Moving On

Unfortunately, Blogspot isn't doing it for me, so I've moved. Almost same address:

www.knittingwithparrots.wordpress.com

Socks and Stash

I went out on the town and spent money I shouldn't and time I don't have buying yarn for knitting that is distracting me from my goal of finishing my masters degree.

I went to Make One and bought an extra two balls of Jamieson's so I can make Venezia a cardigan, though I I am considering ditching this idea. If I can wear a blouse under it, it is OK as a pullover, but the amount of ease and the style of neckline makes me think a blouse underneath might not work. And yes, I am still working on the sweater.

Also picked up my favourite colourway of Noro Silk Garden. I made a hat in this colour, then gave it to my sister. I loved the hat and wanted it back, but since I am too nice to steal it from her, I'll just knit another.



I then headed off to Gina Brown's, another local yarn store, and bought some Sisu sock yarn from Sandnes. It is destined to become a pair of thank you socks for my case study supervisor.



I wanted another transit knitting project, so thought I would try a pair of big chunky socks for the husband. So, bought some King Cole superwash double knitting yarn. I think they may be too small...





And I finished these.
Yarn: Lang Jawoll Color, 75% wool, 18% nylon, 7% acrylic, with reinforcing thread
Needles: 2.5mm Crystal Palace DPN's
Pattern: Simple toe up with 3X3 ribbing



Is it just my twisted sense of reality, or does it seem to other people that knitting blogs would provide all the material a person with a foot fetish would need to be happy (not that I am one of those people; I'm just saying...). I mean, the number of foot portraits is phenomenal!

Babies and socks and birds, oh my...

Not much progress on the Venezia, and last night was the last class :-( However, I have finished the first and am half way through the second of these:



It's a fairly generic toe-up pattern in Lang Jawoll on 2.5mm bamboo needles. I love, love, love the reinforcing yarn that comes with it. I bought the yarn at Birch Hill Yarns in Calgary. I don't think they have a website, but they are listed in the phone book. If I remember correctly, when I went they had their yarn organized by colour--different, but kind of fun.

The pattern on the socks is pretty blase. I wanted to be able to knit in transit, or while watching movies, so all stocking stitch until the ribbing at the top. I would also either use smaller needles or metal needles (I knit more tightly on them) next time. The fabric overall is a bit loose, but it fine where I used the reinforcing yarn. I'd really like to find a shoppe that sells reinforcing yarn on its own in a range of colours. Elann has some, but only in black; I don't know if they only carry black or just happen to be out of other colours at the moment.

Dana, who ran the Venezia class, mentioned that a woman named Judy Gibson has a great toe-up heal the mimics a top-down heal. I've yet to google this but I plan on it. I really like the look of a fully shaped heel, and thought I've yet to knit and wear a top-down sock, I was thinking of trying it soon. Maybe with this new heel I won't have to. I like that with toe-up I don't have to worry about yarn requirements.

On more of parrot than knitting side, say hello to my best friend's baby, with, of course, a bird on his head.