Felt Mittens
So… have you seen the new Interweave Felt? Did you see what’s on page 32? more »
Guess what I’ll be doing this weekend…
Finishing up this cutie. more »
A new take on the old
Way back in April, I was skimming threads in the Ravelry group, Sock Knitters Anonymous, when I saw a post announcing a sock design contest by Lorna’s Laces.
After reading the rules, I remembered I had some leftover Shepherd Sock from the Slytherin socks. It seemed like a perfect project to work on during the forthcoming weekend’s trip up north. So I packed myself a “design kit” plus one extra project (you never know, right?).
You see, ever since I knit the English Crystal Design from Kinzel’s First Book of Modern Lace Knitting, I’ve thought it would be interesting to rework this motif for socks. So I decided I’d try and give form to my visualization during the long weekend.
It took a while; two challenges I struggled with were 1) not second-guessing myself (should I let the stitch pattern spiral, or not?), and 2) figuring out a nice transition between the large and small motifs. Much tinkering, knitting, tinking, re-knitting, and frogging ensued until I achieved the result and look I wanted.
This. more »
New shoes, new socks
If you’re a Raveler who belongs to a sock knitting group, you’ve probably seen these shoes already.
Three old ladies knit the socks of death
Today’s post title is courtesy of Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief. I thought this chapter heading was too cute not to use. (The book is first in a series about a boy’s modern-day adventures with the Olympian gods, demigods, creatures, and monsters. If you are familiar with Greek and Roman mythology, it’s easy to guess the three knitters are a recreation of the Fates or moirae.)
Did you notice? I’ve been on a sock break lately. In late August or early September, I suddenly wanted to knit something different. But I didn’t go cold turkey; I’ve been stealthily working on a sock design for my Hogwarts SS2 pal, Amelia.
It’s been a slow process. It took me a while to get a chart draft worked out to my satisfaction, and then even longer to knit it and see what worked—or didn’t. Finally, I think I have gotten it sorted out.
Here’s a preview:
There’s no color for two reasons. It’ll be a surprise to Amelia as to which House colors these are. (She is in Gryffindor, but is open to other house colors since she received Gryffindor colors in the first term.)
I also removed the color because I’m interested in your name suggestions and didn’t want any color influence. I do have a favorite name in mind, but want your fresh perspective. (I haven’t decided yet whether to submit this design to a magazine, or to self-publish.)
Meanwhile, while trying to boost my socknitting mojo, I signed up for Socks in the Cities KAL, and volunteered to be a Sockapalooooza Savior.
After a few false starts, I decided to knit the newest Sockamania Club KAL pattern for my pal. The colorway I’m using is “The Berry Brigade” from Spunky Eclectic. The purplish tinge has, thus far, been impossible for me to capture in a photo, but I’m loving the red.
