Surrounded by Lace Triangles

Four lovely triangles: three Shetland Lace Triangles and a Flower Basket Shawl, designed by Evelyn Clark.

Triangle 1: Fleece Artist Merino Sock (382 yards, purchased at Effiloché, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 10/07), using size 4 (3.5 mm) Addi Lace circular needles.
Triangle 2: Gaia's Colours Mere Ama (473 yards, purchased from Ursa at her Etsy shop), using size 4 Addi Lace circular needles.
Triangle 3: Fleece Artist Sea Wool (382 yards, purchased from a Ravelry destash), using size 4 Addi Lace circular needles.
Triangle 4: Sundara Sock Yarn (350 yards, purchased from Sundara), using size 4 Addi Lace circular needles.

Clapotis 5

Clapotis 5 is finished, project details on Ravelry here. I used three skeins of worsted-weight Sundara Aran Silky Merino, Ember over Flame, using a size 7 needle. This pattern is one of my favorites, versatile and easy. Thanks to Kate Gilbert and Sundara Murphy for a great combination!

Grapevine Socks

Grapevine Socks by Irie, in Dream in Color Smooshy purchased at Sonny & Shear (Ravelry project information link here).

Design by my daughter Irie! Picot cuff, fair isle pattern, twining vine design.

Two vine panels at center back were tapered, made narrower for ankle, by dec’g two sts after each half pattern repeat (minus six sts total) just before final tendril repeat (Chart 3). (I modified charts to accommodate center back decs.)

3/21/08: finished chart knitting, now on one color, gusset decreases.

4/5/08: ripped back to heel flap; used size smaller needles for heel turn, did more rapid dec’s for better ankle fit - using size 0 = firmer gauge for foot.

4/18/08: finished! Love the design, perfect fit. Had lots of Smooshy left over, enough for another blue-and-green pair of socks.

And Another Pair of Socks... Together Again

Reunited and finished, the Colinette Jitterbug socks with a twist. I used the Lace Rib pattern (see Free Patterns link) but between the lace columns, used a P1, K1b (twisted st), P1 instead.

Colinette Jitterbug was a beautiful yarn to work with, "smooshy" and soft merino. I bought this yarn in October on a vacation trip to Montreal.

One Lone Sock

Yesterday I left my sock at the knitters meeting! I may have been too distracted by the autumn beauty of the surroundings - the meetings are held at the Visitors Center of Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna, Virginia, which makes our knitting group the luckiest in the world - the "knitting corner" overlooks the gardens and woods. It was a crisp, clear fall day, and I walked around the woods and garden trails for a little while before the meeting. Then I sat down and knitted and chatted, cast off my socks, showed them off proudly, and had to leave a bit early, leaving this lonely sock abandoned in the middle of the table! Luckily a kind knitter took it into her knitting bag and e-mailed me that evening, sending me this picture to assure me it was safe. More pictures -- and the pattern -- will be posted when the two socks are reunited once again. Thanks to Carol Miranda, the Guardian of The Sock!

It's a Hat ...

... instead of socks, for a change. I've made several, this will be number five: "RIDGES" HAT:

This looks especially good in long-repeat variegated yarns like Noro Silk Garden.

Materials: Noro "Silk Garden" (about 1 1/2 skeins); size 7 16-inch circular needle and double-pointed needles. Gauge = 4 sts/in.

Sizes small (medium)

Cast on 80 (88) stitches on 16-in. circ.ndl., join. Knit 8 rounds. *Purl 4 rounds. Knit 4 rounds. Repeat from * three (four) times. Purl 4 rounds (there should be four (five) purl ridges).

Knit 1 round. Decrease round: K 6, K 2 tog around = 70 (77) sts. Knit 2 rounds. Purl 4 rounds.

Knit 1 round. Decrease round: K 5, K 2 tog around = 60 (66) sts. Knit 2 rounds. Purl 4 rounds.

Knit 1 round. Decrease round: K 4, K 2 tog around = 50 (55) sts.

Knit 1 round. Decrease round: K 3, K 2 tog around = 40 (44) sts. Knit 1 round. Continue to work decrease rounds as established every other round, changing to double-pointed needles when needed. At 10 (11) sts, pull stitches together, fasten off.
--Karen Kahane (2005)

Obsessed with Socks

Yarn: a cashmere-wool blend from The Knittery, so soft and warm. The yarn was so softly spun that I'm worried about how it will hold up to wear, so the foot was knit with needles a size smaller than usual. Small pointy needles + soft-spun yarn = splits, so I'm not sure if I'll knit with this yarn again. Lovely colors, but a bit frustrating....

The stitch pattern is "Twilled Stripe" from the Barbara Walker Treasury II (p. 147 in my old edition). It's a twisted slip stitch pattern (multiple of 7 sts, 8-row repeat) that is ideal to show off a lightly variegated yarn such as this "Passion Flower" color.

I used a size #1 (2.5 mm) 40-inch circular needle (magic loop method) for the cuff and leg, then switched to two 24-inch circular needles in size 0 (2.0 mm) for the heel flap and foot.

Not a pattern, just a blueprint:

Cast on 64, K1P1 rib for cuff, dec 1 to 63 sts, work in patt st for 5 (6) repeats.

Heel flap: dec 2 to 61 sts, arrange sts to center pattern on instep: 35 sts for instep (1 purl st, 4 full patt reps, ending with K5, 1 purl st). Work heel flap on 26 sts.

After heel flap, turn heel, pick up sts around; for instep switch to K5P2 rib, leaving P1 at each side to frame instep pattern (P1, *K5P2 4 times, end K5, P1). Work gusset decs to 60 sts: 35 sts on instep, 25 on foot; knit to desired length. For toe decs, divide evenly 30/30, dec to 10/10. Kitchener toe.