Snow Day!

Knee deep in snow knitting.

I’ve surfed the blogs.
Meandered through ravelry.
And am knitting the day away.

What a way to spend the day!

Brett’s B’day Socks

These will be the third pair of B’day socks I’ve knit for my step-sister. It started six years ago on Thanksgiving when Brett forgot to pack socks. My mom lent her some silly socks to wear and ever since that Thanksgiving Brett has received silly socks from my mother for every holiday and birthday. I’ve joined in on the sock giving be knitting her socks. I need to get cracking on these. They need to be in the mail by the first of February.

A is for

Audio

I’m so glad I finally bought an mp3 player. I’ve enjoyed it so much.  Mostly, I’ve been listening to book downloaded from LibriVox. I’ve listened to many of Jane Austen’s books, getting ready for the PBS Masterpiece airing of the movies. I’m a little behind but that is what the weekend is for.

Happy Knitting

Socktoberfest FOs

I finished two socks during Socktoberfest. Yeah!

Pattern: Pomatomus
Yarn: Koigu
Needles: 1.5 US
Notes: I was a little worried about the number of stitches cast on. I would have thought the sock would be too loose. I just forged ahead and it turned out just right. I wasn’t sure how to do the yarn over with a purl stitch next but just winged it, trying different ways each time.
I love the yarn with this pattern. I’m glad I choose this yarn instead of the solid indigo Nature’s Palette in my stash. The variegated yarn works well with this pattern.

Heidi’s Socks
Pattern: Toe-up with Magic cast-on.
Needle: 1.5 US
Yarn: Lion Brand Magic Stripes
Notes: One of these socks is not like the other!
I made a mistake on the second pair and cast-on 4 too many stitches. Yeah for me and not taking good notes. Oh well, Heidi can try them on and see if the one is too big. I used the Magic cast-on and increased every row until double the cast-on then continued to increase every other row until 60 stitches (or 64 stitched-I’m such a dork). I did an after-thought heel to keep the striping going through out the whole sock. On the first sock I tried the decreases right on the ends of the needle but I didn’t like the look. I fixed it by doing the decreases one stitch in from the ends. Now I just need Heidi to try them on.

Next Project:
A hat for B

Cold Weather FOs

Brown Noro Mittens
Pattern: my own
Needles: 7US dpns
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted & Noro Kureyon
Notes: I switched yarns every two rows. These started out as fingerless gloves in January but decided on making them just mittens. These will be perfect with my new coat. I can’t wait for the weather to turn really cold.

Boyfriend Socks
Needle: 1.5 US
Yarn: Regia Tweed 4-ply
Notes: I thought I would repeat a mistake I made inthe first sock in the second to create a design element. I did and added another miss-crossed cable a couple rows after. So much for making a matching pair errors and all. But I am happy with them and so is B. But its still a little to warm for him to wear them.

Happy Feet

It is finally cold enough to wear wool socks. I love the red red socks with the denim blue.

FOs

If Cece finished a few weeks ago.

pattern: Cece
needle: 7
yarn: Reynolds Saucy color 117
notes: I added a few extra inches to the body.

A pair of finished socks for a friend.

pattern: My own with after-thought heel
needles: 1.5 US
yarn: Lion Brand Magic Stripes

A scarf doe a friend’s b’day.

pattern: My So Called Scarf
needle: 10.5 US
yarn: Patons SWS

Baby blanket for boyfriend’s friends. The baby is due on his b’day.

pattern: Circle of Friends Garter-Stitch Blanket
needle: 9 US
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Solid Pinks, purples and white

Socks, Socks, Socks.

I can’t get enough of them. I always have a pair on the needles. My stash consists of many different socks yarns clamoring to be next. Socks are the perfect traveling project, whether it is in a doctor’s office or a road trip. It’s a perfect knit while reading a book too. Plus, a truly a very satisfying “quick” knit project.
Over the past two months, I’ve been a sock-knitting maniac, finishing neglected socks and starting new socks.
I pulled out the nearly complete blue sock from time-out. All I needed to fix was the bind off and then start on the second sock. When I stalled on the bind off I lost interest in knitting these socks. I wasn’t too sure I was happy with the socks and when I got stuck with a bind off that was too tight I couldn’t got on. After many months of sitting in the time-out pile, I decided to tackle the bind-off again. Once that was finished the second pair was a quick knit. These socks are so soft and comfy. It is nice that they are cotton but the summer has been too hot to wear socks, even hand knit socks. Soon though I’ll be able to wear them.

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Elann Esprit
Needles: 3US 32”circular needles (Knit Picks) and double point.(Clover Bamboo)
Notes: CO 48 with short row toe and heel.

My Costa Rica socks finally made it off the needles. It has been a while since I’ve done a top-down socks with a heel flap. I have knit so many short-row heels and now I know why. The heel flap adds so much more time to the project. I worked on these socks in fits and starts until I finally reached the finish line. I added a few more stitches than the pattern states. Which meant my heel was a little different. When I was ready to work the second heel, I learned the hard way about taking good notes while knitting. I ended up knitting the heel flap twice. It all turned out well in the end and I’m happy with the socks. And to be done with them too.

Pattern: Slip Up socks
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns Costa Rica
Needles: 1.5US 32”circular (Knit Picks)

Red Glorious Red! I love this red Koigu. I knit on a majority of these socks while reading Harry Potter books 6 and 7. The simple stockinette stitch made it the perfect reading and knitting project. These were a fast knit simply because I love the yarn and the easy pattern. I still haven’t found a ribbon for the socks. I’m looking for just the right one.

Pattern: Picot Eyelet Socks
Yarn: Koigu KPPM
Needles: 1.5US 32” circular needles (Knit Picks)
Notes: I might have added 4 extra stitches but I can’t remember.

My friend was reducing her stash and I snagged two balls of sock yarn. Therefore, I’m knitting her a pair of socks from her own yarn. I decided on an after-thought heel to keep the rings of color. All I need to do is bind-off the second pair and add the heel. It will be easy peasy once I sit down to do it.

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Lion Brand Magic Stripes
Needles: 1.5US 32” circular (Knit Picks)

More Sock Yarn!!!!!!!!!!
New yarn for the stash!.
My friends stash bustin’ yarn, which will be another pair of socks for another friend.

Oh so colorful Opal yarn. I must resist the urge to start these right now. I need to get all my current sock in progress off the needles.

To Do List

Mark with bold the things you have ever knit,
with italics the ones you plan to do sometime,
and leave the rest.

• Afghan
• I-cord
• Garter stitch
• Knitting with metal wire
• Shawl/Stole
• Stockinette stitch
• Socks: top-down
• Socks: toe-up
• Knitting with camel yarn
• Mittens: Cuff-up
• Mittens: Tip-down
• Hat
• Knitting with silk
• Moebius band knitting – if something strikes my fancy
• Participating in a KAL
• Sweater
• Drop stitch patterns
• Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
• Slip stitch patterns
• Knitting with banana fiber yarn
• Domino knitting
• Twisted stitch patterns
• Knitting with bamboo yarn
• Two end knitting
• Charity knitting
• Knitting with soy yarn
• Cardigan
• Toy/doll clothing
• Knitting with circular needles
• Baby items
• Knitting with your own handspun yarn
• Slippers
• Graffiti knitting
• Continental knitting
• Designing knitted garments
• Cable stitch patterns
• Lace patterns
• Publishing a knitting book
• Scarf
• Teaching a child to knit
• American/English knitting
• Knitting to make money
• Buttonholes
• Knitting with alpaca
• Fair Isle knitting
• Norwegian knitting
• Dying with plant colours
• Knitting items for a wedding
• Household items
• Knitting socks
• Olympic knitting
• Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
• Knitting with dpns
• Holiday-related knitting
• Teaching a male how to knit
• Bobbles
• Knitting for a living
• Knitting with cotton
• Knitting smocking
• Dying yarn
• Steeks
• Knitting art
• Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
• Fulling/felting
• Knitting with wool
• Textured knitting
• Kitchener BO
• Purses/bags
• Knitting with beads
• Swatching
• Long Tail CO
• Entrelac
• Knitting and purling backwards
• Machine knitting
• Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegating yarn
• Stuffed toys
• Knitting with cashmere
• Darning
• Jewelry
• Knitting with synthetic yarn
• Writing a pattern
• Gloves
• Intarsia
• Knitting with linen
• Knitting for preemies
• Tubular CO
• Freeform knitting
• Short rows
• Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
• Pillows
• Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
• Rug
• Knitting on a loom
• Thrummed knitting
• Knitting a gift
• Knitting for pets
• Shrug/bolero/poncho
• Knitting with dog/cat hair
• Hair accessories
• Knitting in public

Up and Running Again

Cece was off to a very slow start. I ripped back to the ribbing after messing up somewhere in the first repeat of the pattern. Then I was on my way gain but it just wasn’t feeling right as I was knitting with my bamboo needles. Things weren’t sliding along smoothly. I love bamboo needles but with this combo of Reynolds Saucy cotton yarn and the bamboo, it just wasn’t working. I switched over to the Knit Picks Option needles and it is a great improvement. I love how the yarn glides over the needle and the pointy tip are exactly what I needed. I made more progress in a short amount of time with the new needles. I have a much brighter outlook about this pattern. Plus, I added some stick markers between the pattern repeats.