Like a Finnish river... (2014 FO# 17)

Happy Monday, everyone. I had one of those weekends where a lot got done but not much of it was interesting to read about...unless anyone wants to hear about my marathon weeding session? I don't think so.

I did take a quick break on Saturday afternoon to go to a wine tasting competition at my local Dan Murphy's. It involved tasting wine without seeing the bottle and then being asked a series of questions about its type and origin, with only the winners going through to the next round. I was really terrible at it! Which honestly is a surprise given the amount of wine that I drink. I think if it had been a competition on Australian reds that cost less than $20 a bottle, I would have won it hands down.

The parade of finished socks continues. The pattern is Kalajoki, and it is named after the Kalajoki river that "winds its way through Finland and empties into the Baltic sea" (from the pattern). It's a simple stockinette sock with a twisted rib pattern which does, to my romantic eyes, look a bit like a Finnish river. 

I made a couple of mods. I used Wollmeise twin from my stash to make these, so adapted the pattern for a 64-stitch sock. I also changed the cuff ribbing to a standard 1x1 except for the three knit stitches that were twisted all through the sock. I find that twisted rib is super right and totally cuts off the circulation to my foot, so I avoid it where possible.

I also used a short-row heel because I find they fit my foot better. I purposely made it just a tiny bit too small because I find that my other Wollmeise socks (Waving Lace) stretch out after they've been worn. I did not do the anatomical toes because I couldn't figure out how to adapt them to my stitch count. Plus, my normal toe fits fine for me.

I finished these about two days before leaving for the UK. I had this fantasy that I would be able to take FO photo shoots in picturesque locations and that my blog would temporarily look like it was Kate Gilbert's. However, there was no bloody way I was going to take my shoes off outside at any time in that very cold and very wet country, so the photo shoot had to wait.

That said, these socks have experienced serious wear - like literally weeks of walking around in sneakers in damp conditions - and they still look like they've just been pulled off the needles. I don't like knitting with Wollmeise very much but I cannot deny that it makes beautiful, beautiful things.

I am very happy with my not-so-new socks :)

Day 14: Waving Lace in Recycled Wollmeise (2012 FO #13)

I am very excited to finally be able to share with you my finished Waving Lack socks!

This yarn was originally used to make a Triinu which I photographed, wrote about on Ravelry and for some bizarre reason never blogged about. The scarf was really lovely but I just never wore it and I didn't want to waste the gorgeous Wollmeise on an unused project, so I unravelled it and knit it up again.

One criticism of Wollmeise is that when you knit with it it feels like cotton and can be quite rough to work with. That was totally consistent with my experience from knitting the Triinu. However, once this yarn is soaked and blocked, it really softens up and it kept that softness after being unravelled. Knitting these socks with washed and recycled Wollmeise was a completely different experience. 

The stitch definition of these socks is incredible and the finished socks feel comfortable and warm. I have previously stated my love for Wollmeise as a shawl yarn and now I am a Wollmeise sock convert as well. These socks are divine.

One important note: count your repeats accurately! Don't be like me. You can see that one sock is a little bit higher than the other one but it's only really noticeable if you look hard and who really looks hard at other people's feet? If you do, stop it, it's weird.

This pattern is from my new favourite book, Favorite Socks. It might sound crazy but I think I actually want to knit them all! There's only 25 - I can totally do it. Although I also kind of want to knit at least another three pairs of this pattern, so maybe it's not a realistic ideal...we'll see.

Hope everyone is having a happy, fun and relaxing Sunday. Sunny Sundays are the best!

14 down, 17 to go.

Day 11: Brrr!!!!

This post is one day late because yesterday was absolutely bloody freezing (the coldest October day in Melbourne for 40 years!) and there was absolutely no chance I was going to head outside to take photos. Today is marginally better so I rugged up and braved the Great Cold Outdoors (i.e. I took the five steps from my back door to the herb garden) to take a photo of my latest project:

another Henslowe in Wollmeise. I needed a new project that I could mindlessly knit without paying attention but all of my other projects are in stages where I have to look at what's going on. Hence, a new project was required. So that my number of WIPs is kept under control, before starting this I frogged my merino lace socks. The socks were fine and the Bearfoot yarn is delicious but I think its buttery exquisite softness is better suited to a scarf than a pair of socks. Maybe another Henslowe? How many times does one need to make the same project in a 12-month period before one officially has a problem? Hopefully not four...

You'll notice in the background of these photos my parsley bush. Apparently parsley is a bit of a masochist because it loves the horrible-lovely-horrible-lovely-horrible weather cycle we're having at the moment and has gone completely wild. It is enormous.  Seriously - just look at it.

11 down, 20 to go. Over a third of the way there!

Relief and reward

Lately, I've been working really hard. This can most obviously be seen because  my blog posts are shorter and appear more infrequently and contain many more photographs and exclamation marks. I strongly believe that hard effort requires reward and relief - so, if you've put in a 60-hour work week but still have another five documents to finish before you're done but you're totally knackered, it's better to take a night off, watch a Robert Redford movie and have glass of wine than keep pushing yourself to a 65-hour work week - the next day you'll wake up more refreshed and relaxed and not only will you be more productive, your work will actually be of a better quality.

Because I practice what I preach, above is my relief and reward for all of my recent hard work. When I received payment for my most recent job, I ordered myself a book I have been coveting for a long time. Last year I finished a Triinu scarf that apparently I never blogged about (??) which was totally gorgeous but, for whatever reason I never wore. Rather than let it go to waste, when my book arrived yesterday I frogged it, balled it up and, as soon as I finish this never-ending job I am currently on, I am casting on for the socks on the cover. With that to look forward to, I can get this document done.

I'm clearly more a carrot than a stick kind of girl :)

A Herby Herbivore (2012 FO #6)

A while ago I participated in a Will Work For Yarn project - I knitted a Henslowe Shawl for the lovely CathG and I got this lovely Wollmeise in return.

Wollmeise is a really gorgeous wool. It feels a bit like cotton to work with and makes shawls with a gorgeous drape. The colours are lovely, with an intense depth that is really hard to capture on camera. I love Wollmeise but I absolutely do not have the energy to do all the hard work required to get a skein from Germany to my house, so I was very happy to be a part of the swap.

My friend Katy got married last year and them promptly moved to San Francisco. I wanted to knit her a shawl to commemorate the event bit I was a bit stuck on what specific shawl - Katy isn't the knitted lace triangle type of girl. When I saw the colour of this yarn, I knew what shawl it had to be...

..a herb-coloured Herbivore.

There's not much I can say about this pattern that hasn't been said. It's an interesting shawl to knit, although I would recommend using a lot of stitch makers when starting out - it took me a little while to get the hang of the pattern. I measured the yarn after each four-row repeat and began the edging when I had 20g left. I ended up with a 4g nugget left over and a good-sized shawl.  I love this project and I'm itching to start another Herbivore for me. I hope Katy enjoys wearing the scarf as much as I liked making it :)

Where the first shawl of the year is completed and iPhone photos suck (2012 FO #1)

I cannot believe that it is almost the end of April and this is the first time I am doing this for the year.

I present my first finished object of 2012, the gorgeous Henslowe knitted in Wollmeise 100% in Cassis.

So pretty, even with an iPhone photo!

It's very pretty! It was much hard to knit that it should be, mainly because I'm an idiot who doesn't learn from my mistakes.

Oh, iPhone, I love you but your close-ups and flash really suck.
 I miss my camera :(

The lace is constructed by knitting a row just of yarn overs, then a row of yarn overs and k2togs and then a row of just k2togs, with a few straight knit and purl rows thrown in for good luck. This means that if you make a mistake with a k2tog or a yarn over in a row, then every stitch in the following rows is also affected, so if you make a mistake you can't just drop the offending stitch and ladder it back up - all off the offending rows need to be ripped back. The first mistake I made because I was knitting through a football match and not paying attention to my hands and I missed a yarn over. I ripped back, reknitted. The second mistake I made was missing a yarn over because I was knitting through a football match and not paying attention to my hands. Awesome work, B, learning from your mistakes like that! Keep up the good work.

As always, working with the Wollmeise was lovely and the finished shawl is super cute and stylish in a very luxe way.  I hope its recipient likes it as much as I do :)