A Day Late and a Dollar Short

I meant to blog last week or last weekend.  It didn't happen.  I feel badly.  So I'll make today's post extra long. Or maybe I'll break it up into two posts.

Post the first.

When we last left off, I had finished the Papaver  socks, and nothing had arrived in the mail.

Last week, I got arrivals in the mail.  Yes, there was more stashquisition, but it was of the sock club variety, so it doesn't count. And there has been some progress knitting-wise.

First off, the goodies. 

I received my March Rockin' Sock Club offering from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and my April Cookie A Sock Club offering.  

The Rockin' Sock Club contains the usual host of lovely goodies:  dyer's notes, 2 patterns, a mini-skein, and a bumper sticker.

The yarn is STR Mediumweight in Budding Twig.  One pattern is a shawl (meh), and the other is a pair of socks called Redbud by Linda Welch.  I keep referring to them as Rosebud.  Whoops. 

The socks are actually a lovely pattern, and I think I want to cast them on as soon as I have two more things off the needles.  I really like the pattern, and I think I'll use the club yarn, since it's such a nice mix of light colours.  I'm not usually a fan of the light stuff, so I have to strike while the mood is upon me.

The second sock club offering is from Cookie A.  The yarn is Sokkusu Original from Socktopus (Alice Yu).  I find it intriguing that Cookie A's yarn comes from a fellow designer who also has a yarn club.

On a philanthropist level, I am super-happy that Cookie A has introduced Alice's yarn to the world at large.  If you read the comments in Ravelry, people are really taken with the yarn.  As am I, which is why I have 18 skeins in my stash.  The selfish part of me knows that this will likely turn Alice into a sock yarn superstar and she and Ling will never have another quiet moment to themselves. But my love of Sokkusu and wanting to share wins out.  I just hope I'll be able to scoop some updates every now and again.

The yarn is called River Styx.  I think I might use it for the Socktopus Tideway pattern and I might use one of my HB#2 skeins to knit Turbulence.  And perhaps I'll use Grellow to knit Nanaimo.

There was also a very cool band around the yarn, which I have of course put on my bulletin board of yarny goodness. 

I had also ordered some short circs to attempt sock knitting with 2 circs at a time.  I ordered ChaioGoo red lace in 2.25 and 2.50 mm (16") and a set of Hiya Hiya Sharps in 2.75 mm (24").  

I initially tried the ChiaoGoo needles and wasn't sure.  I was emailing Christine, and she said she doesn't like the ChiaoGoo needles because the cable is so stiff and it creates ladders.  So I switched socks and switched needles.   

After doing the comparison, I think I like the ChiaoGoo more than I like the Hiya Hiyas.  

Of course what I really want is SNA circs in a 20" length.  That would be perfect for me.  But they seem to be working more at the big end of the spectrum than at the small end of the spectrum.  Yesterday they announced the arrival of size 10 circs (6.0 mm).  Why can't they work out the bugs and do 2.25, 2.50, 2.75 and 3.0 mm circs?  They'd make a killing.

But as usual, I digress.

Last week's knitting consisted of finishing the second stripey sock.   I did the Sweet Tomato heel again, but I knit a couple of rounds between wedges, so the striping doesn't match anymore. Grrr.. It only matches to the heel.

So I cast on another self-striping sock.  It's the Platypus colourway from Nalani Yarns.  I decided to do an afterthought heel, now that I realize that I didn't actually pay enough attention to Leslie's video tutorial.  I neglected to knit 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of sotckinette before starting the heel decreases.  Duh.  No wonder it was uncomfortable.   So I am trying again.  I have the first sock done sans heel.

I did it cuff-down and went down to 2.25 mm needles.  I think I knit 18 rows of ribbing and then another 72 rows of leg before inserting the heel.  

It looks to me as though it's going to be a short sock.  I should probably have done another 12 to 15 rows on the leg, since I forgot to compensate for the smaller needle size.  

And finally, there was some puppy love last week.  This is mostly for Magda.  

Lila - deceptively cute.

Des on the floor

Sebastian on the floor

Lila and Bastian

And Bastian taking a nap

They're cute when they're not destroying things.

Comments

[Magda]

Love the BMFA colourway! - I've seen shots of that redbud sock on Rav, and its really pretty.

As for the puppies, I feel that while Lila is the most conventionally cute (symmetrical, smooshy faced, etc.), my "I chose to play tuba in grade school band because I thought it looked lonely" heart loves Bastian best.

[Leslie]

I just posted on my blog how I wanted some Hiya Hiya sharps and then I came here and read your post. Its definitely time for some new needles so thanks for the review. I only knit my socks on 2 circs and love it.