kimley knits

I’ve got a good start on my second Monkey sock but look at that horrible pooling of the variegated yarn! I was really happy with the way the yarn worked in the first sock but the second one is coming out completely different and I’m really not happy with it at all. I’m tempted to rip it and start over but I don’t really know how to make sure it doesn’t just pool again. I’m not sure if it’s pooling because I started in a different section of the dye sequence or if I’m knitting at a slightly different guage or something else. Very frustrating! And I just love the first sock. What to do. What to do…

OK, so this is the first stuff I’ve spun on my new wheel that even remotely resembles yarn. It’s still pretty uneven, over-twisted, under-twisted and all those fun things that beginning spinners do. And I’m still having a lot of trouble getting a good rhythm going but it’s a great improvement over what I was spinning at first.

Well, I finally got a spinning wheel! This was an incredibly wondeful b-day gift from my mom and I just love it. It’s a Lendrum folding wheel, single treadle. I still can’t spin anything on it even remotely resembling yarn but I’m stubborn and plan to be spinning many skeins of beautiful yarn – eventually…

I finished my first Monkey sock and I just love this pattern. It’s pretty easy but has enough going on to make it an interesting knit. And I love this yarn as well – Acero from Brooks Farms. I have to say I’m becoming a big fan of Brooks Farms yarns. I’ll definitely be searching them out at Rhinebeck.

Now my Monkey needs a friend so I better cast on for the second!

I definitely needed to rip my diamond lace scarf – one, because I made a bunch of mistakes and was having a hard time tinking the Rowan Kidsilk Haze and two, I was just bored with this pattern. It was not rockin’ my world and I learned what I needed to learn.

Plus, I found another pattern I liked so much more (the dangers of Ravelry!) that only required a mere skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze (although I have a tad less than a skein but enough I think). I’ve started Wisp by Cheryl Niamath of the Fetching Mitts fame.

Because I only have a little less than a skein, I’ve made mine a bit smaller, casting on only 38 stitches instead of 46 and using size 6 needles instead of 7. So far, this is a great summer/brain-dead knit – lightweight and super easy to knit.

I’ve knit some more on my Misty Garden scarf and was having serious reservations as to whether or not I liked it. I was pretty close to ripping it but thought I should give it another test blocking to see what I thought and now I’m actually pretty happy with it.

The first time I test blocked it, I kept the top straight when in reality it will be scalloped like the bottom so I think that made a big difference. Now I can really see the stitch pattern emerging and I just love, love, love this yarn!

From this (Blue-Faced Leicester from Chameleon Colorworks):

To this:

To this:

This is my attempt once again to spin a thicker yarn. It’s about a worsted weight and I’ve got 54 yards so far with about 1.5 ounces left to spin. Hopefully I’ll get enough to make a funky hat.

It’s ironic but I’m much better at spinning thinner yarns than thicker ones. I seem to have much more trouble with consistency when I spin a thicker yarn. Not that it is always a bad thing. I still think the yarn came out nice and I frankly like that my yarn looks “handspun”. But there are a few places where the twist really started to come out when I was plying so I still have much to learn.

And plying – fuhget about it. I still have so much trouble plying – always getting my yarn tangled and a big mess. I threw away several tangled masses this weekend…

If I actually needed any more motivation to plunk down the $$$ for a wheel, the plying issue is certainly motivation enough.

I’ve spun up a little less than half of my Bonkers tencel ‘n merino and I’m loving it so far. I used my new Spindlewood spindle to spin this up and I really love this spindle. I’m definitely going to buy some more of their spindles. I had originally planned to make this two ply but I didn’t like the way it looked plied so I’m keeping it as singles. Hopefully it will knit up OK. I’ve got about 170 yards so far in lace weight to fingering weight yarn so I’m hoping to have about 400 or so yards when I’m done spinning.

So, the rule is that as soon as you finish a project, you get to start a new one, right??? Well, I have to confess that I never really bother with rules! I cast this on about a week ago. The yarn is Brooks Farm Primero and it’s just stunning. The color transitions are really beautiful. The photo isn’t doing the colors justice.

The pattern is the Misty Garden scarf by Jo Sharp from the book Scarf Style. It is a nice easy feather/fan lace pattern that couldn’t be simpler. Although my yarnovers seem a bit sloppy to me and I’m not sure why so I’m trying to figure that out. The test blocking I’ve done definitely helps so maybe a proper blocking will help make the pattern a bit sharper looking.

PATTERN: Rib and Cable Socks by Nancy Bush from Interweave Knits, Fall 2005
YARN: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Vera – 80% Superwash Wool, 20% Nylon
NEEDLES: Addi Turbo circular, US Size 1 and Brittany DPNs US size 1

In spite of the Monkey fever, I’ve actually not abandoned my rib and cable socks. I’ve been going back and forth between the Monkey sock and the second rib and cable sock and am happy to say the rib and cable socks are now finished.

These are my first pair of completed socks and I’m pretty happy with them. I played around with the three needle methods starting out with a single circular doing the “magic loop” method, then switched to DPNs as the instructions were written specifically for DPNs and I wasn’t sure how to translate that to the magic loop method. Then I got two pairs of 16″ Addi Turbos to try the two circular method and really did not like that but I think it was partly because I hated the shortened needles. There wasn’t enough to hold onto so it really hurt my hands. In the end, I like the magic loop method the best although I prefer the DPNs when picking up stitches for the gusset.

In general, I’m thoroughly enjoying sock knitting and already have plans for several more socks in my future – not to mention the Monkeys that I already started!