Taming the Beast

Quite possibly the stupidest thing I've ever done was tracking my yarn and other knitting expenses over the last year. Yikes! The grand total was about 3 times what I would have predicted. I won't tell you the total to spare you from fainting but it does seem like I could probably take up downhill skiing in exotic locations for the same amount I spend on my hobby. If you've been reading my blog for a while you know I just won a huge bounty of beautiful sock yarn and also that I already have a sizable stash (photos HERE).

I decided to start limiting my yarn purchases. At least I am not so completely delusional that I think I can go without buying yarn at all. I plan to test out all the plant-based sock yarns out there so I figure I'd just limit myself to buying those brands when they are on sale. There really aren't that many yarns like that available and really how often do they go on sale?

You probably guessed how this story would end. Jimmy Beans Wool is having a 55% off sale on Panda Cotton, Panda Soy, and Maizy. Actually so is Hidden Purls so now I'm wondering if they are discontinuing the yarn lines? I guess the moral of this story is that I should stop keeping track of how much I'm spending on yarn.

Even Bubbles seems alarmed by all the yarn!

Jogless Stripes and My Sock Yarn Stash

Most of the methods used for making stripes match up at the end of rows are noticeable to me. You can knit the stitch on the row below together with the first stitch of the new stripe color, knit the stitch on the row below of the first stitch of the second row of the stripe, you can slip the first stitch of the second row of the stripe, or you can knit the first stitch of the new stripe with both colors. Because I think they are all noticeable I opt for the simplest method. 

Before I start a new stripe color, I take the yarn for the new color UNDER and to the RIGHT of the other yarn(s) before knitting the new stripe. Essentially I'm catching the other yarn(s) with the new yarn at the beginning of the new stripe. It looks like this on the right side. (Pardon the crease from blocking the socks flat - I just read that wet blocking items inside out will avoid this crease so I'll try that next time.) I also make sure to cinch the two yarns at the beginning of the row to try to get rid of those noticeable larger stitches.

It looks like this on the reverse of the work. I have talked about this method previously using my Spruce Mountain Mittens HERE  - the pink mittens used my method and the green methods did not use any jogless stripe method.

I recently re-organized my entire stash. In the process I took all my yarn out and put it on the couch. (I'm amazed it all fit on the couch!) I am waiting to show you the entire stash until April 1st which is Flash Your Stash Day. Here's my sock yarn stash - I really love looking at my sock yarns because of all the bright colors. A lot of it is Kroy in bright candy colors I bought on sale years ago. The Baby Ull at the bottom right isn't specifically sock yarn but I think I'll test it for socks anyway.

Orange Socks, White Rabbit

I recently joined the Solid Socks group on Ravelry. I have all this really old bright sock yarn that has long since been discontinued. I think of it all as candy colors or circus colors and I am not sure I want to use all the colors together in colorwork. Anyway, the group has challenges each month and June's color is orange.

Here are the Puppy Love Socks designed by Pauline Schultz from the Joy of Sox. I used Froehlich Blauband (color 59) and size 2.75 mm dpns. I did do a few mods - I made the legs longer by adding three pattern repeats, I did a longer toe, and I did a regular cast on for the triangles on top and just picked up the stitches. It is a nice, easy pattern that is perfect for these hot days where I keep the house pretty dark.

Bubbles actually came over and plopped her large bunny self right down next to the socks during the photography session. She usually doesn't like the camera but I guess she felt her photo hadn't been on the blog in a long time. In other important Bubbles news, this summer we learned that she hates watermelon but loves blueberries.

I'll post some pillow photos this week as soon as the pillow forms I ordered show up.