The Knitting Pirate

Sometimes it’s difficult to choose a traveling project without casting on for something new, and sometimes it’s really obvious. Fortunately for me, this is one of the obvious times! On Wednesday I’ve a four and a half hour train trip, followed by an eight hour drive on Thursday, and then a long weekend in Ottawa with my sworn-sister, the Knitting Ninja and some of our friends.

In preparation, I cast on last night for the second of the Sibling Socks, an easy project to bring along that not only won’t take up too much space, but also won’t be too hard to work on while drinking beer and playing games. I haven’t traveled by train since I was in college, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to knit without getting motion-sickness. I’m going to give it a try!

Here’s something that you might find hard to believe: I turned down a trip to WEBS. One of the potential routes to Canada puts us in the neighborhood of America’s Yarn Store, and I actually said “let’s not go this year.” We’ve stopped at WEBS for the past few years, so I feel as though I’ve accomplished my pilgrimage as a knitter. I really don’t need any impulse yarn, and I’m sure to buy some if we stop. And… we’re going to visit yarn stores in Ottawa. Not that the exchange rate is super-favorable to American dollars at the moment, but I’d rather see if I can pick up a souvenir from another country that I might not be able to get in the States.

This is the first of the Stripey Striped Socks. I don’t think I’ve had a love-hate relationship with a yarn like this before. The only thing that might come close is the Plymouth Sockotta that I used for Pomatomus. The colors are just perfect, but knitting with the yarn… not so much.

I hate to admit it, but I’d kinda like a second pair of these. I’ve seen some gorgeous knee-high versions that alternate white with the colors. What can I say, I’m a sucker for the stripes!

The Sibling Sock is stripey in a whole different way. Trekking XXL is a beautiful thin yarn which comes together in completely random stripes. This is a skein which Janis gave me as a gift a few years ago. The leg is a little short because I was paranoid of running out of yarn, but that’s all right; I’m sure the leftovers will be put to use somewhere. When the sock is done, I plan to write up the pattern for it in two sizes, and then publish it.

One of my goals for 2010 is to finish all the socks I have on the needles. Another is to publish at least two patterns. I have the first one nearly done and ready to go… but I don’t yet know what the second one will be.

Last night, I went out with Pirate-Husband and a bunch of his now-former co-workers to celebrate his last day at his job. He is moving on from being “Field Services Manager” at a construction engineering firm, to being “Vice President of Business Development” at the marketing arm of a company selling energy management services. It is a big, exciting step up!

Anyway, because it was his celebration, I volunteered to be the designated driver, but I got a little restless after I had switched from beer to water and everyone else was still drinking. Fortunately, I had the Sibling Sock in my purse. (Why yes, I did choose that purse specifically because it has a compartment which is perfectly sized for a 100g ball of sock yarn and the in-progress sock!) I thought about it for a while. After all, you never know how people will react to knitting, and–

Then I came to a conclusion: Who cares?

I knit about an inch of sock while we sat and talked, and at first everyone was interested – ooh, what’s that? I can only knit scarves. I never learned to knit but wow, that looks great! After about five minutes, my knitting just sort of faded into the background, and became a non-issue. It was perfect.

With very little complication, the second edition of the Brother Sock is well on its way towards completion. I did have to futz with the heel numbers a bit – how do those numbers work? They never seem to come out even when I try to make them up myself. I bet there’s a formula… or maybe it will just become intuitive with time and practice.

I really like the colors of this yarn, sand and blues and peaches in random striping. It’s Trekking XXL in colorway 90, which Janis gave to me as a present some years ago. I’d started a ribbed sock with it that came out way too tightly, but with 80 stitches instead of 64, it’s fitting much better now! I deliberately made the leg of this one on the short side, so that I won’t run into the same problem as the last time I knit a sock with Trekking XXL. There’s always the possibility of reknitting, if I find I’ve got lots of yarn left over at the end, and if I decide that I really do want taller socks after all.

Here is a not-so-great phone camera picture of the beginning of the smaller size of the Brother sock pattern I am designing. I cast on 80 stitches on Saturday morning, after some “emergency” text messages to Michael to find out how well his pair fit him, and to remind me of how many stitches in the ribbing. He gets brownie points for being able to read knitting, that’s for sure, and I lose points for not taking better notes the first time I knit this pattern. How silly of me!

I like fine-gauge socks, and there aren’t too many patterns for them out there. These are knit at 45 stitches to 4 inches, which is not really too hard. I have to keep in mind that the legs should be made slightly shorter than usual, because the fine gauge uses up more yardage than a thicker yarn would. Even with my size 10.5 feet, I can get a pair of crew-length socks, just below my calf muscle, from a regular 100g ball of sock yarn – so I should be able to knit something taller than anklets from the Trekking. I thought about knitting the cuffs, heels and toes from a contrasting color of yarn, but decided that I didn’t like the way it looked with the options of colors I had in my stash. I will write it into the pattern as a suggestion for other knitters with large feet.

I don’t know why this is, but it’s true: lots of new and new-ish spinners have never knit with their handspun yarn. Oh, maybe a gauge swatch, a little test here and there, but never an actual finished object.

Janis and I learned to spin at exactly the same time, at the 2007 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Two years have gone by and neither of us has ever knit with our own handspun! How crazy is that? So we’ve committed to each starting a sock with our own yarn. I’ll be using the BFL, and knitting toe-up and plain stockinette. I haven’t yet swatched, but the yarn is fine enough that I might have to go down to size 0 needles, and I want to get as much sock as possible from this yarn.

Just to hedge my vacation-knitting bets, I’m also going to bring a ball of Trekking XXL with me. I have been wanting to knit a pair of “Brother’s Socks” for myself in my own size, so that I can write up the pattern in two sizes and get it published already. I just need to work out the heel and toe numbers; the rest is almost exactly the same. Conveniently, I already know what gauge I get with Trekking; a horrifyingly small 45 stitches to four inches. I’ll be using the yarn that didn’t work out for my previous attempt at ribbed socks. Now I know I need many, many more stitches than what I cast on last time!

I briefly considered bringing the green yarn and chart for the “Verdant” socks that I began in the class I took with Cookie A. last year, but I think those may take too much concentration to be vacation socks. I still need to come up with a ribbing that flows into the pattern, and the charted lace takes all of my brain-power… which is in short supply in the heat of the day.

Anyway, I’ll only be gone for nine days! As much as I think I’m going to sit around knitting, I’m not very quick at it. Not to mention all the spinning I’ll have with me. I think I’ll be able to keep myself occupied with two socks and a half-ton of fiber.

Janis asked,

So the important question is, what spinning and knitting will you be bringing to Pennsic?

Well!

For knitting, I will bring the Noro Striped Socks. I’m up into the leg of the first sock, and would like to get them finished, but honestly – they’re not holding me. Counting five rounds of stockinette stitch over and over is sort of dull, and I will be glad when they are done. I was also thinking about bringing the green yarn for the “Verdant” sock design that I started in Cookie A.’s class, and working on that. Or perhaps I could bring some Trekking XXL and work out the heel numbers for the fine-gauge rib pattern that I used for the Bloo Sock; then I’d have heels for two sizes and could publish that pattern, which will be called “Brother’s Socks”.

For spinning, I am definitely going to bring the Bullens Woolens fiber that I picked up at MDSW. There are four ounces each of Falklands and Merino/Silk, and I’m going to spin for a fingering weight with one ply of each. I will almost certainly take another braid or three of fiber with me. I decided against the batts that I carded and the “Starry Night” roving; I don’t want to mess with weighing anything. If I spin from braids, I can just fold them into half or thirds and tear. They’ll be even enough that way.

There will undoubtedly be fiber in Merchants Row to purchase, but it may or may not need processing before I can spin it. I seem to remember some silk hankies last year… in colors that I didn’t care for. Maybe if I get there as soon as they open, I’ll have better luck this year!

Yesterday was gray and drizzly, and I didn’t accomplish much in the way of knitting. I did catch up with friends for a bit, and had a lovely dinner with Pirate-Husband of chicken, sweet potato, and acorn squash over couscous… but no knitting! This morning was black and rainy, my commute took twenty minutes longer than it should, and I’m a little grumpy about it. In order to make myself feel better, I’m looking at my stash on Ravelry.

(I also ordered a three-pack of Malbec from wine.woot to make myself feel better, but that’s not as closely related to yarn and fiber… though it’s just as relaxing!)

So anyway, my stash. It’s so soothing to look at it, even in pictures, even without the tactile pleasures. I can imagine what I’ll knit or spin, I can envision the excitement of casting on and the accomplishment of binding off, the curiosity to see how dyed top will spin up and the milestones of filling a bobbin, plying, washing, and parading the finished yarn around the house.

I’m starting to plan out my 2009 fiber arts. Mom’s gloves should be done in two weeks (I’m being realistic; I can knit a glove in a week but my hands will hate me for it) and my socks should hopefully be finished in the next few weeks after that. Maybe I can get both of those projects done before the New Year!

Two fairly complex projects need to be worked on. The first is the Pomatomus socks; I have no excuse for not having those complete already. The next is Napramach, a colorwork bag for friend Angie, who has made me some beautiful SCA garb. I have the yarn and am thoroughly intimidated by the pattern.

Two sock designs are percolating in my head. One is the written-up pattern for the with numbers for a smaller size worked out, and a new name of “Brother’s Socks.” The second is the design I started in the sock class I took with Cookie A. back in September, which is much more elaborate. I’m going to name it “Verdant.”

2009 will also be a year for spinning. I can’t justify the purchase of a second wheel until I’m spending more time at the one I have. And I can’t justify the purchase of more top/roving until I’ve spun up some of what I have. The Yarn Harlot says that Tuesdays are for spinning, so perhaps I will take her advice and schedule time that’s specifically for turning fluff into usable yarn. I would really like to have a pair of socks made from my own handspun. I also have a dream of a lace shawl from my own handspun, but I’m not touching those rolags until I’m more confident in my ability to spin smooth, fine yarn.

It’s possible that 2009 will be a year for dyeing. There’s only one room in the house that hasn’t been unpacked and set up yet, and that’s the crafts room. Well, right now it’s a boxes-and-laundry room. The washer and dryer are going to stay right where they are, but there’s no reason that the rest of the room can’t be set up for arts and crafts! I’d like to arrange a fiber station with areas for both carding and dyeing.

Ahh, I’m feeling better already…

Here are the completed Bloo Socks. I used Elizabeth Bennett’s Perl Sock Program to start off, but had to make so many changes to it – first the number of stitches I cast on, then the ribbing, then the heel numbers, the decrease type, the toe… Enough changes were made that I feel comfortable writing up what I did as an original pattern. I will call them “Brother’s Socks” and hopefully knit a test sock for myself before releasing the pattern in two sizes. The Bloo version will be the large at 96 stitches, and medium will have 88. Maybe I’ll figure out the numbers for the heel and toe at 80 stitches for a small size as well. It’ll probably be another freebie pattern, as I’m not sure it’s complex enough to charge any money for. What do you think?

This is how far I got in three days of on-and-off knitting on the quick pair of toe-up socks I’m making for myself. It took a couple of tries to remember the trick of doing a figure-eight toe, but once I got all the stitches arranged on the needles it was full speed ahead! I got lots of comments about how fast it was going. That’s the thing about stripy socks, at least for me. I want to knit as fast as I can to see how the stripes will come out! I had expected them to be narrower, but they’re coming out at around five rounds each. When I start the second sock I’ll do my best to start in the same place so they match. These definitely pass my “blue jeans” test for hand-knit socks, but I’m sure I’ll wear them to work under skirts as well.