fishie’s aquarium

Item: giant plain boring white socks for Chris
Pattern: Simple Socks
Needles: set of 5 00 dpns
Yarn: Stork, Dale of Norway/Dalegarn
Time to Complete: Way too long. Almost two months.
Unusual Knitting Location(s): Nothing besides at movies and in chem lab. I watched 1408 while knitting them.
New Skillz: Kitchener stitch, and OOOOH I’m good.
Notes: OMFG NEVER AGAIN. Also, the pattern doesn’t seem to work for gigantic feet, since the ankle/heel bit is a little tight on him.

It’s been a long time, I know. I’ve been working on stuff for swaps instead of these and I can’t really post pictures of the swap items otherwise I’d spoil all the fun. Anyway, I picked the boring plain white sock back up yesterday because I was going to see a movie (1408, oh man it was good!) and finished it today. Hooray.

My first time with kitchener stitch: Success

Boring *yawn*

Too big for me. That’s a good thing.

Now to do the other one. :/

I want to make real things dammit.

See my problem? My size 5 in men’s feet are fitting these socks perfectly… His size 11/12/whatever huge size he is probably won’t. I got gauge when I swatched dammit!!!

I normally only knit one thing at a time. I’m so bad at keeping interest in things that if I have options, I’ll completely neglect one thing. In other words, I have no concept of moderation. I started those socks for Chris on Tuesday and I’m not very far yet (HELLO 00 SIZE NEEDLES AND GIANT MONSTER FEET??!?!?!):

But there’s a craft challenge on Craftster I REALLY REALLY want to do and think I’ve got a really good chance at if I can get what I have in my head out and into yarn. Problem is, it’s due on the 24th (BAH I knit a blanket in 12 days!) BUT… my idea is probably way too complicated for my current skill level. Here’s the idea (psst: no stealing!)

Yay rough charts! I can DO this!!!

I want to knit it in the round because if I do anything with seaming, there’s the chance I don’t get the colors to match up. BUT intarsia in the round? Possible, but not easy OR fast. And taking into consideration that I’ve never 1) Done intarsia 2) Made a knitting chart or 3) Written a pattern before… I don’t know if I’m being overly optimistic for a project I’d need to have DONE in *counts* 16 days. Granted, my final is next Thursday and I have a week off before my next class starts, but I’m still working 40+ hours a week with lots of overtime forecasted. I know I can do it. I just don’t know if I can do it that quickly. I’m really good with math, geometry, etc., and I’m thinking I might have to sew a mock-up in order to figure out the chart for the color changes, but I KNOW I can do it.

I get the feeling I’m getting myself into trouble.

Completely unrelated, DID YOU KNOW that my first ever FO was made completely without a pattern? I didn’t even realize that was at all weird until two days ago. It’s my knitting bag, but when I first made it, I used it to carry around books. It fits a big fat hardcover book in it PERFECTLY! When I started knitting hardcore in the past few months, I’ve used it to carry around my yarn, tools, and WIPs. Considering I had no idea how to seam, weave in ends, or block, I think it turned out pretty good and sturdy.

I knit it with normal worsted weight Red Heart on size 2 needles. The sides and the strap are knit on bigger needles with two strands of yarn held together. I whip-stitched the pieces all together. I currently have a safety pin keeping one of the straps attached.