Bang, bang (A Sock Wars 3 post-mortem)

Last week I participated in my first Sock Wars. Wow, what a blur! I'm not a terribly fast knitter, so I didn't hope to win. I only hoped for some fun and perhaps to finish one pair of socks to make a kill. I bought a crazy color for my weapon. The Supreme Commander mentioned that the pattern was inspired by the comic book BANG! POW! bubbles, and so when I saw this, I couldn't help myself!



That first weekend that the pattern was released was nuts for me. It was my birthday weekend, and Mother's day. I didn't even get to cast on until Sunday evening. Monday I found out that my assassin had mailed my socks. Already.

At first I was disappointed when I learned of her great skill and speed. I didn't have lofty goals for this war, only to extinguish one soul.

I only just managed to turn the heel on my first sock before death arrived on my door. Wow. What a fine and beautiful pair of socks I died by.



I watched some of the drama unfold on the Ravelry boards. It's like a train wreck over there. Or maybe a lynch mob. Either way, I stayed uninvolved. What a mess. I hope the Supreme Commander knows that many more people had fun.

Even though it was a little sad to be eliminated so quickly, I got the most beautiful socks I've seen in this battle and made some friends in the process!

Shift knit

Over the cooler months, I obsessed about socks. I finished 2 pairs as gifts, three to self, and have yet three more still on the needles. The bad news: I'm just about done wearing socks for the next 4 or so months. I'll probably finish one of the pairs as it's pretty mindless. And as they're called Campfire socks, I kinda want to take them backpacking. Otherwise, I think I'm through with socks for now. But not with knitting.

Time to shift gears. I've moved all of the toys in my Ravelry queue to the top, and last night I knit Zoë a mouse and stuffed it with catnip. She was only marginally impressed. Maybe I was too skimpy on the catnip.



I really want to knit some food. Strawberries & cupcakes are of particular interest. I see it as a sort of diet strategy. Crochet the coveted cupcake rather than consuming it. Mayhap an octopus. There's a whole Flickr group about octopi. I want to contribute! Some of it will have to be crochet, as most toy patterns that I've seen are written as such. I need to start small and simple, as the robot doll of yesteryear frustrated me and put these fun and games on hold. Maybe I'm just not that great at crochet.

Fabulous new socks

I love my new Nutkin socks. I finished them last week and they fit perfectly! I'm sure it was largely luck, but they're the first pair that haven't been slightly too big. They're a little twisty around the leg but that doesn't really bother me. Neither does the pooling. It means I made it myself!



So my entry for the Sockdown challenge for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry was complete in the nick of time. Speaking of which, I decided last night not to enter for April. I was planning to do a Jeanie Townsend pattern, but although I liked several of them, the ones I liked were similar to patterns that I've knit before. And with a completed pair number of 3, that simply isn't an option. I'm leaving on Friday, with loads of knitting time in the airport to be had, so I CO the Campfire socks. The pattern is super simple and I've seen a sock knit up in my chosen yarn (in fact, the reason I bought the yarn). The only issue I noticed, after getting a good start accomplished last night, is that the combined yardage of the two 50g skeins is 237 yards! This makes my size 9 foot nervous. I thought about frogging and start over with the pattern toe up, but the toe-up instructions are for two circs or magic loop. It would be my first toe up pair and I don't have circs, plus the instructions are not as "gentle" as the original ones. If I end up without enough to finish a sock with one skein I'll frog then. I love the yarn and the pattern, if I have to start over it won't be terrible.

Does this Kitty Pi make me look fat?

IMG_2009
Originally uploaded by gwendrr

I loved seeing all the FO for this Kitty Pi, and just had to make it. Generally Zoë likes anything that's handmade, so I thought there was a good chance she'd enjoy it. So I frogged my Boobie scarf & repurposed the yarn for the Kitty Pi. It was coming out terrible & too scratchy to wear anyway.


I doubled up on the yarn through the sides to make it a little more solid, but it was still pretty floppy. Ended up folding it over and now it holds it's shape great! I threw a little catnip in the bottom of it to generate interest, and the other members of my household rewarded her with treats whenever she entered it. Now it's her regular family room sleeping spot!

So here she is in the finished Pi. I can't get over how huge she looks in this picture! She's only 8lbs!

Me-socks!

Simple Trekking Socks
Originally uploaded by gwendrr

Last night I finished the first socks I've made for myself. It's about time, really. As proud as I was of the previous two pair that I gifted, I've worried that they might not be as nice as they look because I've yet to wear a pair that I've made. My inexperience might make a less-than-I'd-hoped-for gift. But at least I think the friends I've given them to appreciate the work that I did for them more than anything else.

I think they came out great, but my next pair for me will be a little prettier. So here they are. I'm wearing them tomorrow!

Stash Growth

I've been bad. I felt a little inadequate as a knitter because of my tiny stash, but that's over now. I've got yarn for at least 7 pairs of socks, two scarves, an entrelac headband, and another shawl (on the way). My boyfriend mocks me. Indie sock yarn will be the death of me. I stalk it daily, the sellers on Etsy tempt me with their luscious colors and bonus stitch marker.

My current crusade is to finish my Cozy so that I can cast on Ella with the Lorna's Laces headed my way via eBay. Of course I had to buy some lace Addi Turbos so I could try out a new type of needle. (Oh, and some Debbie Bliss to complete my Fetching.) And I have no idea how I'm going to block any of this lace, but it's just so gorgeous.

I watched the NV debate last night at my boyfriend's & twitched the entire time because I hadn't brought any knitting. I haven't a clue who I'm voting for in the (D) primary. I think knitting last night would have helped me decide.

Warming Ducks scarf

Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks scarf
Originally uploaded by gwendrr

I needed a gift for my friend Beth, and I decided that with the 50% off sale at New York Knits that she needed a scarf. I found a couple good patterns, asked for decision-making assistance in the Patterns board at Ravelry.. Someone suggested "Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks". It was meant to be really, Beth has a little duck-shaped birthmark on her neck. And now it'll be warm!

Beginnings of a Christmas Shawl

Beginnings of a Christmas Shawl
Originally uploaded by gwendrr

This is the first "more difficult" pattern that I've attempted. It has a couple stitches that are new to me, but were easy once I looked them up. It's easy to get into a rhythm which makes it perfect for TV watching. I'm about 1/4 of the way finished, and I've got about a month and a half, which should be exactly enough time. I'm really excited about how easy this pattern has been for me, it's really raised my confidence and encouraged me to attempt more "more difficult" patterns!

When I first started it I backtracked fairly regularly when I realized I'd made a mistake. That was before I found my rhythm, now the mistakes come much less frequently. I made one mistake that was too long ago to backtrack, but my boyfriend says he wouldn't have noticed it in a million years. I'm trying to let it go. Ah the burdens of perfectionism in knitting!

The Cozy will also be accompanying me on the Disney Cruise in April! Those dinners are delicious, but the dinning rooms freezing and you're wearing almost nothing because it's the Caribbean.

Fruit-striped socks

Fruity & delicious
Originally uploaded by gwendrr

I've finally finished them, my first pair of socks. I've been wanting to give sock knitting another try for a while and here's the result.

I made these for a friend whose birthday is Halloween. Things have been a little rough with our friendship over the past year, and knitting these socks for her has helped me accept the fact that we will likely never be the friends we were again. And that's OK. Luckily she is not such a picky girl, and will likely love them even with their little flaws. Hopefully they fit, she has little feet!

Fancy scarf

Fancy scarf
Originally uploaded by gwendrr.

My first fancy scarf. Ridiculously easy, I'd heard but was amazed. I used Lion brand: Fun Fur & Bouclé. One skein of each, held together. Casted on 8 to my boyfriend's size 35 needles then knit til the Bouclé ran out. I knit two of these in a couple hours. Why would anyone pay serious money for these beautiful things?

toilet paper cover knitting pattern

I searched briefly on the web for toilet paper covers to knit, and was dissatisfied with the results. Hence my first voyage into the realm of creating my own knitting patterns! Here goes!

Materials:
Double pointed needles size 10 1/2
1 skein Lion Brand Chenille Thick & Quick
tapestry needle

Instructions:
CO 45 stitches, spread them over 3 needles (15 stitches per needle),
knit in the round until you reach a length of 5 inches,

1st decr row: on each needle: k1, k2tog, knit to end of needle.
2nd decr row: on each needle: k1, k2tog, knit to 3 sts left, k2tog, k1.
repeat 2nd decr row until there are 4 stitches left on each needle.
last two rows: k2tog around entire row twice until you have 3 sts left.
BO.
weave in ends using the tapestry needle.

and lastly, here's my TPC::