Black Olive Is: In The Loop

One Jaywalker Down, One To Go...

Ok, people...this Vesper Yarn is so soft and luscious, that I sailed through this sock in about a day and-a-half (possibly and most-likely less...seriously)!

I just can't get over how great this stuff is. It retains it's memory really well, is stretchy enough for the Jaywalker pattern, comes in the most fabulous Knitterly Things colorways and is literally HEAVEN on my foot.

While at Claudia's yesterday*, the Blogger Contingent weighed-in with their thoughts and comments about this yarn. The general consensus was that it could possibly be the Color Your Own KnitPicks yarn which is available for those who wish to mess up their tidy home with pesky dyes and all manner of warping boards, drying racks, niddy-noddies and such. BUT, I'm not convinced. It's very close, but something seems different.

In any case, I'm loving it. And, in true Black Olive fashion, because I love it so much, it is of course completely sold out. And, on top of that, for some odd reason, I seem to be sailing through these socks faster than any other pair I've knit.

Please Knitterly Things Woman, please make more Vesper. :-)

In other news, I'm craving Birch. So, it could be a while before Elizabeth I sees the light of day.

Also, I have to thank a very kind man named Doug who took the time yesterday (at Claudia's) to show me all sorts of "insider" tips pertaining to spinning on my Ashford Joy. I learned so much from that small interaction that I am now convinced a class (or two, or THREE) is in order.

Typically, I'm a "book-learner," but this time, I think learning by watching and interacting is the way to go. So, Doug, if you're reading this, thanks!

Ok. Must go knit more. Then eat. Then bed.

* Thanks again, Miss Claudia for opening your home and hosting a most fabulous Fiber Party. As always, Igor and Kimba were in the Top Five Highlights of The Evening. Other highlights included: homemade bread; the Fiber Giveaway (where I scoffed away with two bags of Lincoln Locks and some gorgeous merino roving [still feeling guilty about that, by the way]); hanging out with wonderful blogger peeps, thirty-something odd handknit socks on thirty-something odd, shoe-less feet; three (count 'em, THREE) Rogues and a partridge in a pear tree. ;-)

"Jaywalkin' Over To The Jaywalker Bandwagon..."

I did it. I caved.

I cast on for the Jaywalkers this past weekend.

But, not before finishing these:

I stayed true to my plan and finished my co-worker's socks before even attempting to wind that luscious Vesper Sock Yarn slated for the Jaywalkers. I knew if I'd wound it before finishing the Koigu socks, there'd be no turning back.

I have to say, after the Vesper and the Ultramerino4 and the Lorna's Laces, the Koigu (I refuse to link to the atrocious Koigu site -- if you go there, you'll understand why) isn't doing it the same way for me anymore.

It also doesn't help that it takes FOR-EVER for it to come in -- if it comes at all. You spend so much time apart and the opportunities to "cheat" with other sock yarns become so plentiful that when that Koigu finally arrives, it arrives with a whimper and not a bang.

Know what I mean?

Anyway, so the Jaywalker pattern could be my new mindless sock pattern (very easy to memorize). I just love what it does to self-striping yarn. AND, technically, I did knit up this pattern WAY before this bandwagon business when it first appeared in MagKnits. But. sadly, my choice of yarn -- Mountain Colors Bearfoot -- was all wrong. The Bearfoot doesn't have much "give" and when I slipped my first attempt on Granny's feet, we struggled to get them past her heel. I then frogged and moved over to the Cabled Rib pattern, deciding to wait on the Jaywalkers until I could get my hands on some Vesper.

And there you go.

Here are some details of the beginnings of what looks to be a fabulous sock:

This Vesper seems to live up to it's reputation. It's as soft as Rowan Cashsoft DK -- which contains a bit of cashmere -- and is 100% Merino. The colors are extremely vivid and it stripes really well. So far, it's been a dream to knit.

I'm actually much farther along on this baby, but decided to post these pics first "For The Record" and also because I've been so busy I haven't had time to blog, much less photograph my progress this week.

So, stay tuned for more Jaywalker goodness...

The Spey Valley Socks, They Are Almost Complete.

The Spey Valley Socks, they are almost complete.

A few hours seperate me from another pair of finished socks -- this time, for my feets. Woo!

I must say, the Ja Woll was a big surprise. I had poo-pooed it for a while because it wasn't Merino and not as soft as I've become accustomed to with sock yarn. BUT, the knit fabric is very soft. It has a sort of sheen all over the surface, and they feel great on my feet.

PLUS, it's thinner than fingering weight and therefore perfect for all those Nancy Bush patterns which call for casting on a bazillion stitches.

My feet are way too narrow for a 72 stitch cast on with fingering weight, people!

Also, great about this pattern is the simplicity. Even the cuff pattern is easy to memorize. The only trickiness involved is the dreaded Vikkel Braid, but once you get the hang of it, it's a piece o' cake! I mastered the braid a long time ago when working on Marko's Mittens from Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia, so I was not deterred!

Here are some cuff details:

Hopefully these will be finished tomorrow evening so I can make way toward finishing my co-worker's Koigu Sock before our belated holiday party next weekend.

And then...THEN...it's Jaywalker Time!

Seriously people, I can't take it anymore. I NEED a pair of these.

I started a pair for Granny a long while back when the pattern first came out, but the Mountain Colors I used was very inelastic and resulted in a very tedious fit at the ankle. So, I decided on another pattern for the Mountain Colors and ordered some Vesper for my very own pair of Jaywalkers. The only thing keeping me from casting on is the knowledge that if I do, I won't finish the Koigu Socks on time.

I still may cave and cast on this weekend, though. I'm weak that way. :-)

Elizabeth I is moving along and is a VERY enjoyable knit -- so far. But, I don't want to bore you with inch-by-inch progress shots, so I don't plan to post about that one until I have a good chunk more to show.

I'm knitting Elizabeth I on size one needles, people. If I showed you weekly progress, you'd die from the boredom. Trust me.

On the bright side, the fact that it may take a while in between Elizabeth I updates, means I need to work on other things to keep my blog peeps entertained, right?

RIGHT?

I smell a perfect excuse to cast on yet again...

We'll see.

Where In The World Is Black Olive?

I've been sick, people. Sick.

Immediately after that last post, I began to feel weird and generally "not right." The next day there was Scratchy Throat Stuff and then, well, I'm sure you know the rest.

I haven't felt much like knitting or spinning and have instead focused on just sitting on my papasan chair -- box of tissues by my side -- staring at the wall and hoping to feel better for the next day at work.

I did manage to knit a bit more on Elizabeth I before fully succumbing to the cold, the results of which you can see above and in the following photos:

(I know. Again with the plates. But, they get the job done!)

I have to say, either I'm getting good at this chart reading/stitch pattern thing, or it's just not as hard as it looks, because despite watery eyes and general cold-induced loopiness, I managed to not screw up any part of the rows I was able to knit.

I am thoroughly enjoying this pattern.

In addition to Elizabeth I progress, I knit a bit on the pair of socks I promised my co-worker. I don't even think I've blogged about these yet. I guess I just feel like I've knit SO MANY Koigu socks using my little generic sock recipe, that posting about them wasn't warranted. But, I feel I need to somehow inform you people that they do exist (they were started a while back) and that I haven't been completely dead to knitting this week.

As you can see, the first sock is on holders. After having my co-worker try it on, I decided I need to rip out about five rows before toe shaping begins. This is unbelievable to me because the foot on these already seems small, doesn't it? Or, am I just losing it?

Anyway, we had a family emergency last evening which resulted in sitting around the waiting room at the hospital for HOURS*. So, I decided to just cast on for the second sock instead of dealing with ripping and reknitting and then grafting the toe.

I must say, after about three days of no knitting (during the peak of my cold), it felt SO GOOD to just mindlessly knit on this sock. I didn't realize how much daily knitting time contributes to quelling my anxiety until I went without it for so long.

This little bit of knitting literally saved me from the insanity that is My Family and from the throngs of irritating people in the waiting room area. Were it not for the sock, I may have (not saying I would have, just that it was a slight possibility...ahem) been forced to drive my Mother back home -- far, FAR away from anything resembling the hospital. And I may have (again, not saying I would have) had to tell the people who came in at three am to morally support their friend who had his earring ripped off his ear, that it really doesn't take EIGHT PEOPLE to provide this kind of moral support and that they really DIDN'T need to continue their party in the waiting area.

I'm just sayin'. :-)

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*Grandpa had a health issue which required immediate attention. He seems fairly stable now and we should find out the results of his tests tomorrow.

Woo.

Before I even begin this post, I'd like to be redundant (in terms of the blogosphere) and wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Woo.

Ok, so here we go...first post of 2006:

Do not make fun of me, people. I HAD to use the paper plates from my impromptu shindig last night in order to pin down this sucker and get it to unroll itself.

Also, do not, I repeat, DO NOT make fun of my "tomato." It is but a temporary measure until I can find an edgier, more stylish one (do they even exist in this fashion?). I only included it here so you could see the difference in reds between the "tomato" pin cushion and the Rowan 4-ply Soft. Rowan calls this color "red," but really, it's more of a deep, rich, cranberry color. In certain light it can be a traditional red, but in the light of day (the actual light of day, not the metaphorical light of day...ahem), it clearly has cranberry undertones.

The pattern is "Elizabeth I" from Alice Starmore's* Tudor Roses.

Here are some details:

So, this is how I ushered in the new year, people, and it was SU-WHEET!

Ah...

For three days now, I've been in my Hello Kitty and Snoopy jammies and my old, holey sweats (and yes, I have showered each day, transitioning from the jammies to the sweats) and it's been AWESOME.

I did have all these plans, but one-by-one they all fell through and I was left with this glorious chunk of time to do nothing but knit, spin, read about spinning, spin some more (not really spinning, more like learning to spin), eat, drink, watch movies while knitting and generally just lounging.

Did I mention how great this has been?

After weeks of Xmas flurry, a ton of obligations (fun, but with no detox time, which is something I need badly after going out) and work stuff, it was great to not have to go ANYwhere or do ANYthing.

I have to say, Elizabeth I is just what I need right now. Size 1 Addis, fingering weight yarn and a simple silhouette with an intricate, symmetrical, charted pattern. YUM. It's actually progressing much faster than I thought it would (I've knit on it a bit more after these pics were taken, but don't tell anyone...shhh!), and I'm hoping I can wear it before the season is over.

Now, excuse me while I get back to the business of catching up with my knitblogs and playing with my wheel (that just sounds funny, doesn't it? Hehe). Can you believe I have a whole other glorious day scheduled for this? Can you?

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*Can I actually type her name and mention her pattern? I'm a little scared after reading this. I actually, seriously don't think I can even mention her name -- seriously (there are a bunch of other articles which mention how she's trademarked her name and how it is illegal to refer to her by name or by "AS" or by linking to her [I think]...just search her name and "litigation" and you can read all about it) -- but I like to live on the edge. Of course, I was totally unaware of this until Miss Grumperina turned me on to it when I first mentioned "Her" (I shall from this point on refer to AS as "Her," which I think is still in violation...hehe) book. I just realized this entire paragraph is probably in violation of her trademark thingy. Claudia? Again, I like to live on the edge. ;-)

Isn't this sort of like the whole Metallica Scandal, but with a "famous" (and I use that term loosely -- it's more like, Big Fish, Small Pond) knitwear designer?