Bad Sock Karma

So I was talking to my KB today... well, okay I was talking to him in my head because I was throwing down an e-mail to him (some people have pets or plants to talk to, I don't have either here in TDC so let me be). Anyway, I was writing an e-mail to dear KB and I was complaining about the fact i have not yet gotten my book from Barnes and Nobel that has to do with vintage sock patterns. It is called "knitting vintage socks" by Nancy Bush.click to see it here

I have been stalking this book on various book sites, trying to see inside the book, reading little snipets here and there. I want this book! I want to read it! See knitting is bad because it is very similar to cookbooks. I read cookbooks and dream about the things I don't have the time/space/supplies to make. So I can read a pattern book the same way!! And since I have been obsessed by socks lately... well it fuels my obsession. The internet sock sites are not enough!! Especially since hubby hogs the computer doing this little thing called "job searching".

Anyway it has been 3 weeks since I ordered the book. Our mail has been wacky lately and I haven't gotten a package on time recently (except some sock yarn from knitpicks). So today while writing to KB I had this idea. I must be having Bad Sock Karma because I have made two socks without mates. So maybe I will not get the book until these pairs are finished.

I better get cracking today since I still have an inch of ribbing to do on the orange sock. I am way behind.

And clearly Yoga has not helped the sock karma because I have done yoga 2 days in a row.

the complete sock!

Now I just have to knit the other one!!
(but I am going to finish the other orange one first)

as the heel turns

Hopefully I am redeeming myself and lack of knitting by working on this new sock. I have had this yarn for a while... But I needed to learn how to use DPNs and stuff before making a sock with the good stuff. :)

first of all I love the colors of this yarn. This picture is a little off color wise because it was a close up and I couldn't use the flash so it is by the table lamp which is yellowish. But I love the way the wrong side of this sock looks... don't you?


I have just finished the turn of the heel. I can not believe that you can make yarn do this! It is so exciting! I want to put heels on everything! I really hate knitting the ribbing because it is not second nature to me and I have to think. And while I have to think while turning the heel... it just is so cool when it is done that it tickles me to death!


Here it is in close up.


Okay that all being said I am not sure I like the way the color variation is coming out. I like the orange and the red stripes around it. And I kinda like the way the light green created a swirl around the sock onthe ribbing. But then above the heel it stopped swirling and became a big blob. I guess that is what knitters call "color pooling". I can share their frustration because I liked the swirl. I do not like the pool so much. Luckily the heel came and shook things up. And I love the way the bottom of the heel came out stripey. Don't remind me that no one will see it. hee hee.


And please don't worry, I will never make anyone socks this colorful unless they request it.
:)

I have been a bad knitter lately

Well letsee... I can't post any completed projects now. Why? Because I have none. I tried to make booties to go with the baby hat, and I failed. Nothing cam out right. Ugh. So I guess I will wait until after their deadline and mail the hat. Maybe I will make another hat, in a bigger size and mail that as well to help with the guilt I have for not being able to make some booties AND not getting them the hat on time.

Sigh.

Also last weekend I hurt my hand and so I couldn't knit until friday. Such a bummer. I started on a new sock because I couldn't find my other one I had started! It was a rather bad knitting week.

Anyway, If you like flowers I have some nice tree blossoms on my regular blog - all different kinds. You can check them out at www.yublogkorea.blogspot.com

But I have no knitting news. Hopefully next week will be better!!!

One sock Finished!!

I finished my first sock today! I also went to my first Red Cross meeting and got signed up as a volunteer for the American Red Cross. Is this a coincidence? Or much more?

Here is a WWII Era Poster from the Red Cross.



Here is the picture of my completed sock!



Here it is on my foot! Yeah! It is hard to photograph your own foot, by the way.


And here is an action shot of it on the ground.



I know I know, so many pictures. Obviously I am quite impressed with it. I am actually impressed I could make it at all!! I used Silver's online Sock Class. The link is over there in my links section. I recommend it for people making their first socks. And I also recommend using worsted weight yarn and size 6 DPNs for your first sock because 1. It will go faster which is encouraging 2. It is easier to see what you are doing than with sock yarn.

Now, One to make one for the other foot!
Cheers!

sock still in progress

okay so I have been working on my "practice sock"... and things were looking ugly.
See - the ugly.
The reason it was so ugly is I kept messing up the part where you switch needles on a purl.

The side I switched with a knit came out good.


But eventually I figured out what I was doing wrong and my ribbing came out better. So that is a relief. I left the mistakes in though, because I wanted to try making the rest of the sock.

Last night I got to the heel turning point. It is amazing you can make a heel out of yarn without really doing anything fancy, it is like magic! MAGIC! All of the sudden, right in front of your very eyes is this:


Very cool. I think I may finish the sock tonight. Whee!
Jessica

Socks and stuff

Okay, well yesterday I decided to cast on a sock and try to make one in hopes it would help me make baby booties. Baby booties (in case you didn't know) are very small. Therefore, very tricky for a newbie like me who is very clutsy. So I thought, well hey everyone says socks are not that hard... I should try and make one in practice!

And so to have guilt free knitting time, I did the laundry. Laundry takes a long time to do here. The dryer dries for an hour before things are done. So with our laundry that is like 3 hours plus the additional 40 minutes from the first load's washing.

One drawback to this method of guilt free knitting is this: folding.


But then again... doesn't my sock yarn match my clothing well?
This is Knit Pick's Sock Memories in "Flower Power". My KB also loves this color.


So I spent all yesterday trying to knit some socks and also folding laundry and cooking. (how did I become someone who does these things? Anyway...) So flash forward 24 hours (it is like time travel here today) and this is how far I got:


You'll notice that there is a different color variation on this needle. That is because I have frogged about 6 times. I can't seem to get it. It's the ribbing that is messing me up. Somewhere along the way I have to purl while starting another needle and I mess it up and get it all twisted somehow. I don't know how or why but I am going to post on a forum somewhere.

Also I decided maybe bigger needles and yarn may help. So yes, I am back to the old standby orange yarn and size 6 needles. That is what I will attempt today to see if I can get the bugs worked out.