Esoteric Knitter

I don’t have much progress to report, so I’m just gonna share some stash love. Happy Monday!

These are some beauties I picked up at my local yarn store (the awesome Hill Country Weavers) a few weeks back when they had a sock yarn/natural fiber sale.

From the information on the card, I believe the yarn can be used as sock yarn, but it’s squishy enough to make other pretties. There’s a great story about how the company was established. I love this part: “Each hank is different; its individual beauty emerges as the artisan blends color in the kettle to create several unique shades.” That sounds so pretty. And it is, there are so many colors mixed in each skein.

Brand: Araucanía - Ranco Multy
75% wool
25% Polyamide
Yardage: +/- 376yd/ 344m
Weight: +/- 100g/ 3.52oz
Reccomendations
Gauge: 24sts = 4inches
Needle size: 3.25mm (US-3)
Instructions say to hand wash. (I’m not a big fan of this )

Color 307

Color 310

Color 303

Color 301

I had to see how my Kood Aid dyed sock yarn would turn out. And well… pretty darn fugly. LOL But they are mine so I’ll still love them. The only problem I have is that I was a bit off on my guage and they turned out a bit loose. That’s what I get for not properly swatching once again. I hope they’ll shrink a bit in the wash. We’ll see.

Pattern: Alternating 2×2 Rib From Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare
Colorway: Kool Aid Dyed
Start: 8/24/07
Finished: 8/28/07
Needle: 32” Knit Picks circs US2 (2.75mm)
CO: 56sts
Heel Flap: Eye of Partridge
Total Foot Length: ~8inches

I bet ya’ll are tired of me doing all these patterns form SKS, but gosh, they are super easy and quick. No worries, the next pattern isn’t from SKS. I’m about to start knitting up the Vintage Apron. And on that note, I’ll leave you with Dream in Color…

Yarn: Dream in Color: Smooshy Sock Yarn
Colorway: Ruby River
Info: 100% Australian merino superwash wool
Size: 450yds/4oz

The Footies are done . What do ya think? Crazy how a continuous hank/skein can produce such different results. I had posed a question or should I say made a remark on my Flickr photo about the debate I read somewhere about how dyers should dye up 100g skeins instead of having us get two 50g skeins since those would create somewhat different looking socks. Well as you can see and 100g skein can do the same thing too. Plus with two 50g skeins, I can wind them up and knit two socks at once instead of having to split up my big one.

Pattern: Plain Stockinette with a K1P1 mini cuff
Yarn: Fleece Artist Nova Sock
Colorway: Tiger
Start: 8/10/07
Finished: 8/22/07
Needle: Addi Turbo 32” Circ (2.5mm)
CO: 64sts
Heel Flap: Eye of Partridge
Total Foot Length: 10 inches, made to fit a US women’s 10 shoe

I’ve been having fun playing around with sock yarn and Kool Aid. I keep seeing such amazing creations out there and keep hearing about how fun it is. And it’s all true. This was really fun. I know my first dye job really isn’t that great, but I feel quite accomplished so I’m gonna share, lol.

I used the microwave method and just poured the colors on top of the yarn and soaked up all the excess water and what nots. There are a lot of tutorials out there. I used THIS ONE. Just three colors, black cherry, blue raspberry, and lemonade. The base yarn is Knit Picks Bare (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon). And here it is all wound up and ready to go…

Another yarn all wound up and ready to knit is the Madeline Tosh Vintage Apron. I just need to pick out a pattern and just go at it.

I also picked up two balls of sock yarn from Knit Picks. They had an Essential Special because these did not turn out as they had wanted. The company is test dying their Essentials line and considered these not as bright or deep enough. I kinda like them. Head on over and get yourself some.

That’s my novel for now, I hope to get back to ya’ll with some nifty new socks for show and tell.

The second Yarn Pirate Booty Club is here! I don’t think this would be a colorway I would normally pick out but that’s the point of the club. The colorway is called Calamity, isn’t it a cute name? It’s Superwash Bluefaced Lleicester (BFL), another texture I’ve yet to work with so who knows, I may knit this one up sooner.

The pics I took sort of bleached out the colors, it actually has gorgeous purple and teal segments.

Ahhh my first fancy yarn to work with; Interlacements. Knitting this stuff up was just a fantastic feeling. So after hearing about the sale at simplysockyarn.com, I had to get me some more.

A pile o’ yumminess…

English Garden (410)

Mardi Gras (408)

Poppy Fields (216)

Last but not least, I’ve made some progress on the footies. One down, and I’m working on it’s mate. These socks are looking quite different. I should have it’s fraternal twin done in a few days.

I’m happy to report that socks for my Knitty Swap pal are done. Kris if you’re reading this, hehe, here’s a peek at your socks. I’m putting a nifty package together for you too so there will be surprises.

Pattern: from Sensational Knitted Socks–>Elongated Corded Rib
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock–> Wild Cherry
Needles: Crystal Palace DPNs US 1 (2.25mm)
CO: 72sts
Start: 7/23/07
Finish: 8/5/07

And here is the Fleece Artist Nova Socks in the Tiger colorway that I picked out for my coworker. These are gonna be plain and simple. I want to do a bit of mindless knitting and I get to try out another yarn. Yippee! I’ve had Fleece Artist hanging out in the stash for a bit and it’s high time I get to knittin’ some of them up.

I was bored, stumbled onto this…Simpsonsmovie.com

Here’s my Simpson’s Avatar:

Oh by the way, here’s a pic of the mystery skein…the lovely Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn: Blue Lagoon

Purchased from one of my fave on-line stores: The Loopy Ewe

ETA: photo missing, gonna track it down.

The pic doesn’t show the color variations so well, but there are many variations of green in it.