"Roses For Margaery" - Finished Object Fridays a.k.a. FO In Knit Lingo

Has it really been that long since I've had a finished object to share?  Oh my!
Does finishing the write up of a new pattern count?  Let's say that it does... 'cos man, this was hard work!

As we all know, I love the Song of Ice And Fire book, and HBO's original mini series bases on them call Game of Thrones.  These socks took a long time to come into fruition, with little hiccups along the way and loads of designing challenges.  Those hair pulling moments were worth it, because I'm very proud of the finished product.  My most prettiest socks so far, if I may so bold to say!

These socks are based on the character Margaery Tyrell, a very pretty

and very determined young woman who wants to be the queen of all of Westeros.  Without giving spoilers, I can tell you Margaery is a woman that seems to do what she is supposed to do, confined to the wishes and rules of family and state.  But is she really?  Margaery intrigued me.  I thought it interesting that her House sigil is a golden rose on a field of green.  "Growing Strong" is their words, and interestingly enough, so is Margaery.  Roses are beautiful, but can overtake a garden if left unchecked.  The undulating strong lines confining the rose bunches represent her set role, but notice how these lines don't meet.  They are really guidelines.  I also took the roses down into a very common heel flap.  Margaery is all about making the commoners love her.  I think she knows this is the real source of a rulers' power.

So here it is!

Roses For Margaery by Nin Leavitt
an original sock pattern inspired by R. R. Martin's Song Of Ice And Fire
Part of the “Game of Thrones” Sock Series By NinDesigns 

Doing the photo shoot was a lot of fun and I learned so much about my Olympus E500. 

My "Roses for Margaery" Sock Sadness... Running Out of Yarn While Knitting

Has this ever happened to you?  It's a first for me.  Normally, my overly compulsive urge to hoard gorgeous yarn kicks in when I'm at the counter of my local yarn shop and I buy an extra ball or skein.  Guess what I didn't do this time.  Grrrrr. 

I suppose the good thing about this is the fact that I'm knitting.  I got a little carried away for a while with the natural dyeing.  That's on hold until I recover from a massive sunburn.  Ugh.  The dangers of foraging. 

And spinning!  I'm hooked!  Ever tried drop spindling?  Very fun.  You can take it on the go.  Love drop spinning.  But right now I'm using my LeClerc wheel. 

Loving the colours!  I bought this 4oz bag of roving from a Canadian Etsy shop owner Zenitude.  She vacuum seals the roving so it really cuts down on shipping costs.  When you open the bag, the fiber puffs right up!  This is the above spinning, called "Summer Days."  Groovy!

So what are you spinning or knitting?
~Nin

Trying something new... Video blogging about my sock designs

Thought I'd try something new!  My Mac has a nice little video cam... fun :)

Talking about designing new Game of Thrones inspired socks for the Hound and Margaery Tyrell.

Hunting For Inspiration For The Hound

Now that "Melisandre's Flames" socks are officially out for test knitting, I'm getting that "designing something new" itch big time.  Why?  Well, because I love to design, and because of Season 3, Episode 7 of HBO's fantastic original series "Game Of Thrones."  What an awesome episode it was!  And it was written by R. R. Martin himself.  Love that!

Who has captured my attention?  The Hound.  I loved his character in the books and his character on

the small screen is excellent.  And again, I want to do a sock.  Socks have me smitten right now. :)

So, what kind of sock would the Hound wear?  I'm thinking he'd be like Stannis.  Something straight forward and sorta no non-sense stitch pattern.  And something sharp, reminiscent of fangs.  I think I've found the right stitch pattern, but, as usual, I think I'll modify it a bit.  As for the colorway, I don't see him as a grey sock.  I see murky colors of the forest because that is where he has been hiding.  Plus, hounds are meant to hunt, and the forests are usually where the best game are.
With this all in mind, I went stash diving and I think I've found the perfect sock yarn for the Hound.  Originally I bought it at my local yarn shop thinking of Arya, but it wasn't ringing true for her, so I put it away. 

ETA:  Since I started writing this post, I'm now wrestling with my sock yarn choice.   The yarn appears to be a bit "stripy" and I just cannot see The Hound in stripes.   So, I'm back to trying to find a colorway that rings true to my vision.  Another problem.  Do I have to use the colors of his House?  Some GoT fans get really riled when House colors are not respected.  The Hound's House colors are gold and black.   Grrrr.  Maybe a nice charcoal?  Hmmm.

I also was struck by inspiration to do a Tyrell sock for Margaery.  I can see it so easily in pink, or that pretty shade of blue she usually wears on the show.  BUT, the Tyrell House colors are green and gold.  Blah.  Gold I could do, but green is way off for the very feminine design I have in mind.  Oh well, we'll see.

Who Taught You To Knit Or Crochet?

So who taught you how to knit or crochet? 

Mother's Day has come and gone, (BTW, Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!) and it got me thinking how thankful I am for my mom.  Among all the very cool and wonderful things my mom has taught me, how to knit was one of them.  Knitting and designing knitwear is a huge part of my life that I love.  It relaxes me, stresses me out and challenges me in fantastic ways.  I love it!  Would I have learned to knit without my mom teaching me?  I'm not sure.  Maybe.  But I'm glad momma did! :)  Thanks Mom!

I've got a poll going over on my facebook page collecting data for a future post here with a contest attached on the blog.  If you all would be so kind, I'd love for you to add your vote. 

http://www.facebook.com/KeswickArtsAndCrafts

Oh, I got the knitting for Melisandre's Flames finished!  Sneak peek:

Update: Melisandre's Flames Socks

to get this sock pattern done and released!!!

One sock done, and half way through the second sock.  To get this pattern published in the Keswick Arts and Crafts Ravelry, Craftsy and Etsy stores, I've got to:

1. Finish knitting the socks
2. Plan photo shoot and take pictures
3. Chart out stitch pattern used
4. Write up pattern final charted pattern
5. Write up pattern with final written instructions
6. Send it out to test knitters and wait for any mistakes I missed to be caught
7. Update pattern
8. Create pdf of final pattern
9. Upload to Ravelry, Etsy, and Craftsy
10. Tell the world through blog, facebook, ravelry and etsy forums

Yikes!  I better get my needles a-clack'!

And as a side note, I was wondering, who taught you to knit or crochet?  Visit my facebook page to answer this poll question at http://www.facebook.com/KeswickArtsAndCrafts ... I've got a blog post brewing in the back of my mind about this...


By the way, hubby totally loved Troll Hunter.  :)

Melisandre's Flames -- New sock pattern design!

 "The night is dark, and full of terrors."

Melisandre, the Red Priestess from Asshai, is Stannis' sorceress adviser.  She claims to see the prophecies of the Lord Of Light in flames, and has converted the stoic Stannis to her religion.  She gives him information to help his cause, to claim his rightful seat on the throne in Westros.

Since I did the socks for Stannis, I couldn't get the idea of doing a sock pattern for Melisandre, out of my head. But what stitch, or combinations of stitches to use?

Melisandre reminds me of a beautiful snake.  Her body language from the R.R. Martin books is very sensual, slinky.  She has an almost hypnotic power over those that come in contact with her, or she inspires fear and distrust in those who  worship the old gods or the gods of the Seven.  So, with this in mind, and the fact that Melisandre burns with an inner fire, I wanted a stitch pattern that is reminiscent of flickering, twisting flames, yet a little bit lacy hinting at her seductiveness.  And I think I have found it!

But what about the yarn?  I looked at A LOT of different shades of red and orange, you know, to evoke that whole fire thing.  I wasn't really satisfied until I got an email sale alert from Webs.  And low and behold, I have found the perfect yarn colorway that totally reminds me of Melisandre!  Oddly enough, it is a Cascade Heritage Paints which was the yarn that captivated me for Socks For Stannis.  The colorway is 9928 "Dark Sunset."  I love how the different colors bleed into each other.

"Game of Thrones" Season 3, episode 2 is on tonight.  And guess what? 

The night is dark, and full of knitting.

"Sock For Stannis" Is Out For Test Knitting

Oy, this is always a painful part for me.  It's like having someone critique your baby.  And the waiting... always so hard!

Some designers don't use test knitters, but I like to have fresh eyes take a look to catch mistakes before I launch a new pattern.  Plus it is a great way to hone my writing skills.  All good.

I did a photo shoot of Stannis in early March but unfortunately my model (my hubby) was a no-show.  I have pardoned him; he was at training for his job.  So I had to model and take the pics myself.  Yikes!

Ever test your flexibility?  This is a great/painful way to do so.  The camera had to be held above and level, the slightest tilt distorts the leg.  I tried to use my Olympus 3/4 camera because it has a nifty remote.   Waaayyy to heavy to hold still.  I do have a tripod but as to where it is?  No clue.  There is still quite a few packing boxes I have to go through.  They are marked, but a huge wall of them are marked as "crafting supplies."  I'm pretty sure my tripod is in one of them.  Grrrr.

So, I grabbed my iPhone 4 and set to work.  It was difficult go hold it and press the picture capture button at the same time, but I managed.

Photo shoots are something I love to do.  Craftsy has a fantastic video class on the subject.  Deciding what light, backdrop, accessories, positions and themes is really fun.  Originally, I was thinking of shooting my husband's feet near a stone hearth.  I had an antique chair with very beautiful dark, scarred legs to use as a prop.  Lighting was key; the morning sunlight is the best because it really makes colors pop.  Plus, I needed lighting that was natural and would make the stitches pop.  I wanted to give a kind of medieval feel/flare to the shoot, since the socks are based on the Stannis character from "A Song Of Ice And Fire" by R.R. Martin.  Well, that became a wash due to scheduling conflicts.  And I moped.  Meh.

After a few days, I came up with the idea of resting the sock against a tapestry cushion.  Yay!  No hubby needed for that.  Problem.  How to make the sock look its best?  I don't own any sock blockers.  Rats!  And the nature of the fabric does not look pleasing laying without being stretched.  Double rats!  Oh Stannis, why must you be so difficult? 

The solution?  I model socks that were not knit for my foot.  Lucky for me I have size 10 ladies feet. 

Not too bad for an iphone 4.