04/16/2008
In a DIY mood
I’ve been working on the infamous Pomatomus pattern and I must say it is a lot easier after lots of sock knitting practice. lol 
I had originally tried the pattern out last year when I first got into sock knitting and well, I had a huge frog party and never looked at the pattern again. But after seeing so many pretty Pomatomies and especially with a bit of encouragement from KC, I tackled it again.
The yarn is Schaefer Anne, and well, when I first started knitting with it, I wasn’t a fan. It’s thinner than what I’m use to. Working with Mohair was interesting. Once I got into my knitting groove I started to like the yarn. I really like the color combo and in real life the blue doesn’t “glow” like it is in the photo.
Okay, so why is this blog titled DIY and all I’ve been doing is going on and on about my sock? Well, the charts from Pomatomus made me think that I should really invest in a chart keeper since I had to frog more than a few times because I was reading the wrong row of the chart. I remembered Knit Picks carrying just the thing I wanted. Their Chart Keeper is reasonably priced at $9.99. The only problem was that I would have to wait until 5/29/08 before they could send me one. Hmmm what to do?
Make my own of course! Off to Walmart for some supplies. I picked up a magnetic dry-erase board and some magnetic tape.
I opted for a decent size board instead of the smaller one. Plus it was on sale for $5 so I had to get it. The magnetic tape was on sale too for only $2. The only catch, I had to walk all around Walmart to find the freaking tape since I don’t like to ask people for help. Yeah I know, my own fault. If you’re wondering, I picked it up in the craft/fabric section.
Since it’s magnetic tape I had stick two pieces of the magnet together. I had to cut two pieces the same length, peel, and stick.
There’s quite a bit of magnetic tape left, so if I needed to, I can make many more different lengths. I had fun and only spent $7. Plus I have a nifty dry-erase board with marker to jot down random notes as I follow my charts.
Happy Hump Day! 
I’m off to knit my Pomatie’s mate. 
Jean said,
04/16/2008 at 5:50 pm
Great sock and excellent home made chart keeper! Well done on both fronts.
stacey said,
04/16/2008 at 6:11 pm
Love the chart keeper – thanks for sharing your idea! And the sock, oooh, that colorway – gorgeous!
Sharon said,
04/16/2008 at 6:26 pm
Very cool idea! I do like how you can still write on the board, in case you need to jot something down.
The sock is beautiful! I made a pair last year and they are, hands down, my favorite socks so far.
Rachel said,
04/16/2008 at 6:30 pm
I ditto Sharon…very cool idea! The thing I like the most also is that you can jot down notes on that board instead of on the pattern if you need to. And the sock looks great! I’ve been thinking of that pattern with some deep purple yarn I have…it’s such a ‘stand out’ design!
bockstark.knits said,
04/16/2008 at 6:31 pm
ooooh, pretty pomatomus!!!
Trish said,
04/16/2008 at 6:42 pm
Beautiful sock! Thanks for sharing your chart keeper. I love that it’s also a dry erase….can’t get that with the KP chart keeper.
Knowing the customer service at Walmart you could have asked and you would have gotten a) rudeness or b) a blank stare then a quick “Idonno”.
Tiffany said,
04/16/2008 at 7:35 pm
ooh that is such a great idea with the chart keeper! How clever of you!
Great job on the Pomatomus as well!
tiennie said,
04/16/2008 at 8:32 pm
Cute socks! What a great idea for the board!
Morgan said,
04/16/2008 at 8:36 pm
YAY that is a FANTASTIC idea! I’m going to steal it and do it myself. AND because of you I now KNOW where to get the tape without asking! The sock is great too. Great job.
Adrienne said,
04/16/2008 at 10:12 pm
What a fabulous idea, thanks for sharing! And your sock looks great!
Elemmacitlur said,
04/17/2008 at 3:51 am
Oooh! What a fab idea! The only downside is that you can’t really take it around with you…although I reckon that if you’re knitting something complicate enough with a chart that you need to keep track of, then I doubt that you’d want to be knitting that on the road or at a group.
Perhaps I should make myself one…although I’ve never seen magnetic tapes around in Germany before.
Janet said,
04/17/2008 at 9:46 am
Oooooh what a wonderful idea! Congratulations on the Pomatomus success!
Like you, every time I attempt a sock with Schaefer Anne, I hesitate to fall in love because of how different it feels. I should give it another chance.
mel said,
05/12/2008 at 7:49 pm
Your chart-holder thingie is AWESOME!! What a great DIY solution, I totally need to do this. Thanks for sharing!