Sock Woes

I can't even begin to detail all my frustrations trying to knit my first pair of socks. But I'll tell you a little bit about it. :-)

First of all, huge thanks to Brandy who helped me move past the leg to the heel flap, at the last Knit Night I went to (a week ago yesterday, didn't make it last night because we went to our city's annual Christmas Parade, a tradition!). Finished the heel flap, went on to the next step, screwed up almost immediately. Due to not knowing how to fix it, and fatigue and frustration, I ripped out the whole heel flap and started over. And again, and again. Noticed a hole at the end of the leg I didn't notice before (the lifeline knot was in the way). At this point I'm not going back, I'll sew up the hole later when the socks are done. :-)

I'm pretty sure something was messed up before I started to turn the heel, but I pressed on anyway just in case it was okay. :-) Finished that, I get the concept of that no problem, it looks *almost* like it's supposed to, but something doesn't look quite right. So I think I may have messed something up, not sure! Now I have no idea how to pick up stitches along the side. I looked at various tutorials online but I still don't get it. I need someone to show me.

Here's my problem now. I have people who could help me. I have my new friends in my local knitting group. BUT, I fear there is just too much for someone to help me during Knit Night. I need to sit down with someone for, oh, probably 2 or more hours. I don't really have 2 hours to do that (I am swamped and Christmas coming doesn't help matters) AND I sure don't want to ask someone to take a few hours out of their own busy day to help me.

I feel stuck. There's nothing I can do right now. I think the socks might have to sit for awhile - weeks or months - and that BUMS ME OUT! I want so bad to figure this out and learn how to knit socks. I really think I am going to LOVE it once I know what I'm doing.

I do have some projects to work on while I wait to resume my sock knitting. I still haven't finished Lindsey's scarf (OY!) but I'm almost there. I started a ballband dishcloth a few weeks ago that has just been sitting. I also have yarn to make 2 different small felted purses (another new thing for me, can't wait to try it!) but I'm waiting on the needles I need to come from Knit Picks. Then there's the crocheted slippers I started last summer. I really don't want to abandon crocheting completely while I'm learning to knit. However knitting is priority for me right now.

So if you've made it this far, thanks for listening to my lament! I WILL get this, it just may be awhile.

Good night, Happy Thanksgiving, and......

GO PACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My socks!

I'm so sorry, I've been wanting to write a post about making my first pair of socks since I started them, but I've been either too tired or too unmotivated to write whenever I sit down at the computer!

I started them on Monday night, October 29 when the Packers played the Broncos (and of course the Packers won, woo hoo!). NOT such a good time to start my first pair of socks. First of all I found when knitting my gauge swatch and figuring out the Magic Loop method, and when I first started the socks, that it seems to me that the whole thing looks like one big mess until an inch or so of the sock is completed. And let me back up to say (and this may be dumb but what can I say) I was SO nervous to start these socks! AND I was not just nervous about starting the socks but as is typical for me, I was so nervous about the game! So my hands were shaking and I had this mess going on, and I didn't actually get much done that first night.

Since then I've worked on the socks for about 1/2 hour almost every night after the kids go to bed and I have about 40 rounds, and 6 inches of the leg done. I need to get about 1 more inch done before moving on to the next step. I've gotten comfortable knitting the leg (K3, P1 rib) but as I get closer to the heel I'm getting nervous again. I have no idea if I'll be able to figure it out or if the sock will fit or if I'll make a mistake I can't correct or whatever. I know, reminding myself what the Yarn Harlot said:

"Be afraid of skydiving. Be afraid of wild boar. Be fearless with knitting."

Here's a picture taken a few days ago. I've gotten a few more inches done since I took this pic. I'll post another picture once I move on to the heel.



I am still working on Lindsey's scarf! I don't work on it much. I could probably end it now, it's probably long enough. But I have it in my head I want it to be 50 inches and I'm about 6 or 7 inches short of that yet. I think it was such a good first project, just to get comfortable with knitting and purling, and not having to worry about mistakes. I've made a few, just kept going and didn't undo them, why bother. Who knows if she'll even wear it! It's really scratchy. I'm making it out of Red Heart Kids. Funny that almost all my crocheting was done with Red Heart yarn and I didn't mind it (I didn't really know about better yarns) but now that I'm knitting and I'm using a non-acrylic yarn for the socks, I realize how scratchy the RH is. I think it has it's place and I'm certainly no "yarn snob" but I don't think I'll be using it much anymore. Neither can I afford anything super expensive though!

Coming soon: More about my knitting podcast obsession, what I'm waiting on in the mail, and dreaming of future projects!

Go Pack Go!!!

THE PACKER GAME ROCKED!!!!!

Although I was sweating there at the end, what a finish! WOO HOO!!!

That's all I have time to write at the moment - will update on the socks at a later date. Just had to get that Packer stuff off my chest for now! :-)

Ready, set, go!

I am done swatching - I switched from size 6 needles to size 7 and my gauge went from 7 stitches per inch to 6 stitches per inch, so I am going to make the 6 Stitches Per Inch socks from Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. Even though the recommended yarn weight for this pattern is sportweight or DK weight, I'll be using my Knit Picks Swish Superwash worsted weight. I don't have time during the day today to start but I don't care how tired I am, I am going to cast on as soon as the girls go to bed tonight. I'll be up late watching the Packers play (and hopefully BEAT*) the Broncos. I doubt I'll knit the whole game but I will for awhile. Wish me luck!

Question: Since I played around with the yarn quite a bit, swatched twice, etc., can I still use it to knit my socks or did I totally stretch it out? I guess I only bought 2 balls so I have to use it, will hope for the best!

NEXT PROJECT: I am already itching to get the supplies to start something else. I probably won't start anything until my socks are well underway, but I'm going to start researching what to make next in the meantime. Some things I am interested in are a felted bag, felted iPod or cell phone holder, toddler sweater or poncho ..... any other ideas??? I know that is totally up to me, but just throw some suggestions out there - novice patterns please! But they don't have to be all garter stitch or anything like that. I think I can purl okay and I like to purl. I'd also love to make something using my new circs. But I don't have to either. So just something not too hard, but it doesn't have to be a garter stitch scarf. LOL In fact, NO SCARVES! I still haven't finished Lindsey's. :-)


*It's sad but I still hold a major grudge against the Broncos for beating my Packers in Super Bowl XXXII - GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! My 4 most hated teams, in this order, are the Vikings, the Bears, the Patriots, and the Broncos.

FRUSTRATED

I knew I'd be the first person ever not to be able to knit socks. I can't even do the gauge swatch. I am trying to learn Magic Loop and all I get is a tangled mess of yarn. I tried for over an hour last night to get it and I couldn't. I watched the how-to video on knittinghelp.com this morning and tried again and I still can't quite do it. I will continue to practice this afternoon while watching football but if after an hour I still can't do it, I'm going to give up and work on the crocheted slippers I started for myself before I decided to learn to knit, then abandoned when my knitting obsession took over. :-)

If I just can't get Magic Loop, should I try dpns? I do have a local knitting group where I can get some help, but it's almost just too embarrassing. :-) My yarn is turning into a mess and I don't even know if it's usable after I knitted and pulled it out a zillion times.

Sigh.

UPDATE: I got it! Whew, I figured it out. My only issue is I have a hard time moving the stitches from the cable back onto the needle. I think I knit pretty tight, even though I tried real hard not to! I was planning to make the 5 stitches per inch sock, and my gauge was 7 stitches per inch, using a size 6 needle. There is a pattern for a 7 stitches per inch sock in the book. It calls for fingering or sportweight yarn and I'm using worsted. So I'm thinking I could just use that pattern, even though I'm using a different weight yarn? Do you know what I'm saying? I am trying one more gauge swatch though using size 7 needles. After that I'm just going to go for it and hope they fit. :-)

Knitting time (or lack thereof)

I feel like I picked a bad time in my life to learn to knit. I just don't have the time, or maybe more accurately the energy, to knit all that much. I have the desire though! But between homeschooling my son, chasing around 2 active little girls, and taking care of home and husband, in my free time I am just pooped! The best time for me to knit is after the young ones are in bed, but by then I am usually just too tired. I think about picking up my knitting, then I choose instead to read or veg in front of the TV for awhile.

I know there will be a time when I can knit more, so for now I'm just going to be content with whatever time I do have to do so. As I've said before, I am certainly enjoying reading about knitting and listening to knitting podcasts - THAT I can do much more than actually knitting! So for now I am learning a lot and dreaming about future knitting projects, and knitting when I can.

We're leaving for a week-long family vacation tomorrow. My Knit Picks order didn't come yet, and even if it comes tomorrow before we leave, I'm not going to bring it along. I don't think this trip will be a good time to start learning to knit socks. Also I don't know that I'll have a lot of knitting time on the trip. I'll just bring Lindsey's scarf and hopefully finish that while we're gone, and start on my socks when we get back.

Our trip involves a 16 hour drive so I do have my iPod loaded up with knitting podcasts for the trip! Yea!

I am also reading Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair by Laurie Perry (a/k/a Crazy Aunt Purl) and although I've never been in her situation I am enjoying the book. I hope to finish that before we go.

Good night!

I did it!

I placed an order, that is. I hope hope hope I didn't screw that up. I decided to order everything I needed from Knit Picks since I have heard great things about their circular needles. Here's my plan:

I'm going to knit the "5 Stitches Per Inch" socks from Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks. I am going to give the Magic Loop method a try. So I bought a size 6 and 7 Options Harmony Wood Interchangeable Needle Tips with a 40 inch cable. For yarn I bought Swish Superwash worsted weight yarn, color Delft Heather. I also bought stitch markers and a stitch holder and a case for my cables.

ACK! I hope that is what I need and I didn't forget something or goof something up! I hope I get the right gauge with one of the needles sizes I bought. The pattern says anywhere from size 4-8 so I got sizes in between. I guess if I don't get gauge I can order some more needle tips. I'll use the ones I bought now for a project somewhere down the road. I'll just have to wait longer to start my socks. I don't want to wait any more, but I'm not going to stress about that now! I can always make some more dishcloths while I wait. (sigh) I am still working on Lindsey's scarf - have about 6 inches maybe to do yet. I'm not sure how long I'm going to make it. I haven't had much actual knitting time lately and don't forsee a lot in the near future either but I do what I can (and listen to my knitting podcasts, and surf around Ravelry in the meantime!)

I received so much good advice here on my blog and other places. THANK YOU to everyone who gave me input and advice! Even if I didn't do what you suggested, please know I appreciate your input and will probably use your advice at some point. Thanks!