Knitting on Impulse

Irises and Rhododendrons

At first glance, these pink rhododendron blooms are sweet enough to induce a diabetic coma, but what saves them is that spray of ruddy freckles across their sweet little faces. I like to think of them as tomboy princesses:

Here's my interpretation:

(The "freckles" take up scarcely a stitch's worth, occasionally two.)

The merino lace

and the BFL

are reasonably demure, while the superwash merino sock is the most literal interpretation of the original:

Now, for a subject with unassailable dignity and authoritative opulence, the iris is hard to beat:

What a range of hues - splashes of inky blue-black and highlights of velvety golden chocolate add depth, richness, and even a wee bit of an edge to those regal shades of purple.

The merino lace is the most subtle (the golden brown overtones are there, but they mostly show up in bright sunlight):

The BFL:

 
And the superwash merino sock:

Yarn's Up

Over here.  Details of the photographic inspiration tomorrow.

Off and On

Cast off (and awaiting the perfect buttons):

Cast on:

In an uncharacteristic fit of sanity and self-discipline, I finished the BSJ rather than immediately poach the needle tips for the orange sweater.  Possibly this had something to do with a lack of free cables resulting from the plethora of WIPs lying about who did have their needles poached, but I like to think of it as self discipline. 

Speaking of self-discipline, I am also (re)organizing my stash. The timing wasn't entirely my idea, since I'm already overwhelmed with projects, but a chunk of storage space suddenly came available in the underground lockers and it was use it or lose it.  Admittedly, it will be nice to have more living space than a narrow series of walkways between bins of yarn. I'm not going to photograph it for Ravelry (that's the one feature I just can't get into), but I will play around with a spreadsheet for my own use.  It's not particularly flashy, anyway, consisting mainly of basic workhorse wools and a very small selection of delicacies.

Anthropometry

Before I get into the topic of todays post though, I wanted to mention that I have begun to tidy, update, and republish my colour series as freestanding pages for easier reference - there were four posts in all, and the first one is now in the right hand sidebar under Tutorials.  (Look down by the Free Patterns.)  I'll try to republish one a week, and then perhaps move on to some of the topics I never got around to last year.

One of my goals with this dyeing venture is to be able to give folk a reasonably accurate idea of what to expect from their hand dyed yarn, ie. the colour intervals and the effects they are likely to produce in a given type of project, because few things are more disappointing than a spectacular skein that looks like a dog's breakfast knitted up.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, and some knitters love certain effects while others hate them, but I think it would be nice to be able to predict how a given skein is likely to behave.  (Note I said likely - nothing is ever certain, especially when knitting in the round, but some effects are much more probable than others from a particular skein.)

To that end, I've concluded that a bit of anthropometric data would be helpful.  It also seems like a good time to run my first ever contest!

Here's what I want to know: the length of yarn required to knit exactly one round of a sock: firstly the cuff or foot, and secondly, the largest circumference of the heel gusset.  Doesn't matter what pattern - the only constraints are that it be fingering weight yarn and some sort of standard sock construction (ie. no sidewinders.) One way to do this would be to tie a small slipknot in the yarn, tink back exactly one round and measure.  You could also measure and mark a specific interval - say, 40 inches - knit exactly one round and subtract what was left to arrive at the measurement.  Oh - and your shoe size.  All sizes are welcome, particularly plus sizes.

To summarize: send me an email at ruth AT impulse-of-delight DOT com (make the obvious substitutions) with:

1. Length of yarn in one cuff or foot round (feel free to make a note if these are different)
2. Length of yarn in one round at the widest part of the heel gusset
3. Shoe size
4. Any other comments

and I will put your name into the pot for a random draw for a skein of sock yarn custom dyed in the colourway of your choosing.  If I get lots of responses, I will draw for more than one.  If you are knitting socks for other people (preferably adults), feel free to include data for them too - each set of data counts as an entry, and another chance to win!  I'm tentatively thinking of collecting responses for a month? a couple of weeks?, but I honestly haven't the faintest idea what, if any, response there will be, so I'll play the specifics of that by ear.

And since I can't bear to have a picture-less post:

Taken from our patio early this morning, with the mists still swirling around the mountain.  This time of year, the crows and ravens argue over the sturdy topped cedars, while the songbirds secure the tippy tops of the wobblier trees, and their joyful cacophony echoes up and down the valley.

A Cunning Plan

(Fans of Black Adder will recognize the reference.)  Last week, when I had finished my usual dyeing, I had (for various reasons) a small tub of barely used vinegar sitting about, and thought it would be an opportune time to follow through with a brain wave I'd been nursing.

It began some weeks ago with a rather excellent sale, which resulted in the purchase of several sweaters' worth of basic worsted weight wool in a variety of colours.  I know most folks knit cotton for this season, but having spent the damp market Sundays of last summer chilled to the bone, I thought a wool pullover in a cheerful summery hue would be just the thing.  I don't normally wear orange, but it seized my imagination rather forcefully, and I envisioned creating a sort of pseudo-ombre effect by overdyeing the skeins in a graduated fashion.

First, I soaked them:

Perhaps I am somewhat sheltered, but I found this.... startling.  No yarn leaves my studio until it rinses clear as the mountain dew - not mostly clear, not hardly noticeable, but perfectly, pristinely, colourless.  This is an extremely popular and reputable brand, so I suppose industrial standards must be different, but still!

It never did rinse clear, so I eventually gave up (both from impatience and in fear that the endpoint might be unattractively faded) and got on with overdyeing, in hopes that steam fixing would resolve things:

It was an interesting learning experience - the yarn is obviously oversaturated with pigment to begin with, so the change wasn't huge, but enough to give a subtly graduated effect.  The one skein I didn't overdye bled just as badly after the full vinegar soak and steam fixing - I guess I'll just have to remember not to use the best towels for blocking!  And perhaps not wear it over a white shirt in the rain - hmmm.....  The more I write, the less clever this sounds, but I can't help it - I am in love with the idea of this sweater!  (Oh, and.. if anyone wants to come to my house and untangle the 3rd skein from the top, I will give you food and yarn.  I thought "just this once" I'd skip the extra ties... in my defense, my luck held 5 out of 6 times...)

FO: Semi-Stripey Socks

Here's what I made with the Forest Floor Stripes:

I don't know why, but my socks invariably turn out about an inch shorter than I intend, based on trying on the cuff as I knit.  (Except once, I knit Trekking socks toe up and used up every last inch of the yarn.  They were too long, and my calves pushed them down into a slouch. Can't win.)  I've got scads of yarn left over, so clearly it's my powers of judgment that require tweaking.

Nevertheless, they're comfy and pretty and they fit perfectly, so... no complaints.  (Have I mentioned yet that I really really love this superwash sock yarn?)

Pattern:A variation on my basic top down formula, done in 3x1 ribbing.

Gauge: 7 stitches/inch on 2.25 mm needles.

Yarn:Superwash merino sock in Forest Floor Stripes (all this test knitting is rounding out my sock collection rather nicely!)

Seeing Stone

During the first part of the long weekend (the sunny, healthy bit), we took the kids for a nature hike near Lost Lake.  While there were many wonderful photo subjects, I was particularly drawn to a rock protruding from the fragrant needles of fir and pine.  Close examination revealed exquisite patterns and colours, with markings reminiscent of prehistoric cave art.

I have always felt a sense of mystical connection to rock and stone, especially the kind that grows warm and solid out of the fertile wooded ground.  I was looking for something subtle and mysterious in the colourway, and the stone did not disappoint.

In order to accomodate the practical requirements of different forms of knitted fabric, I am beginning to seek both semi-solid and high contrast colourways from a given subject.  The grey areas of stone revealed a rich palette of stormy blues, smoky purple, faintly pinkish brown and hazy grey-greens:

These were interpreted in the alpaca/merino lace:

The merino lace:

The Bluefaced Leicester:

And with the darker hues in some of the superwash merino sock:

The lace-weights and the BFL in particular show that lovely shimmering effect where the eye is never quite sure whether it is seeing green or blue, or purple overtones... I think it gives the fabric a wonderful depth and mystical quality.

I have also been playing with different skein lengths for contrast effects, and this week's experiment utilized the full brilliance of the colour range:

I created two of these skeins in the superwash merino sock, keeping one to test my mathematical predictions, and it is indeed striping in full alternate rounds between the warm and cool hues. Good fun, and very striking knitted up (unfortunately it was dark by the time I got the sample knit, but I may edit it in later.)

Edited to add:

I quite like the striping effect - it overlaps by a couple of inches on my 8 inch foot/ankle, so I think anything up to a 10 inch circumference would show the same effect, and the sock would have to be substantially larger than that to see the pattern disintegrate into flashing.  The sister skein is presently winging its way to New Jersey, but I will continue to present experimental skeins each week and incorporate repeatable effects into the repertoire over time.

Yarn's Up!

Over here.

FO: Lace Ribbon Scarf

But first: presumptuous as it feels, (because obviously not everybody is waiting in breathless anticipation to see what my dye-stained fingers have wrought) I've been putting some thought into reconciling the requests of folks who really really want the best chance at nabbing their favorites before they sell out, the recalcitrant and unpredictable nature of Bloglines as a timely notifier of updates, and my own desire not to blight every weekend anxiously and intrusively checking whether anyone actually saw Friday's post.  So, the plan is to make the yarn store updates live every Thursday at 6 PM PST, along with a one line post to that effect (which Bloglines may or may not pick up, but the new yarn will be there, just the same.)  And then Friday I will post all the eye candy and photographic inspiration and analysis as per normal.

On to the scarf:

Pattern: Veronik Avery's brilliant Lace Ribbon Scarf, from the Spring 2008 issue of Knitty.

Yarn: Fleece Artist fingering weight BFL in Sangria, purchased at Red Bird Knits.

Needles: Addi Turbo lace 3.25 mm

Modifications: None.

I loved knitting this, and I expect to love wearing it in equal measure.  It also makes a very fetching Grace Kelly-esque head wrap, but DH's only comment in that regard was that I looked like a babushka, which rather effectively burst my little glamour bubble.  Perhaps if a sudden storm arises and I'm out alone, I'll chance it.

Surfacing

Well, that was... interesting.  My daughter had Friday off school, and the first two days of the long weekend were quite lovely - nature walks in the hot fragrant forest, afternoons on the patio.  Then stomach flu and scary high fevers hit the kids and the rest is kind of a blur.  I haven't had any significant amount of sleep in 4 nights, so this will be short in order to limit the incoherent rambling.  There was knitting - a BSJ begun, a pair of socks almost finished, a scarf finished but not blocked, another blocked but no decent weather for FO photography.  I did manage to get through Tuesday's normal workday, so this is the closest thing I have to knitting photos:

Proper blogging to resume soon.  I think.