Finished Making Waves

This was a great little pattern. I learn something new every project I complete. I talked to my stash angel (Jill) and she says the yarn is Harrisville Singles. 100% wool. I washed my socks and added some pantene conditioner to the rinse water and they still feel pretty rough, but that's what sockliners are for.
Here's a review of what I did from my post to the SixSox list:
I started from the toe up and did 2 socks on 2 circs. I used40 stitches on the instep and 32 on the bottom of the foot and have the pattern going from the end of the toe increases all the way to the cuff. I did the upside down flap heel over 32 stitches (from the "you're putting me on" pattern) and then continued for about 4 rows on the back in just plain stockinette. Over these rows I increased to 40 stitches so I had 80 stitches around which was plenty for my voluptuous leg. I then did the pattern all the way around and finished with a 2x2 rib and then stretchy bind off.

Progress on the little cardigan

I've joined the sleeves and have started the raglan decreases. I hope I have enough buttons. It will be interesting to see how this ends up. I re-knit the sleeves at the same time using 2 circs the way I do socks. If you think keeping track of two balls of yarn is tough, try 6 -- one of which is still attached to the body of the sweater. I ended up not taking this project anywhere because getting it in and out of the bag made for a hopeless tangle. I just love these buttons. My LYS proprietor, Carole, helped me pick them out and they're perfect.

Here's a close-up of the buttons (I have 6 total):

My poncho for my MIL?

I just love this poncho that Lizzi designed. I was thinking about a similar design for my mother-in-law but actually now that I think about it maybe my idea is completely different! I want to do it in a worsted weight Alpaca on larger than normal needles for an airy fabric, with a cable design up the front bordered by YOs. The shoulders might also have YOs. Hmmm. Still, Lizzi's given me some ideas! I don't really want to do fringe on the bottom, though, so I'll have to think of a way to edge it without having it roll. hmmm. Ideas? Maybe I can pick up stitches along the edge and do a border? But not lace, of course.

Closer views of the toe-up heel flap

The seeds quickly tossed yield results...

But only for the early birds...

Updates: Making waves, little striped cardigan

Making Waves:
Well, I ended up putting the second sock on a piece of scrap yarn to work the heel of the first sock. Turns out that I could have gotten away with leaving them both on because I ended up putting the extra stitches on spare DPN. I think I'll rewrite the instructions on how to do this heel using 2s2c methods (well, plus an extra 2 DPN, but they don't have to be the same size or anything). I've been late to work almost every morning this week trying to get a little more done on these socks before I leave the house in the morning. I'll post some heel pictures.

Striped Cardigan:
I finally was able to get cool buttons at my favorite LYS (woo-hoo). I'm not ready to put them on yet, because I finally decided what to do with the sleeves. I frogged both of them all the way back. The row gauge was as messed up as the stitch gauge. I might try two circs, but they won't be the same brand or finish. Someone at my SnB suggested sleeveless, but this is for work so not really my thing.

I may become a teacher!

I am so flattered! The owner of my favorite LYS asked if I would be interested in teaching a sweater class. Sure I would. Will I confuse the people beyond recognition? Dunno. Willing to try. It will be a beginning sweater class with a small group. To start this fall.

Progress on Making Waves

I knitted on these all weekend. Mostly because my other WIPs are all dead in the water. I'm still waiting for the graph of the flames for the DH's sock and trying to figure out what to do on the sleeves for the little striped cardigan (they're too small, the gauge is all different on the metal DPN I have for the sleeves, of course). I'm doing the heel from the "you're putting me on" socks for the first time so we'll see how that goes. I think I'll pretty much have to slip the sock that's not being worked to stitch holders because of the way you pick up stitches from the front of the sock.

In case anyone is wondering, this pattern is not available on the open internet yet. You have to be a member of the Yahoo group. It's been submitted to the Socknitters DYOS 2004 so you might look for it there.

Stash Catalog: Paton's Cotton

This is a 100% cotton dk yarn. I have 11 50g balls of this "gold", 9 of a nice rust, 2 light yellow, 2 light peach, 1 kelly green.
I'm thinking about making something like the Ottoman-stitch sweater from Talbots from the rust.

I also have 11 assorted balls of Unger Pima, also 50g each. There are 4 black, 3 melon, 3 cream, 1 pink. Don't know what to make out of these.

These things are all from the immaculate stash. Thanks Jill!

Stash Catalog: Mayflower Marina

I have 20 skeins of this cotton (?) yarn. It's actually Danish and Hilda from my SnB was able to translate the label for me. The gauge is 28 stitches on 3mm needles = 10cm. As you can see its kind of a nice olive. It will make a nice summer sweater or even twinset.

Mark's Flames Socks

So the point of these socks is that they'll look normal in shoes, but in sandals or bare foot you'll see that they have flames coming up from the toes not like athelete's foot (ha!) but like a hot rod car paint job. I kind of thought the top would have some flames, too, but no, we're just doing the toes.

There have been many, many little problems with these socks. He wants them to go up 10" on his legs, but not st. stitch, with ribbing all the way up. Ok. Wants a finer texture of the sock (ok so size ones, hmm, I'll have to use DPN instead of circs, crap.). So then my gauge was between 7.5 and 8 (so like 84 stitches around). So now I've knitted past the heel turn and am almost out of yarn. Ack. I have a total of 4 skeins. I'll start using the second "denim" skein but then I'll have to buy another one for the second sock. Also, just measured the gauge again so M could draw out his flames on graph paper... it's now like 8.5 st per inch. ACK! I'd like to have him try it on, but I really don't want to take it off the needles and it keeps falling off as it is now. I'm enjoying the knitting and it is more portable to be on DPNs (for walking around I mean, not as good in the bag).
For scale, my DPNs are 5" long.

Making Waves Swatch

Maybe you can see how pretty this is going to be from the swatch:

I was worried about the durability but a member of the knit along said they would probably be ok. They also feel very rough, but the yarn was originally intended for weaving and hasn't been washed. I washed the yellow swatch and it felt better. If all else fails, I'll wear my sockliners under them. The sockliners are polypropylene thin socks that I think were purchased to wear under my field hockey socks. I guess that makes them pretty durable since I've been out of field hockey for about 13 years! If I ever see the silk ones again in a store, I'll probably buy a couple of pairs. They keep you from getting blisters, too.