SOS #33 and #34 or some odd socks

Here's another pair of socks for Dwight. I'm getting discouraged. I wasn't very happy with this pair of socks. I did try knitting the Wool Ease with smaller needles, but the socks are still too loose and they don't stay up very well. I think because of that, Dwight doesn't really like them either. Bleh. No more socks for Dwight for the time being. I might try again in a few months. I think that I'll go back to making socks for me and out of yarn that I actually like knitting.

Details:
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease worsted in Oxford Grey and Forest Green Heather
Needle: size 4 Knit Picks Options with a 40 inch cord
Method: magic loop, two at once, toe up with Turkish cast-on, plain stockinette, short row heel
Start: September 10, 2007
Finish: September 11, 2007

Another pair of odd socks that didn't make me happy. This is yarn is Fleece Artist's Sea Wool sock yarn. I've tried this yarn twice. The last time that I tried the Renaissance colorway, the coloring on the extreme ends of the one skein was very different. One side had bright colors and the other side looked like I had stepped that foot into black dye. I wrote a note to Fleece Artist and they were kind enough to send another skein. Well, it turned out the same. :-( It's very obvious that one sock is much darker than the other. One sock is clearly more colorful than the other.

Let me state that I really like Fleece Artist yarns. I love how the Sea Wool yarn feels and knits. I was very happy with the Origin colorway. So maybe this is something that just happens with the darker colors? Dwight asked if I would buy this yarn again. I would, but not in any of the darker colorways. One suggestion that was given is to alternate between either ends of the skein while knitting one sock. I knit my socks at the same time, so that won't work for me. Plus, who wants to go through that trouble just for socks? ;-)

Details:
Yarn: Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Renaissance
Needle: size 1 (2.25mm) Knit Picks Classic Circular
Method: magic loop, two at once, toe-up, Turkish cast-on, short row heel
Pattern: Cross Stitch Block (p. 97) in More Sensational Knitted Socks
Start: September 11, 2007
Finish: September 12, 2007

I've received several comments in the last few days asking how I get my striping socks to match. I'm currently working on another pair of Vesper socks and I'm taking pictures along the way. Hopefully, that will get posted in the next few days.

As part of E's lessons, she does a few drawings a week. She has a book with instructions on how to draw various things. Each time she draws, she just picks what she feels like drawing that day. Here are a few of her drawings.

SOS #22 and yarn bases

This sock was finished in record time. That's probably because it's sport weight yarn and I'm familiar with this stitch pattern already. This is the pattern that I made up below. I took out a repeat to use it in this thicker yarn. The results? I like it. The socks are very thick and they feel very sturdy. Most of my sport weight socks are plain stockinette, so these are a nice addition to the collection. ;-)

The yarn is Zen String Serendipity Sport in the Valentino color. The yarn is "100% African super wash Merino wool." That was taken straight off of the tag. I've never used this yarn yet and I do like it. It's strange for a wool though because if feels and acts like cotton. It felt a bit stiff and not very stretchy. There isn't much bounce and springy-ness to this yarn, but it does feel very sturdy. We'll see how it does in the wash when the weather gets cooler. I would use this yarn again, but I want to try a fingering weight version next time.

The yarn bases that indie dyers use are interesting. I'm assuming that there can only be so many bases out there and many dyers are using the same kinds of bases. You can easily tell which ones are using similar bases. I've found that I like the 100% wool bases much better than the merino/nylon blends. The blends are thinner and the 100% wools are springier. I don't know which one would last longer in the end. I've only been knitting socks since 2005 and none of them have worn out yet.

Details:
Yarn: Zen String Serendipity Sport in Valentino
Needle: size 1 (2.5mm) Addi Turbo
Method: magic loop, two at once, toe up with Turkish cast-on, short row heel
Pattern: something I made up
Start: August 24, 2007
Finish: August 25, 2007

Up next, I'm knitting more socks--big surprise! This time I'm using Colinette Jitterbug. I'm working on the toe and trying to figure out if I want to make a patterned sock or plain stockinette sock.

E's lessons have been going great so far. Of course, we have our cranky lessons, but it's been great most of the time. She remembers most of what she learned last spring, but we do need to work on a few things. Those are telling time and main ideas. She thinks that science has been the most fun so far. She's learning about plants right now. We've planted beans, stuck a sweet potato in water to see roots grow, and put a stalk of celery in colored water. She has a full grown garden outside, but we planted another bean in a cup to keep near the house. From her outdoor garden, she's drying some sunflower seeds for the birds. With the last storm, one sunflower was knocked over and broken.

This picture was taken today. We put these temporary tattoos on them and they thought it was a lot of fun. They picked those spots themselves. D's spot on his tummy is so funny. He likes that he can stretch or squish the fire truck. Yup, he's my funny little guy.

SOS #17 and school

Okay, I'm starting to get tired of socks. These socks were just tedious to knit. It's not the yarn. I really like this yarn and the colors. It was the pattern. The pattern wasn't fun to knit. I was expecting it to make the yarn zigzag at least a little, but it didn't. So, it just adds an overall texture to the sock instead of playing with the colors. The yarn is Perchance to Knit in Buy Me a Rainbow. This rainbow leans heavily towards neon and I like it. It should make for a great pick me up in the cold of winter. ;-)

This is the merino/nylon blend. I've discovered that I really like the 100% merino yarns from Perchance to Knit much better than that merino/nylon blend. The blend is just a bit thinner and much more splitty than the 100% merino yarn. I'm currently knitting another sock with the 100% merino yarn and it has a tighter twist.

Details:
SOS #17
Yarn: Perchance to Knit in Buy Me a Rainbow
Needles: size 0 (2mm) Knit Picks Classic Circulars
Method: magic loop, two at once, turkish cast-on
Pattern: Fern Stitch (p. 103) in More Sensational Knitted Socks
Start: August 6, 2007
Finish: August 9, 2007

In other knitting news, have you been to The Daily Chum? It's Lime & Violet's latest blog adventure and it's so cool, but a bit dangerous too. I'm enjoying the daily links to new etsy stores, online tutorials, free patterns, etc. I especially like the links to the etsy stores. I've tried looking around etsy and it's just not fun to browse while on a dial-up connection.

I mentioned that I am getting tired of socks. I just want to cast on for something else. At the beginning of Summer of Socks, I said that I wanted to focus on socks for the duration. I'm changing that. I'm going to focus on socks until August 21st. That will be two months into SOS. After that, I'll most likely cast on for something that isn't a sock. I have a few things that I've been thinking about. I might work on Mystery Stole 3, the Bee Stole, or the cape out of Not Just Socks for Kids.

Our school year started this past Monday. It's going great so far. E is slowly getting used to the more independent learning that this year's curriculum asks of her. I think that this is good. With me sitting next to her throughout her lessons, it's just so easy for her to ask me how to do something or where to find it. I want her to know that she can look things up herself too. I am there if she needs help, but I want her to make an effort to find the answers too. I'm keeping a notebook of almost daily writings and another of almost daily drawings. She's really gotten into more detailed drawings lately. I think that I've found something that interests her. Princesses. Surprised? It's not just princesses, but she likes to draw castles, dragons, and everything else that goes along with those types of stories.

D is so great while we're doing lessons. He's started playing on his own. That is something new for him. He usually has E dictating to him what they will play with, so it's nice to see him making his own decisions.
----------------
Now playing: They Don't Want Music (Ft. James Brown) - Black Eyed Peas
via FoxyTunes