Knitting This

2012 - The Year to Come

2012-01-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

I looked back at last year's New Years post and laughed. I declared 2011 The Year of the Sock! Although I finished a record number of socks (five) only two pair was cast on in 2011. And it was a struggle to finish them all. I was really in a monster/critter mode.

I've decided to declare 2012 The Year of... Whatever I want it to be. Since that's what it'll be no matter what I say. I plan to focus on using my stash and not adding to it. I'm going to try and finish up some WiPs. I'd also like to use up some of my balled up yarn. I read yarn that has been balled up weakens over time. Then the socks (for instance) you knit with them won't last as long.

2011 - The Year in Review

2012-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Using and otherwise getting rid of my stash was a big priority for me. I went over my yarn totals for the year. And here's what I came up with:

Total Knit/crocheted: 6828 yards
Total sold/given away: 7134 yards
Total bought: 5779 yards
Total given: 1155 yards

Strangely enough when I add and subtract these totals (7028 yards) they don't match my month by month total of how much yarn I got rid of this year (4609 yards). Weird.

I'm sad to see that even though I was on a "yarn diet" I still bought a lot of yarn. It feels like a bought almost as much as I used. I should have kept track of how much of that yarn was used for something and how much was stashed. I tried really hard to only buy yarn for specific projects. However, I admit there was some stashing this year.

I do feel good because I knit with and got rid of some deep stash. I finally used my red stash, those six balls of Rowan Biggy Print I bought on sale at Yarn Garden eons ago and three of the four balls Rowan Chunky Print that I bought even before that. It was a big accomplishment that I am proud of.

I finished 23 projects this year. Five of which were for me. I knit 11 monsters and animals. All but one of those used stash yarn. The one that didn't use stash yarn was my first commissioned project.

December Totals

2011-12-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

Crocheted/finished: 790 yards
Sold: 981 yards
Gave away (Christmas swap): 845 yards
Bought: 425 yards
Received (Christmas swap): 437 yards

Total for month: 773 yards

Grand total for the year: 4609 yards

Who needs a tree topper?

2011-12-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

Or ornaments? Or lights?

Well. Okay. The tree HAS to have lights.

November Totals

2011-11-30T15:44:00.000-08:00

This month I knit my first commissioned piece. Unfortunately I totally over bought for it. And the shop I got the yarn at only took exchanges. Ouch.

Knit/finished: 715 yards
Bought: 1745 yards
Total for month: -1030

Total for year: 3836 yards

Yarn from NASA

2011-11-26T15:20:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to try this yarn for awhile. Its Lorna's Laces Solemate. One of the fibers in the yarn was designed by NASA! The colorway is Beverly. I'm looking forward to making a nice comfy pair of socks for myself out of.

Now for Something That is Acutally Different

2011-11-20T12:43:00.001-08:00

I knit a hat! A hat for myself! Too bad it's too small. I even knit the body longer then the pattern said. The pattern is the Hurricane Hat. The yarn is some deep stash - Malabrigo Worsted that I received from my Secret Pal back in March of 2006. That's a long time to have yarn. of course, I have yarn that's even older. I knit the brim with size 7US needles and the body on size 8US.

Tiny things

2011-11-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad show. Wow! It was a really impressive show. And really crowded. The light was low so I wasn't able to get a lot of good pictures.

Wet

2011-11-17T18:41:00.001-08:00

Now With Face

2011-11-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

Now I just need to turn that frown upside down.

They're multiplying

2011-11-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

I made another cat. This one is for a friend. She couldn't decide between the green or the purple so I suggested stripes. The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash held double. The green is lime and the purple is wisteria.

I just realized I forgot to measure how tall the cat was before giving it away. Stripe is just a bit shorter then Gus Gus (the blue cat).

I did it!

2011-11-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

I knit, sold and otherwise got rid of enough yarn to consolidate my stash! And I was able to empty a bin. And not just any bin. My biggest bin. This one is probably a 30 gallon bin. I can fit a 25 gallon bin in it. I am so proud of myself. One down, four to go.

So tempting...

2011-11-04T14:50:00.001-07:00

A Slight Change in Course

2011-11-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

I took a side trip from making monsters to knit a cat. I used just under three skeins of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush with the yarn held double. I've had this yarn for a long time and have knit with it before so it wasn't as soft and fuzzy as it could've been. The pattern is Rebecca Danger's Greta the Captivating Cat.

A very fun and quick knit. I made this one for My Girl. My Boy asked for one too so I'm making him a red one.

October Totals

2011-10-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

I finished a lot this month again. Unfortunately I had to buy some yarn in order to finish a stash project. And I bought more then I ended up needing.

Knit/finished: 1335 yards
Bought: 474 yards
Total for month: 861 yards

Total for the year: 4866

Two of a Kind

2011-10-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Not only did I finish the first candy corn creature but I made a second one as well. I put feet on only one of them. The feet took forever and the creature didn't sit as well with the feet. It may not sit as well because I didn't add the beans. I've already planned several more of these.

And Now For Something Not Very Different

2011-10-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

I know. Big surprise! I'm making a monster. At least this one is from a different designer. I admit it. I've fallen hard for this Candy Corn Creature. I've already planned out several other holiday versions. I wonder how many I can do before I get sick on them? Hopefully more then I can eat of the actual candy.

This little guy would be done by now if… I was more familiar with candy corn (I cast on with orange). And, if I read the directions (I totally flubbed the decreases).

Another One Finished

2011-10-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

While waiting on my owl yarn to come I started the second of my Sample Monkey socks. The yarn is Blissful Knits & Dyeworks MCN in the Ash Tree colorway. Raya asked me to knit a sample sock for her Sock Summit booth and how could I say no. I wish I'd gotten a photo of the sock on display in her booth.

It feels good to get these sock projects finished. Soon I can start a new one!!

Big (but not) Snowy Owl

2011-10-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

I finished the giant owl! The finishing took forever - per usual. I used just over six skeins of Rowan Biggy Print and is just over 20 inches tall. Six of the balls were from my deep stash. I bought two extra balls and thought about stuffing the owl with them. In the end, I'll probably make a little owl with it. Who doesn't need another owl?

Sometimes it's Good to Have to Wait

2011-10-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes waiting isn't such a bad thing. I've been using my time waiting for the yarn to finish the giant owl wisely. I've been finishing projects. I finally finished my Autumn Nuts. I started these way back in January. The pattern is Nutkin and the yarn is Handmaiden Casbah in the Autumn colorway. It seems funny that I finished these just in time for fall.

I also started the second of my Sample Monkey socks. I'm cruising through my WIPs.

Not Enough

2011-10-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

I started working on another owl for My Girl. I know she's kind of over owls but the pattern was free and I had the yarn in my stash. Unfortunately I didn't have enough yarn in my stash. Fortunately I found someone on Ravelry who is willing to part with a couple balls. Now all I have to do is wait.

September Totals

2011-09-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

The parade of finished items continues!

Knit/finished: 565 yards
Sold: 312 yards
Month Total: 877 yards

Year Total: 4005 yards

Yet Another New Addition

2011-09-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

I finished an owl for My Girl. This one is from a real pattern called Lucy's Owl. It's a great free pattern on Ravelry. I even got to do a little crochet! Per usual the finishing took longer then the knitting.

The yarn is a mix of stash yarns. I dyed the main color myself in the long ago before time. I'm quite pleased with how it knit up and how all the colors work together.

Here's the owl with the one I made up myself.

Another new Addition

2011-09-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

I finished another monster. I call him Hugo the Huge but my boy calls him the Pillow Monster. He is huge too. Just under 20 inches. He's not quite pillow size but pretty close.

The yarn is Rowan Chunky Print that I've had in my stash for YEARS!

Market Day

2011-09-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

I love the amazing variety of colors you can find at the farmers' market.

New Additions

2011-09-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Our family grew by two yesterday. This is going to be very interesting. I have no idea what I was thinking.

August Totals

2011-08-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

I finally finished something! Actually, three somethings!

Knit/finished: 867 yards

Total for year: 3128 yards

More Parts

2011-08-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done with another monster. This one is Angus the Attic Monster. Its for My Boy's teacher. This will be the first time he's had one teacher for an entire year and I really like her. I'm sad that he's moving on but know he'll have a great time.

Done. Done. And I'm on to the Next One.

2011-08-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

I finished my pain in the butt simple socks so now I'm on to finishing another pair. I'm almost done with the first of my Nutkin socks. The pattern calls for a short row heal and toe. I couldn't figure out the heal and didn't even try with the toe. I'm going to try again with the second sock. Maybe time will help me figure it out.

Extra points if you know the title reference.

Something Done!

2011-08-09T14:42:00.001-07:00

I finally finished something! These simple socks took way too long. It seemed like I had trouble at every turn. The pattern is Basic Ribbed by Kate Atherley knit in Koigu KPPPM. I am so glad to be done with these so I can move on to my next WIP.

Steam Up

2011-08-06T20:57:00.001-07:00

We went to the Great Oregon Steam Up today. It was a lot of fun! Someday I hope to be able to stay long enough to check out the swap meet. In the meantime I'll just have to be happy with the wonderful tractors, the cool fire engines and all the fun trains. Its a tough job but someone has to do it.

Oh. And I did manage to get a lot of good knitting in during the drive there and back. I'm almost done with something!!

Sandbox Knitting

2011-08-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

Or is it a dump truck sock?

July Totals

2011-07-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

Sock Summit was this month. It was hard but I came out with only one skein of yarn.

Knit/finished: 260 yards
Bought: 784 yards
Total gone for the month: -524

Total for the year: 2661 yards

What I bought

2011-07-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

I was really good at Sock Summit. I bought one skein of yarn and some silk hankies. I didn't have a lot of time. I would like to have taken one of the short drop-in classes. Maybe next time. Its probably for the best that I didn't spend anymore time there. I could feel my resistance weakening the longer I was there.

I Was There!

2011-07-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

I even knit a sock!

Boats!

2011-07-28T21:20:00.001-07:00

This afternoon I made little cork boats for the kids. I had originally planned on letting them make the boats themselves but in the end they got to sail them. I followed this tutorial. Very quick and easy.

I did add string to two of the boats and the kids ended up dragging the boats around the backyard. I used skewers because I couldn't for the life of me find toothpicks in the store. I think the heavier mast works out well especially for the larger boats.

Now I just need to find a creek for the kids to sail these in. A mom in my knit group suggested taking them to any of the various fountains around town. Then the kids could walk in the water and pull the boats after them. Good idea.

One funny note. This is, as far as I can remember, my first time using a glue gun. How can that be?

Tea & Sake

2011-07-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

What more do you need?

Market Day

2011-07-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

This week we discovered yellow raspberries. What took us so long?!?!

June Totals

2011-06-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

I spent knitting a skirt that I didn't finish. Since the sewing up is tricky the skirt will remain a work in progress for awhile.

Knit/finished: 0
Sold: 905 yards
Bought: 620 yards
Total gone for the month: 285 yds

Total for the year: 3185 yards

May Totals

2011-05-31T14:06:00.001-07:00

This month I knit an owl and a monster. I didn't buy any yarn but I was given the skein of Blissful Knits yarn. It's a low total but at least its not zero.

Total Knit: 440 yds
Given: 400 yds
Total gone for the month: 40 yds

Total gone for the year: 2900 yds

Sample Monkey

2011-05-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Raya from my knitting group is going to have a booth at Sock Summit and she asked me to knit her a sock for her booth. She gives me yarn to knit with and I get to keep the socks!! How could I say no?

The yarn is Blissful Knits in a fingerling weight wool, cashmere and nylon blend. The sock pattern is Monkey by Cookie A.

Monster #2

2011-05-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

My monster knitting continues. I held two strands of Knit Picks Bare Worsted dyed by me together for Baldwin the Bathroom Monster. I was afraid I wasn't going to have enough yarn so I made a smaller monster. I should have made a larger one as I still have a little under half of each balls.

This guy still doesn't have a name. Hopefully the kids will come up with something.

Peppermint Owl

2011-05-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Girl love owls and I've been wanting to knit her one for awhile. I was never able to find a pattern I really liked so I came up with my own. The yarn is two strands of Cascade 220 Superwash held together. One strand is white dyed with cherry koolaid and the other is pink dyed with cherry koolaid.

The eyes are from 6060's etsy shop.

April Totals

2011-04-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

This month I finished one monster. I used almost two skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash. I didn't sell any yarn and I didn't buy any.

Total Knit: 440 yds

Total for the year: 2860 yards

Introducing... Monster Andre

2011-04-29T13:41:00.001-07:00

I finally finished the monster. For some reason The Boy named him Andre. I originally bought this yarn to make The Boy a vest for his first birthday and his fourth birthday is coming up in just over a week. Needless to say, I've had this yarn for a long time.

Here is Super Andre!

Both kids love Andre. I'm really looking forward to making them more toys. I've already cast on another one.

Monster parts

2011-04-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

Harold the Houseplant Monster by Rebecca Danger knit with two strands of Cascade 220 Superwash in blue and green. The Boy is really excited about it.

a sock

2011-04-02T20:42:00.001-07:00

This is all I have to show for March. Hopefully April will be better.

March Totals

2011-04-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

March was a bad knitting month. I finished nothing. Absolutely nothing. And I have been knitting. Just not a lot. Which brings me to the other reason March has been such a bad knitting month. I have been so tired that I didn't even FEEL like knitting. What?! How can that be? I've been so tired that I've been spending my knitting time mindlessly surfing the net.

Part of the reason for the surfing is I've been avoiding my knitting. It's been a really frustrating knitting month. For every inch I knit I unknit half an inch. Or at least, that's how it felt. It's frustrating because my one March goal was to finish a pair of socks. And I didn't even finish a sock (although I came close).

My totals for this month are pretty dismal.

Knit: 0
Sold: 687 yards
Bought: 350 yards
Total gone: 337 yards

Total for the year: 2420 yards

Lucky Ninja

2011-03-31T20:16:00.001-07:00

I got this in the mail today and I love it! I got it here. I have a thing for shamrocks. And I may have already gone back and ordered the knitting ninja.

Environmently Friendly

2011-03-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the second annual PDX Yarn Crawl. I was going to be good and not go to any yarn shops but... I ended up going to three shops. Three shops and I only bought one skein of yarn! Not bad.

This yarn is called Riveting by Kollage Yarns. The name probably has something to do with it being made from recycled blue jeans. It's such an interesting concept that I had to buy a skein. My friend who went with me also bought a skein. It'll be fun to compare our finished projects. I'm thinking a small shawl.

February Totals

2011-03-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

Knit: 566 yards (Traveling Women Shawl and hat)
Sold: 1750 yards
Bought: 880 yards (used a gift card)
Given: 318 yards

Total gone: 1108 yards

Total gone for the year: 2083 yards

I knit a lot in February but I didn't get much finished. I'm still stuck on my two main socks. Grumble. I need to sit down and figure them out.

All Done!

2011-02-28T14:24:00.001-08:00

The Traveling Bride is all done being blocked! It's a really dark day today. Hopefully I can get a better photo before it's gifted on Saturday. This used all but 10 grams of my yarn.

Shawl on a wire

2011-02-23T13:43:00.001-08:00

I bought these blocking wires back in my hay-day of shawl knitting. And never used them. I decided to give a try on my Traveling Bride shawl. I think the points give shawls an added pop. Hopefully I'll have modeled pictures soon.

Comfort Knitting

2011-02-18T14:09:00.001-08:00

I'm having trouble with both of my other socks and I'm not ready to redo the bind off on my shawl. So I cast on some simple socks in some beautiful yarn to keep my hands busy. The pattern is Basic Ribbed Socks by Kate Atherley and the yarn is Koigu in the color P460.

The pattern offers nothing new but I am using new needles. They are Kollage Needles and they are square. So far I can't tell any difference but we'll see how they work.

Off the Needles

2011-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

The Traveling Bride shawl is off the needles. I've put it aside for a couple of days out of frustration. I was just a few inches from being done with binding off when I came to a knot. I need to take out the bind off and redo it. Blah. I hate knots!

A change of shawls

2011-02-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

I mentioned a few posts ago I want to knit a red shawl for my friend's wedding. Originally I was going to make 198 Yards of Heaven for her. I was going to use two skeins of reddish Noro Silk Garden that I had in my stash. I started the shawl a couple of days ago. I didn't get very far but I knew this wasn't the shawl for her. I spent most of yesterday trying to decide what to do instead. I REALLY need to knit from my stash.

Than I remembered I have a skein of STR Lightweight in the Knitters w/o Borders colorway (red, black and white) that another friend gave me. They are exactly the right colors for the future bride! And I'm knitting the Traveling Women shawl which totally fits because my friend is traveling out of the country to get married.

I am so excited about this! The color repeats are short so I hope it doesn't pool too bad. Now I just have to knit this thing in a month. Fingers crossed!

January Totals

2011-02-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start keeping track of how much yarn I knit, sell and buy. I'm going to be as honest I can.

Knit: 850 yards
Sold: 1180 yards
Bought: 1055 yards

Total Gone: 975 yards

Bumble Bee Yarn

2011-01-31T14:35:00.001-08:00

I know. I know. I swore I wasn't going to buy more sock yarn. But I sold some yarn on Ravelry so I had a PayPal credit. And I have a VERY specific project in mind for this yarn. In the end, I decided it was better to use the credit for specific projects rather then buy more stash yarn.

In fact, it's a project I'm very excited about but I need more yarn AND new needles. That doesn't sound too good. At least I have the most important part. Although I'm starting to worry I may not have enough. Groan.

Oh. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the bee stripe colorway.

Pink Tube

2011-01-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

And here are my more spring-like colored socks. These are the Kai-Mei socks by Cookie A. I'm using Zen Garden Sea Sock in the Tides of Change colorway. When I ordered the yarn I was expecting red, not pink. The color has been growing on me though. I like all the small differences in color. Who knew there were so many shade of pink?

I've just been thinking about that last sentence. Since I have a girl who is quickly becoming a girly girl I imagine I will soon become all too familiar with each and every shade of pink.

These socks have become my easy socks for now. All the detail and pattern is in the foot. I'm really going to need new shoes when I'm finished with these.

Autumn Nuts

2011-01-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

Last week I started knitting the Nutkin socks by Beth LaPensee. The yarn is Handmaiden Casbah Sock in the Autumn colorway. I love the pattern (so easy yet it looks so complicated)! I love the yarn (10% cashmere)! I do not love the color. Maybe it's just the wrong time of year to be knitting with autumn colors. I do have a more spring colored sock that I'll share tomorrow.

This is my first folded over cuff on a sock or anything else for that matter. My first new technique of the new year.

Pink Snake

2011-01-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

I finished The Girl's scarf about a week ago. I still haven't blocked it. I'll try to get a photo of her wearing it. It might be a little difficult since she doesn't have much interest in it. I should have knit her a pink alligator scarf like her brother's. When will I ever learn?

Another sign I'm a SAHM not getting enough sleep. I went back and forth between snake and snack when writing the title.

A finished pair

2011-01-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I finally closed the heal hole and weaved in the ends of my Boobie-Skew socks. I've been wearing them all afternoon and I love them! The fit is tight (I can barely get them over my heal) but good. If/when I knit these again I'm going to make the heel a bit bigger and the foot a bit smaller. I think I'd also try a different toe. I don't think it needs to be so wonky.

I used Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Boobie #2 colorway. I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn which is a good thing since I have three more skeins. I'm sure I'll be using it again before the year is out.

Up next, Cookie A's Kai-Mei.

Why red?

2011-01-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

Shopping from the stash can be hard. A friend of mine is getting married in April. When she told me her favorite color was red my heart sank. I don't have a lot of red in my stash. I have some great purple-red and some great red with orange and yellow. But not a lot of red. And certainly nothing that is machine washable.

Right now I'm thinking of knitting 198 Yards of Heaven with the two skeins of Noro Kureyon in the picture above. First I have to finish The Girl's scarf and The Boy's hat. Surely I can get those and all the socks done by April.

Enjoying some sun

2011-01-17T13:44:00.001-08:00

It rained all weekend and today the sun finally came out. The kids and I took full advantage and went for a walk. It was great to get outside!

In knitting news I finished the second Skew sock. I just need weave in the ends and get some pictures. Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow and I can get some good photos.

So close

2011-01-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

I'm almost done with the second sock! I think it's interesting how different the two socks look. The same yarn, same needles and same pattern can pool very differently. I'm sweating a little. I hope I have enough yarn. I forget stockinette uses a lot of yarn. I'll find out soon enough.

A change of pace

2011-01-09T18:59:00.000-08:00

As a friend noted I have been "crankin' the footwear out" lately. Today I cast on a large needle project. I wanted to start The Boy's hat but I can't find the needles I need. Instead I started The Girl's scarf. It's the Saroyan scarf in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Tickled Pink. I am making a mini version of the scarf.

Sometime this week I'll get to the store and get some new needles. I have no idea where they could be!

What is that thing?

2011-01-09T08:18:00.001-08:00

It's strange to think this funny looking thing will some day be a sock. I know it will because this is the second sock. The skew socks are coming along nicely. I'm almost to the heal of the second one. More pictures soon I hope.

And socks.

2011-01-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

The Boy and I went to the Children's Museum this morning. I brought along a simple sock to work on. Either it wasn't simple enough (2x2 rib) or we were having too much fun. I managed to mess it up and spent more time unknitting then knitting. That ought to teach me!

More sock stuff soon.

Roar!

2011-01-02T14:38:00.001-08:00

I FINALLY finished these damn socks! They shouldn't have taken as long as they did. It didn't help I pretty much knit the first sock three times. I do love them. The pattern is Charade and the yarn is Trekking XXL. I love that each sock is one color repeat! What fun yarn.

In the end I knit these on size US 2 needles. If I had to do it over I'd probably go do to US 1.5 and add more stitches. The fabric is really loose. From what I hear that means the socks probably won't last as long.

And here are the socks with a fierce foot eating dinosaur!! Roar!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

Goodbye 2010! Wow. Another year gone. They only go faster and faster. Looking back 2010 was the year of the shawl and gift knitting. Of the 20 projects I knit last year one project was for me. Interesting.

I'm not doing an resolutions (again) this year. I'm just going to set some knitting goals. I found myself back into socks big time towards the end of the year. Enough so that I've declared 2011 the year of the sock. All of my goals are pretty much sock related.

1. Knit as many socks as possible.

2. Use as much stash yarn as possible.

2. Try as many new techniques as possible.

That's it. I'm done. Let the year of the sock begin!!

I learned something new!

2010-12-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

I conquered Judy's Magic Cast On! I'm not 100% sure I did it right but the sock hasn't fallen apart so that's a good sign. The sock is Skew (from Knitty) and the yarn is STR in Boobie 2 (from previous post).

This is my first toe up sock. I've been joking that I started this project because it's good for my brain. I read recently that it's good for brain health to do challenging but attainable projects.

That's it! Knitting is good for my brain! Gotta go knit some more!

Not a good sign?

2010-11-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

For the last two afternoons I've tried to learn Judy's Magic Cast On so I can start my Skew socks. There's a video on You Tube featuring Cat Bordhi that's supposed to be really good. Each time I've started watching it The Girl has woken up from her nap. Like clock work. It's very frustrating. I can't start my sock if I don't get this cast on.

Since I have no sock to show you I'll show you the yarn I'm going to use for the sock. It's Socks That Rock in Boobie 2.

Third times the charm?

2010-11-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

Right? Right? This is the third time I've started my Charade socks. And, I'm almost there. The amazing thing is I've almost got a complete sock and I still haven't gone through a complete color repeat. This yarn (Trekking XXL) is so cool!

A not so black Friday

2010-11-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

Normally I boycott black Friday and try to spend as little money as possible. But The Girl and I were up so we went to Twisted's early morning pajama-rama sale. If you came in your pajamas you got an extra 20% off. Since we didn't need to get dressed I decided to go. And I had a gift card so I only ended up spending 65 cents. Not bad.

The yarn on the top is Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Blue Footed Boobie (or Boobie, for short)#1. I'd bought #2 earlier in the week and had been thinking about this one ever since. The bottom is Malabrigo Sock in the Stonechat colorway.

Lot's of new color on this black Friday.

Just add buttons

2010-11-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

I've been working on two hats for The Girl. Both are made with Dream in Color Classy in the Pinky colorway. They are both essentially done. They just need buttons.

The hat on top is "The Republic" Hat Toddler Edition by Nicole Reeves. The second is the Capitan Hat Rosi Garmendia. Both will look super cute, some day on my baby girl.

Not what I intended

2010-11-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

When I envisioned these socks in my head I was thinking fire and ice stripes. Instead I have rainbow bright shading. Oh well. I'm still sticking with these. I'm using the Noro Stripey Socks pattern by Faith AD with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Flames and Daffodil colorways. The color repeats are just too short for the striping that I wanted. I'm even switching colors every two rows instead of four.

Autumn socks

2010-11-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

I finished my autumn socks (Jaywalkers in Koigu colorway P504). The colors really remind me of autumn here in the Pacific Northwest. We have a lot of evergreen trees, many of the native trees turn yellow, then there's the gray fog and lots of brown.

I copied my friend Blogless K when taking these pictures. She just finished her autumn socks too.

Too small

2010-11-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

The hat is too small. Fortunately I have plenty of yarn left to make another one.

Something finished

2010-11-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

I finished this at least a week ago. It's another Carseat Blanket from Ruthless Knitting. This time I used Cascade 128 Superwash in black and white. Then I finished it off with a little bit of leftover Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Honey Dew. I really liked the softness of the Cascade. It's perfect for a baby project.

Hat Yarn

2010-11-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today I made a quick trip to For Yarn's Sake for yarn to match the kids' winter jackets. The pink is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Tickled Pink colorway. I've used this yarn before and really like it. The green is Dream in Color Classy in the Shiny Moss colorway. I've never had to a chance to use Classy and have always wanted to try it. In fact, this will be my first time using any Dream in Color. I'm looking forward to both!

Now on to the next part. Choosing the pattern!!

Surprise!

2010-11-01T16:30:00.001-07:00

I was going through my stash looking for some yarn when I came across these two skeins. They're Koigu and the scary part is I don't remember buying them. Eek! I can hardly wait to knit these up!

Jaywalkers

2010-10-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of my Jaywalkers in progress. I had originally intended to make socks for The Husband but when I saw the colors I decided to make these for myself. This is my first time really knitting with Koigu and I love it! I don't know why I waited so long.

I started these socks because I'm beginning to feel like the Charade socks are cursed. I'm thinking of ripping them out and starting over another time. They are really driving me crazy!

Trade

2010-10-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today I received my part of a yarn trade. It's Wollemeise Superwash in the Libelle colorway. Now comes the hard part. What to knit next? I have a little time to decide because I need to finish my new Jaywalker socks first. More on those socks later.

Knitting has taught me to let go

2010-09-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

Knitting has taught me a lot over the years. It's taught me to not be a perfectionist and how to hide mistakes. And it has taught me how to let go. Last night I tried on one of my Charade socks and it was so tight I could barely get it on my foot. Blah. After a little hesitation I frogged the bigger of the two socks and started over on larger needles. Oh well. More walk knitting.

Long on color

2010-09-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Short on repeats. This Trekking XXL is amazing! The sock on top is over seven inches long and still no repeat. And judging by the sock on the bottom there's no repeat coming for at least another inch. Must keep knitting.

Farm Shawl

2010-08-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Boy saw this shawl blocking and said it looked like a farm. A farm with grass, steps and lots of windmills (the pins). All it needed, he said was a barn. I couldn't find a barn but I found a little house.

This is the Calais Shawl by Judy Marples in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in the Shanny Pants colorway. The yarn is actually a much darker green then the photos show. I followed the pattern but should have done extra border repeats. I'm always surprised at how small these sock yarn shawls end up.

Road Trip Knitting

2010-08-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

We're going on a quick road trip up north this weekend. We're leaving tomorrow morning and coming back Sunday. I guess I'm feeling a little frazzled by the spur of the moment nature of the trip. How frazzled? I started a load of laundry and came back upstairs to fold and pack my clean clothes. I looked around. I looked around some more. For some reason I couldn't find my clean clothes. All I could find was a pile of dirty clothes on the floor. The only thing more embarrassing then figuring out what I'd done is how long it took me to figure out what I had done. Needless to say, my clothes will be very clean this weekend.

As per usual, I'm taking way too much knitting. There is a long car trip but it's not that long. Mainly I hope to get a lot done on the green shawl. I'd really like to send it to my aunt early next week.

I missed you old friend

2010-08-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've worked on a sock. I've missed their short rows. It doesn't matter how easy a shawl is the rows eventually get really long. It's nice to have something that's easy to put down.

The pattern is Charade by Sandra Park and the yarn is Trekking XXL in #84 colorway from the stash. The pattern was the first easy looking pattern on Ravelry's sock pattern list and the yarn was the first skein of sock yarn I could find. Time will tell if it's a good combo.

Wedding Re-use

2010-08-08T13:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my good friend Tracy got married. The takeaways were little bags of mints. Little Miss loves to carry bags around so I refashioned one of the goody bags into something she could carry. Success! She loved it. I made another one and put Legos in it. The Boy instantly became interested too. They've been playing with the bags ever since.

The bags won't last long but it'll be a few more days before they'll be recycled.

Finished blanket

2010-08-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

After starting so many projects it's nice to actually finish something. It's the Carseat Blanket by Ruth Homrighaus of Ruthless Knitting. The yarn is Knit Picks Swish Bulky in sea foam and fedora. I did a few extra pattern repeats in the body of the blanket. Then I knit the border until I ran out of blue yarn. I probably had enough brown left for another row and bind off but I didn't want to chance it.

I'll be casting on another one of these blankets real soon. I have another friend who is pregnant. She's not due until November so I have a little more time.

Oh. The irony.

2010-08-06T10:38:00.001-07:00

I've started ten shawls this year and I don't have one to wear to my friend's wedding on Saturday. If I really pushed it I could probably finish the Little Arrowhead shawl in time. But it's not a priority.

I finally came to my senses about the Little Arrowhead shawl. I was making it for my aunt who started chemo/radiation treatment this week. She lives in SoCal so I didn't want to use wool. Then I realized I can't expect her to take care of a hand wash only shawl, even in the best of time. I looked through my stash, searched Ravelry and last night I cast on yet another shawl. It's the Calais Shawl in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in the Shanny Pants colorway.

I now have WAY too many works in progress.

More yarn love

2010-08-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is my second yarn purchase with my PayPal credit. It's the famous Wollmeise 100% Merino Superwash in the Farn colorway. The color in the picture isn't very good. It's actually a lot brighter then it looks. I'll be knitting something with this soon after I used my Bugga Skinny.

Bugga Love

2010-08-02T14:12:00.001-07:00

I sold some yarn a couple of weeks ago and the credit has been burning a hole in my pocket. There are so many great yarns I want to try. In the end I decided to get something I couldn't get locally. I bought a skein of The Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga in the Lubber Grasshopper colorway.

This yarn is gorgeous! I can't wait to knit with it. I just have to pick a proejct. So many shawls so little time!

I also have a skein of Wollmeise coming but that's another ball of yarn.

Decision Time

2010-07-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

I've done the seven repeats of chart 1. Do I chance it and do another repeat? Or do I start chart 2? I want to use up as much yarn as possible. I am also in the solid purple of the yarn. I believe this means I should have half a ball left. But it doesn't look like I have that much left. Tomorrow I will weigh the remaining yarn and see.

I wonder if there is some way to calculate if I have enough yarn left to do another repeat or not.

a change

2010-07-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

I needed a change. I was getting tired of knitting with cotton and having to pay attention to each stitch. This new shawl is the Shetland Triangle by Evelyn Clark in Sundara fingerling silk merino ruby port. This is a little more complicated then a lot of the shawl I've been working on lately. It's a project I can only work on when the kiddos are asleep. I'm working my way up to a shawl knit in lace weight yarn that was inspired by the Eiffel Tower.

3:3

2010-07-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Three strands of pink and three strands of purple. I'm about to finish the fifth repeat of seven of the Chart 1. It'll be interesting to see how this ends up.

playing with color

2010-07-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

I read somewhere on line about freezing water with a few drops of food coloring in muffin tins for kids to play with. I'm not sure what I expected but I was a little disappointed. They melted really quickly and it wasn't that hot. The Boy and I did have a good conversation about mixing colors and why ice melts. The Boy enjoyed it and asked to do it again. In the end, that's all that matters.

Biding my time

2010-07-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

There's a lovely shawl that I want to start with some special yarn that I've been saving for awhile but I need to learn crochet cast on. Donna at Knit Night volunteered to teach me but I have to wait until Wednesday night. That's a long time to wait. And both of my current projects are kind of dull so I decided to start something a bit more interesting to help pass the time.

This is the Little Arrowheads Shawl by Pam Allen in Wolle's Yarn Creations 6-ply Color Changing Cotton in the Pink Petals colorway. The yarn is really interesting. It's six threads of cotton and the colors change one thread at a time. One thread changes color at a time until all six threads are the new color. It'll be a fun project to watch grow.

Car knitting

2010-07-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

We took a day trip up to Mt St Helens today. It was a spur of the moment trip. On the way up I worked on my Chevron Scarf. On the way back I worked on the Catseat Blanket. About halfway home I got to a point where I needed to measure the blanket and discovered I didn't have my measuring tape in my bag. And, of course, the scarf was in the trunk. I dug around in my bag and found another project.

This is the Lacy Baktus by Terhi Montonen in Malabrigo Sock in the Caribeno colorway. This was one of those yarns that looked beautiful in the skein. The different shades of blue and purple melted me. Then I balled the yarn up and thought WTF! The color repeats are so short! All the projects I looked at on line showed really bad pooling. I thought I'd try this pattern since its knit from side to side and in garter stitch. I admit I'm not 100% happy with the way it's turning out but I needed some car knitting.

Not exactly summer knitting

2010-07-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

My new big needle project is the Carseat Blanket by Ruth Homrighaus in Knit Picks Swish Bulky (of course). The colors are brown and light blue. This blanket is for my baby blanket knitting buddy Kylie. She had her second boy at the end of June. Since I'm not up for knitting another mitered square blanket on my own I decided to go for something smaller. This is meant to fit over the baby in an infant car seat. This I can do on my own.

The only problem is... This is a heavy wool project and summer has finally arrived. I can't say I like having this thing on my lap during the heat. This may turn into a knit night project where I know I'll have some A/C.