My last pair of "plain socks" for a long time and F-ck the Police!

In the wake of the recent highly publicized murders of George Floyd and Breona Taylor compounding decades of police brutality and hateful targeting and/or sheer neglect of the black community by the police, the past week has brought no shortage of chaos, turmoil, bloody riots, violence, propaganda, political manipulation, looting and destruction and to counter all of that negativity, peaceful protests, love, compassion, uplifting education, acknowledgement, action, fundraising, communication and understanding, especially right here in the Bay Area where there is already such a strong consciousness (but still not enough; will there ever be enough?) for civil rights.  I've previously stated that it's not my intention for this to be a political blog but it is impossible not to take a stand and not to have an opinion or to stay mute as so many weaklings who profit off of online social networking have chosen to do.  I don't post on here everyday but I've already made my message very clear on FB and IG.  You don't need a blog or even Twitter to speak out online but if you have the energy to post a selfie or send a text message, then at the utmost very least, you should have the grace and power to virtually stand up in solidarity with and support the Black Lives Matter movement.  Tell the black people in your community that you care about them.  Ask how you can help, become educated and inform others.

And in the meantime, ya'll know what I do to keep calm and carry on.  My birthday was a few days ago and although it felt wrong to even celebrate under the current circumstances, I wanted to share this photo of the gifts I received because of their relevancy.  American Spy is written by Lauren Wilkinson, a black female author.  The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson is an account of how humans fought fascism during WWII, particularly in the UK.  Since I've been really getting into stranded colorwork knitting, MJ Mucklestone's 200 Fair Isle Motifs is totally my jam!  Finally, I've been curious about the MDK field guides and my MIL bought me the complete run of volumes 4-12 (I think 1-3 are out of print and maybe available online only?).  I also just read in their Snippets digest as soon as I woke up this morning, that (although as of right now their website still doesn't reflect it) they considerately changed their name from Mason Dixon Knitting to Modern Daily Knitting.  This reminds me of a similar situation from my other world, the philatelic world, regarding controversy over the name of the CSA (Confederate Stamp Alliance), a stamp society focused on stamps issued by the Confederacy and Confederate postal history of the Civil War.  Some people don't take names too seriously but if a name is repeatedly remarked upon as being offensive then just have some respect and change it already!

I bought this Pennsylvania-based, indie-dyed Machete Shoppe Alektorophobia (Fear of Chickens) Simple Sock 75% SWM/25% nylon yarn at the Firebird Yarns booth at Stitches West 2020.  I say it every time but the photos simply do not do the vibrant colors in this yarn justice.  These socks are on FIRE!!!

I knit them entirely on 0's.  That's my vibe.  With fingering, many patterns call for switching to 1's after the ribbing but I have tiny feet.

I actually finished these socks last night but I was too mentally drained to post about them until today which also happens to be my husband's birthday and it's about time to get this wrapped up so I can prepare some greatly anticipated breakfast sandwiches.

I am proud and pleased to admit that this will be the last pair of "plain socks" that you will see me knitting any time soon because from now on, I will be knitting socks almost exclusively out of Laine's 52 Weeks of Socks.

Finally, if anyone is curious about what else is on my needles (because socks are mainly my to-go project), I am making great progress on my second No Frills cardigan with some totally amazing yarn from Ritual Dyes that I will discuss in more detail once the cardi is finished.  

If anyone wonders what I enjoy listening to when I knit, this moog record is a perfect example.  Fight the power and if you're out on the streets, doing your thing, whatever it is, wear a mask!  It's not for you, it's to protect other people and the least any responsible citizen can do.

Simple Knit Crop in hella fancy yarn!

I bought the Celadon in Cinders Rad DK 100% SWM yarn at the Kindred Red trunk show in Berkeley over a year ago.  It's a really awesome colorway dyed by one of my favorite indie-dyers who also happens to be one of the most inspirational ladies on my IG feed.  I took my sweet time finally using it though because not only did I want to find the perfect garment/pattern for it, I wanted my knitting skills to develop enough to make it just right if any alterations were necessary.  Finally, (no) thanks to our continuing lockdown, the right time arrived!

Crop tops seem to be all of the rage these days and for a 4'11" woman with a 38D bust and a wonky shaped abdomen from an imperfect emergency C-section, they are my everything.  If this pattern looks familiar to you, it's because it's the Stagecoach sweater without the colorwork, a slightly extended body and longer ribbing on the sleeves.  I knit size 2 of the pattern with size 6 circular needles and size 4 circulars on the ribbing.  Even though the pattern calls for more, I used less than 400g of yarn to complete this sweater. 

Above is the sweater hot off my needles, prior to blocking.

Thanks to our heatwave, it only took less than 24 hrs to block this MF.

This yarn is like a rainbow with bonus beats.

It looks great ribbed, in stockinette and with all of the M1L increases around the yoke!

You're just going to have to take my word because the photos simply do not do it justice.

Just look at that drape!

 We had so much fun during our funky family photo shoot, I decided to include all of the silliness!  Here's my rustic, artsy vibes with shouting and a sunbathing toddler included.

With the playgrounds still closed, we spend a lot of time in and ON our driveway.

 Xena is almost 2.5 months old now and for the most part, thankfully, she's been oblivious to all of this COVID-19 BS.  

 Just feeling all of her love - a hug, a gentle tug or outrageous eye roll helps to take away all of the pain, stress and frustration in the atmosphere.

If you just look at my butt, you can tell I haven't been missing any meals but considering the fact that prior to getting prego, I was your typical ass-less Korean, I am fully embracing all of the "new" junk in my trunk.

Also, I am still very happily married; I just forgot to put my wedding and engagement rings on after I got out of the shower today.

This pattern is designed for 3/4 length sleeves but I just wanted regular sleeves with longer cuffs so I have the option of rolling them up.

 This is definitely one of the coziest and best fitting sweaters I've knit yet.  I love the way it feels on my body and that it's made just for me, by me!

 Xena's super stoked too!

 Since this sweater was knit in DK, it's actually light enough to wear during the summer in SF, because ya'll know our summer isn't really "summer".

  Like many families, it's been a struggle balancing work and play in a tiny apartment but I continue to stay positive and global pandemic aside, on the daily, I remain very thankful for all that we have.

No Frills Knit Cardigan by PetiteKnit

I've accomplished many things in life, some notable, many NSFW and plenty, more than questionable.  And now I can proudly add, not just knitting one but knitting 2 cardigans, to that steadily escalating pile of "shit I did during these fucked up times".

This is seriously the most ingeniously designed top down raglan cardigan pattern.  It's designed by PetiteKnit in Denmark and is written in Danish and English.  I downloaded it from Ravelry for about $6, a price I would more than gladly pay for any pattern designed and written this well.  

It starts with a provisional cast on to create the neck band and then the yoke is worked back and forth creating the foundation of the cardigan with raglan increases.

I knit the extra small size of the pattern on size 6, 40" circulars.  I used about 4, 100g hanks of The Fibre Co.'s Cumbria - unto the hills - brown masham wool, merino and mohair blend yarn in the Scafell Pike colorway.  This is some of the nicest yarn ever to grace the tips of my needles.  It's luxuriously soft against bare skin and its natural fibers are easy to admire.

I love how the pockets are built into the cardigan and put on hold while the body is finished.  The sleeves have a clever inconspicuous decrease where you slip 1 st knit-wise, slip 1 st purl-wise and then insert the needle into both stitches and knit them tbl at the decrease round.

 In preparation for the completion of this sweater and inevitable photo shoot, I could've gone on a diet or started exercising more than usual but instead I've been baking all of the breads and cookies and eating fried or baked carbs with every meal and instead of apologizing, I'm just going to love my body the way it is.  I want to go even further and encourage everyone to stop feeling guilty or shameful and just love their bodies however they feel best suits them during lockdown.  Whether it's doing cross-fit in their living room, backbends in their hallway, eating SPAM from the can or just nuking some totally expired frozen food, just do you!

 And if you want to boost your vitamins D levels while simultaneously making a complete ass of yourself in front of your neighbors, grab a toddler and hire your IG hus or someone you love (who would rather being doing anything than taking photos of you) to take some outdoor photos!

This cardigan fits me perfectly.  It's exactly what I wanted and I would happily wear it every day if it wasn't hotter than Hell right now.

Many people might find it frivolous and silly putting on make up (especially under a mask) or wearing heels while WFH but at the risk of sounding totally superficial, I have to admit that for as much as I love chilling in sweatpants with no bra and my unbrushed hair yanked up in a scrunchie for weeks and months on end, I love dressing up and feeling fly and fancy just as much!

Hope you enjoy the rest of my sweater still life images.

When your cardigan matches the cement in your driveway, you gotta capture that.

17cm of 1x1 ribbing on the bottom of the cardigan and sleeves.

Classy M1R and M1L raglan increases.

The provisional cast on mirrored join at the neckband is nearly invisible!