Socks that Rock Rant

What the *^&%! is up with this Socks That Rock stuff?

First, google it. You will see evidence of acolytes devout enough to rival the world's major religions. You look at the pictures and see pretty socks in pretty colors and think, "I wouldn't mind making a pair of socks out of that". If you dig a little deeper, you find out that people who haven't yet knitted with STR are considered "virgins". I swear!

So you think, gee, if its this popular, I should be easily able to go get myself some. So you go to the website and look at the retailer list and see there are 16 - that is SIXTEEN - yarn shops in America and Canada where you can buy this fabled stuff. Imagine my surprise that there was one in Michigan - but thats as far east as they come.

I then clicked on "retail info" and found out that they had a WAITING LIST just to sell their products in your shop (apparently, they can't supply more than 16 shops and their Rockin' Sock Club, famously shut down by some well-meaning better business bureau who couldn't believe that thousands of women paying $250 for a "sock club" wasn't a scam). And that to be on this waiting list, you have to reply to their little questionnaire, including "a current class and teacher bio" and "...any other point of interest you would like us to CONSIDER". CONSIDER!!!! You have to be judged by these people to see if you're good enough to sell their yarns. What a bunch of hogwash.

I was really trying to avoid swearing on my blog but I am very, very tempted to say "F***ing elitist B****es!" Right??? I mean, come on! This is YARN and KNITTING, this isn't haute couture (Fashion Week is taking place in Bryant Park right now, meaning that normal people can't enjoy the park since its been turned into a tent colony for hosting the fashionistas and the - I'm going to say it! - ELITE of the world). And its SOCK YARN. I love to knit socks, I do, but I can get oodles of beautiful, glorious sock yarns most anywhere (even from MY LYS), without supporting a clearly exclusionary yarn company.

Oh, and did I mention that one skein of this holy grail of yarndom is only 360 yards - meaning you're basically knitting adult anklets, because you're not getting a very long calf section (fyi, most two socks per skein yarns are over 400 yards).

I told you this was a rant.

And, all that said, if I can get into the Rockin' Sock Club next year, I'm totally doing it. Even though I rarely wear socks.

A girl's got to see what the fuss is about, right?

Christmas knitting update

Christmas knitting is officially past swatching stage and has firmly and definitely begun. The felted tote bag for my aunt is actually almost done (at least the knitting stage) which means of course I should be posting a picture and of course that I don't have one at the moment.

The bag is pretty hilarious right now. I've never knitted for felting before and so I see it as a big, floppy ugly thing and I cannot wait to see all tightened up and felty. I started it last weekend. Now, I live in an *apartment* and that means that I don't have a *washing machine* which means I cannot *test felt* because even if I went to the laundromat to test felt one measly swatch, they're all front load washers which can't be opened during the cycle, because they'd make a terrific mess if you did. So I did hand felt a swatch, but even like 20 minutes of that doesn't really give you the full idea of how much the piece will shrink. In writing the pattern, I decided (randomly) on a shrinkage of 2/3. Which means I was multiplying my desired finished measurement by THREE and using that figure. Well, I didn't even get a third into the base rectangle of the bag before I realized that there was NO WAY that could be right. So I dashed off to WEBS and found that they had a free pattern for a felted bag out of the yarn (Valley Berkshire). Using their figures (thank you, Webs, for giving before and after felting measurements), I rejiggered my whole pattern and am now more or less confident that I will end up with a nice tote bag. And my friend is going to let me use her washing machine.

I am also knitting a scarf out of this ugly sparkly yarn for someone that I don't like but must still give gifts to. I wanted a spiral scarf and found a suitable non-short-row pattern (no problem with short rows, she's just not worth putting that much work into it!). I didn't revisit the pattern I found online, assuming I knew what to do. After all, its just CO 100 sts, k 1 row, then increase in every stitch for one row - repeat as necessary. So I did k1, yo and wasn't feeling too confident about it but plugged away anyways. I was all the way up to 800 stitches on the needle before I looked at the pattern which says k into f and b of every stitch! No big deal. I ripped it, all 800 stitches and will be casting on again soon. I don't care because it makes great TV knitting. I think it still would have spiraled, it was just too holey.

All this goes to show you, I'm no knitting genius. But practice makes perfect and I get plenty of that.

Look at that cute bunny!

A picture of my sweet bun-bun:

But I'd like to state for the record that it is NOT EASY to photograph a rabbit, and its especially not easy to photograph a black rabbit. He always comes out looking sort of shapeless. Which makes this photo a pretty darn good attempt.

Is there anything cuter than a bunny? Maybe my nephew. He's pretty darn cute:

Okay, my nephew wins. I really love this photo taken by my sister-in-law.

And may I present a BONUS BUNNY PICTURE:

The bonus is this one contains actual knitting! That is my Rossnyev cardigan on the new couch, so I guess that makes it a triple bonus: new couch, bunny, and project. Oh wait! Quadruple bonus because it also has a yarn cake from my new ball winder on it (I had hand-wound the balls and then rewound them on the ballwinder. Just for fun. Its my new toy!). Before I go into blogging overload, I'll just say the cardigan is seamed and I'm knitting on the sleeves in the round as per the pattern. I think I might finish in time to wear it before it gets nasty out! More Rossnyev in the days to come...

Holiday swatching - exhibit A

Sorry for the bad photo. It isn't too easy to photograph, actually, and here in NY the light today is really ugly and crappy. Its humid and they're expecting storms.

In any case, this is one of the yarns that is brighter than I had expected. Almost like a cookie-monster blue:

But not in a bad way! This is for my mom's sweater, and I wanted to make her something she could just throw on with jeans. Plus, she has red hair so I know this color will be good on her.

The pattern I'm using is the most prominent one. I swatched a bunch of ideas over and over on the same cast-on. The stitch pattern is from one of Barbara Walker's Treasuries (I'd link to their page at Schoolhouse Press, but they're on a page with a bunch of other stitch pattern books. If you have been thinking about buying them, do it - they rock! And, buy them from Schoolhouse, not a huge company that doesn't need your support). The pattern is from volume one and I can't even remember the exact name of this particular pattern, "fossilized rib" or something?

Its a 28 row repeat, but very easy to do and it adds length very quickly, thanks, I suppose, to the angles of the twisted stitches. I like the subtlety of it - my mom is rather subtle herself. And when I looked at the Elsbeth Lavold pattern books at the yarn store the other day, the Silky Wool sweaters were knitted in similar patterns. This yarn likes to be knit into texture.

So, what do you think?
And what of the sweater style - I know I'm going cardigan, but drop shoulder or set in sleeve? What would happen if I do a raglan? And what of the neck? Decisions, decisions.

Monday vs. Tuesday

Which would you rather knit with?



The ball on the left I hand-wound with the assistance of my co-worker - it took a long time! That EcoWool likes to stick together! And look at that lop-sided, ugly form.

The cake on the right, I wound in just minutes with my fabulous new swift and ball winder. Look at that beautiful criss-cross action! Look at that center-pull! And, it won't roll clear across the subway car and land in a puddle of who-knows-what under the seats. Joy!!!!

And she didn't buy me the cheap plastic swift, either - she went for the wood. My mom is the greatest!

Oh, and P.S. - crappy birthday to me...who wants to spend their birthday at work? Ugh.

My knitting day just got BETTER!

Did you see, Kathy Elkins from Webs left a comment and explained the name Webs! My amazing knitting day just got even better. Kathy, if you visit again -- I LOVE WEBS!!!! I'd go to a tent sale, but that would be hazardous to my bank account and to my limited storage space. Keep up the great work, and I'll keep up the hefty orders!

Holy Amazing Knitting Day!!!!!

Could this be the greatest knitting day EVER????

First, I went to The Yarn Connection at lunch to buy a needle for one of the Christmas projects and to buy some Rowan Denim for baby jeans for my expecting co-worker (they didn't have the yarn - but it didn't even matter, every thing else more than made up for it!). Anyway, I asked if they had the new issue of Vogue Knitting. And did they have it! Have you seen this thing? Holy mackrel, I am in knitting heaven. It rivals the infamous September Vogue in heft (well, relatively speaking) and I spent a lovely lunch in the park, barely even getting through the nicely done yarn company profiles that comprise the first several pages of the issue.

So, the plan was to come back to the office and delve into it more deeply. But when I got back, my birthday present from my mom had been delivered! My birthday is tomorrow actually, so its a bit of an early present. Anyway, what should I receive from my totally fantastic mom but:

A SWIFT AND BALL WINDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And I said no one would get me one. She didn't even know I wanted one, just that I didn't have one! So how totally excited am I. Despite the fact that I'm at work, I rigged it up (which makes it sound more difficult than it is - it goes up pretty quick) and wound a ball of Araucania EcoWool into a gorgeous little yarny cake faster than you can say "tangle". Which is what I had yesterday when I wound a skein of it by hand. Pictures tomorrow, so I can email them to my mom and show her the astonishing difference between the hand wound ball and the yarny cake.

Thank goodness I hand-wound only one of the skeins of Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool that I am using for her Christmas sweater!