Lily of the Valley Scarf is done

Every now and then something comes out just the way you want.

This was one of those projects. This is the Lily of the Valley scarf from "Knitted Lace of Estonia" by Nancy Bush. I knitted it with one skein of Schaeffer Anne, which has 560 yards. I did 15 full pattern repeats and could have done at least one more. The color isn't true in these pictures; it's a darker, mossy green.

Here's one more picture, just because.

The Not Amusing Socks Are Done

These were an experiment.  I wanted to see how much the nupps affected the elasticity of the socks. The good news is, they don't have a significant impact so I can incorporate them into a design without worrying about winding up with socks that have no give.

I started with just one nupp at the top and increased the number of nupps per row as I moved down the sock. The bottom of the cuff is just as stretchy as the top.

It's really evident how different the two skeins are in this picture. The nupps don't really add much on their own but I think they can be combined with cables or traveling stitches to create an interesting design. I also think they'd look best in a solid color. They could also be done in a contrasting color for a polka dot effect.

The top of the foot has lots of nupps. I didn't have to worry about stretchiness here but it turns out it wouldn't have been a problem. I'm glad they're done and that I can move on to a new pair of socks. They probably won't be made with Lorna's Laces since I'm still steaming about how off the two different skeins are.

We Are Not Amused

So I'm plugging away on the second of my nupp socks and I'm starting the heel so I pull out the first sock to count how many rows I did on the heel flap and how many stitches I picked up for the gusset because I couldn't be bothered writing it down and I look at the two socks side by side.

These are both allegedly the same die lot for Lorna's Laces "Vera" but that's hard to believe. They don't even look like the same colorway. There's no green at all in the first sock and it pools in a really unattractive manner. I realize that no two skeins of a hand dyed yarn are going to be exactly the same but I do expect them to have the same colors in them. WTF, Lorna's Laces, how does this happen when they're the same dye lot?

Undulating Lacy Rib Socks

I started these a while ago. The pattern comes from a stitch encyclopedia and is called "undulating lacy ribs." It's lacy and it undulates but it's not ribbing. Let's not quibble with the name because it's a nice pattern.

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This is Berroco Ultra Alpaca Lite, which is very nice but it wasn't working out for this particular pattern. It has a repeat of 9 stitches and I really wanted to work the pattern over 54 so I wouldn't have to deal with an odd number of repeats and an odd number of stitches so I frogged them and used Madelinetosh Sock in the "Lichen" colorway instead. My camera really wants to turn this purple but it's mostly green with just a little bit of purple. The colors are more saturated than they appear here.

This yarn is a little heavier so 54 stitches in a lace pattern on 2.75 needles gets me the proper gauge for socks. It's not fuzzy so the pattern is nice and crisp, although that's not apparent in the pictures. I was enjoying myself so much while knitting these that I got carried away and started the heel flap before the cuff was long enough. I didn't realize this until I'd finished the sock and tried it on so now I have to rip it back and do another repeat of the pattern.

The charting for the top of the foot took a couple of tries but I finally got it right. It's worked over 28 stitches (3 repeats +1) so the foot is worked over 2 more stitches than the cuff but it still fits fine. Also, I have lots of practice so it should go quickly when I knit it the second and third time.

Chugging Away

I'm about half done with the Lily of the Valley scarf. It's a fun project to work on. The pattern is interesting and the fact that the yarn is fingering weight instead of lace weight means it goes quickly and is easier to handle. I'm also working on two pair of socks.

The first is a basic 2/2 rib in Lorna's Laces "Vera" colorway with some nupps for added interest. I've had this yarn for years but the first pair I started with it pooled in a most unattractive way so I frogged them and put the yarn aside until I could find a better pattern. I thought the nupps would break up the pooling but it hasn't really worked out that way.

The pooling is still very pronounced. The nupps add a little texture and create an interesting jagged effect that's more pronounced on the other side.

I can live with this as long as the other sock does something similar. Actually, I'm going to live with this even if it doesn't do something similar since I don't feel like ripping this and starting a third pair that will undoubtedly pool in an equally unattractive manner. I like the nupps and am already planning another pair of socks with nupps and cables.

Denmark Socks are Done

I love these socks. I love the colorway (Twilight by Lorna's Laces) and I love the pattern (Denmark by Nancy Bush). These are knit with Shepherd Sport.

Coincidentally, Jimmy Beans announced in their July 2010 newsletter that this colorway has been added to their permanent collection. Obviously, I'm not the only one who loved it. My pictures make the yarn look brighter than it really is. Purples are difficult to photograph. I took dozens of shots, indoors and out, but none were accurate. These are the best I could do.

The pattern is from "Knitting on the Road" by Nancy Bush and is a fun pattern to knit. It's a very basic cable pattern with 54 stitches cast on. There are nupps at the top of each cable. They're not really nupps; they look like nupps but they're easier to knit. I think they're an interesting design element so I'm using them to liven up some basic ribbed socks that I'm working on now.

Lily of the Valley Scarf

This is from "Knitted Lace of Estonia" by Nancy Bush. I'm using Schaeffer Anne in a near solid olive green. I think all the Schaeffer yarns have an official name but there's nothing on the tag. I've done two and a half repeats of the pattern and Boy Howdy, was that ever painful.

The border wasn't too bad but I suffered for that first pattern repeat. I kept picking up the stitch after the nupp when purling the five stitches together and not realizing it until a few rows later when my stitch count was off. Once I knew what was going on I was able to avoid doing it and the pace picked up considerably after that but it made that first pattern repeat one of the more frustrating knitting experiences I've ever had.

The pattern calls for 9 1/2 pattern repeats using a yarn that has 400 yards. The Schaeffer has 560 yards so I should be able to do at least 13 or 14 repeats, which will result in a finished length of about 60". The nupps don't really pop but I can live with that. They might show better after it's been blocked.

The border's very simple but works well with the pattern. This is a knitted cast on with the yarn doubled, which gives you an edge that is both stretchy and pretty. Now that the pace has pick up considerably, it should progress quickly. It's certainly nice not having to change yarns every other row.