Plans and Schemes

Remember this?  (It is still Heather's Favorite Sock and you can still get 20% off purchasing it--or anything else on Heather's favorite website with the code "LANA2014."  In case you forgot.  Her blog is also a good read today.)

It has undergone a state change because I have begun swatching.  No progress photos of THAT to show you, alas; I unraveled my swatch because I am a Bad Knitter.  But there may be more of those in the week to come.

Otherwise I am still plugging away on my Moyen Age--but one sleeve to go!

A note about the pattern, actually, while I'm thinking about it.  I've mostly been knitting it exactly as written with no trouble, but that fell down completely when it came to the sleeves.  I was knitting busily away on the first of them and thinking "hmm, that seems a little big."  Then I tried it on.

ENORMOUS.  Sleeve that could blot out the sun.

What happened was this: I have very, very short arms.  The decreases as written happen very, very slowly.  Therefore, I ended up with a sleeve big enough to fit my upper arm . . . below my elbow.

I must emphasize that this is not the fault of the designer.  My arms are so short that they are genuine sideshow material.  She could not possibly have anticipated this.

I will say, however, that if your arms are similarly constructed, you might want to pause and check your rate of decrease after you finish the sleeve short rows.

Sprightly Socks

I was obsessed with the Wollmeise colorway "Iris Sibirica" pretty much from the moment I saw it.  I finally managed to lay hands on a skein last winter and, finally done gloating over it, cast on a sock toe in mid-February.

Then I promptly cast it aside because I have the attention span of a particularly flighty magpie.

You know what happened next--thwarted from making further progress on my Moyen Age, I picked the poor neglected thing up once more, and BAM.  INSTASOCKS.

These are seriously addictive to knit, people.  I'm not sure I should sell them, to be perfectly honest.  The world economy might grind to a halt while the sock knitters neglect their jobs and homes to knit Sprightly Sock after Sprightly Sock.


But I can't keep them to myself--they deserve to be out among their people.

So without further ado, the Sprightly Socks--put a little spring in your step!

Purchase it here (and take 50% off with coupon code "SPROING"!)

These would be a great place to start for someone who knits a lot of socks cuff-down but has never knit toe-up socks before, or someone who has cut their teeth on the Mindless Socks and is looking to something a little more challenging.  The rectangle toe-up cast-on and German short-row heel both have photo tutorials!

(They would also be excellent for those clown-barf multis in your stash that you never quite knew what to do with.  This is how much I care.)

So Excite

Guise.  Guise.  You know what this is?

It is yarn, of course.  But it is SPECIAL yarn.

How special?

 This is yarn hand-dyed by Heather of T&H Fiber Works.  And it is in my hot little hands because soon, very soon, I will be creating something with it!

Heather and I are incredibly excited to bring you this product of our collective genius.  (Well, okay, any genius contributed is strictly Heather's.)

Be sure to hop over to Heather's blog to read about her process and her yarns.

Wanted to make sure all was in readiness before I added this--from now until the end of 2014, if you'd like to purchase any of Heather's yarns, you may use coupon code LANA2014 for 20% off your order.  Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

This Is Not a Pipe

Nor is it a blog, as it has no pictures, which are surely the sine qua non of bloggery, no?  (Note my subtle working of a Latin bon mot into the conversation.  This is why I spent all that money on college.)

But sock the first of the obsessive pair is done, and I am about three inches up the leg of sock the second.  If I knit diligently (and monogamously), I'll have it done by the weekend and the pattern polished enough to release by next week.  But this leaves me with something of a dilemma.

As is usual, I knit this pair of socks to fit myself.  But I don't think my feet and legs will photograph well in the pattern--it needs someone with narrow feet and skinnier calves so the stretch of the fit won't interfere visually.  And I'm not sure I know someone here whom I know well enough to ask to be a sock model.

Imagining the ensuing Craigslist ad has me crossing my eyes.

What else am I up to?

Mostly, I've been devoting myself to Moyen Age, a gorgeous sweater designed by Hanna Maciejewska.  I got to the point where I could really try it on the other day, and it fits like a dream.  I'd show you a picture, but the juxtaposition of blue sweater and polka-dot bra is far too amusing to let loose on the internet.  So here's a progress picture from earlier:

Now I just have to knit the sleeves . . . and the neckline . . .

Maybe I'll work on some socks, instead.

Like these:

A few weeks ago I cast on a sock toe in Wollmeise Twin with the vague intention of doing something with slipped stitches.  Monday night, needing to wind more yarn for Moyen Age, I picked up the toe and started playing around . . . and now I am OBSESSED.  Like, knit an entire sock foot, turn the heel, and make it three inches up the leg in two days obsessed.

I paused at that point to try it on and made three observations:

1) The foot was not long enough.
2) The short-row method I had used for the heel looked gorgeous on the left side and like utter ass on the right side.
3) The leg was tight in a . . .  worrisome fashion.

So, because I am a knitter dedicated to my craft, I ripped that sucker back.  The foot length was easy to fix, of course, but resolving the heel problem took most of my knitting time today.  I did eventually conquer the thing, on the third try (pro tip: do not bother to reinvent the wheel; it works fine), and I've made it an inch and change up the leg.

I intend to set a land-speed record with these.  Just watch me.

More Manly

I said I'd be back with new patterns, and, lo, I am!

I am pleased to announce the publication of More Manly, an ebook collection containing the popular Manly Scarf and Manly Möbius patterns as well as two brand-new patterns: the Manly Hat and Manly Mitts!

They're all fast and easy knits (well, easy if you know how to cable . . . but cabling is so easy, everyone should try it!)

Right now I am offering the ebook, which normally retails for $15.00, at a 15% discount with the code "madmarchhoar."  (This code will also work toward the Manly Mitts and Manly Hat patterns, but really, if you're going to buy those, you might as well buy the whole thing at a substantial cost savings, right?)

Links!  More Manly: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/more-manly

Manly Hat: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-manly-hat

Manly Mitts: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-manly-mitts

Long time, no blog

So it's been awhile, yes?

I do apologize to anyone who was actually reading.

I have been knitting for the past . . . year and change . . . but I've been doing lots of other things, too.  These things include three cross-country drives, two moves, an engagement, and a dog adoption.

It's been a busy year, is what I'm saying.

But I'm thinking it's time to resurrect this puppy, starting with a fresh new look.

I hope there will be some content to come as well.

Stash Toss!

Ever have the urge to go through your stash and just see what's IN there? I do!

And along the way, I decided to photograph some things that have hitherto escaped my lens. My stash page, it is enhanced.

A few years ago, I succumbed to a couple of KnitPicks lace samplers. I've knit with a few skeins and traded at least one away, but I still have quite a few kicking around. From the top: Shadow in Vineyard, Shimmer in Galaxy, Alpaca Cloud in Tide Pool. And this is far from all I have. I should get to knitting some more lace . . .




Also a few years ago, I was part of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club. The yarns are lovely, I just never got around to knitting with (most of) them! Clubs just aren't for me; I work on too long and inflexible a timetable. They do, however, make for excellent eye candy. (Pictured: STR Lightweight Pepe Le Plume and Garden Daze.)


Then of course, there are the odds and ends of the stash--these next two were both gifts! Domy Heather and Diamond Yarn Lima:



Believe it or not, this isn't even everything I took pictures of today, but this post is long enough as it is. Perhaps I'll show off some more next time.

Progress Is Made, Albeit Slowly

When last we spoke, I was knitting an Aeolian and some Fir Cone socks. I am STILL knitting an Aeolian and some Fir Cone socks, but progress has been made:


I'm past the heel and well up the leg on the first of the socks. (Stupid Irishman and his giant feet.)

And I'm working the first transitional chart on the Aeolian:


Of course, lace just looks blobby before blocking, but the recipient assures me that she likes it so far . . .

The reason I haven't gotten further on either socks or shawls is that I was working on a sweater pattern to submit to Knitty. I missed the deadline, so that project is going into hibernation for awhile. Don't worry, it will be back someday.

Big, Purple, and DONE

I finally blocked the Birthday Pi, and then finally got around to taking some pictures!

Here's a detail shot of the final motif and edging:


The center of the shawl:


And the full monty:


This thing is big--for perspective, that's a queen-size sheet it's blocked on.

And here are a few outside shots of the finished piece:

If I may confess, I've never seen much point in modeled lace photography. After all, what makes lace cool is the interplay between positive and negative space, the juxtaposition of light and dark:


Designers and magazines, of course, need clear shots of the finished product so that knitters know what they're getting. But those photos just aren't as interesting.



Granted, I'm no photographer, and the Irishman is terrible. (Why do you think I only have him take pictures when it's absolutely necessary?) But so often in modeled shots I find myself dwelling on the model rather than the knitting.


Not to mention that the best glimpse of the patterning and architecture of a lace piece comes from blocking photos--and magazines never print those!

This may be sour grapes, but nevertheless--aren't these pictures cool?

P.S. Anyone need a tablecloth?