Off the wagon

Yes, I fell off my self-imposed no-spend wagon. To the tune of $82.

But... it's $82 worth of scrumptious sock yarn. From The Loopy Ewe. Dream in Color Smooshy, JKnits Eureka, Noro, and ShiBuiKnits. MMMMMMMMM!!!

Take a few measurements and win some silk/wool

Contest here:

http://knitasaur.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/i-have-creepily-scrawny-wrists/

Show Off Your Socks contest

Neat idea!! Go enter yourself... the contest is open until May 20th and you just email her pictures of the socks you've knit since July 1st, 2007 and she puts up a collage of your socks.

Here is mine: http://teaknit.blogspot.com/2008/05/amy-j.html

PATTERN: Tight Braid Cable Baby Legwarmers

After much testing, revising, test knitting, and retesting... I am releasing my first "for sale" knitting pattern.

Tight Braid Cable Baby Legwarmers

This pattern is available for $3.00 USD.

Pattern to fit a thigh circumference range from 7” to 14”.

The legwarmers are worked starting at the top, inner thigh. The cable braid pattern runs down the outer thigh.

WAHMs are welcome to knit and sell from this pattern, up to 26 pairs per rolling calendar year. Please reference me as the pattern designer, and include a link back to me at http://prajnamama.etsy.com/.

New Heel... well... New-To-Me at least

I just turned the heel on a pair of plain ribbed socks. The ones in the nachtblau (blue night) colorway of Austermann Step. The socks are a simple k3,p1 rib on the leg and instep with stockinette on the sole. I've cast on 72 stitches using the long-tailed cast on method on size 2.25mm circular needles (the pink ones from a Yarn Pirate "Booty Club" shipment from last fall/winter). This is producing a fairly snug sock for my medium-width size 7.5 (US) feet.

Anyway, on to the new-to-me heel. This link was posted on the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry, which is where I was introduced to this type of heel turn.

http://criminyjickets.blogspot.com/2007/08/band-heel-generically.html

There are no gusset decreases in this type of heel, though it is certainly not a short-row heel, either.

The decreases are made during the second half of the heel flap rows, just before you start the heel turn. In a traditional turned heel, you knit the heel flap with no increases or decreases, complete the heel turn, pick up stitches along the side of the heel flap, and end up with a bunch of extra stitches which you then need to decrease at the sides (usually) to get back to your original cast on number of stitches.

So I find that the band heel fits much more snugly than a traditional turned heel, and may be a good option for those that have narrow heels or find traditional turned heels to be too wide/loose/floppy for their specific anatomy.

Here is a picture of the heel just a few rows after I turned it. Click on the picture through to my Flickr account and you'll see the notes that I've added regarding where the decreases, heel turn, picked up stitches, etc are located.

WIPs and FOs

I've finished three washcloths/dishcloths over the weekend. One each from the following patterns: Transformers, Skully, and No Holes Dishcloth.

There is errata for the Transformers dishcloth on row 25. It should read:
MB4, K3, P5, K5, P1, K2, P3, K2, P1, K5, P4, K3, MB4

I also made two soap bags (for mom and for MIL) for Mother's Day and picked up some cold process soap at a local farmer's market on Saturday morning to put inside the bags. The pictures I took of them are horrendous, so I will spare you all that pain.

I currently have four projects on my needles (only four!):
+ A Baby Surprise Jacket in Lion Brand Homespun on size US13 (9.0mm) needles for myself.
+ A pair of plain ribbed (k3,p1) socks in the "nachtblau" colorway of Austermann Step yarn.
+ A toddler hat that I am designing.
+ A toe-up pair of socks with a large and simple heart design in lace.

Pure Insanity

I have GOT to be totally, certifiably INSANE, right?

Before you go saying "YES" just on the basis of what you already know about me... let me tell you why even *I* think I'm insane now.

I just signed up for round 2 of the 52 Pair Plunge. I am challenging myself to knit 52 pairs of socks in one calendar year (midnight 1 June 2008 - midnight 1 June 2009). That is one pair per week.

I.N.S.A.N.E.