Violently Domestic

Yarn Report

29 June 2011 · 6 Comments

Perhaps not surprisingly, we somehow managed to slip into a few yarn stores on our trip this past weekend. Imagine that.  Shocking I know.

Our first stop was the Cultured Purl in Erie, PA (what, it was on the way…more or less).  It was the first time I had seen Sweet Georgia yarns in a store.  Luckily, I have quite a bit of SG sitting around here, so I was able to grab something new.  I picked up two skeins of Filigran by Zitron in what seems to be collor 1603 (such an evocative name).  This is a single ply laceweight.  I haven’t the slightest idea what I’m going to do with it, so (just to be safe) I got two.  I’m calling it the next step on my quest to explore non-sock options.

Next was Wooly Minded in Corning, NY.  Somehow, through great self restraint, I managed not to buy any yarn.  Don’t worry, I bought needles instead.  I am always on the lookout for new needles.  I like my needles light weight, pointy, and stiff.  Plastic and wooden needles don’t work for me.  I had a bunch of KP needles, but they are a bit heavy and they tarnish badly when I use them.  My favorites are my Sig Arts, but they are a bit expensive (totally worth it, just hard to get as many sets as I like to have on hand).  Kollage square needles are a good alternative, though I find they sometimes start feeling a bit sharp on my fingers if I’ve been knitting a long time.  At Wooly Minded, I saw something new, stainless steel needles by Chiao Goo.  So far I know that they are light, fairly pointy, and pleasantly rigid.  I haven’t used them yet, but I’m planning on it and will report back when I do.

The final stop was Finger Lakes Fiber in Watkins Glen, NY.  I’d actually been here before, but they’ve moved since we were last in town.  The new space is lovely and very comfortable.  The selection was great.  I picked up two old favorites, Casbah by Handmaiden in what I think is the color Nova Scotia, and Nichole by Schaefer in the color Dian Fossey.  These are two of my go to sock yarns and I’m always happy to work with them again.

Not a bad little haul for a weekend trip!

Strike a Pose

28 June 2011 · 1 Comment

On our way home on Sunday, we stopped by Bully Hill, one of our favorite wineries.  We’ve been going to Bully Hill for years…a fairly alarming number of years now that I think of it.  We first went many moons ago when we were starry-eyed, fresh-faced college kids on our first trip together.  It was good then, and it’s still good now. In addition to picking up a bottle or two of wine, we also found a spot to take some sock pictures.

Now this area of New York is full of Grand Sweeping Vistas.  I, alas, do not seem to be able to get both the grand sweeping vistas and the tiny stitches of a sock in the same picture.  I’m working on the theory that you’d like to see the knitting from me, and that you can find the landscape pictures somewhere else if you want them.  So with this in mind, we grabbed a handy bench and went to town.  The Boy was, as always, completely unfazed by the sock modeling shenanigans.  I spent the whole time wondering if someone official was going to come scold us.  I should have known better.  Their motto is “Guilt Free.” It’s not a scolding kind of place.

Guard Kitten

27 June 2011 · 3 Comments

It seems it’s more or less mandatory for knitters to have kittens.  Or if not mandatory, at least strongly encouraged.  I don’t know if the knitting makes us more likely to like kittens (both require a certain tolerance for lint/fluff on your favorite black pants) or if the kittens make us more likely to like knitting (both require a certain tolerance for frustration).  Either way, I have the requisite two kittens.

Now it’s usually Barry who makes an appearance here.  He’s the woolier of the two kittens.  Or so I thought.  It turns out that maybe Levon has a wooly streak too.  He’s taken to perching on top of the magic box for Book the Second.  I’ve decided he’s guarding it from any roving wool brigands that might be marauding in the area.  His dedication to the cause is much appreciated.  And yes, if you peer closely, you can see that several of the folders are all filled up with finished projects.  Maybe Levon is keeping me from spending too much time petting the finished knitting by offering himself up instead.

Jaunt

26 June 2011 · 4 Comments

The timing wasn’t quite all that we could have asked for (knitty release, work, school, pesky real life so gets in the way), but we went anyways.  One of our favorite bands, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, was playing in Buffalo.  It was part of Deco-Fest, a fundraiser to help restore the 1920s train terminal.  The building was abandoned for decades and is in a rather picturesque state of disrepair.  It’s the kind of place that made me wish I’d packed stout boots, heavy gloves, and a bright flashlight.  Perhaps a screwdriver, a crowbar and a complete disregard for the property rights of others too.  Alas, I was sporting open toed shoes and a white shirt, and there was a sizable police presence, so my wanderings were (more or less) contained to the cordoned off areas.  I’m seriously considering joining their membership organization so I can go on a full tour in the fall without resorting to crime.

Buffalo itself turns out to be a lovely town.  We ate lunch at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery (and may possibly have gone back for dessert later).  I had the very best idea ever while we were there and now know exactly where we will be taking the pictures for Book the Second.  That alone would have made the trip worthwhile, but there were lots of other good things too.

The show was, as expected, fabulous.  If your only impression of CPD is that brief swing craze of the late 90s, it’s worth checking them out again.  They were around long before that and are still putting out new stuff now.  This is our fourth show with them, and by far the best.  And unlike the others, this one was enhanced by the presence of a…um…an energetic young lady of substantial personal charms…one not hindered by an excess of modesty…who seemed quite comfortable in feathers and sequins.

The next day we drove down to Corning and hit up a few breweries, cideries, distilleries, and wineries on the way before stopping by Market Street Brewing for dinner.  Oh, and we may have visited the odd yarn shop along the way too.  But I will have to save the yarn report for later in the week.  There is a rather astonishing heap of laundry to be done and pile of bottles to be put away before bed, and I’m ready for a bit of a nap.

Inlay Knitalong

25 June 2011 · 2 Comments

To celebrate Inlay, I’m having a little bit of a knitalong.  I’m doing it over in the Silk Road Socks group.  I realized I wanted to make these socks when I was doing the research for that book.  I saw all the gorgeous floors peeking out from under the rugs and filed away the idea of doing a pattern based on the fancy tile work.  Inlay was the result.  So I’m totally declaring it ok to host the knitalong in the same place.

Now, if you’re the sort who wants to make exactly the sock in the picture, I can help with that!

• Laura at Handwerks has graciously offered a 20% off Sock plus 8 coupon for us.  Just mention “inlay” at checkout.  The gray socks are in her Sock Plus 8 in the color Smoke.
• Suzan at Barking Dog Yarns wants to help too and has also offered us a 20% off coupon.  Just use the promo code “Knitty2011″ at checkout.  The blue socks are in her Sirius in the color Iroquois Moon.
• And while Claudia at Wollmeise is awesome, all of you Wollmeise fans know that just managing to get a hold of a skein can be a bit of a trick.   Alas, I have no discount to offer.  But for those of you who wish to try it, the orange socks are in her Twin in the color Campari.

So, if you’re planning to make them, come do it with the rest of us!

Inlay

23 June 2011 · 8 Comments

I really don’t like waiting.  I’m bad at it.  It makes me a tiny bit crazy (hey, maybe if I reload this page over and over and over the update will happen faster…hasn’t worked yet, but I should still try because you never know when it might work).  I’m an absolute delight on long car trips.

But now the waiting is over.  The socks that I started back when it was snowy, finished in March, and photographed in April…the socks that I thought were coming out on Monday…can now be shared.

I’m pleased to present Inlay.

And yes, I am inordinately fond of them.

Now the reason that I had to keep quiet about these for weeks and weeks and weeks is that I submitted them to knitty.

Once, long long ago, I submitted another pattern to knitty.  It was maybe my fourth or fifth pattern ever (I was cocky, what can I say).  It was, quite reasonably and ever so politely, declined.  I must admit I took it to heart.  Of course that’s a total rookie mistake.  I realize now that this is just part of the game.  But back then I decided that I would just release patterns myself, not try and get them published by anyone else.

So I did, and it worked.  It was great fun turning out patterns on my own.  But eventually, I decided I wanted to try knitty again.  This time it worked.

Now having a pattern get accepted is ever so much more fun than having it declined.  But it does mean that you have to continue to keep quiet about it for even longer.  This can be a bit taxing.  But, now all need for silence is over.  I can flaunt them with abandon.

Inlay is a splendidly tidy sock.  The lattice pattern on the front is quick to learn, and by the time you’re done you’ll be very comfortable making left and right twists.  The fancy ribbing on the side is great fun to do and continues down the heel flap and gusset in a satisfying way. I have a sneaking suspicion that they’ll work equally well for guys and girls (they come in three sizes, so you should be able to make them to fit most feet). Click on any of the pictures to see gigantic versions.

I can’t wait to see what people do with them!