Second Sock Syndrome

I have completed one EXTREMELY AWESOME piratey looking cushy ol' sock.
Here is a picture of a small portion of it:

It is really sweet.

Sweetness aside, I have 2 feet.

I have 1 sock.

I have 5 empty sock needles.
I have 3 half-knit balls of wool-ease.

I have 0 desire to knit the second sock.

I don't know anybody with only one foot.

I have considered just putting a loop on the top and making it into a really badass christmas stocking for my son, but I like them so much I'd want them all year round.

So I am doomed to making a second one.

I don't want to.

Just wait though. One day I'll post a picture of me wearing 2 really awesome piratey socks. Yes indeedy.



A thouroughly depressing announcement.

My Cable Coat Does Not Fit.
Okay that's putting it rather boldly. In fact it does fit. Or would fit. But somehow the arms turned out wrong.
I know I knitted them correctly, I have the notes to prove it.
I checked off every single row by hand on paper.
I knitted the sleeves at the same time so they have the same decreases and everything.
And yet... They do not fit into the armholes. It looks as though the sleeves are raglan and the shoulder is a set-in.
It's very depressing.

After I miserably tried sewing in varying ways to avoid bunching or sagging in any way, I came to the Ultimate Decision: I'm going to frog the sleeves.
However, since I'm relatively certain that the error is on the part of the pattern not on my part, I'm going to have to redesign the sleeves so they fit.

1)Frog sleeves
2) Sew side seams
3) Pick up stitches around shoulder
4) Knit sleeves down from there

So I guess there needs to be another step.
Step 0) Do some math and figure out how many decreases over how many inches you need to make the sleeves fit.

It's a good thing, really, because the sleeves were coming out baggy at the armpit and tight at the wrist, and much too short for my liking.

Still, depressing. I don't want to touch it until the new year. It's hiding in a drawer.

Legwarmers!!!

Totally wearing them Right Now.

Also, I finally downloaded the Central Park Hoodie pattern. Although I solemnly swear I will not cast on until after Christmas. Which means I have to finish
1) fibonacci
2) unfinished garter legwarmers
3) unfinished wristwarmers
4) cable car coat
5) ... is that it? is that all i'm working on?
Yes. Those things come first.

Also, I got some cotton yarn for the Empire Strikes Back dress in the new SnB book. Super excitement. I'll pretend it's in honor of the fact that the director of Empire Strikes Back died yesterday.

So I have a little problem

Good news: I have finished the back, left front AND right front of the Cable Car Coat.
Bad news: The left front is slightly too long. The right front is slightly too short.
I'm deciding later whether it's troublesome enough for me to take anything back and have a do over.

PICTURES!!!!

It will actually fit right, once I add the buttonband. I hope.

Knitting updates...

Vyvyan's Hood is finished!!!

And it fits!!!

Also the Cupcake is done baking.

And it fits rather nicely

And now I get to begin the Fibonacci scarf!

 

So about the Fibonacci scarf. I am an idiot. That's all I really WANT to say about this, but I suppose I have to explain the whole story...

Will bought me the yarn so I could knit his bestest friend a Fibonacci scarf. Seeing as said bestest friend is a mathematician and all. So it's a Christmas present for Duncan. And I was like "What? You're buying me 5 balls of Alpaca Love right now? Heck yes I'll knit you a scarf I'll do whatever you want just hand over the yarn!"

And then I realized how knitting a reversible scarf with uneven stripes might be a bit of a problem. I could use garter stitch of course, but we all know about that unpleasant stripe that garter stitch has on it's reverse side when you start using two colors. But I thought... You know, it might not be so bad. And garter stitch is easy. And stockinette would roll, and if I did a garter stitch border it wouldn't be reversible and so garter stitch is the best way to go. Except for tubular/double knitting but learning a new technique frightens me especially when math is involved.

So I cast on 24 stitches and started going.
One row in, five rows in and... The stripe is happening! And it is ugly! And there's nothing I can do about it because I have to add colors on both sides due to the nature of the Fibonacci sequence.
(If you don't know the Fibonacci sequence I will now explain it to you. All you do is add the rows in the two previous stripes to get the number of rows in the next stripe. So:

Anyways I realized that garter stitch wasn't working out. And the stockinette with the garter stitch border would be unattractive to say the least. I hate when scarves aren't reversible, it makes me crazy and I wouldn't ever want to say that I made one. (we'll ignore the cabled one I made last month, because it was pretty)
So I was doomed to double knitting.
I looked it up and found that it was much simpler than I'd imagine.
Cast on an even number of stitches
row 1 and all subsequent rows: K1, sl1 wyif, K1, sl1 wyif
TWO rows = 1 row (Because you're knitting in a tube. So the first row you only knit half the stitches and the other row you knit the other half, making one round. Get it?)
In my superstar knitting book, Debbie Stoller advises "YOU SHOULD ADD A NEW COLOR ON ODD-NUMBERED ROWS"
Well this gave me a start.
I'm doing the Fibonacci scarf! The colors change on odd AND even numbered rows! But I remembered what Stephanie Pearl Mcphee says, how all patterns are merely suggestions and Debbie Stoller DID say "should" instead of "must" so maybe it would all work out for the best.
And you know what? It did!
I was in shock, but I just kept knitting and had a happy ending.


12 hours later:
It's 2 am. I wake up to feed the baby and then when he settles back into the dreamy land I find that I can't sleep. I start thinking about the scarf and suddenly I realize why it worked out. Using tubular knitting I will add a new color on an odd number no matter what. Because 13 times 2 is 26, an even number. Then you change color on an odd number. And 21 times 2 is 42, an even number. Then you change on an odd number. In fact 2 times any number gives you an even number. So it goes without saying that you'll add a new color on an odd number. Because 2 =1.
Then I realized that I could have avoided the whole double knitting problem if I had just remembered that 2 makes everything even and knitted two rows for ever one of garter stitch.
No problems, less yarn used, happy knitter.
But as it is, I learned to double knit. So I'm pretty damn pleased anyways. And hey, an utterly reversible scarf! Truly, a happy ending.

I feel like Santa Clause

So I was knitting in math class, as usual, and the guy who sits in the front row stopped by my seat during our break and whispered "I want ear muffs."

CUPCAKE HAT!!! And other stories of the day.

I am officially making a cupcake hat.
And a sweater.
And a coat.
And some legwarmers.
And some more legwarmers.
And some armwarmers.
....
I really need to finish some of these projects before I go casting on for the new ones.
Like:
-The Fibonacci Scarf
-The OTHER legwarmers
-The Pedicure Socks
-The Epic Central Park Hoodie.

Luckily I don't have to worry about CPH because I have no money with which to purchase the yarn for said project. The socks, however... I'm afraid I may have acquired a few sock balls. The Fibonacci Scarf is actually an Xmas present, so it will have to be cast on soon. And of course in the light of other people being more important than me I can put off my (glorious) coat for now.

Priorities::::::
1.) Cupcake hat. Because class ends on Dec 17th
2.) Vyvyan's sweater. Actually this is a close tie with the first, because although there is no due date he is fast-growing. Of course he's not going to remember if I ever finished it or not so I could always finish it later and be like "awww look what your mommy made you back when you were wee!"
3.) Garter Stitch Legwarmers due by the 25th.. These just need 3 buttons sewn on.
4) Pink Armwarmers just need the thumbs to be completed.
5)Fibonacci scarf needs to be cast on!!! Due on the 25th also, possibly later.

Unfortunately the most portable project are the purl bee legwarmers. So guess what I'm taking to math class.