Trish Knits.com

This is it! The finished sock, in all its loose, holey glory. But hey, it’s my first, and my kid says she’ll wear it if I make the other one. Who knows? Maybe I will. I’m pretty proud of myself. Now I have this urge to know everything in the world there is to know about sock construction.

Here’s my project info, just in case I ever really do make the other one, and I need something to go back to.
Yarn: Wool of the Andes
Color: Amethyst Heather
Needles: Harmony, size 4
Pattern: Come to Silver Two at a Time Toe Up Socks (yeah I really only made one!)
Details: CO and did toe increases as in pattern. When toe increases were finished I knitted 36 rounds plain. Did short row heel as in pattern. Then over four rounds, increased on two rounds by four stitches each, for a total increase of 8 stitches. Then did 25 rows of 2×2 Rib. Used sewn bind off as in pattern.

Someday, it will have a mate.

Kauni Rainbows

Yay! The postman smiled upon me today and brought my Kauni Effektgarn 8/2 yarn that I ordered from Astrid’s Dutch Obsessions last week. That was fast! I can’t wait to swatch. I of course got the Not only did they send me 6 150g balls of the beautiful yarn, but I also got a yummy sweet cookie, which lasted all of about 4 seconds. It was kind of like an ice cream cone all rolled up in sugar. Yum!

I am going to make Ruth’s Kauni Rainbow Cardigan, of course. Someone on Ravelry even gave me a link to an upsized version. Yay. It’s been done before and I don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

I wish I could get started, but there’s this brown ripple afghan calling my name. Sigh…

It’s after midnight, and I REALLY need to sleep. It was a rough day today. But I just have to say that the reason why I am up is that I finished the sock. Yay! Photos and gory details after work. Good night (good morning?) for now.

I’m just about done with the slipper sock. The cuff has about 15 rounds in it and I’m going to go until I’m just about out of yarn and see how many more that gets me. the cuff is loose and slouchy so it will be comfortable for sleeping or lounging around the house late on a Sunday morning. (Kid’s favorite pastime of late.) Too bad she’ll have to wait a while for the second sock, as I have a brown ripple afghan to get back to, post haste. I’m pleased now that I know some basics about how socks go together, and can’t wait to make my first real socks on sock yarn.

Toward that end, I received Charlene Schurch’s More Sensational Knitted Socks, which I am going to love! Even more of the patterns in this book are offered in toe-up versions, and I think THIS is the sock book that is really going to get me on my way to being a full fledged sock knitter. I’ve been hanging on to some Knit Picks self striping sock yarn (Simple Stripes, now discontinued) for several years and the daughter has been after me to make the socks ever since she laid eyes on the yarn, which was purchased in girly colorways with her in mind. Soon, dear soon.

But this coming week I fear is going to lead to a whole new obsession. Dare I say it? Kauni. Shoot me now.

A friend on Ravelry posted about Blogging Against Disablism Day, which is set for May 1. I plan to participate! Pass it on….

I turned my first heel!

I didn’t think doing short rows would be too hard to figure out because I’ve played with them a bit before. Here’s the front side showing:






One thing I’m not happy about is that my short row shapings look big and bulky. Maybe they’re too loose. I don’t know. I was a bit afraid of wrapping my wraps too tight; I’ve done this in the past and I couldn’t hook the wraps on my needles. So I made sure not to wrap too tight this time, but I may have overcompensated. Anyway, I think the stitches look sloppy and I can’t wait to practice on my next sock til I figure this out. Thank goodness they come in pairs; I’ve got another attempt waiting for me very soon.

Now to finish the cuff.

So, the other night, the Yarn Harlot and I shared a laugh over the size of my elephant sock. Well, what if it’s just a big, roomy, slouchy, slipper sock? I’m torn between just plodding forward and ripping out and starting over. Socks in worsted weight seem silly to me anyway, but I do have good friends that make them and say they’re cozy and good on a cold winter’s day. So, maybe I will keep going. I don’t know… Am I nuts?

The Hunt is Over

Just gotta say I’ve been looking for this book for a LONG time. It doesn’t show up on eBay at a price I was willing to pay very often, and I got lucky a few weeks ago. But alas, just like all of my other books, I am wondering if I am going to ever actually make anything out of this book, or if I will only use it to understand the techniques, and do my own thing. I’m such a loose knitter, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do someone else’s charted design on something that’s actually supposed to fit. Oh well, mittens from this book are a bit of a ways off for me, but I am so glad that I found it.

Ciao for now! ER is back, so I’m outta here.

Every Totally Obsessed Knitter has to do it once. There are some who, like the Deadheads, but with brightly colored socks in their Birks, have done it many times. Me? I was a virgin. But no more.

I’ve been to see the Harlot! Stephanie Pearl-McPhee–The Yarn Harlot–appeared at the Borders in Annapolis last night. I was determined to be there one way or another, and my DH, bless him, was kind enough to get me there. (And Grandma and Grandpa watched the munchkins, so it was all good.)

I left work early yesterday. It was also a Nationals baseball game, and since we’re so conveniently employed just across the street from the new ball park, I wanted to be sure to be out of town in plenty of time. Maybe we needn’t have worried. We got to Annapolis right at 4:00 and had plenty of time to grab a burger at Johnny Rockets and drop a few nickels in the jukebox. I had a BLT and the fries/rings combo, but I was too excited to eat. I did have an onion ring or two, though, and immediately panicked because I realized that I’d have onion breath in the presence of a goddess. How could I?

It was 6:00 when we made our way to the bookstore. It’s a good thing we got there when we did, too, because we could already hear the laughing ruckus from upstairs. The knitters were there. LOTS of them. Luckily the coffee shop was upstairs too, so John scored me some breath mints. Yes, this was all going to be fine.

The folks at Borders were prepared! They even had these handy little event guidelines cards, in case we knitters couldn’t figure out what to do. The staff had called in reinforcements for the night, in case tons of people with pointy sticks got more than a little rowdy. It’s ok, though, because the only thing that got rowdy was the level of laughter. They even made a nice spot in front for people in wheelchairs to sit, so I could see, and hear, and get lots of great pictures! (There’s a gallery of photos of the event on this page.)

I can’t begin to tell you how funny The Yarn Harlot is. I don’t think I could do any of her stories justice. She ended with a Q&A, and someone asked her the location of the “Calgary Story” on her blog. Stephanie said she couldn’t remember where in the archives it was, but I found it, for your enjoyment. Scroll down to the August 9, 2005 entry, titled, “There is the Downside.” (Thanks, Google. SNORT WARNING–put your cup of tea DOWN before reading near the end of this entry.)

After much more laughter and applause, it was time for the signing to begin. I had a relatively low number, but it was getting late for Grandma and Grandpa so I made my way down to the line. A guy working the line picked up my books and put yellow stickies on the inside of each one with the names of each person I wanted them made out to.

Before long, it was my turn! I showed Stephanie my first sock, which frankly, is so huge that I think it is not intended for a human foot. It’s probably more the size of an elephant willy warmer. The Harlot had a good laugh at the sight of this and took my picture for her blog! How fun is that? I’ve made it into knitting posterity. She then offered to hold my sock if I would hold hers and we took a photo together. Her sock was SO soft, and the right size. She obviously knows what she’s doing.

It was a magical night for a knitter. This morning, still basking in the afterglow, I finally, carefully, removed my book from the bag to look at the signature.

To Trish
Stephanie McPhee

I was there.

Yesterday morning, the Yarn Harlot lamented that she thought her trusty three-alarm system for waking while traveling had somehow failed her, or so she thought.

I don’t know where you are at this very moment, my dear Stephanie, but I can tell you for sure that your system is fine. 5:00 a.m., and here I am, attesting to the system’s success. Only in my case, it’s the Husband snore monster, back pain that only losing 40 pounds will fix (why does my doctor have to be right? Damn her.), and that funky, off-gassing smell from a new pillow. Yep, the triple alarm works great.

Oh gosh and it was I (hanging head sheepishly) who made such a fuss on Ravelry about ensuring wheelchair access tonight that they’ve gone out of their way to say there’s a space for me. I just hope you don’t peer out from behind your sock and find me right there, in your face, snoring away. I’ll be there with my first sock in hand. Despite my likely appearance of sawing logs during your talk, I really am excited to meet you, and I just wanted you to know. See you tonight!

Trish the Sleepless, somewhere in Maryland

Today we had our second Knitting Group Meetup at the Borders in Bowie. A lovely assortment of people were able to join us. It’s funny, but most of the folks from last month weren’t able to join us, but a whole other crop of folks did! So maybe one of these times both sets of folks will be able to come and then we’ll be on our way to a big group. It was lots of fun! At one point, another lady who saw us knitting came up and asked questions about our group, and she said she’ll be joining us in June! This photo is of Marie, Diana and Trish. Marie was knitting a lovely Lady Eleanor Stole, and I was working on my first practice sock.


This is Charlotte, mother of one of Diana’s skating buddies. I didn’t know she was a knitter until she mentioned it a few weeks ago so I invited her to come along. Here Charlotte is knitting a sweater in the round on some lovely, soft yarn.


This is Lola, showing her amazing colorful vest. (It looks like it’s at least inspired by Alice Starmore, if it isn’t a Starmore, which I forgot to ask. Maybe I’ll check her Ravelry projects and see.) While in group today, Lola worked on her Mr. Greenjeans sweater.


This is my mom, Pat. She worked on a crocheted baby hat today, but is learning to knit and is doing very well. It was great to have her along, and she really seemed to enjoy talking with everyone. The sweater that matches the hat is beautiful, and the recipient will be one well dressed baby!



And this is Karen! It was wonderful to meet her, and I think we will be seeing each other again on Monday when the Harlot comes to town! Karen worked on her Clapotis made from hand dyed sock yarn on size six needles. It’s going to be lovely!
It’s funny how people who never met before can just get together and knit and become instant friends. Karen and Charlotte both have experience with living overseas because of the military life, and Karen and Marie had a previous career with the airlines in common. And we were all completely blown away by Lola’s knitting.
I’m so glad I started this little group! Our next meeting is going to be on May 10, due to Maryland Sheep and Wool on the 3rd and 4th. I’m sure everyone will be anxious to tell about their festival treasures!

Ah… What a perfect afternoon!

Well, I’m finally doing it. I don’t know if it was the fact that I’m going to see the Yarn Harlot on Monday, or what, but I have been completely consumed with the idea of making socks. Yes, I know, I have a plethora of sock books on my shelf, but truth time–I’ve never actually made one. In fact, I’ve made precious little from any book that I own. I was just telling one of my knitting groups on Yahoo! that I have lots of books but use them mostly for inspiration, and that when it comes to actual knitting I pretty much do my own thing. I’ve always been like that, I guess. But, I digress.

Have I mentioned that this is my first sock? Haha. I decided right off the bat in the spirit of make-it-up-as-you-go-along that I would learn toe-up socks right off the bat. That way, they could be tried on as I go and I’d never really need a pattern. Woo hoo!

I decided to use the Come to Silver Two-At-a-Time Toe-up Sock Class, which I find to be very detailed with lots of photos and it’s turning out to be very easy to follow. Ok, nevermind the fact that I had to do the Figure 8 Cast On about 20 times before I finally got it, and honestly, I don’t even know now what I was doing wrong, because it’s easy! I can see why people like this way of doing socks. It’s quick to get started.

So, we’ll see how far I get before Monday with the Harlot. At least I’ll be there… knitting a sock. Squee!

New Book: Knitted Socks

So in keeping with the theme, here, I’ll mention a new book I just got with my Knit Picks shipment last week. Knitted Socks: Over 25 Designs for Fab Feet and Cozy Toes for the Whole Family is one of the most creative sock books I’ve ever seen. There’s everything in here, from cute and adorable, to fun and funky, to traditional with a twist. I especially love the lady bug baby socks and the penguin socks shown on the cover. But there are some cool patterned designs and flip flop socks and rainbow toe socks like the ones I coveted in the 70s. There’s also a pattern for cute little no-show socklets like what my daughter likes to wear.

The coolest part of the book is a brief section in the back that talks about combining elements from the various patterns to come up with a whole new design, and a section on designing your own socks. I like this book a lot!