I have just had the most wonderful surprise to come home to!
Catscan, dear knitting goddess that she is, has sent me a sock knitting tutorial package. It arrived like this:
(names and addresses have been obliterated to protect the innocent)
Stay tuned for contents...
See where it says on the package to the left side "A Tutorial"?
Is that not just adorable?! I think it is!
So I opened it up and CHECK this out!!!
Yup, see that little sticky on the front? It says "Best Sock Knitting Book for a Beginner"
That would be me. The beginner.
She is divine, isn't she?!
AND she even put helpful little sticky notes for best pages of instructions and best patterns for dummy knitters like me....
But that's not all....there was this special little package tucked in....
See the embellishment? "BY ME"
She's a clever one, our Catscan...
And inside....oh the delight....the sheer delight....
A truly divine pair indeed....
Really, there are two!
...but of course I had to put just one on, so that I could show you the true brilliance of our dear Catscan.
She matched my toenail polish exactly. She is truly divine, as are her socks.
Word on the street is, I might start knitting a pair this weekend.
Further word on the street is, I might have a lead on some Lincoln Longwools to add to my flock.
Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!!
(talk about perfect fit)
Nice socks. Love the color.
So here is my latest spinning project - it's a pink base batt with a ton of sari silk waste and other shiny lovely bits in it. I think it's rather unique. So, what I want to do, is ply it with a silver thread, and add some beads....
WOW!!!!
I am not actually lavishing gifts on Dear Moxon--the second pair of socks are a penance gift. Because she has promised....without much enthusiasm....to wear the Tweedle Dee hat at least once in public in exchange....Or barring that to publish a picture of herself wearing it on DG. I vote for the latter.....
Also, all those who sustained their sulks shall not be forgotten.....
Wow indeed! Catscan, you are my hero(ine)! I can't wait to see the lovely tootsie-garments that Claire produces in all her spare time. I will watch this thread (hee hee....) with knitted brows and purly teeth.
{{Why are we talking about hats??? What have I missed????}}
This message was edited Aug 17, 2009 8:58 PM
Fortunately (ahem...) the hat was not in this package.
It would be tragic if the postal system were to lose it...perchance...
Greenhouse gal - "knitted brows and purly teeth".....you just made me laugh out loud! Very clever!
ooo who wrote that book! i need one of those. i have my 4 lil dpn's but i have very little idea of what i'm suppose to do with them beyond stabbing myself & my cats with them repeatedly while attempting to follow my friends instructions that confuse the crap out of me for socks. Do you know it is near impossible to knit while there is a cat laying across your lap.. or a child sitting on your lap..
oo & i do love the socks.. the color matches my toe nail polish perfectly!
Grey - are we wearing the same toenail polish?
The book is by Betsy Lee McCarthy. Doesn't that name just instill a sense of sock wisdom? Like anybody with that name must clearly know what she is talking about when it comes to knitting? It is a good, solid, American Apple Pie sort of name. I trust her sock knitting advice implicitly.
Of course, the fact that Catsy recommends it really cinches the deal for me.
Brings a little tear to my woolly eyes.
i believe my toe nail polish is a bit brighter than yours.. but i also have a purple & aqua that would match those socks beautifully!
I will have to inquire at the local businesses that sell yarn & such about this book. Then maybe ask u for a wee dmail about which pages were sticky noted... :) might take me till i'm 30 to knit a pair.. but i want socks!
I began reading the book last night as my bedtime reading. It seems sensible. She is very encouraging. I will not let this failure in my general abilities get the better of me. It's me and Betsy. We're gonna conquer this sock business!
LOL i know how to knit.. patterns just are hard for me to read. I need a simple no nonsense pattern. Till i do one or two socks. Then i can add funny stitches. I think i might make some leg warmers first off.. to get use to the 4 needles again.
One of my co-workers has watched me knit with 4, and sometimes 5, double-pointed needles. She just pats me on the head and says it looks very psychotic....lol. I will be getting that sock book also.
Greykyttyn - One of our cats loves to help me knit too! She's not a lap cat but lays beside me and will pretend like she needs to stretch, then grabs the yarn. Both cats sometimes help wind the yarn too. Silly kittens.
lol, I understand the knitting frustration...I've always wanted to learn to knit. I have my degree in fashion design so I can fallow a pattern, I can spin and dye, but try as I might I can not knit! I think its because I'm left handed and instructions are always backwards for me.I'm very envious of all of you that have conquered (or will conquer ) the giant knitting hurdle.
McCarthy a good American name?! My Irish Great G'mother is spinning in her GRAVE!!! (McCarthy from County Cork, thank you very much). Jabs to you... (she was a great one for jabbing people).
LOL
Loverly socks and toenails for dancing on the edges of propriety...
=0)
Batflower try the book "Knitting for Dummies" they will probable have the directions for a leftie, I found that the "Crocheting for Dummies:" has directions for right and left handed people.
thanks wren, I will :-)
I love the crocheting one.
I also ordered patterns to crochet socks. LOL
batflower.. look for European instructions.. they are suppose to be left handed I'm told. :)
Jay, that jab was right in my side. That was a big knitting needle. I guess the Betsy Lee part is the apple pie part. Sort of like Billy Bob. You know?
I wish I was at home breathing deeply with 4 dpn in hand, instead of sitting here at work.
Great G'ma McCarthy was a fearsome lady... you could not be jabbed by less. She didn't deign to speak to anyone until they were teens... not until their brains had started to grow in and they could be expected to hold a reasonably intelligent conversation... that is what my mother told me.
Now sit up straight! And quit poking your neck out like a love-starved turkey.
LOL
We shan't bother G'G'Ma McCarthy about the BillyBobs and the BetsyLees, eh? I do not think they were quite her... er... well, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have been on her guest list. Pity, that. I've always found them the more fun. =0)
Oh I now have the greatest and utmost respect for G'G'Ma McCarthy. We are 2 peas in a pod. She has the perfect attitude with regard to children. I don't speak to them either until they are teens (usually later teens) and find infants and toddlers to be particularly horrifying. This explains why I do not own any. As I learned growing up, children should be seen but not heard. Probably why I also found many of my peers to be so irritating and I spent my time holed up in my room reading books and avoiding those "other children."
Yes, I always thought well of G'G'Ma McCarthy for her take on children. =0) Everyone in the family said she was an extraordinarily intelligent woman, just DON'T slouch in her presence (jab, jab). LOL A great lady and quite fun for adults... stimulating conversation, delightful soirees (sp?), a keen, sharp sense of humor, a personification of earthy elegance.
I was/am also a bookworm... 3 peas in this pod. =0)
Alack, alas, I do not spin, neither do I knit... I have not reached the age where I can be that still for that long. Someday...
But first I must finish the new retaining wall.
lol... i grew up.. to be seen & not heard.. i spent hours holed up in my room reading books.. in the tree out back.. or down by the creek. I love kids! They are so entertaining.. but only the well behaved ones. :) I can have the worst day in the world & there is nothing like the 4 yr old running up to give me sticky hugs & kisses telling me how much he loves me. Always makes my day better.
breathe deeply with 4 dpn's in hand.. shesh.. that's horrifying.. I'd fall asleep on them & stab myself.
:) sigh.. i can't wait for cooler weather & knitting time!
I'd stab myself with them if I got a sticky hug and kiss from a 4 year old. :-)
At present, i am just staring at them from time to time. Tonight I finished up the funky pink art yarn. I put beads and sequins on it.
Editorial Comment:
It is not as easy as some people (ahem!) seem to think to stab yourself with double pointed needles. You have to anchor one end--which is sharp and pointy and not conducive to anchoring. Then willfully impale yourself on the other end.
Some people may find the satisfaction of doing something difficult and novel worth the effort--but it is not a common diversion.
Did anyone see tonight's PBS Nova? "The Hidden Dimension"? GO MANDELBROT!
It is too easy! but then i usually have help from the cats & kids. I'd rather stab myself before hurting one of them. and by stab i mean poke myself with it.. not break the skin.. tho the european dpn's i used last winter were needle sharp. They were wicked looking. :-p
I didn't see Nova. I was busy staring at my dpns. (actually I was doing the pink yarn). It would be highly inappropriate for socks though.
Catscan - I have the following dpn sizes (in mm): 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.25, 2.75, 3.75, and 5.0 Which size should I use for my first foray into socking? And can I just say, who in their right mind has 7 sets of dpns but doesn't know how to knit? (We won't even discuss the 4 circulars). I am so clearly not in my right mind.
Now I must go to the post office. They have a box of chicks waiting for me.
Well, Moxon, you've opened another can of worms (preparatory to picking up the chicks?).....needle conversion. Love the pink, by the way...:0)
You have listed metric sizes--none of which conform to the US sizes which I used. For the Divine Sock knitted in worsted weight--you need US 4 which is metric 3.5 or British/Canadian--well it doesn't exist. You could probably use the 3.75. Then for the Fireside Sock on bulky weight you need US 6 which is metric 4.0 or UK/Canadian 8. Eventually you will need to determine your style of knitting--tight or loose. I am myself loose, so I tend to go down a size--most people tend to knit more tightly, so go up a size, especially in the beginning.
The sizes you have are those used in most sock knitting which is done with fine or ultra fine sock yarn. But that takes a long time and I think you would benefit from the rapid gratification of worsted or bulky weight. I know I do.
Here is a site with a handy conversion chart...sometimes there are not exact equivalents:
http://www.purplekittyyarns.com/info/knitting-needle-conversion.html
Do not feel bad!!!! I have all sizes of hooks and I never use the small ones. LOL
Hummmm. Perhaps I should try initially with the 5.0 (size 8) because I am a notoriously tight crocheter and probably knitter also. Yes, I think I will start with something worsted or bulky to have instant sockification.
Maybe I should use the fine weight ones for chopsticks, since I am unlikely to ever progress to fine or ultra fine sock yarn experiences.
Wren, I am glad I am not alone in my collection tendencies. At least you actually can crochet and thus you have hooks. I cannot knit yet, but I have all these needles....
I am now the proud owner of 26 peeping little golden comet pullets.
I want 26 peeping little golden comet pullets--I have a yard full of delightful, but highly illegal, mongrel rooster chicks--Seriously, even my Nankin, after an unauthorized tryst with a Japanese Bantam, hatched out 6 roos and 1 pullet.....
Now Moxon--the tighter you knit socks the longer they last--so I would go up one needle size, not two. Unless you are seeking to create footy ephemera?
I read once that, in Victorian times, gentlemen only wore their silk evening socks once--then they were tossed. Those naughty Victorian gentlemen.
Catscan - Considering how some of those Victorian "gentlemen" behaved.. there was probably good reason to toss the socks.
CMoxon - Pictures please!?!
