Saturday, April 07, 2012

WIP's & Needles

WIP's & Needles....sounds kinda kinky doesn't it? hee hee... We all know it's not.

First...my big story of the week. I had bought a Crystal Palace size 1 circ awhile back. When I tried to use it the join was just terrible. My socks snagged on it so bad that it was an exercise in frustration to knit with.  Instead of throwing it away (because my upbringing won't let me waste anything) I put it back in my needle bag & went to HCW for an Addi Turbo size 1. Made the socks. Yay!

Fast forward to this past Monday when I started another pair of socks trying to get lots of projects lined up for my upcoming surgery. I used  the Crystal Palace needles forgetting what a pain in the ass they were. Well, after just a couple of rounds I was furious. So, I took a picture of the needles & fired off an email to CP. I was nice because that's how I am. Surprise! I got a very nice email back within 24 hrs & they said they'd send me a replacement. There had been a bad batch of needles using softer metal for the caps. Anyway, I got the new needles in the only a day or two later & cast on yesterday for socks on them. The new needles work great & you can clearly see how much thinner the metal cap is & how much tighter it fits the cable in this picture. Can you guess which needle is the new one? Thank you Andy & Crystal Palace! I truly love the needles. The cable is very pliable & it rotates which is cool.

Crystal Palace needles new & old


These are the socks. All The Math by Helena Bristow, Kroy Jacquards yarn

All The Math Socks



I love the colorway used in the Ravelry page for these socks & have found the yarn online in a couple of places.  
Seriously thinking of ordering it. I started another pair of socks last week and what's up with that because I have never been a sock knitter. I mean I've tried it a few times but it has never grabbed me. All the sudden, that's all I want to knit. Weird! Anyway, the socks I cast on last week are Sunrise Socks by Wendy D. Johnson. I am using Crystal Palace Panda Silk Print in a lovely colorway that has blues, purples and greens. I love this yarn!! It is very soft & lovely to knit with.





For good measure I'll put up pics of my progress on the Rambling Rows Afghan. I'm enjoying this knit although I don't like how the squares look at the sides where you pick up and knit.




And the Diamond Lace Scarf:




I am suffering from cabin fever today. It's going to be a long week. Recovery is boring. LOL. I have input all my needles & hooks into Ravelry database if that gives you any idea. And I'm thinking about paying some bills. Now, that's the ultimate in bored! There's only so many hours that I can knit on itty bitty needles. And why is Ravelry so slow today? Grrrrr!!