UFO Knitting - 1 Week, Every Month

Recently, my friend Linda lent me her copy of Crewel World by Monica Ferris

Being a mystery set around a needlework shop, it was right up my alley. It's fairly light and a quick, enjoyable read. It was published in 1999 and is the first in a series that's now up to 16 books. Yep, I'm a little slow getting to this series.

So, what does any of this have to do with Knitting UFOs (UnFinished Objects)? Well, early on in Crewel World, Margot (sister of main character, Betsy), mentions that the last week of every month is UFO Week.

Bernat Panama - Traveling Vine Top (1)

Now that I had a large swatch of traveling vine lace and stockinette stitch in Bernat Panama Misty Blue ...

I was ready to take some gauge measurements, rough out a sketch and calculate my cast-on count.

My plan is for a simple, close-fitting top with the traveling lace pattern at the lower edge. I'd like the bottom of the top to hit at the high-hip and, while it won't be drapey, I don't want it to cling either. So, I'm going for a loose, kind of floating fit at the lower edge coming up to a close fit at the bust and upper body. Rather than the entire top hanging from my shoulders, I'd like use my upper body to support the upper section of the top.

Bernat Panama -- Working From My Stash

My mom knew all kinds of needlework techniques and, amazingly, she was good at all of them - sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, counted cross stitch ... even tatting.

She happily passed her knowledge along to her six daughters and before she died, she also passed along her stash and UFOs. Among the sisters, different ones gravitated toward different techniques. Several of us knit, but I'm the enthusiast and so her stash of Bernat Panama Yarn is now part of my stash.

10 skeins of white, 7 skeins of misty blue and 2 each of petal pink and corn flower blue.

Sheep Feet Socks - Part 2

After completing the toe, I decided to try the Spiraling Coriolis pattern from Cat Bordhi's, "New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One". I wanted to try her Sweet Tomato Heel as well. So, I made a few adjustments to the arch expansion calculation.

One of the things I love about knitting toe-up socks is being able to try them on as I go ... and make adjustments.

Here's a close-up of the Spiraling Coriolis pattern ...

It's a little subtler than I thought it would be, but I like it.

Sheep Feet Socks

What to do when you don't get socks for Christmas? Knit them! (Yeah, yeah, I know. I likely would have been knitting them anyway.)

So, the other day, I went to my stash, made a selection and got started.

Now, it happens that a few weeks ago, I picked up "The Knitters Book of Socks" by Clara Parkes at the Lopez Library.

In it she notes, "Unfortunately, we can't always count on a yarn label to indicate the ideal sock gauge for a yarn, because socks always want to be knit tighter than most other things you'd knit with that same yarn. Or, as Lucy Neatby puts it, 'Socks should be worked on abnormally small needles for the size of the yarn.'"

Linen Stitch Short-Row Heel, First Try

For Jim's Eagles socks, I thought I'd try working a linen stitch heel to match its linen stitch toe.

After mulling over the heel methods I know, I decided to try a short-row heel in linen stitch. I thought the first half went fairly well. I completed my arch expansion, switched to my black yarn and knit around to my end-of-round marker. (Due to the jogless joins at each color change, the marker had migrated around to almost the center of the sole.) Then, I started with the linen stitch - RS: k1, slip 1 with yarn in front; WS: p1, slip 1 with yarn in back; being sure to work the stitch that was slipped on the previous row and slip the stitch that was worked on the previous row.

The first half was:

Eagles Socks for Jim

Several years ago, I knit a pair of chilly-night socks for my brother-in-law, Jim. I had Bill try them on to check out the fit and he said that while the socks felt just fine, he wasn't sure about my color selections. "Cowboy colors for an Eagles fan???"

A while later, I got one sock back for repairs because, "the dog ate my sock."

Well, this sock is still in my mending bag. (Along with quite a few other items. Apparently, I'm not much for mending knits.) So, I decided to knit a fresh pair of chilly-night socks for Jim. This time in more appropriate colors.

I finished the first one in time to include it in the Christmas shipment. And it's mate is now finished too.