And socks and baby blankets and spinning and and

Long time, no blog.  I just haven't been feeling amusing.  That means I am not immune to missing the point of this knitblog thing.  I am also missing the FIT/NYC/Yarncrawl/Central Park Extravaganza, so I've had to string together my own amusements.

Saturday spinning was silk.  I am suddenly loving silk.  Tussah has enough tooth, so it is easy to draft.  Some of the colors created by the handdyers are stunning.  (There is no other word, and I mean it literally and figuratively.)  Thesilkworker.com sent me tussah top, shiny, scintillating, mesmerizing.  The picture barely shows you what has transfixed my spinner's eye -

I practiced with GypsyGirl 'FreshLemonade' first.  Toni of The Fold is responsible for my initiation here.  For those of you who are cheering that this is not about blue, well, relax.  The fibery parts of my blog are not about blue as much as they are about interesting, different fiber challenges that make me think and force me to figure things out about what I'm spinning and knitting.  When I'm dead and gone (hopefully not soon) I hope to be remembered for the journey, the challenges, and for having provoked thought.  It's just not about blue.  That's the subtext that keeps me happy, but indeed, it is just a subtext. 

Carrie won the Posh cashmere/merino yarn via an auspicious random number.  I've just changed her fate in the universe, as she said she never wins things like this.  Blogs are wonderful things.

The Ellen's Half-Pint Leapfrog socks are done, with yarn to spare.  I don't think I'll leap to buy lots of merino/tencel yarn.  I did enjoy the knit, but the lack of elasticity made some of the needle junctions rather unforgiving.  When I went to whipstitch some of the laddering into oblivion, I created humps of fabric that looked worse than the ladders.  I gave up.  Time is on my side, as I will soon forget which side, which sock, and which defect, and enjoy them despite the imperfections.

Ellen's Half-Pint Farm 'Stormy Skies', merino 50%/tencel 50%, on Crystal Palace 1 1/2 bamboo needles

The skein had 475 yards, my feet are big, and the cuff was 6" high.  I had reasonable amounts of yarn left at the end.

I have become obsessed with knee socks, and with unusual fiber blends for sock knitting.  Clessidra has me planning and plotting.  What yarn is suitable?  That much sock needs a stronger yarn so it won't wear out any time soon.  The Regia Silk is expensive, so can I substitute Knitpicks Gloss?  There is no nylon in Gloss.  I found a lush wool/mohair/nylon/silk blend in lovely colors.  It will be strong, but not resilient, as the wool component tops out at only 50%.  I learned my nonresilient lesson one paragraph back.  Some of the Cherry Tree Hill solid colors have waved their ballbands at me, but the pure merino may lack durability. 

Then, looking through LoopyEwe's website, I see MORE kneesock patterns.  And then I am waylaid by Lisa Souza's wool/angora blend sock yarn.  (The wool/angora will not be used for kneesocks.)  Such pleasure in deliberation! So many choices beyond merino and superwash.

The timesucking baby blanket is almost done.  I'm going to try EZ's sewn cast-off, and then you will have the blocking pictures.  Can we hear trumpets?  The baby isn't due until June 7th. 

The FreshLemonade silk was last Saturday's spin.  I'll have some stuff done on the wheel this coming Saturday to show, and some plans to make room for more fleece.  Fiber season is approaching.  I know my (our?) inability to turn my back on a beautiful fleece.  So I'm hatching ways of making sure the Rubbermaid bins don't top out at ceiling level.

Spring is only slowly approaching.  The local farmstand had a display of hopeful pansies.  The spring vegetables aren't in the local  market yet.  Snow still covers my garden.  I'm impatient.

Comments

[Beth S.]

I love how you chose pink and green to practice with. I would have done exactly the opposite. ;-)

Your new socks are SO pretty--really, I love what the yarn did, especially on the foot. Beautiful colorway!

I feel the call of Clessidra too, and had the exact same thought process re: Gloss. And it doesn't come in very many colors, either. No decision yet, but I'm eager to see what you settle on. ;-)

[margene]

I'm so tempted to click on the silkworker site, but...fear grips my heart both for the budget and the lack of experience.
Your silk spinning is beautiful and I saw your comment on Jenny's blog regarding Navajo plying. Make sure you show us how it worked if you go that direction. The color you're using for practice is beautiful but they way you made it shine and how lovely your singles are is heartbreaking beautiful (I'm a sucker for beautiful singles.)
The socks look grand...truly you're too hard on your knitting. Enjoy!!
My worry with Gloss (and other KP yarns) is durability. CTH may not have nylon but it has a good twist and will last long. And you should also check out Cookie's knee high patterns...oh my!
The baby blanket is going to make a sunny, happy birth gift!
I'd be impatient too if we had your weather conditions. Today I'm in sandals...next week it will be sock weather again. It's SPRING!

[Caroline M]

I have tussah stashed away for when I'm "good enough". That would be now except that my winter hands are dry and catchy. The fresh lemonade is a colour that I'd never dream of buying and yet it looks so good. I have several pairs of CTH socks and they are wearing just fine. As Margene said they are tightly spun and I think that's what makes the difference. For what it's worth my handspun merino tencel socks have worn very well too and they are still so very shiny after 18 months of washing.

[Carole]

I'm so disappointed that today didn't warm up the way they said it would! But it's all good and pretty soon we'll be complaining about the heat!

[Kim]

Isn't it wonderful that Spring is on it's way and pansies always say Spring the best, don't they?

I love the lemonade silk you spun....bright and springlike!

I'm almost finished with my merino bamboo socks and I have to say that I really like that blend, but I understand what you mean about the lack of elasticity. A textured pattern seems to make somewhat of a difference there :-) I'm moving onto the merino/tencel next....I'll let you know what I find with that blend :-)

[Risa]

Pretty all around! I have to admit, I bought one of those knee sock patterns from Loopy Ewe and some Louet Gems to knit them in :)

[Lee Ann]

Yep, that would be me. Hopeful pansy.

Thank you for the money sink, I mean silk link... :-)

[Carrie]

Margene beat me to it - Cookie has three kneehigh sock patterns on her new site, and they're really cute!

[Teresa C]

Wow, your spinning looks fun. I can't wait to spin some silk. So yummy.

And the knitting is great too.

:)

[Jess]

Beautiful spinning and beautiful sockage - silk is just yummy. ;o)

I've been lusting after knee-highs myself lately but I just can't decide on a pattern...in fact, I can't decide on much of anything these days. Freaking tax season has fried my brain yet again - one of these years I'm just not going to have any brain cells left on April 16th.

[Ruth]

Since I have yet to finish a baby blanket before the baby in question's four month birthday (with one incomplete blanket still stewing away in the WIP Zone), I bow before your mighty needles.

I couldn't see any imperfections in those socks. Just shiny, soft, prettiness.

[claudia]

I don't think I'd use Gloss for socks. It doesn't look to me that it would wear well on the heels and soles.

[Cathy]

Nice silk spinning - and yea that the baby blanket is almost finished and in plenty of time. That ought to ensure no early delivery. Very pretty new socks too.

[Teyani]

knee socks have been calling my name too (but first must finish some more spinning)I am totally gaa-gaa over Cookie's new patterns!

Your silk spinning looks fabulous. It's one of my favorite fibers to spin.

Our weather is still flip-flopping between icey rain and sunny days. It's spring in the Pac NW. Hope your snow melts soon.

[Cassie]

That blue/purple fiber is soooo beautiful. And its blue, and I like it (*that's* how beautiful it is.) I love spinning silk/wool blends, it is truly an addiction (you've been warned).

[Theresa]

Knee socks are storming blogland. And you say you're immune . . .

[vanessa]

i hate hate hated knitting with knitpicks gloss. no bounce! now it might make a nice scarf, but socks, can you say rrrriiiiipppp?

[Lucia]

Now I'm thinking of knee socks too, specifically if those orange-and-fuchsia numbers are going to turn into knee socks, and if so what I will do about the increases.

I'm with you on the blue.

[Anne]

I'm with you about the merino/tencel - eh. Better than not knitting at all, but I wouldn't sell the house for it either.

I AM trialing a cone of superwash merino/bamboo/nylon sock yarn. The 100 yards I dyed I really fell in love with. I'll have to see how it wears for socks.

[--Deb]

That silk looks so, so pretty . . . And, the Regia Bamboo sock yarn is remarkably nice to work with.... (Just sayin'.)

[Joni]

Hi there! I just wanted to make sure you're aware that your blog is in the queue for the Fiber Arts Bloggers ring, because your ring code needs fixing. (That big picture of a highway--that's a problem in your FABLoggers ring code) I just sent you the code again--please let me know if you don't get it? I'd love to get you back in the ring. :)

[Dorothy B]

What beautiful silk tops! They look very luxurious as does the yarn you spun.

Pretty baby blanket.

[Lorette]

I have this obsession with knee socks, too. I bought enough of the Regia Silk, now I just need the right pattern. Eunny's Bayerische socks are what I want to do, if I can figure out the calf shaping. I don't usually reinforce heels and toes on socks, but I think for knee socks that take forever to make, I'd do so.
I like your Stormy Skies socks!