Soccerchica to Trackdiva

Soccerchica had never participated in another sport besides soccer (at the level she plays, it takes up all her time). Yesterday changed all that. Soccerchica participated in her first track meet. She place third over-all in the long jump, finished first in her heat for the 100m dash, and placed fourth overall for the 200m dash. Not too shabby for a first time out (ok, I am a little proud).

Note the cast on her left arm. That's what playing in a boys division (to allegedly get better competition, per old coach who has now been fired - long story) for indoor soccer can get you. Thursday it comes off for x-ray's and a new one goes right back on for four more weeks. Hopefully Doctor clears her for play, because it's been almost six weeks since she was in a game and is getting very anxious get on the field.

In knitting news, I worked on these while at the meet. They are The Betweener Socks with added stripes by Jaye Quadrozzi. The first pair I made in this pattern were out of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, talk about heaven to wear. My jog's, well, suck need work. But I found a super tutorial blog called TECHknitting. It provided a valuable tip to make my jog’s almost invisible. I tried the stationary jogless stripes and found that I still got a slightly visible dip. But I am enjoying the color changes and the challenge of getting the jog "just right."

Do you have a tip for knitting stripes/color changes in the round? I'd love to hear them!

Swatching For Stripes

Now comes some swatching for a striped pair of socks.

I have selected a yarn called Sublime Extra Fine Merino Wool in red current (shade 17), Dusted Grey (shade 18), and Girlie (shade 9). It is a DK weight yarn that is so soft and cushy, I just can't get enough. It was first mentioned here. This is my first foray into stripes and I am skittish about how they will turn out. I have swatched on straight needles and dpn's in the round to get the feeling of the color changes before I begin. Probably a little over-kill, but I was a Girl Scout back in the day.

After a few swatches, I found that I prefer the drape of this fabric when knitted on US 4 dpn's. The ball band calls for a needle size of US6. If I was knitting a sweater, I would likely stick with that. But I am knitting socks, so a tighter gauge is better in my book.

Send me knitting good wishes on the stripes.

Sublime Yarn and Pattern Book

Soccerchica wants the Fiery Bolero by Debbie Bliss from IK Summer, 2005 issue. But for a teenager that abuses clothing, I could not see spending $40 for yarn. So I have been in search of a dk weight cotton blend, in brown no less, for a few weeks. Still searching, so if you have any thoughts, please let me know.

Because of her request, I decided to drive over to Marshall and visit a LYS there. This shop has beautiful cotton blends that I will need to try in the future. But nothing in my price range for the bolero porject. Because I had money burning a hole in my pocket, I scored some Sublime Yarn in the Merino DK line and The Sublime Merino Hand Knit book. The yarn will become a pair of fun, striped socks with mismatched toes. I plan to knit them on US 3 or 4 size dpns to get a nice tight fabric. The gauge I am shooting for is 6.5 stitches to 1". The yarn is superbly soft to the touch. The true test being how it knits up. Colors are muted, but full (I want to use the word ripe, but don't think that would convey what I am trying to say) in a wonderful color palette.

But I am feeling the call to knit the sweater that is on the cover. It is called the big frill and you can see it here. I don't normally like stripes on clothing that most people who wander into my life will see (read: shirts, pants, etc). I especially don't like the stripes that wrap around you horizontally and if worn incorrectly, end up making me look like a circus tent. I think that the frilly sweater looks great on "the beautiful people," but will it look good on one of us everyday, "garden variety people?" Also, my usual wardrobe is filled with solids, or pieces with minimal details, very simple clean lines that fit well. So something frilly with stripes is a big leap for me. But I can't stop thinking about it. It sits on my desk, begging me to look at it, dream about it, knit it.

There are several other nice designs in this book. I think that Boo-boo would like the little retro sweat. Very stylish with the simple design at the neck. Being that he needs a new sweater for church, this one might just fit the bill.

Now, RM would look great in the little rib number. He does not wear sweaters all that much; he’s more of a vest guy. So I don’t know why I am attracted to this sweater. Though it could be that I quite enjoy looking at the man who is modeling this sweater - Oh, admit it, you think he might be a little cute too. Shhhhh, don't tell RM.

Overall, the designs in this book are simple and classic. I am growing fond of them.