Sensitive Man

Good morning! I'm just raising my head from a hurried breakfast of blueberries and tea to let you know the reason I haven't been blogging lately.

I have a very sick young dog at home, and anyone who has ever had a dog going through chemotherapy will know that it's a full time nursing job. I don't at all mind taking care of him day and night, giving him his meds every hour, and sleeping on the couch near his bed to be on hand as crises arise - not at all. But at the same time, I'm trying to keep up with a full time job and two part time jobs as well as other personal and family matters. All the dog chemotherapy centers are out of state or on the border with another state, so that means lots of driving - lots and lots of driving = several times a week. 

All of this means there is no time left for blogging. I miss it! But this is important and needs to come first. 

This pre-illness photo shows the dear Teddy (whose real name is Percival) - definitely one of the most sensitive men in our house. 

Sensitive Man Socks

I just entered my pattern for the Sensitive Man Socks into my pattern store on Ravelry! Thanks to Lynne for encouraging me to finally write up my notes. :)

sensitive men and their socks

I finally finished the first Sensitive Man sock!



It turned out just as I had envisioned it and is soft and cushy and comfy. As planned, it hugs the foot to minimize irritation that happens when loose handknit socks slosh around inside shoes. I immediately cast on for the second sock, using my easy-peasy Sophietoes method for toe-up socks. (This is smoothest DPN cast-on I've ever found and I created it quite by accident, when I couldn't remember how to do a complicated toe-up cast on that I'd been using...)

Another thing I like about these Sensitive Man socks is that there are no bulky seams or transitions - they're all nicely smooth inside.

All the sensitive men in my life like these socks:

The Sensitive Man

I'm nearing the finish of my new design, The Sensitive Man socks. This is more of the Panda Silk yarn - it just feels so good, both to knit and to wear.



The picture shows this big man's sock on my little sock blocker, so it's not really stretched neatly or anything, but you can begin to see where I'm headed with this. In addition to using a yarn that's amazingly soft on the foot, I've creating a shape that hugs the arch of the foot so there won't be any shifting around that could cause blisters. There's a simple smooth stitch for both the foot and the heel and a calf-hugging rib on the leg. All in all, I think this will keep Brodie's sensitive feet feeling nice and cosy!

In other news, I received my July shipment of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club yarn...Goody Goody.

WARNING: SPOILER BELOW!!!
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Ta Da!!!! "Goody Goody" (It looks like Sweet Tarts to me, or Sherbert Fizz, or Gumdrops, or those Candy Necklaces...)







There is a fair amount of controversy about this month's colourway. Some people are calling it "pastel" and some don't like pastels....others see it as a sweet progression from light to darker shades and have fallen in love with it. I'm wondering how it would stripe if I used a plain stockinette stitch with it? The colours in my particular skein are clear and bright and would look lovely as a rainbow bright kind of stripe...

Only Time will tell. I have so many designs on the needles and hooks right now, I can't keep up! :)

more than once in a blue moon...

It seems like all I'm doing is flashing my stash enhancement, but I can state most definitely that I am designing and knitting! I've just caught the Blue Moon Fiber Arts bug and want every single colourway they have!



From left to right, they are: Calico, Smokey Topaz, Socktopus, and Rocky Horror.

These skeins came from Purlescense, a yarn shop in California. I heard (the wonders of Ravelry) that they had some colours that aren't currently on the BMFA website, and had to call them. They were very very very nice, and beforeyou know it these lovely yarns were right beside me, all the way across the country!

I've joined the Ravelympics for Team Blue Moon and plan to use the Smokey Topaz for a little lace shoulder triangle or scarf.

As for actual knitting, I'm designing another pair of silk socks, this time for a man, called Sensitive Man Socks. My sister's bf has really sensitive feet and I'm making these socks to deal with all those things that can make sock-wearing a comfy experience, rather than the opposite: a soft yarn, a stitch without bumps, a clingy arch, and a snug cuff. There're almost ready to photograph, so you'll see them very soon! :)