More observations on little things that make a difference.

This time it's plain old needle gauges.  Why would I need a needle gauge when every needle has its size printed on the side?  Well, some needles do and some don't.  Most of my double pointed needles aren't marked.  While many of my circular needles ARE marked, the labels are teeny, difficult to read, and in some cases, pretty much illegible. 

I also have a collection of needles accumulated by regular retail purchase, from yard sales, and that have been given to me by friends and relatives.  Not all of them are labeled with accurate sizes (the needles, not the friends or relatives).  The older needles in particular can vary quite a bit from their imprints.  I've got 7s, big 7s, and little 7s.  All are labeled 7, but some are spot on to the modern definition of 7 as 4.5mm, and some are closer to modern 6s(4mm), and some are closer to modern 8s (5mm).  I find the differences useful, as sometimes to get perfect gauge I can slide over to one of my in-between needles instead of going down a full modern size.  Sometimes the difference isn't readily perceptible if I'm grabbing needles and just moving along, but using a small 7 DPNs to start off a cuff but following that up by a large 7 circular when the project's circumference warrants can lead to all sorts of mismatched gauge problems.  But in order to either take advantage of minute gauge differences or avoid them, I need to know how my needles stack up against a set of standardized sizes.  That's where a needle gauge comes in, and why anyone who has accumulated more than a few pairs of DPNs or needles of specious size should consider buying one.

Here's the most common needle size gauge.  The Susan Bates KnitCheck is about 5.5 inches x 3 inches, made from aluminium, and in the US is sold just about everywhere that sells yarn.  The little two-inch L-shaped slit for measuring stitch and row gauge is very handy.  The KnitCheck is also very inexpensive:

And here are both sides of my favorite one.  One side lists the metric sizes, and the other shows the US and the old BWG (British Wire Gauge) sizes.  It's plastic, is about 2.5 x 3.5 inches and is slighty more expensive, but still only a couple of bucks:

Why do I prefer the European gauge from Inox?  Because it's more accurate and more complete.  The Bates gauge rates their own needles, and is US-centric.  There isn't as much difference among different companies' gauges today as there was in gauges of 10 or more years ago, but some small differences still exist.  For example, Bates US #6s measure 4.25mm.  Other companies' #6s measure 4mm. 

Bates gauges also skip all the interstitial metric sizes that have no corresponding US size.  Those extra  holes on the Inox are great for measuring my in-between vintange needles and European-origin needles that don't exist in the modern US scheme of things.   For example 2.5mm is between a US #1 and US #2 (2.25 and 2.75mm respectively).  The Inox gauge can parse it correctly, but the Bates gauge can't.  The Inox gauge is also smaller, and fits in the box I keep my DPNs.  Of course since most of you probably aren't using a Glenfiddich Scotch Whiskey box like I do as prime needle storage, this may not be as much of an consideration.   Of course ,the Inox model doesn't have that stitch/row gauge measurement slit or a nifty little ruler down one edge, but I carry a measuring tape in my knitting gadget bag, so neither absence is a big loss.

My only wish is that both of these needle sizers went down smaller than US #0/2mm.  I've got a stack of DPNs ranging down to 000000 (.75mm) and a gauge that went down that small would be very helpful (of course Bates needles don't come that small, so they really have no motivation to do so, but Inox needles do).  I know there are a couple of brass gauges available on the Web for around $15 US that go down to 0000, but that seems rather pricey.  I keep hoping I'll find a metric wire gauge in a hardware store that's a bit more reasonable.

While I'm at it, here are some other pix of needle gauges that I found while web-wandering today.  The first two are available mostly in Canada and the UK.  The Braille gauge is from an Australian site that specializes in tools for the visually impaired.  And the brass sheep gauge appears to be a specialty product in limited circulation (Google searching for "knitting needle gauge" sheep should turn up the source). 

A few zillion ends later, here's the result.  My Shapely T done from Berroco Suede. 

Overall summary - a @*)% to knit, nice effect though.  A bit spongy and heavy (meaning weighty) for a summer T, but living in Massachusetts that shouldn't pose a problem.  I sewed up using the yarn itself, in mattress stitch, so the seams are invisible.  I used this method to sew on the sleeves (page down the PDF for the English text).  Because the yarn is all nylon, I didn't bother blocking it first.  I've been warned that Suede does stretch a bit in the wash, so I will probably stick to dry cleaning for this piece.

The pattern was excellent.  I had no problems using it as a point of departure, tarting it up with additional trim at hems and neckline.  I like the lay of the body, the shaping makes it quite comfortable and flattering, but I'm less pleased with the way my sleeves turned out.  I did make them longer than the directions specified, but they seem baggy in this rather un-drapey yarn.  Perhaps if I use this pattern again I'll use one size smaller sleeves.  For the record, I knit this following the size 44 directions, so there's plenty of scope for people who wear larger sizes to use the Shapely T pattern.

What am I going to do next?  I'm not sure.  I've got the Cursed Socks to tuck away, but that's only a couple of evenings of work.  I did indulge myself last week and get some Mountain Mohair Wool Crepe in the color "Alpine".  It's listed in the yarn review collection as being a bulky, at 2 stitches per inch for the manufacturer's gauge, but that seems wildly off.  Although my label stats match the entry in the collection, the stuff I have looks quite fine.  Allowing for the boucle texture, it looks like it would knit up at sport or DK weight. 

 Perhaps the 2spi is a recommendation for lace, as this yarn is most often used for lacy shawls.  I plan on making another short-sleeve pullover (I should have just enough if I'm frugal with the drape and keep the sleeves short.  I want a more opaque look.  I'll be swatching over the next several days.  One thing I want to do is to play with the hand dyed color.  (Yes, the blues are as intense as the photo shows.)  I'm thinking of knitting something where the colors bounce back and forth in narrow strips, perhaps body-wrapping diagonals or straights.   Here are some sources of inspiration from one of my all-time favorite knitting sites (no patterns available):

• Vertical narrow strips
• Another vertical strip, but slightly wider
• Nothing to do with the strip idea, but I love the lines

Off to swatch and stew. 

On the house front?  We've accepted an offer on our place, and have signed the purchase and sale agreement on the new house.  We're on track to move come early summer.  And here's proof that for one brief and shining moment in my life, my desk (wiseNeedle Central) was clean.

I kick myself for not mentioning this earlier, but if you're in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area tomorrow there's a mini fiber-festival in Waltham.  It's an annual event that celebrates spring, or as we in this state like to think of it "mud season."

There's no doubt that in the world of sheep and wool festivals, this one is a speck, a microscopic dot, a merest taste, but it's local and a fun time out.  You can expect a large tent staffed by spinners and dyers from the Boston Area Spinners and Dyers Guild, doing demos for adults and hands-on activities for kids.  There's usually one or two large tents housing various fiber-related retailers, mostly local sheep-to-skein outfits selling their own yarns.  Sometimes there are vendors selling fleeces and roving, or dealers taking orders for wheels, looms or other spinning and weaving equipment.  Again, in total there are usually fewer than a dozen fiber-related vendors, but that's enough for me.

There are also live demos of sheep shearing, both with snips and electric clippers; a sheep dog/herding demo; live music and dance performances; wandering puppet players or minstrels; food vendors; historical crafts demos including lacemaking; and a general crafts type fair of around 50 booths selling everything from fudge to picture frames.  In past festivals there have been llama rides for the littlest kids, a rope walk, and as many as 20 yarn sellers, but not every year features those goodies.

I'll be there with both kids in tow.  I'll be wearing the loudest parrot-colored flash sweater ever knitted.  If you see me (and if you're there that sweater will be hard to miss) stop and say hello.  It's always nice to put a face to an email address.

One word of warning.  It's been rainy today.  If you're thinking of strollers or wheelchairs, be advised that the site is quite hilly, and being unpaved can live up to the "mud season" designation.

Some people have been curious about the coiled wire Strickfingerhut I mentioned in my post on the Cursed Socks.  Here's a shot of the two most common kinds:

I've seen mostly these two Inox models, but  there are also a couple of others on the market.  They are both intended for the same purpose - to assist Continental knitters doing stranded colorwork.  Strickfingerhuts hold two (or more) strands of yarn at the same time, allowing the knitter to reach in with his or her needle tip and select the desired color.  

I've been using one for about six years now, and I can now knit stranded work in the round at about 90% of the speed at which I can knit single-color stockinette.   Before I found my gadget I used to do my stranded work two-fisted, with the dominant or background color being held in my left hand and knit Contiental/picking style, and my contrasting color held in my right hand and being introduced in English/American/throwing style.  With practice the two-fisted method was faster than drop-and-grope, but I never was entirely pleased with my tensioning.  I always ended up with puckering as I could never quite get the contrast color yarn to knit as loosely as the main color - especially across the "corners" between DPNs.  With this gadget my tensioning is perfect, and even unblocked, my stranded pieces are smooth and unpuckered.  I **love** my Strickfingerhut and at this point, detest stranding without it.

After extensive experimentation, I've found I the coiled wire version to be better for the particular way I knit.  It's also more comfortable to use.  The coiled wire type shapes itself to one's finger over time.  Brand new, it tends to ride a bit further out on the finger than after it has been "broken in." With use the the coils nearer my knuckle expand just a tad and the thing develops an in-out directionality.  Although it has a slit in it, the plastic type does not expand overly much, and is too tight for comfort.  The closed end limits the location of the thing on my finger, and makes it feel hot and sweaty.

Comfort aside, in terms of working utility, the way I hold my yarn and needles makes the coiled wire type a clear winner.  The coil can be set at any angle.  I get the most efficiency by letting the eyelets ride on the front of my left index finger, angled forward so that they're almost underneath.  The two eyelets are offset and separated, giving lots of room for strand selection, and for finagling with the two colors if long floats need to be twisted in.  By contrast, the channels of the plastic model must be positioned so that they ride on top of the finger because the little bar that secures them isn't strong enough to resist bending if the yarn is pulling against it.  It holds the yarns flat in the same plane.  I find it much harder to both select a strand and to do the weaving in motion over long floats. 

Here's how I hold my yarn and work a normal stitch using a Strickfingerhut :

In the photo, I'm about to make a stitch with the multicolor yarn.  I do admit that in normal knitting my index finger isn't waving out there so much.  I'm holding it further away from the work than normal so that ou can see the separation of the strands. 

Now if I were to want to make a stitch with the multicolor yarn but I wanted to strand the black yarn in because otherwise it would be carried over a very long float this is what I'd do:

Instead of just grabbing the multicolor yarn in the most straighforward way, this time I reached up and under the black yarn to retrieve it.  Similarly, if I wanted to strand in the multicolor while knitting a black stitch, I'd reach down and under the yellow to grab the black.   LATE BREAKING ADDITION:  The stitch that's holding the contrasting color I've stranded in will be seated the wrong way.  Its leading leg will be in the back of the working needle.  I correct  the problem and avoid leaving a twisted stitch by knitting into the back of that stitch on the next round.

 About the only drawback of these thingies is that it is possible to bend the eyelets and stretch them out over time.  The coiled wire ones aren't as easily broken as the plastic ones with their swivel bars, but I have managed to go through a couple over the years.  At this point I keep two.  One relatively new one with nice, tight eyelets that I use for sock and sport weight yarns, and another older one with slightly larger eyelets I use for heavier yarns.  My only other caution has to do with liking them so much you become dependent upon them.  Loss is a big problem, and even though most yarn shops that stock Inox accessories can special-order them, very few keep the wire Strickfingerhuts as regular on-the-shelf stock.  When I see one, I usually buy it (they're very inexpensive, especially for something so totally useful).

What do I do when I can't find my Strickfingerhut?  I admit I've never mastered holding two yarns in the same hand without some sort of mechanical aid.  If I'm up a creek without my paddle, I use a ring with a large stone bezel that I normally wear on my right ring-finger and jam it on that last knuckle of my left index finger.  Then I hold my yarns as I usually do, but make sure one strand is on the left of the stone, and the other is on the right.  This is much slower than using my Strickfingerhut because the two strands are closer together and aren't separated by that little angle, but if it means the difference between knitting and not knitting, it will do.

Footnote:  Standard disclaimer - no affiliation yadda, yadda...

First apologies to the few of you who subscribed to receive notification of site updates.  You must have been going nuts since last night because I gave up on Picserver, and ported all of the photos here to a new server.  It wasn't my intent to pepper you with update notes, but I couldn't turn off the notifications from here.  I promise the housecleaning is now over.

Rick-Rack Mesh Scarf in Berroco Zen

If you've ever met me you know I'm absolutely delighted at the prospect of the New Knitter Invasion, but at the same time my eyes are glazing over at all those novelty yarn scarves.  I've done a few on special request, or as gifts for family and friends - but by and large, I find them pretty but intensely boring (hence my Kombu Scarf pattern).

Still, my pal Pat shop manager at Wild & Woolly in Lexington, MA (my local yarn store) asked me to help her come up with something fun to do with Berroco Zen, a ribbon yarn that's been overlooked in favor of flashier novelty yarns. I couldn't say no. (For some reason, Zen is in the yarn review collection twice, so until I get that fixed, there's another set of reviews here). 

Here's what I came up with:

Here's the pattern.  Eventually I'll add it to the free pattern pages at wiseNeedle.

Rick-Rack Mesh Scarf in Berroco Zen

Materials:
1 Skein Berroco Zen or approx. 110 yards (102m) of a similar ribbon yarn
US #10.5 needles

Gauge:
Gauge is difficult to measure, but finished scarf will be about 5 inches wide by about 56 inches long (exclusive of fringe).

Instructions:
Using half-hitch cast on or other stretchy cast-on, cast on 14 stitches. Knit one row.

Follow Rick-Rack stitch pattern until scarf measures approximately 56 inches long.

Rick Rack Stitch:
Row 1: K1 (YO, slip one stitch as if to knit, K1, pass slipped stitch over)6x, K1
Row 2: K1 (YO, slip one stitch as if to purl, P1, pass slipped stitch over)6x, K1

Bind off VERY LOOSELY.

Cut remaining yarn into 18-inch lengths, and attach to ends of scarf as fringe.

© 2004, Kim Brody Salazar, http://www.wiseneedle.com.  Not to be duplicated on other websites or in print without permission of the author.  Pattern for personal use only.  Please contact the author if you wish to make this item up in quantity, even if it is for charitable sale or donation.

Still in hurry-up-and-wait mode, I find myself with a bit of extra time so I extend today's entry. 

Here's a past project that was quick, easy, and turned out quite nicely.  It's a pillow inspired by a similar one appearing in Shangold's Design Source book of Home Decor.  This pillow is sitting on my daughter's bed.  As you can see, my tween-ager has got a starry-night/dragons theme thing going in denim blues and raspberry/magenta.

I liked the idea of a tube pillow secured by six buttons as shown, and I happened to have six large mother of pearl buttons on hand.  They looked rather lunar to me, so I thought they'd go nicely with the rest of the celestial/mythical beast stuff already in place.  I stewed around on the idea for a couple of days before mentioning it to the Target Kid.  She was thrilled so I went ahead.  (Major hint:  Never knit anything as a surprise for someone between the ages of 9 and 19).

In truth I only had a glimpse of the book and didn't work my pillow from the directions, so I can't speak to whether or the inspiring object is also knit in the round, but this is how I went about my pillow.  I used two partial skeins of Manos left over from previous projects (the magenta and the pale blue), plus I bought one new skein of the indigo blue.  I wanted to do symmetrical stripes, but I didn't want to weigh my yarn and divide it into equal quantities and/or figure out how big each of the stripes should be, so I took the lazy person's way out.  

I don't have any working notes, but I believe I used either a US #9 or #10 needle, and got somewhere in between 3.5 and 4 spi in garter stitch before fulling the piece.  (A figure of 100 stitches around seems to stick in my mind, but I won't swear to it.)  I started with a provisional cast on, and knit a garter stitch tube using my entire skein of the darker blue.  Then I wound my magenta and light blue into center pull balls.  I "woke up" the stitches at the bottom of the dark blue stripe, placing them on a second circular needle.  then using both the outside and inside ends of the contrasting color yarn, I worked the same number of garter stitch ridges of the light blue on both ends of the center, darker stripe, continuing until I ran out of yarn.  I repeated this with the magenta.  When I was done I had no yarn left over at all, a dark blue stripe in the center, and equal size stripes of light blue and magenta framing it.   Ready to full!

First I tossed the finished pillow in the washing machine and dryer, but my washer is too gentle. Even in a hot wash full of towels not much fulling action happened.  I ended up beating the daylights out of the piece by hand, plus washing it at a friend's house in a washer and dryer that are far more vicious than mine.  That finally worked. 

The finished pillow is nice and dense, cushy even.  It shrank about 40% in length (that's the direction across the stripes), but only about 20% in width (the direction parallel to the stripes themselves).  Final post-fulling measurements are about 20 inches around the pillow's belly, and about 15 inches end to end. 

After my tube was as fulled as it was going to get, I bought a standard baby pillow form.  That's a pillow about the size of the small ones found on airplanes.  Most of the crafting websites list 12"x16" as being the standard, but I think mine was either a tad smaller, or was so squishy that it easily wadded up to fit.  

I sewed on the first three buttons, taking my fastening stitches through both sides of the tube.  This effectively closed off the first end.  Then I sewed three oversized coat snaps to the inside of the pillow's other end, taking care to locate them exactly underneath the spots where I would later sew the buttons.  Once I had the second three buttons placed, I jammed the mini-pillow into the tube and snapped the open end closed.  All done!  One finished pillow; one delighted pre-teen, and something for the stuffed dragon to lean upon.

Just to underscore the point that the universe's perversity prevents unalloyed joy, I report two positives and a negative.

TRIUMPH #1 - HOUSE SELLING:  We were surprised to receive not only multiple offers on our current house, but an amazingly large number of multiple offers.  Now naming base conditions, we go back to the herd and ask them to give us their best and final offer above those parameters.  Apparently, all that cleaning was worth it.

TRIUMPH #2 - SUEDE T:  I have completed all of the major pieces of my Suede T.  Front, back and both sleeves are finished.  I've sewn the shoulder seams and am now about to pick up the neckline stitches.  I'd prefer to do the neckline in the round rather than as the pattern is written because I want to avoid a seam at one side of the neck.  Again instead of the plain six rows of garter stitch, I'll work eight rows that coordinate with the elongated stitch pattern I used at the body and sleeve hems.  I'll probably need to hide some scattered decreases in my in-the-round edging because it is wider than the original, and I want it to lay flat when worn. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't do this little bit over the weekend.  Not only were we in exile from hearth, home, and computer in order to make way for the herd of house viewers; my stash including my needles is all still boxed up in the storage cubby.  Providing traffic today isn't too perturbed (I live in the greater Boston area, and the marathon has effects that ripple well past its rather limited corridor of location), I'm planning on raiding the cubby for supplies.  Pictures will be posted as soon as I get the pieces put together.  In the mean time, I'm helping out a friend by coming up with a pattern for a narrow novelty scarf knit from Berroco's Zen, a ribbon yarn. 

TRAGEDY - PET DEATH:  Apparently the stress of molting was too much for poor little Crunchy/Fujitake.  He's gone to that Big Terrarium in the sky.  The kids were upset to find the little critter out of his shell and sad to say - half eaten by his scavenging cage mate.  We're not sure if the other crab had an active part in the demise, or was just an opportunist.  Stressed crabs sometimes do not survive molting, and it's not unknown for a crab to attack another during that phase.  We hadn't removed the molter to an isolation cage because up until now, the two of them had happily co-existed through previous molts.  So I'm feeling a little guilty about the whole thing.   The remaining crab seems rather lonely now in spite of his snacking.  They are social creatures (in a rather limited way).  He's now wandering the cage turning over all the shells and cage furniture as if he was looking for his playmate.  The kids are still sad but are recovering. 

It's spooky quiet here, waiting for the phone to ring to announce another round of house-viewers.  Even our pets (such as they are) feel the stress of the moment. 

The kids have two hermit crabs.  They've named the crabs Punchy and Crunchy, (or Akebono and Fujitake, depending on whom you ask.)  We've had one crab for almost three years now, and the other for almost two.  Both have decided to molt their old carapaces in the past ten days.  Not just change into new shells, which they do with amusing frequency,  but to shed their own hard parts.  This leaves a little "ghost crab" of discarded claws and legs beneath them, like a naked toddler standing on a pile of shed pajamas.   Perhaps it was all the strangers schlepping through the house, perhaps it was just the season for it, either way the timing seems **suspicious**.  We've posted a note on the cage that reads, "Vicious Attack Crabs.  Do Not Tap Habitat."

Aside from proving our sedentary crustaceans are a bit more interesting than house plants, about the only good thing I can say about being in the deep hush of waiting is that I've finally had a bit more time to knit.  The front and back of my Suede T are finished, and as you can see, I'm almost done with the sleeves.  I knit both at the same time so that no matter what, at the very least they always match - but I only photographed one for the sake of clarity: 

So far the pattern has been spot on.  I did have a gasp-and-remeasure moment when I thought the back had ended up severely under length, but then I remembered the short rows in the bust.  I have to admit I've got more topography to cover than some, so I added another iteration of the short row sequence above and beyond what was recommended for size D.   As a result, when measured down the center, the front is quite a bit longer than the back.  But when side seams are matched, they are exactly the same length, as are the armscye halves, front and back.  My T should sew together with no problems.

Now I've got a bit of worry looking at the depth of the underarm bind-off areas, just before the sleeve cap begins.  You can see those plateau-like areas above.  They seem rather deep, although it's been a long time since I did Serious Sewing or assembled a knitted full-tailored set-in sleeve.  But short sleeves are just that - short.  I'll keep at it as written, then do a pin-fit or baste the thing together.  If the sleeves seem to fit in oddly, I'll rip them back, reshape the sleeve cap and try again.  It's probably my own unsettlement and nervousness speaking so I am really not anticipating doing anything that drastic.  I promise to report back as my T takes further shape.

Oops.  The phone is ringing.  Got to gather up knitting, today's newspaper and my tea and hightail it out to the back yard to get out of the way of the tour du jour.

Well, the easy part is over.  The house is now scrubbed to within an inch of its life.  With so many familiar things stowed it looks oddly sterile, almost hotel-like. 

Amusingly enough the Real Estate Gal asked me if - being a knitter - I might put together a basket of yarn in suitable colors, and pose it invitingly next to the sofa.  She said it was the visual equivalent of boiling a vanilla bean or baking bread before an open house.  So it was off on a trek to the storage cubby to retrieve some yarn in order to tart up the family room.   Today I expect a herd of real estate people to amble through, in preparation for this weekend's official viewing.  Now for the hard part - hurry up and wait for what we hope will be multiple offers.

In knitting, I'm still mid-sleeves on the Suede T - knitting time being at a premium through all of this.  So instead of posting a boring snap of too many stitches of olive nylon squished on a too-small needle, here's an oldie.  I knit this for my older daughter back in '92 or so, and I wish I were a better photographer.  It's in a DK weight cotton from Lane Borgosesia whose label drifted off into infinite space before the advent of the Yarn Review Collection.  It features hearts and OXO cables, both from Walker's treasuries; embellished with clusters of embroidered bullion knots.  The knots were done in scraps of a matte-finish sport weight cotton. 

I was quite amused when two years later Knitters published a similar OXO/heart cardigan on the cover of its Aran issue.  Mine however is unique - if for no other reason than for my inexperienced bumbling around witth the button band when I was noodling it up. 

• Note the odd number of heart-shaped buttons.  There are seven because my spacing was off, and I was too lazy to go back and redo the button band for six. 
• Note the fact that the button band is on the non-traditional side for a girl's garment.  When I was at this point I looked down at what I was wearing and did the same thing, never stopping to think that I was wearing a man's chambray work shirt at the time.
• Note the less-than-effectively centered horizontal buttonholes.  I didn't know back then that during wear buttons "migrate" to the outside edge of the buttonhole slit.  If I were to do this today, I'd not center my buttonholes in the band.  Instead I'd skew them a bit to the inside edge, so that when buttoned, the buttons appear better aligned down the midpoint of the band.

Still for all these defects, this is a much-loved piece.  Daughters #1 and #2 both wore it and enjoyed it.  It lasted well, enduring grass stains, dripped ice cream, and a rather messy day of strawberry picking all followed by rather aggressive laundering.  Now it's at the cusp of being outgrown and is one of the things I intend on packing away rather than handing down to another wearer. 

My hands are now officially made of Velcro. Or perhaps they just feel that way. The Better Living Through Chemistry people have managed to devise a set of cleaning products SO efficient that they have scoured me of integument. The only way I could work on the Suede T (made of a super-grabby nylon yarn) was to lather up in enough hand cream to fuel a brothel for a fortnight. Which might have been fun but all that lubrication was wasted on knitting. [grin]

In all the packing, another resident of the Chest of Knitting HorrorsTM has surfaced. I can't quite figure out why this one has sat unattended for so long. It was started about two or three years ago, shortly after Lorna's Laces introduced Shepherd Sock in the custom color Socknitters' Rainbow - a hand dyed yarn in a riot of colors. I loved the colors, but it seemed to me that two skeins of it for a pair of socks made a heady investment. I wanted to do something that showcased the brilliant Rainbow yarn, yet that leavened the total per-pair cost by introducing another yarn. My intent was to publish the result as a pattern on wiseNeedle. Perhaps stripes? Hmmm....

I played around with some stashed yarn for gauge. The yarn that best matched the Socknitters' Rainbow was Dale Baby Ull - one of my all-time favorite yarns. This machine washable Merino is soft, very easy and forgiving to knit, and perfect for stranding, so I decided to do a simple stranded pattern instead of plain old stripes. One thing I did remember - I favor toe-up/short-row heel socks. They're a bit narrower through the instep than traditional square or Dutch heel cuff-down socks, so I'd have to keep the stranding pattern loose and simple that it did not constrain the sock's stretch. (I found this out the hard way after knitting a pair of socks with peerie patterns, that ended up being SO tight I couldn't get them on).  I did want to carry the stranding up through the short-rowed heel.  Here's the result:

Pattern chart

I like the way the happy chaos of the multicolor yarn is tamed by the solid charcoal black.  I also like the movement of the little square checks as the focal points shift from stripe to stripe.  (For those of you who are wondering - the little coiled wire thingy is a Strickfingerhut.  I use them for all my stranded colorwork.)

I appear to have finished one sock, but pooped out shortly after the toe of the second.  Why did I stop? I didn't even remember beginning this project.  My only clue is the bag in which I found the hibernating pair.  It looks like I was working on them at about the same time as I lost a job, when Start-up #1 augered in after its funding fell through.  That was around January '01, and is still a painful memory (at the time. I drank the Koolaid, and truly believed that we'd pull off the venture).  '01 was not a good year.  I went on to another start-up company, that one too teetered on the edge of the Big Death before fall of that same year and canned 75% of the staff.  Ever since I've been a freelance proposal drone.  But that's neither here nor there and largely irrelevant to knitting. 

Apparently this pair of socks must be fraught with Painful Associations because until I found it I didn't even remember that I had been working on it.  My choices are now finish off the things, or dispel any lingering curse by ripping them back and making something else again.  Sometimes being lazy is a good thing, as it reinforces the fact that I don't believe in curses.  I'll put the bag aside instead of packing it off to the cubby, and finish this pair of cursed socks after I've tucked in the Suede T.