Socks and Vests

I'm in one of those phases where I'm not finishing a lot, and I've been working all the time so there hasn't been much blog activity. But today we have a couple things!

I was teaching a sock class for knitting two socks at a time, and the basic pattern specifies worsted weight - it's very useful for getting through 2 heels in one class. I almost finished the socks in the last class a week ago, but then they sat around on my couch waiting to be grafted, which is so unlike me! Usually once I hit the toe decreases nothing will prevent me from finishing a pair of socks.



Yarn: Reynolds Odyssey 441
Started: 5/30/09
Finished: 6/18/09

I bought the yarn in Boston shortly before it was discontinued, but I have so little worsted weight sock yarn in my stash this was the only convenient one to grab. I'm glad I did! I thought it would be a little more striped, but the finished socks are fairly subtle (and more pink/purple than blue, also a surprise.) The yarn is quite soft and the color effect is achieved by using plies of different colors. It was very nice to knit with and I'm looking forward to seeing how it wears.

I've also been knitting a vest for the yarn store.



Pattern: Portland Tweed Vest (rav link)
Yarn: Portland Tweed in color 5077
Started: 5/21/09
Finished: 6/20/09

I didn't have my camera today, so I took this picture with my iPhone. I'm trying to get WIPs cleared of my Ravelry page ASAP since I'm getting kind of guilty about their growing numbers. ;) This vest is, of course, not something I would normally knit, but I enjoyed working with the yarn. The pattern, on the other hand, was a bit annoying. It's written in a way that was very difficult to follow - probably to save room as it is printed in a booklet.

However, having the instructions about *how* to do the decreases on a separate page from where the directions for the pattern pieces (and *how often* to do the decreases) are is very very annoying. There were also quite a few things that were unclear due to the brevity, such as instructions like "knit to last 4 sts, ssk." Um... there are two more stitches left after that ssk, which I'm assuming I need to knit! Combine that with the fact that you have shaping going on at different intervals on either side of the piece plus a lacy cable panel in the middle...

Suffice it to say that it was not an ideal project for putting down to jump up and help customers. And that 7 stitch ribbed band around the front / neck? Knit as a strip and sewn on. Yeah. But hey, it turned out great!

WIPs

I have 22 WIPs on my Ravelry page. In truth, I only have 20 because 2 of those are actually design projects that are complete, but that I haven't marked as FOs because I like to wait til I can show pictures. In this case I might have to bend that rule.

I go through phases of casting on, I'll start many *many* projects and I'll work on them all a little bit at a time - or at least a good portion of the projects, there are a few that have been lonely a while. Then finally I'll finish them, and it will look very impressive like I finish a lot of things at once. That is a trick.

Here are a few pictures, mostly of ones that I seem to be lacking photographs for entirely.



I started the Horcrux socks as twin socks with Eloise back in Salem I think. The yarn is the Harry Potter Opal in Draco.



These are some plain socks I promised to Snarfy because the yarn color scares me, and apparently she finds it "OMG hot!" I was happy to relinquish it to her, but since I haven't used this brand of yarn before - Dashing Dachs, if you're curious - I thought I should actually knit the socks myself.

And for something a little different... one sock!



Yes, I started my other Nebula, which is something of a minor miracle since when I knit socks one at a time they generally take me years to complete. The DPNs are also a trick - I believe I cannibalized the needles for another more pressing project. :o

There's another project which I'll likely be finishing Saturday, so I'll just save that one til then...

Listening to: Sober ~ Tool, How Soon Is Now? ~ The Smiths