F I R E

First things first, for all of you who have been following my trials and tribulations of the ominous prelim exams, they are over and I passed. Thank you all for your well-wishing during the past crazy two months of studying and hating my crapademic lifestyle. What have I been up to since March 2, the last time I posted, you ask? Well, I have one word for you: socks. Okay, actually, I have two words for you: single socks. The beauty above is a Spearfish sock knit using Fleece Artist 3/6 in Beet. Such a vixen, this sock is.


Some--though I suspect not all--of you will be happy to know that the Single Sock Liberation Movement is a far cry from being just another passing fad on the knitting scene. I am currently entrenched in my latest project--Project Spectrum 3.0 The Single Sock Edition. Yes, friends, my Philistine magic can skew any interesting and well thought out project into a fun new excuse to knit a bunch of single socks with not even the slightest concern for the second sock. I am currently knitting (and will continue to knit) single socks in the colors of the Project Spectrum Elements colors. The past two months have been devoted to F I R E--pink, red, and orange.


This cable-y beauty is a Liebchen sock, knit using Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk yarn in Dusk. The alpaca and silk blend yarn is wonderful for socks; the silk makes it strong and shiny, while the alpaca makes it all fuzzy, warm and comfy. Once the mate comes along (don't hold your breath, though), these are going to make perfect bed socks!


And the ribbed back of the leg ensures a wonderful fit.


This 'un is a Sock of Kindness knit using Sundara sock yarn in Papaya over Grapefruit. I don't think I've ever made a sock that fit my foot so well. Num.


This sweet red singlet was another fun knit. It's actually knit from a pattern available at the moment only in Finnish, the Strawberry Fields Socks. Lucky for me, I happened to email Kris for some help, and, despite not being Finnish or knowing a lick of Finnish, she decided it would be fun to translate Finnish into English. Go figure, because she translated it perfectly (as Tehri, who IS Finnish, has attested to). And Tehri has contacted the designer to make the pattern available in English, which should happen sometime soon, in the event that a) you are interested in making this sock, and b) you don't speak/read a lick of Finnish.


Perhaps a closer inspection of the heel and toe will convince you that, despite not knowing Finnish, you want to knit this sock? Beautiful heel, with the garter stitch rib traveling all the way down the heel.


And the side panels of garter stitch rib travel all the way down to the tip of the toe, which I think is an amazing detail. It's what made me seek out Kris' translating skills in the first place.


And who can go wrong with the stockinette Koigu sock? I call this one the Picot + Koigu = LOVE sock. It's the first in a long, long series planned. I needed a reason to need to use lots and lots of Koigu, so I created one. A sock series. Ah, again, that Philistine magic up-to-no-goodery hard at work.


There you have it: the F I R E single socks.
E A R T H single socks will begin promptly on April 1. And I, for one, can't wait.

Fiberlicious: Ooh, Shiny, Eee Pretty! Edition

Few words will be necessary for this post. The title and these photos of the gorgeous Yarn Nerd merino/tencel blend sock yarn I recently acquired from the talented Adam speak for themselves, I believe. And Adam, in the event that I haven't thanked you profusely for the shiny, shiny, pretty swap goodies, I thank you, profusely!


That's Shiny, there on the left. And there's Pretty on the right. (Sorry, Adam, I might have re-named the colorways in a fit of eee-xcitement!) There was no chance in resisting the allure of this yarn. I mean, is finishing the Central Park Hoodie in this decade truly necessary?


Hey, look! Now I have a shiny, shiny, pretty sock! Yes, yes, another one to add to the pinwheel. I mean REALLY, is there any huge rush to finish a *pair* of socks this millennium?


Check out this fabulous new sock pattern: it's a free one forthcoming from Beth of good-natured ribbing, so be on the lookout for it!


Ooh pretty: a sweet little wavy cuff sans ribbing, my favorite!


Ooh this is new: a short-row toe with a kitchner'd closure on the bottom of the foot. I like this technique! I was always concerned that the kitchner ridge would be bothersome on the foot bottom, but you can't even feel it!

Dare I even make the claim that the Central Park Hoodie will make it's long overdue appearance in the next post? I daren't. But perhaps...

Happy Friday, everyone!

Block away, black sheep!

Yes, friends, you heard correctly. I used the word "block" in a knitterly context. Which means --you guessed it!-- I am actually approaching a --wait for it...wait for it-- finished object. By my calculations, the last finished object the readers of this blog witnessed was on July 12. Okay, okay, not so long ago, right? Oh, wait. Those were the Sockapalooza socks, which had a ... very firm deadline. And so what if the last sweater I finished was on November 12 of last year? I am averaging a finished knit sweater per year. Not... SO... bad... right? Well, the requisite finished sweater of 2007 is blocking! Or most of it is, at least. There might still be a hood and button band left to knit. Mere formalities.

And what made this blocking experience all the more exciting, besides the actual *finishing* of something? I got to use my awesome, awesome new pincushion handmade by the fabulous Maritza. I really bought it (from her Etsy shop, check it out here!) because I've been dreaming up this fantasy lately in which I learn how to make quilts and sew. And, well, one would presumably need a pincushion for that. For now, I'll have to be satisfied using it to block --once again, with feeling!-- FINISHED knit things. The quilt-making will come in due time, once I figure out how to finish my knit things more frequently than once a year.


"Hi, I'm a big blob of Yorkshire tweed. The rest of me is blocking away, having become a finished Central Park Hoodie. I am no longer the black sheep of the unfinished objects pile. I can't wait to become a hood and button band!"

Yes, my stray balls of yarn HAVE acquired voices of their own. What?

Up next: a new sock finds its way onto my knitting needles. New. Sock. As in those mateless, single socks remain... well, mateless.

Wip-ed.

Wiped, indeed. Summer is coming to a close and fall is peeking around the corner of the next block. I am ready for it. This summer has completely wiped me out, intellectually. I spent the last three months researching like mad for this fall exhibition I am curating at Bryn Mawr College. This project turned out to be a massive undertaking--a six month project (at least!) that had to be done in a mere three. Insanity. And plenty of stress. It is finally nearing completion, and I couldn't be more thankful. I have a week left to finish it and then everything has to go off to the professional printer's. One week left. Eek. The exhibition postcard has been finalized and is being printed, which is pretty exciting, but it's the first thing of the exhibition that is in concrete form, so I'm a bit nerved over it. So there it is. In all of its... glory? The opening date of the show is September 25, and it runs through January. I have an opening speaker and everything. It's an actual... event. And public, very public (bites nails).


Speaking of WIPed, I feel like I owe y'all an update on my knitting. There has been so little blogging these past few months, but I've actually been knitting rather steadily the whole summer. First, of course, there are lots of single socks. Eight, to be exact. It is getting to be that time when I am yearning to have pairs, so I might actually be ready to knit some mates. For those interested, the eight socks are, clockwise from the top:

:: Pink Fancy Monkey Socks :: Fleece Artist Seawool in Light Pink
:: Lemongrass Pomatomus Almost Kneehighs :: STR Mediumweight in Lemongrass
:: My Bloody Valentine Socks :: Hello Yarn Merino Sock in Hush
:: Skyblue Giotto Socks :: STR Lightweight in Blue Moonstone
:: Red Robin Socks :: Woolley Boully Meanie Sock in Red Robin: Bird, Nest & Eggs
:: Giotto-With-the-Flow Socks :: Sundara Sock in Grey Green over Mint
:: Child's First Sock :: Fleece Artist Seawool in Buttercream
:: Rum Runner Socks :: Yarn Pirate Merino in Rum Runner


In addition to a bunch of single socks, I have been knitting piles of sweater parts. I've had 10 balls of Rowan Silk Wool DK in my stash for awhile now, and though I had plans to knit something else with it, inspiration struck and I decided to knit the Wide Collar Cardigan from Jo Sharp Knit 3. I'm knitting it at a completely different gauge to create a less stiff, more loosely draped fabric, and I must say, it is turning out beautifully. The only problem is I have run out of the 10 balls, and I'd guess that I still need another 4 or 5. D'oh. And the wide collar is taking for-EH-ver to knit. 1x1 ribbing for about a scarf's length... ugh. So, this beauty is taking a little siesta while I wait for funds to acquire more Silk Wool. I have maybe 2/3 of the collar left to knit and the right side. All else is done and waiting patiently in a gorgeous aqua-colored pile to be seamed. This will be a pretty little early fall sweater, when it is finished.


Meantime, I have convinced myself to pick up the black sheep of my old WIPs, the ol' Central Park Hoodie in Rowan Yorkshire Tweed. You know, the pattern craze from last fall... finally, finally, it might actually be finished soon. I have the right side to knit, then it can be seamed up and all that will be left is the hood and the button band. Well on it's way to becoming wearable!

I have big, big sweater-knitting plans for this fall, involving, you guessed it, the fabulous new designs from the latest Interweave Knits. Tangled Yoke? Yes please. Minimalist cardigan? Serve it up. And the Tilted Duster? Yes, yes, and yes some more. Now comes the impatient wait for the stipend checks to begin rolling in again to replenish my yarn supplies. Until then, I'll be finishing up my WIPs and yearning for fresh bags of Rowan Felted Tweed and Kid Classic and Berroco Peruvia.

Happy weekend, all!

Fiberlicious Friday: The "Where Are They Now" Edition, or, The Most Overdue Blog Update Ever.

Hi friends. It has been quite some time since I've last checked in, and what a hectic and befuddling couple of weeks it has been. I have joined the ranks of the computerless, as the troublemaker ECC knocked coffee into my year old (and not yet paid for) Macbook a few weeks ago. My, what a difference not having a computer makes on one's presence in Blogland and Flickrdom! Hello, vanishing act. Not to mention that much of my summer exhibition work was lost in the process, which means I've been scrambling at work to redo what was lost, rather than take blogging breaks. Ah, well. Life goes on, with or without one's computer, and so here I am. Finally. Said broken computer is still, well, good and done in, but I've finally caught a spare moment at a public computer to pop in with some well overdue Fiberlicious!-ness. Today I am servin' up a cool treat of sorbetto, of the Yarn Pirate Rum Runner variety (the first installment of the Yarn Pirate sock club). Deelish!


Speaking of the Yarn Pirate sock club, as many of you know by now, Georgia was kind enough to endorse my Good Soapworks of Athens soapy goodness, and she included a mini soap in the first installment package of the sock club. I had a lot of fun working with her, and I really thought it was awesome of Georgia to include me! AND speaking of Good Soapworks of Athens, the Etsy soap shop has been officially closed in order to make way for the new and improved Good Soapworks of Athens Soap Shop! An independent website! The new soap shop is run entirely by my mom from Atlanta, GA. She has the facilities to keep all soaps in stock all the time. And without all of those exorbitant Etsy fees, we are able to offer cheaper soap, so go check it out! As for me, I'll still happily do soap swaps with people, but I will no longer be selling it, but my mom will happily supply everyone's soapy goodness needs!


So, there's where I am now. I am hoping that with Michael's return from France on Tuesday (with our household's laptop deux in tow), I will be able to return to regular blogging, and perhaps I'll even be able to regain my commenting mojo. And where is the yummy Fiberlicious sorbetto these days? In glorious, perfectly pool-less stockinette sock form, that's where!


I just couldn't resist the lure of the Yarn Pirate sorbetto. And I am in love with the sock it has become. I used the Hello Yarn Simple Sock pattern that she gives away free with her sock yarn. See the awesome short row toe raised bind-off? Love that.


And, of course, nothin' but short row heels here! I should also point out that you should not be fooled by the above photo into thinking I had finished a pair of socks. The sock on the other foot is my My Bloody Valentine sock. The Single Sock Liberation Movement continues (and now you can join it here)!

Up next: I get Sockapalooza-ed by an awesome pal!
Have a happy weekend everyone!

Picots, Picots, the Biggest Philistine, Picots.

Hi, meet my newest obsession: Picots. Hi there, picots, nice to meet you. You do look fabulous on all my socks. And I do mean all of my socks. I'm not exactly certain what instigated this obsession, but I suspect it was the Princess and the Picot. The hybridization of the sweet picot cuff and the addictive Monkey pattern. How perfect! How perfectly adorable (not to mention one miraculously gets out of knitting ribbing, which I am all for)! But what if one were to push the envelope a bit further...


OH MY! Picoted Monkeys with a schmancy (but easy!) twisted rib??? Tell me more about this fabulous new FANCY Monkey! This most excellent discovery was made by one Ms. woolforbreakfast, and upon seeing hers, I knew I had to have some Fancy Monkeys too. In pink, no less. And theeeeen... another amazing hybridization came into being...


Giotto-With-the-Flows! Truly, one of the most clever melding of two great patterns into one FANTASTIC pattern! Anna Bell's Giotto socks have the most amazing cuffs. So detailed and pretty. But the main stitch of the sock, the infamous T3s (otherwise known as the triple twist stitch) is VERY hurty. Pretty, yes. But hard on the fingers and hands. Ow. I miraculously made it through one skyblue giotto, but the experience was pretty intense, with all of that crazy triple twisting and such. Then along came Ms. Clever, one Ms. whitknits who discovered, after suffering the pain of the T3s for herself, that a super-fantastic sock could be had pain-free with the substitution of Evelyn Clark's Go With the Flow sock pattern. Voila! Again, had to have for myself. Oh, I am in love with these two socks!! They both have me quite captivated at the moment.

And just when I thought I was sated, I started daydreaming about other potential picot/giotto cuff hybrids... the giotto cuff with plain stockinette (oh, Kris read my mind! I might just have to have a matching pair...). And the giotto cuff with the hedera leg pattern, perhaps (OH! Lori is clearly on the picot wave-length, as well!). Mmmmm, picots. They are clearly taking over the world. And my blog.

Oooooh, right. And the winner of the blogiversary contest! Of course! How could I forget? Silly me and all of those sweet, sweet picots!! And the biggest Philistine is...


Ms. schrodinger knits! Congratulations, Ms. schrodinger! You are the new owner of a complete set of soapy goodness! I do hope you enjoy it! (Have y'all seen this gal's newest sock design? It is way cute! Check it.)

I really do owe everyone (all 102 of you!!!) a great big ::THANK YOU:: for the blogiversary well-wishing and taking the time to humor me and play my silly little online quiz games. That is about as interactive as this blog will ever get, I SWEAR. Believe me when I say that I know how horrible FORCED FUN (oh, poor Minty had to endure it recently) is. And I rarely wish it on anyone. (What do I have to say about Charades? It makes a great sock pattern. Period. The end.) But I hope you all had a bit of fun learning whether or not you harbor a true inner Philistine nature.

Now, show me those picots!

My sock pal has a sock!

Okay, sure, so maybe it's just one sock, but one is better than none, right?


And look: it's a pretty sock! I'm happy with the way it turned out. I had some trouble knitting this sock... for one, the yarn I'm using is very fine, and, well, I really dislike knitting with fine yarn. I always feel like I can't keep the stitches at an even gauge. I almost ditched it for another pattern (again!) but then I decided to stick with it. And... I'm glad I did. It's a nice sock. I did modify the pattern a bit... I only did the lace panel on the front and left the back in plain stockinette. I just really loved how the subtle variegated stripes looked on the bottom of the foot that I wanted to continue it up the back leg.


And my sock pal suggested lacy socks, and, while this pattern isn't the laciest ever, I think there's just enough of a lacy look to suit my sock pal just fine. {And let's not mention to my sock pal that I squeezed my size 9 feet into her dainty little size 71/2 sock.}


And you know me, I'll have that second sock done in no time flat, what with me having the reputation for being such a monogamous knitter. I mean, if there's one thing I endorse it's finishing what you start. One project at a time. I'd never fall prey to Second Sock Syndrome. Not me.

Oh, and I'm not a sarcastic person, ever. Nope. Never, not at all.

Sweet as...

Fiberlicious! An update for those interested: Fiberlicious! isn't limited to Fridays. Initially, I was going to establish a "Fiberlicious Fridays" thing, but that's sort of silly. You should post when the fancy strikes you. No need to put rules and restrictions and days of the week on this. Also, there's a button, now, for those who are kind enough to advertise this silly idea of mine on their blogs. Feel free to take one, just please link it to your own server, yaddah, yaddah.


Okay, real reason for this post: a Sockapalooza sock update. In the wake of a series of unforeseen decisions, I was forced to scrap the double set of Marigold socks. Now, I stand by my love for this pattern and my desire to have a garden sock drawer filled with blooming Marigolds (I already have very definite plans to knit another pair of Marigolds in some STR Sunstone). But I decided that the All Things Heather yarn just wasn't fit to be Marigolds. It's just a little too fine to knit up ruffly. That said, I've decided that I couldn't just scrap the yarn altogether. It really is perfect for my sock pal, I think. She likes pinks and purples AND she prefers variegated yarn over semi-solid. Check and check. This yarn fits the bill. So, I decided to try another sock pattern that I've been eyeing, knitspot's Rococo Socks. Love them. And the pattern suggests using a finer weight yarn. Check.


Here's the part where you have a good look and tell me if this was a good move. The socks are coming along rather slowly, as the pattern is not the easiest to memorize, and the yarn is pretty fine, so there are more stitches that usual. But I've finished one foot and am about to begin the leg. There is a bit of awkward striping of the dark purple sections of the yarn, but I think it works with the pattern. And my sock pal DID say she liked variegated yarns, so surely she likes the variegated effect (insert liberal amount of paranoia from one who doesn't like variegated yarns so is unduly concerned about variegation). What's the consensus? You likey?

And thanks so much to everyone who helped me do a little destashing. It's much appreciated, given the absence of grad student stipends during the summer months. And there are still a few things left in the pot, so if you're interested go have yourself a look. Destashing pot this-a-way.

Have a manageable Monday, all!

Singles and toes.

The Single Sock Liberation Movement continues! As it goes, there is waxing and waning of members, and there are those that don't realize they are taking part until it is too late. Then, of course, there's the plain ol' mutinous. But all is well... this leader understands that some second socks must be knit... how desolate knitblogland would be without any FOs!


But since the Movement must march on, have a look at my most recent contribution: an unmatched pair of pastel beauties.

Left :: Giotto by Anna Bell :: STR lightweight "Blue Moonstone"
Right :: Child's First Sock by Nancy Bush :: Fleece Artist Sea Wool "Buttercream"


I've never been much into pastels, but it seems that I've acquired a taste for it recently. I really do love how both of these socks turned out. And oh, the textures! Don't they make a handsome pair?


The pastels phase has left as abruptly as it had come, and I've moved on to purples and more purples. Though I've been partially encouraged to this new palette by my Sockapalooza4 sock pal's color preference.

Left :: All Things Heather Fingering Weight Merino :: "Orchids"
Right :: Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR Lightweight Merino :: "Star Sapphire"


A pair of toes has been completed in each of the two yarn choices for my sock pal's socks. Remember when I said I was going to knit Lombard Street socks for my sock pal? Well, that was before Pamela Wynne so graciously published her Marigold Socks pattern. I absolutely love this pattern! So much so that I am knitting two pairs of these socks in a row... one for my sock pal and one for me! What's more, I've *finally* learned how to knit toe-up AND how to do magic loop (yes, yes, I know, "welcome to the 21st century of sock knitting)! I'm knitting one of the Marigolds on DPNs and one with the magic loop method. By the end of it, I should know which method I prefer, once and for all.

Now, if I could just decide which pair of Marigolds my sock pal would like more: the reddish-fuschia-purple ones or the bluish-purple ones? I'm leaning toward the reddish-fuschia ones for her, but I'm still undecided. Knowing me, I won't decide definitively until the very last second. So until then, each purple Marigold will grow at the same speed.

Happy Monday, all!

Where is she now?

Just dropping in ever-so-briefly to say hi... I've just begun settling into my summer job in Special Collections, so I'm already at a loss for time again, not to mention that my weekly meetings with one of my prelim advisors start back up imminently. And then there's the newest time-sucking vortex in my life ... The Wire. As you can see, I'm a very busy girl again. I did manage to squeeze in a lunch date with Liz K. and Ashley this past Saturday (How could I refuse such great company? I could not). As you can see, we had a fabulous time eating delicious Japanese cuisine, sipping wine, and knitting. This really should become a regular occurrence. Thanks for a fabulous time, girls!


I've managed to get a little bit of knitting in, though I already feel like I have to schedule it in, like I do during the school year. The first Child's First Sock is fresh off the needles (and already desiring to be worn with fab purple shoes), and now I am in the midst of a surprise quickie project for M ... more on that soon.

Back to braving the muggy day...

After school special.

Life as I once knew it (ahem, *not* grading papers and exams non-stop, 24 hours a day) has finally returned. At some point since my last post, I finished all of my work with immediate deadlines... grades submitted, preliminary exams scheduled to be taken in late September, meetings set up for beginning dissertation research.


And a small, much-needed resurgence of knitting time has finally resumed. I decided to rip my mossy twisted flower seeding, as the Sea Wool just wasn't doing justice to the intricate pattern. In its place, I cast on the dark green vintage cardigan, which is a nice respite from sock knitting. Sometimes it's so nice to escape into row after row of stockinette. Unending. In a deep, dull green. I considered joining the mason dixon Slogalong for this project, as I am knitting this cardigan on size 3s and 4s, but there's just nothing sloggy about this project thus far. Nothing but enjoyable row after row of stockinette.


And I've re-cast on the Child's First sock by Nancy Bush, after frogging the first attempt using Lorna's Laces. This time 'round, I am using Fleece Artist Sea Wool, and I've flown through 6 repeats with nothing but glee and joy. I love this yarn. Love. This. Yarn. New. Favorite. Yarn.


Just look how shiny and pretty! Stitch definition is fabulous, the Seacell blended into the wool is smooth and shimmery. No fuzziness like 100% merino can be sometimes (especially superwash merino). Perfect thickness (I am knitting on 0s, not 1s, but it's okay, somehow). Nice and sproingy, too. Love. People, you need to try this yarn. I'll be interested to see how the Sea Wool holds up to a ton of washings, though, since I read somewhere that the Seacell eventually washes out of the wool. I'm hoping it doesn't get all fuzzy as this happens. We'll see. Meantime, I'm in love with Sea Wool.


AND I finally got to leave the house to do something OTHER than catch the train to school. Oh, glorious day! The bikes were unleashed (mine's the orange Veloce and M's is the silver Pista) and M and I got to enjoy a nice gallivanting around town today. In M's words: an adventurous adventure was had.


It had been so long since we'd been to the Art Museum. Too long. And we never miss a good "Pay What You Wish Sunday". Mmmmmm, art for exceedingly reduced price. My favorite kind of art. That and some good Rothkos and we're in business.


And a sweet owl sculpture by Picasso. One of my favorite pieces in the Museum. A good Sunday, indeed.

Next week M and I are off to Atlanta to visit my parents, then it's back to the grind for me. A full time job in Special Collections and non-stop cramming for my prelim exams await.

Happy Sunday, everyone!