Lessons Crossing the Continental Divide

Sometimes it's the impulse buys—the ones you look at afterwards with some regret and think, "What possessed me to invest in that?" . . . the ones you relegate to your Ravelry "Trade/Sell" stash, where you hope you'll be able to recoup at least some of your investment but, instead, they sit for months with absolutely nobody expressing interest of any kind—sometimes it really is those buys which result in the most satisfying projects.


Such was the case of my Maizy. What on earth was this die-hard wool enthusiast (i.e. me) thinking when I popped those two little skeins of 82% corn fiber / 18% elastic nylon into my basket?

I'll tell you what I was thinking: "Co00000ol... Corn yarn...." (Read that line with a note of Homer Simpson's "Mmmmmm... Floor donuts..." and you have a pretty clear image of the fiber-induced stupor into which I must have fallen.)

So the Maizy sat for months and months. I would gladly have passed it along to someone else, but nobody would have it. And then, while packing for one of our camping trips this summer, I realized I would be finishing one project before we returned and needed another to have at-the-ready. Short on packing time, the Maizy called to me for several reasons:

1. I had already identified and printed a pattern—one that had been designed on the yarn by the yarn manufacturer, so I trusted I wouldn't need to stress about running out of yarn the entire way through the top-down construction;
2. The yarn comes in center-pull put-ups, so I didn't have to reskein it;
3. The pattern calls for US2 needles, which I viewed as a welcome relief after the long work on my recent stretch of ultimately disappointing US1-needle sock projects this summer; and
4. Because I wasn't overly invested in wanting these socks to turn out brilliantly, I felt comfortable using them for an experiment... these would be my first-ever project knit entirely Continental, which I blogged about previously in Old Dog.
   

The result?

My Continental Maizy Lace Socks:


Pattern: Maizy Lace by Cathy Hannigan (for Crystal Palace). The free pattern is available via Crystal Palace.
Materials: Maizy, Neptune 1009, 2 skeins
Needles: US 2 / 2.75 mm
Started: August 1, 2008
Completed: August 12, 2008

Although they were the last of 3 pairs I completed for Summer of Socks 2008, with all the crazy stuff going on in my life this last part of the summer, I never posted them for the final raffle.

I worked these socks top-down, two at once, using Magic Loop. The pattern's not written for Magic Loop, but translates easily.


The simple yarn-over lace features pairs of offset diagonals that don't quite form a perfect inverted V but are perfectly charming, nonetheless.

The heel was written for a simple slip-knit stitch, which I exchanged for Eye of Partridge. I ask you, is there ever a time when Eye of Partridge doesn't make a more interesting choice?

Despite the stitch modification, I did not modify the garter detail flanking the heel flap:

Talk about charming! I may start adding this detail to all my socks from here on out. It creates a lovely frame for a more finished looking heel... and while I point to no higher authority upon which to base this next claim, I could swear it makes the heel fit more snugly. Of course, it may just be the elastic nylon that draws it in.

Overall, the socks fit very well given the pattern's not written for a customized fit.

And while I often find multi-colored yarns obnoxious for their striping and pooling effects—a feature which many people seem to turn a blind eye to in their enthusiasm for the caché of hand-dyed yarns—I actually like the way the colors played out in these socks. No complaints!

Even the Continental knitting went remarkably smoothly. In fact, I think these were one of my quickest knits of the summer. I still instinctively saddle-up Western style, but I became highly proficient at Continental on this project—both knitting and purling (on the heels)—and I'll challenge myself to more Continental knitting in the future.

Maizy is really spongy, and it's splitty in a not-very-splitty kind of way (if that makes any sense). It did take a few inches of knitting to get used to it, but once I did, I found working with the Maizy rather enjoyable. I'd even go so far as to say I'd prefer to work with Maizy again over cotton—cotton just doesn't have enough give to give me a pleasant knitting experience.

And now, a request for you:

Anyone out there know anything about the manufacturing process for Maizy yarn? I'm interested in the environmental impact... You know: just because something's predominantly made from a natural fiber doesn't mean the processing required to turn that fiber into knit-able yarn isn't loaded with so many harsh and damaging chemicals as to make the whole natural-implied labeling laughable. If you have any information about this process or can point me to online resources, I'd be grateful!

Took Long Enough

After making two other pairs of socks that don't count, I present (finally) my first entry for Summer of Socks 2008: Prizewinning Asparagus of Pacific Beach.


Pattern: Asparagus Cables Socks by Wendy Johnson (size: large)
Materials: The Knittery's 4ply Sock: Merino Cashmere, 1 skein (397 yds), Seabreeze
Needles: US 1 / 2.25 mm
Started: June 21, 2008
Completed: July 23, 2008

This is the pattern and yarn Wendy sent me as reward for winning the 2008 Summer of Socks button design contest, so I thought it fitting that these be my first socks for this year's along. I cast on the day Summer of Socks opened. I did the bulk of the knitting on our camping trip at Pacific Beach—inside our tent because it had to be the coldest, windiest summer camping adventure ever!

The pattern calls for a US0 needle, but I used US1 for better gauge and to produce a fabric that wasn’t stiff. Even with the increased needle size, my gauge was still more like 9 st/in rather than the 8 st/in called for and the fabric is very dense. My gorgeous summer-colored socks will be brightening up the Seattle gray winters! (That's appropriate, I suppose, given the wintery temperatures of our time at Pacific Beach.)

I knit both socks at once on Magic Loop. The stitch pattern itself is not difficult. But if you’re going for a full-length sock, all the twist stitches can get tedious. I had to use a cable needle rather than employing a needle-free cable technique—my stitching was too dense and the yarn too split-y to make it work otherwise. It actually took me longer to do the twists when I tried the needle-free method!

Tedious, perhaps, but the twist stitches are exquisite!

That ribbing's just shy of one inch long. Would have preferred 2 inches, but I ran out of yarn. Rats—it's a good thing these socks are knit toe-up! I might not have run out if I'd made the medium size instead of large, which I'll do when I make this pattern again. At the very least, I'll cast on fewer stitches for the toe, which is much wider than I can wear well and puckers quite a bit. I’m hoping to even this out with blocking.

Modifications: The pattern is written for the two sides of the twist motif to be split, with 4 extra stitches added around the width of the sock, and with the split cables extending into the ribbing. I did not split the side cables at the top of the heel, did not add the 4 stitches, and did not extend the side cables into the ribbing.

With the cashmere content, this yarn is too soft to really show off all the neat little twists. In person—without the benefit of the lighting for the pictures—the pattern gets a little lost in the halo. Next time, I'll select a yarn with higher twist and more subtle color variations, if any. Despite how it shows in the photographs—where I’ve worked to emphasize texture—the colorway stripe is just pronounced enough to distract from the pattern.

All that said, these are tremendously soft and thick socks, and I’m sure they’ll be on my feet a lot come the cold season!

I'm so grateful to Wendy for sending such a luxury of yarn to work with, in addition to her pattern. I've not seen this yarn at any of my regular LYSs, and it's been such a joy to have my hands on while I knit!

Mash-Up Magic Toe-Up Socks (Recipe)

My first socks of summer are done, blocked, and photographed!

Too bad they don't count towards my Summer of Socks 2008 participation! I do have two other legitimate SoS08 pairs on the needles right now. Sadly, I cast the ones pictured on on Father's Day, as I needed an in-process demonstration sock for the magic loop class I taught.

I've dubbed them the Mash-Up Magic Toe-Up Socks (MUMTU Socks or MUMTUS), and I've posted the condensed version of the pattern on Ravelry. Ravelers can view the project page here. Anyone can download the PDF by clicking here.

(ETA) You can also work through the pattern using my in-depth workshop/pictorial here on Aesthetic Entanglementz.

If you're not on Ravelry, don't despair—I haven't forgotten you! I've just run out of time to complete the conversions needed to post the pattern here before I leave for my camping trip in the morning. I am working on the pictorial for a workshop version of the pattern that will debut on Aesthetic Entanglementz shortly after I return from vacation later this week. (Another pair of socks that won't count towards my Summer of Socks participation since I'll be making them kid-sized. Alas—C just couldn't handle seeing another pair that wasn't for her!)

Aside from the fact that this pattern's customizable for any size, yarn weight, or gauge, what makes it special is that it features a pretty gusset and heel-flap (rather than a short-row heel) worked in the toe-up, magic loop construction.

My favorite! If I never saw another sock design, I could happily make these forever!

Here are my notes on the socks as pictured:

Pattern: Mash-Up Magic Toe-Up Socks (Recipe compiled by me). Download PDF.
Materials: Zitron Trekking Pro Natura, 1 skein, colorway 1602
Needles: US 1 / 2.25 mm
Started: June 15, 2008
Completed: June 27, 2008

Specs as pictured:

• Magic Loop
• Toe-Up
• 2 at once
• 2x2 ribbing on leg
• Gusset
• Eye of Partridge Heel Flap
• Reinforced toes (using laceweight Russian wool from my stash)
• Primary Stitch Count: 72

Love the pattern. Love the fit. Even might be persuaded to say I love the feel of the yarn. But I strongly dislike the look of the yarn. So much so that I lovingly refer to this pair as my "Anti Pro Natura Socks."

I really wish Zitron—and other yarn manufacturers, in general—would state on the ball band whether there’s a clear repeat within the yarn or not. They don't really have to include a picture of what exactly the pattern looks like, but some indication would be nice! You know, like: Repeating pattern, 3 yards. Aside from being courteous, it would make for happier customers, I think. In the case of the Pro Natura, I couldn’t discern a clear repeat when I was dividing the skein and winding the balls. However, about 4 inches into the socks, it became readily apparent that there is, in fact, a repeat … and that I hadn’t gotten the socks aligned. (In fact, I was only off by a slight margin, but that was nothing more than luck.) Grrrr.

Besides the repeat issue, I really just dislike how the colorway worked up. It's too bad because I thought the yarn was absolutely gorgeous in the skein. I liked it so much that I almost bought 2 skeins! But when I look at it worked up, I think it's bleghchy. I’m just not a fan of the areas of white pooling or of the way the contrast works. This is the kind of colorway and striping that makes me cranky, in general, because it rarely looks good knit up and just indicates to me that the yarn manufacturer wasn’t working with enough sensitivity to finish project.

So I ended up hating these socks the entire time I worked on them–not because of the pattern or concerns over fit or amount of yarn but, simply, because I don’t like the way the yarn looks. Some have asked why I continued knitting them if I dislike them so much—and why, on earth, I would have knit the cuff so long? Well, there's the obvious fact that these were being knit as a demonstration sock for the class. In addition to that, I decided they'll be good for wearing under boots (I'm wear boots almost every day during the cold months). That means nobody’s going to be looking at them. It also means they need to be long enough to peek over the boot top so the edge doesn't chafe my leg. Purely practical.

Swagged and Tagged

SWAGGED:

We're almost one week into Summer of Socks 2008 — can you believe it?!

My graphic design for the Along button has been worked and re-worked into a veritable (and virtual) warehouse full of official SoS08 swag. Check out all the goodies at the Summer of Socks 2008 storefront on CafePress. We gotcher t-shirts, mugs, hats, magnets, notecards, stickers -- even a little something socky for the family pooch!

Think I'm kidding? Think again!

My family won't be dressing the dogs — J has a thing about dogs wearing clothes — but I fully support all of you who like your Fidos fashion-forward!

Jessica, of Zarzuela Knits & Crochets, has done an amazing job with the Along and with the store. She seems to be a never-ending bundle of sock-pushing energy, and it's been an absolute pleasure working with her. If you have a minute, I highly recommend checking out her blog (here) and the Summer of Socks 2008 group on Ravelry (here). It's too late to sign up for "official" participation, but you can still play along (you just aren't eligible for prizes).

Speaking of eligibility for prizes... So far my participation in the Along has been more about helping other people knit socks than knitting my own, although I do have 3 pairs in the works. (Sadly, one of these pairs was started before the official June 21 kick-off, so it doesn't count.) I spent June 21 at A New Yarn teaching a sock class! We're working on toe-up, 2-at-once, magic loop socks with a heel and gusset. My favorite. I put together a customizable pattern for making these socks with any yarn or needles and for any size foot. I've written up two versions: one a workshop format for people completely new to socks and/or magic loop; the other a condensed format that assumes you know the basics and just provides the pattern. I'm pretty proud of it, and plan to share just as soon as I get some pictures added. Y'all have my sister to thank for that. She's been vetting the pattern this week and has said that while it's solidly written, she thinks people will be much more likely to actually use it if there are helpful images. I get that. Images first, then share the pattern!

TAGGED:

Juicy Knits in Heidelberg, Germany, tagged me for a meme. I'm not normally one to do these, but stranger things have happened — so here goes:

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

June 1998, J & I had been together for 9 years, married for 7. I was editor of Akron Magazine, facilitator and lead writer for The University of Akron's 10-year Master Academic Plan, advisor of The University of Akron's Tel-Buch yearbook staff (with the most amazing and talented group of student workers ever -- that's you, Jaimie and Kelly!), and faculty advisor for Eta Chapter of Delta Gamma. I was on the advisory board of Akron Metropolitan magazine, immediate past-president of Summit County's American Cancer Society Associate Board, and a board member of the Akron Press Club. J & I were still trying to figure out our artistic place in the world after leaving New World Performance Lab, an internationally touring ensemble we had helped to found, performed with, and which I'd music directed for many years. I had recently begun helping Magical Theatre Company in Barberton, Ohio, with study guides for school group visits to their shows. I was also music director, keyboardist, and lead vocalist for the NRSB (New Revised Standard Band), a popular contemporary Christian rock band for the then-thriving contemporary worship services at Church of the Savior United Methodist in Canton, Ohio. J & I were living in Akron, Ohio, had finished renovating our first house (on Pioneer Street in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood). We'd put it on the market in April and were thinking about moving to Manhattan. We'd been making regular trips to NYC for various theatre auditions (J had recently gotten his Equity card) and job interviews (I was up for a book editor position with Time-Warner. I was also interviewed to assist Sarah Ban Breathnach on her Simple Abundance follow-up series.) I drove an aqua-colored Chevy Cavalier convertible that O.J. Simpson once rode in for a Football Hall of Fame Parade (before the murders, but people still joked about gloves in the trunk). I was busy, and I was on a conscious mission to figure out what made people happy... how they knew they were happy... and what being happy really felt like in its purest sense.

2.What are five things on my to-do list?

My to-do list is so daunting it makes me shudder every time I think about it. Five things don't even tip the iceberg! Finish my dissertation. Knit socks, spin yarn, and generally be creative. Teach the final session of my sock class. Pack for the family camping trip next week. Finish the embarrassing stack of laundry I've allowed to pile up. Make travel arrangements for a fiber-fest week with my sister in Oregon in September. Take pictures so I can update my blog with stuff I've been doing since my last post. Sell one of the scooters. Clean and organize the garage... again. Catch up on correspondence with friends.

3.Where have I lived?

Kirksville, Missouri; Richmond Heights, Ohio; Madison, Ohio; Conneaut, Ohio; Akron, Ohio; Irvine, California; Kyiv, Ukraine; Seattle, Washington.

4. What would I do if I were a billionaire?

It may be more a question of what I wouldn't do: I wouldn't buy a bunch of material things or give over to commercial gluttony. There are so many worthy things I would want to contribute to:

Family things: provide for C's education, mine & J's retirement, and our family legacy through careful planning and investment; have or adopt another child; buy land and a home equipped for sustainable living on one of the San Juan Islands; take care of my mom; set up an education fund to benefit all my nieces and nephews; pay back my dad for everything he's helped with over the years; send my sister to India for a year of travel and yoga study; send my brother to graduate school for architecture.

Social things: set up a foundation for social justice; set up a foundation in my mother's name for stroke research; set up a foundation in my mother-in-law's name for breast cancer research; set up a foundation in my aunt's name for Parkinson's Disease research; set up a foundation in my uncle's name for Crohn's Disease research; set up a foundation for Meniere's Disease research; set up a foundation for the arts in J's name, focusing on capacity building and entrepreneurial skills for emerging theatre artists/orgs, fostering arts-service organizations across the country (such as Theatre Puget Sound), and supporting international artistic exchange and ensemble-based work; establish an endowed fund for dissertating theatre scholars at the UW School of Drama; establish an endowed scholarship for interdisciplinary work between the arts and sciences; endow a scholarship for 75 teachers from Seattle Public Schools and neighboring, rural public schools to attend Teachers as Scholars seminars annually; endow a scholarship in my mother's name for women in seminary; endow a scholarship in my father's name for the underprivileged youth in the dual study of medicine and law.

Artistic things: Provide Akropolis Performance Lab (sorry, the website's out-of-date since I'm working on my dissertation!) with a bricks-and-mortar performance space/community arts center in the city; found an artistic retreat/educational/training facility in the country; set up a fund for APL to tour internationally.

Do I really have to tag people?! Unless I get bombarded with comments crying foul, I'm thinking I'll do the knitting blogosphere a favor and pull this particular trail of the meme off the march to exponential proliferation.

Next time... actual knitting and spinning stuff!!!

It's Arrived!

My 2008 Summer of Socks kick-off project arrived in the mail today — and so quickly! Here I just found out I'd won the button design contest on Wednesday, and already my great prize has made it's way across the country. Wendy Johnson of Wendy Knits graciously donated one of her sock patterns and a skein of yarn to make it up. Just look at this beautiful, summerlicious yarn she sent!!!

The Knittery's 4-ply Merino Cashmere Sock Yarn

"Cheerfully handpainted in Victoria, Australia"
70% Merino / 10% Cashmere / 20% Nylon
Colorway: Sea Breeze
397 yds / 95g

This is stunning yarn. I wish you could feel it for yourself, but you'll have to trust me about how soft it is. That hint of cashmere packs a wallop! The skein is sitting beside me as I write this post, and I keep reaching over to touch it.

As for the pattern, I had a tough time selecting just one from among all of Wendy's gorgeous designs, but I did finally commit to Asparagus Cable Sock. If you didn't click the link to view these socks, do it now! Aren't those cables just glorious?!

The note Wendy put on my pattern says, "Sock on!" That rocks! For some reason, it also makes me think of Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid: Sock ON. Sock OFF. (Probably dating myself with that one.)

These socks, which I'm pretty sure I'll call my "Prizewinning Asparagus," are top on my list for the big sock-a-long. I can't wait to cast on!

Thanks again, Wendy, for donating such a great prize to the button contest; and thanks, Jessica, for picking my entry!

I Won A Contest And Will Knit Many Socks

I woke up to some cool news this morning: My submission for the Summer of Socks 2008 button design contest won!

The button's tiny, so here's a bigger version so you can see it:


Please use the appropriate button size when posting on your blog, though:


Just make sure you download to your own server so you don't create problems with my bandwidth!

Summer of Socks is the brainchild of Jessica, who blogs at Zarzuela Knits and Crochets. Last summer saw fierce competition, with the "Most Socks" winner cranking out 42 pairs in a 2-month period. I can't even begin to imagine doing that! I decided to join up for this year, but I won't be doing the "Most Socks" contest. No, I've got a dissertation fellowship to complete—which means I have a dissertation to finish (also by September). So I'm in contest just for the fun of it. Who knows... I might win one of the bi-weekly completed-sock lottery drawings... or I might just enjoy the stress-relieving benefits of knitting while I dissertate.

And the winnings? This wasn't about money. I've gotten the obvious esteem boost. The button's being posted all over the place, so there's definite gratification in that. And the fabulous Wendy Johnson of Wendy Knits is sending me one of her patterns sold through The Loopy Ewe along with some yarn to knit it up in. I got to pick the pattern this morning, but I'll wait to blog about that until the package arrives. I can't wait—they will definitely be high on my queue!!!

Time for me to re-focus my knitting. Prepare to see a bunch of sock-related knitting posts!

Sign up to participate in Summer of Socks 2008 here.

If you're on Ravelry, this year's group can be found here.