Not today

I know I've mentioned before that I intend to publish a multi-size version of the Skew sock pattern. And at least a couple of times, I've predicted in private emails or Ravelry messages that it would be available by Thanksgiving.

The bad news, obviously, is that today is Thanksgiving. And it's not ready.

While I'll openly admit I'm a procrastinator, there were three specific reasons that interfered with the release of multi-sized Skew. The first is that I personally test-knitted the adult Small size and ran into some difficulties with the fit. As a matter of personal pride, I will NOT sacrifice quality to rush this project.

The second reason is that we have been having a radical remodel done on our house: we added a second story. As a night person and light sleeper, I've found it virtually impossible to get enough rest before being woken up by the noise of hammers and air compressors and chop saws. And the stress of arguing over design decisions has been even worse. I've tried leaving the house to work at a coffee shop, but usually I found that I needed some yarn or needles I'd left at home. One time I realized that I was too tired to drive home safely. So I quickly gave that up and have been working on less mentally-demanding projects instead. Mercifully, the contractors are only a couple of weeks away from completion.

The final straw is that I've been babying a terminally ill cat this fall. We were able to suppress Callisto's symptoms at home for a while with medication, but the meds eventually ceased to be effective and we euthanized (a tremendously painful, personal family decision) and buried her yesterday. She was not our only cat, but Callisto is the one who cuddled with me while I worked, often sneaking onto my lap under the knitting-in-progress, and I miss her terribly.

Now, on the bright side, an unusual opportunity has come up to assist me in exploring the Skew sockitecture. I'm not ready to make it public yet, but it may help me provide an even wider range of Skew sock options than I had previously considered.

So if you have ever made a wish for any variant of Skew, hang in there. I haven't forgotten you.

A gear to wear

This is what happens when a knitting designer has a housemate who is a mechanical engineer:
Involute is a full-circular capelet named after the curve that forms the contact edge of gear teeth. Its lower edging consists of twenty-four teeth. The square neckline represents a gear’s square axle opening. Four “spokes” are separated by panels of Arrow Lace suggestive of rotational motion. Garter ridges and eyelets provide texture and laciness, but with an industrial feel. Even the color is reminiscent of antique brass.

This design was originally conceived in response to a call for submissions for the Sanguine Gryphon's fall steampunk pattern collection. They passed on my submission proposal, so I ordered some yarn, knit madly for several weeks, and submitted the completed Involute for the Deep Fall issue of Knitty (punch line: it was very graciously rejected by Knitty also), which meant a photo shoot in mid-July. I had a great site for the shoot-- I live just down the road from an engineering college. But I couldn't get the sample finished until the morning of the submission deadline, and it was nearly a hundred degrees that day. So here's Involute on my awesome model, as she tries not to melt. (That reminds me, I think I owe that girl some knitwear.) After a few shots with the cool rusty statuary, we hastened indoors for the rest of the photos.


I really did research the proper shape and spacing for gear teeth, so if you have two Involutes-- or in my case, one Involute and a submission swatch-- the teeth do mesh. The photo at left is the engineer's favorite.

Out of ideas for potential publishers and anxious to get Involute out into the world, I decided to self-publish, so Involute is now available for purchase through Ravelry.

Betony

Finally! Something new to share!

I was invited months ago to design a sock pattern for the August installment of Three Irish Girls' Sock Yarnista Club. Betony is now available for purchase directly from Three Irish Girls.



(I wanted to name this sock after an Irish wildflower. I apologize to my friend Steven A. who was really rooting for the name Butterwort, but I was too chicken to name a sock this pretty after a carnivorous plant. Another sock, another time, my friend!)

Betony is worked from the toe up and, although the toes aren't worked on the diagonal like Skew, they are shaped to be left- and right-footed. I'm in love with asymmetric sock toes. Not only are they more comfortable, but they also wear more evenly than symmetric toes because the strain on the big toe is eliminated.

Speaking of fit and wear, check out the arch shaping:

Unlike arch shaping on top-down socks, which places increases on the sole of the foot, toe-up arch shaping places decreases on the bottom of the foot. The double layer of stitches in a decrease is more durable than an increase. And of course they feel great snugged up into my arch.

I'm particularly happy with the heel. For a very long time, I've used a toe-up heel with the same structure and proportions as a standard top-down flap-and-gusset heel, but it involves knitting a shaped heel cup and then picking up stitches around it. Personally, I don't mind picking up stitches; but I know some people do. And most toe-up heels with short row heel cups are either way too shallow or have way too many gusset increases (but that's a rant for a whole separate post). So for a change, Betony's heel has the same proportions as my usual heel, but the cup is shaped with short rows instead of picking up stitches.

By the way, the heel flap is patterned at the sides, but I left the center of the flap plain since that area is prone to wear. However, you could certainly pattern the whole flap if you want to wear Betony with clogs.

And now for the bad news: there are a couple of errata. I've posted them to Betony's Ravelry pattern page, but I'll repeat them here.

In the Double Rivulet Rib chart, the three central columns should be (p1, k1, p1) instead of (k1, p1, k1).

In the Ribbing instructions, the Right and Left sock instructions are switched.

Strange juxtapositions

Yesterday I saw Cookie A attempt to explain the Axiom of Choice to room full of knitters. One of my life's Great Missed Photographic Opportunities was my failure to snap her picture drawing the Cantor set underneath a knitting diagram.
Demonstrating that I occasionally learn from failure, I offer you Franklin Habit wearing my Oblique fingerless gloves.

Getting carded

Okay, I think I've successfully ordered business cards to pick up later this afternoon. The hotel wireless was too slow to handle emailing a big attachment, so I had to sneakernet the file downstairs to the business center and use webmail. Let's hope it went through.

I really do need them here. Just this morning I talked to an indie dyer who would be interested in sending me some of her yarn for a Skew sockitecture-based design and an Ohio knitting guild program chair who invited me to give a workshop.