There's really not much I can say or add to what's been going on in the news these past few days. All I can say is that there is no way I can feel what those students or parents feel right now . . but I am horrified and saddened for them. No one should have to endure what they're going through right now. I also hope that other colleges and universities can pull together and stop the domino effect this is having . . . with bomb threats and scares happening throughout the country. It just really boggles my mind how people can think being a copycat is something they should do. I guess that's when you know someone's judgment about what's good and right is more than skewed.
I did a little recording for Sage from Quirky Nomads for her most recent podcast. Please check out the blog and listen to Naturally Beautiful. You can hear me!
Anyways, on to the knitting!!
I've decided to post here my first ever sock. *SIGH* Believe me, this has been quite the hurdle to overcome. I've had this extreme mental block towards socks for months now . . and I have absolutely no idea why. It really doesn't make any sense. But the other day I decided that enough was enough and I sat down with the written pattern and Cookie A. on my TV (taped from her show on Knitty Gritty) and plugged away. Rewind . . play . . rewind . . play . . . pause . . . rewind . . . s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n . . . on and on it's gone. I'm finally to the leg part and only have to finish up a few inches before binding off. Well, she "sews" off . . but I'll leave that to you to see in the pattern notes. ;)
About the only thing I'm perplexed about is: the pooling. The yarn I chose was Artyarns Supermerino in #153. For some reason the blue and turquoise colors have pooled on the top of the sock . . with the lighter blues and greens showing up on the bottom of the sock. I had no idea that this would happen and I'm not so sure I could have prevented it. The only issue now is . . . how do I proceed for the second sock?? I do want my socks to look fairly similar, so I'm assuming I will somehow have to replicate that pooling effect. But how???
At first I was a little dismayed that my first sock ever should have such a major flaw in it . . but that only lasted about 3 seconds. I immediately was thankful that it happened NOW . . . so I could learn from this for the future . . . and that it happened on the first pair, which will only mean that I will improve from this pair forward.
Any and all suggestions or instructions would be SO greatly appreciated.
I hope everyone has a happy and calm(er) weekend!
Comments (11)
Those are just beautiful! Pooling me damned. =D
Posted by Valerie | April 23, 2007 9:58 PM
Posted on April 23, 2007 21:58
Hi mamasita! How's the sock(s) coming along? Have you started the other one yet? I just finished a pair and they're on their way to England. I would have posted a pic, but they're a surprise for someone. Hope you are doing well!
xo
Posted by Brooke | April 23, 2007 9:53 PM
Posted on April 23, 2007 21:53
Congrats on your first sock, Leslie! It looks *beautiful*!!! =) As for the pooling -- it's pretty common depending on your yarn, and even more so with handpainted yarn. I've found that some yarns will pool for me and some won't, even though I use the exact same number of stitches and the same needle size. I wouldn't try to match the second sock; you might have to learn to accept the pooling!
Great job!!
Posted by caitlyn | April 21, 2007 11:54 PM
Posted on April 21, 2007 23:54
Hey, I'm just packing up your box to mail and found your blog quite by chance!
Your sock is perfectly lovely, but I personally don't care too much for either striping or pooling (though I think I prefer pooling) and am on a quest to create yarns that do neither. I'm eager to see what results you get with the yarn you just ordered from me.
Posted by Gryphon | April 20, 2007 2:05 PM
Posted on April 20, 2007 14:05
Pooling? Who cares! That's what you get with handpainted yarns, and I think it is beautiful. I gasped out loud when I pulled up this post and saw your sockies. They are GORGEOUS. Go you! Great job.
Posted by Sarah | April 19, 2007 3:20 PM
Posted on April 19, 2007 15:20
Yeah, ditto what Emy says! I think they're beautiful. I wouldn't see the pooling as a flaw, rather a bit of character. I can't wait to see them in person!
Posted by Christine | April 19, 2007 1:17 PM
Posted on April 19, 2007 13:17
Pooling happens, as all the lovely ladies mentioned above, but if you look at it as a character trait rather than a flaw, you'll be alright :) I only have one perfectly matched pair of handpainted socks. I like the individuality of each sock- they have their own personalities. I think your first sock looks awesome, girl! I can't wait to see what the other one looks like!
Posted by Brooke | April 19, 2007 8:06 AM
Posted on April 19, 2007 08:06
I too was bummed when my first pair of socks pooled.....I hated it but then grew to love it......and they don't match......I think your first one looks great! :) Who knows you might get lucky....they may both match!
Posted by leslie | April 18, 2007 11:37 PM
Posted on April 18, 2007 23:37
Pooling is, most of the time, inevitable. I agree with Emy that you shouldn't expect your two socks to match exactly when knitting with handpainted/dyed yarns.
Try to cast-on in the same spot in the color repeat as the first sock.
Also, make sure you are knitting at the same gauge as the first sock.
This will not guarantee that your socks with be the same, but this is what I do when I am knitting with handpainted sock yarns.
Your sock is beautiful and the pair will look just lovely, I'm sure!
Posted by Jamisyn | April 18, 2007 10:04 PM
Posted on April 18, 2007 22:04
I think that if you insist that socks match and also insist on working with handpainted yarn, you're often going to be disappointed. ;-) My personal rule is to let go and let the yarn do what it wants to do. If they match, great. If they don't, great. It all started out as the same yarn, so it's close enough.
Think of it like a field of wildflowers. You wouldn't expect that to have some regular pattern, and you'd almost expect there to be splotches of one color concentrated in a spot, and then another splotch somewhere else. That's what you're most likely to get with handpainted yarn.
And re: your sock...it looks FANTASTIC. That colorway is gorgeous!
Posted by Emy | April 18, 2007 2:27 PM
Posted on April 18, 2007 14:27
Pooling, Schmooling...I think the sock looks fantastic and can't wait to see it in person. Did the additional Artyarns come in the mail yet?
Posted by Phoebe | April 18, 2007 1:55 PM
Posted on April 18, 2007 13:55