FO Report

Here they are in all their glory!

Pattern: BFF Socks, size S

Yarn: Knit Picks Sock Memories in Flower Power, 2 skeins

Needles: Size 2 dpns

Modifications: For the heel flap set up the pattern says to complete the pattern repeat 4 times. But that gives you 32 stitches, and you only need 28 for the heel. I think that's a misprint, and I only did the repeat three times. I also looked at how the instep pattern was supposed to be carried down the foot and ended up moving some stitches around so the stitches on the top of the foot would line up right. This part of the pattern isn't very well written, and I can see why. I'm not explaining it very well either. It was a little fiddly, but it turned out great.

Review: I'm so happy to have finally found a pattern for this yarn. I really wanted to knit a cabled sock, but my own attempts at a cable sock design were ill-fitting. I think my brain is too tired for math and thinking and stuff. I still had to frog this pattern once. I originally cast on for medium but in a stunning turn of events medium was too big for my size *ahem* 9 feet. But considering the fact that this yarn has been frogged a total of 9 times I think it held up nicely. Now that I'm looking at the picture I can totally see where I accidentally decreased one too many stitches on one side of the heel gusset, so I quietly increased a stitch right there. Oh well, I'm willing to live with it. There's also some distinct pooling at the heel gusset. Each sock has green/yellow on the right side, red/orange on the left side. I should be proud the colors matched up so well. It's tricky to make socks match with hand painted yarn, and to match pooling? I almost feel clever. These socks feel soft and warm on my feet, and I love my red technicolor toes.

These socks were knit in three days! I knit them so feverishly because I am in training. What am I training for you might ask.

The official website is here. This is a tournament style sock knit-off. I like the way this is set up better than sock wars. This is mano-a-mano knitting. Me against another fierce competitor to see who can knit a sock faster. It's doubtful that I'll make it past the first round since the timing of the start of Sock Madness couldn't be worse for me personally. But hey, I had to try.

Coming tomorrow? The Scheherazade Shawl
And Friday? possibly Starsy!

Something has gone horribly wrong

I don't know what I've done but I've angered someone with connections. I have inadvertently offended someone and they are seeking retribution. And they've come after me with a vengeance. Tormenting me in the most effective way they know how. They have stolen the most precious of all my precious items. A thief in the night, they've taken what will pain me the most. They've taken my knitting mojo.

*Poof*

Gone.

I know you're really here for some kick-butt finished objects. And I do have the Bathing Beauties, and the Rona shawl, but I am too despondent over the events of last night to feel any joy in the beauty that is the Rona Shawl.

It all began when I tried on RPM.....

It's looking good isn't it. I love how this yarn is knitting up in this pattern. And let's be honest. Everything I've knit lately has been cream or taupe. It was exciting to watch actual colors flow through my fingers and take form. I decided to knit the larger size. The 63 stitch cast on was only one stitch off from the Pirate Socks, so they should have fit just fine. I tried them on....they didn't. They were too large. So my socks and I took an unplanned detour to the frog pond. Unconcerned I cast on for the smaller size, knit the cuff and discovered this...

See how the orange is all on one side of the sock, and the yellow is segregated to the other side. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's true. With the smaller stitch count the yarn is, I can hardly bear to say it, the yarn is...flashing. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE flashing and it's fraternal brother pooling. I think it's exciting to watch it knit up. I've got a capital "E" on the bottom of my Pirate Sock and it thrills me to no end. But this yarn is so busy, and this pattern is so busy, I just don't think it needs a third visual element with the flashing. It will be too much. Before it looked like a good acid trip, but as anyone who has ever taken acid can tell you (not me Dad, other people, bad people who took acid in college, but not me), a good trip can easily go bad. And this trip has gone bad.

So RPM is no more. I'm toying with the idea of Jaywalkers, but that didn't work so well for me the first time. Or a simple rib socks, maybe with moss stitch in the rib. *sigh* And these socks were knitting up so quickly, and looking so beautiful....

But the horrors of yesterday do not end with the sock. No the sock was only a prelude to the actual terror. A large spider on the bed covers when there was really a killer in the closet. The next victim was *gasp* Starsky. And it dealt a fatal blow. It is too graphic. Standard of decency prohibit me from showing you pictures of the carnage.

When last we left Starsky it was relaxing peacefully in a bath of lukewarm water, baby shampoo, and a squirt of conditioner. A time tested cocktail guaranteed to soothingly intoxicate your knit garments into submission.

When I removed Starsky from it's bath I made a horrifying discovery. I always, and I don't mean always in that exaggerated way that really means sometimes, I mean each and every time, I ALWAYS wrap my yarn ends up and secure them with a safety pin to get them out of the way. I do this with every project, I hate having lots of strings dangling about. This could be why I rarely do color work, but that is a different topic. To return to the original topic, I always secure my ends with a safety pin. I NEVER take them off until it is time to weave in the ends. I soak my knits with the safety pins on, I block them. It's never been a problem. NEVER. Until yesterday. Each and every pin rusted. Some pins were regular safely pins. Some were curved rust-resistant safety pins for quilting. Some were old, some not so old. But each and every safety pin rusted. Three sweater pieces in three separate bowls of water, all covered in rust stain.

My sweater is on life support. It's poor beautiful fibers streaked with red, and brown, and some hideous grey. A sweater that may die before I have a chance to wear it and look fabulous. I've soaked the pieces in lemon juice and salt. Today I'll try the sun and cream of tartar. But I'm not optimistic. I've been told the alpaca in it may never recover. Such a senseless tragedy.

Someone has declared war on me, and I'm gonna fight back with a vengeance. Where the f@#$ is Boyd?

If I took Lunesta how would I ever get anything done?

It's absolutely amazing the things I will do to get out of blocking.

I loaded the dishwasher. I watched *shudder* Teletubbies *shudder* with my children. I spent entirely too much time looking at sock patterns online. I deleted all the information from my Palm Pilot and then spent an hour figuring out how to restore everything (I've got Dad don't worry. It was all still on my computer. I'm still not sure how it all deleted in the first place). I swept my kitchen floor. I even contemplated washing my kitchen floor, but I didn't want to get out of blocking that badly. I cast on for a new sock instead. I wandered all day with the task hanging over my head, yet I did not do it.

But alas, once again insomnia has settled into my life, a familiar unwelcome friend. Late last night when everyone else had drifted deep into sleep and even the cat had stopped padding about and chosen a place to lounge for the night I gave up lying awake in bed. If I was going to be awake I might as well do something useful. Armed with my mp3 player and some pins I began

First came the Bathing Beauties. They had soaked long enough. Blocking feels like laundry with the water and the wringing and the laying flat to dry. Maybe this is why I've put it off. I hate laundry. I'd join a nudist colony if I didn't enjoy knitting sweaters so much. What would be the point of knitting sweaters if they were to never be worn?

It was soothing to pull and prod and pin the formless cotton into orderly shape. I soaked and pinned my sweater swatches. As I smoothed the wool and laid it flat I daydreamed of the sweaters they would become. Little sketches of perfectly knit sweaters in my mind. I fell asleep floating in soft wool dreams.



Before I gave into my fleecy sleep I put the Rona Shawl in for a dip. I was on a roll and feared losing my momentum

This morning Meaty came in as I was pinning it. He asked what I was doing. I told him I was blocking.

"No you're not"

"I'm not? Then what am I doing?"

"You're making a spiderweb!"

He's right, you know, a beautiful lacey spiderweb spun of silk and wool and dreams.

As I pinned the forty eight pins in place for the forty eighth points of the shawl I came to an important decision. I'm buying some f*@$ing blocking wires. Until I do, there's more work to be done. Shhhhhhh......We must be quiet for now.

Starsky is soaking and doesn't like to be disturbed while bathing.