Fiber Arts Friday: Rainbow Trout Squares the Circle, part 2

After getting the cast-on complete last time, I wanted to get these socks set up for Dog Show Knitting... which included moving from the 9-inch circulars on to dpns.

I have not done a complete sock on dpns before... and it's been a very long time since I've done a large portion of any project on dpns.  But my longer circulars are still packed away due to the studio repair, so I decided to give it a try.  :-)

The first was a local show.  The Trail Ridge Kennel Club Dog Show was held at a nearby park with plenty of shade.  So we stalled in the car.

The second includes a road trip to Michigan for the UKC Premier Dog Show.

So since I only have one set of dpns and I wanted to make sure both socks were ready to go, I used both 9-inch circulars on the second sock.

So I have one sock on 4-dpns and the other on 2 9-inch circulars.  It will be interesting to see if these socks turn out differently.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Emotional Support Chicken™, part 3

I wasn't good about taking photos during the process... but since last time

• I have joined the feathers on my Emotional Support Chicken, 
• reclaimed the defective feather
• knit the body, neck, head, and bottom,
• woven in the ends,
• stuffed, and
• seamed all of the pieces

This chicken is pretty cute.  :-)

She is on her way to her new home, but there's a good chance I'll make one for myself.  :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Emotional Support Chicken™, part 2

I have completed both Tail pieces on my Emotional Support Chicken™.

I had to make three, because I missed a small part of  the initial step for the middle and last Tail Feathers...

Pretty crazy how a small mistake makes for a completely different outcome.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Emotional Support Chicken™

Well... on April 30th, while I was between the Trout Jaywalker Socks and the Trout Circles the Square Socks, I happened upon the Emotional Support Chicken. 

I was kind of thinking I wanted to make a chicken... but the idea hadn't really formulated yet and POOF, there it was... I bought the pattern almost immediately.

Then all of a sudden, I realized a whole lot of people were making their own Emotional Support Chickens.  There are also  kits available for both knitting and crochet.

Who knew so many people could use their own Emotional Support Chicken??

Isn't it funny how you don't see something, then once you start paying attention, that something is everywhere?

Anyway, I know someone who could use an Emotional Support Chicken... and in checking my stash, I have all of the supplies needed to make one resembling our Rooster.

So I pulled the pieces together and cast-on late on May Day.

The US-7 needles feel giant after so much US-0 work.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Rainbow Trout Squares the Circle

I mentioned last time that I had found a pattern suitable for my Rainbow Trout Yarn...

This pattern is also a Top-Down construction which I was lamenting prior to ripping out the Jaywalker Socks, but I decided that the only way to get better is to keep trying...

In this edition, I want to be extra-careful to start the socks at the same place in the Colorway and the easiest way to do that is to NOT use the Long-Tail Cast on, which is my favorite.

So I went searching for a Stretchy Cast-on and found Jeny's Stretchy Slip-Knot Cast-on.

Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off is already my go-to for binding off sock tops and this Cast-on is the complement.

I tried multiple times and it just wasn't working for me.  I think primarily because my yarn was wonky after having been just being ripped out of the last pair of socks...  So I finally ended up using Tillybuddy's Very Stretchy Cast on.

This cast-on was quick and easy to pick up.  I'm looking forward to seeing how I like it on socks.

Next up is a few inches of K2, P2 for the cuff.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: The end of the Trout Jaywalker Socks

 Welp, I did rip out the Trout Jaywalker Socks.

It took me a few days to get to it.  I thought an idea might come to me on how to save them.... but it wasn't happening.

So I spent some time over several days looking at sock patterns in my queue and then went to take a look at the next sock project that I had set aside.

In that bin, I found another pattern that earlier me had put in there to make sure I didn't lose it.  I really wanted to make this one with self-striping yarn, but didn't have a plan for which one.

After reading through that pattern, I decided that the Trout Colorway should work nicely, although it is another Top-Down pattern.  sigh.

Anyway, after making those decisions I felt comfortable ripping out the Jaywalkers... and right about here, I had a thought on how to save the socks.  sigh.

That will be a plan for another yarn on another day.  ;-)

Happier Fiber Arts Friday than last week.

Fiber Arts Friday: Football er Sport Socks, Round 3 - More Rainbow Trout

Continuing with my Rainbow Trout Socks and the Jaywalker Pattern...

At the end of February, in Part 2, I was just about half complete with this pair of socks.

The legs were finished, I had prepared to make an Afterthought Heel, and was a short way into the feet.

I have continued to work on these while "watching" sports and politics, when I also have the fitness of mind to not mess them up.  ;-)

Last week, I finally got to the point of having both feet completed

and then embarked upon working the Toe Decreases.

It was here that I moved form a 9-inch circular needled to 4 double-pointed and then got a true feel for how wide the feet are.

Disappointed is an understatement.

I went with the larger sock size because the written pattern warned that the chevron pattern does not have a lot of give.

The leg portion is just about right for me.... but the sole of the foot is in stockinette, which has a lot of stretch, comparatively.  So the foot it way too wide for my foot..... and the leg is way too small for Hubba's leg.  So this will be frogged.  :-(

I'm so disappointed.  But, at this point, I don't see a path forward with the current situation.

AND I have another reminder for why I prefer to work socks, Toe-up.  sigh.

Fiber Arts Friday, but not so happy.