11 April 2010 · 3 Comments
The current project is about to go up for testing on ravelry. If you are just dying to make these (and willing to risk the occasional typo for the chance to make them before I officially release the pattern), this is your chance. I’ve still not decided if I like the inside or the outside better. Have you?
7 April 2010 · 1 Comment
The pattern for Greenhorn is up. You’ve seen these as they grew, so I won’t bore you with too many details. The short version goes ‘two sizes, mirrored left to right, nifty heel construction, worksheet to let you use the construction elsewhere.’ I like them, and you might too. Go forth and knit before it gets too warm to wear wooly socks!
Their fate on the color front is still undecided. A few more washes has helped to equalize the color a bit. I think I may hold off on the Kool-Aid extravaganza. Of course now I’m terribly curious about the process and want to try it just for its own sake. I think I’ll do it on some blank yarn rather than on a finished pair of socks though. Less time invested if it all goes horribly awry that way.
The next project is writing up the pattern for the blue reversible socks. I hope to finish knitting them this week and to have the pattern up for testing over on Ravelry some time next week. I’ll post an announcement here when it goes up for testing.
6 April 2010 · 2 Comments
This has been a test of the emergency porch-cast system. Had this been a real emergency, I would have brought more yarn. And more beer.
Those of you who’ve been around a while may recall that last year we hired some nice men to transform our backyard (previously affectionately, if accurately, known as The Pit) into a lovely patio. Spurred by the unseasonably warm weather, we spent this past Sunday mucking out last fall’s leaves, sticking tiny plants in the ground, putting down unreasonable quantities of mulch (good luck plants, that’s about all the help you’re likely to get around here), and hosing down the patio furniture.
We’ve spent much of the last few days sitting outside enjoying the fruits of our labor. Our (or at least my) enjoyment is enhanced by the realization that yarn works outside, as do books, glasses of the beverage of my choice, and my laptop. This is the first porch-cast. It won’t be the last. (And yes, I know I’m on the patio, not the porch, but porch-cast sounds good while patio-cast sounds like a thirties comic strip character).
5 April 2010 · No Comments
Greenhorn should be out Wednesday or Thursday. The socks are finished (you already knew that), the pattern is finished (you probably knew that too), and the testers are finished. And let me assure you, these were tested out the wazoo. I’ve had several people make each size and each side (left or right). Don’t be afraid of the new heel. It will seem funny the first time you do it, but then again every new kind of heel you’ve ever made seemed funny the first time you did it, right? Don’t lie. You know it did. This is no different, and no harder.
I’ve actually included a little worksheet that shows you how to do the math needed to use this heel on any sock. That way, if you fall madly in love with the fit, you can convert a regular heel flap sock into this sort of sock with just the tiniest bit of math. (Really tiny amounts of math. Dividing by 2 is the hardest bit. Third graders can do this.) Think of it as one more tool in your arsenal of weapons against unsightly pooling. Or maybe as a way to avoid having to pick up and knit the stitches on the side of a heel flap.
1 April 2010 · 4 Comments
Do you remember a month or so ago when I was wailing and gnashing my teeth over the distressing lack of mitt blockers in the world? Ok, perhaps not actually wailing, but certainly carrying on in an unbecoming fashion.
Well, it seems that there are some people who, when confronted with such a distressing lack, do something other than cry in their cornflakes. Some people choose to solve problems instead of just pointing them out and then standing around waiting for them to magically fix themselves. It turns out that Lizzy of Yarnluvinlizzy is one of these exceptional people. She’s made mitt blockers! Not only did she make mitt blockers, she sent me mitt blockers.
I have to say, they are pretty darn nifty. They’re made of a lovely natural wood, sanded perfectly smooth, and varnished to make them waterproof. Don’t be fooled by their delicate appearance, they are quite sturdy. If you too have been plagued by a dearth of mitt blockers, I can wholeheartedly recommend these. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of them as I continue to indulge my new-found fondness for fingerless mitts.
For those wondering, the mitts are Adumbrate, and this is the last day to get them as a free pattern. Some time this weekend I’m switching it over to a for sale pattern, so go grab it now if you’ve been waiting.
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