WIP Wednesday

With two and a half weeks to go until Tour de Sock, I'm trying to finish projects instead of starting new ones.   New ones are whispering Start Me, though.

Tour de Sock #1:  we got the technical information a couple of days ago.  I swatched and discovered I'll need to go below a size 0.  I ordered size 00 and size 000 dpns.  Delivery confirmation says they are in the mailbox (across the road) so I may be swatching again soon.

Zombie Kitty socks:  cuff done on sock #2.  I have second sock syndrome with this pair.  I'm alternating working a little bit on this with doing a section on the next one.

Yarnia blanket:  the first square of week 9 is just barely started.

Harley sweater:  remains untouched.  It is likely to go into hibernation.  It's a large garment made from a wool and alpaca blend.  It's summer.  I live in Georgia.  My air conditioning needs work.

Protest is Patriotic shawlette:  this one is whispering pretty loudly.  I bought the yarn which is all madelinetosh light.  Zombie Kitty may be sent to the litter box if it makes any more noise.

Frida Kathlo:  she's waiting patiently so far.  I need to dig out yarn for some tiny flowers and some for a tiny shawl.  I'm saving that task for the next time frustration hits and I need to walk away from the needles.

Stash Enhancement Saturday

It is three weeks to the start of Tour de Sock and over 1500 people have signed up already.  That's well over $10,000 for Doctors Without Borders.  How cool is that?  I got some yarn this week from two of the Tour's sponsors.

These two are from Blue Moon Fiber Arts.  Both are BFL.  The pink one is China Rose.  The blue one is Stars Hollow.

These three are from Invictus.  The top one is TDS Party Confetti, MCN.

The middle one is Roll Credits, a merino/nylon blend.  This is Doctor Who-related so I may use it in place of one of the colors I already picked out for the Tour.  It should give us a point or two.

The bottom one is also a TdS special called TDS Party.  Merino and silk.  Mmmmm, shiny!

WIP Wednesday

I've dropped everything else so I can get the two Welcome Blankets done.  Part of it is because they need to be where they are going in July.  Part of it is because I don't want anything in the way when Tour de Sock starts.  This is the first one.  There's one more strip of triangles partly finished.

The second blanket is blue and white.  The squares will make diamond shapes instead of triangles on that one.

Stash Enhancement Saturday

The May "Who-niverse" offering from the Mad Geek Tour:

It's called Singing Towers of Darillium.

New yarn that's gone directly to WIP are some red, white, and blue bulky weight.   Check out Welcome Blanket for more information.  The pattern designer is the same one behind Pussyhats.

My mug stash is almost as ridiculous as my sock yarn stash.  I'm tempted to get this one.  I don't care for politics, but I've found some running mates that I can get behind. 

WIP Wednesday

Yarnia blanket:  The squares with borders on them are not exactly from the Yarnia project.  They are by the same designer with a border someone invented to make the squares the same size as the blanket squares.  I'm doing 8 of these.  I think a 6 x 8 square blanket (48 squares) will work out better than a 5 x 8 (40 squares).

These socks are the Tour de Sock warmup pattern.  If they are done with two nicely contrasting solid yarns, they are really pretty. If they are not, you get Zombie Kitty:

The main color is Lorna's Laces Zombie BBQ, which I won in a drawing a couple of TdS ago.  The contrast is Wollmeise So Long Kitty.  That's where the name came from.

I have not worked on Harley this week.  I did get the new needle yesterday and I did get a picture of what's done so far.  The neckband is a braid (sandwiched between two cables) and the same braid runs down both sleeves.  The body/sleeve increases are done the either side of little cables:

Welcome Blanket is still waiting for the yarn to arrive from the UK any day now.

Frida Kathlo will be started just as soon as either Zombie Kitty or Harley does something to make me want to scream and throw things.  I discovered that I have just about enough yarn left from the Professor Meow sweater to make her.  Seems like the right use for the yarn.

Stash Enhancement Saturday

My order from Miss Babs arrived.  This is Mad Hatter:

This is Angelina:

Angelina was meant to go with some other colors for a Tour de Sock project.  It is a little bit more orange in real life and that doesn't work with the other colors.

On the way is an order from Blue Moon and this month's Who club item.  I'm also going to use my TdS code for Invictus for some totally unnecessary stash yarn.  I'm got until the end of July for that one so I'm attempting to hold off for awhile.

Finished Object Friday

I think I finished this last week.  There's no good excuse for it not to be blocked yet.  The original only has ribbing at the sleeves.  I made them a little longer.  The Professor Meow Sweater:

The only WIPs are the Harley sweater which I can't work on until the new needle arrives and it hasn't even been shipped yet, and the Yarnia blanket squares.  I'm on the last of some extra squares I'm doing so I don't get behind during Tour de Sock.

I've got yarn on order for a Welcome Blanket.  It's a lap blanket and they are being collected to distribute to refugees.  Don't build walls, knit blankets!

I'm debating on whether or not to do the Tour de Sock warm up pattern.  It's not required for the Tour, just a nice pattern to tune up everyone's fingers and needles.  Maybe I'll go see what I've got in stash that might work.

Work in Progress Wednesday. Not.

Yarnia squares are all up to date and the new pattern will appear over the weekend.

Rant begins:
I bought a series of sock patterns and am officially not going to do any more of them.  There were a couple of technical issues with one or two that I could live with.  What I could not live with was the most recent one.  The designer was unable to upload the pattern as we were meant to get it.  What we got did not have a picture.  She posted the picture on a social media site where I do not have an account.  If I'd had the picture, it would have been instantly clear that the written instructions for the heel did not work.  Apparently one needed to do two pages of math calculations to have it come out correctly.  We were not even given a link to this heel pattern.  It is supposed to correct a fit problem that I don't even have.  And did I mention that it was a short sock and the pattern called for a 420 yard skein of yarn? 

Life is too short to knit badly written patterns.
Rant ends.

I went back to working on my Harley sweater which I should not have done after my sock tantrum.  When I started losing stitch markers and spent more time swearing than knitting, I knew it was time to stop.  I'll leave it alone until the longer needle appears.

Yarn for Tour de Sock is mostly selected and in project bags.   I wasn't able to use a lot of sponsor yarn (team gets extra points if you do).  I did make my goal of selecting one Doctor Who-themed yarn for each sock, though.  Did I post that already?  Time for this crabby knitter to go fix some dinner.

Stash Enhancement Saturday

I got my order from Dizzy Sheep.  The needles that prompted the order in the first place need to be longer.  Totally my fault.  I'm still glad I ordered the yarns.

Malabrigo Mechita, colorway English Rose:

Schoppel Crazy Zauberball, colorway Pale Shimmer:

Lang Mille Colori:

That last one is a bit Noro-like, only with a more even texture.

I've used a great deal of restraint in the use of my Tour de Sock discount codes.  I've only done one order so far (Miss Babs).  My yarn goal for Tour de Sock is to have each pair use at least one yarn that has something to do with Doctor Who.  English Rose (above) is a little bit of a stretch, but it completes that goal.

We get extra points for using sponsor yarn.  Not many of them have anything beyond TARDIS blue.  I've got enough of that.  I think I'll knit fast enough to make up for not using that much sponsor yarn.  I still want to support the sponsors, so more may be purchased.  I think I'll go check on Invictus and see if she's got anything new that I must have.