new socks

So I finished a top secret project( or not so top secret if you know me IRL) A WISP wrap from knitty in mohair for Girly's teacher. AND I got my sock yarn in on wednesday. I've got one sock done for my seaside socks ( don't know if this is another pattern's name too) that I fashioned up, I will add pictures to this in the morning of it since the lighting around here sucks at nighttime. As most knitters and certain chips I cannot have just One, so I am also working on a sock(pair) using an english quilt cabling as my secondary project with the blue Plymouth DK sock yarn.
I have to say I don't know which pattern I like more. I am loving the way the slip stitch cableing is giving two different colourways to the Quilt sock, AND I love the light rib the lobster cabling gives the seaside sock. I'm not sure quite how I feel about the colour pattern in the yarn on that one though, I think It would have been better suited for a diagonal rib patern or some such because the colour patterns sort of blob( forgive me unknowledge of the 'technical' term) in a spiraling fashion around the sock in a green-blue and green-yellow like those spiral string cheeses you buy at the store(MOMS will know what I mean)

In any case I am being terribly naughty because I am SUPPOSED to be working on a ribbon scarf for the para-pro at school so she doesn't feel slighted that I made the teacher something and not her too. I am restraining myself from also making something for the other coaches-helpers etc too because, well that's a frightful lot of people for one weeks worth of knitting time before the school term ends.
I am considering what to start next already because I would like to start a booth at the local market for fun just to see what all I can sell in the south where it comes to knitting. I'm thinking bags and simple scarves and maybe some baby things to start , and sell around july(the next one).I'm not looking for a business or anything jsut a fun time and maybe a few dollars in my pocket on my own terms to do yarny things with as I please. They have the market one a month to start and they may do it more often once they get it going and If it turns out well. Here's hoping it does as I am in desperate need of some local growers/talent/goodies to entertain myself with:P
AS AN added bonus I am SUPER exited to have met OL A pattern designer for litle things like socks and scarves etc. Who said she would let me do some pattern testing for her. YEA! I obviously can't blog/picture those one I get into it, but hey it'll be great fun and I love new ideas and puzzles. Plus when I see it on ravelry I can smile and think to my self "hey I tested that, I hope (s)he likes it!" I'm weird like that.

Abbreviations

In knitting and crochet there are ALOT of abbreviations. I have a habit of saying them in my head as I go to remember what comes next. Only I do it in a different way. ktbl= ktable, k2tog/p2tog= k Tog or p Tog(sounds like Dog) for k3tog and up I just think # and Tog.
slp(slip as if to purl)= spell, yes I know it's a bit backwards but if you say purl fast it's sounds like pell(at least here in the south)
st st I just cut down to SS
Giving them names helps me think faster than thinking letters. Of course the simple ones I keep the same, like K, P, beg,co, Bo, cab.
Right now I'm copying a pattern for goblet socks. And Oh my gosh it's a pain. It's not a wordy pattern which would make it easy to copy down in a notepad. It's one of those graph patterns that take forever to copy if you don't use graph paper. I'm the type of person where I can't visualise symbols as words. I NEED words to burn them into my brain long enough to write it down. Little circles and slashies do nothing for my noggin. I have a photographing memory with numbers and words, just not with graph stuffs, I think that was my biggest trouble in higher math, squiggles and pi signs don't stick well. So I sketched out the grph on a pad and am going to have to translate it to words so I can get it when I'm knitting it. Oh the sacrifices I will make to churn out a pair of socks. I want to wait to make them until I can get I nice wine coloured yarn, which I think would do them very well, or perhaps a golden and brown colourway...or gold and red and brown... I have some great yellow and green that I want to do a scaly dragon-esque or parrot like pattern with, but so far I haven't found THE ONE PATTERN that makes me say' WOW I could see that as the animal.' My cotton socks remind me of mermaids and the sea, I like that. I really enjoy a pattern that gives an image along with it. Not only is it functional, but also artistic as well. Something that will capture your attention and take you away to a magical place in your head.

Playing With Yarn

I've been playing with a few different stitches, trying to find a happy lacy pattern for a scarf or wrap. This one is R1:(k2tog, YO, K1 ) R2 (purl2tog, YO, P1)and rep two rows.(or if you're a two handed knitter like me just REP the R1 on the left hand) I like that it has these little rosette type stitches where the "2TOG's" are and that it looks ribbed, but it is a little bland. Cute, but bland.If the yarn wasn't so shiny, You could see it better. So anyone who reads this and knows how to take a non shiny Picture I'm all ears.
This is my personal way of YO and also How I cast on, and chain stitch, I like how it's tight, and symmetrical. I know some people just wrap the yarn over the hook/needle, and if that works for you OK. I don't like how it tends to fall off or become loose so I cross it over my finger.

More tomorrow on what I've added to this in a different stitch pattern. I've got the basic Idea of this one, so I'm moving on to find my happy stitch.

This(below) Is going to be Girly's shrug, a variation of a pattern my Good friend Sally found. It's the inspiration to my playing with the blue yarn above. After frogging The Pinkness like 4 times, I stuck with this one and moved my playing onto the blue( Caron's simply soft if you care to know). It definitely doesn't hold together like wool or acrylic, and I tend to have to re-wind it. On the up side it is soft and works nicely with the Paton's Poodle stuff on the cuff, and it is'nt nearly as heavy as I thought it would be.

CO 35 in A (bulky)knit every row x4

R5:knit 1R in B (worstest)

R6: (K2tog, YO, K1)

B7: P Across (or K across for 2 hand knitters)

rep 6-7 until B covers wrist to wrist

Change to A and K4 Rows BO.

This works for toddler kids of average weight, add or DEC by2 sts for less confusion in smaller or larger kids. I would have prefered a few more sts on Girly's, but this will be more of an over tank than over a sweater type thing. So if you're going for a shrug over a sweater I suggest adding more STS. Adult size recommended CO: 81 sts (or any odd number that is closest to your gauge: I'm using worstest ) Sally's shrug Is in an even # pattern so she uses 80 STS. so I went up a st. instead of down as bigger is always better than smaller when unsure:) As I so erroneously learned on SIL's sweater this passed Christmas. OI!