Don't Eliminate Me, I'm Knitting!

Earlier this week we went to see a Giant's game, and my husband failed to mention that it was Stitch and Pitch Night! Actually, we were in the stadium for a while before I realized what was going on. It wasn't until they showed some knitters on the scoreboard screen, that I figured out what was happening.

So I didn't bring any knitting, but I'm not good at knitting in public anyway. I get too distracted by everything else that's going on. It was pretty interesting anyway though...


Also nearby was a woman who had knit her whole family matching hats...


I couldn't get a picture of the actual knitter, but she was was wearing a handknit scarf in Giant's colors as well. My pictures are really bad. Blame it on a couple of beers and low-light conditions--not a good combination.

I only saw one other knitter in my immediate vicinity--I think most of the knitters may have been concentrated in a special area. They showed a group knitting Giant's baseball gloves at one point. It was pretty funny.

My Snicket sock is progressing slowly. This pattern requires a lot of attention, but the result is very impressive. At least I think so!


The yarn is one I had never heard of before: Rio de la Plata. It is kettle-dyed in Uruguay. I love the subtle color variation you get in yarn dyed in this way.

My one annoyance with these socks is the needles. They are Addi DPNs, and they are just too long. It's makes for very awkward knitting, especially on such small needles. I don't have many smaller size DPNs, so I may have to invest in some if the sock knitting is going to continue!

Socks to Keep Me Warm

My socks are finished... just in time to keep my warm during another cold, foggy stretch! Actually, I shouldn't complain too much--we have had a few nice days here and there. Last Saturday it was in the 70s, and it felt like a heat wave. Plus, it's getting closer to September every day, and I hear that's when it starts getting summery here.

I probably obsess about the weather a little too much (my husband thinks so!), so I will move on to the socks.


Pattern: Diagonal Rib Socks from Knitting Daily
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM
Needles: US1 DPNs

I enjoyed everything about these socks. The pattern was easy to memorize and follow, and the yarn was beautiful. I love the tonal variations, and the socks are so warm and soft. This was my first time using Koigu, and I'll definitely use it again. In fact, I've already picked up some more:)


My least favorite part is always the kitchener stitch. I'm never quite sure if I'm doing it correctly. I followed the directions, so I will just have to assume I did it right. The toes haven't fallen apart on any socks I've knit yet--I guess that's a good sign!


My only disappointment is that I have so much yarn left over. I didn't have nearly as much as the pattern suggested, so I took 3 inches off each leg. I could probably have gotten at least another inch out of what I have left. I'm not sure what I can do with such a small amount--maybe I'll make an iPod cozy or something.

I've definitely been bit by the sock bug after knitting these. In fact, I've already cast on for another pair!

Lots of Knitting Going On!

I've been doing a lot of knitting over the past few days. My husband has been feeling under the weather (that's actually a major understatement!) with some wisdom teeth issues, so we have been hanging around the house trying to relax. We never made it to the play last weekend (somewhat of a relief since it was cold and drizzling) or did much of anything, actually!

I managed to add a few inches to my cardi. I was so happy to set aside the sleeves--that made for much quicker knitting. The rest of the body should move fairly quick.

I also began my second Diagonal Rib Sock. The leg is progressing quickly thanks to the easy to remember pattern. I'm looking forward to wearing those socks soon!

One thing that is slowing me down on both of these projects though: the new scarf I cast on for...


The pattern is the Trellis Scarf from the Spring 2006 Interweave Knits, and the yarn is Malabrigo Lace, which is just amazing! It is so soft. I'm really loving working with it. This is the first time I've used Malabrigo-although I've heard a lot about it's wonderful qualities-and I definitely plan on trying the standard variety at some point.

This is my second lace project, and it's much more challenging than the first, which basically consisted of YOs and K2togs. The pattern for this scarf has a crazy stitch called the "7 into 5 cluster", which is: K7tog, leave stitches on needle, YO, Knit same 7 together again and leave on needle, YO, knit same 7 together once more and slip stitches from needle. Needless to say, it is pretty difficult to K7tog. I had to use a crochet hook to draw the yarn through the 7 stitches. Thankfully, this stitch only appear every 8 rows!

The true color of the yarn is closer to this...

Sort of a strawberry color

I realized last night that all my current projects are on size 3 or smaller needles. I may need to do something super bulky next. I do have a couple of sweaters that I haven't worked on for a while though, so I if I feel the need for some instant gratification I can always pick up one of those!

Trying to Stay Warm: Summer in San Francisco

The fog has rolled into our neighborhood over the past few day, and it is thick. I never saw fog like this until I moved to San Francisco. The fog here is usually pretty high , and you can see it moving through the air in thick wisps (it's a little ghostly). When it's really thick it hangs at street level, and you can feel a fine mist when you walk through it (which makes for a lot of bad hair days).


This is a view from our living room window. Our apartment is at the back of the building, and on a clear day you can see the ocean (20+ blocks away) and off the the right you can see Golden Gate Park (a couple blocks away). Our current view is about one block out.

As you might imagine, it's pretty chilly. Perfect weather for staying inside with a cup of tea and some knitting! This morning I finished my first Diagonal Rib Sock.


I'm really happy with how it turned out. This fit is perfect, snug but not tight, and I love the subtle variation in the yarn. I shortened the leg portion of sock by several inches, because I wasn't sure I'd have enough yarn. I could have added at least an extra inch though--I have a sizable amount left over. Now I just need to knit the second sock and at least my feet will be warm.

Tonight we are going to see an outdoor play. We went to see Richard III at the same place about a month ago, and it was freezing. People were wearing down jackets, wool hats and mittens. We were totally unprepared (it was June--summer is supposed to be hot!), but thankfully we had a blanket in the trunk of the car.

I'll be ready tonight. This will be a good excuse to wear some of my handknits. There's nothing quite like alpaca in July. I may end of looking like a miss-matched dork, but at least I'll be warm!

A Little Progress

The past two weeks have been really busy. Our friends were in town from Chicago, so we had a lot of fun hanging out and showing them around. While they were here, we headed up to Mendocino/Fort Bragg--another beautiful California area!

We spent a lot of time in the sun, and I got burned a few times. Anytime I'm in the sun for more than half an hour, even with sunblock, I will burn. I know it's bad when strangers start commenting. Now I'm peeling, and it's not a good look!

I have managed to get a little knitting done. My cardi is coming along--I'm almost ready to join under the arms.


I really like knitting anything in the round, especially from the top down. I am at my least favorite part though. It seems like there are a million stitches in every row, and it's taking forever. Only an inch or so to go until I set aside the sleeve stitches. I'm getting impatient!