Monthly Archives: May 2008

big needle, small needle

Well, the needles aren’t that big really, but bigger than I’ve been using lately! I started a new sweater project out of the Fibranatura Mermaid I bought while Ysolda was here:

mermaid sweater

Which proceeded to go really fast on 4.5 mm needles. I’m almost up to the armholes on the body. It’s slowed down a bit this week because of other stuff, but I’m determined to bust this one out!

mermaid waist shaping

In sharp contrast, I just started a new pair of plain socks out of some nice Jojoland Melody, toe up.

socks

On very small needles.

whatwhat?

I knit really loosely, so my socks usually turn out to be around 8 stitches per inch on 2 mm. I want some tighter-knit socks though, hence the 1.5 mm! It doesn’t feel super crazy thin, but I do notice that it’s a little harder to control splittyness in the yarn – it’s easy to catch part of the yarn rather than the whole strand since the needle is so thin!

Does anyone have any suggestions for really thin sock yarn or heavy laceweight yarn that would hold up for socks on this size of needle?

good food

My first no-knead-type bread, from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” (a great book, but check the errata!!).

first loaf, a nice big slice

With butter, of course.

Leftover risotto + chunks of mozzarella (inside) + egg + breadcrums + oil = deep fried arancini goodness.

yummmmmy arancini

Also, homemade oreos. Need I say more?

homemade oreos

(Next time I’d roll the dough into a log and slice-and-bake, so they’d all come out the same size! Also, my icing is not really white because I use very dark Mexican vanilla extract. But it’s okay, they’re still awesome.)

File under “good enough to eat”, my tube scarf out of Handmaiden Swiss Mountain Cashmere and Silk is progressing nicely, and causes knitters to say things like, “oh my god, what is this?! I want to roll around naked in it!”

silk/cashmere scarf

outrunning the yarn

I finally picked back up this pair of socks that I cast on in December (as far as I can remember…) – STR lightweight in Gingerbread Dude. I’d originally bought two skeins and thought I’d make knee socks, and started one from the toe up with a gusset heel.

Unfortunately when I picked the sock back up a couple weeks ago, I decided I didn’t like the heel – so I ripped it all the way back, about eight inches of knitting! But I powered on. And then decided I didn’t want to make knee socks, so I just stopped the one I was working on and started the other.

gingerbread dude

The second sock was knit really fast, in about 3-4 days last week while hanging with Ysolda (and our many subway trips). Alas….on my way to knee socks I’d made the first sock rather long. I was knitting along on the leg of the second sock, when I noticed that my ball of yarn was getting ever so small.

Of course, I knit faster and faster, hoping to outrun the yarn, but alas, it was not to be.

oops

I ran out of yarn about 3 rounds before the end of the first sock. But I bound off and well, I’m too lazy to rip back the first sock to match. No one will ever be able to tell anyway!

butterscotch cardigan

Also, I am crocheting – the Butterscotch Cardigan from the latest Interweave Crochet. It’s fun, although kinda slow (I do knit rather fast because I’m more used to it). And I had to rip out most of this piece after I discovered that I wasn’t increasing enough. But it’s back on track now! Lorna’s Laces in Douglas Fir.

One more thing, today – I’ve finally set up my patterns with Ravelry downloads! So now you can get an automated download link. Payment is still by Paypal – I’ve added a Ravelry download button to each of the pattern pages, along with the Paypal direct button (which will be manually sent). You can also check out my pattern store on Ravelry here!