The 1st Sock!!

I FINALLY DID IT!! I’ve got my very first sock on the DPNs and I’m well on my way. The cuff is done and I’m about to start working on the leg. As I’ve mentioned before, socks were the main reason I wanted to pick up knitting. I’ve been knitting for about a year now, but DPNs and socks were always so scary to me. I’ve made scarves, hats, bags, a guitar strap and most recently a few I-Pod cozies in different materials, but socks were just too scary.

I was on ebay last week, looking for a set of cheap bamboo DPNs to try. I haven’t liked metal needles much from the beginning, but adore my bamboo ones, so I thought maybe a set of those would motivate me to try again. (I’ve tried DPNs on more than one occasion only to give up after it all became too confusing and too cumbersome). I found a great deal on a rayon/silk handpainted 1 lb skein that is absolutely gorgeous. I’m not sure what I’m going to use it for so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. (This is so off my main topic)…back to socks. While I was searching, I came across some gorgeous sock yarn in shades of orange, red and yellow that took my breath away. I’ve been really drawn to the warm colors lately, especially orange (which I used to hate with a passion). I bid and won the yarn which motivated me further. So I looked at all the “how to” sites for DPNs that I’ve been to a million times and it all looked the same to me. The other night (Friday) I was sitting in bed watching my soaps and knitting (like I do most nights after the little one is in bed to unwind and relax) finishing my last I-Pod cozy (I’m really learning to love striping, too, btw) and trying to decide what I wanted to work on next. I had no specific projects on the horizon (except for a crocheted baby blanket that I’m actually getting paid to make – yay me…LOL – and I was waiting for a trip to the LYS to get more (thank God it was a no dye-lot acrylic that I picked) so I was making center pull balls out of yarn to keep my hands busy while I was watching TV (I should really be using that time to work on blankets etc. for charity…I usually do, but I really just wasn’t in the mood for knitting something random at that moment and I didn’t have a blanket started…so, to make an already very long story less excruciating, I’m sitting there, watching TV and mindlessly balling yarn, not thinking about knitting at all but about what was going on in Llanview (I was watching One Life to Live at the time), and it was like a light bulb went on inside my head. I KNEW that I could use the DPNs. It made sense to me all of a sudden, out of nowhere. Has anyone else had something like this happen? So I got out a pair of size 9, metal DPs and grabbed the ball of acrylic yarn from the stash and went to it. Amazingly enough, in a short time, I had about an inch of a small tube going and it wasn’t a struggle to keep the stitches on the needles etc. anymore. It was a revelation!!!

I decided to start with a sock in a worsted weight yarn so I could work with slightly bigger needles for my first one and I found a straight forward, basic sock pattern which I printed out. I wasn’t too worried about a lot of the sock knitting; I’ve become pretty familiar with the structure of the knitted sock. It really has been like a sweet addiction for me, I’ve been learning about making socks and I must have watched the Knitty Gritty episode where they demonstrate making a simple sock at least 20 times. I cast on last night and have finished the cuff.

Pattern help needed

I’m getting ready to start my first sweater project. I’m a little nervous, but I read through the entire pattern last night and I understand all of it execpt for one part. If anyone can explain it to me, I’d appreciate it. The pattern gives the instructions for working the back first (with nothing about neck shaping in it) it includes the BO three sts on two consectutive rows to form the arm holes and then says to work in st. st. until the piece measures 25 (25 1/2…etc.) Simple so far, right? Then we get to the front which tells me to “work as for back, including all shaping”. I get that, I do the same thing for the front and back. This is where I get confused: “at the same time, when piece measures “x inches” from beg, start neck shaping. Then it gives instructions for the neck shaping. What I don’t understand is do I work the back straight across the back like it seems to say in the instructions for the back or do I have to add the shaping for the neck like I do in the front? For reference, the pattern is the “To Dye For” sweater pattern on pg. 198 of Stitch and Bitch. I really want to make this sweater, but I want to get it right the first time. Any help would be much appreciated.

Beating the dog and other crazy stuff

Before anyone freaks out, I’m not, repeat NOT actually beating or even thinking of beating the dog. I love the dog with all of my heart, he’s a rescued baby that I’ve had for over 10 years now. The other morning, though, I woke up to my knitting (a fun fur/lazy daisy scarf creation in orange, green and pink that I really liked) on the floor and destroyed. Not only had he dragged it onto the floor, but he had taken a big old crap all over it…and to add insult to injury, he then stepped in his poop, basically grinding it in to the fur. I was LIVID!!! First of all, the stench in the bedroom was unpleasant to say the least. There was no help for either the scarf or the ball of yarn (I had re-rolled the two yarns together to make things simpler) and it broke my heart to throw it out. I really LOVED that orange lazy daisy. I have to get more. I still have the purple LD to work with, but the orange I really, really liked. That was bad enough, but after I pulled the scarf off of the needle and threw it out, there was still a very strong smell. I picked up the needle and the ball on the top of it was COVERED with dog shit. OMG! So I wiped it off, washed it with some anti-bacterial soap and laid it out to dry. After it dried, I checked it out, the smell was just as bad as it was before. I tried several progressively more strongly scented soaps, shampoos etc. Nothing worked. Apparently, bamboo needles hold the scent of dog crap like nobody’s business. So now I have to get a new set of 8mm bamboo needles. I loved those needles. Bamboo is my choice of knitting needles, can’t stand metal needles for some reason, and the 8mm was my favorite size. Time for a trip to the LYS. That’s always expensive. As all fiber art addicts know, you can never pop into your LYS for just ONE thing…LOL

I finished the Bow Tie Yarn drop-stitch scarves that I was working on. The first one is a little rough at the beginning (while I was mastering the drop stitch – it feels so unnatural to let loops fall off the needle ON PURPOSE). The first one I did with a 6 row repeat and 3 YOs for the drop rows, the second with an 8 row repeat and only a double YO for the drop rows. I like the way they both came out, but I think I like the second one better; it’s more subtle, I think. This is the first time I’ve ventured into any kind of new stitch in knitting. It’s been mostly garter and stockinette stitch for me all this time, with a tiny bit of shaping, but that’s it.

The socks are becoming like the never ending quest for me. I actually picked up the DPN’s the other night and decided to get some practice using them. Big wimp that I am, though, I got the stitches cast on, seperated them, tried to start knitting, thought it looked “wrong” and gave up. I know I can do this, I just have to get over the fear. I’ve watched the sock making episode of Knitty Gritty about 20 times, and I think I can recite the directions in my sleep. The one good thing about reading/watching everything I find on sock knitting is that I think I really understand the construction of the sock before beginning. I think that will make it easier when I’m ready to tackle it. I keep thinking I could just do this on two circulars, but I really want to master the DPN’s. I’m going to keep at it. I’ll get brave enough one day…