sockfest!2009

My sock yarn stash is approaching out-of-control status (out of control = would take me more than six months to knit it all up), and my guilt regarding this is preventing me from working on anything else until I cut it down some. In the interest of preserving what little sanity remains me, I declared March sockfest!2009. My goal is to knit four new pairs of socks and finish one other pair that's been lingering for the last month or so.

So far, it's been relatively smooth sailing. I decided to make ankle socks rather than full-length ones for four reasons. First, ankle socks don't take as long to knit, so I can make more of them faster. Second, I'd like to see if I can squeeze an entire pair of socks out of one 220-yard skein of sock yarn. Third, most of my shoes are ankle-high and I wear a lot of skirts, which means my longer socks go largely unworn during the Spring and Fall because I maintain that wearing long socks with short skirts or shorts makes you look like a dweeb. Finally, I am participating in a traveling scarf swap with the Lazy, Stupid, and Godless group and need the leftovers to do scarves out of. So, even if I can't get an entire pair of ankle socks out of 220 yards, I'll have enough left over from the second skein to work a section of a scarf without having to switch yarns.

Thus far, I have completed one and a half red and black socks and have started the ribbing for the second pair. The red and black ones will be finished either today or tomorrow, and I hope to have at least one of the second pair completed by Thursday.

I'm also working on a few patterned socks. I've finished the first sock in a set of monkeys (ravelry link), and I plan to do two other iterations of that pattern in different yarn in order to provide evidence of my policy against using variegated yarn for lace patterns. Since I wasn't overly attached to the day-glo yarn I'm using for the first pair, I figured I'd sacrifice it for Science. It should be done by the end of the week, but we'll see. My work schedule is rather hectic this week, and I have a million and one things to do when I'm not working.

Pictures to come once I've started finishing pairs.

Occasional forward progress

I finally finished the slinky hat I posted the other day. It looks pretty awesome. I plan on taking pictures once I am done working today so the ravelry page for the pattern is complete. I'm pretty gratified by the response so far: 68 loves, 17 queues, and 1 other project. The people at the yarn store where I purchased the yarn (bliss yarns in Brentwood, Tennessee) liked it as well. They'll be getting more of the Zauberball in shortly, and I plan on buying a skein that is shaded black, white, and gray so I'll have a hat to go with my coat. I may buy an additional skein so I can have matching wristwarmers. We'll see.

Now that I've finished up the Slinky Hat, I am working on a pattern for a Kitteh Hat that I made my junior year of college, which was three and a half years ago. I no longer have the original, but my ravatar is a photo of me wearing it. I've gotten so many requests for the pattern that I've decided to re-crochet one and write it up. It's coming along fairly smoothly, if a little slowly. I'm so out of practice when it comes to crochet it's pathetic, and I can't do it nearly as quickly as I used to. I think I'm maybe 40% done. I've finished the crown increases and half of the ears, so it's only a matter of making it long enough.

I'd like to finish it today, but I'm not sure if that'll be feasible. I have a million errands to run, pictures to take of the other hat, and I also have a shipping deadline for the LSG traveling scarves tomorrow morning (and I haven't even started one of them. At least the other is done). Bah. Once again, I overcommit myself.

Rainbow Slinky Hat!

I have a long-standing love of slinkies, hats, and sock yarn. I designed this pattern for yarn that I fell in love with but couldn't bear to put on my feet.



Yarn: 1 skein of Schoppel-Wolle's Zauberball, or any other fingering-weight yarn with long color variegations. I imagine Crystal Palace Mini-Mochi, Noro Kureyon/Silk Garden Sock, and Kauni multicolor would work well, too. You'll need 400-500 yards, depending on how slouchy you want your hat to be.
Needles: Size 3 16" circular, size 4 16" circular, set of DPNs in size 4.
Notions: One round stitch marker.
Gauge: 28 stitches and 40 rows = 10 cm or 4 in.
Finished Size: Approximately 23 inches around, but can be blocked wider if desired.

Directions:

Cast on 160 stitches using smaller needle (preferably long-tail or tubular; the cast-on edge needs to be stretchy!). Place marker to mark the beginning of the row. Slip marker on all rows.

Work in k2, p2 rib, twisting all purl stitches, for four inches (forty rows).

Switch to larger needle.

Purl five rows.

Knit five rows.

Repeat knit and purl sections until hat is desired length, ending with a purl section.

Switch to DPNs for decrease rows:

Round 1: K 9, K2tog around. (144 st.)
Round 2: K around.
Round 3: K 8, K2tog around. (128 st.)
Round 4: K around.
Round 5: K 7, K2tog around. (112 st.)
Round 6: K around.
Round 7: K 6, K2tog around. (96 st.)
Round 8: K around.
Round 9: K 5, K2tog around. (80 st.)
Round 10: K around.
Round 11: K 4, K2tog around. (64 st.)
Round 12: K around.
Round 13: K 3, K2tog around. (48 st.)
Round 14: K around.
Round 15: K2, K2tog around. (32 st.)
Round 16: K around.
Round 17: K1, K2tog around. (16 st.)
Round 18: K around.
Round 19: K2tog around. (8 st.)

Fasten off. Weave in ends. Block to desired dimensions.

I will update this or else.

New knitting blog for my ravelry account! I know you're all super-excited.