90% Complete

As the heading states, I am 90% complete --

-- on Icarus.

It's now taking about a half hour to complete each row. I completed 2 rows at lunch today, sitting outside under the beautiful sunny blue skies of Northern California. What a delight. Then I had to go back to work.

I have 7 rows left of chart 4 and 5 rows of the edging and then I will be finished with the knitting. So, that's 12 rows at a minumum of 30 minutes each, or at least 6 more hours of knitting. And because the stitch count increases with every other row, I'll probably be up to 45 minutes or even an hour per row once I am on the edging. I would estimate probably another 8 to 10 hours total on the shawl. Then, of course, it needs to get blocked. I think I am still looking at a few more weeks, with sock knitting added in here & there. I cast on for Icarus May 19, 2006, which means I have just enough time (I think) to complete it before the year marker hits me in the head. I have 22 days to knit 12 rows & block. I think I can manage that -- or so you would think. BUT - only time will tell.

A First Look

Look what came in the mail yesterday...

April Rockin' Sock Club kit

I'll have to hurry up and finish my Chocolate Cherry Socks before I cast on, though.

And on that note...

I decided to go with a garter stitch short row heel for the Chocolate Cherry socks. My first experience with the short row heel was with the February Rockin' Sock Club kit (although from the toe-up) so I decided to try it again to see how it compared to my "normal" way of the heel turn, flap & gusset. I'm using 60% of the total stitches for the heel (38 sts). The short row heel is certainly easier, as it does not require picking up any gusset stitches (which I find to be the most stressful part of the sock). HOWEVER, the short row heel does take careful counting as I do find it kind of difficult to distinguish the wrapped stitches. I'll know more how I like this heel once the socks are completed and I am actually wearing them. One good thing to note is that the construction is the same whether you are knitting from the toe-up or in this case, from the cuff down with this particular heel. I think I may also do a short row garter stitch toe so that the toe and heel match.

side view of short row heel

front view of short row heel

****************THE STATS SO FAR***************

Source: Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Pattern: Elongated Corded Rib
Yarn: Meilenweit Multiringel by Lana grossa
Date: Cast On 04.10.07
Method: Cuff Down; 2 socks on 1 needle - Magic Loop; Garter Stitch Short Row Heel
Needle: Addi Turbo, size 1 (2.5mm) 40"
Foot Note #1-Cast On: 64 stitches
Foot Note #2-Cuff: K2, P2 rib; 15 rnds
Foot Note #3-Leg: 6 rpts, elongated corded rib; 48 rnds
Foot Note #4-Heel: Short Row Garter Stitch, 60% of the total stitches; 38 stitches

Chocolate Cherry Socks

Chocolate covered cherries - that's what this yarn looks like. Sooooo - I thereby dub thee my Chocolate Cherry Socks. Yum!

CO=64 sts; K2, P2 rib cuff (3 rnds complete)

I decided to go with the elongated corded rib pattern from Charlene Schurch's book, Sensational Knitted Socks. I'm using Meilenweit Multiringel by Lana Grossa. It's fingering weight, 80% wool/20% polyamide. And yes, it's superwash, so this pair won't end up too small for my already tiny feet. As usual, they are cuff down, 2S1C, MagicLoop, Size 1 US (2.5mm) 40" Addi's {although I may switch to 47"}.

I am going to use this..





...for the SwallowTail Shawl. It's 100% Silk lace weight yarn by Claudia Hand Painted Yarns. It's called Silk Lace - Earth.

Travel Knitting

We are taking a "road trip" so I'll need some travel knitting. That means I'm going to start a new pair of socks. I'm either going to knit the elongated corded rib pattern from Charlene Schurch's book, Sensational Knitted Socks, or I'm going to knit Horcrux from the April 2007 Six Socks KAL. I have not decided yet. Here's a link and another one to a pair I knit previously using the elongated corded rib pattern. I loved this pair, but they were 100% non-washable wool, and you guessed it - they got machine washed and proceeded to shrink and shrink and shrink (and felt....). They got donated to charity.

Here's the yarn I'm going to use (& the potential book).



This is what Horcrux looks like. (The photo is a download from the Six Socks KAL web site).




I don't think I'll finish up Icarus before we leave, so I'll work on her as well while we are away, and I intend to start a new shawl, too - the Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark.

Inside Out Socks are COMPLETE

My Inside Out Socks are complete!!!! (I have to say - I like the "wrong" side best). You can also view them here.

****************THE STATS***************

Source: Rockin' Sock Club - February 2007
Pattern: Inside Out Socks by Kaci Kyler Hays
Yarn: Socks That Rock, Monsoon, Medium Weight (Sport Wt)
Date: Cast On 03.07.07; Cast Off 04.08.07
Method: Toe-Up; Short Row Toe; Magic 8 Cast On; Short Row Heel; 2 socks on 1 needle - Magic Loop
Needle - Toe: Addi Turbo, size 0 (2.0mm) 40"
Needle - Foot: Addi Turbo, started with size 000 (1.5mm) 40" but changed to 47"
Foot Note #1-Foot: Approx. 69 rows for foot
Needle - Heel: Addi Turbo, size 0 (2.0mm), 47"
Foot Note #2-Leg: Completed 42 rows of leg/cable pattern (size 0, 20.0mm) - a little too snug pulling on over heel; otherwise fit is good; however, decided to frog & go with size 1 (2.5mm)
Needle - Leg: Addi Turbo, size 1 (2.5mm), 47"
Foot Note #3-Leg: 65 rows cable pattern (leg)

The "Right" Side

Right Side // Wrong Side

Wrong Side // Right Side

Picture updates

Here are some progress pics of my Inside Out socks. They are still at row 61 of the cable pattern of the leg. My inspector, the ever-so-cute Jazz-Purr, was out in full force today giving me his approval on the work completed so far.













My Icarus Shawl is now 77% complete. I finished chart 3 and now just need to begin chart 4. After that, the edging is all that remains.

Quick Update

I have no new pictures to share but thought I'd give a quick update anyway.

I am just about complete with my Inside Out Socks. Changing to US size 1 (2.5mm) really did the trick in loosening up the leg just enough to get it comfortably over my heel. I now just need to decide how tall I want my socks. I can either just go another 4 rows of the cable pattern (65 rows total) to put me at about 6" for the cuff or I can go 14 more rows (75 total rows of the cable pattern). I'm fairly certain I'll have enough yarn - it's just a question of length. Typically, I like my socks on the shorter side. I'll just see how I feel once I finish row 65.

I actually would have been finished over a week ago, but I've been working on my Icarus Shawl exclusively. I'm in the middle of chart 3 which puts me at about 75% complete. I'm at the point now where it takes 15 to 20 minutes just to complete 1 row.

I'll post progress pictures within the next couple of days (maybe!).