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Oct. 22nd, 2008 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickI probably don't have to mention that the stock market is still sucking. Some measures of liquidity are looking slightly better, but there still isn't a whole lot of good news out there.
With the arrival of sheep fur educational materials from Whidby Island near Seattle, I've picked back up the things sheep fur. Go me! And also alpaca, which I have to work off here directly because I need it to line the mittens for my mother. I like the way alpaca feels -- it's soft and warm -- but it has no fucking body. It's like the wet noodle of fibers. It also looks to me like it'll felt if I look at it the wrong way. Alpaca sticks to itself in an OK sort of way but it's not as much fun for me as sheep fur. I really like the sheep furs better. I've made a note on that front.
I'm spinning the alpaca to knit the innards of the mittens with, at the moment. I am not currently working on knitting the mittens but I need to get cracking on that, too. (The mittens are currently above the thumb holes, so they're more than halfway done for the outside part.) I don't have any idea how to make alpaca lining for mittens but I suppose I'll figure it out as I go along.
Once I get the mittens done, then it's time for another excessive sock project. Everyone certainly recalls the previous excessive sock project (the HoHI), right? Right. Well, I want another pair of excessive socks. This year's (and probably next year's, given the glacial speed with which I knit) inspiration is Eunny Jang's Bayerische socks. As with the Blue and Cream Stocking as done by Grumperina (inspiration for the HoHI), there will have to be modifications from the original pattern because it is very inspirational but not entirely suitable.
First off, I don't like mid-calf socks, though, so you know that's got to change. I like (a) ankle socks and (b) just-below-the-knee socks. Those are the options. All middle ground is verboten and somewhat frustrating to wear. I don't think I can really get my cable mojo going on a pair of fucking ankle socks so... yeah. Knee highs, you knew that was coming.
I will also have to go off road with the stitch counts and such because I'm going to be using a different yarn and needles a size larger (I don't think I own zeros. I own ones and twos but I don't think I own zeros. I'd look at the numbers on the needles but they have worn off.) and lord knows I don't really have any ideas about getting someone else's gauge. I get my own gauge and then I go do my own thing anyway so this isn't a major stumbling block, either.
I like cables and twisted-stitch almost-cable things. Those, I like. I don't like all the motifs used in the inspirational sock, but I think I can come up with substitutes in that vein that will appeal to me in a good way. (No, I've got no experience at all doing twisted-stitch knitting. None. I also haven't ever done any designing of twisted-stitch cables. I don't think this will be a problem, though. My first completed design-n-knit colorwork with two-handed-knitting project? That'd be the HoHI. They came out okay, right? So it'll be fine.)
On a marginally-related note, I've found that, with the internet's ability to make people Instant-Experts, a certain class of people spends way too much time overthinking the preliminary stuff too much and then never gets started with a real-life project. The focus that these people have on having things be Exactly Right and Optimized before they start anything prevents them from accumulating any life experience and/or trying any new things. If they'd just get off their damn asses and start DOING things, they might learn something about what it is they'd like to do. But no, they sit there and read message boards and overthink shit that doesn't even matter until they have achieved the basic competence skill level in the chosen craft. This is counterproductive and unhealthy. Don't be one of those people.
With the arrival of sheep fur educational materials from Whidby Island near Seattle, I've picked back up the things sheep fur. Go me! And also alpaca, which I have to work off here directly because I need it to line the mittens for my mother. I like the way alpaca feels -- it's soft and warm -- but it has no fucking body. It's like the wet noodle of fibers. It also looks to me like it'll felt if I look at it the wrong way. Alpaca sticks to itself in an OK sort of way but it's not as much fun for me as sheep fur. I really like the sheep furs better. I've made a note on that front.
I'm spinning the alpaca to knit the innards of the mittens with, at the moment. I am not currently working on knitting the mittens but I need to get cracking on that, too. (The mittens are currently above the thumb holes, so they're more than halfway done for the outside part.) I don't have any idea how to make alpaca lining for mittens but I suppose I'll figure it out as I go along.
Once I get the mittens done, then it's time for another excessive sock project. Everyone certainly recalls the previous excessive sock project (the HoHI), right? Right. Well, I want another pair of excessive socks. This year's (and probably next year's, given the glacial speed with which I knit) inspiration is Eunny Jang's Bayerische socks. As with the Blue and Cream Stocking as done by Grumperina (inspiration for the HoHI), there will have to be modifications from the original pattern because it is very inspirational but not entirely suitable.
First off, I don't like mid-calf socks, though, so you know that's got to change. I like (a) ankle socks and (b) just-below-the-knee socks. Those are the options. All middle ground is verboten and somewhat frustrating to wear. I don't think I can really get my cable mojo going on a pair of fucking ankle socks so... yeah. Knee highs, you knew that was coming.
I will also have to go off road with the stitch counts and such because I'm going to be using a different yarn and needles a size larger (I don't think I own zeros. I own ones and twos but I don't think I own zeros. I'd look at the numbers on the needles but they have worn off.) and lord knows I don't really have any ideas about getting someone else's gauge. I get my own gauge and then I go do my own thing anyway so this isn't a major stumbling block, either.
I like cables and twisted-stitch almost-cable things. Those, I like. I don't like all the motifs used in the inspirational sock, but I think I can come up with substitutes in that vein that will appeal to me in a good way. (No, I've got no experience at all doing twisted-stitch knitting. None. I also haven't ever done any designing of twisted-stitch cables. I don't think this will be a problem, though. My first completed design-n-knit colorwork with two-handed-knitting project? That'd be the HoHI. They came out okay, right? So it'll be fine.)
On a marginally-related note, I've found that, with the internet's ability to make people Instant-Experts, a certain class of people spends way too much time overthinking the preliminary stuff too much and then never gets started with a real-life project. The focus that these people have on having things be Exactly Right and Optimized before they start anything prevents them from accumulating any life experience and/or trying any new things. If they'd just get off their damn asses and start DOING things, they might learn something about what it is they'd like to do. But no, they sit there and read message boards and overthink shit that doesn't even matter until they have achieved the basic competence skill level in the chosen craft. This is counterproductive and unhealthy. Don't be one of those people.
