Hookers N’ Junkies

Now that the cat’s out of the bag, and I “no longer need to swallow” I’m accepting any or all of your mismatched, poorly colored, silly, whimisical baby items, made specially by *you*. Unfourtunately, this weekend is a bust when it comes to stitch n bitch, since it’s Thanksgiving and all, but I have every intention of filling as many saturdays as possible with the company of my favorite crochet hooks and knitting needles.

Since finding out, I’ve decided that I’m going to do my best for the next year to finish all unfinished projects and ideas, and use up all that yarn I have kicking around so that I don’t start the new life still procrastinating or worse, gettting bored half way through and giving up. I have successfully finished a pair of socks (hard for me since it involves duplicating something) and I have picked up and am finishing the beautiful (how could I have put this down) cashmere shawl. Hopefully this means that I won’t buy new yarn for the next while, the plan is to whittle away at the stash.

Also, now that Chris and I are going to be moving, I will have a house, which means a basement, which means Angoras. MMmmmmmm. Angora. No sheep for me, but I’ll live with the alternative. Especially since it will make Chris Happier. Anything for that. God I love that guy.

So, I finished the socks. They are made from 50% Australian Wool, and 50% Angora, and it’s still up in the air weather or not it is rabbit angora or mohair angora, just based on feel, but I don’t really care either way. They are sooper cozy, and wearable. I likes them

This is a picture of me in them. I have issues with home made socks, since I retain a lot of water, I tend to have deep stitch marks imbedded into my tootsies, so what I’ve done with these socks is knitted them inside-out, so the smooth knit side was against my feet, and not the bumpy purl side. So far, a 4 hour test of them in a bar with salty food has proven this wise. I figured I’d make an attempt at even writing out my first pattern. So, this is what I did:

Pattern Notes:

The w&t “stitch” works like this: when knitting: bring yarn forward, slip stitch purlwise, bring yarn back, slip stitch back, turn work. This makes it so that the stitch stays (relatively) tight, makes the working yarn in the right direction, and prevents any holes. To w&t purlwise, bring yarn back, slip stitch knitwise, bring yarn forward, slip stitch back to needle, then turn work. Just try it out. It may sound confusing, but you will get it if you try. It’s a wierd thing to do right off the hop, so if it’s your first time, do it when there will remain at least 2 stitches on the needles. It’s hard-ish to do on the first stitch of a needle.

What you need:

a wee bit more than 50g of sock weight yarn, I estimate about 160 yards of yarn

2.5 mm DPN, one set

2.25 mm DPN, one set

With 2.25mm needle, Cast on 34 stitches.

Toe:

P 33sts, w&t

K 32 sts w&t

P 31 sts, w&t

K 30 sts, w&t

P 29 sts, w&t

K 28 sts, w&t

P 27 sts, w&t

K 26 sts, w&t

P 25 sts, w&t

K 24 sts, w&t

P 23 sts, w&t

K 22 sts, w&t

P 21 sts, w&t

K 20 sts, w&t

P 19 sts, w&t

K 18 sts, w&t

P 19 sts, w&t

K 20 sts, w&t

P 21 sts, w&t

K 22 sts, w&t

P 23 sts, w&t

K 24 sts, w&t

P 25 sts, w&t

K 26 sts, w&t

P 27 sts, w&t

K 28 sts, w&t

P 29 sts, w&t

K 30 sts, w&t

Foot:
P 32 sts, then pick up 30 sts along cast on edge. Divide stitches onto 3 needles so that there are 30 on one, and 17 on two. Change to 2.5mm needles. Knit in the round for 50 rows. This will make the toe stockinette stitch, and the foot reverse stockinette stitch, but knitted inside out. (so you will have reverse on the toe and regular stockinette on the foot)

Heel:

On the needle with 30 stitches change to 2.25mm DPNs:
K 28 sts, w&t

P 27 sts, w&t

K 26 sts, w&t

P 25 sts, w&t

K 24 sts, w&t

P 23 sts, w&t

K 22 sts, w&t

P 21 sts, w&t

K 20 sts, w&t

P 19 sts, w&t

K 18 sts, w&t

P 17 sts, w&t

K 16 sts, w&t

P 15 sts, w&t

K 14 sts, w&t

P 13 sts, w&t

K 12 sts, w&t

P 13 sts, w&t

K 14 sts, w&t

P 15 sts, w&t

K 16 sts, w&t

P17 sts, w&t

K 18 sts, w&t

P 19 sts, w&t

K 20 sts, w&t

P 21 sts, w&t

K 22 sts, w&t

P 23 sts, w&t

K 24 sts, w&t

P 25 sts, w&t

K 26 sts, w&t

P 27 sts, w&t

Ankle:

Now, change to 2.5mm DPNs and continue working in the round for 30 more rows. Change to 2.25mm DPNs and work in 2×2 rib for 5 rows, and cast off VERY LOOSELY (it helps to cast off with a 3-4mm needle)

repeat for other sock When you turn the heel on the other sock, you will notice that instead of K (even number) w&t, you will be K (odd number) w&t. that is normal. get it?

I’m doing a beading tutorial if you’re interested. So, I’ll go through methods and techniques. If you are interested, bring some beads, crochet thread or beading wire, and an apropriate size of needles or hook.

Saturday. Remedy? 1300hrs

I thought I’d post a picture I’d taken a few weeks/month ago. And it just so happens that it is a hommemade item

I totally got into it last night. The chairs I have at work are not very good for yarn work, since the arms are either too high or too low, making me strain my arms a lot, and eventually tiring, and (le gasp!) having to do the work I get paid to do. But, for some reason, last night, I just got into it. I got a lot done on the project I am working on, and I’m quite pleased with the results, as close to finishing that they are.

Now, if only I could remember what all my projects are, I would be well on my way to finishing them

I thought I’d include this picture of Fritz who jumped on the ironing board immeditely after I finished ironing on it. He loves warm laudndry. What can we say?

What a success! Fun was had all around, I think, with the only exception of my hangover, but hey, I managed despite. So, for all you bitchers (stitchers? sbitchers?) wanna go every 2 weeks? 4 weeks? weekly? Sunday? Saturday? Let me know here, so we can start the festivities
I loved the location! Thanks out to Mel on that one *best* *chai* *evar*!

We are meeting on Saturday, at 1300hrs at Remedy Cafe on 109th Street beside the Movie Studio. bring your yarn and/or stuff.

And it is this:

Knitting is not better than crocheting. Crocheting is not better than knitting. Guess what? They are even in the same category of crafting. So get off your wanky couch, and get over it. Why is the world obsessed with what is better or worse? Why, when faced with two cities, hockey teams, crafts, fields of study etc, do we feel the need to rate them, and not even stop there, but go on to berate the other thing that is so similar (for all intents and purposes) so as to be the same freaking thing? If you are attatched to a particular hockey team, it does not make that year’s essentially random selection of other players on all other teams worse than yours, or somehow less worthy. There are no true underdogs, just the team that less people like. No two cities in the same province are significantly different enough to merit a “better” or “worse” rating than the other. And, anthropology is no less deserving of television air time than paleontology.

For you yarn crafters out there, we’re not judging here. That form of competition is not welcome. We are all crafters, we twist yarn in such a way that makes pretty things. Let’s celebrate that.