Mad Caterpillar

My Sockapalooza4 socks arrived in the mail! Here's the happy little package that showed up on my doorstep:

And here was what was inside:

My upstream Sock Pal was Tammy from Cozy Stitches -- be sure to stop by and see the gorgeous shawl she just posted on her blog! The socks that she made for me are fantastic! She used Henry's Attic Kona DK yarn dyed by Little Turtle Knits, and she used the Crusoe pattern from Knitty. The stitch pattern really shows off the variegated yarn well, and I love the deep colors! They fit perfectly -- the DK weight yarn makes for a wonderful pair of thick and warm boot socks for the coming fall and winter. I especially love the eye of partridge detail on the heels and soles of the socks, making them extra-durable.

Tammy also included a fun small project knitting bag, some Cozy Stitches Crafter's Lotion, and some stitch markers for crochet as she'd noticed I'd been dabbling in crochet lately. Thanks so much for such a thoughtful package, Sock Pal!

Posted by Danielle at 06:27 PM | | Comments (1)

So I've had this design for a sock knitting bag in my head for awhile. I usually carry my sock projects around in a ziploc bag, or a little canvas bag with an elastic opening. I don't love either of those two methods, though. Dpn's can poke through plastic bags and get lost, and the elastic top of my canvas bag invariably catches on the yarn ball when I put it in or take it out. I knew I wanted a drawstring closure -- one with locking cord stops so that the contents of the bag would be secured when closed. Especially for those times when the bag gets tossed into a larger tote -- I don't want the contents tumbling out and mingling with my notebooks and pens.

I wanted it to have an outer pocket where I could safely tuck a pattern sheet, and maybe a couple small notions. And I wanted it to have a removable strap so that it could be worn it over the shoulder while out and about.

I wanted it to have a fun lining, and it was an easy enough matter to make it reversible as well.

And last but not least, I thought it would be fun to applique a small piece of the lining on the side of the bag opposite the pocket. In the end, I'm very happy with how this little bag turned out. It's just the right size -- it fits a large ball of sock yarn and the sock-in-progress with enough room left for an eyeglass case, a mini notebook, and small notions like a tape measure. I also made a tiny sock cheatsheet to stick in the front pocket with my favorite basic sock pattern and grafting instructions, and a darning needle stuck in for good measure.

After making a prototype for myself and deciding it was exactly what I wanted, I made a few more. The one pictured in this post is for my Sockapalooza4 Pal, and I'm hoping she'll like it as much as I do! I've put the others up for sale in my Etsy shop.

It was so much fun to make these little bags, and I foresee some quality time spent with my sewing machine to make lots more in the future!

Posted by Danielle at 03:37 PM | | Comments (6)

A little peek at what else is in store for my Sockapalooza4 Sock Pal! More details early next week...

Posted by Danielle at 10:38 PM |

I’m starting to get my sockpal’s package put together, and wanted to put a festive label on the socks. I’m happy to share if anyone would like to use the label too! Just click here for a .pdf file that you can print out.

I have some plans for something I’d like to include with the socks – here’s hoping I’ll get the time in the next week or two to finish it!

Posted by Danielle at 11:26 PM | | Comments (21)

I love beaded stitch markers, but find that they tend to snag on the work-in-progress. About a year ago, I had an idea to make some fun stitch markers using seed beads that wouldn't dangle, and I really loved how they turned out. Here's a set that will be winging its way to my Sockapalooza4 Sock Pal on August 2nd:

I've been giving these stitch markers as gifts to knitting friends and have finally decided to put some up for sale on Etsy. So in honor of my new shop, I'm going to do my first ever blog giveaway! I made ten stitch markers from some gorgeous clear seed beads lined with opalescent metallic green paint:

I will give five of these markers to the first two people to leave me a comment telling me that they would like them!

Posted by Danielle at 10:24 PM | | Comments (4)

The second sock just never gets its picture taken as often as the first. But it is all done -- here it is, with its mate, ready and waiting for the August 2nd Sockapalooza shipping date! I sure hope my sock pal likes this pair!

Again with the details:

Yarn: Fleece Artist Sea Wool in red/brown colorway
Pattern: Go with the Flow by Evelyn Clark from Favorite Socks.

I loved knitting these socks. The pattern was easy to memorize, and worked really well with the variegated yarn. I will definitely be making more pairs of these in the future. But in the meantime, I’m going to work on a neglected sock project that I started last year and stalled on:

The Purple Pomatomus. The yarn is Trekking XXL in color number 75. This pattern requires dedicated attention (no knitting while watching movie rentals) so it will probably take a while to complete. But there is no deadline for these, and I’m not in any hurry. Summer is finally here – time for bare feet and sandals!

Posted by Danielle at 10:21 PM | | Comments (4)

I finished my first Sockapalooza 4 Sock Pal's sock last night at around midnight. Here it is, after a good soak and a block:

Click here for a closeup of the knitted fabric.

This Fleece Artist yarn really knits up fast, and the four-row repeat of the "Go with the Flow" pattern really keeps you going... With the flow, I guess. I cast on right away for the second sock, in a hopeful attempt to avoid the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome, to which I tend to be susceptible, as evidenced by this sock which has languished in twinless sock limbo for the better part of two years now. But fear not, oh mystery Sock Pal, I promise to finish in good time.

I like weaving in toe ends because it gives me the chance to use this wonderful tool:

It's a yellowheart darning egg turned by Phil Powell that I purchased from Janet Lynn at The Wheel Thing. She has an extensive collection of gorgeous fiber tools on her site and she is a true pleasure to do business with. I have no affiliation -- I'm just a happy customer and I recommend her store highly. And Phil Powell's work is beautiful, a true testament to form and function.

Posted by Danielle at 08:04 PM | | Comments (12)

Here is the sock as it stands right now, just past the gusset and enjoying the sunset view from a local park:

Here is what the sock was looking at:

It was a beautiful evening here in Seattle.

On the topic of socks, if there are any visitors here from Sockapalooza, I'd love to get your input on whether or not you use sock reinforcement thread at the heels and/or toes of your socks, and what your favorite type is. I usually use Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Socka reinforcement thread at the heels and toes of most of the socks that I make. It seems to come in a variety of colors and you can find it almost anywhere. I'm using a dark brown in this latest sock for my Sock Pal. Does anyone know where one could find this stuff in bulk -- on small cones or something like that?

Posted by Danielle at 08:47 PM | | Comments (12)

The state of the weather.

My family outgrew our tiny house in Seattle several years ago. But the housing market here being what it is, we can't afford to upgrade. And our location is so convenient, that we're not willing to move as far away as we'd need to in order to get more space. So we make do with what little space we have, fighting a losing battle with clutter, and remembering to enjoy the advantages of a short commute and proximity to the things we love to do and the places we need to go. What our house lacks in size, however, it gains in view. In fact the thing that attracted us to this house many many years ago is the beautiful view of the Olympic Mountains that we appreciate every single day that we are here. Even when you can't see the mountains, you can see the weather. And weather abounds here in the Pacific Northwest. Take yesterday, for example. It started out overcast and damp, progressed to slightly sunny, and by mid-afternoon it was obvious that a storm was about to roll through. Here is the view at 3:15pm:

And again at 3:45 pm:

And again at about 6:30pm. The storm blew by in a couple hours, and bright sun shone from behind the mountains as it set in all its weather-laden glory:

It looks like we're in for similar weather today.

The state of the granny.

I have finished 20 of these little squares so far. I have 364 more squares to go to make the size of blanket that I hope to end up with. This is going to take a while.

The state of the sock.

I am really enjoying knitting my Sock Pal's sock. The Sea Wool is delightful to work with, the colorway is even prettier than I thought it was in skein form, and the pattern is turning out gorgeous. I was a little skeptical about the cuff that the pattern called for, as the picture in the book really doesn't do it justice. (I'm knitting the "Go with the Flow" pattern from "Favorite Socks".) But I love how it looks in person, the ladder lace cuff is really different and feminine, and looks great with the main pattern of the sock. I really hope my sock pal likes it. Here's where I'm at so far:

Posted by Danielle at 03:45 PM | | Comments (0)

Sockapalooza4 sock pal matches were posted today! I was very excited to get the information for my Sock Pal and to peek around her weblog. It seems the Fleece Artist Sea Wool that I picked up earlier this month is definitely in a colorway that meets her preferences, so off we go! I hope she likes the pattern I have picked out -- it is the "Go With the Flow" pattern by Evelyn Clark in the "Favorite Socks" book by Interweave. I think the subtle variations in the color of this yarn will look gorgeous with this lacy pattern. This yarn is a pleasure to work with too, very soft with a lovely sheen.

I am a veteran sock knitter, but this is my first time ever participating in Sockapalooza, or any knitting related swap whatsoever, and I'm really enjoying being a part of this. To add to the fun, my own secret sock pal sent me a very nice email tonight to say hello!

Posted by Danielle at 10:25 PM | | Comments (1)