Falling in Love Again

... with Rib and Cables, and Cider Moon. I hope my sock pal loves them, too!

**********
Link-o-Rama!

* Cleveland-area crafters! Have you heard about Shannon Okey's craft studio Stitch Cleveland? It looks to be an awesome resource for every sort of fiber-y, fabric-y love. I signed up for the Katherine Shaughnessy crewel class on July 14th. Squee!
* How cute is this pencil case? You have to get excited about any tutorial that instructs you to use a hacksaw.
* Look at this GORGEOUS cotton that Yarnbee and her friend dyed with Rit Dye!
* Jen's Parade of Beautiful FO's continues with her cute Coachella.
* How could I be so late to the Craft Lit party? This podcast is so fantastic.
* Hungry for some authentic Tex-Mex and Southern fare? Or just want to look at pretty pictures of it? Pop over to Homesick Texan. Your cardiologist will thank me. Do not miss the post on cream gravy, food of the gods.

**********
Thanks, everyone, for the nice compliments on my yarn! I love me an afternoon of Kool-Aid dyeing. It's starting to become a nice little summer tradition!

Shameless Copying

Thanks everyone for the kind wishes about my silly injury. Learn from me ... if you are working with unpleasant materials at a tight gauge, work slowly. It's much better now. After some Kool-Aid dyeing (a favorite summer activity), I am now back to frenzied sock knitting.

I saw Kris's beautiful stockinette socks with the cuff from Anna's Giotto pattern and could not stop thinking about them. I recalled that one of you even scored the exact yarn that she is using (Fleece Artist Merino Sock in Rose Garden) in my stash sale. What to do, what to do?

On Sunday, feeling rather grumpy, I sat down and watched some Knitty Gritty I had saved on the DVR. I finally saw the fabulous episode with Scout! This greatly improved my mood and inspired me to pull out the Kool-Aid and yarn and "play mad scientist," as she put it. A few hours later, I had some pink, green, yellow and white yarn of my very own.

Yesterday, I couldn't resist casting it on. It's pooling a bit, but not in an ugly way. The cuff! So pretty! (That Anna. She's a genius.)

Here's the other skein I dyed. This is Knit Picks Bare Worsted, and I think that it will become fingerless gloves or a hat, perhaps. Or another pair of Cabled Footies.

I was very happy with this one, as I think I figured out a recipe for a nice turquoise color. Yay!

At the risk of sounding a little corny, this post sums up one of the things about the knitbloggy community that I love the most -- being inspired by all the amazing knitters and dyers I've come to know!

Timeline of an Injury

2:14 pm: "Yay! A crocheted jute bowl! My hands are a little tired, but that was pretty easy."
4:38 pm: "Hmmm. What's that tingling?"
6:20 pm: "Ok, so my right hand is a little sore."
7:51 pm: (picking up Sockapalooza sock) "Ouch. Maybe I'll read."

Next day, 8:23 am: "(whimper)"

How 'bout some Flickr favorites? Can you tell I am having a little infatuation with turquoise and pink?


1. Wendetasche aussen, 2. spring palette..., 3. koigu gelato., 4. gnome, 5. Climbing vine Messenger, 6. Embroidered tea cozy, 7. virgen de guadalupe, 8. girlfriends skirt, 9. fabricbuttons, 10. over, 11. DSC00672, 12. AB apron 2, 13. Talk to Strangers, 14. Koigu Bits, 15. Vintage children's sewing machine, 16. more new fabrics, 17. Blue Doorway, Lyme Regis, 18. pinkpopsicle, 19. thrift score: metal kitchen, 20. turquoise and pink, 21. rosa hyllan, 22. Pink & Turquoise, 23. vintage hot pink, turquoise and green piggy bank, 24. wip -- giant granny, 25. My hutch, 26. the first signs of summer...., 27. Peaks & Valleys, 28. Old Schoolhouse/Church/Masonic Hall, 29. Little Birdie Bookmark, 30. blueberry ice cream handspun, 31. Vintage Pillowcases, 32. Steam Rising, 33. Buttons (May 15), 34. purple obsession, 35. what do you mean no javelins?!, 36. peonies

And Even More Crochet!

Clearly, I cannot get enough of crocheting round things.

Pattern: Little Bowls, from the Crochet to Go deck
Fiber: Sugar n' Cream cotton for the one on the left, 3 ply jute garden twine for the one on the right
Hooks: Size F for the cotton bowl, size G for the jute bowl

The key with these little bowls is very tight gauge. The cotton bowl really needed a smaller hook. The jute one turned out to be pretty sturdy. Granted, it wasn't exactly a relaxing crafting experience, but it was fun in its way. The jute would make nice coasters, too.

I also finished up another crochet project, which is blocking.

More details later, but for now I will only say that it's part of my devious plot to convince Ashley to start crocheting.

You all had some great ideas for the crocheted circles from yesterday. Kim probably wins the prize for "most unlikely" with bikini top and knee pads. I really liked Stephanie's idea to seam them together and stiffen them with cork between the layers. This would have the added benefit of allowing them to be used as hot pads. For now, the circles will remain one of those "enjoy the process" projects.

Link-o-Rama!
* I am really enjoying seeing all the book recommendations on Minty's and Lolly's blogs. My to-read pile is going to be totteringly tall!
* Speaking of books, I am practically biting my nails waiting for my pre-ordered copy of Amy Karol's book, Bend the Rules Sewing. (And the new Harry Potter, too, of course!) And Alicia Paulson announced on Posie Gets Cozy that she is working on a book, due to hit the shelves in fall 2008. ::swoon::
* Have you seen Scout's new colorways? Amazing!
* It must be summer, because I am itching to knit socks. Nona's astounding Sidewinders are about to be cast on, in spite of having three others on the needles. After seeing Sulafaye's finished ones, how could I resist?

By the way, I got my Ravelry invite last week. If you're there too, look for me! I chose the surprising name of "affiknitty."

In the Mood

... for crochet ...

... in circles, in ice cream colors ...

... which were originally intended to be coasters, but turned out too big. And floppy. They remind me a little of fabric yo-yos, so I thought I'd make a bunch of them. What I'll do with them then, I haven't a clue. Table runner? Throw blanket? Line the backs with fabric? We'll see!

Tenho Jeito

Pattern: Perfect Periwinkle Turtleneck Tube Vest by Stefanie Japel in Fitted Knits
Yarn: Every last bit of 2 skeins of Cascade 220 Wool
Needles: 3.75mm (US5) Addi Turbos
Thoughts: Many.

In Brazilian Portuguese, there's an expression ... jeito or jeitinho. If you have jeito, it more or less means that you're clever and resourceful. When I was in high school in Brazil, I had a friend whose rocket for the science fair landed in the neighborhood behind the school. He found it in the hands of a little kid, who insisted that the rocket was his but gamely offered to sell it to my friend. That kid had jeito.

A jeitinho is your resourceful and clever solution. Yesterday, as I was finishing up this tank, I was deeply engaged in working a jeitinho. I made the smallest size, which called for 2 skeins of yarn. In trying to make it as long as possible with just the two skeins, I ran out of yarn before finishing my bind off. Aarrggh! I had tried the sweater on, though, and felt that the neck was a little longer than it needed to be. So I unravelled from the cast-on edge back about 4 rows or so and then cast off with a size N crochet hook. That made the neck edge a little ruffly, but at least it goes over my head. And I had enough yarn to finish my bind-off.

Valuable lessons learned: unravelling from the cast-on edge is a major PITA!

I am still contemplating undoing the bind off at the bottom and adding some more ribbing in a coordinating color, probably espresso brown. What do you all think?

Actual Knitting Content!

Thanks everyone for all your input on the Sock Pal socks. There seemed to be such enthusiasm for Rib and Cables in Cherry Bomb that I started those first. And let me tell you, from the first stitch, I was very happy. I just love that pattern.

Then the Asbury Park contingent started to speak up and I thought I ought to give that colorway a try with the same pattern. I hadn't even finished the rib before I frogged it. Too much contrast for the cables. Luckily, Amy of stash, knit, repeat had suggested another pattern-- Beaded Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks. So I started those too.

Look how perfect that pattern is for the yarn! Look how nicely it breaks up the color repeats! This may be my new go-to pattern for variegated yarns.

All this means there is much socky happiness at affiknitty. But I still can't decide which pair will be for my sock pal and which pair I will keep. Sigh.

Swaps!

'Tis the season for swapping! I'm doing Sockapalooza 4 and am really excited about it. Summer is such a great time for sock knitting, so the timing is perfect. And the Knit Pligg is such a cool way to keep track of what everyone else is knitting. I really love the "random post" option.

I have my sock pal's information, and I am still in the planning phase. I need some guidance, though! My pal prefers cables or knit-and-purl patterns to lace and I think I can safely say that my color options are wide open. Should I make her...

...the Sundara Bird of Paradise socks (look at these lovelies by Amy of Two Sharp Sticks) ...

...or a pair of Rib and Cables (my favorite pattern, finished ones here and here)?

If I do the Rib and Cables, I am still undecided about yarn. I think I'll use some recently acquired Cider Moon: either Cherry Bomb or Asbury Park. What do you think?

In other swap news...

Late last week, I received my package from my Sound Swap pal ... Margene! I had to giggle when I saw the box sitting on my porch, because I had left a comment on her blog that I hoped she was making a mix for me! She sent the yummiest and prettiest mint meltaways, a very cute needle gauge (I can never find mine, so an extra is perfect!) and a fabulous music mix. I've been listening to it nonstop. Here's the awesome playlist!

1. "Fur Peace" -- Jorma Kaukonen
2. "Favorite" -- Neko Case
3. "Visions of Johanna" -- Bob Dylan
4. "Pocatello" -- Larry McMurtry
5. "River's Gonna Run" -- Sam Bush
6. "Love & Happiness for You" -- Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler (As a Dire Straits fan, I was excited to see this cut!)
7. "Latitude" -- Matt Flinner
8. "Walking the Dog" -- Dan Zanes
9. "Soul Kitchen" -- Patti Smith
10. "I Must Belong Somewhere" -- Bright Eyes
11. "V-Necked Sweater" -- Greyboy Allstars
12. "Up Against the Wall" -- Peter Bjorn & John
13. "Strange Fruit" -- India Arie
14. "5 Shots of Whiskey" -- Hank Williams III (Don't worry, Margene. I love me some twang from time to time. And who better than the Royal Family of Twang and Hard Livin'?)
15. "Ride the River" -- Eric Clapton & JJ Cale
16. "The Fox" -- Nickel Creek
17. "Come Home" -- Willie Nelson & Rickie Lee Jones

Thanks, Margene! I love it! And thank you as well to Jennie, for organizing such a great swap. I put my package in the mail on Friday and it should be arriving at its destination today or tomorrow. I hope my swapee likes it ... I think it's a good mix!