Chubby Legs

Kids are precious and kids clothing even more so. Nothing is as cute as chubby legs...


in a pair of socks specially shaped to fit those chubby little legs.


Specs:

Pattern: Chubby Leg Socks (2x2 Rib)
Yarn: Regia 4fadig
Needles: 1 US Inox dpn's
Size: Toddler size 9-9 1/2
Started: February 11, 2007 Finished: April 1, 2007

This is the first pair of socks that I cast-on using the Twisted German cast-on. It has quickly become my favorite top-down cast on. I shaped the calves of the socks by decreasing 2 stitches in the back every 4 rows. The heels were made using a no-wrap short-row from the Easy Sock pattern by Ozyarns which is OOB. It's not as fiddly as the PGR method but I like both for different reasons.

Even though the time from start to finish is lenghty it actually only took about 1 1/2- 2 days to knit this pair of socks.

The second FO is the Green/Red Turtleneck


Specs:

Pattern: Green Turtleneck - Knit 'N Style
Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic
Needles: 7 Clover Bamboo straights
Size: L
Started: March 7, 2007 Finished: March 31,2007

Modifications: Perfect mindless knitting. I altered the collar as I don't care that much for turtlenecks. I increased in the front section to make it slightly wider while maintaining the close fit along the back neck. The increases were worked to maintain the K2P2 ribbing in the collar and are hidden under the fold. I've tried it on and like the fit. A little snugger the I normally choose but comfortable.

Before they're completely gone...

Chevron smevron

To the frog pond went the Chevron socks. While they were too small to get over the arch of the intended user, the leg was sized correctly. I'll have to think this one through before I cast on again. I've never knit socks for someone with such a high arch.

I completed the Green Red Turtleneck today. I was a slacker and used my swatch to save yarn. What I should have done was wet and hang the yarn to remove the kinks. It's looking a little sloppy where I joined it into the turtleneck and I'm hoping a soak will take care of the problem.

The WIP's list is a little out of control and even though spring is officially here, we're supposed have a freeze next weekend, I'm going to have to work extremely hard on moderating myself. There's Daphne from Elseboth Lavold's The Enchanted Garden Collection in Hempathy that I want to make for mom before she goes on vacation. Yarn's in the stash ready to make it's debut, book is waiting for the requisite working copy and the needles are ready to fly. With this one exception the next few weeks will be an exercise in self-control.

Yarngineer asked if our hydrangeas were in full sun. The answer is yes, every last one of them. With the construction of the addition all the remaining trees in our backyard were removed. This didn't affect the hydrangeas and the other flowering plants because most of them are planted in directly sunlight.

The canna's have started appearing! There are still a lot more to come up but now I have hope. They have relatively high water requirements so it will be interesting to see how they fare during the summer.

False Starts

Sunday a week ago, I commenced knitting on a lace sweater from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer '99. The yarn chosen, Katia Capri, was a perfect substitution. On Monday as I made my way through the first repeat things looked a little off. I plowed on.


When I compared the second set of full leaves to the first the error became obvious. The first set of leaves had a strange little crook in the bottom portion and originated from two branches like legs instead of single leg as in the second set of leaves. I went back to the mag and checked the photo which didn't have the noted imperfections. Rechecked the pattern. Yep, worked as written. It was time to get out the big guns.


I gathered up several "treasuries" and located the closest relative of the offending pattern in A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. The Trellis Framed Leaf.


I was amused by this statement included in Barbara Walker's description.

It is often presented in an unnecessarily complex form.
The magazine version repeats over 32 rows and has an additional openwork row separating the leaves. The treasury version repeats over 20 rows without any extra embellishment. I'll make an effort to sort this out later this week but for now it's mindless, quick gratification.

The Green Turtleneck.