Knitting Bandit

Cuffless

I was so excited to cast on these Empoisonnee by Yarnissima!

I did some stash diving and found some really pretty Koigo KPPPM.

Great pattern.  It was really a fairly simple knot, keep in mind though I have knit other Yarnissima patterns. That probably helped.  But really it is easy.  The heel is so much fun to make.  The cables became so easy to read I didn't need to use the chart.

I had two big problems while knitting these:
#1
I forgot the little pattern intro I read where Yarnissima is raving about the extra yardage in a skein of Wollmeise and how she took advantage of this and made a great cuff on the sock.

     Hmmm...

            opps! I didn't use any of my precious Wollmeise.

If I had...my Empoisonnee wouldn't be cuffless.

But in all actuality...if you didn't know they were intended to have a cuff, you wouldn't know. Seriously.  They still turned out pretty nice and the KPPPM was a perfect match for this pattern. I have to mention, also, that I was pleasantly surprised by how much they softened up after washing.  Very nice. I was thinking I was pretty cool.  Great socks.  This will be a perfect gift for the Yarnball.

But then suddenly I saw one sock rolled a little on the bind off edge.  It puzzled me.  I couldn't figure it out.  Hmmm...these are a gift to another knitter.  They really should be perfect or as close to it as possible.  So I looked a little closer. (Go ahead look-I'll wait)

What the heck? How did I not notice this sooner!

Well, after a few days of pouting and feeling bad for myself, I ripped back my cuffless Empoisonnee and ribbed it like I should have in the first palce.

Now they match.  Perfectly.

3 P's for T

Even though I swore I wouldn't do Holiday knitting, I did. I'm weak.

Maybe stupid, too.
The further I got into these socks the more I wanted to keep them for myself.  But then I had to ask, "would I truly be able to enjoy wearing them when I knew they were intended for another?  WHat if I actually had them on and the intended recipient admired them?"  Oh...could you imagine the guilt?

So I did the stupid.  The inevitable.
I gave them away.  To my sister.  It's okay.  Really.  She's a non knitter, but does she appreciate hand knits.  Even more so after I told her that if I were paid $10 an hour to knit this particular socks they would cost at least $400. (Seriously.  This famous pattern threw me for a loop.) I also felt the need to make sure she knew I had to stay up all night just to buy some of this yarn in the crazy world of Wollmeise stalking.  I swear she likes them for what they are---not the guilt I gave her to make sure she wore them!

 Here's my "Three P's for T"

Pretty:

 

Purple (actually Wollemeise Veichlen in dark intensity): 

Perfectly Pomatomus :

I Can't Stop

I have chosen the wrong pattern and the wrong yarn....but I can't stop!

My brain says...stop!  Stop!

My fingers keep going.

I've chosen o knit Baudelaire's with my Christmas Malabrigo Sock Yarn in Eggplant.  
The yarn is too dark to show the lace.  I am only two repeats in and already I can tell these will be gorgeous. I know I should use a lighter color.  But I can't stop...

The yarn itself may not be right for the pattern.  I am a Malabrigo Sock Yarn Virgin.  I had to cast on--actually in anticipation of not liking the yarn.  (My sister gave me one skein of Eggplant and my dad gifted me with two skeins of Chocolate. I had to cast on in case I hated it and I needed to exchange the other two skeins for something I'd love.)

  Much to my surprise, two inches in, I like this yarn.  It is soft (like all Malabrigo--that's no surprise).  It is silky.  The color has a nice sheen.  The stitches are well defined.  But...I worry that I don't know this yarn and these Baudelaires look like a lot of work.  I think I should stop and knit a simple stockinette sock to see how the resulting fabric wears.  I will be so sad if I spend hours and hours on these, just to have them seriously pill.  But I can't stop...

I should stop.  I have knit over half of my CHildren of the Lir Shawl (ravelry link).   I loved knitting this. Paused for Christmas gift knitting. 

I need to and want to finish this gorgeous wrap.  But I can't stop...

I am not done with my Empoisonee's ... why did I stop knitting these? (I was tired when I got to the tricky heel--that's why). They were flying off my needles.  Cast on just a few day and already 50 % finished! 

But then I had to cast on these damn Baudelaires and now I can't stop...

I have to stop...Monkey Boy has stopped dropping subtle hints about wanting something/ anything hand knit by his mama.  He is now flat out asking "Are you knitting that for me?  No.  What kind of mom am I?  How many 16 year olds are begging for handknit love? 

But I can't stop....

More Cookie's for my Jar

My fifth pair of Cookie's for my jar...

These were a fun and quick knit.  I can't help but wonder why this pattern has some of the least amount of "completed projects" of all Cookie's patterns.  I searched for some Campari to pose with the socks and okay, I must confess to sample for the first time, the first time I wore these, but no luck finding it.  So I'm sharing these sober.  Drunk would have been more fun!

Soda Pop River Socks

My latest Cookie A. sock for my "cookie jar" is in progress.

Here is my Soda Pop Moselle.

I was going to report that I wasn't loving this pattern.    

 But as I reflected on it a little, I realized it isn't so much the pattern, as it is the way I am knitting it that made me not "love" it like I have every other Cookie sock.

The lines aren't "clean".  Maybe it's my ssk's.  Maybe it is my transition from purl to knit. Whatever it is, when I gave up my quest for perfection, I relaxed and enjoyed the "flow" of the Moselle much more.

Here is the real  Moselle River.

Gorgeous.

I also discovered that Moselle is also a German wine.

I could claim to have planned the whole thing. German yarn for a pattern named after German River, also avoiding the whole blue/ green yarn color to go with a different "liquid color" but, honestly it was all a happy accident.

Yarn choice?   

Campari Orange in Wollmeise Sockenwolle.

I liked the colors when I ordered it, but felt a little unsure of them. However, I fell in love once I had the skein in my hot little hands.

Hmmm...what is Campari, I wondered? 

My Google search for a translation led me to this tasty treat.  I assumed it was German, just like my lovely yarn.  It so happened a German exchange student whom I'd never met walked through my front door, I said, like a dork..."Hey, I just looked up your soda pop." He told me it might be from Italy.  Which led to me finding the truth about Campari .

Soda Pop with alcohol? 

Certainly, if I had drank a few of these while in the early stages of my knitting these Soda Pop River socks, there would have been no stress at all.   

To Frog or not to Frog?

What do you think?

My Tuscany Shawl started out promising enough.  I mean, really. It's Handmaiden Sea Silk. What can in any way be bad about that?  It is a dream to knit with.  I love  the "taupe" and blue together.  In my mind, I have envisoned  a really pretty shawl.  But looking at it now about 15% knitted, I am just not feeling the "love". 

#1   I am worried that there is too much varigation in the colors to do shawl justice.  I have searched Ravelry top to bottom, looking at other Tuscany's (mostly solids)and also trying to find projects in this colorway (not many).  I know it will change in the blocking.  But will it change enough?  3 skeins.  That's a lot of money for an ugly shawl.

#2 I'm doubting my needle size.  Maybe I should've gone down a size.  I did swatch.  But my gut says it's not working at this guage.  How do I know?  Maybe block what I have done so far?(Yeah, now that I've suggested that I think I will).

To Frog or not to Frog?

That is the question I ask of thee.

Japanese Stripes from Germany

Take a peak at my Japanese Stripes from Germany.

"Surprise" Noro sock yarn from my Ravelry buddy Wolltrunken from Germany. What does "Wolltrunken"  translate to?  Very drunk with wool. 

How cool is that?

I just knit these toe up, stockinette with a rolled stockinette cuff. Easy enough.  I have to say, I was happy to try this yarn.  I probably wouldn't have bought it myself.  It was a typical Noro knitting experience.  Scratchy, but made bearable because of the interesting color changes. 

The most surprising thing?  These socks are actually super comfy.  Scratchy on hands does not equal scratchy on feet.  Plus they pretty damn cute.  I won't be in a hurry to knit another pair with this yarn, but I'd never say never.

I've Been Blogging a lot (in my head)

This summer, I've written some witty posts and shared a lot of knitting projects and insights with you.  Not to mention some yarn and pattern reviews that I've offered up.  Yup.  I sure have. I've been blogging a lot ...in my head. I blog when I drive, when I shower, when I knit, heck even when I do laundry! But these thoughts are forever lost to any chance of seeing paper.

Oh well.

It's not to late to share  my most beautiful summer project.  My glorious "Ravelympics" accomplishment that I am so proud of:

Yarn:  Wollmeise Sockenwolle 100% Superwash in Miss May (medium intensity).  I could link you, but why would I create even more competition for this elusive yarn?

Forest Canopy Shawl

Excellent pattern.  Perfect for first lace.

The shawl is a "shoulder shawl" so it's a little smaller than I expected, I added an extra bunch of stitches (how many? IDK) but stopped because i was afraid it would be too big.  I had quite a bit of extra yarn.  I thought about ripping the bind off and edging and making it bigger, but why mess with a good thing?   

The next dilema?  I don't wear these colors.  Ever. I've never worn a shawl.  So what will I do with it?  Hmmm...I may give it to my niece.  My sister thinks she might tie it around her waist over jeans.  Could be cute.

I want so badly to knit another one.  I tell myself I should try a new pattern.  I have been frantically searching.  Who knew I'd go crazy for lace?  What about all my gorgeous socks in queu?  But I keep thinking of another Foerst Canopy in Wollmesie Brombeere.  Mmmmm...pretty.

Modeled under the canopy of my own forest...okay a small pine tree in my yard lent me it's branches.

I love it so much I'm going show you more pictures just like this.

One more.

Wolltrunken

Totally unexpected packages are the best.  Last week (Maybe two weeks ago-this summer is flying by as I slave away at work:  little time to knit, no time to blog.), I was thrilled to find a box in the mail from my sweet friend Wolltrunken (Ravelry link).

The box was stuffed so full of German goodness.  Chocolaty, yarny goodness.

I have done a surprisingly good job of savoring this chocolate and making it last.  It's hard to see how much is here in the pictures, but there's was a ton!

  I made a huge mistake with the Kinder chocolate , I shared it.  Never, ever share new treats until you taste them yourself.  The treats may be too precious for even your own beloved children(especially not the friends of your children, smelly teenage boys do not need rare, delicious treats--really, they'll eat anything...they do not have the most discerning palates).  I shared it and then I tasted it.  I want to demand all their pieces back, but of course they had inhaled them.  It was soooo unexpectedly good.  Mmmmm...

There's a really interesting Movenpick white chocolate bar with lemon bits  that I'm still contemplating.  It's sounds like it could be delicious, I just haven't felt "in the mood" for it.   Weird, I know.

The most prized German treat...the Curly Wurly (it's hiding in the back of the bowl).  I am saving this one for just me.  For just the right time.  When I am sure no one else is even remotely nearby.  No one to smell it.  No one to hear the ripping of the the wrapper.  It will be mine.  All mine.....

I'll be sure to give you a description of that chocolaty, caramelly goodness when I finally take a bite.  i just know I'm going love it!

I also found a Toblerone, lots of little Ritter Sports, too many yummy flavors to mention, melt in your mouth Milka, and some sweet little lavender mint like candy that I cannot find a link too. 

I must confess, finding all these candy links has been very hard on my willpower.  But I've resisted.  So far...

I've run out of time for the yarn goodness that came from Wolltrunken. I'll share that soon.  Yarn and the meaning of the name Wolltrunken.

Irresistable

I had to cast on. .
You know the drill.  There's already plenty of WIP's.  Some mere minutes from completion.
Oh well.
I'm happy.

My Pink-edera's











I'm not a pink girl, but these are going to be so pretty. 
Irresistible to my happiness seeking feet.

The pattern: Hedera by Cookie A.
The yarn:Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Tulip

Gorgeous fun. 

Uh- oh. I think I growed.

Yup.  I growed fer shore.
I didn't grow in a good way.  I didn't grow smarter.  I didn't grow fabulous long hair.  I certainly didn't grow richer.  And it'll soon be apparent to you that I didn't grow into a more intuitive knitter.  What I did grow was...
bigger "girls".  I guess in an effort to be honest, I must say it's not just the girls that have grown, but also the belly and probably that really attractive little back roll at my bra line.

I happily cast on last week to knit a "sweater" that I'd knit before.  My first sweater.  A cool summer tank with the the lovely Giotto  by Colinette.  I made it three summers ago.  I loved it.  I wore it all the time.  It fit me like a sack, but I didn't care.  It was comfy.  In it I felt like all my lumps and bumps were attractively concealed.  Unfortunately, I did not take proper care of it (it hit the washer quite a few times and the dryer once) or maybe it was poorly knit.

Yeah, I'll go with later.  I was a new knitter. It developed some holes the last summer of it's beloved life.  And some really stretched out stitches(they looked like they'd given birth to entire skeins of yarn).  The color was faded... it was a sad ending.
So I optimistically cast on for another.  I was very excited.  I knew I could knit it in mere days.  I would wear it all summer.  I remember how it grew as it got older so thought I'd be smart and knit it a size smaller than the last one. 

This summer I wouldn't have as big of tent to wear.  I'd be more stylish.  Not so obviously hand knit. Hmmm...

I will say that  what I knit would definitely be eye catching. But quite luckily for you, yours eyes will never see my new Ariel  sweater on me.  It fits like a bra.  A tight bra with a cute little skirt that ends "flirting-ly" just inches above my belly button.

Maybe it'll fit my nine year old niece.  Like a tent.

Here is a "truer" picture of the pretty colors of the Giotto yarn in the Kingfisher color way.


Just beautiful.

I Remember When I Didn't Have to be Perfect.

Somewhere along the way, since first learning to knit over three years ago, I have shockingly become somewhat of a perfectionist in my knitting ( everything else has stayed the same).  I am an easy going girl.  What's the opposite of type A?  Me.  In my early knitting days, I would shrug my shoulders at something that didn't look quite right.  Fudge a stitch.  Whatever.  I was just happy to knit and finish my project so I could get on to

Not anymore.  This last week of knitting has been terrible.  Little imperfections bogging me down.  All I seem to do anymore is re-knit and re-knit some more.  I know this is good.  In the long run.  the end product.  But, damn, it sucks too!

Very Tehri's.

They are almost perfect!  Okay, a little tight.  I could've swatched for a better fit.  Maybe.  And after closely examining my thumb trouble, I did notice that I miscrossed a left cross cable on my nearly finished,almost perfect right glove.  But only a trained eye will notice that little imperfection.  That I can live with. 

This wonky left thumb gusset, I can't.  I cannot for the life of me, figure out how to correctly place my increases so they look all neat and tidy like the right one.  It's killing me.  These should have been off my needles over a week ago.  Here's an up close.  You don't have to look too hard to see the rough, jagged line of increases.

Next up:

Cable Ribbed Socks from Interweave's 25 Favorite socks. Knit with gorgeous Sanguine Gryphon's Edios sock yarn. Modified to Toe Up. Needle size: 2.5 mm. 

What's the trouble?

Somehow one sock is slightly bigger than the other.  I think.  (Remember?  I'm far, far from Type A.  I would never actually measure!).  As I contemplated the "bigger" sock and it's "looser" ribbing I decided it must be a needle issue.  Those tricky (yet beloved) Knit Picks with their 2.25mm and 2.5 mm's and my old needle Gauge without all the sizes. Silly me.  Knit with two different size needles.  Wouldn't be the first time.

I did check this theory out.  Nope.  Needles are all the same.  The only difference is on the second sock, I was knitting for first time what  I imagine Magic Loop must be, instead of two circ's.  Must be what made the difference.  I've never read much on how to knit Magic Loop, nor have I seen anyone else knit this way, but I'm fairly certain I was doing it right. Must be it changed my gauge (by how many stitches?  I don't know.  Why measure?  I know it looks different and feels different)  So I will rip the second one back to the toe and start again.

I love this yarn.  Nice tight ply.  Gorgeous, deep colors.  I need to hurry and finish these so I can buy more Sanguine Gryphon.

And there's still my Clapotis of Paul.

Cast aside just as I was on the home stretch.  Some knitters have said the mistake won't be noticeable to "Knit On".  I just can't bring myself to do it. Not yet anyway.  So it sits in my basket, taunting me.  "Go ahead, knit on.  I dare you."

Finally! Firestarters! Finally.

They've escaped the needles....

Finally!  Firestarters in Wollmeise 100% Superwash Sockenwolle  Raku Regenbogen Dark.

I'm quite pleased with the socks.  Hey, don't worry...they may look like a sacrifice to the Sock Gods, lying there on a pile of wood chips to be set afire. They are safe on my feet.

'The Wollmeise softened up incredibly after washing and blocking (did you know I love this yarn?). Some may consider the colors too dark to ideally show off cabling, but I like it.

The gusset was...fun.  I can't think of a better word to use.  It is a different type of construction and I wasn't sure how  it would "come together" (of course...I don't sweat it out trying too hard trying  to figure this stuff out.  I just let it happen).

(Just showing off my toe--still lovin' that Judy Becker's Magic Cast On)

The traveling stitches (a.k.a. cables) seemed tricky at first but once I figured it out it was smoother sailing.  Not smooth...but smoother.  I "cheated" and did not read the chart.  I knit the pattern using "words" (ravelry link) that Trishshack (blog  link) on Ravelry provided. 

It was a lifesaver. I probably would have thrown in the towel without it.  Oh yeah, I should probably confess to using a cable needle also. Hey, does it matter?  No. In the end, I enjoyed knitting them and made a great pair of socks, cheating or no. However, after finishing these socks Friday night I was so excited that I cast on  a.s.a. p. Saturday for the Very Terhi fingerless gloves.  That Yarnissima, sure can design.

This chart looked intimidating. Really scary.  Two charts with traveling stitches: one with a 4 row repeat, the other with a 20 row repeat.  But I am so in love with these gloves I forged ahead.  I'm brave like that.  Yeah, right. I was preparing to "cheat" again. When I had written out the words all the way to row 10, the charts all of a sudden just clicked.  I swear the click was audible. 

I got it.  I could read these charts.  I didn't need the words.  OMG!!!!!  And then I started to knit and whoa...

Guess what? I didn't need the cable needle. Another OMG!  I am so smart. I am thinking the smartest, most intuitive knitter in the world (sorry guys, it's me...not you). How in the world did I wake up so incredibly smart? And sexy?  Don't forget the sexy.

I Found a New Love

Ahhh...a new love this spring:


Don't worry Wollmeise, it's probably just a crush.



A gorgeous pink crush...

called Tulip by Hazel Knits. (Hurry--go now! Free shipping  sale ends today)

I'm thinking Spiral Boot Socks. I'm not a pink girl really, but this is pretty.  And I love, love, love that it is already split into two skeins.  How close to perfect is this yarn?

Here's the real reason I visited Hazel Knits:
Chocolatier. 

It is everything it sounds like and more.
Look at this yummy yarn:


There is little doubt what this decadent yarn will become. 

It is destined to be my  Very Terhi fingerless gloves by Yarnissima.

It looks almost good enough to eat!

Clapotis is no Cup-o-tea

I've read some complaints from bloggers who call the Clapotis boring...mindless.  You know...

I agree to some of it. It is easy knitting.  T.V. Knitting.  Let your mind wander knitting.  At least that's what I
thought.  I was cruising along.  Enjoying how the colors of my "Paul" Wollmeise were playing out.



I actually felt like I was almost done.  A bind off was just days away.  I finished the increases in Section One.  Then came Section two -the straight section where the stitches are cheerfully dropped.  Next up the decrease section.  The home stretch.  I was a few rows into the Home Stretch when I realized I made a mistake throughout the entire "straight" section.  The largest section (if you've knit one-I forgot to do the ssk and yo on the row before dropping the stitch).  I have yet to wrap my mind around how it affects it structurally. 

I snapped a quick photo (had some yarny goodness to photo from that days' mail-more Wollmeise-that made the mistake a little less painful).  Anyway, I digress because the Wollmeise fumes make me lightheaded with joy. I snapped a photo and promptly put that Paul away.  He's been there a week.  Hiding at the bottom of my bag. 

I think he's afraid to come out.