Tabi no Monogatari v2

Ok.  Here's version 2.  This time, I decided to be more consistent and do both sides of the socks at once and be more adventurous and make a pair of mid-calf socks using my US 0 Chiagoo Bamboo & Lace and Knitter's Pride Karbonz needles.  Here's what I did:

1. I started with a Provisional cast on with a total of 72 sts.
2. K 1 straight row, then connected in the round.
3. K 3 rows in the round as part of the foot portion.
4. Started the toes: with 36 sts on each side, splitting it up for 13 sts for big toe, 23 sts for remaining toes.
5. Big toe:
• Row 1:
• Front: k, twisted yo, k to last st, twisted yo, k, total of 15 sts
• Back: k, twisted yo, k to last st, twisted yo, k, total of 15 sts
• Row 2-21: k 
• Row 22: 
• Front: k, k2tog tbl, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog, total of 13 sts
• Back: k, k2tog tbl, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog, total of 13 sts
• Row 23: same as row 22 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 11 sts on each side
• Row 24: same as row 23 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 9 sts on each side
• Row 25: same as row 24 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 7 sts on each side
• Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.
6. The rest of the toes:
• Row 1:
• Front: k, k2tog tbl, k to the end, picking up 2 sts, for a total of 25 sts
• Back: pick up 2 sts, k to the last 3 sts, k2tog, k, for a total of 25 sts
• Row 2: 
• Front: k, k2tog, k to the last 3 sts, k2tog, k, for a total of 23 sts
• Back: k, k2tog, k to the last 3 sts, k2tog, k, for a total of 23 sts
• Row 3: k
• Row 4-5: 
• Front: k, k2tog tbl, k to the end, for a total of 21 sts and 20 sts respectively
• Back: k to the the last 3 sts, k2tog, k for a total of 21 sts and 20 sts respectively
• Row 6: k
• Row 7: same as row 4, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 19 sts
• Row 8: k
• Row 9: same as row 7, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 18 sts
• Row 10: k
• Row 11-12: same as row 9, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 17 sts and 16 sts respectively
• Row 13: k
• Row 14: same as row 12, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 15 sts
• Row 15: k
• Row 16-17, same as row 14, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 14 sts and 13 sts respectively
• Row 18: k
• Row 19-20: same as row 17, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 12 sts and 11 sts respectively
• Row 21: k
• Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.
7. Then I went back to the bottom of the provisional cast on and picked up the stitches to start the foot.
• *Yay*  The provisional cast on worked like it's supposed to! :)  (Or else, this yarn is great since its so heathery, if it's funky, you can't see it! ;))
• Row 1-16: k, there should be 36 stitches on each side
• Row 17: decrease a st on each side, for a total of 35 sts
• Row 18: k
• Row 19: decrease a st on each side, for a total of 34 sts
• Row 20-25: k
• Row 26: decrease a st on each side, for a total of 33 sts
• Row 27-65: k
8. With the foot done, I started on the heel portion using the German short row method:  
•  Row 66: 
• Front: k, for a total of 33 sts
• Back: k the first st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the front then to the back (as if to k, creating an extra st), then k to the end, creating 1 ultimate st and 32 regular sts on the RS (right side (aka the knit side))
• Row 67: turn the sock around so you're looking on the backside, slip the first st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the back then to the front (as if to p, creating an extra st), then p to the second to the last stitch, creating 1 ultimate st and 31 regular sts on the WS (wrong side (aka the purl side))
• Row 68: slip the second st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the back then to the front (as if to k, creating an extra st), creating the 2nd ultimate st on the RS; then continue to k tbl to the the 2nd to the last st
• Row 69: slip the second st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the front then to the back (as if to p, creating an extra st), creating the 2nd ultimate st on the WS; then continue to k to the the 2nd to the last st
• Row 70-85: continue to follow either Row 68 or 69 until you have 10 ultimate sts on both sides and 13 regular sts
• Row 86-87: pick up a st, p the picked up st and p the first wrapped stitch (aka the 10th ultimate st on the WS) then turned my work around (so that I am now on the RS); k2tog tbl (k the wrapped and picked up st together) and k tbl to the left side
• Row 88-89: pick up a st, k tbl the picked up st and k tbl the next wrapped stitch (aka the 10th ultimate st on the RS) then turned my work around so that I'm now on the WS; p2tog (this p the wrapped and picked up st together) and p to the right side.
• Row 90-107: continue to follow Rows 86-87 or 88-89 until all the wrapped stitches were done; picked up sts as needed (anywhere between 2-3 sts) and either k2tog tbl or p2tog as needed to maintain a total of 33 sts (aka the goal is to get back to the original number of sts before starting the heel)
• This came out perfect! :) *yay* :)
9. With the heel done, I finished off the leg:
• Row 108: picked up 2-3 sts on each side, k in the round
• Row 109: k in the round and k2tog tbl on the sides to decrease the sts back to a total of 33 sts on each side
• Row 110-120: k, maintaining a total of 33 sts on each side
• Row 121-125: decrease 2 sts every other row until there's 30 sts on each side
• Row 126-165: k, maintaining 30 sts on each side
10. With the leg done, it was time to actually finish off the sock with its cuff (*yay* homestretch!):
• Row 166-225: complete cuff using 1x1 ribbing, for a total of 12 cm (~4.375") of ribbing
• Bound off using a variation of the Estonian bind off, in which I picked up a stitch from the row below then used the Estonian bind off technique. :)  Somehow my bind offs never look as crinkly as everyone else's bind offs but it seems to work.  Perhaps I'll be able to figure it out at some point. :P 

Look a finished pair! *Yay*! :)

Next, it's my turn: a pair of knee high tabi for me! ;)

New Toys! Part 2

Who can't resist a good sale?  Particularly on knitting goods? ;P

My favorite yarn store, Yarn Story was having a sale to celebrate International Women's Day and as part of her sale, all knitting accessories were 5% off (and and additional 5% off if you could guess how she figured out her discount methodology - it's based on a knitting technique/pattern) and of course, yarn (depending on the type of yarn would depend on the discount plus the additional 5% off)! :)  What a deal, right?! ;)

So, here's my new toys:

Bryson 2" Coiless Safety Pins & 

Bryspun 7/8" Pear-shaped Coiless Stitch Markers

Addi Turbo Lace 47", US0 Needles

I've already started using my Addi's and ... they're ok.  For all the hype on it, I neither love it nor do I dislike using it.  It's actually quite sticky on the yarn I currently have it on so ... time will tell if I am a "real" Addi fan or not. :P

And, here's more stash yarn:

It's to add onto some yarn Ariana gave me so I can have a cool striped sweater. ;)

Kujaku Wrap

This particular post is titled this because of the color yarn I'm using.  You see, through another blog that I read, someone was giving away two (2) skeins of Classic Elite Yarn Silky Alpaca Lace in a rich jewel-toned kujaku (the Japanese word for peacock) color and I (somehow) got lucky enough to win it. :)

However, when I got it, as excited as I was about getting free yarn (and, good yarn at that!), I was at a loss as to what to actually do with it.  It sat in my stash and stared at me every time I walked by.  :(

Thankfully, inspiration and a recipient finally struck me. :)  My mom's going on a trip this coming Spring and I thought she could use something light but warm since where she's going is going to be very cool (but not quite cold).  This yarn is a lace Silk-Alpaca (this means that if knitted with the correct stitch pattern, it can be light yet warm), it would fit the bill nicely.  Plus, it's a color that would look good on my mom. ;)

I searched my stitch patterns, the internet, and even stopped by my local Barnes and Noble bookstore to find just the right lace pattern for this yarn.  I finally settled on a pattern called lace background.  It looked simple enough since it'd be my first foray into lace knitting.  So, I gave it a whirl with my Chiaogoo Twist US 5 and casted on 95 stitches.  How did it go, you ask?  Well, either I don't know what I'm doing (highly likely) or, because it's my first time working a lace pattern, perhaps I needed a more stable row to work from (ie. I needed a solid knit and purl row before starting the lace, instead of starting right off the cast on row), or it simply wasn't working out.

Well .... it simply wasn't working out ... it looked really weird and too "holey" (as I call it).  I ripped out what little I did, casted on again, did a simple knit stitch on row one (1) to have a (more) stable foundation, then determined that perhaps my needles were simply too small (hence, switching my US 5 for my US 8), and then wondered what a basic moss stitch would look like.  So, I gave that a whirl and it turns out that the basic moss stitch was more of what I was looking for than the lace background! :)

Then, I actually started knitting (the wrap) and ... I barely finished three inches (3") before I decided to look at what I've accomplished, which was not much and I barely made a dent in my skein!  :'(  Freaking out and wondering if I should rip out what I had and double up my yarn, my poor hubby told me to stop and step away from my project. :P  I took it to work to ask my knitting buddy what she thought.  

Here's what happened:
She asked me:  How long do you want to make it?  
I said: 6 feet long so it's long enough to wrap around.
She said:  I think you'll need both balls of yarn.  It's gonna feel like it'll take forever  
                 and you're gonna feel like what possessed you into doing this ....
I said:  Really? *sob* :'(  I thought you said that Alpaca grows and gets really 
            stretchy (i.e. I hoped I could stretch it out when I blocked it)?!
She said:  Yes, Alpaca does grow - but S-L-O-W-L-Y.  Trust me, with the silk in it, it
                 won't stretch that much and you're going to need both balls to make it 
                 long enough.
I said: *sigh* OK ... That's not what I had hoped to hear but ... If you really do think 
           so, I'll stay the course. *sob* :'(
She said: Sorry, I know that was painful and based on what you have and how  
                much you wanna do, you'll really need to focus and work on this puppy to 
                get it done in time.
I said: *sigh* Oh man .... OK ... got it. :'(

And, I totally believe her based on all the projects she's done and told me about; I knew that she was trying to save me from myself and even more torture and destruction. :P

Then she helped me determine my row gauge (8 rows/inch) - Thanks, Ariana!! :)  I went home to do my knitting math to see exactly how long it'd take me to do this.  Here's what it comes out to:
1. If my row gauge is 8 rows/inch and I want to make a six foot (6') wrap then ...
    A.  I need a total length of 72" => a total of 576 rows
    B.  I've already completed 3" => 24 rows
    C.  This means that I just need to do 552 more rows
    D.  If I can do 3" per day (which equates to 24 rows per day), then it will take me 
         approximately 23 days to complete the wrap.
That doesn't sound so bad now ... At least I have a goal (that's not to just complete the shawl) and it feels much more attainable. :)

Amazing! :)  Now that I have a hang of knitting math (well, sort of at least), it seems easier now that I can actually calculate everything and break it all down to smaller more manageable pieces. :)  Who would've thought knitting math would be so handy (and not so painful)! :)

So, how'd it go, you ask?  Well ... it was going fine, until I noticed that I had dropped a stitch way back on those first three inches (3").  So, I thought I'd fix it by simply going to the stitch that was missing a stitch and dropping down to the missed stitch and fixing it ... one thing led to another (i.e. another dropped stitch) and the next thing I knew was that I'd fixed the same area about six times and now it looked "off" there! :'(  Somehow, with all that fixing, I messed it up even more! :(  So, what'd I do?  Rip it out of course and started again! :P  It was a painful process but I know I'll be happier with the end product knowing that everything's correct.  

So ... with my new needles, I used my Knitter's Pride Nova Platina Cubics US10s and casted on 125 stitches and started again.  For some reason or another, with the Cubics, the wrap seemed to go much faster.  It helped that the needles were sharper and felt even smoother than my Chiagoos.  It probably also helped that I was using size 10 (vs 8) needles as well.  Look wise though, it didn't look like I was getting less gauge (at least row wise) than the 8s.  Strange, I seem to have the same gauge no matter what size needles I use.  Oh well, at least I won't have to do my knitting math again! :P  Then, to ensure I wouldn't go totally nuts and knit right up to the end of my ball, I did an unscientific measurement of how long it takes me to complete a row: about 1.5 arm lengths. :P  Thus, I just needed to make sure I had three (3) arm lengths at the end so that there would be plenty of yarn for a super stretchy bind off. :)

Here's exactly how much I had left:

Not so bad. :P  That's 99 cm (39 in) of leftover yarn. :D

And ....Here's what the finished wrap looked like, unwashed and unblocked:

It measures: 103 cm (~40.5 in) long by 64 cm (~25.25 in) wide.  Ok, not six feet but, it's wide enough at least. :P

Here's what it looked like while blocking (I used my new Inspinknity blocking wires to do this):

I managed to stretch it out to: 121 cm (47.5 in) long by 83 cm (23.75 in) wide.  I think I could've stretched it out a bit more (but not that much more, like another inch or so) but I didn't have enough space. :(

Now about the blocking process itself: I can see why people don't care to block their items.  It's a very tedious process and can be very time consuming.  I thought the wrap was going to dry before I finished threading the blocking wires (although it did dry overnight)! :P  Plus, you need a lot of space.  I can also see why people want good, marked blocking mats.  As you can (barely) see, I'm using some brand new foam kiddy mats I found super cheap at Goodwill along with some gingham fabric as "gridlines".   I don't know how long the mats will really last as I've already managed to poke through some parts of it (and, obviously, it's not self-healing so, those holes are here to stay :P); and the gingham didn't work quite as well as I hoped either because it stretched out.  I didn't want to actually mark the blocks because I read that the ink in permanent markers could eat away at the mats and deteriorate the mats.  Perhaps the gingham would've worked better if I created a corkboard like version with the gingham stretched over it and stapled it on.  But, that would mean that my blocking mat wouldn't be nearly as portable or easy to store like how it is now with these mats. Problems, problems ... :P Well, I'll most likely just keep using this method until the mats fall apart then find a better alternative.

To top it off, I also picked up this Celtic shawl pin:

And, here's how Mom can use her wrap, with or without her pin:

Unblocked

Blocked

I've already given this to my mom and she loves it! :) So much so that she's thinking about finding herself some more yarn on her trip for me to make her another wrap! :P

Tabi no Monogatari Part 9a

*Yay!*  I finally finished the right side (toe up)! :)  And here's how I did it:

1. I started with a Provisional cast on 72 sts.
2. K 1 straight row, then connected in the round.
3. K 3 rows in the round as part of the foot portion.
4. Started the toes: with 36 sts on each side, splitting it up for 13 sts for big toe, 23 sts for remaining toes.
5. Big toe:
• Row 1:
• Front: k, yo, k to last st, yo, k, total of 15 sts
• Back: k, yo, k to last st, yo, k, total of 15 sts
• Row 2-21: k 
• Row 22: 
• Front: k, k2tog tbl, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog, total of 13 sts
• Back: k, k2tog tbl, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog, total of 13 sts
• Row 23: same as row 22 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 11 sts on each side
• Row 24: same as row 23 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 9 sts on each side
• Row 25: same as row 24 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 7 sts on each side
• Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.
6. The rest of the toes:
• Row 1:
• Front: k, k2tog tbl, k to the end, picking up 2 sts, for a total of 24 sts
• Back: pick up 2 sts, k to the last 3 sts, k2tog, k, for a total of 24 sts
• Row 2: 
• Front: k, k2tog, k to the last 3 sts, k2tog, k, for a total of 22 sts
• Back: k, k2tog, k to the last 3 sts, k2tog, k, for a total of 22 sts
• Row 3: k
• Row 4-5: 
• Front: k, k2tog tbl, k to the end, for a total of 21 sts and 20 sts respectively
• Back: k to the the last 3 sts, k2tog, k for a total of 21 sts and 20 sts respectively
• Row 6: k
• Row 7: same as row 4, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 19 sts
• Row 8: k
• Row 9: same as row 7, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 18 sts
• Row 10: k
• Row 11-12: same as row 9, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 17 sts and 16 sts respectively
• Row 13: k
• Row 14: same as row 12, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 15 sts
• Row 15: k
• Row 16-17, same as row 14, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 14 sts and 13 sts respectively
• Row 18: k
• Row 19-20: same as row 17, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 12 sts and 11 sts respectively
• Row 21: k
• Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.
7. Then I went back to the bottom of the provisional cast on and picked up the stitches to start the foot.
• The funny thing about the foot this time around is that there's no weird line like I had on the left foot.  So, I must deduce that when I did the provisional cast on the first time, that weird line must be due to user error because now, unless I told you that I used that cast on, you wouldn't know how I did it unless you looked really carefully.
• Row 1-16: k, there should be 36 stitches on each side
• Row 17: decrease a st on each side, for a total of 35 sts
• Row 18: k
• Row 19: decrease a st on each side, for a total of 34 sts
• Row 20-25: k
• Row 26: decrease a st on each side, for a total of 33 sts
• Row 27-65: k
8. With the foot done, I started on the heel portion using the German short row method:  
•  Row 66: 
• Front: k, for a total of 33 sts
• Back: k the first st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the front then to the back (as if to k, creating an extra st), then k to the end, creating 1 ultimate st and 32 regular sts on the RS (right side (aka the knit side))
• Row 67: turn the sock around so you're looking on the backside, slip the first st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the back then to the front (as if to p, creating an extra st), then p to the second to the last stitch, creating 1 ultimate st and 31 regular sts on the WS (wrong side (aka the purl side))
• Row 68: slip the second st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the back then to the front (as if to k, creating an extra st), creating the 2nd ultimate st on the RS; then continue to k tbl to the the 2nd to the last st
• Row 69: slip the second st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the front then to the back (as if to p, creating an extra st), creating the 2nd ultimate st on the WS; then continue to k to the the 2nd to the last st
• Row 70-85: continue to follow either Row 68 or 69 until you have 10 ultimate sts on both sides and 13 regular sts
• Row 86-87: pick up a st, p the picked up st and p the first wrapped stitch (aka the 10th ultimate st on the WS) then turned my work around (so that I am now on the RS); k2tog tbl (k the wrapped and picked up st together) and k tbl to the left side
• Row 88-89: pick up a st, k tbl the picked up st and k tbl the next wrapped stitch (aka the 10th ultimate st on the RS) then turned my work around so that I'm now on the WS; p2tog (this p the wrapped and picked up st together) and p to the right side.
• Row 90-107: continue to follow Rows 86-87 or 88-89 until all the wrapped stitches were done; picked up sts as needed (anywhere between 2-3 sts) and either k2tog tbl or p2tog as needed to maintain a total of 33 sts (aka the goal is to get back to the original number of sts before starting the heel)
• This came out perfect! :) *yay* :)
9. With the heel done, I finished off the leg:
• Row 108: picked up 2-3 sts on each side, k in the round
• Row 109: k in the round and k2tog tbl on the sides to decrease the sts back to a total of 33 sts on each side
• Row 110-120: k, maintaining a total of 33 sts on each side
• Row 121-125: k, decreasing every other row by 2 sts until there's a total of 30 sts on each side
10. With the leg done, it was time to actually finish off the sock with its cuff (*yay* homestretch!).  I decided to give my Knitter's Pride Karbonz another try:
• Row 126-135: completed a 1x1 ribbing
• Bound off using an Estonian bind off. :)

Look a finished right side!

Because I made the right side a bit longer, I went back to the left side to also make the leg longer to match.  Now, I actually have a pair of wearable, matching socks! :)

Amazing! :)  And, look!  I have extra yarn!  (What am I going to do with this?? :S)

Well, after making this "real" sock pair, I realized that I definitely need more practice; unlike my other projects that I completed, this was the hardest so far.  I think it's been difficult because I was winging it (after all, I did frankenstein the toe and the rest of the sock together) coupled with the fact that I never really did inspect the anatomy of socks (like I do with sweaters (I love sweaters! :D)) and, I didn't pay enough attention to what I was doing while actually making the left side of the pair (I paid much more attention to the right side and, it helped that I had my Sirka counter! :) It really helped me to keep track of what I was doing.  Plus, I took more time to harass my poor hubby and measured his foot every few rows instead of just going hog wild (aka go on autopilot) on the foot and leg portion). In short, I really didn't know what I was getting into and merrily went along my way only to find at times that I'd gone a tad astray. :P

Thankfully, I have a lot of sock yarn to keep at this endeavor until I either get better at it or realize perhaps as cool (and a great small project) socks are, it may not be for me. :P  I'm hoping I just get better at it because while it was hard, it was enjoyable (and relatively fast if I just worked on socks and nothing else (after all, I did finish this side in about two (2) weeks or so (working on it off and on)). ;)  We shall see as we go along this adventure! :D  Plus, I have my Sirka counter now which I really think made a big difference for the right side. With it, perhaps I can perfect the left side now and see if I can recreate the right side accurately (again).  More to come! :D