The Gist of the Twist

I've been on a roll with knocking out the projects these past few weeks. Today, I finished the Boyfriend Socks that I started back in May.

This pattern has been available online for free for years, but I just now got around to trying it. I used some Cascade Heritage Silk in the color Limestone that I bought when Janelle's friend (and now mine) Kris was in Austin for a conference and we spent a lovely Saturday driving around to yarn shops, knitting, and stuffing ourselves with barbecue. Good times! I started these socks shortly afterwards, but they too fell victim to my late spring/early summer knitting doldrums. But it was easy enough to pick up where I left off. I'd forgotten how luxuriously smooth this yarn is to work with. It can be a splitty with my sharp dpns, but totally worth it.

The construction is rather straightforward in this pattern. They're made toe-up using the magic cast-on. I followed the instructions for increasing on the adjoining edge stitches, but I wish now that I'd offset them by one stitch. And I'm not all that great with wrapped short row heel construction, but at least they look uniform.

I really do like the cables and how they drift back and forth across the ribbing in little bunches of three. Once I figured out how to count rows to find my place it was easily memorized. And the generous yardage on this yarn meant I could take these a little further up the calf before the final 1x1 ribbing and the sewn bind-off.

Those are Jeff's feet modeling in the top photo. He'd rather model than put up with my somewhat demanding photo direction. But he did mention how silky smooth these were -- this from a man who thinks most handknit garments are "too scratchy." Maybe someday I'll make a pair for him, although I suppose I'd have to change the name to Husband Socks.

The Lunatic Fringe

Started back in November, and all but abandoned for the last several months, the Squared Away Throw is now complete. I powered through the final third this past week and spent a big part of yesterday cutting and knotting fringe.

I just completely lost interest in this at some point, and set it aside with hopes that it would call to me again. It never did. Earlier this week, the blanket and I had an "it's not you, it's me" conversation and decided to end things amicably. Without going into the sordid details, I can report that we will be living apart and that we wish each other the best.

Part of our tension stemmed from, well, tension. I could never get it right, with the result that this throw is 50" x 32" rather than the pattern's "60 x 39". Not such a big thing for something that doesn't have to fit a body part, but still quite annoying and yet another reminder of the importance of mindful swatching for achieving the proper gauge.

I'm also not convinced I got the start-of-row triangles correct. They're sloped and wonky-looking. I noticed that this edge doesn't appear in any of the pattern photos (including mine!) -- so maybe it's intentional. Or, more likely, it just can't be helped because of the way the increases and decreases work when fitting triangles and squares together.

This project combined two things I'm not all that familiar with: crochet and entrelac construction. Trying to figure out where stitches went (or, indeed, what constituted a "stitch") was tricky at first. And learning to think on the bias was weird, too. Oh, and a third thing: Tunisian stitch. Crocheters always tell me how much faster crocheting is than knitting. But my nights in Tunisia showed me that this technique is like crocheting in slow motion.

My friend Staci has an excellent tutorial on the basics of Tunisian crochet if you want to learn more. I referred to it more than once.

 

Don't get me wrong -- this is a really cool technique and I'm glad I've added it to my bag of tricks, but I don't know that I'll be doing it again anytime soon. I think this turned out well enough, and I'm glad it's done. Time to move on to other things, which, when the yarn arrives, will be this.

 

In Fine Knit

A burst of speed right at the end and I've finally completed the Fine-Knit Cardigan, started in April. I got to spend much of the holiday weekend working on piecing it together and weaving in ends. Oh, the weaving in of ends. How can there be so many when using just one color and type of yarn?

I've got quite a track record for finishing sweaters in the height of summer. I'm a patient man, and don't mind having to wait to wear them -- better than finishing one just as spring begins -- but trying to get photos taken this time of year is a chore. The heat and the mosquitoes meant we were out in the back yard for maybe 10 minutes. Jeff, as usual, patiently put up with all my suggestions.

I think this sweater is going to serve its intended purpose well. Not only does it satisfy the unwritten official librarian work outfit regulations, it will be a good foil for my library's enthusiastic air conditioning. This will replace the Keruoac Sweater I've been using for the last three years. That garment is far too big for me these days and will get donated. I will say, though, that my new sweater is heavier. Being a 50/50 wool/cotton blend, it's a bit cooler, but all that cotton adds a lot more weight. Weight-wise, it reminds me of all those fisherman's rib cotton sweaters we used to wear in the 80s. But it will be a good option for wandering the frosty stacks.

If you've been following, you'll know that this pattern presented some challenges. I'd chosen this yarn because, well, I always wanted to use Rowan Wool Cotton, and because a fellow Raveler had used it for this pattern. However, I can't imagine she got anywhere near gauge. I had to modify nearly every cast-on, increase, and decrease number for the medium size using a ratio method. And that after going down two needle sizes. The whole thing had me on edge most of the time, but, as usual, math didn't lie. I'm just glad I listened early! The only area I didn't modify was the armholes and the corresponding sleeve caps. The numbers were small enough that I didn't think it would matter. The result was upper arms and shoulders that might be just a tad large proportionally. I'm hoping those who haven't read this will just assume I have naturally broad shoulders and huge biceps. Math doesn't lie -- but knitting can. I'll post modification details soon in the project notes.

After I finished major operations yesterday, I ran over to Stitch Lab to look for buttons. I'd heard from friends that they had inherited the pile of antique shell buttons that Silk Road used to have. I have fond memories of digging through those with Snowden several years back while looking for buttons for my Whitfield Jacket. The pile has since diminished greatly, but I was able to find 7 buttons that matched. Not the fanciest in the bowl, but the right size and beautiful in their no-two-exactly-alike simplicity.

So, now on to other projects. I have some socks to finish up, and a crocheted throw that needs some attention.