OK, no major problems so far...

I have now started my first Firestarter! I bought some lovely sockyarn from Wollmeise and first out is a pair of Firestarter in "Granatapfel". The pattern looks great in this color but I'm very sorry that it doesn't show in the pictures. The light in Sweden is very weak, if not totally absent, this time of year. Last weekend the sun, after two weeks absence, finally shone from the sky. I run home and tried to capture the sock in a picture... Hm, not my best attempt but it's still a proof that I have joined this Sock-A-Long!!!

I can't believe they are finally done! yay!

It seems to have been forever but I'm happy to report my knee high Firestarters are done.

Some what details on my blog. This pattern was a challenge and I'm so happy that I was able to get through it. Thanks to everyone for posting tips and tricks. I think I would've gone crazy without ya'll. :)

finished! yippee!

They're done! And I love them, but I don't get to keep them. I've been called in as an emergency Secret Pal, and I just happened to be finishing up this pair of socks, so they're bound for beautiful Sweden. I hope she likes them, I sure do. Enough to make a second pair, very soon.

Le Sacre du Printemps

Le Sacre du Printemps (Firestarter)
Originally uploaded by elemmaciltur

Start: 23rd September 2007, frogged and restarted 3rd October 2007
Finish: WIP, 1st side on 07th January 2008
Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Sockenwolle, colourway "Bob"
Needle: 2.5 mm / 80 cm Addi Turbos
Pattern: Firestarter by Yarnissima via The Loopy Ewe
Modifications: I needed to modify the stitches to make it fit my foot. 72 stitches instead of the 60 stitches from the pattern and one extra cable repeat before the gusset increase as well as extra cable repeats on the leg. I also used the Judy Magic Cast-On instead of the provisional CO as well as EZ's sewn bind-off instead of doubling the yarn and do a normal bind-off.

Yeah!! One down and one to go. I LOVE this sock. It has been a bumpy road getting the first one done. I hope that the twin will go better.

The sock is a perfect fit. I decided to learn a new technique and used Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind-off instead and I have to say that I like the look and feel of it very much.

As to the name, I was trying on the sock last night when I finished it and the colour combination and the pattern name suddenly reminded me of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps in French). I think that the name suits it very well than just calling it "Bob the Firestarter".

Woot!

She received it & loves it!! (And it even fits!) I'm so glad I did this sock for her; can't wait to get back to my own, but it will probably be at least a month.

Firestarter: It's a heel!!!

Firestarter: It's a heel!!!
Originally uploaded by elemmaciltur

Finally, I managed to fix the mess and successfully re-knit the heel-flap.

Now to the leg and the cuff...

...then there's the twin. ;-)

Fixing the Firestarter, vers. 74234589

Fixing the Firestarter, vers. 74234589
Originally uploaded by elemmaciltur

WARNING: Do NOT read the entry if you're easily offended by the F-word....

ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!

After I fucked up my Mystic Waters (still too painful to even take a photo) last week, I took time off knitting anything more complicated than a Koolhaas until yesterday when I decided to pick up my Firestarter again and knit on it. I left it off when I finished the gusset increase. I needed to make the heel extension and turn the heel and make the heel-flap then it should be smooth sailing from there.

No.

I promptly dropped some stitches while picking up the wraps from the heel-turn. I put it away, drank a glass of Port and ate some chocolate. When the alcohol was gone, I ripped it back out (thank goodness I put in a lifeline), picked up the stitches with difficulty and re-started the last 6 rows of gusset increase and then re-knit the heel extension and turned the heel successfully.

That was 3 a.m. this morning.

Now that I picked it up and was going along the heel flap carefully, I managed to dropped a fucking stitch where I was supposed to be picking up the gusset stitches together (p2tog and then turn the work at the gusset). Of course, things had to run and I couldn't fix it (I don't even know how to explain it...the p2tog's from 3 rows below came undone and it's just a fucking mess)....

...yeah, I was holding the scissors against the whole damned thing already.

I counted to 50 (yes, it took that much) and frogged it back to when I started the heel extension (I had already pulled out the lifeline last night before going to bed - yeah, spank me) and have carefully picked up the stitches...first with the knitting needle and now I just threaded the waste-yarn through.

I'm going to call it a day...because I can't deal with this freaking thing right now...lest I might have to say: "R.I.P., dear Firestarter".....and then really set fire to it.

(Sorry about the F-words here, but you can guess how frustrated I am right now.)