Closed For Christmas

Not that I've been particularly active here the last couple of weeks, but I know for sure I won't be posting again until January. Jules is here, and I'm off of work for two weeks. Prepping for his arrival, church activities and Christmas shopping has taken up much of time the last couple of weeks, so I've been fairly inactive in both my knitting groups and online.

But don't worry, I'll be back with lots of FOs, Fiber Friends pics and sweater plans.

Happy Holidays.

Fiber Friends Festival 2007

I got this via e-mail from Hill Country Weavers the other day.

FIBER FRIENDS FESTIVAL

For your holiday enjoyment and last minute shopping, Hill Country Weavers presents FIBER FRIENDS FESTIVAL!

Saturday, December 15, 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday, December 16, 12 – 5 pm
Come see and buy fabulous hand crafted items by these local fiber artists:

Platypus Dreams, Binky Knits, Moonbeam Weaving, Woolyfiori, Pretty Purl, Susan Bussard, Sally Comes Unraveled, Nancy Govro, Pam Whittington, Marie Burton, Pamela Yu, Diane Barney, Jan McCown, Infinity Knits, Jennifer Raish, Meiling Chang, Winston and Chloe, Jude Cope & Audrey Batzer, AngryOlive.com, Lauri Polunsky, Blue Rose Designs and more! You'll also have the opportunity to purchase the 2008 Naked Calendar and Blue Dog Rescue Calendar!


Hill Country Weavers
1701 South Congress Ave
512-707-7396

Come see us. (Jules and I will be there from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday, but drop by anytime next weekend.)

FO: Longhorn Socks

Success!

If you recall, when we last saw these socks, I had run out of yarn just a few rounds away from finishing the toe of the second sock.

Well, Plan A worked.

I showed up to The Knitting Nest Monday night, and asked Stacy if she had gotten my Ravelry message. I went to put my stuff down, and before I could pull out the socks, she had checked her messages and gotten out a ball of yarn.



I was saved.

I sat down right there and finished knitting the toe. This ball was from another dyelot, however. But at this point, I called it close enough.











I had a debate over how to join the yarn. I tend to do knots, despite the fact that you're not "supposed" to join with knots. I'm always paranoid about it coming undone. However, I didn't want the knot to be in the toe.

Someone suggested Spit Splicing. The only time I had done it before when I was felting, and I wasn't very confident it would hold. Stacy said to rub really hard against my pant leg. I rubbed it until I could feel the heat from the friction.

Although it's superwash wool (and the link I posted said it won't work with superwash) it turned out well. I think I'll spit splice more often. Of, course, I should have cut off the orange end of the yarn and spliced it where it was all white to avoid the barber poll effect. But I called it close enough.

If you look very closely, you can tell that the toe is darker than the rest of the sock, and you can see the spit splice barber pole if you look even closer. But the variations in the hand dyed yarn make it difficult to see unless you look for it.

Finally, here are the vital stats:

These are the Slipped Stitch Rib socks from Sensational Knitted Socks. These are knit for a men's US Size 8 1/2 in a gauge of six stitches per inch (if you are not familiar with the book, all the patterns are in a large range of sizes and gauges.) I used US Size 2 bamboo needles and Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification Sock Yarn in the "Hook 'Em" colorway. One skein is supposed to make an average size pair of socks. These took a little more than one skein.

This is some lucky person's Christmas gift.

NOOOOOOO!!!!

On Thanksgiving, I returned to my parents house with a full stomach, and decided it was time to polish off these socks.

I noticed my yarn running low, but I was getting close, so I wasn't worried.

But then, I ran out about as I was decreasing on the toe.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

So, as I see it, here are my contingency plans:

Plan A - Talk to Stacy at The Knitting Nest, where I bought the yarn, and she if she has a few yards lying around that I could use.

Plan B - Wait for The Knitting Nest to get in more of the Hill Country Yarns "Hook 'Em" colorway, and buy a whole other skein. I could always make something else with the rest. I have lots of family and friends who root for the Longhorns.

Plan C - See if I can unravel the toe of the first sock, and get away with them being shorter. I know the recipient's shoe size, and I've been following the measurements in Sensational Knitted Socks Someone at my knitting group with bigger feet than the recipient tried them on, and they fit. But you have to account for stretch and the fact that it's not an exact science. (After all, they don't sell commercial socks by the shoe size.) Of course, that could also prove that I can make them shorter.

Plan D - Unravel both toes and finish them with a complimenting color.

I'm (probably) heading to The Knitting Nest tomorrow evening. We'll see about Plans A and B.

Wish me luck!

The Handmade Pledge

As someone who tries to make money off their craft, I thought it was important to take the Handmade Pledge. The official pledge is to "buy handmade this holiday season and request that others do the same for me."

The website has a lot of interesting, political information on "craftivism" and the importance of being a conscientious consumer. But the main reason I took the pledge was because in my minimal craft show experience, I was tired of people saying (loudly) that they could get something similar at Walmart for half the price.

And I'm not perfect. I shop at Walmart too, but I do try to take a proactive approach. Not every gift I give will be handmade, but I'll make an effort to seek out some that are.

And now the fun part, requesting that others do the same for me.

Giving gifts is not the most important part of the holidays, but if you happen to be considering giving me a gift, here are some ideas.

Etsy may very well be the largest online marketplace for handmade items. I have a shop on the site myself. I also have a very extensive favorites list with lots of ideas. You can search Etsy by just about keyword, check the treasuries and look by color.

There is also a list of links to independent yarn dyers here. It's worth viewing just to see a few of the yarn dyers out there.

Also, there is a general wishlist here. It's not all handmade, but there are a few Etsy items there.

Finally, this isn't handmade, but the wishlist above includes links to Austin' local yarn shops. Shopping there does support small local businesses. Also, I have my a wishlist on file at The Knitting Nest, and Stacy, the owner, would be glad to show you everything is. My list is filed under "V" for Villarreal. :)

Ok, I'm done being materialistic. Time to work on the gifts I'll be knitting.

(PS - If you're on my shopping list, let me know if you have handmade requests, or if you see something you like on Etsy or elsewhere.)

Upgrade

Do you remember when I considered this Feza Kid Mohair for the Stash and Burn One Skein Contest? Well, I found a use for it. I traded it off.

Tonight there was a Ravelry party at The Knitting Nest, which included a one skein swap. This is what I ended up with:



I think I've mentioned Ana and her Stitch Markers before. She also spins. Her sister was at the event and snagged a skein of Ana's handspun. She normally doesn't sell it, but she often gives it away.

The tag says "Wool Blend," but doesn't say what it's blended with. It also says "Navajo Plied" and I'm not sure what that means. It's 16 wraps per inch, 2 ounces and 215 yarns.

I call it an upgrade. We did the swap "Dirty Santa" style, and I stole it from someone. I was glad I got to keep it.

The good news is that Stacy, the store owner, got my Kid Mohair, and was happy with it. It's good to know it found a good home.

They don't call it "Instant Gratification" for nothin'

This was my progress a little more than 24 hours after casting on my Longhorn Socks. The Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification Sock Yarn is listed in Ravelry as "DK/Sport," which explains my progress. It makes me ponder the possibility of knitting an entire sweater out of the stuff. It's very soft.

I've actually knit even more since I took this picture. I'm now more than 30 rounds into the second sock. I think the cure for Second Sock Syndrome is to cast on the second sock right away. I've never had Second Sock Syndrome (sure, I've had Half Sock Syndrome and One and a Half Sock Syndrome, but never Second Sock Syndrome.)

I talked with Lynn at the Meetup group today, and she confirmed my theory. There is no reason to block socks unless you care how the look when they are not being worn. I'm glad I don't have to worry about it. These look a little wonky because the slipped stitch rib pulls it in so much, but they look great stretched out.

(Please let me know if you disagree with this theory. I'm wondering if I'm missing something.)

I also discovered that Alicia is doing the same sock, only with a much smaller gauge. After my last mystery project, it's good to be using something in a larger gauge.

I like sport weight sock yarn. :)