April 2007 Archives

That's the number of days until MDSW.

This will be my fourth year going, and it feels like it got here quicker than in the past -- mostly because I finally went to Rhinebeck last year. That was such a good time that Christy, Heather and I have already booked our cottage for this year's fest. We even added an extra day.

Can't. Wait.

But right now, it's all MDSW here. While reflecting on the goals I set out for myself last year, I realized I have done absolutely poorly! I haven't added much to the stash since Rhinebeck, but I also haven't knit much of what I bought. That's what pushed me to hold last week's sales.

Each year I get better at knowing what I like and knowing what to buy. I have the shortest list I've ever had going into Maryland this year. The more I think about it, the more I realize I don't have a big need for anything. I'm sure I'll buy (how can you *not*?), but it will be things that speak to me, things I can't walk away without.

I'm going to try my hardest to stay away from multicolored handdyed sock yarn. I just don't have a big desire to knit with it -- although I love looking at it. If I could, I'd create little shadowboxes of handpainted yarn and place them throughout my house.

Unfortunately, the kinds of socks I crave to knit are much more patterned and better-suited for subtly dyed yarns.

I want to check out Tess' Yarns because I only get to see her once a year and that seems like as good a reason as any. I also want to visit Brooks Farm and get something I finally like from them. I think I'll be sticking to pinks and purples this time -- more my speed.

There are some other things I want to get if I see them. Barberpole sockweight! I've wanted this for 2 years now. And can you believe it -- in a moment of stupidity I decided to show restraint and wait a day before buying it at Rhinebeck? Of course, it was all gone when we went back. I probably won't find any at Maryland as that vendor doesn't do Maryland.

I'm not sure what else I'll be getting. I do still want to knit St Brigid. And I really want to design a multi-color modern pullover. But that'll take a whole bunch of sketching and photoshopping to come up with the right color palette. So that's probably a no-go for next weekend as well.

What are your plans for the festival? Any noteworthy new vendors? Since I'll be skipping the Socks That Rock, the first hour of the fest is probably mine for the taking.

I guess what it comes down to is, I'm not sure what I'll be coming back with. Even if I bought nothing it would still be a great day. I get to spend the day with Christy (which doesn't happen nearly enough) and catch up with a lot of bloggers (more of which move into the friend category from year-to-year). That alone is worth a couple hours of driving in each direction.

Re-reading this post, I have 2 goals for myself for the fest:

• No multi-color sock yarn
• No Socks That Rock mediumweight

If I can stick to that, it will be a perfect day.

I bought a new car 5 weeks ago -- an Acura TL.

This morning, I brought it to the car wash.

yeah, this is where the story takes a turn for the worse

It's the kind of car wash where you get out and they drive it in themselves. Before it goes through, they vacuum it.

After it came out, the guys walked up to it to dry it off. After a minute, one of the guys asked me if it was my car. I said yes. Then he told me that the 2 passenger side windows were left open through the car wash.

Now, it was 45 degrees out this morning, and none of my windows were open when I pulled up to the car wash.

I ran over and both the front and back had a lot of water on it -- on the leather seats, on the dash, on the stereo, in the door pockets, on the power seat controls, between the seats. Just about everywhere on that side of the car.

I went inside to talk to the manager. She came out, looked at the car, and asked the one guy to bring it to the back to dry it off. He drove it back into one of the bays.

I walked back in and asked the manager to give me a letter stating what happened. I was concerned that something could be damanged that wasn't immediately obvious, and I knew it would be very difficult to prove that after the fact.

She refused. I asked her why and she said that she's doing everything she should be by drying it off.

So after a few rounds of back and forth I went outside and asked the guys for their names. She ran out behind me and told them not to give me their names. I got 3 names before she got out.

After they brought it back from the bay I inspected the car. The leather on the rear passenger seat is loose and bumpy now. I went back in and told her and she said that I have a bad car and it's not her fault (at this point she already knew that I have a 5-week old car).

She told me that I just want a new car and I'm not going to get one out of her.

i can't make this stuff up. it was like being on an SNL skit.

Then another guy told me that I should be happy because I got extra service because they "detailed" the interior. He was telling me that I got a good deal and it's just water.

yes, that's seriously what he said

I have three issues with what happened today:

• They put my car through their car wash with the windows down.
• When asked to give me a letter stating what happened, the manager refused.
• When I found damange, she told me I had a bad car.

They treated me unfairly and behaved poorly. Even if I have no permanent damage, I want people to know what kind of business this is. I already plan to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, but what other actions could I/should I take?

I'm on a roll. I've had these in a bin for several months, but I've never gotten around to photographing them. So here they are. If you want anything, leave me a comment.

• Prices in US dollars
• Free shipping in the US!
• Payment via Paypal -- cash or check only (I can't take credit cards)

Alright, I'm fessing up. I know I'm in the minority here, but...I don't like my Socks That Rock. I wish I did. I wanted to like it. But the mediumweight -- it's just too heavy for me. The label says 8 stitches per inch, but I don't see how that's possible. At least, not if you want a sock that can't stand up on its own.

I like my socks at 8 or 9 spi, and in my opinion, it's more of a 6 to 7 spi yarn. I'm not the only one either.

So, after sitting in my stash for 6 months, I'm giving up, and selling my STR stash.

• leave a comment if you're interested
• prices in US dollars
• free shipping in the US
• payment via paypal

SOLD
covelite original put-up $17: 2 hanks, each 225 yds / 3oz.
one hank wound and 1 inch of sock has been knitted and ripped.

SOLD
bronze $20: 1 hank, 380 yds / 5.5 oz.

SOLD
spinel $20: 1 hank, 380 yds / 5.5 oz.
wound and 1 inch of sock knitted and ripped

SOLD
rhodonite $20: 1 hank, 380 yds / 5.5 oz.
wound and 1 inch of sock knitted and ripped

First, a big thank you to everyone who left a birthday comment! I usually don't announce my birthday on the blog but I've been in such a good place this year that I wanted to share it with you all. Seeing all those comments roll in yesterday was a lot of fun. Thank you!

Once I admitted to myself that this weekend was going to be full of rain and wind (the back yard looked like a pond mid-day -- you couldn't even see the brick path) I decided to take advantage of it. I spent most of the weekend indoors. Pajamas, hair pulled back, no makeup. It was wonderful.

I stopped by Woolbearers at lunch on Friday and I couldn't help but pickup some of their Arcadia DK. It's 80% Cotton 20% Angora and Myra (one of the owners) said the angora softness made its way out as you wore it. They had a nice basic black so I bought enough for a spring/summer top.

Ever since I stopped working on black (red) raglan I've wanted to pick it up again. But, there was a pattern flaw that needed to be worked out, and then I needed to be motivated to work on it.

The flaw is in how the depth of the square neckline interplays with the raglans. I had wanted the raglan seam to come out of the right angle of the neckline. But, given how deep the necklilne is, that meant the sleeves started out quite wide and didn't require many increases to make them wide enough to go around my arm. The body, on the other hand, needed to grow quickly because the wider neckline made for a shorter raglan seam.

I worked on several increase methods before I found one that looked good. The sleeve was increasing at a rate of roughly half that of the body.

Technically speaking, everything worked out ok -- the math worked out. But, the vast difference in increase rates made the body bow down in the center and curve up toward the raglans (seen here). It worked out nicely for the front (built-in short rows!) but the back -- not so much. Backs are not meant to be shaped that way.

After much deliberation I decided to scrap the project. I was spent on it and needed some distance.

When I saw the Arcadia yarn on Friday I knew -- this would be the new black raglan.

I didn't want a plain st st body though. I've been drawn to lacy tops lately, so I swatched a few lace patterns. After trying that out, I realized that I didn't want YOs at the bust area. Even though I do plan to wear a contrasting tank underneath, I wanted the top to be more modest.

the new raglan seam	the bottom lace pattern

Do you see what I changed on the raglans? The raglan comes out of the side of the sqaure neck (not the corners). Once I let myself do that, I could choose where to put it. This allowed me to create a raglan seam that grew similarly on both the sleeve and body. A little difference between the 2 is fine. What I tried to do on the earlier versions of this top was too extreme.

I've also modified the design so the front is deeper than the back. It does mean that the start of the knitting is back-and-forth versus in the round, but I think it's worth it.

Based on my spreadsheet I'm 40% done with the yoke. Length-wise I'm more than halfway done, but because of the longer rows, each row is increasingly longer.

Today I turn 35. I keep thinking at some point I'm going to hit an age where I'll start to feel old. Hasn't happened yet. As I get older I feel more comfortable and confident in who I am. I love this feeling. Birthdays? Bring em on!

I was a very lucky girl this year.

I've been frustrated lately with the type of pictures I've able to take with my camera. This little guy should help. I say help because after playing with it for a few hours I've decided I need to take a class to really learn how to use it properly.

Then, I finally got Favorite socks. While I had several of the patterns from back issues of IK, a few of the older ones are additions, and well as the brand new.

And then, a few etsy gems.

The yarn is this really beautiful, mottled, handdyed by Spindlecatstudio. It's so soft that I'm considering a scarf rather than socks. I'm not sure I want to stuff this yarn into my shoes!

And finally, a set of danglefree stitch markers and danglefree row markers from entrelac at etsy. These were recommended by Kristy and they're great. Light, compact, and burr-free.

The weather is terrible. Lots of rain and wind. Sounds like the perfect excuse for a day spent knitting in the house.

And then there's talk of a lemon cake making its way here this afternoon with a special little man.

This weekend is a do what I want weekend. To start things off right I have a few things to play with -- a new Barbara Walker, a new shade card (thanks, Woolbearers for accomodating my request), some new cotton/angora yarn and my sketchbook.

The Jamieson's shade card has been a long time coming. Ever since I saw SPIN | KNIT's Fair Isle sweater I knew I had to finally bite the bullet and play with color myself. I'm planning to do something this coming fall -- so I have a bit of time.

Today's all about house renovations. If you're here just for the knitting, you can stop reading now...

I bought the house 6.5 years ago. I made a lot of changes (mostly for the good) but then I lost steam. Very similar to what can happen on big kniting projects.

the kitchen, today

It's time to finish up the biggest project -- the kitchen.

It's not in terrible shape, but several things need to be addressed. Continue reading in the extended entry.

I met up with Kristy on Saturday. It was great to meet another knitter who lives nearby and have a *real* conversation about knitting.

After having our fill of strangers talking to us (seriously, what is it with people thinking it's OK to inject themselves into your conversations when you're knitting?), we took a walk down to Pins and Needles.

They had a Hanne Falkenberg trunk show going on, and I finally got to see Diva in person.

I've envied this sweater for a while now but always dismissed it, thinking the yarn would be super-scratchy and the garter stitch would be inflexible.

I was wrong.

The yarn is somewhat-scratchy -- it's no merino, but it's not the scratchiest stuff out there either. And the drape -- there's serious drape! From what I could tell the gauge is slightly larger than what you'd expect for the yarn, so it created a nice drape. The collar was sculpted and lovely.

I'm still concerned that I would grow bored of all that garter stitch. It's A LOT of garter stitch.

Have you knit a Hanne Falkenberg sweater? What do you think? Am I taking on the apparel version of the knitted blanket? And even if I am, will I be able to stop myself?

When I started this weekend I made a commitment to myself to finish these socks. May's impending festivities combined with my festival yarn pact is starting to sink in.

I need to knit more socks, people.

i kept my commitment

Pattern: My own interpretation of the Sideways Sox Supreme from Socks Socks Socks.

Yarn:Tess' Designer Yarns Supersock and Baby. This is such a nice yarn. I made my Jaywalkers in Tess' a year and a half ago and they're still vivid and barely pilling. Very impressive given that I wear those socks almost-weekly throughout the fall, winter and early spring.

Thoughts: I like the idea of sideways knitted socks and I'd consider these a good first try at this new technique.

They slouch very quickly, so in my next pair I'd like to find a stretchier stitch pattern for the cuff.

And, the foot can be a good 3/4" shorter and still fit (maybe even an inch). Since that's the direction of the stretch, there's a lot of give there. It reminds me of the way I felt when I first tried on a garter stitch heel.

Still, I love these socks and I'm so happy to have used this yarn for a good purpose. And since it's still chilly around here, I'll be able to wear them to work tomorrow. I can't wait!