shop update

Last post for a bit. I updated the shop yesterday with a lot of Lachesis sock from Sock Summit. Sometime this fall there will also be some of a new sock yarn that is a cabled two-ply and also the 80-10-10 merino, cashmere, nylon sock yarn that has everyone talking. I also got some of the silver yarn base so if there’s something you want dyed in it please let me know. I ordered a very limited amount and am already going to do some reds, pinks or navy blues. I’ve gotten half my crockpot replaced so far, so I’ll be able to kettle dye maybe as soon as two weekends from now. (This coming weekend is Oregon Flock and Fiber after all.) This is a lot harder though with a baby and her dad will need to have the time to watch her. He’s really busy teaching, even with a smaller load this term.

I’m offering 20% off all yarns from now until October 31st in honor of Socktoberfest. Just be sure to type in “Socktoberfest” in the notes. I’ll refund the price difference through Paypal as always.

more bamboo, dyeing and mittens

This is more culture sock. 430 yards. 80% superwash merino, 20% bamboo.

mitten progress

These  Fiddlehead Mittens [r] from Hello Yarn (Adrian Bizilia) are a quick knit. At least the outside is. But there is a liner that needs to be done afterwards… I hand dyed this yarn. I’m hoping to get inspired to design a pair of mittens with my own hand dyed yarns, but in a DK weight yarn. Should be fun. I think kits would be a great way to sell heavier weight yarns.

blocking a sweater while pregnant

I finished the knitting part of Loppem [r] using some algebra my husband gave me a hand with. I’m not great with word problems.

But it went something like this:

x is K3, K2tog and y is K4, K2tog
5x+6y = 188-42 (#of stitches-end stitches)
x+y=25 (i.e. # of decrease)
Need 17 y and 8 x.

Best pattern was

yyx yyx
yyx yyx
y
yyx yyx
yyx yyx.

twilight

Some friends my local knitting group thought it would be cool if they could have some Twilight themed sock yarn.

100% Merino Wool and Hand-painted by me.

This is a new base and I’m thinking of calling the whole thing Evening Sock. Thoughts?

shop updates

There are a few new items at the shop including some more stitch markers. The first set of turquoise bears went fast. I made myself a banner. There is some eco-friendly yarn that is all dyed up and drying in my basement. Of course, I can’t skein it until we fix my swift!

This is the accidentally self-striping sock yarn I dyed. Can you believe I didn’t plan the stripes? I think it looks pretty good.

a few pics

You have until Friday to enter the brilliant crafters contest. In the meantime, I will work hard not to buy something from all the great people you mentioned so far.

Here are some more pictures. I divided them into a couple of posts because this was getting very long. I had a very negligent blogging sumer and I’m still catching up.  SPOILER ALERT: If you click on the more link, you will see what I got from Scout’s Swag for the sock yarn club for October.

Happy late Halloween. This is what my husband’s first-year class did.

This is the best picture I have of the Ostritch Plume scarf. I’m knitting it in Ella Rae’s laceweight merino, which is a fingering weight yarn. Basically, it’s sock yarn without the nylon. It’s beautiful and I will enjoy blocking it.

The Coriolis socks are back on track. Once I get the heels done, they will go really fast.

In the category of yarn that I haven’t shown you, when my inlaws were here in July, they bought some yarn for me to make hats for them. My father-in-law has a 24″ head and hats don’t fit him. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do just yet, but I’d better get going!

Here’s some Wollmeise I got from the Loopy Ewe Sock Club. I never photographed it. It was a busy summer. The color is called PIllars of Fire and there is a very generous 540 yards.

after shots

Lime Getaway

Sunset Confusion

Acid Pop

some pretties

On Monday I started dyeing the yarn I picked up over the weekend, so of course my real yarn base arrived, so I set to work making skeins on my new Niddy Noddy and dyeing up a cone. Whee. Both my arms hurt. There’s another purple skein from the weekend around and I have yet to take the after-shots. I had to rinse all the bamboo again; too much of a vinegar smell. It’s a bit tangly at the moment, so I’m going to have to tie my skeins better. I’m excited though to see how it looks all finished. As soon as I get a chance I’m doing to dye up some laceweight. I’ve got three hanks at 880 yards a piece. Hopefully that’s sufficient. Solids? Semi-solids? What would you prefer?

Bamboo 2 - Before

Lime Getaway - Before

Before

Acid Pop - Before (I spent an eternity untangling this.) Rule #1 - don't drop half the skein!

Cold Fusion

Hidden Depths

more hand dyed sock yarn

So I bought a couple more commercial sock yarn blanks over the weekend and am continuing to dye anything not nailed down. These are 430 yards / 100 grams of 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon fingering weight yarn. The nylon on them ought to make any pair of socks knit with them darn durable. I put them up over on Etsy for $23, not including shipping. These are non-repeatable colorways, since I’m still in the learning phase. During my last run, I thought I would learn more about pink since I spent so much time on red and blue during my previous attempts.

Here are the pictures.

Peacenik

 

Sugar and Spice

I still own house cats and while I have not yet found a good place to skein and reskein yarn away from them, I will before I’m out of this learning phase. Therefore, I ask those of you who are allergic, to please be patient with me.