Koigu Socks

Pattern: "On-Your-Toes Socks" by Ann Budd in the Summer Interweave Knits. The only difference is that mine have a ribbed foot and leg, B's have a plain stockinette foot with ribbed leg.

Yarn: Koigu - Mine are KPPPM color 608 (2 skeins), B's are KPM color 4000 (3 skeins).

I Love Koigu. What else can I say? The colors are gorgeous, and what's arguably an even better feature, these socks have been through the washing machine - the red ones several times now - and held up great. (Those red ones were finished literally a couple of months ago.)

And while the pattern is a little bit basic, toe-up socks are great fun, and the structural elements - toe, heel - came out beautifully.

Go 'Noles

As of yesterday, I have been accepted to Florida State's College of Information. I'll be starting my Masters in Library and Information Studies in January. Hooray!

After waiting 7 long, agonizing weeks for my GRE scores to reach the admissions office, only to then discover that apparently my original departmental application got lost in the mail, I am tremendously excited - and relieved. Now, to see about some financial aid... And not just the parental variety.



I'm on the verge of being able to report additional good news - but I don't want to jinx it, so for now I'll just leave you with this mysterious allusion. If everything comes through as expected, it should lead to a jump in my blogging frequency. (Regardless, my goal is to get that very, very overdue FO post up before the weekend is over.)

Jax Camisole

I was inspired by the heat of Florida summertime to create this warm-weather project. Admittedly, it is probably a bit late in the season to post a pattern like this one. I finished this top in April. It's amazing it's getting posted at all.

This camisole is a fairly straightforward top, embellished with a couple of simple slip-stitch motifs to add visual and structural interest, done in a luxurious, lustrous mercerized cotton. Mine is made to fit my 36" bust, but the shaping should be easily adaptable to fit and flatter your own body shape. It begins with a waist band made made to fit the wearer; then, picking up along the edge, the top is formed with strategic increases and decreases and shoulder straps mirroring the waist band pattern; and finally, picking up around the opposite waist band edge, the bottom is added.


Size: To fit a 36" bust

Yarn: ONLine Linie 12: Clip, 100% cotton, Color 168 - Teal (3 skeins)

Needles: US 6

Gauge: 24sts x 24 rows = 4" in SS

NOTE: My BOs are done in k1p1 bind-off, for purely aesthetic reasons (to keep the chain-edge out of view). If you prefer, you may do standard BOs.
Stitch patterns come from the Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns.

WAIST BAND:

CO 8 sts

k3, p2, k3, turn

Row 1 (RS): p3, wyif sl 2 pwise, p3

Row 2 (WS): k3, p2, k3

Repeat these 2 rows until band measures 36" when stretched slightly (alternately, long enough to fit over the bust and lie around the rib cage).

Graft, or BO and sew ends together.

TOP:

With circular needles, beginning at seam, pick up and knit around band edge: (appx) 125 sts

Increase for bust:

Row 1: Place marker (#1) at beg of row. *k3, m1, k4, m1* - repeat around, placing marker (#2) after 40 sts and marker (#3) after 40 more (this is the front of the shirt), then work 80 sts as established to end of rnd (back of the shirt).

Row 2, & even-numbered rows through Row 10: k even

Row 3: k 12, m1, k to last 3 sts before marker #2, m1, k 3 to marker. k 3, m1, k to last 12 sts before marker #3, m1, k 12 to marker. k even across back.

Row 5: Repeat row 3.

Row 7: k 12, m1, k 8, m1, k 13, m1, k 8, m1, k 3 to marker #2. k 3, m1, k 8, m1, k 13, m1, k 8, m1, k 12 to marker #3. k even across back.

Row 9: k 12, m1, k 9, m1, k 15, m1, k 9, m1, k 3 to marker #2. k 3, m1, k 9, m1, k 15, m1, k 9, m1, k 12 to marker #3. k even across back.

Row 11: k 12, m1, k 10, m1, k 17, m1, k 10, m1, k 3 to marker #2. k 3, m1, k 10, m1, k 17, m1, k 10, m1, k 12 to marker #3. (56 sts per side of front.) k 30, ssk, k 16, k2tog, k 30 to end.

Next Row: k even across front; after marker #3, k 30, BO 18 sts.

*Top will now be worked back & forth rather than in the round; next row begins here.*

Bust:

Row 1 (RS): k 30 to marker #1. k 12, m1, k to last 3 sts before marker #2, m1, k 3. k3, m1, k to last 12 sts before marker #3, m1, k 12 to marker. k 21, ssk, k 7. turn.

Row 2 (WS): p 8; place these 8 sts on stitch holder (for strap). p to marker #3. p even across front. p 21, p2tog, p 7. turn.

Row 3: k 8; place these 8 sts on stitch holder (for strap). k to marker #1. k 12, m1, k to last 3 sts before marker #2, m1, k 3 to marker. k 3, m1, k to last 12 sts before marker #3, m1, k 12 to marker. (60 sts per side of front.) k 10, ssk, k 9. turn.

Row 4: BO 10 sts at beginning of row. p 10 to marker. p even across front. p 10, p2tog, p 9. turn.

Row 5: BO 10 sts at beginning of row. k 10 to marker. k even across front. after last marker, ssk, k 8 to end. turn.

Row 6: BO 9 sts at beginning of row. remove marker #3. p even across front. after last marker, p2tog, p 8 to end. turn.

Row 7: BO 9 sts at beginning of row. remove marker #1. k even across front to last 10 sts, k2tog, k to end. turn.

Row 8: BO 9 sts at beginning of row. p even to last 10 sts, ssp, p 8 to end. turn.

Next Row: BO 9 sts at beginning of row. k 2, ssk, k to last 4 sts before marker, k2tog, k 2. attach 2nd ball of yarn; with new yarn, k 2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k 2.

*Front will now be separated into left/right fronts; continue to work both sides simultaneously, using separate balls of yarn, to ensure the two halves match.*

Decreasing for bust:

Row 1 and all WS/odd-numbered Rows: p even.

Row 2: k 2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2. Repeat on 2nd half.

Row 4: k 2, ssk, k 9, ssk, k 16, k2tog, k 9, k2tog, k 2. Repeat.

Row 6: k 2, ssk, k 8, ssk, k 14, k2tog, k 8, k2tog, k 2. Repeat.

Row 8: k 2, ssk, k 7, ssk, k 12, k2tog, k 7, k2tog, k 2. Repeat. 34 sts remain per half.

Row 9: p even.

Decreasing toward shoulder straps:

RS - "RS Dec Row": k 2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k 2. Repeat on 2nd half.

Work RS Rows as RS Dec Rows and WS Rows even until 24 sts remain per half, ending after a RS Row.

Next Row ("WS Dec Row"): 1st half: p to last 4 sts, ssp, p2. 2nd half: p2, p2tog, p to end.

Continue to work, alternating WS Dec Row and RS Dec Row until 16 sts remain per half, ending after a WS Row.

Switch back to working RS Dec Rows and WS Even Rows until 8 sts remain per half, ending after a WS Row.

Shoulder Straps:

RS Rows: k1, p2, wyif sl 2 pwise, p2, k1.

WS Rows: k3, p2, k3.

Work these 2 rows until each strap measures 14" slightly stretched (or, if you can try the shirt on at this point, long enough to comfortably reach the held sts on the back).

Last WS row, p even, then graft to sts on holders. The piece should resemble a bra at this point.

Optional (but recommended):To reduce the amount of curling around the top edge, with crochet hook of comparable size, work a single row of single crochet stitches around all top edges.

BOTTOM:

With circular needles, beginning at seam, pick up and knit around band edge: (appx) 125 sts.

Increase Row: *k 3, m1, k 4, m1* repeat around, placing marker at beginning of row and after 80 sts to separate front and back - 160 sts total.

Pattern = Fabric Stitch w/ Slip Stitch Edge:

Row 1: sl 1st st kwise; *wyif sl 1 pwise, k1* to last st; sl 1 st kwise.

Row 2: sl 1 st pwise; k to last st; sl 1 st pwise.

Row 3: k 1; *k 1, sl 1 st pwise* to last st; k 1.

Row 4: k across.

Row 1 = Setup Row: Back - k 25, place marker, work Row 1 of patt across 30 sts, place marker, k 25 to marker. Front - k 16, place marker, work Row 1 of patt across 16 sts, place marker, k 16, place marker, work Row 1 of patt across 16 sts, place marker, k 16.

Continue to work as established: Back - k 25, work patt between markers, k 25; Front - k 16, work patt between markers, k 16, work pattern between markers, k 16.

Continue in this manner until bottom measures 8" long, ending after row 4 of pattern.

Hip shaping:

Increase Row: Back - k 8, m1, knit/work in patt as established between markers to last 8 sts of back, m1, k 8. Front - repeat.

Alternate this increase row with 1 regular row for a total of 4 increase rows; end after row 4/regular row.

Work 1 row p even, with 1 additional m1 to achieve an odd # of total sts.

Work in seed st for 1". BO in patt (k1 p1 BO).

Bettie's Worst Nightmare

But it sure is adorable!

Absence

It has, officially, been an entire month since I last posted. Shame on me.

Here's the thing though. I go to work every day and spend eight hours or so staring at a computer screen. When I go home at night, well, I don't really feel like doing the very same thing.

There are, of course, other factors directly and indirectly responsible for my absence from this blog. The weather has played a large part. When the heat index is in the hundreds and I break a sweat between my car and the front door, well, wool does not rank highly on my agenda. This is not to say I haven't been knitting at all in the last month, because I have, and even a little crocheting, too. In fact I have two active projects and one on the back burner, and there are even two FOs that I haven't posted yet. But I haven't been knitting fiendishly like a woman possessed by her frosty toes; just maybe an hour a day, for the sake of restless fingers more than anything else. The disinterest, if you want to call it that (and, frankly, it would be accurate to do so), is largely attributable to the Florida heat, and also the overall lack of time in my day - damn full-time job, seriously takes away from my "me time." But I feel there is something more sinister at work here...

Because, to be honest, this same disinterest has not just been affecting my knitting, but my general state of being. I have entered a sort of stagnant period, where one day is pretty much the same as the next day, and little changes from week to week. I haven't been working *toward* anything, pursuing any goals. I don't have anything major going on in my life, and my job, while alright, is not really what I'd call stimulating, or even particularly satisfying, in any meaningful way. I'll put it this way: With the knowledge that I'm only going to live in this area for another year before the Navy moves us again, it's fine, and I am not planning to actively seek alternatives. If it were open-ended, that's a different story. My coworkers are for the most part pretty likeable, and I get along well with my boss - but there are massive communication issues and a terrifying turnover rate. There is no challenge, and probably no chance of promotion (since they know how long I'm going to be here, too). I wake up Monday mornings anxious for the weekend, and with every day so predictable, the time flies by.

Among the symptoms of this stagnation has been a withdrawal, not just from this blog, but from a lot of my social outlets. I have lost touch with my knitting group, mostly because my Saturdays are typically overbooked, since I don't get much free time during the week. I have barely been online to keep up with my old friends in other parts of the country, mostly because of the lack of desire to spend all day AND all night on a computer. I have basically stopped reading other knitting blogs, with the same excuse.

I don't mention all of this for pity, or for anyone to get worried about me. It's just a slump. I'm sure it's even common in early adulthood - periods of being either stagnant or overwhelmed before one works out a good balance. Anyway, I've been working on setting myself up for a brand new challenge: getting a Masters in Library Science (online). I'm hoping to start it next spring, which means I'll soon be getting into the application process. I've ordered myself a GRE prep book, and last week I submitted an application to volunteer at one of the libraries a couple weekends a month, to get some hands-on experience before diving headlong into this - and I mentioned in my cover letter to the library that I would be open to accepting a paid position (don't tell my boss!). Now I'm waiting for those things to materialize before proceeding further.

I really believe that once this new project is really in motion, once I break out of this lull, then my interest in other things (like blogging!) will be rekindled. I'm going to try to get at least one, hopfully both of those FO posts up this weekend... but I wouldn't expect any real jump in my postings until the temperature backs down a bit.

Sorry.