Noro Socks

I made some socks that I just love (I know these pictures are similar, I couldn't decide which one I liked best!):

Montreal Socks (because I started them in Montreal)

Noro Kureyon Sock, alternating from each end of a center pull ball every other row
Basic Sock Recipe from Knitting Rules
US 1.5 Needles

I was quite excited when I first found out there was a Noro sock yarn, and I thought a lot about which sock pattern to use. Inspired by the Noro Scarf, I first knit these alternating colors every 4th row. Looked OK, but the stripes were striping a bit and it just didn't look as sharp. The drawback with changing colors every other row is that that is a bit of a jog, so I ran it down the medial side/inside of each sock:

I manipulated the colors to get solid areas on the cuffs, heels, and toes. I decided not to match the socks, mainly because of the yarn. It tangled easily, and pulling from both ends of the ball was a hassle enough (I probably should have wound it into 2 balls, but didn't). The yarn felt scratchy when knitting, but the finished sock isn't scratchy or uncomfortable to wear. I only had one knot in the ball.

I love the color combinations in the stripes. I had a hard time putting these down because of those stripes: what would the next combination be? This led to late nights. And then got me thinking about color, and what colors to use for these mittens (which I have been admiring for sometime now and the pattern just became available), and my LYS was having a sale on the recommended yarn (Harris Tweed), and ... another project I can't put down:

Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilla!

You'll see, the colors are going to be similar to the socks. This knitting is wrecking havoc on my life: My apartment is a mess, I am not getting ready for the big trip I am taking next week, the plants need watering...help!

Internet Classics

Besides the suprised comment: "you knit, really?", one of the things that most surprises people (non-knitters) about knitting today is how online it is. The blogging, the organizational/social wundersite Ravelry, the thriving e commerce, and that there are internet magazines of knitting patterns. Here are two of the most popular patterns from 2 popular internet sites:

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert in Knitty
Sheep Shop #3 - 2 skeins
US 8 needles

This took a while to knit (July-March); dropping the stitches was fun, but when each row is 100+ stitches and its a lot of stockinette ... easy to put down and not pick up again. This is nothing against the pattern - I can see why so many (Ravelry link) have knit this. Its a beautiful shawl, although I will most likely wear it more as a scarf. Despite being quite big (see the armspan?), its really light and not at all bulky to wear. The yarn - perfect for me. I had wanted to knit this for awhile, and was really not sure what yarn to use. I wanted it to be colorful, soft but warm, and without pooling. This yarn is part silk and has short color repeats. But, there was significant skein variation. Drat! But, you really couldn't tell once the stitches were dropped (I can, knowing how bad it was before - you can too, look closely at the armspan picture). I did end up blocking this, but because I totally ran out of yarn - so I ripped back a lot, and ran out again. Well, this time I was closer to the end, so ripped back a bit and then knit 3 together (insted of 2) and made it. And blocking made this unnoticeable as well!

Jaywalker Socks by Grumperina in Magknits
Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Poppy Stripe from Purl Soho
US 1.5 needles

Again, no surprise why this is so popular. I thought a lot about what yarn to use for these as well, I really wanted perfect striping. The repeat of this colorway is almost every row, so perfect! I love the way they look with my black sneakers.



Notice the snow in the Jaywalker pictures? And how I am only wearing a light jacket in the Clapotis pictures. Well, March was in like a lamb with temps near 70 this past week but then this past weekend...

...20 inches and a blizzard! I love winter! (Really, I do, I was getting a little sad about it being over - This past winter in Columbus was much milder than my beloved Cleveland winters). Thankfully, I wasn't working, so I was stranded at my parents with the dogs and ample supplies. After 48 hours, I got a little stir crazy (we were completely snowed in). But it stopped, the driveway got plowed, and an hour later I found myself aimlessly wandering around the grocery store getting provisions with which to watch the final episode of The Wire. SUCH A GOOD SHOW, I had heard this for a while too, but it wasn't until the Sopranos was over that I felt the need to fill the void. And its so much better! And I loved the Sopranos! I am excited and sad to see the final episode.

Just one more thing, I am sitting looking out the window at a ton of snow, and watching 60 minutes, and its light out! Anyone else thrown off (more than usual) by daylight savings time this year?