red all over

the value of a well-written pattern

Through my last couple years of knitting the respect I have for pattern designers has really deepened. Designing a simple dishcloth provided first hand experience of how much is involved in preparing a pattern publication - swatching and adjusting, writing and charting, knitting and reknitting, oh my! And how nice it is when the pattern is nicely formatted - well organized, clearly written and well photographed. A pleasure to knit - no worries and no surprises. I see a lot of value in that!

Mostly knitting patterns seem reasonably priced. I don't hesitate to shell out a few bucks at a coffee shop, or ten bucks or more at the movies, so what's a few bucks for a well written pattern? So this morning I was shocked to read a Ravelry post complaining that a designer asked $10 for a lace shawl pattern, fully written and charted, with short row shaping creating a unique collar and fitted shoulder area. How many hours of work went into that, do you think? Good grief, don't buy the pattern if you think it's too expensive.

Actually, I lie. Many patterns do not seem reasonably priced. Seems to me, many pattern designers value their work too cheaply. There's an interesting article here about selling yourself short. Okay, end rant. I'm going to go back to minding my own stitches. And to admiring the printed pattern for this Montague shelf liner, day dreaming about different ways I could knit this pattern: place mats, a table runner, a counter pane ...

Then there are the other nine patterns in this booklet to consider.

Fly Butterfly, Fly!

Just before lunch on Saturday I slipped the small rubber band off the tip of the triangular box, flipped open the lid and released this monarch butterfly. Within the unopened box I had felt the butterfly stir and then start to flutter. When the box opened, the butterfly hopped to the edge of the cardboard to spread its wings in the sunshine. After a few minutes to warm up, it flew off.

At least a hundred butterflies were released. We spent the next half hour watching as butterflies examined flowers, circled each other in the air, and flew off down the lakeshore. This Lupus fundraiser was very well attended and successful; I'm glad I went. Looked like lots of money was raised - money to be put to good use helping those with this disease and finding a cure.

Take Fives, take 2

These Take Five socks are really charming and fit beautifully. The pattern is simple, but the effect is very elegant. These just feel like I should knit some more! I'm still disappointed that there wasn't enough yarn to knit the legs a bit longer, but I've come up with a solution: knit another pair.

You remember this red yarn, don't you? It's Lucy Neatby Celestial Merino. And I completely love this colour. These two skeins were originally planned for a shawl, but my sister didn't love the colour. Then I tried Hobo mitts, but frogged them because I didn't like the fit. So why not socks? It's sock yarn, after all. And I've got lots of it.

My only hesitation was that the yarn is 100% merino - no nylon content. How well would socks knit from this yarn wear? I asked Ilga Leja at the Knitter's Frolic earlier this year. "Knit in a reinforcing thread at the toe and heel", she suggested. Sounds like a plan. And where to find reinforcing thread? Romni, of course. They carry little spools of 2 ply wool/nylon blend Regia Stopf - und Beilaufgarn in various colours. The red I picked is a brighter red, but once knit, it disappears into the main yarn. It does make the fabric at the toe a bit bulkier and stiffer, but better that than holes!

modified for toe-up

As much as I love this yarn, it seems there isn't very good yardage in these balls. For a second time I've run short before knitting as far on the leg as I'd like. In this case, I don't mind; this Take Five sock is just as cute as an ankle sock as it would be longer. And boy, am I glad I knit them toe-up so that I knew exactly when to cast off! But clearly a single ball is not enough for almost any pair of socks, and two would be way too much. Annoying, huh?

With unusual self control I was able to restrain myself and knit the sock to a smaller size than would fit me. You can see in the picture how tightly the sock is stretched across my size eleven foot! Looks like they'll be perfect for the smaller feet of their intended. This is the first time I've modified a cuff down pattern to knit it toe-up and I'm pleased with how it worked out. Now let's see if I can do it all again for a matching second sock!

a start on Take Fives

Much of yesterday was spent in the car - driving out to Cobourg and Newcastle so that Gavin could surf and then sitting in the car watching while he surfed. I definitely needed a portable knitting project on hand.

Back in January I knit Komet socks from On Your Toes bamboo, but ran out of yarn before finishing the second sock. After consulting fellow Raveler's stashes I negotiated the purchase of another 100 grams. I used about a dozen grams of yarn to finish my sock and put aside the rest.

Those Komet socks turned out to be my faves - a lovely pattern and very comfy yarn - so I've looked around for a simple elegant sock for the rest of the yarn. Take Five Socks fit the bill for me. It's a very simple pattern - just four rounds stockinette with a pattern every fifth - but it's very charming. "Ohhh, that's nice," says Gavin peering over as we drove home last night "it looks like a real sock". He meant it as a compliment but it's an odd thing to say, don't you think?

I've modified the pattern to knit toe-up because I'm now completely addicted to using every last meter of yarn without fear of running short. And I've reduced the number of stitches for the foot to 56 to keep it narrow and snug-fitting. Now I'm trying to convince myself to keep the length across the bottom of the foot short enough for my SIL instead of long enough for me.

Soft Serve socks

They're not identical twins, these Soft Serve socks, that's for sure. But they're definitely a closely related pair. As you can see, the second sock is done. I'm happy with them, kind of, but I wouldn't knit this pattern again. Not because I screwed up the second sock twice before finally getting it done. But because, although the swirling of the pattern looks nice, it makes the socks irritatingly uncomfortable. No matter what I do the socks feel twisted; I'm constantly wanting to tug at them to straighten them.

I'm also happy with the yarn, kind of, but I wouldn't buy it again. Not because of the non-matchiness, but for a couple of different reasons. It's not the softest yarn - the pattern feels a bit scratchy across my instep. Not uncomfortably so, but there are so many softer, nicer more comfy yarns out there. Mostly I don't like all the grey twisted in from one colour transition to the next. The best parts of this colourway are the blues, green and blue/green twists.

Enough moaning; I think I'll cast on something new!