Languidly Knitting

2008. Really, already? I really hope anyone who keeps up with this blog reads on an RSS feed monitor because I’m terrible about updating.

I spent the first day of the new year cleaning. I cannot decide whether that is an auspicious sign or not. I’ll be optimistic and say it means I will have a cleaner house by the end of the year.

I think I kept one out of my four or so resolutions last year. In lieu of introspection (my navel is probably linty because I never gaze at it), I will barrel on to this year.

Alex’s 2008 Knitting Related Resolutions

1. Post in the blog once a week. Fifty-two posts in one year; it’s possible.
2. Finish up Christmas presents by February (more about that later)
3. Finish up UFOs such as the Norwegian Stocking, Angie, Salina
4. Stash controlling diet (more about this later too)

I’ll leave you with a picture of pretty yarn. More Zen String Serendipity Fingering, which has been officially crowned “Most Numerous in Alex’s Stash.”

November (Poseidon) and October (Morocco) Zen String Sock Club

Happy 2008, everyone! Best Wishes!

I think by now the entirety of the online knitting community knows about sock clubs. We all see the frenzy when the announcement of a new one by a favorite dyer appears. There was righteous outrage splashed all over the blogs when we heard about the Blue Moon/bank debacle.

But I’d left the sock club joining to others. Sure, there’s fun and mystery in anticipating a new, exclusive colorway every two months. But it’s not not for me. Until I saw two words pre-appended to the words “sock club”: “Zen String.”

September 2007: Serendipity Fingering in “Reflections”

I love how she didn’t go with the traditional fall colors of vivid orange, red, and brown, but used pastels, like staring into a real pool of water.  (The picture she included in her club letter was beautiful and perfect.)  I think this yarn will be fabulous knit into a pair of Monkeys as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend’s mom–that is, if I can give them up. And luckily, none of the non-knitters I know read this blog, so I shall be free to post all about them.

Click to see what each yarn is.

This is enough for 31 pairs of socks. I pull all of it out every now and then, just for inspiration. However, I accidentally left out a couple things, and the colors aren’t exactly in the right order. So I’ll probably take another sometime.

First off, thank you to Zyllah (Jen) for telling me that I could probably recover my entries by using the Google cache. Imagine a Guinness commercial: “Brilliant!” Pretty much everything is back. If it’s not, it means I was too lazy/didn’t care.

By the way, check out Zyllah’s blog, especially her dyeing experiments. I especially like Elphaba. (Wicked, anyone?)

Secondly:

It has a purple theme.

All I did was send a hank of Fleece Artist merino to her, and Kitty sent me this. A lavender grow kit, lavender body butter, a packet of tea. I was speechless when I opened the package. (Check out Kitty’s blog for her amazing FOs, especially Coachella.)

After seeing the contents of my mail, my boyfriend whined, half joking, “Why doesn’t anybody send me presents?”

I don’t know, but I think hand knitted socks make up for it:

This was the best I could do, he wouldn’t sit still very long.

Gentleman’s Socks in Railway Stitch by Nancy Bush
Source: Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: 2 balls of Regia Tweed 4-ply in #2, a bit of Regia Solid 4-ply in #2140
Needles: KnitPicks 32″ circular 2.0mm (US 0)
Notes/Thoughts: I ignored the calf shaping and cast on fewer stitches. Some day I will knit a Nancy Bush pattern like she wrote it, but not today.

Oh, and I’m a dummy for not checking dye lots when I bought the Regia Tweed on a whim. There’s a slight color difference, but the bigger difference is that I seemed to have knit a lot looser with the second sock and differently dye lotted yarn, so one sock is bigger. (Maybe I can shrink it in the dryer.)

But in the end, he likes anything I knit for him, and that’s what matters. Also, I think these socks are quite charming, with the striped heels and toes. So I’m happy with the final product too.

Ravelry has finally gotten me around to doing something I’ve been intending since the start of this year: I’m organizing my stash. I’m starting with the sock yarn.

Just the beginning…

This definitely isn’t all of it–today I did Lorna’s Laces, Fleece Artist, and the newly aquired Koigu (I’ve never had Koigu before). Pulling out all this yarn, looking at it, petting it–reminds me of why I knit socks in the first place.

Tomorrow I’ll need a little help in choosing the yarn for my Sockapalooza 4 pal. I’ve narrowed it down to two, but I just can’t decide.