Friday, November 05, 2010

Handspun Friday - Rancheros

This Friday I have some worsted weight yarn to show. It's not often, that I manage to spin thicker then my usual yarn, which is anything between lace weight and ww yarn. This was lovely to spin, being super wash merino, so soft. It tents to get thick/thin, when I spin this, but this time I just let it go.

FCK Rancheros

I've got 2 skeins from 8oz of sw merino dyed by FatCatKnits (could only get the Etsy link to work right now). Both skeins have a total of ~ 254yds, 2-ply yarn. You can get it in my shop. Keep in mind that this is 8oz, and I believe it should be sold together.
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I was going to ply my second half of Ghosts & Gremlins yesterday, but the urge to see what the first finished skein would look like knit up was too strong, so I've cast on a sock.
Ghosts & Gremlins

Since I don't want to waste any of my handspun yarn, I decided to knit the sock toe-up. I used Judy's magic cast on, which for me is the only toe-up cast on I'll ever do. I used to read her blog, and was lucky to read about her magic cast on when she came up with it. I've used it ever since.
Well, that was easily done, but I was not so sure about the toe-up heel. I've never been quite satisfyed with the ones I've used so far. They don't fit my foot very well. I was going through my bookmarked links column, to delete old sites, when I stumbled upon Fleegle's blog post about toe-up No-Flap, No-Hassle sock pattern, which I've marked for just that moment, it seems. I read through the instructions, but could not quite understand what the heel would look like, but I decided to follow her instructions blindly. I could rip it out if it didn't fit any time, but I didn't' have to. It's genius, and it fits well. I could have knit a couple of more rounds before the gusset, but the sock still fits great.

Ghosts & Gremlins sock one
sorry about the bad photo, it's snow/raining today, and it doesn't look like it's getting any lighter any time soon

The patterning on the sock surprised me. Stripes??? I can't remember how I prepared the fiber for spinning, and that's why the second sock will probably look very different - I think. We'll see. The yarn itself is a true 3-ply yarn. I spun one ply undyed white merino, and two plies Ghosts & Gremlins, Falkland. I quite like the look this gives me. The first skein was ~ 192yds. I have size 11 feet, and it looks like there's plenty to finish the sock.
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And because you like them, here are some more pictures of the hounds.
Nov.2-1
Usually Denny snuggles up to Happy, wherever he is, but this time Denny was there first, and Happy had to find a comfortable position.
Nov.2-3
Not the best spot in the house, but it didn't seem to bother him. (I'm saying that because Denny has been quite gassy lately).
Denny made sure, that if HE's taking a break, so will I, and positioned his chew bone on my treadle. :o) Good thing I had other things to do, or I might have crossed his plans.
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13 comments:

Dandy said...

Look at me actually commenting... I AM a faithful reader, but always on my phone and it doesn't allow me to comment, I love Handspun Fridays.. I always get the urge to spin after I read. The sock looks great!!

TracyKM said...

I LOVE that sock!!!!
I'm not a fan of toe up socks either because of the typical short row heel. I found I could add a few more short rows at the top of the heel to make it deeper. I also liked the heel on the Spring Thaw socks. I tried a toe-up-heel flap calculator and it was confusing to me. I'm also doing the Fleegle heel on my latest socks and from what I've seen so far, I also LOVE it. But the real test is of course, wearing the socks, LOL.

Virginia G said...

Denny is huge!

I love the striping on the socks. Can't wait to see what the pair looks like. :)

Susan said...

I'm becoming more of a toe up sock knitter since I started knitting socks with my handspun (and some for big feet where I'm not sure how far the yarn will go). The Fleegle heel is, I think, the same as Wendy Johnson's toe up gusset socks patterns. You can find her free patterns as well as sock templates for every size and every variation here if you're interested:
http://wendyknits.net/finished-work-free-patterns-tips/sub-page/

I like this heel as it is pretty forgiving about foot length and there are no reinforced areas if you are stretching your sock yarn.

Re: Happy's position near Denny - dogs like the smell of gas ;)

SockPixie said...

Your handspun is as glorious as ever!

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

I love to see the boys all cuddled together. They might have their disagreements but it's clear they are BFFs :)

So many wonderful yarn and projects you have going ~ love the self striping yarn you are using for your gloves ~ very cool.

I wound a skein of really gorgeous yarn last night and my needles are itching to CO :)))) Two guesses what it was - LOL

Freyalyn said...

My two are often quite gassy, and seem to sleep quite happily nose-to-tail. Doesn't seem to bother them...^^

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Love the Rancheros - I actually was having a hard time deciding between that and the alpaca silk I bought. I'm very happy with the alpaca silk, but I'm still eyeing the Rancheros- maybe a little birthday present to myself next month if it's still around :)

Love the pups!

2paw said...

Dogs have no manners or cares where bottoms are concerned!!!
It is like Christmas, knitting to see what pattern your lovely wool will make. I like the stripes!!

Walden said...

Both yarns are lovely, but I like the green the best. I like the stripes it is creating!

Sharon said...

I love that you're using your own handspun. I love look of Ghosts and Gremlins and your new socks.

Apparently Denny's gassiness doesn't bother Happy. As long as Happy's eyebrows aren't burned off, it's all good. I think it's just that way with dogs.

Stadtwaldvogel said...

Your yarn turned out so beautifully! Can't wait to see the finished socks!
Do you speak German? I have spotted the German Verena magazine in your last post.
Yours, Julia

LaurieM said...

My eldest son just loves the colors in that sock. He's a fan of green and thinks that the white and grey tone down the brights just right.

Yes, and I like it too!