The Specs:
Pattern: Frugal Haus Knitting Fire Truck Neck Scarf
Yarn: Berocco Vintage
Amount: 1 skein
Needles: whatever the ball band recommended
For: nephew!
Notes: Ugh. This was the project that never ended. Too fiddly to be fun without being fiddly enough to be pleased with progress.
I do not like how it is knit in garter stitch, as that makes it one-sided. And it is a scarf. I believe I have complained about this before, but time has not lessened my grump factor in this regard.
I cheated and used large black buttons for the wheels. I could not bring myself to seam a wheel that was knit flat.
I ended up making an icord tube for the cab partition for the back part of the scarf.
To make it reversible, I attached a ladder to both sides, as well as truck window, headlight, emergency light, and wheels. The garter stitch part meant that the ladder rungs had to be afterthought, rather than knit into the scarf itself. I ended up crocheting a chain up at certain parts. I could carry the yarn across the bottom, and make both chains run up the side, so I could get two rungs with only two ends to weave in. The icord makes for a good place to hide ends, so I was very grateful for that.
I am not super pleased with it. It looks a bit wonky and not very polished. Attaching the ladder sides was difficult because of the double-sided aspect and the garter stitch and not wanting to make things too lose or too taut.
But it is for a kid who loves fire trucks, so I don't think he will much care. Better pictures to come when I can bare to face it. I am terrified to give it a bath and have the red yarn bleed onto the white. Should have swatched, but I was on vacation!
The Specs:
Pattern: Woodland Walk Socks by This Handmade Life
Yarn: Teton Yarn Company Handdyed Sock in Mermaid
Amount: 0.75 of a skein, or about 74gm, or about 324 yards
Needles: US 1, 2.25mm circular with magic loop
Size: Women's 8.5ish
For: me!
Start to Finish: Sept 20, 2020 to Oct 13, 2020
Notes: I started these on the drive to Scotland for our anniversary/my birthday trip. They made excellent car knitting once I had memorized the leave pattern, which didn't take too long.
I, of course, knit toe-up, so the leaves fall up my socks instead of down, as the pattern is written for cuff-down. Standard star toe with increases on right of first stitch on one sock and to the left of the first stitch on the other sock. I admit that I have to look really closely to determine that there is a difference between the toes, but I still try to do that with every pair of socks.
I also either reversed the chart or I started halfway up the chart for the second sock.
I had 66 stitches on the needles for these. No idea what the pattern called for, but that's the beauty of socks with a decorative pattern up only part of the front - extra stitches do not need to be accounted for. Standard shadow wrapped short row heel, 10 rounds of ribbing for the cuff before I used JSSBO.
If I were to knit these again, I'd add 4-6 stitches of plain stockinette between the pattern and the heel turn, to push the decorative part more to the top of the foot and not the side. They are perfectly fine as they are, but it would make for a slightly more polished sock.
These knit up fast - I knit the first sock on the drive to/from Scotland, while finishing the cuff during a Zoom baby shower for a friend. Second sock was started on Saturday the 10 and I just had to finish the last repeat and the cuff today, as well as weaving in ends.
I really love the colors of this yarn and it knit up beautifully. Super glad I like the yarn as I am fairly certain I have another 5 skeins of different colors in the stash...
The Specs:
Pattern: None
Yarn: Regia 4-Ply Color, sock yarn that is 75% wool and 25% nylon
Color: 03655, Fall, dyelot 188
Amount: 1.52 skeins, 349.6 yards, 76.95 grams
Size: Women's 8.5/8
Needles: US 0 - 2.0mm, Kollage square DPNs.
For: GiftMoose 2020
Start to Finish: 02Sep2020 to 09Sep2020
Notes: I have not knit with DPNs for a while. I forgot how I can't have a hairband on my wrist because the DPNs will hit it.
Standard sock pattern for me - toe-up, cast on 6 stitches with JMCO, increase 6 stitches every other round til big enough. In this case, big enough was 66 stitches. Plain stockinette foot, short row with shadow wrap heel over 33 stitches, 22 of them wrapped. K4P2 ribbing on the legs, JSSBO at the cuff.
Since these were self-striping, I went to my normal lengths to make sure they matched as much as possible.
I was pretty much exactly spot on. I had recorded in my notes that I was 2 stitches into the start of the round where I increased to a total of 24 stitches when the red started on the first sock and the same thing happened on the second. I also started the heel when I finished the blue stripe just before the heel, regardless of where I was in reference to the toe. Same for the bind-off - I finished the black and started with the two stripe white section. This confirmed that JSSBO takes about two rounds worth of yarn, which is not a huge surprise.
Regia is not the softest yarn, but I have found that it tends to wear very well, so I don't expect these socks to require mending any time soon. I am slightly concerned about fit, but I think they will be alright. I can get them on my feet, even if they are smidge too small for me and I don't find the cuffs super tight. I often don't wash socks before giving them to their intended recipient, but I like to wash Regia (and Opal) socks with a bit of hair conditioner to soften them up a little bit.
This is the last Required pair of GiftMoose socks. I might make one or two more pairs, just because it is September and I have some measure of time.
The Specs:
Pattern: None
Yarn: See Jayne Knit Superwash Merino Nylon Sock (4 Ply)
Color: Freedom to Be
Amount: 314.8 yards, 68 grams, 0.68 skeins
Size: women's 8.5
For: ME
Needles: US 1 - 2.25mm, magic loop
Start to Finish: 26 June 2020 to 30 June 2020
Notes: Man, where to even START?
This colorway is meant to celebrate Pride and Ravelry and the freedom to be whomever you are. Supposedly a freedom supported by Rav.
However.
The new design (NuRav) was released June 16th and it quickly became evident that what I though Rav stood for and meant .. is NOT what TPTB at Rav actually stand for and mean. Oh, sure, they do some great lip service and say all the right things. But when it came to actually Doing The Things, they have failed. So hard.
I know I am not the first person to post about this. I won't be the last. I am not alone in my anger and I am not the only one tilting at windmills by sending emails and bug reports and asking them to actually change the parts of the design that are actively hurting people.
But the excitement that I started this project with - I wound the yarn in the beginning on June - was completely gone by the time I cast on. They are a memory of what I though Ravelry stood for, that it is now clear wasn't ever actually true and honest.
But the yarn is awesome and I love the rainbows. I did my standard star toe, starting with 6 stitches, increasing to the left for one sock and the right for the other. Increased to 66 stitches, then did a twinned short row heel. 14 rounds of k2p1 ribbing before JSSBO.
I am in awe of how quickly I was able to knit these - 5 days! for a whole pair of socks! But I also wasn't on Rav as much because of the whole disaster that they are now.
The Specs:
Pattern: none
Yarn: Must Stash Yarn & Fiber Perfect Sock Self Striping
Color: Vespa
Amount: 382 yards, 83 grams, 0.83 of a skein
Size: men's 10.5
For: the Weirder Half
Needles: US 1 - 2.25m, magic loop
Start to Finish: 07 August 2020 - 21 August 2020
Notes: Standard star toe with increases to the right of the start of the round on the first sock. Increase to 66 stitches, continue in stockinette. Toe started at the start of the paler orange color, last increases occurred a few rows into the yellow.
Knit to the orange color that the toe started with, then knit one plain round before starting k1p1 ribbing. Knit orange and yellow in ribbing, then tried JSSBO for the bind off just as the color changed to green. First tried Tubular kitchener, but it wasn't stretchy enough.
Weirder Half confirms it fits.
I always struggle with self-stripping sock yarn like this, because the heel is always going to throw off the stripping pattern. Of course, in shoes, you'll never see it... but I will know.
I had so much fun watching the color changes in both the sock as I knit and the ball of yarn.
This ended up being item number 20 of my attempt to knit 20 projects in 2020. Some items were kinda small (baby booties for friends), so I might keep going, but it was fun to have a challenge. I've not posted some of the items because they are to be GiftMoose gifts and I don't want to give anything away just yet.
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Notes: I did these toe-up, using the star-toe from the New Pathways for Socks book. Garter stitch heel because I didn't want to be bothered trying to hide the wraps. Not sure about the ribbing at the top - I wanted to try to keep the flow of the money pattern, and I think it works. Had a hard time binding off loosely, so I did a round of yarn over, knit two together, a plain knit round, and then a bind off that involves knitting two stitches, then knitting them together. It works, and mom won't care. Not sure I like the way the yarn stripped, but mom likes it, so who cares? They might be a mite short in the foot, but that's the problem with this pattern. Not all that adjustable.
(that little bit of yarn to the side is all that is left over.)
