Following Trends: Jaywalkers

I had this really original idea of making Jaywalkers in a self striping yarn.



So this is about the billionth pair of Jaywalkers, so I don't feel bad that there aren't many pictures.

This is a Christmas present for my mother-in-law, who received them last weekend. Not that they weren't done by January 1st, but because I wanted to deliver them in person, because I was afraid they wouldn't fit. These socks had very little stretch, so I wouldn't make them as a gift unless I had a model handy. As it was, I had a stand-in at knitting group with the same size shoe who was gracious enough to try them on multiple times (thanks Jen!).

Unfortunately I don't have a stand-in for the gloves I'm making my Dad for last Christmas. They're still in progress because I can only work on them when he's around to try them on to make sure the finger tips are all the right size. Well, he'll probably have a nice pair of think wool gloves for June in Florida.

Nike + Ipod = Crochet

Here is the Nike + iPod hack version 2.0



Much more inconspicuous than v 1.0. It's sturdier too.



Here it is while it's open.



It's attached to the shoe by running the flap through the slit, under the shoe laces then buttoning it. It is more secure than the previous version, and has the added benefit that the sensor can be removed.

I think I'll write a tutorial or patter, but it's simple. The bottom is a tube and the top is just worked back in forth to make a flap. The slit is worked as a horizontal button hole.

Nike + Ipod = Knit

My latest project took me about 15 minutes to make, and is about the size of my thumb, but it's one of the things that gets the most use of everything I've made, and it can't really be store bought.

Well, not cheap at least. My husband runs, and he uses the iPod pedometer (http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/). There is an attachment to the iPod and a sensor that is supposed to go inside of these specially designed Nike running shoes that have a slot for it.



However, Nerdy Husband doesn't like the Nike shoes in that line, so our DIY spirit kicked in and we figured that we'd find some other way of attaching the sensor to the shoe. NH found an article with a hack for it.

So the version 1.0 was born. It's essentially a tube knit around the sensor. In my infinite wisdom I decided to make in in 2x2 ribbing, out of Lion Brand Microspun. It was ugly, as this was B.S. (Before Socks) and I was unfamiliar with the figure eight cast on, and the yarn and ribbing were bad choices. It was sewn onto the shoe, so in order to take it off, he had to unlace his shoes.



It's pretty wonky, but it's functional. Unfortunately, the sensor is knit into the tube, so when the battery of the sensor died last week, NH asked me to make him another cozy. This led to Version 2.0, which is infinitely better.

Mmmmmm Alpaca

Last weekend I went to the Alpaca Fest with some people from the knitting circle.

We came for the



and stayed for the





I thought that fiber would be the highlight of the show, but those animals are so darn cute, they totally won us over. My main goal was to pet an alpaca. And I did. Here's proof:



There were so many alpaca there. There were chocolate alpaca




and dirty alpaca...




and surfer alpaca...




and emo alpaca...




Some were shy




and others have so much hair they can't see




and many were gorgeous.



This one looks like living, breathing Lorna's Laces or Socks that Rock. This picture doesn't do it justice.


We felt up some fiber




and got tattoos (thanks to Jen, you rock)




and I may or may not have bought some yarn



This is undyed alpaca light weight, from Long Skinny Ranch. It came off the alpaca like that. Amazing.

As amazing as the animals were, we were equally amazed at how nice alpaca people are. The folks at Breath of Heaven Alpaca Ranch were there spreading the good word of alpaca, and our knitting circle will probably be taking a trip out there soon. I got some interviews and clips of alpacas humming for the podcast, and everyone I asked was more than willing to answer questions.

3 a.m. Cable Hat

I just finished the 3 a.m. Cable Hat, the dk weight version.

And I bought a head to show it off. May I present Jayne:



OK, so Jayne has a smallish head, and the hat's a little big. Which is good. At least Jayne can wear my Kittyville Hat and I can wear the cable hat.

See:



Sorry for the poor lighting and bad angle. That is indeed the same hat, NH was just too lazy to stand up when asked to take a picture.

The yarn was Alpaca with a Twist "Highlander" in color 0299, a deep gray with flecks of white and tan. It's warm, soft, and yummy-liscious, and it makes me want to move to a climate where I can wear alpaca on a regular basis. Speaking of which, I finished this hat at knitting group the day after our only coldsnap broke, when we went from a hard freeze to t-shirt weather in less than 48 hours, and it's stayed unseasonably warm.

During that cold snap, on the coldest day of the year, my husband turned to me and said "You know what would be good right now? Some hand knit socks." My husband, who only recently received a hand knit sweater from me. The one who watched me work feverishly to make hand knit socks for his parents' Christmas gifts. The one who I asked a had asked a week before the cold weather broke if he wanted socks and didn't seem too enthused about the idea. I love him, but seriously...

So he's getting a pair of Arrgyle socks to match the pair I'm making myself. The Yarn Harlot's post on her argyles has a lot of information and I'm just going to go for it.

As to whose socks are getting made first, I still haven't decided.

Yarn Store Review: Knit and Stitch, Cocoa FL

While visiting family for the holidays, I was lucky enough to get away from everything and meet up with a friend who lives in the area that was able to get away from everything too.

She suggested we meet at this wonderful shop, called Knit and Stitch in Cocoa Village.

This shop was great. It's biggest allure is that they are very customer-oriented. It may seem strange that a small business wouldn't focus on making customers feel welcome, but trust me, I've been there and it isn't pretty. But that was not the case at Knit and Stitch.

The setup of the store is very nice. There's a big table in the middle of the shop, with comfortable full backed desk chairs around it. There were other people sitting at the table when I arrived, and before I even sat down, one of the ladies offered me refreshments. It seems that the regulars help by welcoming newcomers, which is very nice.

Everyone was very helpful and friendly. Advice was offered in a positive way, as was encouragement and praise.

One product that stood out were afghan kits from Art Yarns. Sample afghans were hung from the display as well as on the chairs.

This store is crochet friendly, but I didn't see crochet specific products. There was also a good amount of cross stitch, but I avoided that side of the store because I don't have the time to get sucked into anything else.

I'm sure I'll go back when I get the chance, it was a really great experience.

Thanks for coming out and knitting with me Hannah, and for showing me this awesome store!

Full Disclosure

So, it's the new year and I'm starting a new tradition. As I generally have New Year's Day off, and I'm recovering from (read: trying to finish) frantic holiday knitting, January First will be my annual "evaluate the stash" day, where I'll empty out every single project bag or box with yarn in it, organize it all, and evaluate.

And take pictures.



There it is, every bit of yarn that isn't in a FO. It's embarrassingly small, but I almost always buy yarn for specific projects, then cast them on right away. Since I've been finishing up things, the yarn's been cleared out.

I've learned that I have way too much sock yarn, and found some partial balls to donate to someone in my Knitting group.

I also finally let go and ripped out a crocheted shrug that was looking absolutely ghastly, so that I can move on to cuter ones, namely MimiCat's Purple Shrug.

Podcast Update

We recorded a promo and a short intro segment at knitting group this Saturday. Squee.