Knitting and spinning. The fun never stops.

Today I would like to show you my most precious possession:

I call him Golden Boy.*

Golden Boy may look like an ordinary barrel-style row counter to you, but he is so much more. So much more. For he is a barrel-style row counter that works. And works well.

When I advance his numbers, they move well, but with the merest whisper of resistance. Enough resistance to ensure that the numbers do not change when you shove Golden Boy and your work in progress into your knitting bag. But he is not so stiff that it is difficult to change his numbers. He is the perfect blend of resistance and ease.

But Golden Boy is dying.

Every time I turn a number my heart aches a little, because I know that with each turn, his mechanism is wearing out just a little bit more. I treat him gently and with respect, but I know it is not enough. Someday, Golden Boy will die.

Because I am a fickle woman, I have sought to replace Golden Boy. I’ve bought countless barrel-style row counters, but none of them come close to Golden Boy’s smooth elegance. They are all either unyielding or too loose. I’ve tried to use katcha-katcha counters, but am annoyed because it is not attached to my knitting. Golden Boy fits perfectly on the small stitch-holder that has been his home lo, these many years.

Sigh . . . I will miss Golden Boy when he finally gives up on life.

Oh yeah. I finished the first of the Ivy League socks last night.

Lucy Sez:

“Sometimes my momma worries me.”

*with apologies to Jerry Seinfeld

(Blog post delayed a few hours due to internet outage!)

A couple of days ago I got in the mail my (autographed!) copy of The Eclectic Sole by Janel Laidman. It’s newly published — I had pre-ordered it from the author’s website (she self-published) but the link on the title there is to Amazon.com. Your choice.

This is a book of sock patterns, in case you hadn’t guessed. It is one of the nicer self-published books I have seen — clearly written and nicely organized. There are 14 sock patterns in the book. Each pattern is accompanied by lovely clear photos of the sock that let you see all the details you wanna see.

The socks range from easy to challenging and from traditional to very funky. The construction is mostly top-down, with three toe-up patterns and two knit with a sideways construction. There are several different heel and toe constructions. There is lace, texture, and colorwork. The patterns are all very pretty, and there is a nice techniques section at the back of the book. The charts are large and clear and look easy to follow. I’d say this book is well worth its cover price of $23.95 and deserves a spot in any dedicated sock knitter’s library.

That’s my two cents worth.

I am coming down the home stretch on the first Ivy League sock. I’ve really enjoyed knitting this first sock. So much so, that I’m actually looking forward to knitting the second sock. Yeah, get me. I think the reason for that is a combination of loving the yarn and being entertained by the pattern. Gotta love that, right?

Lucy thanks all of you who voted for her LOLCat photo. She has delusions of grandeur.

Yes boys and girls, the air quality was down to Code Orange today as our knitter bravely plodded in to work. At 5:00am it was over 80 degrees and very humid. Nuttiness!

But I did make some progress on the Ivy League Sock. Houston, we have a heel:

This sock is just so minty fresh!

Nadine commented:

I really like your new sock. I am coming out of lurking just to ask you “pretty please” to do the pattern in the small also. I wear a size 7AAA and most designers only seem to do them for med width or larger. Although I can adjust the length, I am not experienced enough doing socks to adjust the numbers for the width. That said, I have all your available patterns and I did notice that some of them have the small size, so I will be doing those first. I’m hoping to use them for Summer of Socks. Thanks for hearing me out.

The Ivy League Socks pattern will indeed be written to accommodate a size small.

I do try to make my patterns work for a number of sizes, but it is not always possible. Sometimes you can only stretch the stitch pattern so much or shrink it down so much to work in a wide range of sizes. For my “for sale” patterns I always do at least 2 sizes, and try to do 3 sizes whenever possible. So I’m thinking about (and trying not to envy) you slim-footed people.

Speaking of feet, check out my new shoes:

These are Sketchers shoes in the “Cali” style. They are plastic or rubber or whatever, but are nicely ventilated so the tootsies will not get too hot.

MarjiB commented

Speak to me of superwash wool, O Wise Woman of Knitting. I have only knit with it once and that was a gift scarf. People speak of it growing and/or shrinking once you have washed and/or dried it. It can’t do both at the same time, can it? Is it magic or horrible? Is it from the Twilight Zone that it can change sizes? Don’t you treat it like any other wool? The only thing I noticed when I used it is that it felt like acrylic while I worked with it and then felt like wool after I blocked it. What am I missing?

Well, there is superwash and there is superwash. When was the last time you knit with it? I think it has been improved a lot over recent years. The first superwash I tried a few years ago was so acrylic-y feeling it almost squeaked on the needles.

The superwash sock yarn that is available now is awesome. At least the superwash sock yarn with which I’ve come in contact. What do you all think?

Here is Lucy, striking a seductive pose!

Isn’t she a classic beauty? But her secret is that she wants to be an LOLCat. She’d like you to vote for her LOL pic!

Code Red air quality combined with my slight fever and respiratory issues made me decide to call in sick today. So I’ve been lounging around at home all day, forcing fluids, knitting, and of course Plurking.

And I feel much better. I’ll likely go into work tomorrow. I just got an alert that the air quality will be a bit better — Code Orange.

Thank you for all your kind wishes!

Here is my new sock in progress:

I love this yarn — it’s the Unwind yarn I mentioned yesterday (link to the etsy shop in yesterday’s blog post). It’s 100% superwash merino and it’s got a nice twist and “meaty” feel to it. And I love the colorway — Creme de Menthe.

My sock has an ivy leaf pattern going up the middle:

So I am calling this design “Ivy League Socks.”

Lucy had an exciting time yesterday. There was a large winged insect in-between the window and the screen and it kept her entertained for over an hour.

She kept trying to get it and couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t reach it.

But she kept her eye on it!

I’m coming off one of the most unproductive weekends I can remember. But sometimes a girl has just got to chill, right?

I thought I had a touch of food poisoning on Thursday, but now it seems like it must be a virus or something. Blech. I’m laying low and forcing fluids and doing not much at all.

Except I’ve been Plurking almost non-stop all weekend. Plurk is the most enjoyable time-suck I’ve found in a very long time. My Plurk page is here, by the way. I’ve found lots of other knitters I know on Plurk and we’ve been having a par-tay (complete with dancing bananas) all weekend.

I did manage to finish the Swan Song Socks.

And here is their “glamour” shot:

As I mentioned before, this pattern will be a freebie. I’ll write it up and get it uploaded when I’m feeling better.

This is what I’m knitting now:

That”S 100% merino sock yarn from the Unwind Yarn Company, from this etsy shop. The colorway is creme de menthe, and I have started a sock:

Meanwhile, Lucy is helping me by napping.

I do think I’ll join her . . .