the quacking fiber addict

“Whatever may happen to you was prepared for you from all eternity; and the implication of causes was from eternity spinning the thread of your being.”
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 C.E.)

Everyone in the Socktoberfest Flickr Group are flashing their sock yarn stashes, and I decided to jump on the bandwagon as it were -

Only realising as I uploaded it, that I forgot all that superwash top I bought to spin for sock yarn... Yep. Ahwell. Let's just imagine it's all there, right? Knitters are creative folk. That rainbow ball in the center is, honest to goodness, Trekking. Gosh. How did that end up there? Well, the same way the yarn for D's new gansey did...



I met up with nealany (a Craftster) at Barry's Espresso & Bakery, which is located down the street from The Knit Shop (coincidental, non?), because she needed help with a truly unruly and evil sock pattern. The errata involved were just plain mean. Oy. After tinking back, we managed to get the numbers figured out (thank you for your help, M!) and wandered over to The Knit Shop to settle in for a nice, long knit. We weren't the only ones working on socks (woohoo! Socktoberfest!) and nealany managed to turn both heels and work on decreasing her gusset (cheering). And, while she was working on her second heel... well, I... I feel off the wagon.

Yes. Again. I know.

My yarn diet was blown in a very bad way. I admit it. But, at least I didn't pay for it, so Visa won't be coming for my blood any time soon. When I called Dad for a ride (he needed help with picking out new kitchen shelving, anyway) I got him to pay for 4 skeins of 'Malibu' (more like Forget-Me-Not) blue Cotton Fleece yarn and a single ball of Trekking sock yarn (colourway 100).

Now, I know I'm completely guilty of taking the easy way out on D's gansey. In more than one way. I should have toughed it out with my handspun. But, I'm thinking it wasn't meant to be. The handspun will now become a scarf. Hopefully it'll behave for that. Bugger.

Anyway. Aside from using cotton-based commercial yarn (eep?) for the 'gansey' (ha!), I'm also knitting it in the flat (desole!). But, I have a plan to knit it all in one piece, I swear. I'm still going to bind the shoulders off together (as is traditional) and pick up the stitches for the sleeves from the shoulders, just flat - then I'll sew it all together up the side seams. Practical, non? Especially since I'm loving the pair of vintage straights too much to go back to my Denise right now. Pointy, pointy vintage knitting needles rock my world.

My father had been complaining about the cost of the yarn, until I had him pet D's gansey-in-progess. I didn't hear a peep after that. Ha! The power of knitting. Mum just sighed over it. I can't blame her. I want to make a sweater out of this stuff for myself now. (sigh).

Anyway. The Last Minute Socks are coming along. The heels are completely turned and I only have 2 more decrease rows left on the gussets. The SKB... well, I haven't touched it in a couple of days. I also am guilty of distracting myself by spinning baby camel down on my wheel. Just drool. That's all I can say on that.

I've decided, after the afternoon spent with nealany, that I am going to change my tutorial to cover knitting two socks on two circulars completely. There are quite a few tips I feel I should pass on. Weird little things like how to turn the heels, when and where to pick up the gusset stitches, etc. So... yeah. Need to finish the Last Minute Socks so I can CO for that tute. G-d help me, I'm going to be working my fingers to death in the next few days...

Umm. Yeah. I think that's everything. I feel like I've forgotten something. Can't pinpoint it. Ahwell. Back to the salt mines.