Is it Time to Knit Yet?

Showing off Scarves

I finished knitting a scarf yesterday, and also had a couple more handspun scarves that have been done for a few weeks now and I just never got around to taking pictures.  So you get a hurried set of pics from this morning so that I could at least write a post today.  Here's the stats:

• Pattern - Multidirectional Scarf by Karen Baumer
• Yarn - Handspun singles using merino roving from Spunky Eclectic in the Ravelry colorway
• Needles - US Size 5
• Knitting time - Feb. 26th to June 29th
• Comments - This is an easy pattern and I love how the personality it gave to this yarn.  The scarf is super soft but pretty short, maybe 4 feet or so long - perfect for The Baby!

• Simple sideways knit garter stitch scarf
• Yarns - Handspun bulky 2-ply with coils and granny stacks, also used thick and thin singles in the same colors
• Needles - US Size 11
• Knitting Time - 1 day
• Comments - This scarf is the longest I've ever made, it is about 10 feet long!  I love how it turned out, even though I wish you could see the coils and granny stacks a little more.  I feel like they get kind of lost in the scarf.  It is super cool regardless!

• Simple sideways knit garter stitch scarf
• Yarns - Cascade eco wool and handspun superwash singles with super slubs
• Needles - US Size 10
• Knitting Time - 1 day
• Comments - I wasn't so sure that I could make anything nice out of this yarn but I think this turned out pretty good.  I like the contrast of the light and dark yarns, and the slubs are really cool. 

Enough scarves?!  Even though I have a large-ish bin full of scarves and shawls I don't have any reason to stop knitting them right?  I even have another one on the needles right now.  I've also finished a new yarn and started spinning another, I'll show you those in the next post.  Have a great day!

Baby Cable Rib Socks

I have finally taken a picture of a Finished Object to share with you, hurrah!  I finished these socks about a week ago and I'm pretty happy with them.  The yarn is some Knitpicks Bare that I dyed up myself and I love how it turned out!  The pattern was fun too, I'm really digging the 2x2 ribbings with 4 row repeats.  So here they are, and I promise I will be a better blogger this week and actually share with you what I am doing!

As always thanks for looking :)

Stripey Scarf

I finished this scarf while at SnB the other night.  I can't even believe I made it to SnB as it has been a lot of months since I've been!  It was fun and my plan is to keep going.  I know I need the time away from the house :)  Anyway, the scarf.  I picked up the yarn at The Wool Cabin last week because it was the only thing different that wasn't sock yarn that caught my ey e.  I figured it would make something cute for The Baby and I was right.  I casted on about 20 stitches and starting knitting, and kept knitting.  I ended up with a simple garter stitch scarf that changes colors a lot, and I didn't have to do any work.  What could be better?!  It ended up about 56 inches long and 4 inches wide.  So there you go, that's just one thing you can do with 2 balls of this yarn.

Cables and Corrugations

I have a new pair of socks to show off, surprise surprise eh?  As I told you about these before, they are the Cables and Corrugations socks from Cat Bordhi's book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters.  I know I have said it before, but this book is great!  And if you don't have it by now, well something is wrong with you ;)  I have knit at least 6 pairs from this book, maybe more (I don't know off the top of my head) and I plan to knit a few more from it too.  There is just something about this new-fangled way of creating socks that I really, really like.  Anyway, let's talk about the socks.  I did them with a different gauge than the pattern in the book called for, using 46 stitches to start with.  I had to change up the cable chart a little bit in order to accommodate the lesser number of stitches.  I ended up having to do more arch increases than I had calculated too for some reason, but in the end after some frogging and some more frogging, it all worked out.  The heel is still a little weird and I don't know exactly why, but the important thing is that they fit now!  So here's the stats:

• Pattern - Cables and Corrugations by Cat Bordhi
• Yarn - Socks that Rock mediumweight, colorway Monsoon from the 2007 sock club (took me long enough to knit them right?!)
• Needles - US Size 2 1/2
• Took me - 5 days

I have also started a new pair of socks, wow huh?  I'm trying to use up some old self dyed yarn that has been lingering in the stash for far too long now.  The pattern is one of the Four-Stitch Reticulated Patterns from Sensational Knitted Socks.  So far I think they are pretty neat, crazy, but neat!  I'll give you a sneak peek before they are done.  That's all I've got for now - have a great day!

Bloggiversary and FOs

So my Bloggiversary has come and gone (it was on Saturday), and no I didn't miss it, I just wasn't prepared for a post or anything.  So Happy Bloggiversary to me!  I kind of can't believe it has been 3 whole years of blogging for me!  I know I haven't done a great job of it lately, but life happens and I just haven't gotten into the swing of making a new me and knitting at the same time, let alone blogging. I do want to thank all of my readers for joining in my blog-life for the past three years, so Thank You!!  To celebrate I will show you some finished objects.  Don't mind the shaggy hairdo please :)

• Pattern - Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty.com by Veronik Avery
• Yarn - Pagewood Farms Bamboo sock yarn, Butterfly colorway - 1 skein
• Needles - US Size 3
• Took me - 3 1/2 months  - procrastinator!
• Comments - I love this scarf.  The pattern was easy to knit and memorize, and since I put it down between almost every pattern repeat I didn't get bored with it.  I love that you can use a variegated yarn and not lose anything from the lace since it is so simple.  I kind of wish I had more yarn to make it longer, but it is a decent size at about 70 inches long.

• Pattern - One Skein Scarf from The Happy Hooker
• Yarn - Rowan Tapestry, just over 1 ball
• Hooks - 9 and 10
• Took me - An evening
• Comments - I'm not very good at crochet.  I think I did the starting chain too tight because it kind of curls when held up at one end.  The stitches on the sides also don't match up exactly, but oh well!  I like the yarn and I do like the scarf, it will do just fine :)

• Pattern - Seamless Hybrid from Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann
• Yarn - Karabella Majestic, just over 10 balls
• Needles - US Sizes 5, 6, and 7
• Took me - Way too long!  I didn't even write it down in the project notes.  I just know I started it soon after I finished my first EPS
• Comments - I would recommend this sweater to anyone!  It was pretty easy to knit but kind of exciting once you get to join the body.  It is a neat way of constructing a sweater and I don't think it will be the last one I make like this.  Of course, as always, the sleeves ended up too long even though I tried my damndest to get them the right length.  Such is my life ;)

So thanks again for reading and looking and commenting, and I hope to have another great year of blogging fun!  Have a great day :)

Marina Piccola Socks

They are done!  I finished them last night just before bed.  Aren't they pretty?!  I really, really love how they turned out.  I have to admit though, by the end of the second sock I wasn't feeling the love for the actual knitting of the socks anymore.  I guess it was just too many stitches and make one purls and make one rights that got to me.  I do love the socks though.  Maybe if I wasn't just knitting on these socks and nothing else, I mean taking breaks from the socks, I might not have gotten tired of doing them.  And who knows, maybe I just got the plain old Second Sock Syndrome?  At any rate, here they are in all their glory :)

• Pattern - Marina Piccola by Kate Gilbert
• Yarn - Socks that Rock lightweight, not sure of the colorway but I think it is Stonewash, almost 1 whole skein
• Needles - US Size 2
• Took me - 5 days
• Comments - I wasn't sure of what size to knit, Kate gives you a nifty chart to figure it out using your foot width and stitch gauge.  She says that the pattern pulls in the sock, and it does, and to knit with more stitches than you usually would.  I still ended up with a 65 stitch sock and I like the way it fits just fine.  Great pattern!

Child's French Socks

I actually got pictures of these socks, can you believe it?  Well here they are and I love them!  I haven't knit an involved sock in quite some time it seems like.  It is super satisfying.  This is a great pattern, of course what pattern by Nancy Bush isn't a great one?  I also really like the yarn, though I think it might be better suited being knit on a larger size needle.  The fabric is kind of dense which I do like most of the time, but not this time.  There is still plenty of yarn leftover from the skein so I think that it is a pretty good value!  Anyway, here's the stats:

• Pattern - Child's French Socks found in Knitting Vintage Socks
• Yarn - Ball and Skein sock yarn
• Needles - US Size 1
• Took me - 3 days
• Comments - Love these socks! 

In other news, I've been working away on the Marina Piccola socks and almost have the first one finished.  I would be further along but I keep making silly mistakes and have to tink back.  They are looking really great so far and I'm very excited about them :)  I hope to get some scarf pictures to share with you soon - stay tuned!

Just Socks

Of the latest items to come off my needles is another pair of socks.  They are nothing special, just basic ribbed socks knit from the toe up with a short row heel and EZ's sewn bind off.  The yarn is a merino/tencel that I got from Scout's Swag a while back.  The colorway is Million Dollar Baby, I like it a lot.

I started another pair of socks right after finishing the ribbed socks.  I used the Decorative Ribbing stitch pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks, and the yarn is Instant Gratification from Brooklyn Handspun in the Mysterioso colorway .  I really like how the socks turned out, I did 56 stitches on the leg and then 54 on the foot just to break up the large-ish stripes a little bit.  They also knit up quickly on size 2 needles, taking me 4 days!

So what am I knitting now?  Well I guess I am on a roll.  I've started the Child's French Sock (Ravelry link) from Knitting Vintage Socks, using some Ball and Skein sock yarn, I think the colorway is Rose or something like that.  It isn't too variegated and I think it is working out nicely.  I'm getting ready to start the heel on the first sock. 

That's all I've got for today, no Lace Ribbon Scarf yet as I'm procrastinating actually blocking it.  So have a good day :)

Alive. Not well. With socks.

I know I have been a bad blogger, but not without excuses!  I am once again sick.  Why does this happen to me?  I have been eating healthy (mostly), taking my vitamins, exercising...why must I be sick, again?!  So I'm just trying to rest up a little to hopefully be better soon.  Knitting has been minimal here, and spinning is literally nonexistent.  I haven't even been reading.  Ugh.

Before I got sick, I did manage to finish up two pairs of socks. The blue ones are from my own handspun, the pattern is Philosopher's House Socks from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways book. The second is just a plain old stockinette pair, knit toe up using Cat's master Riverbed pattern.  The yarn is some OnLine that turned out pretty cool.  They do look a little loose around the instep but I swear they fit.

I'm still working on the Lace Ribbon Scarf,  and another pair of socks using some Merino/tencel from Scout's Swag.  They will also be pretty cool.

In other news, I've been doing overall pretty well with my weight loss.  I gave an update on my other blog, if you want to go look at all I did, but in short I lost 4 pounds in March!  It isn't as much as I wanted but that is still pretty good and I'll take it!  I'm feeling a lot better about myself now that I'm exercising regularly and eating pretty well.  Anyway, that's all I've got for today.  I'm going to attempt to blog more than once this week, even though my brain isn't working all that well.  So you'll just have to suffer through it ;)  Have a great day, I hope you feel better than I do!

Charade Socks

The newest addition to my sock drawer.  The pattern is here.  I didn't care too much for it when I first saw it, but I decided it would be great for showing off the colors in my handspun more so than just another plain sock.  I've become quite the plain sock knitter lately haven't I?  Anyway.  These are short socks, mostly because I wanted to try and squeeze one more pair out of this yarn after these, and I think I will be able to.  They are on size 3 needles, making for a quick knit - I finished the second sock last night from the heel on down!  The pattern turned out to be pretty fun, easily memorized and I really like the herringbone rib stitch.

Now that these are done, I'd really like to start casting on for a bunch of other things.  But I think it's better if I just finish up what I have on the needles already.  I want to knit some lace.  Badly.  But I can't decide what project to pick. I also want to get some major stashbusting done, that's why I started the Absorba the Great Bathmat, but it turns out I don't miss the log cabin style knitting that much.  Anyway, I'm just rambling I guess at this point, so I'll apologize for not having an exciting blog right now for lack of my normal amount of knitting.  I'm still exercising a lot and feeling very tired - I just have to get used to it and I'm sure I'll feel better soon.  I wanted to go to SnB last night but I was just completely beat!  Maybe next week :)