So, on Saturday, I spun up a bunch of white sock yarn, and on Sunday, I dyed a bunch of it OMG BRIGHT YELLOW. And Sunday night/Monday-way-past-bedtime I cranked out a size 9 Lady's sock appropriate for a Vikings Fan.
;-)Monday, February 28, 2011
Day 25 and 26: Birthday Surprise!
I'm late in posting these days because my Mother-In-Law reads these, and days 25 and 26 were her birthday present. BEHOLD! Miss Moodles helping me model socks!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Day 24: New Diaper Designs and Materials
I didn't get good pictures of the diapers before they were in use, because I was anxious to see if polar fleece would really work as a diaper cover material. And if the new diaper design would fit.
Success! So now we have diaper covers can go in the dryer without delaminating for those emergency laundry days, and a cheaper alternative to polyurithane laminate for construction materials. Plus a new lower profile diaper design to play with. Eeeeeexcellent.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Day 22: Danielle's Other Sock
The second sock was completed at lunch today and the pair will go home with their excited new owner tonight!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Day 21: A twist of lime
I was planning on finishing the second sock at lunch so that I could present them to my colleague, but I forgot the extra string needed to finish the cuff. :P I have the dumb. She'll have the pair tomorrow. Instead, today, I give you her first sock, AND the Valentine's Day Surprise Socks being modeled. Woo!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Day 20: -2 Sanity Points
Moodles still needs diaper covers, since the ones at grandma's house are also dying, but I have a day or two to do applique for more stylish diapers. So today, Bebe Cthulhu. Rawr!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Day 19: Sock Machine Longies
The fit isn't exactly right yet, but it's close enough to make me want to try again... Because every baby needs ugly ass sweater-pants....
Friday, February 18, 2011
Day 18: Subversive
I actually made three socks last night, but I think the first pair is actually destined to be frogged as the color combination is too ugly to live. I wasn't sure that was possible, but sho nuff, I wouldn't put those on my feet. So I switched gears and made the first of a pair of "interview sox" to give my friend A an extra subversive lift when it comes time to don the dread suit and tie...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Day 17: Two Socks on a School Night
I wouldn't say that I was under the gun to get these done, but I am having lunch with the recipient today... I just felt it might be more convenient for both of us, if she were to receive both socks the same day...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Day 16: Last Valentines Day Sock
The Surprise Socks are shipped. Hopefully the recipients will post pictures... I forgot to take pictures of one pair before packaging...
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Day 15: Quilted Northern, aka Crappy Quilting
Because I am still not ready to show you the surprise socks, I will instead present to you the 15 or so new diapers that I finally got around to making with the stuff I've been acquiring since we decided to cloth diaper Moodles.
The skinny kitty flannel absorbancy boosters have a shammy towel inside. The doggy flannel mains have a recycled bath towel quilted in for the same purpose. I picked up the flannel on sale for $1.29/yd. That's about three yards worth of diaper. A dozen new cloth diapers run between $18 and $24. So... fashion and frugality for the win. Moodles is test driving a new main right now... I'll let you know how it turns out.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Day 13: Moar Diapers
Really, the Diapers aren't the Thing, but I can't show you what I'm working on until the Surprise is complete. So. You get these extremely festive new diapers that I made for Moodles, instead!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Day 12: diaper duty
A break from socks, as some of Moodles diapers wore out and needed to be replaced!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Day 11: Red's Other Sock
Sock has been finished and is now on it's merry way to MA, via the USPS. Yay for traveling socks!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Day 10: Lady's Size 10 Sock for Red
Here's the sock I made for Red. While the sock construction is sound, there's a bit of color oddness where I was working in the string ends on the machine (instead of by hand) and the wrong color shows in a couple places. But this is why we're doing this exercise... So I can get better at this sort of thing.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Day 9: Other Man's Size 12 Sock
I was a little late finishing up this sock today, but there were server updates and snotty baby to deal with, you know. (Plus, I think I lost a knitting needle somewhere in my jacket lining...)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Day 8: Men's Size 12 Sock for T.
Here it is... The sock that nearly defeated me. I found a defect in it after I took it off the machine, so I had to get it back ON the machine and then re-thread the machine... it's NOT as easy as it sounds, what with 72 needles in play...
It was done, though, and the sock is now finished and fine and without defect. YAY! Tomorrow it will have a giant mate, and be off to keep T's toes all toasty!Monday, February 7, 2011
Day 7: Lady's size 7.5 handspun wool
I made Moodles a doctor appointment yesterday because her fever was so high. As I suspected, she has an ear infection. Antibiotics were obtained, and naps and fluids were the order of the day.
While Moodles napped, I managed to crank out a pair of socks using the wool I spun the day before. The wool feels a little hard, just off the machine, but blooms and softens somewhat after washing. Shrinkage appears to be minimal, though I won't be giving this pair away, as embarassingly enough, the washer deposited dog hair on them.
Now to spin more yarn....
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Day 6: Other sock and some yarn...
Poor Moodles ran a temperature of 102 all day yesterday and did NOT want to be put down. Not even for a second. So, I wore her in her backpack all day and entertained her with the spinning wheel. Apparently she finds its whirring as soothing as I do, because that's pretty much all she wanted to do the entire day.
That was OK by me, because that gave me a chance to try out my new high speed whorl. I had been trying and failing, repeatedly, to make sock or lace weight yarn with my wheel. Eventually, I got sick of trying to figure it out on my own, and hit the intertubes for help. As it turns out, this is why they make different gear ratios for spinning wheels. The smaller gage your yarn, the higher twist you need. I needed a new part for my spinning wheel. Surprisingly, amazon.com has spinning wheel parts and accessories. Problem solved... now I just need to learn to spin a consistent enough yarn not to jam up my sock machine. We will see how this batch does tonight.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Sock Size List:
I'm developing a bit of a queue here, so before I forget, I'll start a list. If you are not on the list, and would like to be, please leave me a comment!
- Dafyd: 8-8.5 (9.75"/72 rounds in homespun)
- Alinore: 7.5 (8.75"/63 rounds in homespun)
Tristan: 12 (11"/80 rounds in commercial)- Alec: 11 (10.5"/75 rounds in commercial)
- Mom: 6 (8.5"/56.25 rounds in homespun)
Kendi: 6 (8.5"/51.75 rounds in commercial)- Teresa: 8 (9"/58 rounds in commercial)
Chris E: 8 (9"/58 rounds in commercial)- Zig: 9-9.5 (10"/69 rounds in commercial)
- Serina: 7 (8.75"/55 rounds in commercial)
- Gwenyth: 9.5-10 (9.5"/63 rounds in commercial)
Red: 10 (9.5"/63 rounds in commercial)- Corrigan: 7.5 (8.75"/55 rounds in commercial)
Dianna: 8 (9"/58 rounds in commercial)- Pixel 9 (9.25"/66 rounds in homespun)
- Mysie 9 (9.25"/66 rounds in homespun)
Day 4: Other Sock (Man's Size 11)
Brandon is not in yet, so I can't show you a picture of him holding his socks and looking satisfied, but his other sock is done!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Day 3: Men's Size 11
Well, since I didn't have to go to work yesterday, I finished off the second sock on the first pair (Lady's size 7.5) and this morning sent them off to their new home with the Accounting Services Lady in my office. (She lives on a farm and has given me wool from her pet sheep to play with, so she definitely deserves a pair of wool socks!)
Today's thing, as should be obvious from the subject line, is a Men's Size 11 sock, which has already been claimed by Brandon, our Administrative Associate. (I thought about giving it to him as a single, since his other leg is in a cast right now, but I'm pretty sure that he'll eventually want the second sock...)
Also, for your viewing pleasure, I made a little video of my sock machine in action: http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x214/Mighty-Jesse/fiber/?action=view¤t=VID_20110202_231044.mp4
You can see Moodles in the background, passed out cold from all the trials and tribulations of making teeth. Even the THUNK of the weights hitting the floor didn't wake her.
Today's thing, as should be obvious from the subject line, is a Men's Size 11 sock, which has already been claimed by Brandon, our Administrative Associate. (I thought about giving it to him as a single, since his other leg is in a cast right now, but I'm pretty sure that he'll eventually want the second sock...)
Also, for your viewing pleasure, I made a little video of my sock machine in action: http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x214/Mighty-Jesse/fiber/?action=view¤t=VID_20110202_231044.mp4
You can see Moodles in the background, passed out cold from all the trials and tribulations of making teeth. Even the THUNK of the weights hitting the floor didn't wake her.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Day 2: Ribbed, for your pleasure.
So in today's entry we see what is probably going to represent an unprecedented amount of progress on the sock machine learning curve. (Thank you, Snowpocalypse for this unplanned furlough day...) Please don't expect this kind of progress tomorrow.
I had been using the 54 needle cylinder and fingering weight arcrylic yarn because the sock weight wool was too lacy with that few needles, but too big on the 72 needle cylinder without any ribbing. I had tried the ribber on the 54 needle cylinder, but couldn't get it to go. Due to some other inconsistencies with the 54 slot cylinder, I wasn't really convinced that it was the ribber's fault. (The 54 just doesn't seem to fit the machine like it should. I'm wondering if its a frankenstein piece from a different model year machine or something.) Anyway, I swapped out the cylinders, which is a far more involved process than that wee sentence suggests, and gave the ribber another go. There were still issues, but this time there were knobs to twiddle that would resolve them.
So. I moved the yarn carrier so that it would clear the ribber needles, tuned the ribber dial (This was what appeared to be off on the 54 - I couldn't adjust this, as the lever arm wasn't touching the screw. Instead it was just swinging around free and not holding the dial alignment at all.) And lastly, adjusted the timing. (On the knitting machine list, most "experts" tell you not to mess with the timing, but we all know how well I follow instuctions like that. May as well put a sign on it that says "Please do not push this button again....")
Clearly, I am sufficiently lucky, and/or mechanically inclined to get the ribber working as you can see the sock that I completed using the thing. This was no small undertaking. I probably frogged that sock like 4 times, but I finally got it done.
Ta. Da.
I had been using the 54 needle cylinder and fingering weight arcrylic yarn because the sock weight wool was too lacy with that few needles, but too big on the 72 needle cylinder without any ribbing. I had tried the ribber on the 54 needle cylinder, but couldn't get it to go. Due to some other inconsistencies with the 54 slot cylinder, I wasn't really convinced that it was the ribber's fault. (The 54 just doesn't seem to fit the machine like it should. I'm wondering if its a frankenstein piece from a different model year machine or something.) Anyway, I swapped out the cylinders, which is a far more involved process than that wee sentence suggests, and gave the ribber another go. There were still issues, but this time there were knobs to twiddle that would resolve them.
So. I moved the yarn carrier so that it would clear the ribber needles, tuned the ribber dial (This was what appeared to be off on the 54 - I couldn't adjust this, as the lever arm wasn't touching the screw. Instead it was just swinging around free and not holding the dial alignment at all.) And lastly, adjusted the timing. (On the knitting machine list, most "experts" tell you not to mess with the timing, but we all know how well I follow instuctions like that. May as well put a sign on it that says "Please do not push this button again....")
Clearly, I am sufficiently lucky, and/or mechanically inclined to get the ribber working as you can see the sock that I completed using the thing. This was no small undertaking. I probably frogged that sock like 4 times, but I finally got it done.
Ta. Da.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Day 1: Lace Sock
Sadly, this sock is too big for me and anyone I know. It is probably about a lady's size 9.5. Once I've made this sock a mate, I'm sure I'll be posting a "give-away" to ensure that these practice socks go to a good home.
Some notes (mostly to myself) about sock construction:
- Toe up "Sweet Sock" construction
- 2 rows after toe, start lace pattern
- 3 repeats and 10 rows, start heel
- finish lace pattern and 3 more repeats for calf
- crank 10 rows for ribbing and cast off
- rib for 9 rows, starting 1 row of plain knitting after last lace row.
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