What's on my needles (week 91)

                   Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

 

Best wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day with your families and loved ones <3
Even with everything which is going on in the world, there is so much to be thankful for ...

I hope that you will have some time to knit.  Here is my finished featured project of the week: 

Elementary Watson Socks;  for the free pattern on ravelry by Sherry Menton click here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elementary-watson-socks
These socks are knitted toe-up with a Fleegler Heel construction. 

I knitted them two-at-the time.  First I wound up one skein of the beautiful Anzula Squishy in the color "toffee" (don't you love it when the colors have such yummy names?!) Then I divided the skein into two with the help of my trusty digital scale.

Before I started 

• I thought that I may want to mirror the cables, but did not because later when the leg has cables all around it looks better to have them all go one direction.  

• I decided to use knitpurlhunters method of doing cables without a cable needle. 

Here is my own video working on the socks without a cable needle:
 

Ready, set go:
I used re-inforcing yarn in the toes (and later for the heels).  Working the beginning few rows was a little tricky; doing Judy's magic cast-on double stranded twice...but soon enough the toes had grown to a more manageable size:

Next I had to figure out when to start on the gussets.  To stay in the pattern one had to do it after completing a pattern repeat.  Each pattern repeat is about 1" in length and approximately 4" before the heel turn.  I took the designer's advise and put in a lifeline in case I needed more or less length for the foot.

Then I continued with just one sock; no use having to unravel two of them if I needed to.

After completing the gussets and heel, it was time for Tony to try them on.  I refer to this as Tony's "Cinderella Moment".

I was SOOO happy that it fit!!!  Now it was just a matter of having the other sock catch up in length and they could get re-united again to be worked at the same time for the remaining knitting (namely the leg).

 

I had just enough yarn to do five pattern repeats around the leg and then start the ribbing.
I modified the ribbing slightly by switching the stitches in the row below (basically cabling) so I always had a purl on top of a purl... 

I used Jenny's stretchy bind off and voila, another pair of socks finished.

This is how much yarn I had left!

 

348 cables and done!

What's on my needles (week 87)

Before anything else I want to stop and remember Margrit from Morehouse Farms who gave so much to our fiber community.  

She passed away this week and will be missed by many.  Here is a link to their newsletter: http://mail-dog.com/page.html?p=0000015Fu8vj7oAT4s0QaEieIptqiHfyF8&email=Debbieduck1223@gmail.com

 

CABLES * CABLES * CABLES * CABLES * CABLES

I seem to be completely hung up on cables; you could say I am on a cable binge ;)  !

Block Island Hat 

Looking back, I can see that it all started with the beautiful Block Island Hat which I made last August.
Remember, we sell the kits at The Knitting Garage in Rhinebeck and I am giving a class on this especially for those of you who have not worked from a chart before.  You can take the class on Wednesday November 18th or Saturday November 21st  (10am to 12 noon on both days).

 

click here for more information and project notes:  Gansey Hat

Idlewild

After I finished the hat I went on to knitting cables in the Idlewild Tunic.
I wore the tunic on one of the days during the S&W weekend.  It is very  comfortable :)!

Click here for my Idlewild

And as soon as the Idlewild was finished I cast on another TWO projects which have cables:

 Tullamore Cardigan 

The Tullamore cardigan  and the Elementary Watson Socks for Tony.
I also could not resist buying an Aran Cabled Cardigan from Ireland at The Clothes Tree in Rhinebeck.

I am wearing the bought cardigan while working on the Tullamore

                                                                    

Click here for more information on the Tullamore: http://ravel.me/Strickliese/tc

With the back all done, I cast on the sleeves which I will be working two at the same time.

 

 

 

Elementary Watson Socks

And although I had said "never again" after knitting cabled socks for Tony two years ago, I am now working on a pair for him with cables.  

you can't really see all the pretty cables on these :http://ravel.me/Strickliese/tma

 This time I am using a solid color so the pattern can actually be seen and appreciated.  
The yarn which I found in the clearance bin at Stickles (quite a treasure trove!) has 10% cashmere (!!!) in it.  It is the Anzula Squishy (80% Merino, 10% Cashmere and 10% Nylon).  
I feel that such a nice yarn deserves to be knitted up in a special pattern. Since my husband and I both enjoy "Sherlock Holmes", I decided on the "Elementary Watson" socks.  This is a free pattern on ravelry.
Click here for more project information: http://ravel.me/Strickliese/ews

I doubled the yarn with reinforcing yarn for the toes

first chart repeat done :)