Sock #1–Socks of Kindness

I *finally* have the hankerin’ to knit again and more specifically, knit socks.  And though it was so very tempting to pick up the new yarn I got for Christmas… or the new yarn I bought on a field trip Saturday (more on that later), I took a look at some of my WIP’s (works in progress) and decided that I would feel much better if I finish some of them up before starting something new.

 

And I’m glad I did!  Hot off the needles from earlier this evening, I give you the first in a pair (hopefully!) using the Socks of Kindness pattern.  The pattern is actually a ‘recipe’ that the author posted on Flickr and I really like how it turned out.

 

It can be rather iffy when you use any hand dyed or multi-colored yarn on a sock with a lacey pattern.  Sometimes the bold colors can obscure the pattern, which is why I usually do a vanilla sock with many of my hand dyed yarns.  But this worked out beautifully.

 

My notes in Ravelry from when I started the sock say that the yarn is some that my mom had given me long ago and at that time we thought it was a Lorna’s Lace yarn, but I have no idea the colorway.

And now I will make a confession for all the world, or at least the world that reads my blog, will now know.  I started this sock on 3/28/2008!!!!  I really must hate to rush into things!  

My plan is to go in there and cast on Sock #2 while I’m still excited about them.  SSS (Second Sock Syndrome) is a real problem around here!

** Linking to Get Your Craft On, Take a Look Tuesday

January Vanilla Socks

Thanks to the Year of Stash Socks group on Ravelry I present to you my January “Vanilla” socks (well ok, there’s only one sock in the photo, but it really does have a mate)!  The group has two patterns we can choose from and if we don’t use one of those we are welcome to do a plain vanilla sock, which really is best when using some of the awesome self-patterning yarn.

The yarn I used is Marks & Kattens Clown yarn in colorway 1685, knit on size 2 dpn’s.  I’m thrilled with how they turned out and rather impressed with myself that I finished knitting a pair of socks in one month. 

Take a look at the awesome sock blocker I now have!  So cute and I’ve wanted one forever.  Finally decided on the sheep blocker from The Loopy Ewe and couldn’t be happier.

And yes, that is ice my sock is resting on.  The Dallas area doesn’t get a lot of snow – or ice - , nor do we get it very often.  Unfortunately this storm dropped ice on us and all the area schools and most businesses were closed today…and most have announced closure tomorrow as well.  The funny part of it is that in the midst of all the weather related news coverage they seemed to be most upset over the fact that the Super Bowl will be here Sunday, and here it is cold and icy!  We do take our football seriously in the south.

WIP Wednesday

Some of the projects I have going on are bigger projects and I just hate it that it takes so long before I can share a picture.  I’ve decided to occasionally post a WIP (Work In Progress) post on Wednesdays.  Really a WIP post *has* to be on Wednesday because it feeds my love of alliteration. 

 

Mom and I have talked before about how sometimes you see a project and it just grabs you.  That’s exactly what happened to me with this project.  Little Miss Shabby is doing a year long BOM (block of the month) quilt called Birdie Stitches.  In addition to quilting it also features embroidery.

And I’ve finally gotten over feeling like I must venture out and choose my own fabrics or yarn and not use exactly what the designer used on the model.  When I saw this first block the stitching AND the fabric worked together to grab me and convince me to make the quilt.  My Moda Layer Cake in the Sunkissed pattern has arrived and I’ll be starting my block tomorrow.

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Last year the bulk of my knitting was charity knitting and while I still very much want to continue with that I also want to do some other knitting as well.  I joined a group on Ravelry called YOSS – Year of Stash Socks 2011.  The premise is that instead of joining one of the fabulous sock clubs that instead we will knit a pair of socks or mittens using our stash of yarn every month during 2011.

Even if I don’t knit a pair every month I’m thrilled to pull out some of the yarn I already have.  You see, I *love* my yarn stash and everything I purchased I did so because I loved it….and still do.  So this is very satisfying to me.

The first pair of socks are coming right along and I just have a few more rounds to finish out the toe.  I’m using a self-striping yarn - Clown by Marks & Kattens and am loving it.  Self-striping yarns are fun to knit with as you get to watch the pattern develop as you go.

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This is the Advent Scarf pattern by Kristin Benecken.  I’m using JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool Silk in the Vanilla color and some pearl beads.  This scarf is turning out simply divine and I’m thoroughly enjoying knitting it.  The pattern was released a section a day for the 24 days prior to Christmas, but I went into it never intending to finish it during that time.  I sit in the evening, knit and listen to a book on tape and can feel all the days troubles just melt away – seriously.  And what a gorgeous scarf I’ll have to wear next year.

A Sock In The Sky

Sometimes you have to put yourself in a position that might be a bit embarrassing, but really it's worth it to get the photo. And that's what happened here.

I'm so close to getting my craft room organized to the point of sharing pictures. And part of that organization was identifying which WIP's (works in progress) I wanted to finish and which I wanted to take apart and store as just yarn.

I've got a lot of single socks and rather than take them out, introduce them to each other and hope that they might find true love I've decided to go ahead and knit the second socks. This is the pair that were finished early this morning.

The green and yellow colors just called out to be pictured against the brilliant blue of the vast Texas sky today. So that's what I did - went outside, lay down on our picnic table and stuck my legs in the air for the photo. I'm sure I was a site to see and I can only hope that none of my neighbors saw me.

And then I looked at the yarn a little more closely and decided that they really needed to be against the green backdrop of our weed-filled backyard (don't judge - we're working on it!).

Such an immense sense of satisfaction to finish this pair and really I should get started on the next one quickly.

The only thing about these that didn't completely thrill me was the DK weight. It's the first pair of socks I've knit with DK weight and I think I prefer socks made with fingering weight yarn. We're all different and now I know!

Specs:

International Sock of Doom pattern, Knit Clinic Sock Yarn, DK Weight, Fading Sunflower colorway, Size 7 needles

Through The Loops Mystery Sock Clue 2

Here's my sock finished through Clue 2.  Clue 3 will be posted at 12:01 tonight and do you know that I even briefly considered staying up for it?  Must be loving this sock more than I thought because I am so not a night owl!

And yes, I do love this sock!  The color of the yarn and the pattern stitches go together beautifully.  It's gorgeous and stretchy and lacey and I am so looking forward to wearing this pair.

Through The Loops Mystery Sock

What's a woman to do when she is faced with no knitting mojo?  My answer seems to be to join a KAL (knit along) and when I saw that there was a mystery sock KAL on Ravelry it just seemed perfect.  One clue every Wednesday and one week into it I am actually spot on as far as progress.

I'm using a sock yarn from my stash, a Cherry Tree Hill yarn, that is a dream to knit with.  And I'm either stubborn or old-fashioned because I still love using my dpn's; they just feel right to me.

It's not too late to join in!  The pattern will be available at the Through The Loops blog or the Through The Loops group on Ravelry.

Why Yes I DO Still Knit!

I thought I would show some of the knitting I've been working on lately. I had planned on updating my Ravelry account today with these projects, but our firewall now blocks Ravelry and says it is an "entertainment, dating" site. Oy! (Guess I'll do the updating later tonight!)

Anyway, first up is the green blanket for a friend, knit with Caron Simply Soft yarn. Loving it!

Then a sock that I am beyond thrilled with. I have another sock that needs a mate and was next on the rotation, but then I remembered this Candy Corn Yarn that I had gotten from Girl On the Rocks last year and decided I had better get it done quick while it's still candy corn season! This is the insanely popular Monkey Sock pattern with a twist - I used a picot edge for the first time and am knitting the purls, ala January One. I had a hard time getting gauge with this pattern/yarn and I'm sure it's a result of my death grip tight knitting. Tried it first on size 1 needles and ADORED the way the yarn striped as it looked exactly like candy corn! Unfortunately, no way was gauge obtained. Ditton on the 1.5's. Finally got it with size 2's, but now the yarn pools quite a bit. That's ok though, I'm still in love!

And do you see the metal dpn's I'm using? These are the PERFECT needles for me for this project. Death grip knitting plus ssk's and K2Tog's equals a disaster waiting to happen on bamboo needles!

Brooklyn and Her Knitted Socks

James and Loni brought Brooklyn over one evening this weekend. I always love to hold her and love on her. This evening I don't believe I ever did see her eyes. :) They had spent the day at Loni's sister's house, so this baby received lots of loving and I guess it just wore her plum out!

I took the opportunity to bring out the socks I had finally finished knitting and tried them on her. Note to self - measure the foot instead of just blindly following the pattern. These ended up looking like elf shoes on her with the good half inch to inch spare room at her toes. The top fit well though.

You can see just how excited she was to be wearing socks that her Grandma made for her. I, of course, think she's looks precious. Some day she'll be awake and be able to more fully appreciate this sort of thing. :)

If your baby is "beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses,sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all thetime," you're the grandma. ~ Teresa Bloomingdale

On Cards and Socks...

Last Friday night I cropped with friends at a store that we'd not cropped at before. So wonderful and we plan on returning a bunch.

As usual, I did way more chatting than producing, but that makes for a wonderful time for me. I did finish this card and I'm pretty pleased with it. There are many, many thank you cards I need to make and this one will be among them.

Stampin Up! Happy Harmony stamp; Stampin Up! ribbon; Basic Grey paper

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I have finished the first sock using Knit Clinic yarn and I LOVE it! The pattern is the International Sock of Doom pattern and it works up very quickly, especially in DK weight yarn. It fits me perfectly and I cannot wait to get #2 done (ok, I must confess that I cannot wait to get it STARTED!!!) so I'll have a pair.

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Friday night Glenda brought edamame for dinner. I love this at Pei Wei, so asked where she got it. YAY for me, it's from Sam's. Bought some last night and that will be my lunch today. MMmmm..... And how virtuous I feel eating it. :)

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~ Welsh Proverb

Finished: Brooklyn's Socks

Pattern: Lacy Rib Baby Socks
Yarn: Schoeller & Stahl Zimba Top
Colorway: 0020, White
Needles: Crystal Palace Bamboo dpn's, Size 2


After I knit the first sock I realized that I had done the toe decreases and kitchener stitch vertically instead of horizontally - DOH! I knit the second and tried to tell myself that the first one was ok. But this IS for my grandbaby, so I cast on sock #3. When I finished it I brought all 3 socks out to show Keith and I sang the ever popular ditty "One of these things is not like the other"....and of course he picked the "bad" sock out right off the bat. I'm very pleased to have done the third sock and to have a good pair for Brooklyn. And on the advice of friends I'm not going to toss sock #1 - I'll keep it in case Loni's dryer decides to eat one of the other socks. ;)

Knit Clinic Yarns - Fading Sunflower

I've been curious about DK weight socks for a while and tonight wound the yarn to start a new pair.

I'll admit upfront that I'm biased about this yarn as it was hand dyed by a friend. But when something is this nice it's easy to sing her praises! So soft and such pretty color.



It's been a while since I've gotten out my swift and ball winder and I'd forgotten how entranced I get over the whole process. And how much I love to look at the lovely yarn cakes!

Head on over to her Etsy shop and see if she has anything left - Knit Clinic Yarns. And stay tuned to see how my socks progress!

Lacy Mock Cable Progress

Time for a knitting update! I almost said that I must be the slowest knitter in creation, but then I realized that I haven't touched my knitting since the weekend. So I don't think it's so much that I'm slow, rather I just don't always get to it. Regardless, this is where I am on the Lacy Mock Cable Socks using the yarn from my secret pal Janet. I truly love how this yarn is knitting up in this pattern! I would definitely use this brand of yarn again as there has been no splitting and has just been a joy to work with. My only complaint is that I'm using Brittany needles and the ends are not pointy enough to do a yarn over two stitches. I have to really work for that stitch, but the rest of the pattern just knits along beautifully.

And I've had her for a little bit, but I don't think she's made an appearance on the blog yet. This is Bobbie, the sock bug I splurged on. I carry my knitting to work each day in this bag as I'm able to kind of wad it up and toss in my bigger work bag and she can handle it. (I also just noticed a couple of strands of Joe hair on my sock bug face. I guess he's just with me everywhere I go! This is also the reason I carry a lint roller in my car, there's one in my desk at work, one in the laundry room, etc.)

In exciting, remodel the house news: When filling up my cute tabletop water fountain yesterday before work I noticed the carpet was damp in front of it. Our first thought was that the fountain was somehow responsible, except that we noticed the water was coming up from below rather than the other way around. Keith called me last night and said that it's our hot water heater. So guess what we'll be doing tonight??? :)

Preach the gospel at all times...when necessary use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Socks and Showers

Sock #1 is still oh so close to being finished. The problem is that mess down at the bottom left of the picture - it is in tight, tiny knots. It takes me about 15 minutes to untangle enough yarn to knit a few rounds. I am just about ready to start the toe decrease - if I don't just throw the mess across the room first! But isn't the Vera yarn beautiful?

The only "knitting" time I had last night was doing this photo op. Partly because I have no idea what I'm doing with the new camera and partly because I spent a lot of time on the phone instead! :) It's all good....

I haven't mentioned yet that Saturday I went to a baby shower for a friend of mine who is expecting her first grandbaby! OK, technically the shower was for the mama, but I enjoyed watching my grandma-to-be friend. I happened to sit next to her and some of her friends that I'd never met before, but when they found out I was a grandma-to-be as well I started getting all kinds of wonderful advice! As the presents were being passed around the room these ladies were explaining to me how to use these newfangled gadgets. I am just in awe of all the new baby items! I'm not real sure how we managed to raise babies before this stuff was invented - LOL! So now I'm anticipating my own little grandbaby even more. :)

"More grandbabies are spoiled because mommy won't spank grandma than any other reason!" - Unknown

Joan's Socks

Knit with 2 strands of Natural Heather Wool-Ease - these will be used more as house socks than socks with shoes. Pattern can be found here.

1 on 2 Socks

Friday night Dawn taught me to knit socks on two circs and here's my progress as of Sunday afternoon. Since I'm still learning the method I decided to just use a straight ss pattern for the socks and let the yarn do the talking. This is Lorna's Lace Vera and is in my current favorite colors - pink and brown! I'm using size 3 Addi's and getting a perfect 8 stitches to the inch.