Year End Wrap Up

FOs: not enough.

WIPs: too many.

Classes: passed.

Degree: Still unfinished.

Weeks remaining to graduation: 68

Shows including my art: 1

Commissioned art works: 3

Commissions finished: 0

Relatives that surfaced from the depths of two and a half decades of silence: 4

Family Feuds: more than enough.

New babies in the house: 1

New houses: 1

Friends that surfaced from the depths of a decade of silence: 3

Sanity remaining: you're kidding right?

Two at once, Toe up Thoughts

So, I'm working on Two at once, Toe up, Magic Loop socks... not as easy as I thought it'd be.

Starting the toes on magic loop with a figure 8 cast on is kind of a pain. Very floppy, very slippery. The best way I've found to do this is to work one toe all the way through the increases, stopping right after an increase round, then put the first one on a holder and start the second, increasing til the number of stitches matches the first toe, stopping right after an increase round. From there, just knit around, making sure to knit one half of each sock on to each side of the loop in the proper order and voila! Two socks, one needle!

Secondly, math blows. I'd love to say I became an artist so that I wouldn't have to do math, but the truth is that I do math constantly as an artist, so I really don't want any more than I absolutely must have in my knitting. Therefore, I have looked carefully at many other socks I have made and come to the conclusion that however many stitches started the toe is how many stitches should be left in the center of the heel when turning. No fancy math or anything like that, just subtract the number of stitches used for the toe-up cast on from the total number of sole stitches and divide the remainder by two!

For my current sock, this means 32 sole stitches, minus 12 starting stitches leaves 20 stitches, 10 on each side to wrap and turn in my short row heel. This would still work with a traditional heel flap in that to start the heel turn after knitting the flap I would knit across 21 stitches, SSK, turn and purl back 11, p2tog, ect. until only 12 stitches remain. What if, uh-oh!, I had 33 stitches? Easy, peasy! Make your center stitch count 13, with 10 on each side, or if you have a narrow heel 11 center with 11 on each side! Problem solved.

Finally, short rows require exceptionally tight knitting. Forgetting to pull a wrap up really tight or to knit the next stitch in the turn when picking up wraps really tight results in a funky looking little almost-hole. I'll have to see how it turns out in the wash, but right now, I'm not happy. Now, if it straightens up in the wash, I may abandon my figure 8 increasing toe and go with a figure 8 short row toe. We'll see how that goes :)

Until next time: "Follow your spirit and upon this charge cry, 'God for Harry! England and St. George!"

VICTORY!

I survived the semester! However, that little three week excursion into a level of madness beyond my usual insanity has prompted me to begin building a studio in the back yard. I don't think I can sustain what I just did over three weeks for the thirty two weeks it will take to complete senior thesis.

What have I been doing since the end of finals? Knitting of course!

FO: Horcrux Socks.
CastOn: May 2007
CastOff: November 2007
Yarn: Self-Dyed, Self-Striping Superwash Ravenclaw Film



WIP: Undefined Vanilla Two-at-Once Toe-Up Socks
CastOn: December 2007
Yarn: Fortissima Socka Bamboo



Since I'm figuring out the pattern as I go, here's what I have so far:

On circular needles, Figure-8 CastOn 12 stitches. Begin increases as follows: 1) Knit one round. 2) KLL after first and KRL before last stitch of each needle. Repeat rows 1 and 2 until knitting covers the first four toes and touches the littlest toe. Knit around until knitting covers all toes. Begin instep pattern (My pattern is 6x2 ribbing). Knit around until knitting reaches 2 inches before the back of the heel.

That's where I have to stop since I haven't gotten too my heel yet :)

BUT, here's the "plan":

Using the Cat Bordhi's wrap and turn method, knit across the sole until 1 stitch remains. Wrap that stitch and turn. Purl back until 1 stitch remains. Wrap that stitch and turn. *Knit back until 1 stitch remains before the wrapped stitch. Wrap that stitch and turn. Purl back until 1 stitch remains before the wrapped stitch. Wrap that stitch and turn.* Two stitches on each side are wrapped. Repeat between the * until all but the center 12 stitches are wrapped. Using Cat Bordhi's conceal wrap method, pick up the wraps as you work back and forth to turn the heel.

More knitting action to come as the holidays wear on! Same knit time, same knit channel!

I've also been able to get back to playing World of Warcraft the Trading Card Game. Yes, I flop cardboard onto a table for fun. Right now I'm working on a killer new version of Hoot-n-Shoot if anyone has any Bestial Wraths or Blastershot Launchers to donate to the cause.