Here there be knitting

Last Fall I had the ever so brilliant idea to knit socks as Christmas gifts this year. I started with my sister but unfortunately I kept going of the feet until they fit me.

I'm sure that there must be something Freudian in there somewhere.

A couple of weeks ago (maybe three...possibly four) I decided to try again. This time I stopped the foot in time.

Going from left to right:
1) For my sister
2) For my sister-in law
3) For my brother (in progress but I'm on the foot of both socks for him)
Brownie Points for me....Two of these socks came from stash sock yarn.The third needed to be purchased as I'm not in the habit of stashing anything gray.



I just might be able to pull this off!!!

Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

In Praise of Plavala

This is The Diva Plavalaguna, she is a character from the movie The Fifth Element by Luc Bisson.



This is Plava laguna, it seems to be a chain of high end resorts in Croatia. Plava Laguna means Blue Lagoon. This is actually just one of the many hotels and resorts, in the chain.



This is my Plavalaguna. She is a 3 1/2 month old ruby-eyed white English Angora. Last weekend I brought her to her first show. The competition was fierce but my little beauty hopped away with two 1st place wins. She needs only one more win to get, as a senior (over the 6 month age mark), and then she'll become a Grand Champion.
I'm so proud of her...that and think of all the fibre I'll get off her when she is finished her days as a beauty queen.


Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

Dust, Doghair and Dirt

Cleaning is all my life seems to be comprised of at this moment. I continually ask myself why and isn't there more to life than this. Surely there must be some reason for this never ending cycle of the house getting dirty and me having to clean it.

Perhaps it's to achieve some higher plane of existence? Perhaps I will discover the meaning of life as I clean while I'm being undervalued, unaided and unappreciated by my family? Perhaps I will uncover the great secrets of life, the universe and everything else as I attempt to remove this triple threat from my very existence?

I'll let you know after I clean up these bottles that came the other day and are cluttering up my kitchen counter.



Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

I'm going slightly Mad

I can't blame Ravelry!
I can't blame the Yarn Harlot!
I can't even blame it on Shelley Kang!
I place the blame, in its entirety, on Emily.

There I was, minding my own business, when Emily began to knit a mitered square, using leftover sock yarn. She informed me that once a million of these were done, she would then sew them together for an afghan.

Now speaking as someone who claims to have invented the crazy sock, I have to ask myself....Why didn't I think of this first? Could it be that I'm a little too obsessed with socks? But really...is that such a bad thing? I've been told that occasionally I'm a perfectly normal individual, but I think that the jury is still out on that one.

Here is proof of my decent into Madness!


I realize that I've only just begun this project, but I've already come to the conclusion that I have to:

A) buy more sock yarn

or

B) hold some type of contest thing. I would ask everyone for donations of their leftover sock yarn. Everyone who sent/gave me some would then have their name go into a draw for a full skein of some very yummy sock yarn.

I'll let you know what happens.

And if you're wondering.....and even if you're not........the mitered square, currently on the needles, I have a pair of socks made with that sock yarn. It is another random dye job. The teen called the colour "vomit" and wanted nothing to do with it.

That is until I knit up a pair of socks with the yarn.....NOW she wants them.

But who can blame her......they're gorgeous. Now before any of you choke on that last statement, I do put these socks in the "only a mother could love" category. So I don't want any comments about how my ugly socks have somehow offended the stylish sense of colour among the fibre arts community. Considering some of the stupid things that the Canadian government has paid big bucks for because someone called it art, my socks are the least of your worries.

Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

Has any one seen my free time?

Hi everyone

Yes it's me, the Fibreholic. I know it's been awhile and I know that my postings have been very sporadic as of late. But I do have a very good excuse.

There I was at the end of July, minding my own business, playing video games doing something very important when the teen tells me that there is a message on the phone. Since she wants to log back on I need to listen to the message to get the dial tone back. (Yes the Fibreholic is still living in the dark ages and has to put up with dial up)

Long story short, because you all know that I don't like to go on and on and drag out a story to its bitter end, I've been working full time for almost three months. I won't go into the gory details of this job, but it will do until I get a full time position traveling the world as a writer for the Lonely Planet publications.

So in the meantime, I now have the money to buy the fibre I want BUT I now lack the free time, I used to have, to enjoy it. So if anyone reading this, has any spare free time they don't know what to do with...just send it my way....PLEASE!

THE SOCK PATTERN

It seems that there was an interest in the pattern I used for my free sock yarn. So here it is:

The stitch pattern requires a multiple of 4 stitches.

Round 1, 3 and 5 - Knit
Round 2 and 4 - *K1, slip 3 with yarn in front (holding yarn loosely) repeat from *
Round 6 - *K2, insert needle under the long loose strands of 2 previous rounds and knit the next stitch, K3; repeat from * end K1 instead of K3.

NOW YOU WILL HAVE TO FUDGE A BIT AND SLIDE THE STITCHES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ROUND OVER A BIT. Before Starting round 8 slide the first 2 stitches of the round over to the right hand needle and start the round.

Round 7, 9 AND 11- Knit
Round 8 and 10 - *K1, slip 3 with yarn in front (holding yarn loosely) repeat from *

Round 12 - *K2, insert needle under the long loose strands of 2 previous rounds and knit the next stitch, K3; repeat from * end K1 instead of K3.

REMEMBER THOSE 2 STITCHES YOU PUT ON THE RIGHT HAND NEEDLE? SLIDE THEM BACK TO THE LEFT HAND NEEDLE AND START ROUND 1.

This stitch pattern was developed for flat knitting. This is why I have you moving over the beginning of the round in the stitch pattern.

So is this clear as mud???? Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

For Anna

Just more proof that Canadians aren't evil! (Just to confirm for everyone else reading this post, yes it is an inside joke)



Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

The Trial of TOFUtsies

The Trial
Enter the defendant, TOFUtsies by SWTC.



I bought this yarn in January '07 and about the April time frame, of that year, I knit a pair of plain toe up socks. The first time I washed them, disaster struck. The dye washed out and my vibrant socks were merely a shadow of their former selves. I was devastated, ladies and gentleman, simply devastated. Here I had put all this work into my socks and with one wash they went from Beautiful to Blah.

I wrote to SWTC (attorney for the defendant) told them what happened, gave them the info on the ball band but received no reply. The socks were left to defend themselves on their own without representation from the company.

THE VERDICT



I vowed to never buy another ball of TOFUtsies and told the requisite 12 people of my bad experience but while I was at STITCHES MIDWEST this past August I met Audrey, public defender for this yarn.

THE APPEAL

After dropping off a load of yarn into the car, Kathy and I returned to the vendors' area to continue shopping. Kathy likes TOFUtsies and stopped at a booth to purchase a ball. This is where I met Audrey, owner of Needles & Knobs. I complained about this yarn and told her the story of my ill fated socks and why I have a hate-on for this yarn and the company.

Audrey was determined to get me to change my mind, to rethink my position and to exonerate this sock yarn. She believes in this yarn so much that she gave me a ball to try out.



I was leery and doubtful but who am I to turn down a free ball of sock yarn. I knit and knit and knit. I even designed a sock pattern for this momentous occasion. Mind you all the while thinking that if history repeated itself I would be severely ticked at myself for putting in all this effort.

THE VERDICT



The socks have been washed and they look great. My faith has been restored in TOFUtsies but SWTC still on my black list for their lack of customer service.

So if you are ever in St. Petersburg, Florida go see Audrey at Needles & Knobs. You'll be glad you did!

Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic