New Socks Test-knit

So, the details on my new test-knit.

The pattern is called My Gox, and the Ravelry database page for it is here.

I picked up two skiens of Tanis Blue Label from The Purple Purl today for this; and I have to admit, I'm actually really excited about these, despite my mounting pile of other knitting. (I even had enough reward points to get 25 dollars off, too!)

So, Tanis Blue Label in Frost:

 

It's a neat colourway, and I think it will really suit the pattern (not to mention, I'm loving the Tanis Blue Label for socks.  It seems to work really well.) 

I was hoping to only need one skein of Blue Label.  I still might only need the one.  But in speaking with the designer, the yardage for the pattern is just enough that I'd rather have the second skein.  I'd rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.  And, I have plans for that second skein anyway -- the leftovers from the Gox Socks will (hopefully) become the Birch Leaf Socks from "A Gathering of Lace."

Oh, and speaking of test-knits, the pattern for my previous pair of test-knit socks (I should really finish the other sock of that pair!) just went live.  They're Pacific Rim socks, and the pattern is a) really fun to knit, and b) a great way to use up oddiments of sock yarns.

Blocking Tutorial -- how to block an acrylic (or partially acrylic) project:

Hello!

So.

I have to block my Test-Knit socks.

And I promised a tutorial on how to block acrylic a few posts ago.

So, here we go.

You'll need four things.

1) Two towels.They should be ones you won't worry about too much if they get a bit of dye bleeding out.  It shouldn't happen, but it can; and the last thing you want is your nice towels with a stain on them.

2) An Iron that has a steam setting.  If you don't have a steam setting, there is a work-around.

3) The object you want to block, in this case, my sock,

4) And water.  I figure that doesn't need a picture. 

Take your object and get it really wet with cold (or at least room-temperature) water.  For this sock, running it under a tap for a few minutes should suffice. 

If it's a bigger project, you might have to immerse it in water. Try not to rustle it around too much, you don't want to accidentally felt any natural fibers, or cause any ends to come out.

Put it on a towel to transfer it to a flat surface.  Here, I've got it outside on our balcony.   Then, cover it with a single layer of the other towel.  (The single layer part's important.)

Now, iron the object with the towel over top of it.  Use the steam setting. 

Be cautious, though.  Since this sock is partially acrylic fibers, we don't want too much heat.  Blocking acrylic is permanent, as you're actually melting the fiber just a bit  (acrylic is basically plastic, after all!).   If you over-block acrylic, you 'kill' it, which takes away all elasticity and gives it quite a bit of drape.  "Killed" acrylic can be useful for some things, but a sock isn't one of them.  And because this is a mixed fiber project, killing the acrylic would be a bad thing, since the wool wouldn't change nearly as much.  I'd have hideous tension problems.   So, block anything with acrylic in small increments.  It's better to do too little and have to do more, then do too much.  You can't undo blocking acrylic, unlike blocking natural fibers.

You want a single layer of towel between the iron and the object.  This allows heat and steam transfer without scorching the acrylic (you'll scorch and melt the acrylic if you put the iron on it directly, this is a no-no!)

If you want to be cautious, you can do a double-layer of towel and take more time. 

If you don't have a steam iron, boil some hot water and keep a small bowl of it nearby.  Pour it onto the towel in small amounts, making sure it soaks through both the towel and the finished object.


Here, we're blocking up near the cuff.  Since again, "killing" acrylic is irreversible, I've pulled the towel down so I can see and don't accidentally "kill" the cuff, because the cuff is acrylic, and the one spot in the sock where I really need the elasticity.

Once you do one side of the object, flip it over (if necessary) and repeat on the other side.

 

And there you go, there's your finished object, all set to wear.  Put it on as soon as you can stand the heat, so it will dry into shape. 

 

Finally, since no project is complete without kitty-assisted blocking (as demonstrated by this Ravelry thread,  and to a lesser extent in this Ravelry thread) I had a fuzzy little helper, who also liked to get in the way!

 Isn't she cute?

So, I hope this helps some people, and proves that acrylic (and mixed-fiber projects) can be blocked.   If you're looking for more information on blocking, there's oodles of info and examples on this Ravelry thread (which is where I got a lot of my information from, too!)

Kitchener Stitch and the Knitty e-zine

Let me preface this rambling with:

I hate seaming.  I always have when it comes to knitted stuff.

So I can't believe it took me this long to learn about the Kitchener Stitch -- I mean, I was looking for ways to avoid seams in my knitting since I was a teenager.   How did I not know about this?

Ahem.

Anyway, I've finally finished the toe on my Test-Knit socks.  I've just got to do the Kitchenering.  (Spell check insists that is not a word, I disagree!)  But, despite my love of this relatively new technique, it's not second nature to me yet.

So, I hunted through my web history for the tutorial I found last time.  It's nice to have something up on the computer screen for reference, and Knitty is a great resource -- not just for techniques and tutorials, but for patterns, too.  I've already made a few things using patterns from Knitty, and have several more in mind.

You can find most (I'm not sure about all) of the Knitty patterns via Ravelry, and best of all, they're free!

I hope you can find something you like!

Deadling Knitting and Progress!

So many things to knit, so many deadlines!

First, I promised you an update on the Birthday Socks.
 

I'm almost done the heel flap.  I find I'm actually pretty productive at a Knit Night.  That's part of why I go.


Next up is my Test-Knit. These have a July 31 deadline, so they're rather looming over me right now.

 

 But, there's not a lot more to do with them.  I've only got 10 more rows of the chart, and then the toe decreases.  Since I'm stuck at home today waiting for a repairman to show up (and discovered that due to an emergency call somewhere else, they're not coming today. . . urgh!) I might as well make good use of my time.

And finally, a new project to this blog, my Christmas Scarf.

It took a few tries to get a photo of this that was remotely ok.  And yes, I've started Christmas knitting in July (actually I started this in April!).  :D  I don't want to be knitting on Christmas Day, like I was last year.


/I made my father fingerless gloves last year for Christmas (this was before I was on Ravelry, so the project isn't there), and I was weaving in ends while in the car to his place on Christmas morning.

He just laughed about it, and didn't really mind./


So yeah.  Lots of deadline knitting over the next few weeks.  The ability to play video games and knit is really helping me get through all of it. I'm currently re-playing Mass Effect 1 but I've bumped the difficulty to Hardcore.  It's not easy.  I get lots of knitting done while waiting for the Mako's* shields or Shepard's health to regenerate. . . 

In addition to this stuff, there's other things on my needles too, as you probably well know if you've read some of my other posts. This includes the Birthday Gloves, which I haven't really touched since last update.  There are also more Christmas/Birthday gifts in planning -- you can see them on my Ravelry Queue here, if you're curious.

And yes, some of those are Christmas/Birthday 2014 plans.  Those are things where I've already teased out subtle hints about design and colour from the recipient so that I know they'll like it, and I'm not really worried about those at all beyond having things written down.

It's going to be busy. 


*the Mako is a drivable tank that you can take to various planets in-game. It has shields, but they take a while to recharge after getting shot.

Project Updates -- July 16, 2013

So, I've got a few updated projects on my Ravelry Projects Page, and thought I'd show the pictures here too.

1)  My current test-knit (test-knit thread is here, for those who are curious)

I've just finished the heel and am continuing on the foot.  I'm quite loving the pattern (pattern's not live on Ravelry yet, sorry!)

( Edit: Pattern went live and is here.)

It's funny -- I was worried about these not fitting, but they're actually a touch too small before blocking.  (And yes, before you ask, you -can- block acrylic no problem, when I get a suitable project done, I'll show you how I do it!)

Edit: And here's the tutorial, for those who are curious!

2)  Birthday Socks

Yes, the crazy birthday knitting (for the moment) payed off -- I'm 3 rows short of the heel.

And, with a bit of practice, the pattern is actually memorable.  It just took a bit longer to 'stick' in my head then other projects did, it seems (or I'm getting better at memorizing patterns -- that works too!)  That makes these my convenient transit project now, since I don't need to have the chart out in front of me any more!

Well, that's it for now.   I'll be heading off to my local Knit Night tonight, and I'll see how much I get done!