I have finished the really-large-looking but actually correctly-sized sock pal socks!

Thanks everyone for your reassurance regarding the first huge-looking sock. Its good to hear that others have run into this issue as well.

Its quite possible that the magic loop made a difference in terms of speed. I cast on for the second sock on Saturday AM with DPNs, worked the picot edge and a few rows after it, then switched to the Magic Loop. Knitted on and off all weekend, through 3 fine episodes of Six Feet Under, then by Sunday evening, the sock was done! It was rather speedy. Maybe the Magic loop makes the actual knitting faster, or maybe the technique is so streamlined that I tend to knit for longer amounts of time..hmmmm

I still love my Crystal Palace DPNs, but Magic Loop is moving up there..

Here's the Koigu remaining:

Phew! Knitting socks with Koigu is a bit nerve-racking. You can do it with 2 skeins, but you've got to be careful. I always get concerned about running out of yarn towards the end. My very first pair of socks ever was knit with Koigu, and I ran out of yarn like 3 rows away from the end! Next time I may try toe-up, so no worrying.

The two balls of yarn are ever-so-slightly different in shade. This could be because I bought them months apart, at different yarn stores even!

and, I even washed and blocked these socks. I never block socks, usually just wear them a couple times then throw them in the wash. But for you, sock pal, blocked socks.

Today my two skeins of alpaca began a voyage.

I can't say exactly where its going, because per the Stitch Ya Neck Out swap rules, its a secret until the recipient recieves the yarn. But I will tell you this: I had to fill out a customs form.

I've started a new project: the Baby Norgi sweater from Knitty.

I never would have considered knitting it if it weren't for Felicia's gorgeous progress photographs.

There is no baby in mind for this sweater. I may save it for my someday future child, or give it as a gift if something comes up. I just like the idea of knitting this little sweater as practice in Fair Isle and steeking. It will just be a finished project when done, and not necessarily a garment.

The yarn is Louet Sales Gems Pearl a very soft fingering weight. Cream is the main color, with dark brown and grass green accents. Seaport Yarn didn't have the right shade of grass green, so I substituted Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Loden.

The Louet yarn is very very soft.

I am working at keeping my Fair Isle not too tight..apparently that is tricky.

The needle sizes for this project are soooo small - US 0 and US 1. They make the project feel very delicate.

In preparation for an impending trip to the laundromat, I knit up some swatches for Raspy.

Wendy ran into some row gauge issues when she knit this sweater, and since we are both using Elann's Den-m-knit yarn, I took getting gauge seriously. I tried 3 different needles, and knit enough rows on each swatch to check for row gauge. I've never ever checked for row gauge, ever. Denim yarn shrinks 10-15% in length when washed, so in this case it really *does* matter.

The gauge is supposed to be 20sts and 28 rows per 4" square, and suggests size 6 needles.

*Note: the stray purl stitches in the swatches indicate what size needle was used.. 6 purl stitches for the size 6 needle, and 5 for the size 5. For post-laundry identification.

They are, from left to right:

Size 6 Needles, Clover Bamboo Circs
These needles are labeled as 4.25mm, slightly larger than the standard 4mm. I got 21sts and 27 rows per 4 inches.

Size 6 Needles, Boye Needlemaster Metal Circs
I've heard stories of getting different gauges with different types of needles (metal, plastic, bamboo). So I tried these. Row gauge went down to the required 28 rows per 4 inches, and stitch gauge remained the same at 21 sts.

Size 5 Needles, Boye Needlemaster Metal Circs
Just for fun, I figured I'd try out size 5s. I knit somewhat looser, which I like doing, and perplexingly ended up with nearly identical gauge to the size 6 needles above. 21 sts and 28 rows per 4 inches. huh.

All 3 needles ended up with 21 stitches rather than the called-for 20. This could be okay though. The schematic indicates the finished size small sweater is 38", way large for this skinny runner. A tighter stitch gauge means a smaller sweater..okay by me.

Right now I am thinking I'll go with the size 5s. But the real decision awaits post-shrinkage calculations.

There's something very addictive about Fair Isle.. it keeps you knitting and knitting, with promises of full revelation.

After the bottom Fair Isle chart, I buckled down for the tedium of white stockinette knitting. Figuring it would take awhile, Baby Norgi became my subway project. It was 100 degrees out, but there I was, subway knitting to and from work, anticipating days and days of imperceptible progress. But then it was done in no time! Gotta love baby sweaters.

Here's an (unblocked) reindeer.

With the top chart completed, there is just the neck shaping to complete the body. Unbelievably speedy!

Then, two sleeves and the inevitable cutting.

Back from a mini-vacation in scenic Buffalo. It was a stellar getaway. Sometimes hanging out in suburbia really grates on me, but that didn't happen. Lots of time with my most favorite relatives, running of course (there is no rest for those in marathon training), and multiple beach visits (lake beaches totally count). The best run was a phenomenal 10-miler that featured a final mile at 8:20 pace (compared to the initial mile at 10:24). Just love to finish a long run strong. and 8:20 pace! Last time I ran that fast was in a 5-mile race last summer. The Gatorade Endurance Formula midway through is surely the secret ingredient.

You're not here for my running updates though!

So I am now officially one of those people who visits yarn shops on vacation. yep. When not on vacation, I am a completely spoiled NYC-dweller, with about 10 LYSs to choose from. So neither Karma Knitting nor Have Ewe Any Wool astounded me. But there were some gems..

Here's what I got:

2 skeins of Manos in a dark dark green, Regia stripey sock yarn in a 70s-inspired colorway, and Mountain Colors Bearfoot.

The Manos may be destined to be a Backyard Leaves scarf from Scarf Style. Or maybe I'll pair it with a greener mohair/silk to intensify the color for a simple scarf.

Mountain Colors Bearfoot, now this seems like its going to be luscious. I got this very colorful skein.. red with accents. Not my typical choice, but check out these colors!

I am thinking about the Rib and Cable Socks from the Fall Interweave. The pattern calls for Bearfoot, and I so rarely use the required yarn, it seems like a fun idea.

Getting closer to the inevitable cutting of steeks.

The Fair Isle on the sleeves was much more tricky than the body. Especially the little green parts. I redid the green crosses three times on one sleeve before arriving at something akin to reasonable tension. Its due to the DPNs I think. Irregularities in tension cleared up with blocking.

One sleeve I steam-blocked and the other I wet-blocked. Can you tell the difference?
P.S. In real life, they are in fact the same color.

Here's a bit of the reverse side of the Fair Isle.

Now, the next step is to work up the nerve to send this through the sewing machine.

The latest Rowan magazine arrived on my doorstep yesterday, and I am digging some patterns. Why do people not like this issue? I think there are some cute things in there. Maybe I just don't expect that much.. I mean, I understand they are knitting patterns, not a one-stop solution to winter fashion. I've found that knitting pattern books always leave something to be desired. Anyway. I just might knit these. (in order of potential knit-ability, from most likely to least likey to knit)

The River Stole. I am signed up for the River Knitalong, so will definitely be knitting this one! In Kidsilk Haze in Trance, already ordered from Janette.

Looooove this, especially if worn as a jacket. Last fall, I froze in late November, due to post-marathon 0% body fat. This sweater could solve that problem. It calls for Yorkshire Tweed DK, which is rather pricey, but Peace Fleece Sport weight could work. Is the Olive Roots colorway too dreary? maybe Antartica White or Kamchatka Sea Moss?

Don't know why I am drawn to these gloves, but I am. Thinking red with translucent red buttons. I have some red used-to-be-a-sweater yarn that should get gauge.

Realistically, its unlikely I'll get to these, but favorites nonetheless.

The last sweater on the right is designed by Antoni & Alison, real live runway-showing designers. How awesome is that? I don't do intarsia, so won't be knitting it. But Rowan seeking out indie designers has got to be a good thing.

Ah yes, there has been successful steek-cutting.

I was most nervous about sending this little sweater through my sewing machine. Its a decent machine, but it tends to get away from me.. and sewing straight lines on it is not exactly my specialty.

After a bit of practicing on the subminiature swatch, I decided to baste in some guides.

This is pre-cutting. The blue threads are visual guides, whose basic function was to reassure me that I was still sewing in a straight line. They are 3 stitches out from each interior line of stitching. While sewing, I made sure the side of the presser foot maintained an even distance from the guides. Afterwards, I removed them. Quite helpful!

The steeks are not completely perfect. As you might be able to see in the image above, there are areas where they are kinda wavy. But I think this will not impact their effectiveness. *hopefully*

And the inside of the cut steek.

I've recently been finishing up items in order to get ready to start new and exciting fall projects.

That includes the long-neglected minisweater. Here it is after 10 increases. (One increase per side each RS row after separating the sleeves that is)

It seems to be *almost* the correct length. Actually, its probably already there, but I am inspired by Laura's wrap version, so am thinking of making it longer and wrap-around. Also, there's a distinct possibility of a yarn shortage, and knitting extra rows means thats even more likely, which enhances the overall thrill of knitting this. Will there be enough yarn? Will I run out? oh, the suspense.

I'm planning on 2 more increase rows, for a total of 12. I was going to do 13, but that's unlucky, and I am superstitious, so no.

This project really moved along once I figured out how to do nice increases. I don't know what my problem was before, when holes kept showing up. Previously, I placed the increases right next to the garter border, which may have resulted in looser stitches. This time, I just did M1 increases on either side, one stitch into the stockinette section. Amazingly, it worked.

And look how pretty they are!

Baby Norgi is so so close to being done. This little sweater requires a fair amount of care in finishing. There are all sorts of details that must be attended to.

First, I sewed down the sleeve hems. They were the easiest.

Then, I set in the sleeves. This was a little tricky, but not too bad. I consulted for the technique.

Next I sewed down the bottom hem. I pinned it all around with safety pins before sewing it. About halfway around, I discovered that picking up only one strand of the CO edge results in a nice, smooth hem. (in the photo below, I believe this is on the left side) There's no noticeable difference from the outside.

I've never done anything with a sleeve facing before. This is about 8 rows of knit stitches at the top of the sleeves. They get sewn down inside the armholes and cover up the cut steeks. Makes the inside look all nice and neat.

And now, all that's left is the neckband. When picking up stitches around the neck, I tried to err on the side of too many stitches rather than not enough. I'd rather have the neckband be a little too big.. to make sure it will fit its someday wearer!

After spending a week at the Greenpoint Post Office, my SYNO yarn made it home on Saturday. I was pleasantly surprised to find I am knitting Interlocking Balloons for Kris!

She sent the nicest package.

I'll be knitting with this super fab alpaca silk blend yarn. Its very very soft. And check out those cute alpacas on the label! awwww

Of course, I had to cast on right away.

In addition to choosing an interesting pattern and rocking yarn, Kris also included some gifties! There's alpaca and silk tweed in my most favorite color. I am looking forward to trying them out. Thanks Kris!

Baby Norgi is all done!

The Specs:
Pattern: Baby Norgi by Wendy Johnson
Size: S, 24 inch chest.
Gauge: 8 sts to inch; size US 1 and US 0 needles.
Yarn: Louet Gems Pearl in Cream (3 skeins) and Caribou (1 skein), Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solid in Loden (1 skein)
Pattern Modifications: None. I only ended up using 3 skeins of the cream color, not 4 as the pattern specified.

Some Notes:

1. Louet Gems Pearl is simply the softest yarn I've ever experienced. I recommend it for Baby Norgi and for other projects. I am already thinking about the sport weight version for a sweater project.

2. This project was not boring. Often, a knitting project will become tiresome to me about 3/4 of the way through. I manage to get through to the end, but its not nearly as engaging as the beginning. However, Baby Norgi was totally interesting.. all the way to the end.

3. Steeks. They are not too bad! Thinking about doing them? Go for it. They are totally within reach. I used Wendy's Steeking article, and read through it about 3-4 times before it really made sense. Next time I do steeks, might try the crochet method.

4. Knitting a baby sweater for "noone in particular". Um, am I trying to scare off dates? Give my mother false hope? Really, I just wanted to try the technique! In the process, I've found that baby items are actually quite fun to knit. They are fast, potentially perfect, take just a small amount of yarn.

This was one of my favorite projects *ever*. The knitting was engaging and challenging, and I am completely satisfied with the final product. My next Fair Isle project just might be this capelet from Wrap Style.