the rest of the (hap) story

Remember the Hap?

Here's where it started.

Below is a link to the rest of the story.

In case you ever wondered.

Better late than never?

I wrote a piece about it, and about knitting gifts, 

for the wonderful fiberfolk at MDK, here:

The Gift of Collaboration

I hope you like it.

~~~~~

actual knitting content

I haven't been able to knit for nearly three months.
The focus just wasn't there.
I've wanted to knit. I've tried to knit.
I've missed being able to knit.
It's a productive activity that settles me, calms me, encourages me.
Not being able to turn to this reliable source of comfort was...
well, I don't know what it was, but it felt like a curse.
Seriously.

At long last, it seems the curse is broken.
I believe I owe this to something I read on the Mason-Dixon Knitting blog, that compendium of fibery wit, practicality, and adventure. Kay Gardiner wrote:

"...sometimes you have to bring the calm to the knitting."

And...click.

The yarn is worsted weight, 50:50 wool and silk.
This is not a practical choice for socks.
The yarn is soft. The knitted fabric will blur. And fuzz. And felt.
It will wear out too quickly from the friction of a boot.

But this is the third pair of socks I've made with this yarn since 2009.

Because occasionally, looking neat and lasting long are not the most important features a sock can offer. Sometimes, it's all about the smoosh.

The socks were finished at sunset yesterday, with lots of help.

(Speaking of finishing, for anyone interested in fibery details, there is a stitch-by-stitch on this publicly-visible ravelry project page.)

And to celebrate their briefly pristine state, the socks were the subject of a very quick (it was cold and I was tired) post-chores shoot this morning:

Here's a behind-the-scenes shot with my location team.
What would I do without them?

Fortunately, the Art Director works for peanuts.

~~~~~

remembering to knit

Ann and Kay over at Mason Dixon Knitting are hosting a sock KAL right now, lasting through the end of May. If you can use a little cheering on to finish a neglected sock WIP...or if you've been thinking of casting on for a new pair of socks...well, this is a great time to join in. There are quite a few people knitting their very first socks for this KAL!

Knitting had fallen by the wayside for me since the weather changed. I've been alternating between two states: first, shoulder to the wheel, tackling one necessary chore after another, and second, feeling so exhausted I don't want to move. It's not a good system, and it's not even effective in terms of getting things done, so this week I'm trying to be aware and to pace myself a bit more.

And knit.

I've missed he transition of knitting for a few minutes here and there during the day, or at bedtime; it's very mind-quieting and centering. So Monday night, I pulled out the WIP bag and finished these socks which had been languishing, toeless, for several weeks:

Simple Gems

And today, thinking of making a nice pair of summer socks for the KAL, I decided to kettle-dye a hank of 50/50 merino/tencel. I started the dye process on the stove but then let it go on for hours in a 180F oven while I got on with other things.

 When Piper and I returned from errands and an hour-long (huzzah!) walk in the woods, the yarn was ready for a soak in a sudsy basin to remove any unattached dye. That's where it is now. I'll rinse it after evening chores and if it dries overnight, maybe I'll cast on a sock tomorrow.

Here's a funny thing: I want to recreate a pair of socks I made in 2009, but didn't make any notes. I can see what to do for every part except the lace stitch on the leg:

SeaSocks

Maybe I pulled it from a Barbara Walker stitch dictionary; she published several thick volumes, and I've occasionally borrowed one from the library.

Does it look familiar to any of my knitting readers?

It looks like a repeating series of partial discs, at a diagonal.

If you click the caption, it should take you to the ravelry project page and the original image which is much sharper.

~~~

One more piece of fibery news from the MDK blog, which has been one of my favorites for many years. This week Ann and Kay are having a giveaway for a substantial amount of Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere yarn.

'Nuff said?

Good luck!

~~~~~