Cobb hat, Invader Zim style!

The Jayne Cobb hat, Invader Zim style!

A couple of months ago, Nathan and a couple of his friends and I went to see Serenity at a charity screening at Keller 8 theater. The original Jayne Cobb hat is gold, orange and rust, but Nathan wanted something a bit different.

It's a very easy hat pattern. I used Lion Brand Woolease Chunky in Grass, Orchid and Black. You'll need a 16" circular needle, I used size 10 1/2. CO 64 stitches, connect the stitches so you'll be knitting in the round (K every row), be careful not to twist the stitches. Then you'll do K1, P1 ribbing for three rows, then knit in stockinette stitich for about 3 1/2 inches, switch colors, knit in the round (which gives you the stockinette stitch when you knit every row) for about 3 1/2 inches, the start your decreases. K2tog all the way around, twice, until you have 8 stitches. Pull your yarn through the 8 stitches and close up the top. You'll do a 3 inch pompom for the top out of the three colors.

For the ear flaps, count 6 stitches from the back, pm, then count 20, pm, count 12, pm, then 20, pm. You'll be picking up 20 stitiches in black between those markers on either side. Knit in stockinette on straight needles for about 2 1/2 inches, then start your decreases. You'll leave those little dangling ends on the flaps to tie.

The Sharpe Socks

Well okay, since I don't use this one for much, but apparently I use it to comment on other blogs, I'll start using this one for my knitting projects. I hear you saying "woohoo" all the way over here, so just calm down and don't get too excited quite yet.

I've been knitting for nearly 30 years, but sort of got away from it to quilt for a few years. I also took some time off to do thread crochet. (hmmm maybe I need pics of that stuff too sometime) But anyway, I'm back to my needles with a vengeance and have recently fallen in like with doing socks.

Yes it's true what they say, "once you do socks, you never go back." So I have been collecting really cool sock yarns and am on my 4th pair.

I feel that the first pair needs a bit of explanation. I used a pattern from the internet called "mini training sock" and it was only supposed to be small and cute to enable practice on heels and toes, etc. The rest of a sock is pretty straightforward knitting, but heels and toes require a bit more concentration and manipulation of the yarn and needles. Let me tell you, the first time I did a Kitchener stitch toe, I was thinking "wow-this is way cool and it worked!" (simple things for simple minds, eh?

Anyway, I didn't see the sense of using the "good" yarn for a practice piece, so found some variegated/camo Red Heart worsted weight yarn and used that. Well, as I did more and more, I thought I might as well make the sock to fit me. I have small feet so it wasn't that much more knitting. But by golly, they *do* fit and even though they are butt ugly, they are my first pair of socks. The Bean buds call them the Sharpe socks, because they look like they'd match up with Richard Sharpe's Green jacket. ;)

Here they are, for what it's worth.

Mobile bloggin nonsense

Ain't dis purdy?

Ain't mobile bloggin fun? :P

Fruit-mobile bloggin test

fruit

we are in ohio. round on both ends and high in the middle

Hey, welcome to my little world on the web. Bloggin? What the heck is that anyway? I guess I'm just sposed to write stuff like a diary or something. Interesting concept.

Okay, thanks for stopping by-I'll try to keep this updated and who knows? Something exciting might happen to me!

Oh yeah, got a new mMode phone the other day-still learning it.

Bye!