Puget Sound LYS Tour 2016

I've been looking forward to visiting my brother-in-law, V and his girlfriend, A in Seattle this year.  And, to top it off, I was lucky: The Puget Sound LYS Tour was happening the same time we were visiting! ♡  V & A were gracious enough to take me (aka become part of my entourage and drive me) on a 1 1/2 day tour; we visited seven (7) stores during this time.  Of the twenty-eight (28) stores on the tour, I was lucky to visit eight (8) of them (although there was a woman who visited all 28 stores in three (3) days - amazing!).  Here's my lucky eight (8) (actually nine (9) since one (1) of the yarn shops I visited wasn't on the tour. :'():

Stitches in Capitol Hill: This store was not on the LYS tour but I wanted to mention it, particularly since it was very close to where V & A currently live and it was the first shop I actually stopped by. ;)  It's more of a material store than a yarn store although they did have quite a healthy corner dedicated to Cascades Yarn in their store.  The material they carried was soooooooo cute! ♡  I was sorely tempted to buy some! ;P  But, I managed to resist and didn't pick anything up here. :( :P

Maker's Mercantile in Renton:  A huge store with a bakery in it!  They carried an array of yarn and had a large selection of Hikoo Yarns.  Their only sock yarn was Trekk.  I wanted to purchase yarn that was either locally made or dyed and I ended up picking up this:

It's Schmutzerella Excellent Lace weight Yarn in Devil's Share that's been hand dyed in Everett, WA.  It was so beautiful, I couldn't resist.  I think it's going to be a shawl for myself.

The Knittery in Renton:  A smaller shop that mostly carried Hikoo Yarn and a relatively good selection of sock yarn.  With that said, this is what I ended picking up:

Hubby saw it and wanted it: Lang Jawoll Color Yarn.  It looks like it'll be a really cool sock. :)

The Tea Cozy Yarn Shop in Ballard:  Nice little shop (I can see it being a great LYS if we lived in the area).  They actually carried Denise needles that I was able to try out (loved them and will be picking up a set as soon as I can afford them, especially after this trip! ;)).  They also carried a variety of yarn and a good selection of sock yarn too.  I ended up picking up this:

I was left unsupervised here (everyone else had hiked it over to a brewery close by) and a nice lady (who was also on the yarn tour) helped me pick out this Berroco Sox yarn.

Joanne's Fabric and Craft Store in Ballard:  Although this doesn't really count as part of the LYS tour, I did want to mention that I had (finally) stopped by a Joanne's.  It's basically like our local Ben Franklin store but with way more material.  This particular store that I visited had a small yarn section and mainly carried the Caron, Bernat brands with a few bins of Red Heart and Vanna's Choice yarns.  There were no sock yarns to be found at this particular store.  Hence, nothing was purchased here. ;)

Acorn Street Shop near the U District:  This was an amazing LYS.  I would love to have this shop as my LYS.  There was a huge array of yarn and a sweet corner full of sock yarn!   Here's what I picked up:

This time my entire entourage was with me; Hubby helped me select the Cascade Heritage Paint Yarns and A simply fell in love with the Malabrigo Rios yarn.  So for Christmas this year (or at least sometime this winter hopefully! :P), A should be expecting to get a brand spanking new knitted cowl that she picked out. :)

Churchmouse Yarns & Tea: An amazing yarn shop with a lot of higher end (& really warm) yarn.  This would be a dream LYS (although I'm not sure if I could afford this hobby any longer with a LYS like this! :P).  I spent nearly an hour (or longer!) simply drooling over all the yarn here (and also checking out a fairly extensive tea selection too).  And here's what I finally picked up:

Locally dyed yarn, a Guernsey scarf pattern and a really cool horn scarf pin.  Not only did I spend the most time here but also the most money too! :P

Bad Woman Yarn in Wallingford: A huge store with lots of yarn ranging from inexpensive to quite expensive; this would also be a great LYS.  There was quite a selection of sock yarn and the staff was very helpful.  Here's what I picked up:

Lane Cervinia Forever sock yarn for a pair of ankle high socks for my new Sperry Ducky boots! :)

Fiber Gallery near Fremont: Of all the yarn stores I went to, this was the most unfriendliest yarn shop.  The staff barely greeted you and only helped you when you asked them specific questions.  I was only in there for fifteen (15) minutes and I didn't even find any yarn to buy.  I ended up picking up locally made soap:

Weaving Works near the U District:  This yarn shop is really for spinners but had quite an extensive collection of yarn with a very healthy (and large) sale bin!  The staff was really friendly and helpful as well. :)  This would also be a great local LYS shop (and perhaps I wouldn't break the bank much here, especially with their sale bins! ;)) . Here's what I picked up:

Debbie Bliss Donegal yarn, a darning egg (finally), and Susan Bates stitch saver.  I couldn't believe I found two (2) whole balls of Debbie Bliss Donegal in the sale bin and I simply couldn't resist!

Lastly, I went to So Much Yarn in Pike's Market Place on 1st Ave.:  This yarn shop was on last year's LYS tour but wasn't participating this year. :(  So I simply added them onto my tour. ;)  It's an amazing shop - its huge, has an amazing selection of yarn and best of all, right in the middle of downtown!! :)  And the staff is so friendly and helpful!! ♡ Now that I know about this shop, I can totally see myself stopping by every time I'm in Seattle.  Here's what I ended up getting:

Another skein of Painted Desert sock yarn to match the one I bought at Aloha Yarn.  I intend to make a sweater with both yarns.  I hope it turns out like how I envision it in my mind! :P

Finally, what was really cool about this LYS tour was that there was a bag you could purchase and for every shop you visited, you'd get a pin!  I finally found my bag at Acorn Street Shop (I bought the last one! ♧) Check it out:

(Yes, the bag is full of my spoils!)

While technically So Much Yarn wasn't on the tour, one of the ladies gave me a pin they were giving out in prior years so, that's why they're my "black sheep". ;)

And, of course, we were in Seattle, we had to stop by REI flagship store and I found this:

Isn't it so cute?! ♡ Its waterproof too!  And a perfect size for a pair of socks! :D  Score!! ♡

That's it for my spoils on my 2016 Seattle Yarn Crawl! :)  I found that overall, the LYS Tour was a great way to see all that Seattle has to offer: that it has an amazing selection of LYS in the immediate area and folks there are very lucky to have the array of LYS to choose from.  I'm glad that I had an opportunity to visit as many of them as I was able to as well as be able to support their local LYS.  Hopefully, I'll have another opportunity to visit V & A in Seattle and visit some of these LYS again! ;)

Thank you, V & A (again) for taking me around and being a part of my entourage on the 2016 Puget Sound LYS Tour!! :)

Rainbow Brite no Kutsushita (レインボーブライトの靴下) (aka Tabi Monogatari v7)

It was time to make myself another pair of socks. For my third pair (for myself), I used the last of my Canadian yarn: my tropical DGB Phildar Phil Folk 100 and my Chiaogoo Bamboo & new KA Bamboo US 0 needles. Like my other pairs, this was also going to be pair of knee-high socks. For a while, I wasn't sure what I was going to name this pair of socks. Then my sweet brother sent me a picture of a Rainbow Brite (when I was little, it was one of my favorite dolls and my brother miraculously remembered! ♡):

After seeing this Jumbo Itty Bitty Rainbow Brite, it reminded me of my socks and as a homage to Rainbow Brite, Rainbow Brite no Kutsushita (レインボーブライトの靴下) was born. :)

Here's how my Rainbow Brite no Kutsushita (レインボーブライトの靴下) went:

1. I started with a Provisional cast on. Based on my original pair of socks, I casted on 60 sts (8 sts per 1") but when I tried it on, it was way too loose. :(  Since my yarn was really, really stretchy, I ended up casting on a total of 44 sts. That seemed to fit my feet perfectly.
2. K 1 straight row, then connected in the round.
3. K 15 rows in the round as part of the foot portion.
4. Started the toes: with 22 sts on each side, splitting it up for 8 sts for big toe, 14 sts for remaining toes.
5. Big toe:
• Row 1:
1. Front: k, m1, k, m1, k to the 2nd to the last st, m1, k, m1, k for a total of 12 sts
2. Back: k, m1, k, m1, k to the 2nd to the last st, m1, k, m1, k for a total of 12 sts
• Row 2-15 (14 rows): k
• Row 16:
1. Front: k, k2tog tbl, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog, total of 10 sts
2. Back: k, k2tog tbl, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog, total of 10 sts
• Row 17: same as row 16 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 8 sts on each side
• Row 18-20 (3 rows): k
• Row 21: same as row 17 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of the 6 sts on each side
• Row 22 (Left) 22-23 (Right): k
• Row 23 (Left) 24 (Right): same as row 19 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 4 sts on each side
• Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.
6. The rest of the toes:
• Row 1:
1. Front: k to the end, picking up 2 sts, for a total of 16 sts
2. Back: pick up 2 sts, k, for a total of 16 sts
• Row 2:
1. Front: k, k2tog (L) / ssk (R), k to the end, for a total of 15 sts
2. Back: k to the last 3 sts, k2tog (L) / ssk (R), k, for a total of 15 sts
• Row 3:
1. Front: k to the last 2 sts,  k2tog (L) / ssk (R) for a total of 14 sts
2. Back: k, k2tog (L) / ssk (R), k to the end for a total of 14 sts
• Row 4-5 (L 2 rows) 7 (R 4 rows): k
• Row 6 (L) 8 (R):
1. Front: k, k2tog tbl (L) / ssk (R), k to the end, for a total of 13 sts
2. Back: k to the the last 3 sts, k2tog (L) / ssk (R), k for a total of 13 sts
• Row 7 (L) 9 (R): k
• Row 8 (L) 10 (R):
1. Front: k, k2tog (L) / ssk (R), k to the end, for a total of 12 sts
2. Back: k to the the last 3 sts, k2tog (L) / ssk (R), k for a total of 12 sts
• Row 9 (L) 11 (R): k
• Row 10 (L) 12 (R): same as row 8 (L) / 10 (R), continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 11 sts on each side
• Row 11-13 (L) 13-15 (R) (3 rows): k
• Row 14 (L) 16 (R): same as row 10 (L) / 12 (R), continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 10 sts on each side
• Row 15-16 (L) 17-18 (R) (2 rows): k
• Row 17 (L) 19 (R): same as row 14 (L) / 16 (R), continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 9 sts on each side
• Row 18 (L) 20 (R): same as row 17 (L) / 19 (R), for a total of 8 sts on each side
• Row 19 (L) 21 (R): same as row 18 (L) / 20 (R), for a total of 7 sts on each side
• Row 22 (R only): k
• Row 20 (L) 23 (R): same as row 19 (L) / 21 (R), for a total of 6 sts on each side
• Row 21 (L only): k
• Row 22: k, k2tog 2x (L) / ssk & k2tog (R), k for a total of 4 sts on each side
• Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.
• This came out perfectly. :)

7. Then I went back to the bottom of the provisional cast on and picked up the stitches to start the foot.
• Row 16: k, there should be 22 sts on each side
• Row 17: k, picking up an extra st on each side to close up any potential holes, for a total of 23 sts on each side
• Row 18: k2tog, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 22 sts on each side
• Row 19-29 (11 rows): k, maintaining 22 sts on each side
• Row 30: k, m1, k to the 2nd to the last st, m1, k for a total of 24 sts on each side
• Row 31-75 (45 rows): k, there should be 24 sts on each side
1. Left side only: Row 76-80 (5 rows): k, there should be 25 sts on each side

The Right Side was a total length of 17 cm (6 ¾ inches) and the Left Side was a total length of 18.5 cm (7 ⅜ inches)

8. With the foot done, I started on the heel portion using the German short row method:  
• Row 76 (R) / 81 (L): k/p the front/back side; on the back/front side: k/p the first st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the front/back then to the back/front (as if to k/p, creating an extra st), then k/p to the end, creating 1 ultimate st and 23 regular sts on the RS/WS (right side (aka the knit side)/wrong side (aka purl side))
• Row 77 (R) / 82 (L): turn the sock around so you're looking on the back/front side, slip the first st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the back/front then to the front/back (as if to p/k, creating an extra st), then p/k to the second to the last stitch, creating 1 ultimate st and 22 regular sts on the WS/RS (wrong side (aka the purl side) / right side (aka the knit side))
• Row 78 (R) / 83 (L): slip the second st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the back/front then to the front/back (as if to k/p, creating an extra st), creating the 2nd ultimate st on the RS/WS; then continue to ktbl/p to the the 2nd to the last st
• Row 79 (R) / 84 (L): slip the second st, pull the working yarn straight up and bring it to the front/back then to the back/front (as if to p/k, creating an extra st), creating the 2nd ultimate st on the WS/RS; then continue to ktbl/p to the the 2nd to the last st
• Row 80-91 (R) / 85-96 (L) ( total of 10 rows): continue to follow either Row 78 (R) / 83 (L) or 79 (R) / 84 (L) until you have 8 ultimate sts on both sides and 8 regular sts
• Row 92-93 (R) / 97-98 (L): pick up a st, p/k the picked up st and p/ktbl the first wrapped stitch (aka the 8th ultimate st on the WS/RS): p/ktbl to the next 7th ultimate sts on the RS/WS then turned my work around (so that I am now on the RS/WS); k2tog tbl/p2tog (k/p the wrapped and picked up st together) and ktbl/p to the left/right side
• Row 94-95 (R) / 99-100 (L): pick up a st, ktbl/p the picked up st and ktbl/p the next wrapped stitch (aka the 7th ultimate st on the RS/WS) then turned my work around so that I'm now on the WS/RS; p2tog/k2tog tbl (this p/k the wrapped and picked up st together) and p/k to the right/left side.
• Row 96-107 (R) / 101-111 (L): continue to follow Rows 90-93 (R) or 95-98 (L) until all the wrapped stitches were done; pick up sts as needed (anywhere between 1-4 sts) and either k2tog tbl or p2tog as needed to maintain a total of 24 sts (the goal is to get back to the original number of sts before starting the heel).
• Row 108-109 (R) / 112-113 (L): p then k, slipping the stitches back to the front so you're no longer ktbl.
• This came out perfect! :) *yay* :)

9. With the heel done, I finished off the leg.  At first, I was going to do a plain stockinette stitch but then I read an article in which you could use cables to “hide” increases.  So, I thought I'd give it a try by putting a cable down the outer part of the leg.  Here's how I worked it out:
• Row 110 (R) / 114 (L): picked up 2 (L) sts on each side, k in the round for a total of 25 sts on each side
• Row 111-120 (R) / 115-124 (L) (10 rows): k, maintaining 25 sts on each side
• Row 121 (R) / 125 (L): k25 on the inside of leg, k6 top of leg, p2, c4b (R) / c4f (L), p2, k7, maintaining 25 sts on the outside of leg
• Row 122-124 (R) / 126-128 (L): k25 on the inside of leg, k6 on top of leg, p2, k8, p2, k7, maintaining 25 sts on the outside of leg
• Row 125-152 (R) / 129-156 (L) (28 rows): continue to follow cable pattern (Row 121-124 (R) / 125-128 (L))
• Row 153 (R) / 157 (L): k25 on the inside of leg, k6 top of leg, p2, m1p, c4b (R) / c4f (L), m1p, p2, k7, increasing to 27 sts on the outside of leg
• Row 154-156 (R) / 158-160 (L): k25 on the inside of leg, k6 on top of leg, p3, k10, p3, k7, maintaining 27 sts on the outside of leg
• Row 157 (R) / 161 (L): k25 on the inside of leg, k6 top of leg, p3, c4b (R) / c4f (L), p3, k7, maintaining to 27 sts on the outside of leg
• Row 158-160 (R) / 162-164 (L): continue to follow cable pattern (Row 154-156 (R) / 158-160 (L))
• Row 161-200 (R) / 165-204 (L) (40 rows / 10 cable repeats): continue to follow cable pattern (Row 157-160 (R) / 161-164 (L)), increasing 2 sts on the outside of the leg every cable repeat; there should be a total of 49 sts on the outside of the leg and 25 sts on the inside of the leg by Row 200 (R) / 204 (L)
• Row 201-204 (R) / 205-208 (L) (4 rows / 1 cable repeats): continue the cable pattern repeat and keep increasing 2 sts at every row, not just at the cable row; there should be a total of 57 sts on the outside of the leg and 25 sts on the inside of the leg by Row 204 (R) / 208 (L)
• Row 205-220 (R) / 209-224 (L) (16 rows / 4 cable repeats): continue to follow cable pattern (Row 157-160 (R) / 161-164 (L)), increasing 2 sts on the outside of the leg every cable repeat; there should be a total of 65 sts on the outside of the leg and 25 sts on the inside of the leg by Row 220 (R) / 224 (L)

The leg portion came out to 24 cm (9 in) long.

10. With the leg done, it was time to actually finish off the sock with its cuff (*yay* homestretch!).  I put in a lifeline on each side (just in case I needed to rip back to my starting point) and in the process of starting my first row, I managed to break one of my needles! :’(  I had to finish off my left side using my Munsell US 0 needles.  Here's how it went:
• Row 221 (R) / 225 (L): on the inside side of the leg: k/p, p/k (depending if which side you're working on)*, cont * to the end, maintaining 25 sts; on the outside of the leg, p/k, k/p (depending on which side you're working on) for 6 or 7 sts, k2tog/p2tog, k/p, p/k for 9 sts, k2tog/p2tog, k/p, p/k for 9 sts, k2tog/p2tog, k/p, p/k for 8 sts (this is the cable portion), k2tog/p2tog, k/p, p/k for 9 sts, k2tog/p2tog, k/p, p/k for 9 sts, k2tog/p2tog, k/p to the end; There should be 59 sts on the outside of the leg
• Row 222-250 (R) / 226-254 (L) (total of 29 rows): rearrange the  stitches so that there’s 42 sts on each side; complete cuff using 1x1 ribbing
• Row 251 (R) / 255 (L): decrease 4 sts on each side for a total of 38 sts on each side; continuing the 1x1 ribbing
• Row 252-270 (R) / 256-274 (L) (total of 19 rows): continue to complete cuff using 1x1 ribbing
• Row 271 (R) / 275 (L): decrease 4 sts on each side for a total of 38 sts on each side; continuing the 1x1 ribbing
• Row 272-279 (R) / 276-283 (L) (total of 8 rows): continue to complete cuff using 1x1 ribbing

The cuff came out to 14.5 cm (5.5 in) wide.

11. 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. :)  Finally, my bind off looks as crinkly as everyone else's bind offs. :)

*Yay*  It took me a while to work on this pair and there were a lot of ripping back on this experimental pair but it was so worth it!  I love it!  It feels very comfortable and it actually hits the bottom of my knees.  This particular brand really does go a long way and seems to be very durable.  I'll be taking this pair along with my fair isle socks with me on my next trip to see how well they travel. ;)

Now ... what should I do to my next pair ... hmmm ... ;)