Addicted to Colorwork

Hello:

R-rated sock pictures further down.  Proceed at your own risk.

When I got up this morning, at about 6:30, I could see the Cascades, the sun was not quite rising, and there was this thin bit of cloud over the top of the mountains.  I went downstairs to spin for one TV show.  Today it was "Elementary,"  I am all caught up on "Project Runway, All Stars," so I am watching other things I have stored on my DVR.  I don't save that much, just "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," and "Dr. Who," usually.  But, last year after the BBC Sherlock Holmes show stopped, I decided to try Elementary, and decided that I really like it.  So, I spun and watched.  The spinning is getting much much better.  Better enough that when the show ended, I really wanted to keep spinning.  I need to finish up the afghan squares for my OWL for the HPKCHC, so I made myself go upstairs.  Wow, one hour had made such a difference.  The thin bit of cloud had become this weird wall of cloud/fog that was blocking our view of the mountains, and seemed to be moving down and into the lake.  It was still "sunny" on our side of the lake, but I had to wonder if the fog/cloud would move in over here.

It did not.  I started working on the latest afghan square, I have five 12 in squares to go.  When I looked up, an hour later, the cloud/fog had become this thin layer on the lake. Look:

It almost looks like ice on the East side of the lake.  But it was not nearly cold enough for ice.  It was this super thin layer of fog.

But, enough about my view.

I tutored today for 2 hours in the morning, trying to get someone ready for an exam where he needs to understand square roots.  Then, I stopped by VanesaPolo's house and visited with the lovely Emma.  She is just about the most perfect little girl.  She is tiny, but just beautifully proportioned, and really starting to fill out.  I forgot my camera, of course, so you are all just going to have to believe me.

After the visit, I headed back for another hour of tutoring, came home to make dinner, then went to my neighbor's house for knitting.  Well, stitching.  I brought an afghan square.

See this is what happens.  I finished those colorwork socks, The Bird, two days ago.  I want to talk about them, but I have already moved on.  Except that I haven't really.

Let me go back to those socks.

I found it way easier to keep the tension even than I thought.  I held both strands of yarn in my left hand (I am a continental knitter).  I simply "Picked" the color I needed from the two wrapped over my left index finger.  Occasionally, I would stop and gently tug the unused yarn to tighten it, then stretch the sock top so it wasn't too tight.  I am sure this was not the best or quickest technique, but it seemed to work for me.

The heel is a short row heel.  Since I was not happy with the last short row heel I knit, there were visible holes where I picked up the wraps, I decided to do the "Fish Lips Kiss Heel," instead.  I have to say that the directions are very easy.  It is much like a regular short row heel in the construction, it is just the "wraps" that are so different.  But, what a difference.  They are very easy to make, and I can not see any holes in my heel.

 The only thing I don't like is that the heel is pretty small.  The fish lips heel directions tell you to stop your pattern about 1 inch before you are ready to make the heel, and just work the back of the sock in stockinette for that inch.  This makes sense if you are doing a lace pattern.  But, I couldn't figure out how it would work for colorwork.  Unless I either cut the black yarn and reattached it, or somehow carried it across that one inch, how would I have both colors ready to knit on the front of the sock?  Both of those ideas seemed to go against the whole point of knitting an inch in stockinette.  So, I didn't do it.

Another change I made was the sole pattern, or bottom of the foot.  The original pattern calls for the same colorwork on top of the foot (the instep) and on the bottom (the sole).  I decided that I would do a checkerboard pattern on the bottom of the foot instead purely for speed. 

It did help me speed up the progress quite a bit.  Before the checkerboard, I was knitting about five rows a day.  Once I started knitting the checkerboard, I was able to complete ten rows at a minimum every day.  It's amazing to me how much faster I knit when I didn't have to look at the pattern.

The socks are cast off, well the toes were Kitchenered, the ends are all woven in, and they were put in the mail yesterday. 

I can't wait to start another colorwork project.  I really need to finish up the afghan.  Then well, it will be December, and I hope to make another Advent Calendar Scarf.  I will have to choose (or chart) something to be made in January.  Maybe a hat and mittens. 

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with an urge to do colorwork.