Lei Aloha

It will not have escaped the notice of gentle readers that lately much of the traveling done from casa Jersey Knitter has been hurried and for reasons that go unblogged. Sad to relate, those reasons include serious illnesses and deaths in my family. There have been long blank patches of blog disruption corresponding to long sad watches as health and life ebb away. There has been sickroom knitting of variable gauge and other imperfections (sigh). There has been funereal crafting as well, such as these Basic One Straw Round Lei (the plural of lei is lei).



These simple yarn lei emulate the appearance of lei hulu, Hawaiian featherwork lei. They were made by weaving a weft of novelty yarns around a warp of grosgrain ribbons on a straw loom. The original feather lei were symbols of wealth and power and were reserved for royalty. Nowadays their yarn counterparts are given as gifts of aloha on both happy and sad occasions – alas! the latter for these.

As an eco-conscious blogger I must add: While the image of casting lei into the ocean as a sign of farewell or mourning is a popular one, the custom originated with tourists of the steamship era and was not part of old Hawaiian culture. The practice is discouraged, because non-biodegradable lei strings pose a threat to sealife.

Lamentation Rules

Lamentation rules at casa Jersey Knitter. As of Bastille Day last Wednesday this was the sum total of my TdF spinning. The usual causes apply: too much traveling, not enough down time – a situation unlikely to be remedied for a while yet. Earlier this year I had my hopes up, but no. If anything, prospects are rather sadder than happier. ::Le sigh.::



Consistent with my indecision (huh?) about what to spin, I kept changing my mind about how to spin the singles, even over this pitiably short length. Laceweight? Fingering?? Sportweight for weaving??? When I saw the Knitty surprise I briefly thought it should be fine laceweight for a fiery version of Ridge and Furrow shawl by Jenn Monahan, which would be fabulous. And it would be fun to spindle-spin 850 yards (777 m) of cobweb singles, oui? But, during times of lamentation, iron discipline applies – that's the rules. So, Imma gonna try to stay the course with sportweight for weaving.

Meanwhile, I finally finished my carbon footprint Juta's Stockings by Nancy Bush... then was utterly unable to take a decent pic of the FO, even with the aid of bright July light. This rather indistinct image is my best effort so far out of many. The socks are slightly different sizes because my gauge changes when I'm stressed. I've decided not to stress about it. The modeled shot will have to wait until cooler weather.



Realization dawned that I never documented the FO for The Stroop Stroop Socks by Ros Clarke, a Sock Madness 9 pattern knit and completed for April Sockdown. I love the clever motifs – the sock is sprinkled with round ribbed and barred stroopwafels of varying sizes. Alas, my poor digicam is flummoxed by the tigerish yarn and cannot display the gentle beauty of the stitch pattern effectively.



This hot day that's about all I can manage. More later, in the meantime, Allons-y!

Les Belles Chaussettes sans Merci

After returning from MDS&W and while still thinking lovely warped thoughts, I decided to inspect the contents of the sock drawer to search out and forestall any activity by the dreaded müth. Preoccupied though I was in this worthy endeavor, methought I heard a faint cry, "Les Belles Chaussettes sans Merci hath thee in thrall!" It was very faint, and my first impulse was denial. It couldn't possibly be true, because I'm a ploddingly slow, easily distracted process knitter. But I couldn't deny my own knitting. Yep, those are my socks.



That's 41 mid-calf socks in the outer ring, 19 shortie socks in the inner ring. Some are pre-Ravelryites. Some are even Before Blog. The photo doesn't include three pairs of socks I got in swaps, Skew (which somehow is always somewhere else at class photo time), seven Socks of Shame, and uncounted numbers of other wips.

The newest addition to the outer ring of Les Belles Chaussettes sans Merci is a lovely Sock Madness pattern, Longing for Spring by Caoua Coffee, worked in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, colorway Clara's Garden. Pictured with spring violets because the erudite designer references Mozart and violets.



Although I was knocked out of Sock Madness competition, I knit the socks to a regulation 80 rounds on the foot and more-than-regulation 70 rounds on the leg. I usually have difficulty fitting toe-up socks on my Frankenfeet, particularly at the heel – this one is a tad loose everywhere except the heel, a perfect length on the foot, and short in the leg. Other Madness knitters found it knit up roomier than expected. The toe and heel turn are new-to-me constructions. Were I to knit this charming sock again, I'd consider knitting a half-size smaller, keeping the toe, and substituting a different heel.

Considering Les Belles Chaussettes sans Merci et al. en masse, it seems like a lot of socks. Not too many – never, there's still so much to learn and try! – but perhaps with such numbers I can afford to spend some energy elsewhere. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a new hobby after all.

After All

Today is the Easter Vigil, and instead of the traditional alternatives of keeping watch or falling asleep I'm staggering over the Cable Madness finish line late with the FO and a matcha mug cake in honor of this morning's lunar eclipse. It's the first time for the cake, which turned out much greener than expected.



It doesn't matter that I finished after the April 3 deadline – as anticipated, I was eliminated from Sock Madness competition several days earlier when the last Team EntreLac spots to advance were filled. One rather senses that others on the team are much faster knitters with more knitting time than I. Ah well, I turtled on and am very pleased with my new fancy socks. I modified the pattern with a half-drop (one sock was started on Round 1 and one sock was started on Round 17 of the 32-round cable pattern) to balance the cables. My thanks to designer Karen Buhr for a most handsome pattern!



Several Team EntreLac members note that SweetGeorgia yarn sometimes runs, particularly the reds, so I must remember to take precautions when I wash the socks. Ordinarily I don't find laundry terribly interesting, but this could be good blog fodder. As they say in the news biz, "If it bleeds, it leads." Which is a sobering thought the night before Easter. Maybe I'll keep watch a while after all.

Clue, April 3

On where to find the spring bunny, my contribution to Free Art Friday Montclair.



Along the trail named for residents previous
flows a shallow brook with course sometimes devious:
it goes behind houses and under the street
(but don't bother the neighbors when seeking your treat).

Upstream of its pond a sign marks the spot.
Free Art waits beyond, placed at 10 on the dot.
Your prize is a bunny, seasonal and representational,
protected against weather, clement or precipitational.

On April 3
should you find this objet wee,
please snap a selfie
and post to #FAFMTC.

Good luck to the seekers, and I sure hope this time the finder posts a selfie!

April Tortoise

This morning there was one last (?) hurrah from Old Man Winter, a surprise snowfall. So of course I rushed out to pose the wee bunny I crocheted for Free Art Friday Montclair. I'll announce where it's placed on Friday. Erm, is it wrong for a church lady to hide a spring bunny on Good Friday?



Making the bunny from the excellent pattern and photo tutorial by Janette Williams was fun and satisfying. Participating in Free Art Friday has been less so. Maybe continuing to do so makes me as mad as a March hare or as gullible as an April Fool. Ah well, my wrists needed a break from fast and furious Mad sock knitting.

Speaking of Sock Madness, here's a Sunday Review progress shot, which is when it became apparent that I possibly might be able to finish the pair before the April 3 deadline but definitely would not make the cut to advance from Round 2 to Round 3.



The cut happened the very next day. It would seem other participants are far speedier than I and have far more time to devote to Mad knitting. Or I have too many distractions. For example, on Sunday, which was Palm Sunday, I was making palm crosses instead of knitting. Slacker that I am, I made mine after the worship service to give away. Whereas overly competitive crafty types industriously weave their palm crosses ::cough:: during the worship service and ::cough:: pridefully hand them out in vast numbers afterward. I'm not very attached to the process (or the competition) – I just make 'em and give 'em away – but a few people reminded me I made them palm crosses last year, which surprised and touched me.

Usually I make the palm crosses on the left, but this year I also tried the palm crosses on the right, which are fussier to make and yield tidier results.

Then there was the matter of replacing the lawn mower blade. It really, really needed replacing.



So, there might be snow on the ground, I may be DNQ for Sock Madness Round 3, but at least I'm ready for lawn-mowing season (whenever that may be)!

Not Unlike Cowbell

The Sock Madness email that conveyed the happy news that I advance to Round 2 also contained a reminder to post more in-progress photos. To a process knitter that's not unlike telling the late Gene Frenkle, "More cowbell!" Can do, starting immediately, because once Round 1 was over, I frogged the to-me uncomfortable Alohomora star toes and knit wedge toes.

The process? First, I opened up the star toe and picked up stitches.



Then I frogged the toe. I picked up stitches before frogging because the ribbing stitches of the foot would have splayed in opposite directions when frogged, which would have made picking up stitches after frogging a little fussy, particularly in this yarn, which tends to split and pill. Less fuss is a good thing.



Next, I knit a wedge toe, which is more comfortable on my Frankenfeet than a star toe. Here's one star toe, one wedge toe.



Rinse, repeat. Here's two wedge toes.



I'm very happy with my pinky rainbowy Alohomora socks! It's just the palette I crave this time of year.



After suitable jubilation, it occurs to me the Round 2 pattern is likely to drop when I'm on the road and unable to do much knitting or take many progress pix for that matter. Oh noes! Will I be able to advance? To be continued....

Sock Foot 9 and 1/4

It's Pi Day! I didn't have time to bake a pie, so sent DH to The Pie Store, where the line was out the door and the bakers were baking furiously. He duly returned with a steak and ale pie for our supper.



Meanwhile, here's more photographic evidence my Round 1 Sock Madness socks, Alohomora by Malena Andersen, now a pair, were knit to specs: >9 inch (>22.8 cm) foot, five boxes on leg, six boxes on foot, star toe. I couldn't figure out how to keep the measuring tape flat whilst I took a picture, but when pulled flat, the sock foot measures 9 and 1/4 inches (23.5 cm). The flowerhead pins indicate the pattern repeats.



The regulations observed, let me further note that pattern was delightful to knit, with just the right amount of texture to enhance solid, self-striping, or variegated yarns. I enjoyed the yarn, Pagewood Farms Yukon colorway Rainbow, more than expected. To me YUKON suggests a certain fiber content – this yarn is 70/20/10 Superwash Merino, Bamboo, and Nylon. Huh? I sometimes haven't liked the combination, which can be slick and limp, but this yarn and the pattern resulted in a nicely springy fabric both to the eye and to the hand.

Equally delightful, this year I had enough knitting time to finish two socks and even blog before the deadline, thus earning a place in the competition. That hasn't happened since March 2010. Yikes. Suffice to say lack of knitting time = a difficult slog that's not over yet. It's nice to have more knitting time.

Alas, a star toe is very uncomfortable on my Frankenfeet. My feet do not taper evenly to a sharp point like a pencil, they're shaped more like wedges. So I left long tails on the toes and plan to frog the toes and re-knit comfy wedge toes sometime soon.

Foot Notes

Incredible to relate, during the blog drought I started and finished a pair of socks. Could the drought have been so long? Objectively it wasn't, or rather the combination of pattern, Puschkinia by Kirsten Kapur, and yarn, Fiber Optic Yarns Foot Notes Paintbox Gradient, were just so compelling that time stood still. Whatever. I'm quite pleased with the results.



The yarn was an impulse splurge at last year's MDS&W. I don't often do that, but I'm glad I indulged. For one thing, I fell in love with Foot Notes while making Camino de Santiago. (Did I ever post its FO photo? No?? Gah, lemme fix that.) The yarn is wonderful to knit, on the softer and less sproingy side, yet with excellent stitch definition.



Then there's the colors. Foot Notes Paintbox Gradients are comprised of 15 skeins of 30 yards (27 m) each. I selected the Wild Thyme colorway – it was very hard to choose, they're all so wonderful. Costly too, but ah well.



The pattern is masterfully written, as all of Kirsten's are, with helpful exposition for less experienced knitters (but not so much more experienced knitters become annoyed). In the flower section I made the CC yarn dominant over the MC yarn, and reversed that in the ticking stripe sections. I offset the ticking stripes just for fun, made an eye of partridge heel for fit, and a contrast toe to match the heel. It was a most enjoyable knit. Were I to knit the pattern again, I'd use two solids rather than a gradient to make the colorwork and stripes pop. But that's for next time.

The Great Blizzard of 2015

Sorry about yet another blog drought. Sigh.

Speaking of the weather, according to the quite alarming forecasts, overnight was supposed to be the Great Blizzard of 2015. There was the usual rush to the supermarket, then the tri-state region hunkered down with travel bans, warnings of white out conditions, and expectations of setting snowfall records. But the storm formed 90 miles to the east, so the forecast 30+ inches (76+ cm) of snow never materialized roundabout Exit 151, although other locations were hard hit. In the end we got maybe 5 inches (12.7 cm). Oh well, I'm relieved and disinclined to grumble at the forecasters. Instead, I made a nosewarmer.



I modified the pattern, knitting and decreasing in the round instead of knitting flat and using short rows. I worked the decreases opposite from the way one would work a sock toe (ie, ssk, k2, k2tog instead of k2tog, k2, ssk). The nosewarmer is for the next Free Art Friday Montclair (#fafmtclr), February 6. My first offering disappeared satisfyingly quickly, but there was no finder's photo posted, which is a bit of a bummer. I'm hoping for a finder's photo this time.

First Friday

Happy New Year! Roundabout casa Jersey Knitter it seems especially auspicious that 2015 is the Year of the Sheep. In Japan the New Year's postage stamp depicts a knitter sheep that has finished the scarf it was making 12 years ago. May that bode well for the many UFOs buzzing around Area 151!

Photo credit: AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama.

Indeed, encouraged by that example, I dug out an, er, vintage UFO, the wee beaded bag from ::cough:: September 2006 and finished it with an I-cord strap and a beaded edging around the flap. It felt wonderfully right, as if I'd never put it down. Behold, the first FO of the new year (with NJ quarter for scale)!



It seems to me one shouldn't hoard such good karma for oneself. Accordingly, I left the wee bag by BAB for Free Art Friday Montclair (#fafmtclr), a local version of a global scavenger hunt. A lot of FAF pieces involve graphic arts, but I thought an objet could add a touch of whimsy to the day. It does seem as if some FAF scavengers take things a bit too seriously, as if the goal is having rather than finding. That said, if you find the wee bag, take it if you wish – it's free. Or, leave it to brighten someone else's day.