Sock Designer in Training

I went to my sock design workshop with Cookie A on Sunday, and I was stunned and amazed at how her mind works. She thinks of every possible detail you can add to a sock and accounts for it during the design process. Her thought process is very logical and mathematical, and I totally relate to it.

I already had a design somewhat in mind when I showed up for the class on Sunday. I just had to finish sketching it out and to finalize some details. Cookie A showed us how to make our ribbing feed into our design's setup, how to account for cabling and lace patterns, how to use hidden increases and decreases as part of our sock "architecture" so they blend with the design, and how to make the heels fit our sock's design. I can't think of a single detail she left out, and I am still in awe of her skills and talent. I want to be Cookie A when I grow up!

Cookie A was a treat to meet. She was kind, considerate, and highly encouraging. She even made the greatest suggestions about how to improve our designs if they weren't working out the way we wanted. If you ever have a chance to take a workshop with her, I highly recommend it.

Nature's Yarns, as always, was a fabulous place to be. The owners were great hostesses and made sure we all felt at home throughout the day. I even picked up some laceweight for Mystery Stole 4--now I just need beads--and some Euroflax to work up some Monteagle bags from Mason-Dixon.

My biggest prizes of the day? Three new patterns from Cookie A. I picked up Ornette, Twisted Flower, and Marilinda to go with Stricken and Mingus which were already hiding in the stash. I foresee much sock knitting pleasure in my future!

As for my design, you'll just have to wait and see it. It's cable-intensive, and I am mesmerized by it. I must have been positively affected by Cookie A's brain waves...

Okay, So I Lied...

...but it was unintentional. I didn't get my Ravelympics pictures posted here, but they are in my Ravelry notebook. I visited the finish line board to post my finishing stats, and it was locked down, and I wasn't allowed to post. I found it highly annoying, because I was just able to post Roo's stats on her board. I complained to the site about the WIPS wrestling board being closed, and I have never gotten an answer. It's probably why I haven't been on Ravelry at all lately except to update some project info. I just want my medals from Bobicus! :)

I'm in the midst of a big (for me) Halloween knitting project. I never knit for All Hallows Eve which is why it seems big. The kids are posing as Hogwarts students again this year since we moved away from all their old friends, and to keep things interesting I agreed to knit them Hogwarts scarves. Roo wants the scarf from Sorcerer's Stone, and Moose wants the one from Prisoner of Azkaban. Roo aka Victoria Ballycastle is a Ravenclaw, and Moose aka Adrian Vablatsky is a Gryffindor. I picked up all the necessary Utopia yarn at Patternworks for under $50, shipping included. That's much less than what brand new costumes would have cost!

I have found that even knitting the scarf on US size 7 needles instead of the size 8 called for in the pattern is leaving me a bit short of yarn if the kids want fringe (and they do). I've narrowed the scarf a bit by only casting on 60 stitches instead of 70, and this appears to be working for the moment. I even used Judy's magic cast-on for the end of Roo's so the cast-on edge appears to be invisible. I'll just graft the other end before attaching the fringe once I get there.

My next big, exciting knitting event is a sock design workshop with Cookie A at Nature's Yarns. I can't wait for the big day!

A Husband's Knitting MeMe

So I was over at JessaLu's, and I lifted another meme from her blog. I couldn't resist finding out what the DCA's answers would be. I sent this to him while he was out of town for the OU-Cincy game (Go Sooners!), and he kindly sent it back before he returned home.

HG: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?
DCA: The love you put into each product.

HG: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?
DCA: Obsessive compulsive frogging =)

HG: What is something I have knitted that you recall as being good?
DCA: An awesomely warm Sooner (Crimson and Cream colored) blanket.

HG: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?
DCA: Only if you consider the raw materials alone and not what a hand crafted product of awesome quality would cost if you bought it in a finished state.

HG: Do you have any hobbies?
DCA: Yes

HG: What are your hobbies?
DCA: Record collecting

HG: So, if we compared money/time spent on hobbies, who would win?
DCA: For the past seven years, the knitting would...

HG: Do you have a stash of any kind?
DCA: Only if copious amounts of vinyl count...

HG: Has my knitting in public ever embarrassed you?
DCA: No...

HG: Can you name another knitting blog?
DCA: Scout's Swag, The Loopy Ewe...

HG: Do you mind that I want to check out yarn stores everywhere we go?
DCA: No, I even aided and abetted a stop in Old Town Alexandria not that long ago...

HG: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?
DCA: Vaguely...

HG: Do you read A Tale of Two Needles?
DCA: Yes... I even occasionally feed the Llama... (ed.'s note: check the sidebar!)

HG: Have you ever left a comment?
DCA: Yes

HG: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn’t knit?
DCA: No... there would likely be more scrap booking scraps around =)

HG: Is there anything else you want to say?
DCA: I Love my compulsive knitter!

Thanks, DCA, for playing along!