I split each of my four braids into nine pieces, and then collated them into a gradient of little nests. Each bundle has three pieces to it, so it goes AAA, AAB, ABB, etc. There are two of AAA and DDD, because I couldn't figure out how else to do this. It's not a problem though :)
The plying's done, and this morning I wound the yarn into skeins so I can wash it. 8 ounces of three-ply yarn, 924 yards before washing. (The yarn will almost certainly floof and lose a few yards in the wash, which is desired. I'll re-measure when I wind it up to knit with.)
My next project will be a gradient spin.
I love spinning singles, but I do not love plying them into yarn. :P
(No advice, please. These are simply statements of fact.)
One of the kiddos wasn't interested in the board game that was going on, so I brought out the Pollywog and taught her to spin. She got the basics pretty quickly and went home with a little ball of her very own yarn.
What a great way to kick off #fiberuary! 
I finished the first sock of the pair I mentioned in my last post! I love the bright pink; it's so cheerful. Now, for sock two--
#knitting #KnittingPirate #OperationSockDrawer
https://www.knittingpirate.com/2025/01/31/in-which-the-pirate-is-pinkified/
Why not, maybe I'll just put the poll here too :) I'm planning my second hybrid sock-knitting project, where I'll make the colourwork legs on the machine and then enjoy the mindless mile of stockinette down the heels and feet (okay, it's really only about 1/8 mile). I've done this once before and really liked the result:
https://sunny.garden/@emery/113034317590877467
I found the diamonds pattern on a picture of a sock somewhere and charted it up, then started playing with the pixels and came up with several variations. And while I do have a favourite, I like them all and am curious to see which YOU like best!
For some reason Mastodon doesn't allow both image attachments and polls on the same post, so I'll put the actual poll in a reply. 
I'm making a pair of "very very warm" Fleeps for my mom - but I can't go farther on the project until she tries them on, which won't be for a few weeks. It's not as if I don't have other projects to work on between now and then. 
https://www.knittingpirate.com/2025/01/03/in-which-the-pirate-makes-more-fleeps-2/
New socks for the new year! (Of course I had to make the stripes line up.)
In February 2019, my friend Dawn gave me a basic flatbed knitting machine that was taking up too much space in her spare room. My first project on it was a big snuggly blanket. It's made of big soft squishy yarn and it's ridiculously warm. I'm cozied up under it right now :)
The thing I love about machine knitting is that I made this whole 72 x 60" blanket in a month of evenings and weekends, and I finished it before I could get frustrated or bored of working on it.
I think I would like to make a king-size bed-blanket using some kind of colourwork technique (probably double-bed jacquard), but it'll have to be thinner yarn than I used for this one, or it will be too warm to sleep under.
Sometimes I think I know better than what the pattern instructions tell me to do - and sometimes that doesn't come back to bite me later. Sock progress, and pattern confusion: https://www.knittingpirate.com/2024/12/09/in-which-the-pirate-questions-the-pattern/
This was going to be the new sock leg, except for the mispatterning on the right side of the piece. I frogged it and re-wound the yarn. Then I inspected the machine and carriage, and found that a couple of the flippers underneath the carriage weren't flipping quickly enough. They've been re-lubricated, and the yarn fluff removed from the machine where it doesn't belong, and hopefully all is well now. I'll try again with this piece tomorrow.
My next concern is the length of some of the floats in this stitch pattern; I think I'm going to catch those or hook them up or something so they aren't quite so long.
I enjoyed wearing my purple sweater so much yesterday that I bought enough of the same yarn (Patons Kroy) in a different colourway ("Saltwater," a heathery aqua-blue) to make another one. It was on sale AND I found a $10 coupon for the store.
This weekend my knitting plans include finishing the flip-top mitts I'm making for Dad, swatching for a pair of colourwork flip-tops for Mom, and cranking out two colourwork sock legs on the machine so I can have mindless sock-foot knitting for car rides later this month.
I’ve been wearing my new purple sweater like it’s a hug. We had cool weather so I got to wear it at Thanksgiving, and I could hear in my mind the exclamation that Grandma would have made at seeing it – “Ohhhh, PURple!”
What I tried for this sweater, and what I'd do differently next time: https://www.knittingpirate.com/2024/12/03/in-which-the-pirate-wears-purple/
P.S. I've already started a pair of chonky cabled socks with the leftover yarn.
The result of this punchcard is a small blanket to donate to the ASPCA, where Eldest Niece volunteers. (But what is up with Red Heart changing textures from one ball of yarn to the next?
More details on the knitblog: https://www.knittingpirate.com/2024/11/24/in-which-the-pirate-punches-a-card/
I am seriously considering using this pattern to make a whole king-size blanket for the bed. It'd have to be made in panels and seamed, of course, but how cozy would this be!?
This is tedious and yet incredibly satisfying at the same time.
Say hello to Boulevardier, Sapphire Martini, and Aviation
The Twisted Trilogy of Sock Patterns is LIVE! Each one has a different twisted stitch pattern, and each one is named for a cocktail that matches the colour of the yarn I used for the sock.
The patterns can be purchased on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/designers/knittingpirate
or Payhip: https://payhip.com/KnittingPirate
If you want to pick up all three patterns, there's an ebook for a discount!
#knitting #KnittingPirate #SockKnitting #KnittingPatterns #Ravelry #Payhip @knitting
This afternoon I did a lot of the prep work for publishing my trilogy of new sock patterns. Each one has a different twisted stitch pattern, and each one is named for a cocktail that matches the colour of the yarn I used for the sock.
The "Twisted Trilogy" has been a long time in the making and I am so, so excited that they're almost ready! I should be able to get the patterns live tomorrow or the next day.
(It's a little nervewracking. I haven't published anything new in a while, and all the "but what if it's not good? what if there are errors in the pattern? what if what if what if?" are very loud. But you know what... I'm gonna do it anyway!)
Is there a hashtag for knitting pattern design/designers?
It's five years (wow) since I released the Passing Days hat pattern - this is still my favourite of all the designs I've come up with. The pattern is available on both Ravelry and Payhip, along with all my other patterns. (Some are free!)
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/passing-days-hat
https://payhip.com/b/Y6OD
And! Very exciting news! I'm working on getting my next set of patterns ready for publication! It will be a trilogy of socks, each with a different twisted stitch. I'm really excited to finally release these; it's been a while since I came up with the idea for them.
My scrappy rainbow sockhead hat is done! What a great way to use up those bits and pieces of yarn that weren’t enough to make anything on their own.
I'm already working on another one in browns and blues. I might have to start selling these - goodness knows I don't need THIS many hats.
https://www.knittingpirate.com/2024/11/17/in-which-the-pirate-has-a-scrappy-rainbow-hat/
Today, instead of working, I got started on a new sweater. It's a machine-knit project, so it's going to go fast - if it goes well, that is. Otherwise it will just go badly, fast. 
I knit one of the sleeves first, but when I held it up to a previous sweater it seemed like it was a little long. Did I measure the gauge swatch correctly? I re-measured... four times. And then I threw the sleeve in the washer (on delicate) and dryer (on medium), because I'm using superwash sock yarn for this sweater (muahaha).
When it came out of the wash, the stitches had fluffed up nicely and the sleeve was a much better length... so I knit the second sleeve and then the back. I will try to get the front done tomorrow, and then I can do the seaming over the weekend.
I don't have any pictures of the sweater pieces yet, but I did try to get a quick video of the knitting machine. The carriage movement isn't entirely smooth here, because I'm trying to hold the camera still while I knit. It's usually a little less jerky than this, but you can see that it does take some effort to move it.
