Until last week, I’d never really felt confident enough in my knitting skills to attempt making socks. Now after completing Silver’s Sock Class, I feel like kicking myself for not having tried earlier. As I was walking through the steps I found myself wondering when it was going to get complicated, but it never did.

And about that tutorial…

As I said, I used Silver’s Sock Class. The steps were INSANELY simple and easy to follow. Photos are included to demonstrate each technique along the way. A novice knitter who has never knit in the round on double-pointed needles (DPNs) should feel very comfortable using this tutorial to learn how to make a sock. (Interestingly enough, there were times that I needed to go back and review the instructions several times before realizing it was telling me to do something I’ve done a thousand times before – for example the author doesn’t use shorthand for stitches in the tutorial so a ssk (slip-slip-knit) was written in longform and I didn’t know what she meant at first.)

Seriously, I would recommend this tutorial to any knitter wanting to learn how to make socks – or even one who needs a photo tutorial on how to knit in the round with DPNs, as the first section of the tutorial tackles this topic completely.

As for me, I am now going to go back and use the tutorial again to make a second sock. With any luck I’ll be able to get the stripes of the self-striping yarn I foolishly chose to use for my first socks to come close to lining up.

I’m thinking socks. Ultimately, I’m planning on making these – Porifera Socks:

image from miriamfelton.com

But I’m going to start with a tutorial called Silver’s Sock Class.

I’m a little scared actually. I’m casting on today & I’ll let you know how it goes.

Since about 2007, I’ve managed to accumulate a fairly large pile of knitting patterns that I’ve printed out (most of which I’ve used). They’ve been moved from place to place, all over the house and they drive my husband crazy. Naturally they don’t stay in just one pile and I use several at a time so they kind of get everywhere. So I need to corral these suckers somewhere.

I’ve decided to go, perhaps surprisingly, low tech on this. I got myself a 2 inch wide 3-ring binder, dividers, and a giant stack of sheet protector sleeves.

It didn’t take long to get them all in order. First I put each pattern into a sleeve and then grouped them into categories. Then they went right into the binder.

I didn’t count them, but one pack of sheet protectors has 50 in it and I used 1 and a little of a second. Plus I got rid of a bunch of duplicates and unnecessary pages.

So simple, I don’t know what kept me from doing this earlier.

The way a Nerd Wars tournament works is that the are 3 rounds per tournament each of which lasts on month. You can participate in up to 6 challenges per round. In addition to this, you have the option to complete a self-selected challenge which is expected to take the entirety of the tournament. This is called a dissertation.

I decided to attempt a dissertation in this tournament and I chose the Hiya Hiya Gardenia Shawl. Because it has a leafy/flowery type of pattern to it, I tied it to my “nerdery” (Jim Henson) by calling it a Twiddlebug Shawl.

It’s a fairly simple semi-lace pattern with cables running the length the shawl. I chose a really pretty alpaca yarn, Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Strawberry, that I bought for myself as a birthday present. (It was a great deal too. I got it for half price at a store-closing sale.)

My original plan was to have the shawl completed in time for Christmas in order to give it to my grandmother as a gift, but life got in the way and I missed that goal. It looks like I’m going to miss my official Nerd Wars completion date goal of December 31st as well.

I’ve never knitted a shawl before. Scarves yes, but shawls not so much. I usually stick to smaller items because I have knitting ADD and move from project to project so I don’t get bored.

So I haven’t decided if I’m just going to give my grandmom the shawl as a just because/super late Christmas present or if I will hold on to it for a future gifting opportunity.

Either way, at this point I’m determined to get it done as soon as possible…partially because I’m tired of working on it and partially because I feel like I’ve come so far that I have to see it through.

I have 22 inches and a border left to go. Here’s where I am now:

I have 15 more inches and a border to complete. I’ll still have to block, but I can do that part after I submit the project since it’s the actual knitting that must be complete in order for the project to count. I am working really hard over the next 2 days to try and get it done since I won’t have much time later in the week. And I really do want to get this done, otherwise I will feel as though I’ve completely let the team down…I haven’t done any challenges this month.

Ah well, must step away from the computer and get back to knitting. Later in the week I’ll tell you about the Twiddlebug Shawl itself and the new knitting apps I got for my fancy-schmancy new ipad.

I’m sure like anyone else with a hobby, there are a few particular tools in my knitting bag that I don’t think I could live without (including a couple recent additions).

Knit Counter App

I used to use a little red clicker to keep track of my rows. And I nearly throttled my husband’s best friend when he saw it on a table and just started clicking away because it was there. A much better solution came along for me after I got my iPhone. The Knit Counter App. This is, by far, my favorite app and the one I use the most (aside from The Weather Channel). It’s a pretty bit step up from my little red clicker.

I really love that you can track multiple projects at the same time. Another nice feature is that you can automatically count repeats of a pattern. I haven’t used it yet, but you can even track stitch markers.

Interchangeable circular knitting needles

I’ve talked about these before. My interchangeable circulars are Knit Picks Options in Harmony Wood. I have them in nearly every frequently used size and even have a couple doubles so that I can keep multiple projects on the needles at the same time. I don’t use regular straight needles anymore.

I prefer using these to straight primarily because the weight of a project distributes a little more evenly between my hands as I move back & forth. As for knitting in the round, I like the Options cables because they are very flexible and don’t have a memory (i.e. when they are wound up for storage you can still pull them out straight and they won’t spring right back).

Tiny “fix-it” crochet hook keychain thingy (Emergency Fix Keychain)

This thing is awesome! For a LONG time I used a small crochet hook to fix my dropped stitches, but about 6 months ago I bought this little keychain crochet hook “fixer” as an impulse addition to one of my orders (yes Knit Picks again). I heart this tiny keychain. I don’t think there are really any major pluses to using this as opposed to a regular crochet hook, I just love how cute and little it is and how nicely it fits in my accessory pouch.

Swift & Ball-winder

Another pretty recent addition to my “bag of tricks,” I have no idea how I managed without for such a long time. Actually I do know…I just avoided buying really nice yarn that had to be wound up. Well, no more. Yes, I will still be a frequent shopper of the craft stores and online places that sell less expensive, pre-wound yarn, but now I can go to the nice yarn stores and easily use my purchases. Yay!

PS – Trust me, Knit Picks still has no idea who I am and they have given me nothing. I just happen to enjoy their stuff and spend WAY too much money on their site. Oh, also Apple and the maker of the Knit Counter App have never heard of me.

I’ve been working like crazy to get my Twiddlebug Shawl/grandmother’s Christmas present halfway done for this week. I’m almost there. 7 repeats to go. I promise I’ll post some pics & tell you about this project soon.

I also need to get at least one project done for the regular Nerd Wars challenges by November 30th. Technically, I don’t have to get a project done since no one on the team would think any less of me if I didn’t…except me. I don’t want to be a team slacker.

Back to work!!!

So, what have I learned since then?

Well, #1 is that knitting with a cat around isn’t as hard as you might think, at least not for me. Mine is more interested in sitting next to me while I’m knitting than trying to get into the yarn (though she’ll poke at it sometimes). The bigger issue is that my mother is TERRIBLY allergic to my cat so anything I make for her has to be thoroughly cleaned before gifting (not that I make her things often see #4).

#2 – It is impossible for me to be stressed about anything in life while knitting. There is a fundamentally relaxing aspect to the repetitive nature of knitting – knit, knit, purl, purl, knit, knit, purl, purl – that makes it terribly difficult to focus on anything besides the task at hand. And although I might occasionally get frustrated with the object I am making, I wind up feeling as though all of the other stressors have melted away.

#3 – Practice makes better. Okay, this isn’t one I learned just from knitting, but the sentiment is just as valid. It easily took me a year to complete my first real knitting project. Before that I had made various squares of things – this was before I discovered Ravelry and the wonderful dishcloth patterns I could have been trying – but had never completed an actual “project.” I set my sights on making a bag from a pattern book I had fallen in love with. The pattern itself wasn’t hard at all…essentially a long rectangle in stockinette stitch. However, I wasn’t very good at making sure all of my rows had the correct amount of stitches at that point so it came out a little crooked. BUT, I had finally finished it and that’s what matters. Eventually I found ways to train myself to not lose count (think stitch markers every 10 or 20 stitches) and after a while I found I didn’t need those “tricks” anymore. Now, I can even finish a pair of mittens or a hat in less than a week.

#4 – No matter how much love and care you put into creating something, some people just will not appreciate the gift. This was a hard one for me for a long time. I was so proud of myself for learning a new skill and for being the only one in my family to be able to do it. (I come from a family of crafty people…sewing, cross-stitching, crocheting – but no knitters.) Over the last few years I’ve made things for many members of my family and almost everyone has really enjoyed and appreciated what I’ve made. Others…eh, not so much. My mom appreciates the thought & skill, but won’t use anything I’ve made – it’s always “too itchy” (wool or wool-esque) or “too hot” (a hat). My husband just doesn’t wear hats or scarves or gloves. So I do my best to make things for people who I know will appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating a hand-knitted item and for anyone else…ah well, they can have gift cards (just kidding…mostly).

#5 – Pace yourself. Sometimes I’ll get on a full-blown knitting kick where I work on project after project without stopping in between. Some people can pull this off without repercussion. I am not one of those people. After a couple weeks of “intensive” knitting, I have to step back. My hand/wrist is usually the first indicator. It starts aching and my fingers start to feel uncomfortable. Then my brain starts to go. I start making stupid mistakes and wind up having to go back and fix the same row 3 or 4 times. This is when it’s time to walk away for a couple days. I think this happens with a lot of hobbies (and even some jobs)…sometimes you can only push yourself so long.

#6 – Find someone to play with. There are a lot of knitters out there and what seems like a solitary hobby isn’t really one at all. Quite a few people join groups that meet to chat & knit together on a regular basis. I would love to find a time and place for this, but it hasn’t been in the cards for me at this point. However, I have found my Nerd Wars friends on Ravelry and it’s been great. There are so many people on different skill and talent levels that it’s given me a chance to learn a lot and, more importantly, the courage to branch out and try to techniques and skills.

It may sound silly, but I think I’ve learned a lot about myself through my knitting hobby. I’m not always a “stick with it” kind of person – I frustrate easily. But you can’t just wear one mitten, so stick with with, I must. Besides, there’s just so much pretty yarn out there that is asking to be knit into fun things.

Monster Chunks, here I come!

First I finished up my Abby Kadabby accessories.  The little girl loves to put on accessories and she LOVES Sesame Street.  So, I made Abby pigtails & a wand for her to play with.

Then I completed a set of legwarmers…also to be used by the little girl.  They are green & white striped to look like the stockings that “Nanny” wore on Muppet Babies.  I went with the legwarmers because it’s starting to get colder around here and my girl is potty training (mostly code for enjoying not wearing pants A LOT).

The Abby accessories answer the “Costume” challenge.  A challenge to create a costume or costume accessory inspired by our respective nerdery.  The Nanny legwarmers are for the “Colortastic” challenge.  This one you need to create an item utilizing 2 or more distinct colors and they can’t be from a single yarn (like a self-striping or variegated).

Now that these 2 challenges are done, I’m going to spend a few weeks working on my dissertation/grandmother’s Christmas gift.  I figure I’ll probably only do 1, maybe 2 challenges in November so that I can spend the bulk of my knitting time on that shawl.  I really do want to get it done in time.

I promise I’ll write about something other than Nerd Wars soon…I do have other things I think about, I swear.

This one came at an opportune Nerd Wars time though.  One of our challenges this month was to write a haiku & create a corresponding object related to our nerdery.  I chose Abby Kadabby of Sesame Street because she’s always poofing things into pumpkins.  Hence the hat.

This particular pumpkin hat is the 3rd I’ve made & I think it’s the cutest so far.  I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the smallest or I’ve just practiced making it enough times.

Here’s what they’ve looked like…

Pumpkin Hat #1 – made back in 2008:

Punkin Hat

Pumpkin #2 – made earlier this year (2011) for a friend of mine:

Pumpkin #3 – just made 2 weeks ago: