Three Little Purls

Canaries and Stripes

nikki — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:52:28 +0000

Whew! This weekends shop update went off without a hitch. It was a busy weekend full of packaging tape and laser printers, but in the end every paid order was out the door on Monday.

I even managed to take a few minutes to relax and cast on a new pair of socks. I know I am of biased opinion, but I love my Troika Sock yarn. It is yummy stuff, for sure. I have a difficult time choosing what colors to knit for myself, so I have a rule that I can knit only from my seconds bin. When this skein of Canary came up as a second, I was so happy.

I also took a few minutes to rip, knit, and rip again the knee socks I’m working on. Those calf increases are giving me fits!

Stockinette is for mindless knitting

nikki — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:47:49 +0000

I’m still buried in yarn and dyes. The good news is that all of my custom orders, including the giant ones, are in the hands of their owners. Wholesale orders are about finished, too. I also have lots of shop yarn dyed up, with more skeins finished daily. I’ll be sending a note out to the mailing list about the big update soon. It will be a good one. :)

I don’t have much stamina for complicated knitting right now, so stockinette it is.

These colors are so fantastic that it is easy to ignore the cruddy quality of the yarn. This stuff breaks if you look at is funny and is very thick and thin.

But the colors! Oh! They are wonderful!

Knitting Dangerously

nikki — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:27:28 +0000

I started a pair of socks with my Troika Sport in Cabbage. This skein is from my seconds bin. As you can see, one ply is different and, therefore, doesn’t take color like the rest. This is something I find sort of neat, and sort of annoying at the same time. Mostly annoying.

With 250 yards in a skein, I’m about to discover whether I can get a pair of size 7 socks out of one skein. These are the Petticoat Socks from Weekend Knitting and I’m aiming for the shorter cuff version. I see that a few others have managed to squeak by with similar amounts of yarn, so I’m going for it - top down sock and all.

Singles Only

nikki — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:21:44 +0000

Even though I’m up to my elbows in yarn and dye, I’ve managed to squeeze in a wee bit of mental-health spinning time.

I’m loving this pretty mix of pinks and accent colors. I did a much improved job of dyeing this fiber. No felting!

Then my Woolie Winder came, so I had to take it for a spin. (Yay for presents to myself!) I like it, but there is definitely a learning curve with this thing. Again, I’m using my trusty hand dyed corriedale fiber. Still no felting, but the colors are kinda ick. I’ll wait to pass judgment until I’ve plied it up.

Where it is blazing hot outside

nikki — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:05:25 +0000

This weekend, it was 105 degrees in my neck of the woods. It was so hot that I did not want to look at, or much less, touch yarn. So I didn’t.*

Yesterday, the weather finally cooled down a balmy 99 degrees. Perfect weather to crochet a blanket, right?

It didn’t last long. Time to go back to socks.

…

*That’s not entirely true. I did ship out Mama Blue orders, but that doesn’t count.

Butternut Socks

nikki — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:58:10 +0000

(on Ravelry)

Yarn :: My handspun 2 -ply, 3.7oz/? yds
Fiber :: Superwash Merino Roving in Squashed purchased from Sakina Needles
Pattern :: My generic The Humble Sock goes Toe Up recipe, with a few mods
Needle :: Knit Picks us2.5, 3.0mm
Started :: Mid-May 2008
Finished :: June 9, 2008

Modifications :: Worked over 44 stitches. Heel done over 22 sts, with a 2-stitch garter ridge on each end of the heel flap. Cuff is 2 ridges of garter stitch.

My first pair of socks knit with my handspun, and most definitely not the last. (The Peach Pit handspun will be next.) They are squishy soft and wonderfully warm. So warm, in fact, that they will have to wait till fall to be worn.

The Humble Sock goes Toe Up

nikki — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:46:22 +0000

THE HUMBLE SOCK goes TOE UP

Toe up sock with a heel flap for both DPN’s and Magic Loop

Ravelry
humbletoeup.pdf

…

{This recipe is primairly posted here for my personal reference. Of course, you are welcome to use it, but please know that it has not been test knit by someone else, or checked for typos by anyone but me. If you find anything weird, let me know, k? xo nikki}

The Humble Sock

nikki — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:34:42 +0000

THE HUMBLE SOCK PATTERN

Top down sock with a heel flap for both DPN’s and Magic Loop

Ravelry
humblesock.pdf

…

Butternut Progress

nikki — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:21:49 +0000

{Oops!}

I want to acknowledge that I am a dufus. I accidentally sent out two newsletter updates to the Mama Blue Knitting Goods mailing list. It was the current one and also the one from Memorial Day weekend. Oops. Sorry mailing list friends!

…

In less goofy knitterly news, I’m moving along with my Butternut Socks. One is finished and the other is just a baby.

Here they are, toes huddled together shivering out of fear of a huge yarn slug. I always wonder why my center-pull yarn cakes do this.

I’m loving this handspun sock experience so much, that I cannot wait to cast on for another pair of socks with my latest not-quite-fingering-weight-but-getting-better yarn.

Fiber :: Superwash Merino in Peach Pit
Source :: Squoosh
Quantity :: 3.8oz, 376 yards
WPI :: 15ish wpi.

Lost Socks

nikki — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:20:28 +0000

I just found pictures of an old, undocumented FO from last year.

(on Ravelry)

Pattern :: My basic toe-up recipe with a short row heel
Yarn :: Yarntini Self Striping Sock, 1 skein in ‘Boardwalk’
Needle :: Addi Turbo us1
Started :: March 31, 2007
Finished :: May 13, 2007

Originally knit and mailed to my sister-in-law, I never heard they reached their destination. I’m wagering they are in some unclaimed post office mail pile, or in a spidery corner of an exboyfriend’s garage, or maybe they’re gracing the feet of a stranger with a womens size 7 foot. Who knows.

They were knit with love, though, for one of my favorite people, and I’ll just have to knit her another pair. And hand deliver them. :)