I’m still fiddling with different sock toes for my toe-up socks. The one I used for my current sock looks pretty good.

If you can’t see the photo, click here: Sock Toe

What I did was work the “Easy Toe” from this Knitty article using the crochet chain provisional cast-on.

So I think I’m happy. I’m still fiddling with my own version of Judy’s Magic Cast-on, but mine is not yet ready for prime-time.

Anyhow.

Kiri Progress

I’ve been busy with all sorts of other stuff this week (mainly tinkering with and trying not to break my new blog), but I’ve made a little Kiri progress.

If you can’t see the photo, click here: Kiri

And obscuring my laptop screen:

If you can’t see the photo, click here: Kiri

Although variegated yarn and lace do not mix as a general rule, I am happy with this. The lace is simple enough to off-set the variegation, so I think the finished item will be quite pretty.

Stash Reduction?

Karen asked:

Have you noticed any significant stash-reduction since you started your stash-knitting-only lifestyle? Or just a decrease in growth?

Well, there’s been a slight reduction.

All the stuff I’ve made so far this year (with the exception, of course, of socks) has been made from yarn that has been marinating in my stash for at least 6 months. The one exception to that is my current project, Kiri, which is being knit from gift yarn.

Book Giveaway!

It’s book giveaway time!

This week it’s a mystery by a different author: The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes. Want it? Send an email to blogcontestATcomcastDOTnet before noon Eastern time on Sunday May 27, and I’ll use the random number generator to pick a recipient.

Holiday Weekend

Here in the U.S. it’s a holiday weekend — Monday is Memorial Day. And I’m taking off from work on Tuesday and Wednesday as well, so I’ve got a five-day wekeend coming up. Woo!

I just need to get through Friday . . .

Lucy Sez

If you can’t see the photo, click here: Lucy Tocks!

That Mayhem sure has cute ‘tocks, but so do I!

If you can’t see the photo, click here: Lucy Tocks!

Hey you guys, thanks for all the wonderful comments and emails about the new blog. I can’t tell you how pleased it made me that mere seconds after Daisy activated it, we had a couple of comments. It gives a girl a warm fuzzy feeling, you know?

I was surprised by how much I missed your comments during the brief period of time between blogs. I felt so . . . isolated! So I’m happy to be back.

We’re still tweaking here and there, so pardon our dust. And I’m still finding my way around WordPress. But so far I think it is, to coin a phrase from a former coworker, slicker than snot on a doorknob.

One tweak we did accomplish was a work-around to the problem of readers who cannot view Flickr photos not seeing the photos in the blog. Daisy suggested I upload a small version of the photos to the server and put a link to each below the Flickr photo. So, if you cannot see the photo on the blog page, click the link, and you can view the small version on the WendyKnits server. This will save me a lot of bandwidth costs, as I think most of you can see the Flickr photos, right?

Speaking of Flickr, I did move the kittybed gallery there completely. As the gallery existed, it was getting totally impossible for me to manage. The new Flickr kitty bed gallery is here. It’s linked to from the sidebar as well.

Most of the photos there are small – 300 pixels wide – but all new photos I get I will upload at their original size.

On all of the existing photos (apart from the last one, which I received on Monday), I’m afraid the text is missing. I simply do not have the time to load the description for each of 225 photos from my old gallery pages to the new Flickr set. But as I get new photos for the Gallery, I will add the comments that the sender-inner has sent with the photos.

On to the Knitting!

I finished my Summerfield socks.

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Summerfield Socks

These are the May offering from The Loopy Ewe Sock Club. It’s a Wildhorse Farm Design pattern and the yarn is a merino/bamboo/nylon mix from All Things Heather, in the “Skinny Dipping” colorway. Maverick that I am, I did my socks toe-up.

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, I simply used the same gusset and slip stitch heel that was part of the Grasshopper sock pattern and put that on the Summerfield socks. As I also mentioned, I believe this is the same method that is used in the Widdershins sock pattern from Knitty.

So the other night I figured it was time to get started on a new sock. I dug out some Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in the “Camouflage” colorway (purchased from The Loopy Ewe, of course). I wound one skein into a ball Monday night.

I started the sock:

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Camo Sock

After I went to bed, Lucy brought me the ball band from that skein and laid it on my pillow. She brings me a “gift” like that every night. (Say it with me: “Awwwwwwwww!”)

When I got up Tuesday morning, I saw this:

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Sock Yarn

Yes, that would be the second skein of the Camouflage yarn, sitting next to Lucy’s food dishes.

I’m wondering — is she planning on taking up sock knitting?

Lucy Sez

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Lucy

“Who, me?”

(Yes, it is the rare lunch-hour blog post.)

It is official. Daisy is a web goddess.

I am so happy I did not attempt to move my blog from Moveable Type to WordPress all by myself. Over 1200 blog entries plus nearly 40,000 comments plus a stupid web host equals all sorts of headaches. Daisy has cheerfully and calmly worked through all of them. Not only that, but she has meticulously set all sorts of great options in WordPress to make my blogging almost effortless. There are still kinks to be worked out, so please bear with us.

For now, I’m posting photos to the blog from Flickr. You can click on ’em to go to the Flickr page to see them in the larger size. My apologies to those of you whose workplace blocks access to Flickr, but I’m dealing with bandwidth issues so needed to make this change.

Why, Yes, There IS Lace in My Future

On my last post, KT commented:
Any lace in your future since it’s such perfect warm-weather knitting?

So happy you asked.

I could resist the siren song no longer. Sunday afternoon I pulled out my skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silkmo in the Lucy colorway and wound it into a ball.

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Silkmo

I cast on for Kiri,

The pattern calls for Rowan Kidsilk Haze knitted on a US 7 (4.5mm) needle. The Silko is a bit heavier than Kidsilk Haze.

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Silkmo vs KSH

So I am using a US 8 (5mm) needle. And so far am liking the looks of the pattern at this gauge.

Kiri is a triangular shawl in an all-over leaf pattern. The Lucy yarn is variegated, so I wanted a lace pattern that wasn’t too complex, as it would get lost in the variegation of the yarn. This lace is currently in the “bucket of boiled *ss” stage (props to the lovely Rabbitch (who, I believe, first coined that phrase).

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Kiri

But I do believe that the yarn and the pattern are working nicely together.

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Kiri Close-up

Grasshopper Socks

Angeluna asked
What were your thoughts on the Grasshopper sock? Do they stay up on your ankles? Did you have to adjust the pattern?

I’ve tried the Grasshopper socks on and they seem fine, though I’ve not actually worn them yet, so I don’t know about their stay-up-ability.

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Grasshopper Socks

The only modification I made to the pattern was to eliminate the increases on the calf because the lace pattern is stretchy enough to not need extra shaping. I used a US 1 needle for the whole sock.

Lucy Sez

Can’t see my photo? Click the link here: Lucy

“This whole blog move thing is just exhausting!”

Saturday, 11:00am:

I completed my second Grasshopper sock!

I switched to working on the second Summerfield sock.

Saturday, 4:00pm:

Got past the heel on the second Summerfield sock.

I then switched to working on a baby hat for Sheri’s Loopy Ewe Second Quarter Quarterly Challenge. I had one skein of a very soft merino superwash, so I used this pattern and US 7 and 8 needles.

Saturday, 9:00pm:

I completed the baby hat. Teddy asked to model it.

Doesn’t really fit him, does it? He thought it might make a nice cave:

Then he tried it at a rakish angle:

I finally gave up on him as a model and popped it over a cannister:

After I finished the baby hat, I started an afghan square for Laura’s Rebuilding Greensburg project.

Sunday, 9:00am:

Completed the square.

I made this from my own handspun. I was digging around, looking for a pretty single skein of worsted weight wool to use for an afghan square, and came across a 50 gram ball of my handspun. Can’t remember where the roving was from. It knit up far prettier that it looked in the ball! It’s also very soft and cushy, so I’m very pleased with it.

I used the formula on Laura’s page, linked to above, with a US 7 needle. The square is 8″ along one side, as requested.

So . . . what am I knitting now? Tell you in the next blog entry! 🙂

WendyKnits Blog Facelift

Daisy told me to go ahead and post today in Movable Type — she’s still got a kink or two to work out in the migration to WordPress. All hail Daisy! 🙂

As I mentioned in the quickie post yesterday, we may experience some downtime and you may not be able to leave a comment at some point when she disables commenting. And you may need to re-sub in Bloglines or whatever reader you use. But soon I’ll have a shiny new WordPress blog here.

Flip Books Giveaway

The Random Number Generator chose Lynn to win the set of four Flip Knit books (which were very kindly sent to me by Annie Modesitt — thanks, Annie!)

Lucy Sez

Why do all that knitting when you could curl up and nap?

I just wanted to let you guys know that WendyKnits will be undergoing a facelift over the next few days.

My wonderful web guru Daisy is busy setting up WordPress and importing my Moveable Type blog entries to the new blog. Daisy says that she’ll be disabling commenting for a day or so, while she gets everything set up. So do not be alarmed if you cannot leave a comment.

There may be a bit of down time as we bring the new and *hopefully* improved site online.

Another heads up — Daisy thinks she’ll be able to transfer the feed to the new blog, so those of you who subscribe to WendyKnits in Bloglines will continue to receive notifications with no problems. But if you don’t see any new updates within the next few days, you’ll need to come to the blog and resubscribe.

Thanks!