I wanted a different type of sock pattern on the needles for my final cast on, and these socks fit the bill.  I like working the lace but there’s enough rhythm to the pattern that I don’t have to check the chart much.

It’s a big repeat – 28 rounds – so what you see here is just one full repeat.  I love those types of patterns; it makes the knitting go by quickly.  Really quickly.  And the pattern is one of those that needs some blocking to relax – right now it has a bit of an egg crate look to it.

The yarn – Brown Sheep Wildfoote -  was bought on our honeymoon a few years ago.  I discovered it in my sock yarn bin and realized I had never added it to Ravelry.  This is my first time using this yarn and so far I’m not loving it.  It’s splitty and I have to fight with it a bit when doing decreases.  For now, I think I’d stick with Trekking or Regia for solid-colored, machine-made yarns because both of them have a tighter twist.

For now I’m sticking with this though.  Famous last words, right?

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

Day 4 brought some creativity.

I knew I wanted to use my Fiber Optics Paint Box but I wasn’t sure for what.  I tried several shawls – Now In A Minute, Lintilla and Baktus – but none were right for just 450 yards.

I had 2 requirements – garter stitch (I love how it looks with a gradient yarn), and a sunburst shape.  I couldn’t find anything that fit so I made something up.  I’m still not sure what I want to do with the edge but I have a ways to go.  The pic above shows 3 of the 15 colors in the paint box.

All those mini skeins do have a downfall though – lots of ball winding.  Cute little mini balls.

But it doesn’t mean lots of weaving in of ends!  Enter the Double Knot – or Magic Knot.  I found this on the Fiber Optics blog and it really does work!  I’ve woven in exactly zero ends so far.  Can you spot the knots?  I can’t.  Watch the video.  I can’t believe I’d never heard of this technique before.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

After yesterday’s sock, I knew I needed a simple, grab-and-go sock on the needles.  This yarn has been singing at me ever since I got it last month.  They’re my colors (look – they almost match the blog) and I love the easy care of Regia.

I’m doing my typical toe-up with Wendy’s slip stitch heel on a ChiaoGoo 2.25 circ.

One thing I did do differently this time – I took a pic of the yarn just before casting on so I would know where the yarn was in the color progression.  I’d like to match the two socks.  I’ve used my phone a lot for taking pattern notes but never a pic – I prefer the crisper look from my camera.  But this came in handy so I could cast on at the bar and not fret about how to match up sock two.

Easy sock knitting, hanging out at the bar (gotta make the most of a 57 degree day at the shore).  A perfect vacation day.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

For today’s project, I went decidedly different and chose the Tara socks by Janneke Maat.  The twisted stitches and cables were a perfect fit for the BitsyKnits Sock82me yarn that I got at Rhinebeck 2012.

The yarn is great for cables – 8 plies make it a beautiful, round yarn and give it wonderful stitch definition.  Look at how those twisted stitches pop!

I do have one issue though – the yarn seems over-plied.  Look at those twists in the pic.  Every few rounds I have to hold the ball up and let the sock dangle so it untwists.  I’m not sure if all Sock82me yarn is that way or just this particular hank that I got.

The other challenge with this project is the color.  I often bring a sock with me to the bar and I can’t do that with this yarn – it’s just too dark.  So I fear it may take me longer to knit than typical.  My goal is to have these socks – and all Rhinebeck 2012 yarn – done before this year’s Rhinebeck.  It’s so great to walk around the fairgrounds knowing that I used everything I bought last year.  And yes, it does free me up to buy more.  The circle of (knitting) life.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

I had to start Cast On Mania with my favorite purchase from Maryland Sheep & Wool – my magenta Neighborhood Fiber Company Rustic Fingering.

As predicted, I started Varjo in this yarn.  I started Varjo a couple months ago in a different yarn.  I frogged it because the yarn – although it was a hand dyed – didn’t show any variation in the garter stitch.  As you can see, that isn’t a problem with this new yarn!

I do have one problem though – I’m using extra-sharp ChiaoGoo needles and they’re splitting the lightly spun single.  I’m going to try to find an Addi Turbo – or as grumperina calls them, Blunti Stumpos.  This may be just the project for their blunt tips.

I’m almost halfway through the 8 inches of single-color garter before getting to the stripes.  These kinds of projects always push me to knit just a bit more because I can’t wait to see the colors playing together.

And given the weather here at the shore this week – yesterday’s high was 59 – I can see all the uses this shawl will have once it’s done.

My next cast on mania project is quite different – the project, the yarn, the stitches.  I’m enjoying all the changes from day to day.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

Some of you probably remember cast on mania from last year. While on my May vacation I started 5 new projects. It was a ton of fun and I even got a couple FOs out of the deal – the Sweet Dreams Shawl and Paul’s 2012 socks.

With all the yarn buying around these parts lately combined with this year’s vacation – I’ve decided to do another Cast On Mania. I have the yarn, I’m chomping at the bit to cast on all the things and oh yeah – it’s my vacation and I want to.  (dangling participle be damned)

I’ve bought enough yarn for at least 10 projects recently and I have most of my 2012 Rhinebeck yarn in the stash too. There’s no shortage of possibilities. Here are a few. And yes I did pack all that yarn and bring it to the hotel.  Full disclosure – this is only half of what I brought.  Gotta love car trips – no worries about baggage or weight limits.

Don’t look at me that way. You do it too.

I’ve already started a couple of the projects and I’ll be back tomorrow to share my first one. I’m such a tease.

Oh and if you’re reading this in your blog reader, click on the post to stop by the site. The old blog got a little facelift this past week.  Let me know if you see anything funky.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

Christy and I switched up our shopping approach and started with the main barn this year. Many of our favorite vendors are there so why wait?

My first purchase was at Frivolous Fibers where I got a skein of Freia laceweight ombres. I bought it thinking it could work for a  Now in a Minute shawl from knitty. Have you seen this shawl? It just came out this week.   But then I found another yarn that’s even better (scroll down).  I’m not sure what I’ll use this for but it was unique – hand dyed and hand spun – so I couldn’t leave it.

Then I came across some simple metal shawl pins.  In addition to shawls, I think this one will be perfect for holding together my Vertex cardi.  I’m not a big person so I needed to find a smaller pin.  This one is only 3.5″

We then walked down to Miss Babs where there were 2 long lines – one for browsing and one for paying. I could have bought a lot more but in the end I got 2 skeins of Tarte – 75% superwash merino, 15% nylon, 10% tencel – in pewter for Line Break.   The tencel will give it a nice drape and the color will make it super wearable.

At this point it was noon so we took a break and ate lunch sitting on the grass near the big barn.  Relaxing and I was able to eat something healthy – pit turkey on a kaiser roll with barbecue sauce!  I brought 2 protein bars and some nuts just in case, but really happy I was able to eat some of the food I was smelling.  Yum!

Fortified with some food, we walked over to the smaller barns.  We checked out several of our favorites and then came upon the Fiber Optics booth (was this their first time at Maryland?  I don’t recall seeing them there before).  I love the deep saturation of their colors and was tempted by several bases and hues.  In the end I went with their Paintbox Gradient kit – 15 mini skeins – in the Bitter Lime-Rose colorway.  Although the yardage is smaller (450 versus 600), this will be Now in a Minute.  The pattern looks like it will easily adjust to the yardage you have.

After that, we walked up to the open area at the top of the hill.  They added it a few years ago and it still feels awkward to me.  I was looking forward to seeing what Creatively Dyed had but they didn’t bring anything to hang their skeins on – everything, every single skein – was piled onto tables.  We didn’t even bother going in.

The final set of tents brought a real treat – All About Yarn – one of the Maryland LYSs.  I regretted not buying any Neighborhood Fiber Company while at Vogue Knitting Live in January, so I fixed it!  I bought 2 skeins of their Rustic Fingering in Rock Creek Park (teal) and Charles Village (magenta) to make a Varjo.  I’m really psyched about these colors – it has my dark pinks that will go with a lot in my wardrobe, and the contrast of the teal, a color that I have in several tops.  And then of course, I think it will look awesome on top of an all-black outfit.

Referring to last week’s post was so helpful to remind me of the projects I’m interested in knitting.  I had pics and links to Rav to check yardage, other people’s colors and their yarn usage notes.  I’ll definitely be doing that for future shows.

So I’m sure you’re curious what I’m going to cast on first. Right now I’m leaning toward Varjo but I may do a last minute substitution.  I have a couple errands to run before I can sit down to knit.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

I recently discovered my love for the Citron I knit back in 2010.  Truth be told, I’ve rarely worn the shawl since finishing it.  I typically wear them under jackets, bandit-style – and Citron was just too big.

But last week I realized it’s the perfect chase-away-the-chill-in-the-office topper.  And now I want a dozen different large shawls to keep in rotation.

Looking at my sock yarn though, I typically buy just enough for a pair of socks or a shawlette.  That won’t do for a larger shawl.

So, I have a couple options

• buy larger quantities of sock yarn – feels like a very slippery slope
• or, find some shawl patterns that use more than one color of yarn

And while I’m at it, I’d like to bring in more non-pink/purple/red. You all know there’s no shortage of those colors around here. Just look at a tiny portion of my stash.

Here are some options I found that only take 1 skein of each color (except for Line Break, which I left in there because I think it will be versatile and worthy of buying 2 hanks of yarn).

We have a whole lotta Veera here:

• Different Lines
• Happy Street
• Line Break
• Faberge
• Varjo
• Katriel

I’m trying to go outside my color comfort zone, but still make something I’d enjoy wearing – and something that coordinates with my wardrobe.  A couple non-pink/purple/red colors come to mind:

• teal
• green
• black and white (and maybe gray)
• accents of chartreuse or orange

It’s been a while since I’ve planned out my purchases for a festival.  Now the trick is to see if I use this to help decide what to buy.

Or do I come home with 3 more hanks of pink yarn?

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

In case you didn’t hear me – in 4 months I’ve finished as many socks as I did all of last year.  Woot!

The deets:

Pattern: Wendy Knits Toe-Up Slip Stitch Heel (66 sts)

Yarn: Black Bunny Fibers Wool Nylon Sock Flat bought in 2009

Needles: 1-24″ US #1 (2.25 mm) Chiaogoo Circular (LOVE LOVE LOVE these for sock knitting

KAL: Use It or Lose It

This is my go-to sock pattern when I just want to knit.  The heel combines everything I love about socks – toe-up and a heel flap without picking up sts.  The fit is perfect and I’ll get a lot of wear out of these – even in their bright, crazy colors.

Speaking of the colors – you’ll notice that these colors aren’t very Jody.  I’m so glad I went out of my color comfort zone for these!  I can’t remember the last time I knitted with chartreuse, yellow, orange or blue.  It was a refreshing change.

And keeping with the theme of change, I decided to knit the socks from opposite ends of the skein.  I got all the colors in each sock, but they knitting up very differently.  I have 1 blue heel and 1 orange/yellow heel.  But strangely the toes look quite similar.

This was my first time knitting from a sock flat and I don’t think I’ll seek it out again any time soon.  Knitting with phone cord kinks just wasn’t fun, and made a vanilla sock a little less vanilla.  I have one more sock flat in my stash – in very Jody colors – and I may wind it into hanks and soak it first.

Of course, all that extra work spells doom for knitting that yarn any time soon.

But for now, let’s just enjoy my pretty socks.

I’ll catch you on the purl side.

The details:

Knit to Flatter by Amy Herzog.  $24.95 US (currently $15.92 on Amazon)

159 pages, 22 designs, countless lessons

Review copy provided by STC Craft/Melanie Falick Books

The book is divided into chapters

• Discovering Your Body Type
• Top-Heavy Shapes
• Bottom-Heavy Shapes
• Proportional Shapes
• Other Figure Features
• Modifications

Before I get into the details of the book, let’s talk for a minute about why this book is for you.

If you’re a knitter, you’ll learn how to choose the right patterns and make modifications so you look your best.

If you sew your own clothes the lessons will be a great help too – selecting patterns and modifying fit.

If you buy off-the-rack clothing, this book will help you make the better choices when buying clothing.

In other words – everyone needs this book.  I know that’s a pretty bold statement but just read on.

In Discovering Your Body Type, Amy teaches us how to determine which of the three main body types we have.

She teaches us that size doesn’t affect your body type.  You can be thin and still be bottom-heavy, or be a proportional plus size.

Amy vigilantly believes that all body types and shapes are beautiful and that clothing matters.  A lot.  It affects how we feel – we all have that outfit that just makes us want to sing.  And it affects how people see us – pulled together and polished, or poorly-fitted and passe.

In the next three sections, Amy outlines what styles work well for each body shape – necklines, sleeve lengths and shapes, body lengths and silhouettes.  She also points out styles that are less-ideal.  For example, long bell sleeves aren’t a great choice for bottom heavy shapes – it plays up the area you’re trying to minimize – and drop shoulders or raglans aren’t as flattering for top-heavy shapes – you need more fit there.

In addition to offering a set of designs for each body type, Amy points out how you could make it work for other types.  If you fall in love with a design in one of the other chapters, she gives you pointers on how to make it work for you.  Good for all of us since there are a lot of great designs in this book.

The book layers the lessons for us – making sure we both read what she’s saying and know how to extend it for use in real life.  She explains the principles first, then she presents a set of designs for each body type, and then she points out ways to modify a design to better suit one of the other body types.  She really gives us what we need.

Let’s look at the designs

Top-Heavy Designs

Bottom-Heavy Designs

Proportional Designs

I was happy to see that one of my favorite silhouettes appeared in my body type – the Holloway Pullover.  Now I know why I love that style and feel so great when wearing it.  And even though I’m proportionally-sized, I’d love to wear Eloria modified with a Deep V-neck or Andie’s cardi with a longer body.  It’s funny – I’ve always preferred longer lengths but never knew why.  I learned that proportional bodies look better when the bodice ends at the widest part of the hip.

The last design chapter – Other Figure Features – talk about larger busts, smaller busts, long and short torsos and very curvy waists.  I read the whole chapter because it helped solidify the lessons I learned in the other chapters.

Oh, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Dorica hoodie.

In the final chapter – Modifications – we learn about how to make simple and more complex mods

• waist shaping
• body length
• sleeve length
• neck depth/shape
• neck width
• bust shaping
• bicep circumference
• sleeve cap/armhole

There are illustrations to show each mod, and Amy walks us through accomplishing it on a simple garment.

In bust shaping, Amy presents both vertical and horizontal bust darts and explains when to use each type.  She even talks about how the same vertical darts can be used for tummy shaping too.

Lots of things to love about this book – the lessons, the designs, the mods.  This is a timeless book that I’ll keep handy on my bookshelf.

Perception and self-confidence – all of this from a knitting book.