I’m back from my trip to Kansas and it was wonderful. I flew out, but spent a lot of time on a train at Science City in Union Station, Kansas City. Even though the train wasn’t moving, it was a dramatic trip for my imaginative five-year-old grandson, who tried clearing out all the passengers when he decided that the brakes failed to stop the train.
His other favorite spot that day was in the model of an underground sewer, which he called the “zewer” and which we visited several times. There’s a planetarium and lots of special events, a great place to visit with children if you are in the area.
We spent another day at the Moon Marble Company where we saw marbles being made and played with tons of toys. We found a cool set of Tinker Toys with gears that I’m sure will provide many hours of building fun. We also spent a day at the park, where I was obliged to participate fully. Yes, that’s me on the twisty slide. Can you imagine how tired I was when I flew back home? But it was a good tired, to be sure. I just wish my playmate lived closer to us.
This was the first trip that I was lucky enough to book a non-stop flight, but that did cut down on my knitting time on the plane. I managed to crochet a headband, fearing that the weather would be a bit chilly. I wanted one to wear on the motorcycle later because I can’t stand the wind blowing in my ears. I crocheted it out of light purple Frog Tree alpaca and it is soft and pretty, but not really worth a photo.
I did finish something before we left town, though. I used a free pattern called Summer Market Bag. This is another crochet project; it seems I needed a break from knitting for a spell. I used Allhemp6, a dk weight 100% hemp yarn. I like how this turned out. It has a flat bottom that is a little more solid than the net portion of the bag. I might donate this for a fund-raising event for our local spinner’s guild. I have enough of this yarn to make another bag, which will be knit from a different pattern. I made the Everlasting Bagstopper last July, and think I’ll keep trying market bag patterns to compare them. I enjoy making them, they’re useful, and they make nice gifts. I saw some colored twine in Berkeley during one of our trips to the doctor recently and I may try to find some of that to use for a bag.
Well, it’s good to be home. The weather here is certainly the best around. I hope spring is showing its fresh and cheerful face in your neighborhood, too.
I saved the best for last and almost forgot it! Cat Bordhi’s Foxglove Sock Architecture class at Stitches West was awesome. I feel like it was a breakthrough for me in sock knitting, like I understand the basics better by being set free from them. Okay, let me slow down a little.
We started out making a little basket in order to practice the heel turn. We learned Judy’s Magic Cast On. (See Cat’s You Tube video on this technique.)Then we knit a practice sock. As we worked, Cat talked about the traditional methods of sock making and how we could move away from those traditions. She has such a clear understanding of sock structure and can explain it in a way that I just get.
See the line going up the side of the practice sock? Those are yarn overs used for increasing the sock. They replace the gusset stitches that are usually confined to a small triangle near the heel. We were told we could put the increases anywhere we wanted, even the bottom of the sole. It frees things up to allow uninterrupted stitch patterns that cover the sock. The various patterns in Cat’s new book reflect these new ideas.
New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One was available at the Stitches market, so I picked it up the night before class and Cat signed it for me. I actually learned to knit socks in a class that used Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles. It seems fitting that this new learning comes from her work as well.
I knew that some of her new ideas had to be put to work right away once I got home. But there’s that rule I have about finishing one project before starting another, and I have socks on the needles already. This would be a good time to set that rule aside, but I knew my current socks would be frogged if I did that. Hmmm . . . .
So I calculated what I had done and what was left to do. One of the great things about Cat’s class was the emphasis on the math of it all — while making that math seem possible. So I did the math. Nope, couldn’t make this sock work. I was too far along on the foot, ready to start the heel, but I wanted to try it anyway, so I forged on. I shortened Cat’s “arch expansion” which are the increases that would be gussets, but can be put anywhere. These socks were bordering on big from the beginning, so I was more concerned about them being too big at this point.
The count was not right for doing the heel and I knew this was courting disaster. I continued anyway, hoping for the best. I separated the two socks onto their own pairs of needles. (I’m making them two-at-once on two circulars.) Then I let them sit for a week while I wrestled with the feeling that this could not work. Then I did the short row heel. The wraps and turns were somehow clearer after the class. Then there was a special way to move the wraps to the back so they don’t show. Cool! I set them aside again, worrying that the sock would not fit over my foot once it was finished. When I decided that frogging was not that bad, I picked them up again.
Next was the heel flap, but there was no flapping about — it was just knitting things together without any picking up of stitches. Another bonus! So far so good — they seem to fit perfectly. Back on the two original circulars and I’m ready to work the cuffs. Two at once. I’ll probably save this for next week’s plane ride. This is my third try at toe up socks and it is finally coming together. It’s about time!
Tonight I finally made it to the local Handknitters and Spinners Guild. There was a demonstration of an antique sock knitting machine. It was really fun to watch an entire sock coming to life in less than a couple hours. I’ve been interested in sock machines for a couple years, even having someone make several pairs for me for Christmas, so this was really a fun meeting for me.
While it is amazing to see socks knit up so fast, it is an art itself to run the machine. I think two sticks are hard enough for me to handle at this point.
I’ll be taking off for Kansas on Monday to see my grandson. I’m so looking forward to seeing the little guy. I’ll try to post while I’m gone, but not sure if that will work out. Until next time . . . .
I’ve been wanting to replace the winter photos in my header for a while, but just haven’t had the time. For now, I’ve put some pictures of Oaxaca up that show some nice memories for me. The first one is some women washing and dyeing yarn in the weaver’s village. The one to the left is a parade in the same weaver’s village. It’s amazing how these women dance along the street with heavy flower arrangements on their heads.
The second photo in the header is an old commercial loom with lots of spindles full of yarn. It was in an old building that was being restored. Next are some natural dye materials, which the weavers liked to show tourist, although they did not often use them for their yarn. They thought that tourists prefered natural dyes for their historical value, so they gave the impression that they used them. They are very competitive for customers. The last photo is some yarn used for weaving rugs. There were rooms full of this yarn in the weavers’ homes.
I’ve been very busy with Caps for a Cure this month. I took a turn accepting donations and delivered 72 hats to Oakland Children’s Hospital. I have a box of 88 hats to send to a hospice in Florida this week. The knitters who donate to the Caps group are so amazing!
I did manage to sneak in a couple of hats myself that weren’t chemo caps. Adrienne had turned me on to a canceled TV series called Firefly and the follow up movie, Serenity. They have quite a cult following. In one episode, the anti-hero, Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin) receives a knit hat from his mother. Although it is quite ugly, he wears it proudly for an entire episode. Of course, this lead to some major fan-knitting of copies of the hat.
In the spirit of Firefly, I knit up a Jayne hat and sent it to Adrienne as a thank you for telling me about the series, which I enjoyed. I also made one for my son, who loaned the videos to me. Before I could give it to him, my dear husband snatched it up and called it his own. Fortunately, my son was happy to let him have it.
My other knitting has been concentrated on adjusting the top-down raglan sweater my mom made for me. The neckline was so wide that I couldn’t wear it, so I started the process (mentioned in my last post) of cutting it apart and making a new neckline. Here’s a composite of some of the steps involved.
I’m pretty happy with the result. It really reinforced the lessons I learned in the class I took at Stitches. The neckline is perfect now. I did run into a bit of trouble when joining the two pieces since the sweater had felted slightly. I managed to felt the new piece just enough to blend in with the rest. The worst part was having all those live stitches hanging out just waiting to run. The old stitches were well behaved from being blocked, but the new stitches took several opportunities to drop down a row. It wasn’t so bad picking them back up — it was just the stress of it all.
That’s about the extent of the knitting lately. A trip to San Francisco interrupted life once again and a longer trip to Kansas will be disrupting the rest of the month. I’m really excited, though, because I am headed out to see my grandson. It has been two and a half years since I’ve seen him and I can’t wait! I should sit down and make him a hat.
Enough for now . . . Happy Daylight Savings Time!
