FO (Antep Shawlette) and WIP (My First Socks!)

My, it’s been awhile since I posted! My last post (Dear Mom- RIP) was hard to get through. This past week has also been difficult, as I went through the memories of planning my Mom’s funeral and actually getting through that day.

To fill some of my non-working time, I finished the Secret Test – Antep Shawlette. I can’t show any pictures right now, as the pattern will be published in a book. With this pattern, I learned the Chinese Waitress Cast On, s2kp and how to add beads. The Chinese Waitress Cast On was a lot of fun to learn and I will use it in future projects. It is a bit fiddly at first; however once you get into a groove, it’s pretty simple.

When I got to the section to add my beads, I first tried the crochet hook method. I found that a lot of my beads didn’t fit on the crochet hook. I also worried that my stitch would slip off the crochet hook and I would have to frog all my work. Next, I tried the dental floss method. This was much better, as I didn’t have to worry about losing my stitches. However, I found the process of loading the bead onto the dental floss cumbersome. The ends kept getting frayed and it was very time consuming.

Thank goodness for my knitting group! They said it was painful to watch me using the dental floss 🙂 One of my fellow knitters took a string from her husband’s guitar and wrapped a large bead around one end. Then she bent the other end. This makes for an awesome bead stringer! You place your beads on the guitar string and then use the little hook created from the bent wire to pick up the stitch that needs the bead, then slide it right onto your stitch. There were no worries about losing my beads or the stitch. She very kindly let me borrow it to finish my project. Thank you, Emma!

Homemade Guitar String Beader

I’m in the process of waiting for my next test pattern, which should be here sometime today. Until then, I’ve decided to start my very first pair of socks! Sock knitting is something that has intimidated me, as I’ve never used Double Pointed Needles (DPNs). When I make my hats, I always use the magic loop method when decreasing. I purchased this beginner’s course from Ravelry, Toe Up Socks Using German Short Rows. There are plenty of youtube videos that go along with the course and I am one that learns by seeing and doing 🙂 It also seems a lot easier than other patterns I’ve seen.

The pattern calls for DK or Sport weight yarn instead of sock yarn. I’ve got my yarn (LB Collection Superwash Merino in the color Purple) divided up into two cakes, instead of knitting directly from the center pull ball. I must have miscalculated a bit as one cake is 54 grams and the other is 50 grams. No worries though, as the pattern calls for 50 grams per sock. I’ve also got my crochet chain ready. I’m ready to cast on! Wish me luck 🙂

Yarn Cakes

Happy Knitting!