Socktober: Volteado KAL Progress Report

Did you see Volteado and the KAL on the Knitty blog this morning? I greatly appreciate the mention, and the promotion of the KAL, which is off and running. In fact, one intrepid knitter already finished a pair of socks!

I'm nowhere near finishing, but given that I'm wrangling 2 small people all day long, I don't think I'm doing too badly:

I had forgotten how quickly these socks knit up once you get the rhythm, and I absolutely adore the colors I chose. Inspired by one of the KAL-ers, I think I'm going to reverse the colors on the 2nd sock, just for fun.

The KAL runs through November 30, and everyone who finishes a pair of socks will be entered in a prize draw to win some YARN, so come join us!


Interestingly enough, in honor of Socktober all of my socks suddenly decided to fall apart. I recently found myself wearing a completely mismatched pair out of desperation, and decided enough was enough. So, because I have NO sock yarn in my stash whatsoever, I did a wee bit of shopping:

Some fun yarns from Knitterly Things (self-striping!) and Western Sky Knits. Now I'm fully stocked to knit up some plain vanilla socks that I can work on when my brain is just too tired for Volteado's stranding (which is most of the time, these days), or on the rare occasions that I find myself a passenger in a car and don't want to wrangle 2 balls of yarn.

End of Month Reminders: KAL, Pattern Sale

 A quick reminder that our Volteado KAL starts tomorrow, October 1! In honor of Socktober we're getting together and knitting the Volteado socks, available for FREE in Knitty's Deep Fall issue. Grab 2 skeins of sock yarn and come join us! There are prizes! Yarn ones!

Also, today is the LAST day to get my Pumpkin Butter sock pattern for just $3.50! The price goes up to $5 tomorrow, so don't miss out.

KAL-ing, Pattern Preview and more!

Did you hear (erm, read?) the news? I'm hosting a Socktober knit-a-long! Please join us over in the MediaPeruana Designs Ravelry group to knit your own Volteado socks! Remember, the pattern is FREE, so you just need the yarn. The official kickoff is October 1, but we've been doing some pre-cast on chattering about yarn. And did I mentioned there are PRIZES?! So go check it out!

I think I've settled on the colors for my KAL pair--more Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label, this time in Poppy and Orange Blossom. I'm going for an "autumn leaves" look. But I may have also ordered a skein of Lucky Penny, just in case I change my mind.

This two kids thing is really limiting my knitting time. I still have 2 pullovers nearly finished, but am making almost no progress on them. My focus has primarily been on a new baby/toddler cardigan pattern:

Here's a little sneak peak. It's currently with testers, and I'm knitting up a 2nd sample in the newborn size so I can get pattern photos on both my boys. Then it's off to the tech editor, and hopefully published in late October!

And speaking of patterns, if you like the Abrigado pattern, check out this cute, behind-the-scenes video on the Creature Comforts collection (and don't forget to order your copy of Creature Comforts during Knit Picks' book sale, it's only $8.99!):

Volteado: In Color

All photos courtesy of Tanis Lavallee / Tanis Fiber Arts

If you're planning to knit Volteado, I bet you're excited to pick your colors--that's half the fun, isn't it? Imagining all the possible combinations and how they'll look together. Deciding and then changing your mind, and then changing it again until you finally settle on the perfect color combo.

Or maybe not. Maybe choosing colors stresses you out. So much room for error. What if your chosen colors don't work well together--there's not enough contrast or one makes the other look washed out? Too much pressure!

The yarn used in my sample socks comes from Tanis Fiber Arts. Tanis has some of the most gorgeous and unique colorways I've seen, and I can't seem to stop myself from placing a couple orders each year--even though I have to pay for shipping from Canada! It's totally worth it.

No one knows these colors better than Tanis herself, so I asked her if she could suggest some color combos for Volteado, for the color-averse among us. Here are a few of her ideas:

Oh, I love this one. I ogle Lucky Penny every time I'm on her site, trying to decide what I would do with it. I already have a skein of Gold. I might have to just go ahead and grab Lucky Penny and make myself a second pair of socks.

So bright! So fruity! Lemongrass looks fresh and clean, and Grape would be a gorgeous complement.

Another one I LOVE! I also have a skein of Iris. I'd love to see how it would work in these socks.

A more muted palette, I love this combo of blues. This might work for a masculine take on the sock, too (the larger size could work for a gentleman whose feet aren't exceptionally big; you might also try playing with the gauge to make a larger size.).

And for fun, here are two combos I considered when planning my socks:

 Very autumnal and cozy looking.

And in contrast, very bright and spring-y!

Tanis also pointed out that Charcoal, Chris Grey, Natural and Sand are neutrals, so they work with pretty much every color--if you're just dipping your toe into color mixing, you might choose one of these for your contrast color, to make the decision a little less intimidating. You just have to narrow down your main color from this beautiful selection:

(That's just the ones I could fit in a screenshot!)

Incidentally, Tanis also said some very sweet things about the Volteado socks. Isn't that nice? I love fiber people.

I hope this look at color jump starts your planning process for Volteado. Be sure to visit Tanis' site to see all the colors she offers (she also has two other fingering weight yarns that would work for these socks: sparkly Cosmic Blue Label and Purple Label with cashmere!).

And if you are planning to knit a pair, would you be interested in a KAL? I'm consider hosting one in the MediaPeruana Designs group--maybe I could even rustle up a few prizes! But I want to gauge interest before I commit, so if you're interested in KALing, leave a comment here, or visit the Volteado pattern thread, and tell me you'd like to do a KAL!

ETA: The KAL is a go! Join us here!

Pattern Debut: Volteado

 

What did I tell you about autumn, huh? Season of knitting, season of NEW PATTERNS. Yep, another one.  Introducing Volteado!

 

I'm excited to share that you'll find this one in the Knitty Deep Fall issue! So you know what that means--it's FREE!

These socks used two skeins of Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label fingering weight. The sample is knit in Plum and Sunset.

Purple is my color, lately. And this is one beautiful purple.

They're knit cuff down, and available in two sizes: 8" and 9" foot circumference. The sample socks are the smaller size--they fit my size 7.5 foot quite nicely!

The color repeats are short, which results in short, stacked floats that are extra thick and warm, particularly on the soles. Cuffs, toes and short row heels are done in a solid color to contrast.

Now that the pattern is live, I can stop protecting my sample pair and start wearing them!

Stay tuned, my previously exclusive Pumpkin Butter sock design goes live Monday--more colorwork socks!--bringing my September pattern release total up to 4!

ETA: Please join us for a Volteado knit-a-long! We'll be starting October 1, but you can join in the pre-cast on chatter here.

Pattern Preview: Pumpkin Butter

I have to tell you all, July is not going well for me.

It has just been one thing after another: first CP got sick. Then he gave his cold to JJ. Then my dad was in the hospital. And JJ's cold got worse and worse and he slept less and less, and I got more and more exhausted. I had a big translation contract that I almost didn't meet the deadline for, and everything else got pushed aside. I'm also still growing that baby, who is now due in less than 4 weeks, and I've fallen way, way behind on the pre-baby to do list. As well as every other to do list.

And now I'm writing this blog post instead of making dinner because the pasta pot is dirty and I don't feel like washing it, and why isn't cereal an acceptable dinner?

(Just kidding. We're out of cereal.)

One thing I did manage to finish--only 10 days late--was the exclusive pattern for crafters who donated to my CCFA Fundraiser!

These stranded socks--which I've dubbed Pumpkin Butter--are just perfect for fall. When the weather starts to get chilly, the extra warmth created by the floats is a wonderful addition.

The pattern calls for two skeins of Cascade Heritage, a sturdy fingering weight yarn that's reasonably priced and comes in a squillion colors. (With many thanks to Cascade Yarns for supporting this design!)

I bet you'd just never guess the two shades I used--Pumpkin and Butter.

The pattern is written for knitting the socks toe-up on 2 circular needles, and includes just one size--women's medium / 8" foot circumference--due to the large pattern repeat. However, as suggested in the pattern, you can fairly easily produce a larger size by working at a different gauge.

This pattern is currently exclusive to CCFA donors, in recognition of their generous contributions. But you can queue it up on Ravelry here, and it will be available for purchase starting September 15.

In the meantime, throughout the month of July, I'll be offering a special discount on all of my other self-published patterns in honor of the U.S. and Peruvian Independence Days. Use the code JULY14 in my Ravelry shop to get a FREE pattern of your choice when you purchase any pattern. BOGO ends July 31.

Countdown: 6 Weeks to D-Day

Sleep deprivation and limited brain power = mis-crossed cables.

Where oh where does the time go? Day to day, things seem pretty normal around here, but in actuality, it's getting a little hectic.

Baby #2 is expected to arrive in about 6 weeks. SIX WEEKS, PEOPLE. I still can't believe people do this on purpose. (Have kids 18 months apart, I mean; not have kids in general. Although, some days . . . )

Baby #1, AKA, JJ, has decided to mark this auspicious occasion by hating sleep--he's either waking up at 5am, fighting his naps, fighting his bedtime, waking numerous times a night or, worst, all of the above. (See, he was up at 5:15 this morning, and just woke up from his nap after only an hour--not cool.)

 This is my apologetic face, mommy.

I'm working on a big translation contract, which will help in padding our finances for baby #2's arrival, but is also using what little brain power I have left (see mis-crossed cable photo above).

And I'm finalizing some designs that will be published later this year, and getting some proposals in before I start "maternity leave," so to speak, in August.

And of course, the knitting continues.

My swift (finally) broke, and I've been so pleased with my new umbrella swift that I've actually been enjoying winding yarn (almost). Including this:

This is a club color from Forbidden Woolery that is the epitome of autumn. It's pretty busy, though, so I decided some plain, vanilla socks were in order:

Such simple knitting after a long day.

I spent the last week on a particularly difficult translation, so I took yesterday off and stored up a little brain power to fix that mis-crossed cable too:

I've never actually dropped down to fix a cable before, so it was a new experience. And I've got one more to fix, since I managed to mis-cross on both sides of the sweater--go me!

Here's hoping I can continue to be productive over the next 6 weeks--come August, things are going to be very different (and by that I mean CRAZY) around here!

Wittle Wednesdays: Spooky Wittle Sock Recipe

Ta-da! Here we are at the pumpkin patch, Halloween socks and all.

I was able to finish the socks in time, including an adventure in seaming while doped up on cold meds the morning of, because JJ was kind enough to share his cold with me (and not, I will note, with CP).

Sadly, the first thing JJ did when we set him on the ground to take pictures was rub his socks in the dirt, leaves, sticks and debris. At least it wasn't rotten pumpkin guts.

In case you'd like a quick pair of Halloween (or other themed) striped socks of your own, I've whipped up a little recipe for you.

What makes this a "recipe" instead of a pattern? Let's see.

For starters, there's nothing particularly novel about these socks--they're just slightly more interesting than plain vanilla socks, they just happen to be baby-sized. Basically, I've done a little math to create a smaller sock, so if you don't want to go to the trouble of doing math, it's your lucky day!

Sort of. This sock recipe comes in only one size: Size JJ. His little foot is about 4" long, and 5" around, so if you have a baby that's about that size, or will someday be that size, these socks are for you.

I'm going to assume you already have a general idea of how to knit socks, and have a handle on all the techniques that go with that, so I'm going to keep the instructions fairly simple. I knit these on DPNs, so the instructions are, you guessed it, for knitting on DPNs!

Also, this hasn't been test knit or tech edited.

And finally, while this basic sock will work with any fingering weight yarn, I used Knit Picks Felici and I did a lot of, "Oh, I'll just knit until the next color change," so if you use the same yarn, you'll get the same color blocking.

Spooky Wittle Sock Recipe

Gauge: approx 8 sts/in

 CO 44 sts over 3 DPNs

Work in 1x1 rib for approximately .5", or 1 color repeat.

Knit 1 round, placing a marker after 22 sts to mark middle of the rnd.

Leg Pattern:

Rnd 1: *k2, slp 1 wyib, k to 3 sts before m, slp 1 wyib, k2; rep from * once.
Rnd 2: *k2, k1 tbl, k to 3 sts before m, k1 tbl, k2; rep from * once.

Work leg pattern through 2 color repeats, or until leg is approximately 3" long, ending after Rnd 2.

Heel Flap

Work Rnd 1 once (I purposely worked 1 rnd in the next color, to make a little "strap" across the front of the ankle); at end of rnd, turn work.

Slp 1, then work back across 21 sts, up to the m; as you are no longer working in the round, you'll be purling on the WS, and remember to purl the slipped sts through the back loop.

You will be working the heel back and forth on these 22 sts. Move remaining 22 sts to scrap yarn or a spare needle.

Continue working heel sts in pattern, and slipping the first st of each row, until heel flap reaches approx 1.5", ending with a WS row.

Turn the Heel

Row 1: K13, ssk, k1, turn.
R2: Slp 1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.
R3: Slp 1, knit to gap, ssk across gap, k1, turn.
R4: Slp 1, purl to gap, p2tog across gap, p1, turn.

Continue as established until all sts on the needle have been worked; 14 sts.

Knit across 14 heel sts.

Gusset

Return held sts to needle.

Pick up and knit approx 11 sts down the left side of the heel flap (needle 1), work across held sts in pattern (needle 2), pick up and knit 11 sts up the right side of the heel flap, then knit 7 more sts from the original heel flap (needle 3) to bring you to the new center of the round.

Work 1 rnd, knitting sts on needles 1 and 3, and working needle 2 in pattern. (You may find it useful to knit the picked up sts through the back loop on this rnd to tighten them up.)

Rnd 1: Needle 1: Knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1; Needle 2: work in pattern; Needle 3: k1, ssk, knit to end of rnd.
Rnd 2: Knit sts on Needles 1 and 3; work sts on Needle 2 in pattern.

Rep Rnds 1 and 2 until 22 sts remain on Needles 1 and 3. Needle 1 and 3 now hold sole sts, Needle 2 holds top of foot sts.

Foot

Continue as established, working Needle 2 sts in pattern and sole sts in stockinette, until foot reaches approx 3.5", or about halfway through the 7th color block. Mark new ctr of rnd between Needles 1 and 2.

Toe

Rnd 1 (start of Needle 2): *k1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1; rep from * once across needles 3 and 1.
Rnd 2: knit.

Rep these 2 rnds until 24 sts rem; then rep only rnd 1 until 16 sts rem.

Seam toe using kitchener stitch.

Make 2nd sock.

Put on adorable baby.

Halloween Sock Scramble

You guys know how I get these ideas.

Like, "Oh, why don't I design and knit a sweater in a month?"

Or "Why don't I knit a shawl in a week?"

I keep thinking I'm going to STOP getting these ideas, and it keeps not happening.

A few weeks ago, as I was marveling at how utterly stupid baby clothing manufacturers must be, to think that the same pair of socks could fit a 3-month old and a 12-month old, I decided JJ needed some special socks to wear to the pumpkin patch. (And also for fitting his feet correctly.) I picked up a ball of Knit Picks Felici in Spooky, and since it's self-striping, I didn't need a particularly busy sock pattern to go with it, just something slightly more involved than plain stockinette so I wouldn't go crazy.

I ran into some trouble.

I found a lot of fun patterns for self-striping yarn, but they were all for adults, and would require advanced calculus to resize for JJ.

No thanks.

And I found almost no sock patterns for older babies--apparently it's fun to knit socks and booties for little bitty guys, but once they pass 6 months of age, baby sock knitting just loses its appeal.

(I suspect this has something to do with babies and toddlers constantly kicking off their socks, but--knock on wood--JJ doesn't do that. Yet.)

I hemmed and hawed so long on the pattern that once I finally decided to just come up with something myself, I had less than a week left to get them done.

What I've got right now is a half-finished pair of simple baby socks, with a few columns of slipped-stitches to add some knitting interest and to cause little jogs at the color changes, for visual interest.

Will I finish sock #2 in time for the pumpkin patch TOMORROW?!?

Pattern Debut: Limeño

Photo courtesy of Three Irish Girls

Design publication has tricky timing--you work on projects months, or perhaps years, apart, and then somehow, because of the often-lengthy process of test knitting, tech editing, photographing, etc., everything comes together at once.

Such is the case with THREE of my latest designs, which are all going to be published within the next month or so, despite the fact that I finished designing one project in October 2011, and another one last month.

And here's the first:

Photo courtesy of Three Irish Girls

Pattern Name: Limeño, published by Three Irish Girls
Yarn: 3IG Adorn Sock, 80/20 Merino-Nylon, in Lucky Penny
Price: $5.95 for the digital download
Raveled

A Limeño is a man from Lima. I married Completamente Peruano in October 2011, and sometime before that, probably cutting it too close, I set out to design him a special pair of socks to wear for the big day. I wanted something busy enough to keep me interested, but not too fussy, or they wouldn't look "manly" enough.

CP's original socks were knit in Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock, in the Pumpkin King colorway, perfect for our autumn wedding.

The front features a textured twisted moss stitch that tapers to a point at the toe:

While the back is decorated with simple cables; the center cables flow into a ribbed heel flap, while the side cables wind all the way down to the bottom of the foot:

The socks are knit from the cuff down, and the pattern written for knitting in the round on 2 circular needles. As they were originally designed for a man, the pattern features men's sizes: medium/8" foot circumference and large/9" foot circumference. Ladies may find the medium works well as a women's large, and for a smaller sock, can try adjusting the gauge.

You can download this pattern from Three Irish Girls' website for $5.95.

On damage control

An epic tragedy has struck my sock family.

Not one, but TWO socks have sprouted holes:

It's a very sad day.

Although, on the plus side, I did find the hole in the gold socks before it became monstrous--those are CP's socks, and if I hadn't noticed, I'm sure he would've continued to wear them until the heel disappeared entirely.

And happily, I've discovered a series of video tutorials on darning socks, on the Knit Picks website.

Oh, Knit Picks, you never let me down.

I'm going to order a darning egg, and once it arrives, tackle this project.

(I'm sure I won't accidentally order anything else. . . )

I'll keep you posted on the results. And feel free to share your darning experiences--have you darned before??

On catching up

First and foremost, Dory would like to extend her sincere apologies on missing her regular post last Tuesday. In my absence, she wasn't able to turn the computer on, so no kitteh kolumn. She'll be around tomorrow with her usual helpful advice, so don't worry!

Last week I was busy being very business-like in Costa Rica:

This is the view from the balcony outside our meeting room--pretty nice! What isn't evident in this photo is that it rained about 80% of the time we were there. Since we were supposed to be doing work, the rain didn't matter too much, but it was a bit depressing.

Also, I'm sick of beans and rice.

Well, kinda.

I really do love gallo pinto.


Before we left for CR, we participated in the Baltimore Take Steps, Be Heard walk for Crohn's and Colitis awareness:

Team Mary Kate ultimately raised $1,170, and you guys were a big chunk of that, so THANK YOU!


And I didn't get a chance to brag that I actually did finish the Stage 1 Tour de Sock socks on time--in fact, 2 days early!

I'm finding the lacy toe a little airy for my taste, but loving the color of the yarn.

Sadly, I'm so far behind on the Stage 2 sock, they'll be starting Stage 3 before I even get to the heel. Not only was my knitting time limited with the meeting, colorwork just . . . isn't my thing. I like the way it looks, but I don't like doing it. So it's slow.

I think I might have to count myself out of the race.

Especially since Thursday is MOVING DAY!

So much to do, so little time.

On ghosts of projects past

Remember in January, when I said I was going to knit 12 pair of socks this year?

You probably laughed.

And quite rightly.

It's May, so I should have 4 complete pair of socks by now.

And I only have 2.5.

Who saw that coming?

And the sad thing is, the 2 complete pair look suspiciously similar.

They're actually 2 different socks, but both use chevron patterning. You may recall the first pair I completed were the Achilles Heal socks. This time, it's Jaywalkers.

I first tried to knit these socks in July 2009. This may seem like an oddly specific thing to remember, but I remember quite distinctly because I was mugged in Belize and my socks, yarn and DPNs were stolen by some jerk who also managed to run up a $75,000 (yes, that's 3 zeros) cell phone bill (which of course I was not responsible for, but it never would've happened in the first place if AT&T had turned off the phone when I called and say "Hey, I'm in foreign country and some jerk just stole my cell phone!").

I loved the way that stolen sock was working up, so it took a long time to come to terms with its loss and try again.

But I'm glad I did, because as far as sock patterns go, it was engaging yet not overly complicated, and the socks are fun!

I used a yarn that's been sitting in my stash for quite a while, from the now-defunct Blue Hands Fibers. A few years ago, the dyer, Denise, had a contest to win a yarn club membership, and I won! This quite variegated skein had been sitting in my stash ever since, waiting for the perfect project to come along. It's made a bright, playful pair of socks, and soft too.

While I adore these, I'd also like to try knitting these socks with thicker stripes.  My original attempt was using Knit Picks Felici, which I think fits the bill.

Just give me another three years to get back to the pattern.


Blog readers who visit my page directly may have noticed new tabs at the top: Reviews and Tutorials. They're a bit empty now (you'll find my sock yarn review in there), but I hope to be adding content in the very near future. In the meantime, if anyone wants to send me anything to review (books, yarn, family cookie recipes, your latest haircut), just shoot me an email.