OK, I've got a critical question for you all:
Do you see a difference between these two socks?
Let's call the one on the left A and the one on the right, B. Which do you like better?
Here's another view.
A.
B.
If you don't see any difference, let me know, as that will save me some serious reknitting time. These are the Maillot Jaune TdF socks that I'm trying to finish/write up in the next few days, so comment early and often!
Oh wow. A full sweater from cast-on to finished item in 2 weeks? Sign me up for more of these...OK, so I can't wear it, but hopefully the intended recipient will.
Pattern: standard top down raglan a la Barbara Walker, with YO increases on either side of the raglan seam
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Victorian Pink, 2 skeins
Needles: US 6/4.0 mm
Buttons: from Joann's
Start/finish: June 3 - June 16th for the knitting, finished blocking and sewing on buttons June 18th.
Gauge: 6 sts/inch
Comments: I used the basic recipe in Knitting from the Top for a raglan cardigan. I increased every fourth row along the neck edge for the V neck until 3 stitches short of the final number I needed, when I switched to every 3rd row. It was then straight knitting until the ribbing.
For the ribbing I used Pattern #79 (Lace Rib) from Vogue Knitting Stichionary 1 (homemade chart here if you're interested. As previously mentioned, Dev picked the buttons that fit just perfectly in the YO holes of the ribbing, so for the neck band I just picked up stitches all the way around the neck, worked 6 rows of the pattern and bound off. I kept the band on the left front in solid k2, p1 ribbing to make sewing the buttons on easier.
A quick soak in cool water, a spin out in the washing machine and voila! Pink perfection. Except for those damn wonky stitches that are still there. I console myself with the knowledge that Dev will never notice.
Maybe. ;-)
Just before we packed up in April, I got this lovely pile of superwash merino in the mail:
This made me regret not getting the double dose option, because I really really wanted to do socks with this for Ironman. And I wanted to do cabled socks of some kind. Which means a 3-ply yarn. Could I get enough out of 4 oz for socks?
This is about 200 yds, but it's also ~12 wpi, so sportweight rather then fingering. I'm hoping I can make it, at least with some shorter socks. I may sub in some other yarn for the heels and toes as well to maximize the handspun and keep something with nylon in it on the soles for wear.
I split the whole length of top into three equal sections (by length, not weight) and spun one single from the unstripped width, one single from a length split in half, and the final single from quarter sections of the last length of top. I like this type of fractal spinning to get subtle stripes, as in the Toxic kneehighs. I have absolutely no hope that they will match in the striping, but so be it.
Final yarn stats: 200 yds, 4.0 oz/113 gr, 3 ply. Singles spun and plied at 12:1, with short forward draw, smoothing the single as the twist entered (worsted). Finished with a sock soak in warm water, then drained, spun around my head on the back porch, and thwacked against the wall of the house. My neighbors think I'm very odd.
So now I need to find a nice manly cable sock pattern, that I can adapt for sportweight yarn. Any suggestions?
Not that I've been incredibly productive wool-wise in the past couple of months, but here's a list of progress:
April:
Packing of one 2100 sq foot house.
My First BSJ TM
KoM Socks
Ply by Night Cowl
Yarn School Corrie singles
Aleita Vest fail
May
A (semi)succesful relocation to London
Not strangling my small children
Reknit of cuff of KoM socks (unblogged)
1/2 of MJ socks (also not yet blogged)
YS Corrie plying
I think it's safe to say that it's clear that I've been doing other things over the last month. June looks to be a better month so far!
Because this stuff is retina searing:
Devil's merino handspun, 8.1 oz/229 gr, about 575 yds, 13-14 wpi (fingering weight).
Spun/plied at 12:1 on ST Lendrum.
Fiber from Yarn School, dyeing by me and Dev, spinning by me (with much "Are you done with my yarn yet?" from Herself). Dev has requested a blanket made from this stuff, so I chain plied to keep the stripes intact. I'm envisioning a garter stitch edged triangular shawl type thingie, with a central column of double YOs and YOs on each edge just inside the garter stitch border. That will give me lots of stripes and a non-curling edge. And make it something she can wrap up in as needed.
I've also finished the body of her sweater. It's quite gratifying to find that she is rather excited about it. Or at least marginally enthusiastic. I even interrupted her viewing of 101 Dalmatians to ask for input on the buttons and didn't get my head ripped off and stuffed down the stump of my neck. So she must like it!
I got the flower buttons specifically with her in mind, but to my surprise she picked the pinky red ones. Which is great because I can do the same ribbing that's on the bottom as a button band and not have to worry about buttonholes.
Here's hoping that a good blocking takes care of the wobbly stitches. Damn cotton will get me every time!