Flint Knits

On the Marigold pattern, the bottom of page 2 should read, “continuing in stockinette on 32 31 stitches of the back of the leg.”

Thanks to Trixie Stix for catching the error!

Hi all! Still settling back in Michigan, so not much knitting to report.But the Marigold pattern is done and ready for downloading. Get it now!

BIG, BIG THANK YOUs to Jody for the fancy professional-looking lace chart, and to Minty for some serious editing assistance. You guys are awesome. Awesome, I say.

So enjoy my first Flint Knits original socks! Please let me know if you find errors, or parts that aren’t quite clear, or if you have any questions. And, of course, please let me know if you actually knit them!

The flower photos belong to other Flickr folks. Please click for details.

Stayed up last night to finish these, listening to music and munching on popcorn in bed. Is there anything better?

The pattern was really inspired by the yarn (Fleece Artist merino sock in Saffron), which brought to mind the marigolds in my family’s old garden — as a kid, pulling out the seeds in the Fall (to be planted again the following Spring) was one of my favorite household chores.

I also love that this color evokes both Spring (see above) and Fall (see below),
my two favorite seasons.

And the pattern is on its way — my first sock pattern! Terribly exciting.

Just got a $1700 car repair bill (despair!), but I also just finished grading (euphoria) and am sitting in a cafe in San Francisco (bliss), where I’m visiting to celebrate my oldest and dearest BFF’s 30th birthday (perfect). So things are balancing out. Kind of.

The birthday girl, whom I’ve known since we were wee first-graders, is a fan of smocks. So I made her a birthday smock:

I’ve realized that I really enjoy sewing. In June when I get back to Michigan and have more space for it, I’m going to indulge the quilting bug more thoroughly. How could I not, with inspiration like this and this haunting my Bloglines?

Yesterday afternoon, I had a fabulous meet up with Angela/YaiAnn at Imagiknit where, after much debate, she bought some perfect buttons for her Malabrigo cardigan. Also after much debate, I bought some green Louet Gems for the i-cord edging on the Baby Surprise Jacket.

We then had a few lazy hours of coffee and nonstop chatty conversation — turns out she’s smart and funny and wicked cute besides being a super talented all-around crafter. Thanks for the awesome afternoon, Ange!

Unfortunately, tight schedules and my short visit meant that I couldn’t get to Berkeley to meet up with Desiknitter like we’d planned. Do you know Desiknitter? You should. Besides making gorgeous knitted items and creative patterns, and being a superstar academic to boot, she’s currently rocking my world with her clever, clever chevron eye shade.

Enjoy your weekends!

Susie Bright (*love*) just posted a short but sweet interview with Jack Davis, about fiber arts and the penises he’s been crocheting for 25 years. Check it out.

Also, won’t someone invite me to Ravelry? Because, really, it looks so rad that I’m not above shameless begging.

Re: Marigold sock progress, here’s what my grading reward system got me this week (other than 80 graded essays on Times Square Red, Times Square Blue):