A Setback

The swatch it a lie - and my foot lies too.

I measured my foot five, six times - each time the circumference was 9 - 9.5 inches depending on whether I was measuring at the ball of my foot, or slightly back from that - trying to use the pictures and procedures outlined by Cat Bordhi and Wendy D Johnson.

This would mean that I should knit my sock at a circumference of 8 or 8.25 inches, right? Swatching had me go down several needle sizes from that recommended for the yarn to get 8 st/inch. The stitch count is 66, which would put it right between 8 and 8.25 inches.

I measured the stitches in several places and I was getting 16 st/2 inches—or 8 st/inch.

As I progressed, it seemed too wide. I, of course, continued anyway as any good knitter in denial would do. I am about 4 inches into the foot going from the toe up, but it still seemed too wide, I tried it on and – guess what? It.is.too.wide!!!!

I did all the right things.

I did a circular swatch. I cast on 36 stitches, joined in the round and started with 3.00mm needles.  Knit an inch - measured, got 7st/inch.  Went down to 2.75mm for an inch, still not right. At 2.5 mm, I got the gauge for the pattern I was using as my guide – 8 st/inch.

I measured my foot multiple times over the last week – multiple times on different days at different times of the day -- because (a) I kept forgetting to write it down and (b) I wanted to be very sure!  At the ball of my foot where my big toe joins my foot and my foot is widest,  it measured in the 9.5” area of the tape measure, every time.  The area at the beginning of the instep, just past the ball part, measured 9". At 8 st/inch with a cast on of 66 stitches, my sock should be 8.25” - which should be enough negative ease to fit nicely. But it doesn’t. See?



(you can see the gaps on either side. :( I put a note on the picture in flickr)


So, I measured my feet again and – guess what I get? 8.5 - 9 inches.

How is it possible that my feet could lose half an inch or more in a day?? ACKKKK! The sock circumference is about the same as the circumference as my foot rather than being 10% smaller for a snug fit. Double AACKKK!

The sock pattern I was using to determine cast-on, stitch count, etc., showed numbers for 4 sizes – small, med, large, x-large. Based on my foot size (women’s 11W), I should have been making size large. However, based on stitch count and circumference numbers -- which I had measured multiple times! -- I went with the medium size. Apparently, this is the only area in my life where I am SMALL in something!

I am very sad.  I really wanted to finish these during the Knitting Olympics. Starting over will not bode well for a 2/28 finale!

Ah well.  Better to have socks that fit than to have a sniff Gold sniff medal and sniff, sniff Bobicus Maximus medals for socks and single skeins!

A rippin’ I will go.  :(

Going for the gold, or the Bobicus Maximus, as the case may be

I have completed my Aerial Unwind entry

and been awarded my Bobicus Maximus in the Aerial Unwind Event of the Ravelympics 2010:

I have completed my WIPs Dancing Entry

Knotty Gloves finally complete!  And still in time to wear for the winter!

I should be receiving my Bobicus Maximum Medal in the WIPs Dancing Event within the next 24-36 hours.  

Now, on to Charity Curling and Giant Slalom-ghan - two HAP Put-Together Afghans.

And to continue with the Gold Medal endeavour - two socks, toe-up, on two circs with STR Rare Gems Mediumweight... so far:

 

I wish my 2.5mm Addi circs were both longer than 24".  Ah well, I shall soldier on with the handicap!

Olympics, Ravelympics, Knitting Olympics!

I love the Winter Olympics.  I'll be watching more TV in the next 2+ weeks than I've watched in the last 2+ months!   When I watch TV, I knit or crochet.  Helps keep down the desire to snack!  To keep my fingers busy as I watch the athletes of the world compete for winter game fame and glory, I've joined a couple of Olympic events in the fiber world.

First, Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics!

 

I began my knitting career during Stephanie's inaugural Knitting Olympics in 2006.  This event is near and dear to my heart.  Over the past 4 years, I have amassed a stash of yarn and needles and books and patterns and other essential doodads, like stitch markers and measuring tapes and beads, that could take over my walk-in closet if I didn't have it spread all over the room!   I have learned so much and created so many things and improved as I have gone along!  I am ready to stretch myself a bit farther and win the coveted Gold Medal -- being designed by Franklin!

For this event, I plan to try a new (to me) technique - Toe Up Socks.  I think I've settled on a Wendy D. Johnson pattern - Sunrise Socks (ravelry.com link).  I plan to use new (to me) Socks That Rock medium weight yarn in a Rare Gems colorway that I picked up during their fairly recent sale.  I may be one of the few people in the fiber world that has never knit with STR!

 * * * * * * * *

Second, I joined TWO teams for Ravelympics 2010 on Ravelry.com.  

I'm a member of Team Ooh, Shiny - centered in the Completely Pointless and Arbitrary Group Group.  I shall be competing in the Events WIPs Dancing and Aerial Unwind.

In the WIPs Dancing event, I plan to finish my Knotty Gloves.  I have less than half a glove to go to complete the pair.  I just have to figure out where I left off.  In preparation for this event, I will be tinking back a few rows to try and find an amicable starting place to carry on to completion.

In the Aerial Unwind event, I will be frogging my Monkey Socks.  I have one completed and one commenced.  Having learned quite a lot about knitting -- in particular, sock knitting -- since I started these, I realize they just don't work.  I will be sad to unwind them.  However, this yarn should have been knit at a tighter gauge.  As knit, these will be loosy-goosy on me and will not wear well.  More importantly, because they will be loose, I will not wear them.  I haven't figured out a new purpose for this yarn, one of my first attempts at dyeing yarn.  That decision will have to wait, so that I can accomplish the other tasks I have set before me.

For my second team, Team HAP, I will be crocheting together at least two afghan sets to be sent to our Wounded Warriors.  I'm hoping to do three, but have set two as my goal.  Given the other things I want to accomplish, three may be pushing it!  The third will be done before the March Put-Together Event but, most likely, not by the end of the Olympics.  They will be sent off to be washed, packaged and mailed to wounded soldiers, along with the afghans of others in the group.

 * * * * * * * *

Starting tomorrow, cooking and cleaning will be taking a back seat to Olympics Watching, Knitting and Crocheting, as athletes from around the world - in the sports world and the fiber world - strive to do their best and gain the coveted medals of glory!

Neighbor is plowing a long driveway

Neighbor is plowing a long driveway
Originally uploaded by radarkaty.

Neighbor is plowing his driveway with his John Deere with plow attachment. He hasn't made it to the road yet. Where IS the road??

Click the picture to see the February Snow set of pictures. I'm not sure of the official snow total - except there is TOO MUCH!!!

Looking out the Front Door

out the front door
Originally uploaded by radarkaty.

The snow is still falling. There is a band of "2 to 3 inches an hour" on its way to us from another Southern Maryland County. After that passes through, it should all start to taper off.

It will be hard to get an accurate measure of this storm. We still had a couple of inches on the ground (grassy areas and deck) from last weekend's snow. In addition, there were a few hours of sleet last night before it turned back to all snow.

Let's just say - TOO MUCH!!!!

And so it begins...

SnowFeb5 001
Originally uploaded by radarkaty.
The Second Major Snowstorm (we've had a couple of 'minor' ones) of this winter season has begun. The flakes began to fall in my part of Southern Maryland just before noon. Latest guess-timates from the weather folks: 20 - 28 inches of snow before it is all over.

Looks like I'll be cooking and baking and knitting and cleaning for the next few days as my little neck of the woods turns into another winter wonderland!

(clicking into the photo will take you to my Flickr set. I plan to update periodically to capture the awesomeness of this storm!)