Roller derby, here I come!

Like I probably mentioned in my last post, I went down to Harrisburg on sunday to their homecoming bout, and really caught the bug. So in the hour and a half that it took me to get home, I managed to figure out that Williamsport has been trying to start up its own team for the past couple of months! Long story short, I convinced two other friends to go to practice on monday night with me ^_^ (If Tiff ever sends me the pictures, I'll up load a good one of me on my ass)

The best and most exhausting part was the end of practice, which they called 25/5. This means that they expect me to skate 25 laps in 5 minutes. I can't even jog for 5 minutes! But I did manage to skate on the outside of the track without killing myself and get a whole 14 laps (I'm going to estimate that it would have been 17 if I was on the inside of the track :P) I'm proud of myself, and the big cramp I have in my ass ^_^

So yes, I had my first Fresh Meat experience!!! I was using the pads for my fighting armor (which really stink and don't stay up by themselves) and rental skates (which are completely sucktastic) and still managed to have a wonderful time. Soooo we decided that we are joining :D We are going to keep going on monday nights, and then add thursdays in september, and since there are three of us (four if I can pull Rown's ears enough), carpooling will truly diminish individual gas costs.

I spent my lunch hour yesterday looking for gear, which State College is severely lacking. The few places that sell skater gear had been emptied out when students moved in last week, and nobody sells skates. So we need to go to Harrisburg (preferably before the 12th, which is their next bout) to buy skates ^_^

On another note, today I spoke with a guy that is in charge at SciEd, and he said that all I need to do to get a Secondary Physics Teaching Certificate is to take five classes in one year, and then student teach for another semester! I only have to take specifically Ed classes, since all my degrees count for the topic specific classes ^_^

Life is good. Oh, and I've been working on my horrible YO socks. The more I try to knit the Crazy Zauberball, the more I hate it. It is constantly splitting on me, and I feel like I'm ripping out the 25% nylon with every stitch :/

Also, I need a name.

Back to the Skew

As always, now that I've finished knitting everything for everybody else (yeah, yeah, I'll post about it this weekend, maybe) I'm picking up the damned skews again. Unlike previous times, where I'm constantly wearing Docs, today I was wearing espadrils, which I quickly removed at the busstop (where I do most of my knitting) and tried the sock on.

Well... It fits my foot perfectly, but it's a bitch to pull on. There are notes as to how to make the ankle larger, but I've already done 50 rows past that point, and I really just want to get them over with! Ugh. I'm so conflicted. It's my first Wollemeise, and It feels really nice, but I'm starting to be afraid I'm never going to be able to wear them :/

Crafter's guilt

As is stated in the title of my blog, there is so much crap I want to make, and have purchased materials for, and I'm never going to get around to it! I'm currently angeling a swap at Odd Ducks, and am finally only a couple of rows away from finishing my handknit. And it's only taken me two weeks! I am quite proud of myself. Especially because I'll finally be able to increase my knit total! I mean, I swear I've been knitting, but I don't feel I have anything to show for it. Especially because I love knitting for other people :/ So hopefully, I'll finish this shawl and I'll finally be able to finish those damned socks. Ha.

As far as purchases go, I'm still waiting for my Woolgirl Sock Club delivery which I was supposed to get before going to MDSW. Communication has been near impossible with her, so when she sent out the announcement a few weeks ago for this month's package, I responded, and she said all my previous emails had been sent to the trash. Now, the problem is, I really want the kits! They are really high quality! And the very, very rare times she has managed to respond, she's been very sweet about it, and promised to send out replacements for the AiW and Mad Hatter kits that I never got. So now I am waiting. Again. People have been receiving their Queen kits for a week now, and I don't know when to expect it. And I don't want to be that annoying person that keeps on writing and complaining.

So yeah, still waiting on that one. I also have all the stuff I bought at MDSW that I haven't gotten around to even touching, plus the stuff that I have bought locally. And now I want to join a RHPS SAL that EverimprovingMe is holding and a Zombie/Apocalypse Odd Duck swap. Decisions, decisions! And guilt :/

So if I do join the RHPS SAL, what character(s) should I chose?

Oh! Also! I got a cool email from Blogger this morning. Apparently, now you can see how much traffic, and from where, your blog is getting. My Alice doll seems to have been linked several times on free ami sites ^_^

ETA: So of course, the moment I decide to complain to the world, a box is left on my doorstep. I'll post about its awesome, awesome contents in the near future. I hope.

Damn you Erika!

I just spent $25 thanks to you (not counting the other $40 in books that I had to get at the same time). I'd already given up cross stitching fifteen years ago, but no, I just had to pick up yet another hobby. The list of projects I currently have going:

- New cross stitch Black Eyed Susans
- Skew socks 50%
- Vampire BF socks 25%
- Wedding shawl (for wedding this saturday) 25%
- Sweater, 2" to be frogged
- purple spinning 75%
- new green spinning
- Swap #2 project, purchased
- Swap #3 project, purchased

not to mention the lotions I have to research.

[pattern] Basic Toe-up Sock Recipe

The following links are where I originally got the techniques. My modifications, if any, are written out after.

-Shallow Figure 8 toes, increasing every row (m1r and m1l)
-Stockinette foot
-Short row heel (Wendy Johnson)
-Stockinette leg
-EZ bindoff

SET UP
Figure out how many stitches you will need by measuring around the ball of your foot and multiplying by your gauge. If you are going to swatch (haha) knit up 5" worth in either direction, so you have slack in case you miss calculated.
I am working on 60 st socks on 2.5 mm needles.

TOES
This is a modified toe up sock with a figure 8 cast on, of 1/3 your total sts (10 loops on each needle, with 10 rows of increases for 60 sts). Increases are every row instead of every other row. Work is done in spirals.
1) Cast on 10 sts on two DPN needles in figure 8. Knit first row all around.
2) K1, m1r, k8, m1l, k2, m1r, k8, m1l, k1. 24 sts around.
3) K1, m1r, k10, m1l, k2, m1r, k10, m1l, k1. 28 sts around.
4) Continue the (k1, m1r, kx, m1l, k1) set until you have enough stitches to go around your foot.

If you want to make an "anatomically correct toe", where one side slants more than the other, increase one edge on every row, while the other edge increases every other row.

If you are incorporating a cable or pattern up the sides, you can also move the m1 over (i.e. My Vampire Boyfriend was started with k2, m1r, k6, m1l, k2).

TIPS
-You don't want to keep the ends of the yarn on the edge of the 8s, because your stitches won't catch (for lack of a better word). Flip your first and last loops around so that the ends are inside the 8's.
.................no..............................................yes.................................


-It doesn't really matter if you have leaning increases, but if you only do m1's, you will have little gap.

Gratuitous Johnny Depp picture

Yeah, I'm a fangirl, what can I say? I was looking for a new bag to carry my knitting in the other day, and found this at walmart for $3!!! Yes, it is cheap plastic and will probably fall apart within a month, but I will enjoy that month! I've been binging on 21 Jump Street whenever I get some time, and I had a panic attack last night when I finished the 3rd season and found that that was all they had on Hulu :( Luckily, I managed to find the first episode of the fourth season (in eight pieces) on youtube ^_^

As far as my knitting, I finished the third heart on my socks this morning and will probably be turning the heel soon. I have yet to decide if I'll do it at 3.5 or 4 hearts, but I'm not that worried. Ideally, I'd like to turn the heel at a half heart, so that I can include the point of the heart in the short rows. (I like to make socks toe up, with a figure 8 cast on, increasing on every row, and then a short row heel and EZ super stretchy bind off).

So I've gotten a couple of messages from you, my dear readers, and have no idea who you are! So please to be leaving a comment here, with your name and number blog, and I can get back to wasting even more time every morning before work. Have a happy thursday, and for anybody else that works in a college town, enjoy the last day of a student-free campus!

[WIP] My Vampire Boyfriend socks

So I was flipping through Knitty last december, looking for the necessary yardage for Quadrat, when I noticed these socks. Wow. The description was so cheesy, yet awesome at the same time! And I immediately knew what yarn I was going to use! A wonderful merino/tencel from Spinning Bunny I bought at Mad About Ewes last fall in Autumn Sunset, with Addi Turbos in 2.5 mm (foot on left).

Well, after three false starts last week (uuu, yeah, the background is purl, not knit) I realized it just wasn't working out. So I went to Knitter's Underground and bought this wonderful JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk Yarn, 2/18 Lace Weight, triple plied garnet/garnet/sable (foot on right). The combination is a beautiful cranberry color that I instantly fell in love with.

Here's to me actually finishing a pair of socks for myself!

Of AddiTurbos, Wollmeis and Whedon

or

Go Team Tweasel!

The Ravelympics have started (and the Winter Olympics, for that matter, but I don't have a tv, so I'm quite disconnected) and I have been knitting as if they paid me for it. I put a lot of effort to wait until 9 pm friday to cast on for Skew, mainly because winding up the Wollmeise into a cake took epically long. There are over 500 meters, and my "swift" (aka my roommate) has busted shoulders, so it was quite a site. I've been knitting non stop since I got out of the Wolfman movie (which, btw, STAY AWAY!) wasn't that bad, but was quite far from being good. Especially with that cast!



Saturday was D&D day, and I managed to finish the first foot (50 repeats to get 8.5"). Before that, and most of sunday, I finally watched all 14 episodes of Firefly, and made it to the end of the inner ankle. Now, I know I'm going to lose major Geek Cred for this, but I had never watched more than two full episodes of Firelfy. Actually, I'd tried to watch it with friends "all in order" five separate times, but we never did more than watch the first episode. But I finally watched all of it! And yes, I love Whedon even more.

For those of you who don't know me IRL, Buffy is sacred to me. It came out my senior year of high school, and I refused to have any human interaction while it was on (Ryley can go suck on a socket). I never managed to watch much of Angel while it was on, because it suffered Fox Scheduling Syndrome in Mexico, so I never knew when it was on, but as soon as they came out, I bought the Box Sets and have watched them marathonically a few times. I have also watched Dr. Horrible a few times (a friend gifted it to me for my birthday a year and a half ago) and hold it dear to my heart. Dollhouse took me 6 episodes to get in to it, but once that sixth episode hit, damn, I was a believer. (I also admit I haven't seen the second season, also because I don't have a tv, and the first one was when I was dating a guy who did, and forced him to watch it with me). So after this 13 year love affair with Whedon (I don't count Rosanne because I didn't associate the show with him until a few years ago), no one could have been more disappointed with me and my lack of Firefly watching. But now that I have watched it, I hate myself. I opened up Pandora's box, bit into the apple. Now I know what I was missing, and what I will never have again. Fuck you , Fox.

So yeah, knitting. I'm doing it. I can't believe how much I have progressed on that damned sock, on #1's, none the less! I am kind of disturbed, though. I bought two AddiTurbo circs on friday; 24" and 42". I bought two different lengths because they were the only two available, and was hoping to exchange the long one for a short one once they got them back in stock, since the long one keeps on knotting up. But I flipped the circ around, and I'm noticing that my trailing needle now catches on the edge. This is bad. Does anybody know if this is something that is under warranty? I mean, I've only had them for a weekend... Other than that, they knit like a dream. The yarn just glides on them, and they are nice and pointy, without being sharp. The Wollmeise, on the other hand, has me a bit on the fence. Yes, it's a nice yarn, in gorgeous colors, but the plies don't have much cohesion between them, and it is very easy to split them if you aren't looking at it directly while knitting. I wouldn't be surprised if it's like knitting with embroidery floss.

[pattern] Mom's Thrummed House Slippers

These things are so cozy! The slippers knit up in a few hours on Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Oatmeal with size 11 needles, and then a few more hours to thrum them with alpaca fiber with a crochet hook. Probably 4/5 of the skein was used. And I really should have written this up a month ago when I still had everything fresh in my head :/

PATTERN
This is a modified toe up sock with a figure 8 cast on. Increases are every row instead of every other row. Work is done in spirals. The leaf pattern is the same one used for my Lacey Leaf socks, taken upside down, and only once across.
1) Cast on 8 sts on two DPN needles in figure 8. Knit first row all around, splitting on to 4 DPNs.
2) K1, m1, k6, m1, k2, m1, k6, m1, k1. 20 sts around.
3) K1, m1, k8, m1, k2, m1, k8, m1, k1. 24 sts around.
4) K1, m1, k10, m1, k2, m1, k10, m1, k1. 28 sts around.
5) K1, m1, k12, m1, k2, m1, k12, m1, k1. 32 sts around.
Here is where the patterning starts. For the lace pattern, you will pattern every odd row and k every even row.
6) K32
7) K5, yo, ssk, p1, k2tog, yo, k6. 16 sts.
9) K4, yo, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, yo, k5.
11) K3, yo, k2, ssk, p1, k2tog, k2, yo, k4.
13) K2, yo, k3, ssk, p1, k2tog, k3, yo, k3.
15) K2, k2tog, yo, k7, yo, ssk, k3.
17) K2, k2tog, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, ssk, k3.
19) K2, k2tog, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, ssk, k3.
21) K2, k2tog, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, k3.
22-29) repeat first half of pattern from row 6.
Insert a short row heel on side opposite of pattern.
30-37) repeat second half of pattern (rows 14-21).
Knit in spiral to desired height (about four rows) and make an EZ super stretchy bind off.

Thrumming is inserted down center of pattern, and along footbed, moving diagonally two rows and two stitches for next point.
---
My sister's house slippers, in brown, were done on size 10 needles and without thrumming or lace pattern. Five more rows were added to the footbed (35 total) to compensate for a smaller gauge.

[pattern] Leaf socks

Araucania Ranco -Solids: PT484 Green

Hand painted 4ply sock yarn.
Each hank is unique, so there are no dye-lots.
75% wool 25% polyamide.
Approx 344m (376y) per 100g skein.
Gauge 24st to 10cm on 3.25mm needles.
Final weight 51.9882 g, 195.5 yards on 3.25 mm needles (US 3)
Made sep 12, 09 - oct 5, 09, about one week per sock.

Care instructions:
Dry cleaning is recommended. Gently hand wash with cool water and mild soap. Wash similar colors separately. Dry flat, do not sun dry, soak, spin or tumble dry.


Figure-Eight Toe, by Knitty
wendy's toe-up sock pattern for the short row heel

This pattern is a combination of the two found on these websites, and a leaf pattern from a book. The leaf lace uses 8 patterned rows plus 8 knit rows, for a total of 16 rows of 12 stitches per repeat, a bit bigger than an inch square. When doing the repeats for the foot and leg, the pattern can be split easily into two 8 row halves to acquire the desired lengths. For a roughly size 41 ankle sock, I did 4 1/2 repeats for the foot, and 2 repeats for the leg.



Figure-Eight Toe

My original plan was to follow these easy instructions from Knitty, but of course I messed up and ended up doing something completely different! Increases are on every row, instead of every other row.

• 1. Take 2 of your dpns and wrap your sock yarn around them in a figure-eight, leaving 8 loops on each needle.
  

• 2. Knit one row on each needle.
  

• 3. Begin knitting in the round by picking up next round with 4 dpns.

Round 0 - With needle 4: m1, k4. 5 sts total

Stitch counting will begin in the middle of the row, which will lead to the center of the heel.

R1 - n1: k4, m1. 5 sts total

n2: m1, k4. 5 sts total

n3: k4, m1. 5 sts total

n4: k5. 5 sts total

R2 - n1: k4, m1, k1. 6 sts total

n2: k1, m1, k4. 6 sts total

n3: k4, m1, k1. 6 sts total

n4: k1, m1, k4. 6 sts total

R3 - n1: k5, m1, k1. 7 sts total

n2: k1, m1, k5. 7 sts total

n3: k5, m1, k1. 7 sts total

n4: k1, m1, k5. 7 sts total

R4-R11: keep increasing (m1) one st away from the end, until you have 60 sts, 15 sts per needle.

Foot

It is now time to start knitting up the foot in the round. You can stick to four dpns or any other method you prefer, but since this pattern is made by repeating the leaf pattern five times, I divided the stitches among five dpns.

R12 - n1: k12

n2: k3 remaining on needle, plus k9 from next needle.

n3: k6 remaining on needle, plus k6 from next needle.

n4: k9 remaining on needle, plus k3 from next needle.

n5: k12 remaining on needle.

There should now be 12 sts per needle, 60 total. Time to start the lace pattern.

yo - yarn over

k2tog - knit 2 together

ssk - slip, slip, knit. I knit back-assed permutation of Reverse Continental or something, so this means I slip the first st through the back loop, slip the second st through the back loop, and then return both sts, coming in through the back. Now knit both together.

For the lace pattern, you will pattern every odd row and k every even row.

R13 - n1: k12

n2-4: p1, ssk, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, k2tog. (12 sts each)

note: The ssk and k2tog stitches should mirror each other across the purl st.

n5: k12

R14 - k60

R15 - n1: k12

n2-4: p1, ssk, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, k2tog. (12 sts each)

n5: k12

R16 - k60

R17 - n1: k12

n2-4: p1, ssk, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, k2tog. (12 sts each)

n5: k12

R18 - k60

R19 - n1: k12

n2-4: p1, ssk, yo, k7, yo, k2tog. (12 sts each)

n5: k12

R20 - k60

R21 - n1: k12

n2-4: k1, yo, k3, k2tog, p1, ssk, k3, yo. (12 sts each)

n5: k12

R22 - k60

R23 - n1: k12

n2-4: k2, yo, k2, k2tog, p1, ssk, k2, yo, k1. (12 sts each)

n5: k12

R24 - k60

R25 - n1: k12

n2-4: k3, yo, k1, k2tog, p1, ssk, k1, yo, k2. (12 sts each)

n5: k12

R26 - k60

R27 - n1: k12

n2-4: k4, yo, k2tog, p1, ssk, yo, k3. (12 sts each)

n5: k12

R28 - k60

Repeat R13-28 until the foot is about an inch and a half shorter than the desired finished length.

note: This lace pattern can easily be done in 8 row repeats (instead of the whole 16 rows) to get a more accurate length.

Short row heel, by Wendy Johnson

It is now time to divide stitches into 30 instep sts and 30 heel sts. Both Magic Loop and dpn methods work.

R1 - k14. Move yarn as if to purl. Slip the last, unworked st from left needle to right needle. Turn.

R2 - Slip first, unworked st from left needle to right needle. Purl next stitch (it will now have been wrapped by the working yarn), purl to last st. Move yarn as if to knit. Slip last st. Turn.

R3 - s1, knit to last worked st. Wrap last worked st and turn.

R4 - s1, purl to last worked st. Wrap last worked st and turn.

Repeat R3-4 until 8 heel sts are wrapped on left side, 14 sts are "live" in the middle, and 8sts are wrapped on the right. Your heel is half done, and you should be ready to work a right side row.

Note: How many stitches you leave unworked in the middle depends on how wide you want your sock heel to be. If you want it a bit wider, do a couple fewer short rows. If you want it a bit narrower, do a couple more short rows.

For the second half of the heel:

R1 - Knit across the 14 live stitches across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. To work this stitch, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch.

Wrap the next stitch (so that it now has two wraps) and turn.

R2 - Slip the first (double-wrapped) stitch and purl across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.

On subsequent rows you will pick up both wraps and knit or purl them together with the stitch.

Continue until you have worked all the stitches and you once again have 30 "live" stitches. When you have all stitches live again, divide the stitches as you did for the foot.

Leg

Work until the leg is the desired length to the ribbing, then work in ribbing to the desired finished length. Bind off was done with a crochet row at 4.25 mm, one at 2.5 mm, and one at 1.25 mm.

ERRATA

I hated this bind off, so I ripped it out and did 5 rows of 1x1 rib with the same amount of yarn and finished with EZ super stretchy sewn bind off. Here's the video!