A pair of FOs

I finished 2 different sets of projects I was working on. First off were my 4th pair of "Detonation" death socks for my 4th Kill in Sock Wars III. There's a whole story behind these socks, I'll make it as short as possible.

I killed my last (3rd target) back in the beginning of June 2008. Around that time Julie (former Supreme Commander of Sock Wars) ended the game suddenly, declaring the winner to be whomever sent a postcard to her by a specific date, and was lucky to have it drawn from hat. If your familiar with Sock Wars, this is definitely not how the game goes, but unfortunately Julie has had some real hard times in her family, I don't know the intricate details, but I've heard it has to do with the passing of an immediate family member. Don't quote me on that, I only heard from the grapevine, so I have no real proof, but I totally understand her actions if it is the case. Anyways, there were alot of Warriors still alive, like myself, still wanting to play, and lucky us, Casualknitter (On Ravelry) graciously took over the game, and has kept things going. So, I continued in Sock Wars III, and I enlisted help from Casualknitter to track down the SIPs I was supposed to receive from my 3rd target. After weeks of attempting to track down the SIPs, we came to the conclusion of who we thought had the SIPs, believe me, we followed tracking #'s and everything, and yet this person for whatever reasons wouldn't fess up the SIPs. I'm not saying anything bad about her, maybe she really didn't have them? Who knows, either way, at this point, Casualknitter game me the go ahead to start a new pair from scratch.

I didn't start a new pair until about 2 weeks ago, I was pretty reluctant, not want to spend the $$ for sock yarn, but I did, and bought some Tofutsies yarn, since it is the official sock yarn for the game, SWTC is sponsoring Sock Wars.

Anyways, after I knitted the 2 cuffs & heel of the socks, I lost my desire and tossed the puppies in the o'hibernating basket. But, the competitor voice in me kept saying "finish the socks", so I got my 2nd wind, and voila, less than a week later I finished the pair, which was this past weekend. I was just to happy to have these puppies finished, literally.

So, you'd think all the hassle was over, right? Well no-sir-ee-bob, funny thing I packaged the socks, and took them with me to work to send off at lunch time, but then I realized, I don't have address! I quickly emailed Casualknitter for the info, and after some waiting, finally got the address this morning. I was kind of in a helpless mood the other day and did a post about this in the Sock Wars group, asking for some good luck to come my way, and it did 8-) I got my address and these puppies are going to be overnighted today to get to there target tomorrow. Yay!!! Geez, this 4th kill has been an adventurer, all the while, I wonder, if my doom is coming soon? I think my assassin is still alive? Hmm...we'll see if I live for a 5th kill.

Now to the 2nd FO, these are the Simple Booties & Scratch Mittens from the Easy Baby Knits book. I picked these because they were quick & cute, and my friend had her baby earlier than I thought. These are knit using Blue Sky Alpaca Yarn, and are just soft as can be. I hope they fit.

	From Top to Bottom, Left to Right, Pic 1 is the completed "death socks" for my 4th kill along with the goodies I sent, some Rasberry-Dark Chocolate Kisses & Chocolate Almond Kisses, plus 1 wrapped beeswax candle. Pic 2 are the socks opposite each other. Pic 3 is a close of the sock pattern. Project Specs 1 skein Tofutsies #799 Sole Searching, gauge is 8 stitches per inch. Size knitted, US 9.5, approximately 10 inches from edge of heel to toe end. Finishing used was Kitchener, ends woven & knotted off. Pattern key, INC increases used in combination with K2TOGs, creates a "Zig-Zag" appearance.
	From Top to Bottom, Left to Right, All Pics are just different poses & shots of the completed set. I was trying to get good angles. Project Specs 1.5 skeins Blue Sky Alpaca Yarn in Pink, gauge 28 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches. Size knitted for newborns. Finishing used was seaming pieces together, ends woven & knotted off. Pattern key, straight garter stitch, with ribbing for mittens. Deviations I made were not knitting the ribbing for the cuff of the booties, I thought there would be less tension on the babies ankles if I just stuck with garter stitch.

The carnage continues...

Sock Wars III 2008 "4th Target"


Originally uploaded by RockyMoreno

What you’re seeing are my 4th pair of "Detonation" socks for my 4th target in the Sock Wars III 2008 Continues game.



I was waiting for a LONG LONG time to get SIPs from my most recent target, but SIPs never came. The new Supreme Commander, Casualknitter, provided help in trying to track down where in the world I'd get my next SIPs to take over. She did some research and I did some research, and we both came to the conclusion that the SIPs were with my last target, but for some reason that person is claiming they never received them, yet if you follow up the shipping chain & tracking #'s, she is supposed to have them. Oh well, for whatever reason, the SIPs are just not coming my way. I don't want to call my last target a poor sport, I'll give her the benefit of doubt; maybe somehow the SIPs went MIA??? Who knows?



Anyways, Casualknitter gave me the "green light" to go ahead and start a fresh pair of socks. While most people would love this, I really didn't because that meant that I would have to use sock yarn from my stash or buy new yarn and start a whole new pair from scratch. I would've preferred to get the SIPs, and continue knitting where the previous DEAD knitter left off. This is how the game is supposed to be played, who you kill, stops their knitting immediately & ships the SIPs off to their assassin.



For awhile, like almost 2 weeks, I heavily debated on whether or not to pull from my stash or spend more $$ on Sock Wars. Here's a quick tally of what I've spent thus far....



The Cost of War:

$2.00 to join Sock Wars III 2008

$20.00 Sock Wars III official yarn Tofutsies #733 skein for 1st target

$20.00 Shipping fees to send completed killer socks to first target

$2.00 costs for extra goodies in package (I just have to send goodies with my packages) these include chocolates, tea, etc.

$20.00 Shipping fees to send completed killer socks to 2nd target

$20.00 Shipping fees to send completed killer socks to 3rd target

$35.00 fee to send Postcard lottery entry to Supreme Commander in the Netherlands, this was to see if I'd get picked as the Sock Wars winner.

Total tally: $119.00



I know, I know, I must be crazy to have forked out this much, but I'm a pyscho, I like the competitive sport and felt there would be some $$ sacrifice. What I didn't sign-up for was the way the whole game changed, what with the sudden ending and the new "Sock Wars Continues" group, but hey, you can't predict the future, right?


After having spent this much, I was kind of thinking of throwing in the towel and bowing out of Sock Wars III. I wouldn't be the first to do this, as many people did once Julie (original Supreme Commander) ended Socks Wars III unexpectedly and early. Believe me, many people were upset. The competitor in me just couldn't let go, so I decided to forge on. What I wouldn't do was use sock yarn from my stash, all my sock yarn is premium quality, and I felt that because I had left so much time fly by, my chances of being killed are really high, thus I didn't want to send any SIPs with premium yarn off to anyone. I coughed up the $$ and purchased 1 more skein/ball of Tofutsies yarn, about $20.00, and on I went to start another pair.



I know the pattern off memory, literally, so no need for pattern instructions. I speeded through the cuff and heel, and for some reason hit a BIG STOP sign after the heel decreases, usually this is the point I get my 2nd wind and zoom to the toe because really, your almost there. But my enthusiasm and desire for this pattern and war has diminished greatly. Especially after encountering the dreaded "SIPs missing in action" debacle.



After everything, I finally picked up the needles again, and have started to work at completing these. My goal is to get them done by this weekend to send out first thing next week. There are less than 100 Alive warriors in Sock Wars III right now; the original count was over 1000 warriors, so I am really lucky to still be alive in this war.



And, I've been in communication with my assassin, so she's out there, it's just a matter of time for her to kill me, or if I'm every so lucky, for me to go full circle in the chain and kill her (I doubt I'll be that lucky).



Wish me luck & motivation to KILL on 8-)

3rd Kill Socks Wars III 2008

3rd Kill Socks Wars III 2008


Originally uploaded by RockyMoreno

I did it, I sent out my finished Sock Wars III socks, to my 3rd target. She happily accepted her death on the 25th. I inherited these SIPs from Ruth, she choose the nicest yarn from Ewetopia Fiber, so soft and I love the color. Ruth had 1 sock done, and the ribbing portion of the cuff done. I followed Ruth's very helpful notes, even downsizing my needle size to 1, and, guess what, I ended up with Ruth's sock, perfect, and my sock, small. I had to frog back to the ribbing and start over with a larger size need, US2 Addi Turbos & voila, the 2nd sock completed, and they make a nice pair! What a lesson in gauge and the differences in knitting tension!



I'm so happy, I got 3 kills! The new Supreme Commander, *Casual Knitter*, is searching for my next SIPs, seems they've gone MIA.



So for now I'm just a sitting duck with no SIPs to work on.. I really hope I can get in another kill before my assassin wakes from her sleep & wipes me out. It was so scary, I received a message from her the other day, letting me know she hasn't forgot about me, YIKES!



~~Rocky~~