Interviews and Reviews
Ch-ch-ch-changes
No, it’s not going to be fine, change is never fine. They say it is, but it’s not. -Dr. Sheldon Cooper
I am not great at trying new things. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I get really attached to the stuff I already have. Case and point: I am STILL mourning the loss of Leverage
They were just too pretty to turn down, so I decided to just go crazy. New yarn, new needles, new pattern, and a new city (I know, right? I live on the edge). A while back we had the fabulous Cathy Carron on the podcast to talk about her new book Happy Feet
http://instagram.com/p/kz252hiZkB/
I decided on “Getting Ziggy” for my pattern, and set out to knit the first sock with the Dreamz and the second with Nova so I could compare and contrast the experience. The Charlemont yarn is a mulberry silk and really a treat to work with. What could be more decadent than silk socks? It didn’t disappoint. It’s got a little more “springiness” than you usually find in silk and I hardly even made a dent in the 2 skeins, so I’ll get to enjoy 2 or 3 more pairs of socks from it before I run out.
With no further ado here is my cross country sock journey as told by Instagram:
http://instagram.com/p/niHr2bCZmR/
Casting on with the Dreamz needles at PHL.
http://instagram.com/p/ni2Bf7CZmA/
Nearly to the heel by PHX.
http://instagram.com/p/nqU3NkiZiP/
Adding a heel in Reno and really loving Cathy Carron’s sock pattern.
http://instagram.com/p/nwFUshCZlT/
Casting on the second sock with the Nova Cubics. Such a change from the Dreamz, but I liked it.
http://instagram.com/p/nzJ3LaCZtv/
The pattern was definitely a fun challenge. The book listed it as intermediate, but I would classify it as an advanced skill level sock due to the colorwork in the round and an afterthought heel (another first for me!). I really enjoyed it. It was perfect for travel as it was challenging enough to keep me engaged while taking up very little space in my carry on.
Here are the socks, blocking on my new Knitters Pride Astra Sock Blockers
http://instagram.com/p/n6uJZaCZgI/
Dreamz needles
I have to admit though, I really did like the Nova’s. They have a metallic scent, which I’m gonna call “the new needle smell” that went away by the second time I used them. I really like the wooden cubics Knitters Pride has and the metal ones brought everything I like about them to the table, along with even more durability (I couldn’t snap these if I tried!). The needles are much lighter than they look, and they warm up really nicely in your hands. What ultimately sold me on them as my new goto sock needles was the speed. I easily did the second sock in about 2/3 the time it took to do the first. The yarn glides down the brass and the end result was super smooth and quick knitting.
I’m really glad I took the plunge and tried out some new things despite my dislike of change.
If you haven’t checked out Happy Feet, go get yourself a copy now. If I had the time, I’d make every pattern in it. And if you haven’t tried them, I highly recommend the Novas. I wish I had been using them all along.
Mr Llama: Embrace the change, my love.
Me: No! I shan’t! My darling Mr. Llama, it is all too much!
Mr. Llama: Dearest wife, you must. After all, if they hadn’t cancelled Leverage then Christian Kane wouldn’t be available to be The Librarian.
Me: …
~Megan-Anne
I want to “vacation knit” all the time…
Love the socks, the yarn, and the needles. How can you knit a pair of socks so quickly? I’m truly impressed. You’re a wiz!
Thanks! It’s amazing how much you can get done in airports/on planes when there is nothing else to do. I like sock knitting for travel because it takes up very little space and TSA doesn’t get cranky about sock needles ;)
OMGOMGOMG!! THEY’RE MAKING A TV SHOW TO CONTINUE THE LIBRARIAN MOVIES?!? OMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!
*ahem*
Those socks look amazing. That yarn looks decadently divine. Thank you for sharing.
And thank you for making me aware of the coming show The Librarians. I don’t really watch tv much anymore so I often miss out on these things.
<3<3
I know right?! I had the same reaction. It’s going to star Christian Kane and rumor has it that Noah Wiley will make guest appearances :D
Not a rumor! After I read it here, I did some digging. Apparently, the first official trailer is out!
http://www.tntdrama.com/series/the-librarians/
That’s magical.
Curious to know if your gauge was different, between wooden and metal, and round and square needles.
I can’t use the Addi brass colored needles; they react with my skin and smell metallic. I wonder how the Cubics would do? I bought a circular during the Rose City Yarn Crawl, so I guess I should take them for a test run and find out!
I’m going to try not to nerd out too hard with my answer. ;)
I find that my gauge is somewhat tighter on wooden needles than metal ones. I think this is probably because the static friction between fibers and wood is greater than that of fibers and metal, so the needle “grabs onto” the yarn harder when the needle is made of wood. So when you apply force on the yarn in the stitch it grabs the needle and stays tight, while on a metal needle the stitch will relax a little as you move onto the next stitch. Normally this won’t matter because most people make both socks with the same needles. I accounted for this when making the socks pictured and knit the first one slightly looser than my normal stitch so that it would match the second one (made on the brass novas).
I haven’t found any gauge difference between round and square needles, and I do like the cubics for socks because I don’t tend to get as much of a tension issue between my DPNs (this goes away in blocking of course, but it’s nice not to have it at all). This could be the result of how I hold them, and it might be the change in tension force on the yarn between round edge and right angle.
As for the metallic scent, I actually sort of liked the new needle smell, but I can see how not everyone would. It went away after using them for about an hour.
Hope that answered your question!
Leverage. ::*sigh*:: I just got done streaming it from Netflix so I could watch it again. ::*sniff*:: I love that show. Imagine my extreme pleasure to see that they’re putting Christian Kane in The Librarians! I want them to make a Leverage 2… they totally left an opening for it. Of course, since Kane’s now going to be in The Librarians that might be difficult. But still. Want Leverage 2.
Oh, and the socks are gorgeous. That purple yarn is absolutely scrumptious, and I think I may have to acquire some in the near-ish future.
Question about the book – are the patterns all top down? I’m a toe-up knitter, and really do prefer my patterns that way. I’m working on converting patterns from top down to toe up, but it’s headache inducing sometimes.
I was pulling for a leverage movie :)
The patterns in the book have a little of everything. There’s some toe up, mostly top down, and a wide variety of heels. I’m a toe up knitter too, but I knit this one top down according the instructions, and it was a nice change. I wouldn’t go top down a lot but I enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone on this one. Cathy’s book was designed to have a little something for every type of sock knitter. I don’t have it in front of me now, but later I can go through and count how many are toe up and let you know.
A Leverage movie would be great!
As for going through the book, that would be great! It would help me decide whether or not I want to spend the money on it to begin with. :)
Have the needles but where did you get the storage case! Would love it for my DPN’s
The case came with the needles. If you want a dpn case recommendation though, I have the octopus case by madbird, and I really like it. It buttons instead of tying, and has great big octopi on it which is just delightful. And it holds A LOT. :)
Pingback: Free Stuff: Knitter’s Pride | Lattes and Llamas
Pingback: Heathen | Lattes and Llamas