Jazz Vanilla Socks just got "jazzier"

I used Pumpkin Spice to finish the toes on my Jazz Vanilla Socks.  Here's a picture of this the yarn that will eventually become short socks for knitSB.

Morning Glories

Late in the spring, knitSB and I decided to plant some wild flowers in a garden area in the yard. He selected three colors of morning glories that we were adding to the chain link fence. I thought this was a great idea. The morning glories would climb up and cover the fence. The image this brought to my mind was wonderful. We bought 8 packets of seeds and planted them. They got watered occasionally. June and July passed without having any blooms on these plants. The end of August brought a few blooms. Finally, in September, we finally have more blooms.


I think we planted too many seeds and the leaves are overwhelming the blooms. I paused the morning I snapped this photo. The colors mingle beautifully in my vision. I like the twist of the vines around themselves.

Dr Gemma Appreciation Day!

I going to take time to express gratitude for the wonderful things in my life.

I introduced PhotoSteve to the cogKNITive podcast with Dr. Gemma about 3 months ago. I thought he might enjoy some of the strategies.
Find the iTunes link to the podcast here. Libsyn link is here.
Her blog is here.



Knitmore Girls Podcast iTunes Link, Blog link.
History of Rome Podcast
Little Box of Socks
CogKNITive Fiber Retreat Rav Link
I actually have 12 people following me, not 6 (**grin**)

PhotoSteve and I met back when I was in 7th Grade and in a Jr High School Play and he was covering the performance for the local newspaper. Our paths crossed over the years and I've been very fortunate to have his friendship.

Really? That's a serving?

Last Friday someone at work brought in brownies to share at work.
After the initial cut was made by the cook, we all headed over and circled the brownie pan. I thought we were really nice for waiting. :)

Being the gentleman that I am, I let the ladies take their pieces first. (stop snickering, I am a gentleman...even when it comes to chocolate) Please examine this photo for the results.

MBK's slice is on the left, mine on the right.

I ask you, is that a serving? Really? MBK's response was "Yes." This is the recommended serving size.

Jazz Vanillia Socks Update

Knitter's Handy Book of Knitting Patterns by (St.) Ann Budd. I wonder what Ann would think about my referring to her as a "saint." I mean it in good humor. If you see her, please let her know.

I'm using Twisted Sisters "Jazz" on size 3.0 mm dpns.
Next time I need to decrease a needle size for the cuff. It says I should do that in the directions. I just didn't read that correctly.
On this pair of socks, I've dropped to size 2.25 mm for the heel flap, heel turn and toes to help give them some strength. That is a drop of 3 needle sizes.
Argh. I ran out of yarn for my socks.  These skeins have (about) 163 yards per skein. I could have made the leg length shorter, but I like the length, so I'll have to keep some extra yarn.

(You'll notice the hacking sound in the background.  That's Hugo chewing on some grass.)

Jazz Heel

Jazz Heel
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

I love turning a heel when I knit a top-down sock. This is a picture of the second Jazz Vanilla Socks just after I turned the heel and picked up the gusset stitches.

After I turned each heel of my first 5 or so pairs of socks, I paused and admired the amazing ability of turning a flat piece of knitting into a heel. Who thought of how to turn a heel? It didn't make sense to me. I simply followed the instructions each time with blind faith.

Still after 7 years of knitting socks I stop and gaze upon a correctly turned heel and smile.

What do you think?

Answering August Questions

Sue and Yarmando commented on my Family Clock
BestestMama hasn't ventutred into socks. I find knitting a heel fascinating.
Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Knitting Patterns is a great resource for
Mearl shared the Show-off Stranded Socks by Anne Campbell for my self-imposed sock club discussed here with KnitMary. Here's a link to my Ravelry favorites for the sockclub
Sue agrees that bread tags work great to keep the tails out of the way. I collect bread tags and give them to some of my knitting class students.
Nancy McCarroll is pulling her copy of the Little Box of Socks off her shelf.  I agree. It took a couple of times through for me to see the potential of my sock yarn in these patterns.  Gigi from Knitmore Girls podcast knit almost all of the socks in the box early on in their podcasting career.
The Sock Garden yarn isn't available anymore from KnitPicks. They've moved on to other yarns.
Thanks Lindsey for showing me yours. :)  I wish more people would show me theirs. KnitMary and knitSB did.
Continental knitting videos can be found on youtube and knittinghelp.com. Try those rosegaither. I learned by watching someone knit continental.
I think the best phone app is the one that is used most. Nancy mentioned IMdb, Dropbox, Art, & Stanza. I do use IMdb & Dropbox. Art and Stanza are new to me.

I feel like a commercial for the Evil Sock Genius Pattern.  I like the designer and the pattern. Cat and I recently interviewed Evil on our knitrific blog.  See the post here.

whatcha knitting?

whatcha knitting?
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

It's been hot here the last week and I've been knitting small projects, mostly socks. The progress has been great on two pairs of this socks and I cast-on for another pair. As I knit tonight, Hugo is rather interested in what I'm knitting.

Hugo's a bit excited with the temperature breaking so he wants to play. The look I'm getting is that "is why you're doing interesting enough for me to pay attention to or can I go back to playing with Maddy?" look.

He's a good puppeh and enjoys playing with Maddy, his roommate. (Question: What do you call two dogs living in the same house by different parents? Brother/sister?)

I've got another vlog for tomorrow that is about answering questions from comments last month.

Rustic Socks

Rustic Socks
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

I have startitis.

I cast-on a pair of toe-up socks. I'm using Rustic Wool using 3.5 mm needles with a magic loop. I think I'll get this toe finished and then cast-on the second toe so I can knot two at once.

I don't know what st pattern I'll use Got any suggestions?

Jazz Slip-Stitch Rib Sock Redo

Well, the best laid plans don't always work out. I've been working on the Slip-Stitch Rib Socks from the Little Box of Socks. The knitting has been going well, but the size of the sock isn't working out. What to do? What to do?

 
Ripping=Frogging details in a knitty post here.

Right after I shot this video on Saturday, I did a gauge swatch in the round to find out exactly how many stitches per inch I actually get with this yarn/needle combination.  I'm happy with the 7 sts per inch and have started a pair of Jazz Vanilla Socks using the Knitters Handy Book of Patterns by (St.) Ann Budd. I believe a simple pattern will highlight the yarn. Afterall, I fell in love with the colors of this yarn in the hank.  I wish I had taken a photo of this yarn in the hank. It was really beautiful.

I snapped a photo of the sock progress.  I knit on Saturday evening while watching The Women at Songferret's how with DH. Wow. The film was made in 1939. I think I've heard people act like this backstage, but I try to ignore all that. ;) We also watch a bit of The Best of 'So Graham Norton.'  That's not for the faint of heart but funny.
I'm please with how they are turning out.  What do you think?


This photo shows the right colors. I just keep wanting to knit on these socks to see what happens next with the yarn. I expect the heel flap and turning the heel with change the way the colors are knitting up. I'll post a picture to let you see