Where My Stitches At?

Have you ordered your Ravelry t-shirt yet?

We were out of town last weekend visiting the NC. Internet access was a whopping $8.95 per day in our hotel, which is too steep for this craft blogger. Surprisingly little knitting was done on the plane. Why? I've been teaching a summer school class at a local university and it's been kicking my ass. I got to grade and compile scores instead of having quality knit time. Thank goodness it is all wrapped up now! Now don't get me wrong...teaching is super fun, and the students energized me every class session with their enthusiasm and intelligence. But WOW is it exhausting. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if I weren't also working full-time at my regular job.

The one little bit of knitting that I have accomplished recently is an iPod Nano cozy for my sister-in-law (the lovely Miss Hipp). I used the leftover yarn from the Sockapalooza 4 socks and whipped up a cute little seed stitch pouch. Too bad it was half an inch too short! Grrrrr. That's what I get for thinking I could eyeball the 9 cm length. And you know how seed stitch is -- can't stretch it worth a darn.

So I started over today, this time in 2x2 rib so that it has a bit more give in either direction. Me likey so far.

Some news of my Monkey Sock Swap pal's socks (agggh! the gauge nightmare!) in my next post.

Hipp Crafts...Courtesy of Flickr

How cool is this? Spell with Flickr rocks! You put in your word, then it searches images on Flickr to spell it out for you. If you don't like one of the letters, you can click on it to pull up another random selection. It even auto-generates the html code so you can pop it into your blog...presto!

Found this link from the beautiful How about orange... blog. She's got a lot of other cool craftiness over there. So inspiring.

The Time Suck

Despite getting a Ravelry invite several months ago, I have only just recently logged on and started exploring. Oh my goodness, no wonder people rave about it. All of my internet goof-off time this week - which used to be dedicated to blogs - has been poured into setting up my Ravelry notebook and checking out what others have posted. It is amazing. If you haven't added yourself to the list for an invite yet, go do it now! You don't need to have a blog outside, just a Flickr account with photos of your knitting and your stash. Freaking great.

Before I go back to Ravelry today, I thought I'd share a few things I've been working on. (I seem to get super-crafty-productive only when I am stressed and busy with work. Anyone else experience the same thing?)

Mom's Guilt Socks - first one was completed last night, afterthought heel and all:

Child's Placket Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (made from this corrected pattern) - for a co-worker's impending baby:

I still need to close up the underarms and buy some buttons, but this thing is basically done. Super fun and super easy. It's my first seamless raglan sweater and I LOVE it. I may never go back.

If you want to visit me at Ravelry, I can be found under username "MrsHipp". Take care, y'all!

(BTW: Those of you in So Cal - did you feel the earthquake a few minutes ago?!?)

Monkey Sock Swap

Sockapalooza 4 was so much fun that I signed up for another sock swap. This one is all about Monkeys!

This sock swap has a few rules: You knit some Monkeys for your pal, add in three monkey-themed gifts, some sock yarn, and a Cookie A pattern (she designed the Monkeys and has lots of other beautiful designs). It's going to be fun to work out the specifics to meet these rules.

If you want to sign up, head over to the Monkey Sock Swap blog and contact Rebecca. Sign ups are through August 31st, so hurry!

As part of my enrollment, I need to answer some questions on my blog. Getting these answers ready has made me totally excited about this swap. I can wait to get my pal and start working on some Monkeys!

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? An intermediate, although I still have a lot to learn about knitting socks.

The measurements:
Shoe size = U.S. ladies 9
Foot circumference = 9 inches
Foot length = 10 inches

Yarn preferences:
What colors do you love? Blue, green, teal...but really, any color will make me happy
Do you prefer solids or variegated? Variegated!
Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? Wool, superwash would be great
What colors would you never wear? There is no sock color that I would never wear!
What are your favorite brands of yarn? Koigu, Regia, Lorna's Laces
Are there any new brands you would like to try? Trekking, Woolmeise, Yarntini, and Louet Gems all look pretty interesting

Cookie A. patterns:
Which of her patterns have you already knit? None
Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don't already own? Rhiannon, Flicker

Other pertinent information:
Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the U.S.? International is fine
Do you have any allergies? None that I know of
Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals? It is definitely exposed to two cats, there is no smoking in this house
Are you on Ravelry yet? If you don't mind having new firends, what is your Ravelry name? MrsHipp, but I haven't had a chance to really use it yet; that's one of my knitterly goals for this weekend.

Thanks, Rebecca, for organizing this swap!

Another Revamp

I was feeling the itch to re-do the colors on my blog. It was time to feel something light and fresh. So I picked a new template, selected a cool gray color scheme, and simplified the header with a close up of this:



Lovely yummy scrumptious stick your face in the softness Malabrigo in the kettle-dyed azul profundo (deep blue) colorway. The wound yarn cakes were sitting on my coffee table for ages, like a lovely piece of sculpture or dreamy photo book.

The gift certificate I got to purchase Wick yarn for Mom's Guilt Socks was generous enough to include four skeins of this Malabrigo. This is my first extended Malabrigo experience (more than just petting it at the yarn store) and now I know what all the hype is about. I haven't settled on what to make with it yet... at just over 800 yards, I think it would be a bit short for a sweater. Maybe a snuggly vest? Or a hat, scarf, and mittens set? But really, who cares -- even unknit this stuff is great.

Speaking of Mom's Guilt Socks, they are on the needles and progressing nicely. I'm doing them toe-up and am going to try an afterthought heel, partly because I want to see what it's like and partly to allow them to be easily repaired if need be.

Enjoy the new look (we'll see how long it lasts) and if you have some Malabrigo laying around he house, give it a good squeeze for me.

The Sock Karma Really is Reversed

You may remember that I debated between two different yarns in my stash in making my Sockapalooza 4 pal's socks. One I had in great quantities, the other I received from an almost sock pal in Sockapalooza 3. I decided to go with the almost pal's yarn, not only because it is yummy and would be fun to knit with, but also because I had (small) hopes of reversing any bad sock knitting karma that might be attached to them. Not to get all Pollyanna on you, but I really wanted to make lemonade out of these lemons.

Well folks, the karma is officially reversed.


Not only did I get an amazing package from my official sock pal for this year - Katrina at Here in Topeka - but I also got a package from a sock savior!

The lovely Sarah at Yoshimi Knits made a whole second pair of socks for Sockapalooza 4. That's right, she had a regular sock pal to knit for, but also volunteered to also be a sock savior for some poor soul (me!) who didn't get socks in the last round. That's so freaking nice.

The socks themselves are totally awesome - screaming bright green and they fit like a dream. I actually had socks in this same color in high school and college that I literally wore to death. They finally disintegrated and were sent to hole-y sock heaven. I loved them so much because the brightness would peep out between my Birkenstock clogs and the hem of may pants to make me happy.

They're full of truly beautiful details, too. The toes are shaped asymmetrically to match the curve of one's toes. That means I have a definite left and right sock! So cool. And the raised knit stitches from the leg and foot extend onto the toe and the heel:



Sarah also sent the leftover yarn - enough to make a second pair if I wanted, or maybe some matching fingerless gloves? - and some English body lotion and foot scrub. I am so pampered!

Thanks, Sarah, for your kindness. I love the socks and am totally inspired by your willingness to be a sock savior. You've proved that bad sock karma really can be reversed!

Crafty Friends are Awesome

Anita and I met during our first year at UCLA. We lived on the same floor in the residence halls and went through so many of life's firsts together...first time living away from home, first college classes, first "real" boyfriends, first Spring Break road trip. Together with Belinda and Shannon (and sometimes L - what ever happened to her?) we formed a pack of loud, laughing, silly girls, who watched "Golden Girls", studied to the wee hours of the night, shared acne-fighting secrets, created innumerable inside jokes, and eventually figured out what it means to be young women.

Anita, recently gave me this knitterly t-shirt. She saw it and knew that the super-geek knitter in me would totally love it. How great is this shirt?


And how great is it to have friend who totally gets what it means to love crafting so much that you would want it emblazoned it across your chest? I love it. L-O-V-E it.

BTW - The necklace I'm wearing the picture was made by Anita. She creates beautiful jewelry hat she sometimes sells but often gives to loved ones (yet another perk of having crafty friends - crafty gifts!). She blogs about everything new and fashionable at Anita Stylist. Go check out her blog - you will be way cooler for doing it. Promise.

WOW and THANK YOU!

Thursday started out as a yucky day. I felt ill all morning, and was in a mood to match. So I made use of sick leave and went home to rest and recuperate.

But guess what was waiting on my doorstep to brighten my mood? My Sockapalooza socks arrived!


There were so many treasures inside, I was struck wordless for several minutes. Mr. Hipp was home as well, and all he heard was shrieks, gasps, and giggles.


My sock pal - Katrina at Here in Topeka - was amazingly generous. The package and lovely note were full of sweet thoughtfulness. Katrina really made an effort to personalize this package for me and I am so grateful for it. It made me feel much better after my yucky morning!

The socks were packaged in a super-cute Sockapalooza-themed bag made by The Knitting Ewe On The Go (it is the perfect size to be a project bag for a sock-in-progress). And the socks themselves - wow. They are made from Sunshine Yarns superwash merino wool in the Tulips colorway. She made them from the Conwy pattern in Knitting on the Road because she saw that I had been to Conwy during my trip to Wales and Ireland last year and had fond memories of the place.

The photos of the socks here are of them drying on sock blockers today. That's because my camera conked out after I took the photos of the package and before I could get photos of them on my feet. I wore them during my feel-better nap on Thursday afternoon, and then all day at work on Friday (the fit is perfect!), so I figured I should wash them before showing you Katrina's beautiful handiwork. I got my camera running again today, so here are two closeups - they really don't do the socks justice, but hopefully you can get the idea of how much she spoiled me with these.


There was also whole skein of Sunshine Yarns sock yarn in Fiesta - love the bright colors - because she saw that I am a yarn diet and thought I might like something new to play with. (So sweet!) It also came with a copy of Knitting on the Road, which I have been drooling after for ages, so now I have the Conwy pattern she used to make my socks, plus a whole bunch more! Socks made from these patterns are all over the internet and look like a great way for me to learn some new techniques. I've already marked the Denmark socks for Mr. Hipp, who studied there while in college.

And I have no idea how Katrina managed this, but the book is SIGNED by the AUTHOR HERSELF! That's right, Nancy Bush put a note in there just for me! Here's another peek at the socks, too.


But that's not all...Katrina also met famous knitter/writer The Yarn Harlot and took a picture of her holding my socks-in-progress! And - I think this is so cool - Katrina entered these socks in the Washington County (Oregon) Fair and won first place in the cabled socks division. OMG - my socks are not only touched by fame and greatness, they are also prize-winners!


Check out Katrina's blog for more details on the story behind these socks and news from the life of this truly wonderful woman.

Thanks, Katrina, for transforming my Thursday from totally yucky to one of the coolest days ever!

(BTW - the socks I made for my pal arrived too! Check out Hippezippe for the results, as well as pictures of her many hand-knit socks. She must be the most prolific sock knitter in Europe!)

The Big Send Off

The Sockapalooza 4 socks are on their way to their new owner in a far-off land. Once I get the news that my sock pal has received her socks, I can spill the beans about who she is. Wait until you see her knitting blog! She is an amazing and prolific sock knitter!


I made sure to give the socks a good washing before wrapping them up. The tag for this yarn suggests adding a bit of vinegar when washing. I had never done this before, so when Roxanne at Zen Yarn Garden left a comment here, I took the opportunity to ask her what the vinegar is all about. She wrote back right away, with this great info:

I suggest just a dab of vinegar in cool water for the first wash...it helps to preserve colour a wee bit. If the colour runs a bit, don't worry, it's just a little excess coming out like a new pair of jeans - it's to be expected with dyed yarns. My dyeing process helps with colourfastness and I have rinsed them quite well before you get the yarns too. Just a dab will do you...it's an old trick with colours - a little vinegar in the wash just keeps the colours a little longer.

Thanks, Roxanne! I just got a bottle of lavender-scented, no-rinse, Eucalan wool wash. (Visit their site to get a sample!) So I filled the bathroom sink with water and added one cap-full each of Eucalan and white vinegar. The vinegar really did do the trick -- minimal bleeding! I was a little worried that the vinegar smell would remain which, given that these are supposed to be worn on FEET, would not be a good thing; but I took a good sniff after they dried an it's all good.

As a little treat for my sock pal, I packed the socks into this charming lunch bag.


The hand knit wool socks look like such an anachronism against the thermal silver lining of the lunch bag; but I guess that the anachronistic nature of hand-knits is what makes the craft so popular today, and why it lends itself so well to blogging. Combining an old craft with new technology brings a very calming source of balance.


I didn't finish up my trail of notes to ensure that sock #2 is identical to sock #1, so here you go:

• After finishing the heel, start back in the pattern for the leg
• Knit 58 rows in the pattern so that you get 29 little eyelet thingies; end with row 2 of the pattern
• Cut yarn for main color, leaving enough tail for weaving in later
  
• Switch to the contrast color and, using size US6 needles, purl all stitches for 2 rounds
• Switch back to US 4 needles and begin knit1 purl 1 ribbing, do 14 rows of ribbing
  
• Use this method to create a stretchy bound off edge; pull the cuff wide after every 2 stitches are bound off to make sure it's not too tight
• Weave in all ends
  

With all the excitement of making these socks for my sock pal, I almost forgot that I can expect a pair of socks to arrive on my doorstep as well. (Giving really is as good as receiving.) I can't wait for my own Sockapalooza 4 socks to arrive!

Have a great week!

Sockapalooza 4 Socks are DONE!

Yay! They're done! And my new sock blockers arrived just in time to model them. The socks still need to be washed and blocked for real, but I was so excited that I had to post them right away.

There are still a lot of leftovers from the Raspberry Chocolate yarn that is the main color of the socks. How much? I don't know...like fist size when it's scrunched up? Very scientific, I know. See, I never weigh or measure my yarn so I have no clue what I have. I leave that sort of thing to the more organized and anal amongst us. I have to be organized and anal at work, so I save energy by letting my crafts be controlled by fate, luck, and happenstance. A little heartache with unsuccessful projects now and then is worth the freedom of crafting laziness.

Some of the yarn will get wound off to send to my Sock Pal -- along with the leftovers of the green/brown used for the toes, heels, and cuffs -- to fix any holes that might arise after what I hope will be many wearings.

But what to do with the rest? My sister-in-law would really like some little footlets from this yarn, but there's a chance it won't be enough yardage. I think I'll go ahead and take the risk -- use bigger needles, plain stockinette, and live dangerously!

HP in the House

We got one copy of the book just after midnight on Friday evening. A 15 minute drive seemed waaaaaay too long to wait to crack it open, so I had Mr. Hipp read it aloud to me as I drove home.
We finished at 10pm (me) and 11pm (Mr. Hipp) last night. An excellent read indeed! I am sad to think that it is the end of the Harry Potter saga, but at least I have the movies to look forward to.

Speaking of which, have you see the latest movie in IMAX? We saw it before picking up the book on Friday. The final fight scenes are in 3D!

Sockapalooza 4 socks are nearly done and are simply scrumptious, and my order from Halcyon Yarn arrived. That means Mom's Guilt Socks will be on the needles soon!

Southern California Knitting

I was able to make considerable progress on my Sockapalooza 4 socks while the in-laws were in town. After making the toe of sock #2 at the Getty Center, I took out the knitting again to work on the foot while chillin' by the pool. A poolside seat, a sarong, and a flip flop to hold open a Harry Potter book so my hands are free for knitting. What else could a So Cal knitter want? Oh man, I love summer.

More Hipps Than You Can Shake a Stick (or a Needle) At

The Hipp parents and sister were in town last week. We had a great time with them and got to see some things around Southern California that have been on our to-do list for ages.

We all did a 5K walk/run to celebrate the 4th of July. I finished somewhere between 33 and 38 minutes (I didn't time myself exactly); not bad for someone who sits all day at work, then sits at home knitting (or reading blogs) afterwards. We spent some time hanging out on the beach, playing golf, and eating like there's no tomorrow. It was a great vacation and one I sorely needed after an endless parade of outbreaks at work.

Some time was taken from the general gluttony to visit the Getty Center and my dear alma mater, UCLA (go Bruins!). The Getty Center rocks. It is breathtakingly beautiful. But make sure you bring sunglasses...that white travertine is bright with a capital B.



I pulled a tendon in my foot during the 5K, so after hobbling through the Getty architectural tour and a few exhibits, I skipped the garden tour (sigh), propped my foot on a chair, and set a spell by a fountain to knit. I managed to complete the toe finished on sock #2 for my Sockapalooza 4 pal before feeling ready to limp to some fine art.

Yup, that means sock #1 is done! I ended up redoing the entire cuff in 1X1 rib; I think it will help hold the sock up a little better. Linda at Happy Sticks commented that her Roza Socks don't stay up as well as she would like, so I wanted to give it a little extra lift. Does 1X1 rib grip better than 3X3 rib? I'm not totally sure, but it seems like it would.


UCLA was more beautiful than I remembered. Much of the construction that was ongoing during my time there is complete. Powell Library was getting retrofitted for earthquake protection during my first year, and we had a temporary tent-like library that was christened the Towell (temporary Powell, get it?). When Powell was finished, it became a good place to study and, thanks to the cushy leather chairs and hidden desks in the book stacks, a good place to take a nap between classes.


My foot still hurt, but I had such fun poking around North Campus that I barely had time to defend myself against the Bruin Bear that tried to attack me.

I survived. But just barely. I used my knitting needles to poke it in the eye. It's back to work for me. Have a great week!

Comment Spam is Poop

For a blog that gets less than 10 hits a day - most of them from Mr. Hipp - I never thought Hipp Crafts would be the victim of comment spam. For those who don't know, it is similar to the spam you get in your email, but left in comments of posts. To avoid this sort of thing in the future, I've added a word verification feature to commenting. You will need to type in the distorted word that you see before the comment will be published. I really hope that this is not a deterrent to commenters, because I love seeing the feedback! Thanks for your patience. We will now return to our regular programming.

Guilt Socks

My mom seems to think that these Sockapalooza 4 socks are going to make their way to her someday. She has been leaving comments admiring the colors, wondering if the socks will fit a size 9 (happens to be her shoe size), and blatantly saying that she would take them as hand-me-downs. Sorry, Mom, these are for a sock exchange and will be sent to a sock knitter in a far off land!

But then I saw on Grumperina's blog that there is a yarn that wicks sweat away from your feet, and it's worsted weight for quick knitting. I knew the knitting cosmos was telling me "Knit a freaking pair of socks for your mom already!". See, Mom's a big hiker, and keeping sweat away from your feet while hiking is key to avoiding blisters. With fatty yarn, even I should be able to finish a pair of socks in a reasonable length of time, and the result will have the thickness as regular hiking socks.

I dropped a little email to my mom, indicating that if someone wanted to get me 2-3 balls of this cool wicking yarn, I could maybe be convinced to knit up a quick pair. (Mom's not the only one who can drop an obvious hint.)

Four days later, I got a gift certificate to Halcyon Yarn. And what do you know...they sell Wick!


Yarn diet maintained? Check. Mom looking forward to cool wicking hiking socks? Check. I can't back off now, especially after never finishing her Scholar Collar scarf (oops).

Grrrrr!

The top ribbing is done. Looks great, but the bind off is too tight. I can't even get it onto my foot! Grrrrrr!


I wanted to do a regular bind off for a nice tidy edge. The rest of the sock is knit on US4 (3.5mm) needles, so using US8 (5mm) to bind off should be loose enough, right? Wrong. Double grrrrrr. The next 30 minutes of my life will be spent carefully ripping out the bind off and redoing it in the stretchier, but less tidy, sewn bind off.

At least the yarn is still fun to work with. No pooling at 42 stitches to the round -- love!

Mammoth Lakes

It's been a long time since I posted anything but Sockapalooza 4 activity, but I think my recent trip to Mammoth Lakes deserves a special viewing.

There is still snow on the mountains in June!

The six hour drive was made bearable by my iPod and the promise of knitting (that's yarn in the plastic bag). Podcasts of "This American Life" turn any long drive into a treat. I had six hour-long episodes loaded on my iPod and listened to them all! I love you, Ira Glass, you and your smug little liberal smart-mouth attitude and your radio show that makes me alternate between raucous giggles and pensive quiet.


The moments of pensive quiet did not last for long, thanks in part to this winner...

His mother must be so proud!

I was spoiled with a fruit smoothie upon arrival at my brother's campsite. My brother 1) likes toys with engines, and 2) does not believe in doing anything half-way. Here he is whipping up the smoothie using a gas-powered blender. Yes, those handles on the sides rev up the blender and make it go vroom vroom! I am pleasantly surprised to report that the gasoline power did not affect the smoothie taste one bit.


My future sister-in-law modeled another one of the toys with engines that they brought along.


After polishing off my smoothie, I opted for non-gasoline-powered fun: handknit socks and a pair of hiking shoes.

These socks were sort of my first pair ever. I made the first one as practice before launching into my first ever socks for Sockapalooza 3 last year. The second one came along after I finished my pal's pair.

My little hike took me up and over a small ridge. The view was spectacular. If you have never seen the Sierra Nevadas in real life, you must add this area to your list of places to visit before you die. It will be worth it. Promise!


I'm approaching the end of sock #1 for my Sock Pal. That means next post will be back to the Knitting Channel. Have a great week!

Goal: Matching Socks, Gusset and Heel

My Sockapalooza socks managed to survive their weekend alone, abandoned underneath my desk at work. Here is I how I found them on Monday, huddled against an empty cardboard box and near some old sneakers.

I leave the sneakers under m desk in case I decide to go for a walk on my breaks. But what do I end up doing on breaks instead? That's right, knitting. At least my brain and fingers are getting exercise.

Time to remember what craziness I did to cobble together a gusset and heel:

• For the foot - Knit in pattern as established until time for gusset increases (19 eyelets from the toe, or 38 rows of the pattern after the toe).
  
• For the gusset - Increase two stitches on alternate rows as follows: On first needle (instep side), knit row 1 of pattern, knit through the front and back (ktfb) of last stitch (the 3rd stitch in a set of 3 knit stitches). Increases done this way look like a knit and purl stitch next to one another. On the second needle (sole side), knit to the stitch that was the ending purl stitch on the prior row, ktfb of it. Gusset increases will always be when you do row 1 of the pattern on the instep.
• Continue in this way until 16 stitches have been added (8 on each side of the instep).
• Do one more non-increasing round after the last round of increases.
• Knit in pattern across needle 1. On needle 2, purl 1.
• Switch to contrast color. Make heel as described in this tutorial. Use 7 stitches for the heel flap, making 14 rows so that you get 7 stitches on each side to pick up for the back of the heel.
  
• Follow heel tutorial until all of the gusset stitches have been incorporated into the heel.
• NOTE: instead of ssk, do slip 1 knitwise slip 1 purlwise, slip both stitches back to the left needle, knit both stitches together through the back loops. Doing the decreases this way seems to make th stitches lie better than a regular ssk.
  
• End heel with a wrong-side row (purling). Turn and pick up main color. Knit 2 together, knit along back side of the heel to the last 2 stitches, knit 2 together.
• Continue to front of sock in pattern (this should be row 2 of pattern). On needle 2 (heel side), p3k3 across ending with p3.
  
• Start using pattern all the way around sock to make the leg.

My sock pal's foot is a size smaller and quite a bit narrower than mine. These socks fit a uncomfortably tight on me so I think they should fit my sock pal perfectly. Ah, ribbed patterns are so forgiving!