Making Monday

This sad first sock should be on Finished Friday, but unfortunately, there wasn’t any more of the white wool. The thin red wool is still a large cake so, I guess I will have to frog this soft sock and find another way to use the white. Maybe smaller socks? I tend to think a child might have problems with the wool. So even making a hat might be a bad thing. Maybe just a toy? Either way, this one has had its chance in the sun and will go back to being a yarn cake. By the way, this one was made on the 24-peg, blue, Knifty Knitter.  It was an experiment of the toe up on a wider gauge loom. It was a fast project so I’m sorry I couldn’t go further.

You have seen sock number one of this pair and the second sock is just ankle and cuff away from making the pair.

This is the metal-pegged loom. I think it is KB. It is not as comfortable to hold or keep my tension even. But I think the pair will be comfortable as house slippers. It is just acrylic yarn so not inherently warm. I love the toe-up, Kitchener cast-on. The rest is flat-knit if tension allows or u-wrap or even e-wrap at times as the tension was hard to maintain. Kitchener cast-on is harder on this rectangle loom. It may be one I use less and less often.

***

This is my favorite project. Look! My daughter’s first sock is nearly finished. Just the cuff to finish. What is slowing me down on it is that I am doing a four-by-four purl/knit ribbing stitch using ‘true’ knit stitch. It is very like the purl stitch and more time-consuming. Those purple looms hold the toe-starts to my daughter’s boyfriend’s socks. By knitting two at a time I can keep the lengths the same. I need to order yet another set of the His/Hers KB sock looms as the first one I start her sock on broke. So I transferred the project to the new loom and will order the next set at payday. So I will only be doing one at a time for her socks. It’ll work just not as timely. Looking at the purple looms, isn’t it cool how each skein of yarn starts exactly the same. Each toe starts with red. Because the orange loom is smaller and was my first, I will have to skip the red parts of the next skein to keep her socks even. It is truly an amazing thing to watch as I work! I wish I had been a part of the people who invented this kind of yarn. It is magical! By the way, I love the texture of this yarn, too. It is so soft and being wool will be warm in the colder winters up here or on camping trips.

***

Yes, another sock. This is the cuff of a sock. I am trying to learn to needle knit on circular needles. This pair of needles are bamboo. It makes it harder to lose a stitch. The yarn is kind of like T-shirt material as it has no fibers that can be frayed or separated. I figured it would help me see my mistakes more clearly.

***

Yep, another sock. This one will be for a child.

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One more:

One of my favorite looms, CinDWood, 56, 1/4 inch gauge. This is donated wool. I know it works up into a nice sock and I have plenty.

***

I’m still working on two hats. I find the bigger looms are not as much fun or as easy on my hands as the smaller looms for socks and toys.

Both hats are on KB smaller gauge looms. The one on the left is soft pastels with black. The one on the right is red and white, I think that is HomeSpun. The one on the right is gifted to me yarn so should go to a loved one. The one on the right is donated and so should be for charity. Both should make cozy head warmers.

I think that’s it. I usually keep each project in its own zip-lock baggie. But I do keep them all where I can see and grab the one my hands feel drawn to.

As spring is working its way into our area I probably will have to slow it all down for more outdoor activities. Or find ways to take a project with me to sit and enjoy the sun while knitting, drawing, writing, or reading. Those are all good rewards for a nice walk, don’t you think? How do you do the balance?

The Story of a Sock or Four

So this sock is on its third remake because the loom had a broken peg. I had Gorilla Glued it but yesterday, as I was finishing the ankle part and heading for the cuff it broke again.

 

Ugh! See the broken peg attached by a rubber band to the loom?

Yeah, I can’t toss something if I think I might be able to use it again sometime. But I did order a new KB His and Hers set. Trouble is, even though I ordered off the last order this set of looms is smaller. The same amount of pegs, but I think the pegs are slightly closer.

 

And then I had to move all the stitches on the broken loom onto the new equivalent loom. I used the circular knitting needles to capture the loops and then move them to the new loom.

 

These are ChiaoGoo Red Lace 47 inch Stainless Steel Size 1.5. They did an excellent job for me. I can’t wait to try and make sock on them.

So my daughter’s first sock is nearly finished. I suppose I could give it to her and she can take turns on which foot she’ll keep warm that day? Kidding!  But those purple looms are for her boyfriend. Can you see the difference between the purple on the lower left and the bigger purple above? They are supposed to be the same size. If they turn out to be too different in size I will make the decision of which loom I’ll make the second one on.

Oh, and that sock with the mermaids on it? That is on my foot. Those were a gift from my friend. They are so fun I thought the girls wanted to be a part of the sock party. Okay, back to knitting.

Scrappy Dolls

So I had a lot of yarn in little bits. I thought, ‘Hmmm, maybe I can make some scrappy socks. But I made oopsies and needed to tink. That didn’t work out right. So I left these two-toned tube socks in their project bag until I felt like dealing with them. Suddenly it came to me that they would make sock dolls.

The other bright idea that has to do with socks is, I wondered if the Kitchener cast-on could be used to make hats without a bump or knot on the top. So, here is the result of that cast-on on the small Knifty Knitter (blue, 24 pegs):

It is a little bumpy on what would be near the big toe and the little toe, like a dimple or pimple? But it does seem smoother than the normal doll head or hat. Then I thought well, I have enough yarn to make a doll, upside down. Usually, using LoomAHat’s Tiny Doll pattern, you knit from the legs up. With the head done I decided to finish with the legs. It worked!

I like how the combinations of yarns gave an interesting pantsuit for this guy.

My sock babies turned out like this:

It makes it look like they are in cocoons with their arms out of the binding.

Just because they begged for a selfie together:

It looks like the little ones are falling asleep while the bigger kid is in charge. Or is that just me and my crazy imagination?

 

Yay! Finished Friday

I love baby socks! They are so fast!

Okay. the stats: These are made on the KB 24 peg, 3/4 gauge.

I have the markers set up for the heel. Oh, and yes, a couple of those pegs are bent forward. I need to run the loom under warm water and see if I can fix those. The loom got caught under the rocker recliner when I wasn’t looking. Oops! But they didn’t cause too much of a problem even as is.

Draw-string Cast-on to make the toe. Knit ten rows. I used the flat-knit stitch. Then between the first peg and the twelfth peg, I did the Russian short rows (heel). Eight rows of flat-knit stitch for the ankle. Then a two-by-two e-wrap/purl cuff for eight rows. Just the regular bind of, the one that you wrap two, knit first two. Then bring second loop to the first loop. knit bottom over top. Move that loop to the number two spot. That is now the number one peg. E-wrap number two. knit over. Move number two to number one. knit bottom over top. Repeat to end wrap last. knit over. Cut end (about two inches) pull through the loop. Hide ends. Voila!

 

Throwing it Thursday

Well, I thought I had something to say I finished. But obviously, I made the one on the loom too long.

Had to frog.

At least it is a small infant size, it shouldn’t take long to remake it. Maybe you’ll see the pair again on

Finished Friday!

😅

Busy, Busy!

I planned to be a part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday but I was so busy I nearly forgot to blog yesterday. I have four pairs of socks on looms, two hats on the round looms and a matt of plarn.

 

Normally, that doesn’t keep me so busy I can’t blog. But THIS had my attention all day.

 

My son and I loved it, all of it! But my husband found it boring. Isn’t that weird how different we see things? I could not remember what stitch I was supposed to be doing I was so glued to the show. Maybe you will like it.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the Hat Huggers meeting. Knowing that I realized I had some yarn I promised to get set up for folks who don’t have the umbrella and cake winder to make balls of yarn from yank-skeins or frogged items that are donated. So besides the knitting projects, I got out the equipment to wind up a few cakes.

I started in earnest with:

I got a couple big cakes from this white yarn. It is crochet yarn. I know it can be used to make doilies but not sure about things like hats or any other comfort items.

Then I found this maroonish wool yank. It is in the middle of the next picture.

I knew it would make socks. But it seems rather old and broke often. With both of these yarns, there were so many problems getting them to flow properly. The white had stains. I know whoever ends up with it will have to wash their complete project using some kind of bleach. The maroon was so breakable I just tied the bigger balls that resulted between breaks. I decided I will keep it to practice sock knitting on needles. I’ve been instructed to toss very bad yarn rather than attempt to make something of it. But I think I can reuse this skein one more time before trashing.

Someone donated a lot of mohair and the body of a sweater they had attempted. I wish I were a more advanced knitter so that I could finish their sweater. But with no pattern to follow or even the other needle, I figured frogging would be necessary.

So during Godzilla:

It was good to see Eleven from Stranger Things! But I didn’t like it so much. Did you? I found it too loud.

 

And then the Oscars, I made this kind of mess to cake before bed.

It made me think of Hair Love that we saw this morning on Sunday Morning. I loved this sweet film!

Anyway,  I better get busy. Catch ya on the flip-side!

Finishing Again Friday

Two more inches until time to do the wrap-in-turns of the heel. Maybe I will have a pair by next Friday.

I guess I am getting faster in having this much done in a day. I didn’t mention yesterday that this is the ‘Hers’ of the KB His and Hers sock looms. Kitchener Cast-on is so much fun. See the picture below for the small ball of yarn that I pulled to ‘zip’ the toe closed.  I used the flat-knit stitch for the most part. If the tension gets too tight I use the U-stitch.

That little ball will be great for mending the sock later or starting a scrappy-sock. I do love this yarn.

Have a good weekend!

Throwing in the Towel Thursday 😣

 

When last seen here on WP, my daughter’s sock was this length.

I had actually gotten past the heel and was well into the cuff of the sock. Sadly, I realized I had made it two inches too long on the foot. It would have fit my 81/2 size shoe but not my daughter’s size 7. Nor would it have been big enough for her boyfriend who is possibly a size 11. So as the emoji on the title predicted I threw in the towel but persevered. With sadness, I found I couldn’t tink (knit backward) past the heel. My dyslexia mind couldn’t figure out what to do with unwrapped and turned parts. So I frogged (ripped it) and reballed the yarn:

So sad. 😥

But now, I have once again got the Kitchener Cast-On toe finished. I am rows away from the fun part of yarn pulling the toe closed. Maybe I can figure out how to photograph this yarntastic storm. It is the most fun of all knitting for me so far, outside of an actual finished product, that is.

I’m not discouraged.  I prefer what I make to turn out nicely. Especially now that I realize how comfortable and gorgeous handmade socks are. So, stay tuned to see how the new try turns out. Don’t hold your breath. It will take a week or so. I’m not very fast.

I hope your Thursday was more productive and fun. 😀

Last Just Jot It January — Chaos/Finshed Friday

Don’t ask me how Snoopy photo-bombed. I felt him feeling left out so included him in the sock picture. So anyway, I finished these today. I can’t give them to just anyone so I had to write on the donation card that they are a wool mix.

That is the CinDWood fine-gauge 1/4″, 56 peg loom. I love this loom! These are toe-up that start out looking like this with the Kitchener Cast-on.

Doesn’t that look like fun? It is! So you start out wrapping the pegs until you have this loom. Then on one side of the loom, you work the toe with a few wraps and turns. Then take it all the way around making the foot part of the sock. When you have enough rows done you can get the knitted sides to meet up. That’s when you get the fun-total chaos! See what I did there? 😀 Anyway, you start at the opposite side of the start string. You pick up the beginning stitches. pretty soon you have a bit of yarn. Picking, pulling one side and then the other before long you have a few inches of yarn. Keep it going and soon you have a foot. Then you have a yarn. By the time you reach the beginning string, you have a few yards of yarn. By that point, I am moving a nest of yarn from one shoulder to another. Then I am using my knees to keep this mass of yarn open and straightened out so as not to make a bigger mess. Keep pulling, keep pulling! It is so much fun I can’t wait until I make the next sock. By the time the toe is closed up you have a little ball to use later. Here’s my favorite YouTube of this Kitchener Chaos:

Oh. I have several socks in the process right now. But the latest project is because of GoodKnitStitches. She put out this YouTube.

I didn’t have any T-shirt yarn but I have tons of plastic bags and balls of plarn adding to the chaos of my house. I thought maybe this would make a good roll-up padding for the homeless. It is going well. Here is what it looks like so far:

If it doesn’t feel good for me to lay on, it may end up being a pet bed or foot massager for the shower, or doormat. At any rate, I am enjoying this pattern with the plarn. I used to crochet with it but crochet seemed to hurt my hands. This doesn’t hurt and whips up fast. Now I dream that when I finish this mat I will find T-shirt material as that bath mat looks so cozy!

So sorry to see this January Jotting over. I always love it! The worst of it is as of Sunday the chaos of coming up with prompts for my blog!

Thank you, Linda!

 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 31st, 2020, is “chaos.” Use the word “chaos” any way you’d like. Have fun!

Done, and done!

Just Jot January–Jade, Finished Friday

Per Linda:

Today’s is the 17th prompt for Just Jot it January 2020, and it’s brought to us by MB. Thank you so much, MB! Please be sure to visit her blog to read her post and say hello. And follow her while you’re there!.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 17th, 2020, is “jade.” Use the word “jade” any way you’d like. Have fun!

The only thing that I can come up with for the prompt word ‘Jade’ is actually how jaded I feel about what is going on in the world and how divided we all are and how we all seem to get stuck in kindergarten name-calling.  And the flippancy of talking-points, cliches of oneliners that seem to prove one-up-manship. My biggest gripe lately is, “Getting ahead of your skies.” Really? Because cart before the horse is cliche? Okay, we don’t use horses and carts as much anymore. But I can’t imagine what happens if a person gets ahead of their skies!

Anyway, these oneliners are used as power points. Whichever side says the best one wins. Pow! Take that? Talking is cliche. Liking each other is soft. And if you listen to all of this a lot you start thinking about pre-school or kindergarten. I start yelling at my TV: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. What you say is what you are! Yeah. Jaded.

What isn’t jade is the latest slipper sock. Soft Red comfort. I feel better talking about this sweetie anyway:

Blue, 24-peg Knifty Knitter loom. Folded up cuff in e-wrap. Mostly flat-knit stitch. I tried to do toe-up but the Kitchener cast-on doesn’t work very well with this home-spun type yarn. By the way, the color is much redder than the picture shows. I’ll probably finish the second sock tomorrow as it works up very fast.