Sorry, Your Princess Is In Another Castle

Hey there! I'm going to spoil you with blog posts this close together, but this weekend brought exciting news and i didn't want to wait too long to share it.

A sock pattern i did for Pico-Accuardi Dyeworks' Community Sock Club back in February has been freed from it's club exclusivity, as the club's first year just came to an end in August! Which means I can finally release this pattern out into the world, with all the club member's notes taken in to account to make the pattern a little easier.

Blah blah blah, words words, i know what you really want is a picture. So, here's a few!

I'm pretty proud of her, And it started me on a stint of cables-on-socks for a couple other sock clubs which just may have proven I am certifiably crazy. There's just something so very very satisfying about textural, almost pictographic cables on a sock. I will fully admit this cable pattern is a little fiddly, especially since the gauge is pretty small (9 stitches to the inch, though i think a few people have knit it at 8 and not had a problem, math and knowledge of your yarn will help make that decision for you)

The Sock is knit toe-up, which meant i had to find a good, stretch bind off to suggest to people. Fortunately, the sock's somewhat frilly design lent itself to a Picot Bind-off. It's incredibly comfortable and stretchy, and very satisfying to finish! Also, it's a darn cute addition to this sock.

The heel is inspired by a heel from WendyKnits, i'm not sure if it has a proper name. The sock does have gusseted increases, and then the heel is turned much like the "cup" portion of a top-down traditional heel-flap sock, except it makes up the entire back of the heel. It's pretty nifty and easy to do. It's my new favorite toe-up heel in fact!

So, Without further ado, i leave you with "the deets"

Pattern: Sorry, Your Princess Is In Another Castle by David Castillo

Yarn: Pico Accuardi Dyeworks Stevie Sparkles in "Almost Love"

Gauge: 9 stitches/inch in stockinette

Yardage: 350-400yrds would be best, though you could shorten the cuff easily by omiting a repeat of the cable chart

Instructions: Basic sock instructions written, Cables are charted.

Price: $5.00(us)

Excerpt from the pattern notes given to the sock club:

"While i was designing this sock, knowing full well that it would be the february sock, and that you would all be getting it about a week before valentine’s day, i knew i would want to relate it to valentines day. But, i also knew that the yarn wasn’t going to be red and that i couldn’t just make normal hearts. So the thought of Star-Crossed lovers came in to my head, and i felt that was a great theme for this sock.

Now, when we think of starcrossed lovers, the first that come to mind at Romeo And Juliet, but then we also think of Heathcliff and Catherine or even Tristan and Isolde. Basically, these love affairs never end well for anyone involved. But then I got to thinking about Super Mario Brothers. This plumber from new york gets whisked away to magical land where he meets a princess who then gets abducted by an evil king and he spends the whole video game trying to save her. Each time he thinks he’s close, after he’s battled through harsh terrain and strange creatures to defeat one of the king’s minions, He’s then told “Sorry, your princess is in another castle”."

The PDF download of the pattern features one full color page with photos, but all the pattern details/text/charts are on pages with very printer friendly layouts.

I have a couple new patterns coming available soon, so I will keep you posted. I also managed to finish plying my first spindle-full of handspun yarn! So there will be pictures of that once it's washed and dryed!

The Twisting

I'm one of those bloggers who's always thinking "ooh! i have to remember this detail so i can include it in a post!". The unfortunate thing is, i do this so frequently i forget a lot of details here and there.

I'm also one of those bloggers who tries really hard to keep track of yarn labels so i can tell you exactly which colorway i used for something, or what the yardage is, or any of those things. Which means i have a million labels everywhere which doesn't really help anything.

The point is, I'm going to show you something and all i can tell you is that it is Blue Faced Leicester from Fleece Artist, and i bought it at Knit/Purl in Portland.

Isn't it pretty? Now you can understand my dismay at losing the label and having no recollection of it's name. Point is - BFL, Fleece Artist, Knit/purl.

Now, this little piece of lovely comes with a confession: I am burned out. I just met my spring 2011 deadline with Universal Yarn, ever so barely, and for some reason the patterns i turned in really took it out of me. I even had to cancel plans for finishing one of the patterns for this go around (don't worry, i'm still working on it and planning to release it). I'm just a little tired of knitting and designing right now. That doesn't mean i haven't plotted out 2-3 sweater sketches in my design notebook recently. Or that i didn't just case on a new men's sweater design. Or that i'm not carrying it with me everywhere... But yeah.

I'm giving myself permission to take a rest. I'm working at putting out a booklet of men's patterns within the next year, so that's a big undertaking and i'm a little afraid of it, and i really just need to get my mojo back, you know? I find mojo returns when you take a break when you need one. So i'm just letting that happen.

In the meantime, my hands still itch for something to do, so I picked up my drop spindle and this lovely chunk of fiber i've had waiting around for the right moment and began practicing my spindling.

It looks predominantly blue here, and more has been spun since then (Almost twice as much!) but i assure you, there's a nice bit of subtle variation in the color!

It was slow going at first because i have never seriously spun with anything that wasn't pencil roving. Meaning i've never drafted as i spun with a drop spindle (i have very limited spinning wheel experience, but i got the hang of drafting in that case for the most part). It was an interesting experience and i had to figure out what worked best for my hands and whatnot. It's been very enjoyable though.

I even found this cute little tote at target for $2.50, and it's now where i'm keeping spinning stuff i'm working on. This way as i pull of pieces of the roving i don't lose track of it, and can keep it close at hand.

I'm sure i'll be back to knitting up a storm soon, but for right now i'm enjoying this diversion :)

In which i talk about how busy i am, apologize for the infrequency of my posting and show you pictures of knitted things.

Her's a little texture detail shot of a vest i'm finishing up. Well, it's finished up, this was taken while it was drying. I've had it done for a while, waiting for a bath and photos and pattern writing. I'm hoping that my pages of notes will translate well into a pattern after this time (i started working on this about a year ago now, yeah, i know).

Anyway. The texture is achieved with just knits and purls, and i'm super excited to finally release the pattern. It'll be going up on KnitPick's IDP as my second pattern for them. (can i just take a minute to say how awesome they are?! seriously. Stacy and Kate and Allison and Karen and Nina and Kelly and everyone who makes knitpicks happen all do such a phenomenal job and i love them.)

Anyway, Gushing aside, I finally left my call center job for a job much more suited to my skillset, interests, career goals and all those other grown up things. I'm still in my first week, but it's already been awesome. Granted, i don't get to knit there very much, but sometimes there are more important things, like happiness and satisfaction in your job ;)

Oh! i forgot to say that the vest pattern, called "Tenoch" (after tenochticlan, the capital city of the aztec empire) is knit out of KnitPicks City Tweed DK (in Lemon Curd), which might be my favoritest thing ever. So here's one more picture :)

Ups and downs and whirlwinds and all those things.

Well, I just got the news today that I was chosen for a new job! It was down to me and one other person, and they chose me! It's very exciting to feel that your professionalism as well as your experience played a part in being selected for such things.

Unfortunately this means i won't get to knit at work any more, as i will no longer be working in a call center. But it's worth it ;)

At any rate, i've been stitching away at some spring designs for Universal Yarn for next year, so i don't have a lot to share knitting-wise, so instead i'm going to share other things i've been up to... FOOD.

I recently purchased a new camera (A Nikon D3000. I got an excellent deal at a local camera shop, Murphy's Camera - looooove them, need to register for my free class soon) and 90% of what i've taken pictures of so far has been food. Of course, i'm okay with this. I love looking at pictures of food and i love cooking food, so it's been a good combination for me!

Green Beans, sauteed in butter with garlic and black pepper

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

Candied Onions (I didn't cook these, but i sure ate them!)

Fresh-From-The-garden tomatoes!

Pan-fried portobello mushrooms (again, i didn't make them, but i definitely ate them)

Marinating steak. I didn't make them, and i only had a bite (i don't really eat red meat) but these were super delicious. Were i to eat a steak, i would want it to be these steaks.

Homemade Macaroni'n'Cheese. I followed my mom's recipe, which isn't super fancy, but it was super delicious. I'll post it sometime soon!

Broccoli, Sauteed in butter with garlic and black pepper (it's one of my favorite ways to prepare veggies)

At any rate, Yes. I have been eating ;)

I'm thankful to be nearing the end of my mandatory overtime stint at my current job and ready to transition into my new job! Sometime in there, i'm going to take a couple days off and just enjoy knitting for a little while ;)

I'd love to know what you've been working on and/or cooking up lately, please tell me!

quick photo update

Fortunately, even though I'm putting lots of overtime in at work, it also means i get to put in lots of knitting time. I finished the above project in about 2.5 days! it's just a sneak peak for now, but there will be more soon, and more pictures too ;)

Whew!

I feel like i always begin posts by telling you about how busy I've been, or how busy things are, or whatever. Anyway. This post is absolutely no exception.

Work has me running a little ragged. We're short staffed and everyone is pulling lots of mandatory overtime hours (mandatory sounds so unkind, like they're cracking whips over our heads and whatnot, that's really not the case - my manager even filled up a large drawer with all kinds of lunch stuff and snacks to make it easier on us until we're past all his hullaballoo).

That being said, I was finally able to afford this years first big, grownup purchase. No, it's not a car (yet), but i got myself a pretty new camera. I'm now the proud owner of a Nikon D3000. i know it could have been fancier, believe me, but this camera was made for me ;)

Anyway. I don't have a lot of cohesive thoughts right now, but i do have a lot of photos.

Every so often, a really simple idea jingles around in your head for a little while. Sometimes you even act on it (and sometimes it has mediocre results due to mediocre materials, but that's another story).

The above colors are part of an upcoming project I'm just a little bit excited about, and I'm anticipating the day I come home from work to see a box waiting just for me!

Other than that, I've taken my "vacation time" (read: no particularly pressing projects on the needles) to finish up some WIPs and knit a few socks. no, seriously, i've finished two pairs and 1 sock of 2 other pairs. I don't even know what got in to me. But, come winter, I'm going to have toastywarm feet ;)

Also, I recently added google analytics code to my blog because i was very curious. I'm very excited to say, there's actually people reading! So, thanks guys! I'll try to be a bit more talkative :)