Sock Yarn and a Question

I received some questions in the comments about sock yarns. I have never knit with Dale Baby Ull at all - I bought it for some colorwork gloves I never made. I'm still not sure I will use it for socks as I also wonder how well it will wear.

I have had good luck with Regia and Opal but I haven't seen any solid colors of these yarns for a while. Does anyone know any sources?

Most of my stash is really old sock yarns. I gave up knitting stranded socks for years because I couldn't find many good stranded patterns or a great selection of solid colored sock yarns. Fortunately there are some great stranded sock patterns out there now. I have used Knit Picks Stroll which I do not think is tightly enough spun to be really hard wearing so I am babying those socks.

I ended up buying more sock yarns from Nordic Mart to use for my sock challenge next month. Drops Fabel is also another new to me sock yarn; it is less soft but more tightly twisted than Stroll for about the same price. I'm thinking it will last longer than socks with Stroll. The Drops Delight is for the Moose Socks and maybe these Drops socks. Drops Delight is unplied like Knit Picks' Chroma but maybe combining it with a traditional sock yarn will help with durability.

I still want more solid color sock yarns for colorwork. I need to get some Cascade Heritage to try for colorwork. Also I'd like to knit some stranded socks with Sandnes Sisu.

Here is one last question I recently received. I use Stitch Motif Maker 3 for charts and there is a menu option to export the files to .JPG files.

I have designed several stranded projects -- but on regular graph paper. Then transferred manually to an Excel graph with an .xls suffix. I am looking for a way to create a stranded graph in a format that can be saved and edited and inserted in a blog or on Ravelry. Any suggestions or directions on how I can accomplish this?

Does anyone know how to insert a .xls graph into a blog?

Blue Socks

These change been off the needles for a day or two now. I real raced through that endorse drogue because I acquire a few another whop patterns that I desperately require to advantage.
I'm on a "knee-high hit bound" moral now.

 This ornamentation is the most complicated bonk that I acquire needlework to companion. It isn't Firm, vindicatory one of the patterns where you soul to pay aid every row. On the wares drogue, though I had chart A pretty more memorized and exclusive had to aspect dr. occasionally to sort certain that I was plant on trail.

 My sister-in-law is making these corresponding socks and when she over her basic, we both noticed how questionable lookin the toe was. The ornament is scrivened to include this monstrous, pointy, squared off toe that really takes away from the example of the hit. I worked a criterial round toe on my occur, and I believe that it looks alot ameliorate.

 This is what I did:

TOE:
Transmute decreases at stated in path until you have 64 stitches gross.

Ammo 1: k all sts.
Habitude 2: Molest 1- k1, ssk, k to terminal 3 sts , k2tog, k1
Provoke 2- k1, ssk, k to end
Chevvy 3- k to worst 3 sts, k2tog, k1
(4 sts reduced)

Move these finish 2 rounds until 32 sts remain. Then run upright Knock 2 until 12 sts stay. Pass sts from harass 2 onto chevvy 3, and infix the stitches together using kitchener secure.

I really am controlled with how artful handknit socks aspect with a healthy twain of Jewess Janes. I need to modify my hit wardrobe to tally a contrastive color drogue for every gear.

I Told You I was Having Fun!

After I left you yesterday, I went back to my dye studio... It was fantastic. There were colors, and textures... Merino, mohair, cashmere, and alpaca...

I created greens...

I created blues...

I created purples...

Today I get to knit! The mittens using the over-dyed Alpaca yarns are taking shape. They are full of whimsy, and I love them. I hope to make enough progress to show you tomorrow!

Handspun Sunday

It is Sunday again, and that means it is spinning day. Today I picked a bold gold and black roving with just a touch of green I had dyed years ago as part of the Vermeer Collection.

Today, on this 4th of July, it just made me think of fireworks exploding in the dark sky in bold golds. I really enjoyed seeing the golds pop against the blacks as I sat spinning this afternoon talking and laughing with Miss SockPixie.

This lovely Merino roving, which I spun as fine singles, will be plied with another fine singles this time in black. I am planning on knitting socks from it. Spinning sock yarn takes a little more concentration for me. The singles really need to be fine enough for the sock yarn not to be too thick. Enough twist also needs to be put in the singles for them to hold together and not disintegrate as you spin or when you ply. I set my wheel on the medieum size whorl, and slowed the uptake a little. This should give me a sturdy single that will resist the plying, and will make a comfy yet sturdy sock.

That's it for tonight. We are off to see the fireworks over the Charles River. I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July!

Sring Green Rhapsody Colorways

The Spring Green Rhapsody colorways are ready and uploaded.
It was a lot of fun to play with a unique color theme, and to create different moods of green, some bright, some warm, some muted, some vibrant...

I hope you will enjoy my vision of spring. Have a great Sunday!