I love a thick sock!

I whipped these up this week. I've been stuck inside because of back to back to back snow and ice storms hitting us. Lots of knitting time. The perfect time for a nice thick pair of new socks don't you think?

Pattern: Woven Stitch, Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino 6, a Christmas gift from Hub, 1.35 skeins
Needles: US 2, 2.5
Notes: I purposefully knit these fairly tight. I wanted thick and squishy!

My feet are finally warm this week! Now Hub will know I appreciate the gift and maybe it'll encourage him! Last year he didn't do so well... ;)

Moms Cable Scarf

I finished this last week and it's finally dry from it's blocking. Cold weather and the basement floor doesn't exactly equate to a quick dry.


After several failed attempts I came up with this design. I had a few constraints... first off I wanted to it to "go" with the mitt's I designed for her that were her Christmas gift. Second, I had a ball and a half of yarn, no more. And third, I don't like funky pooling. I did find one pattern already written that worked well for the first two constraints, but failed on the third. I finally gave in at that point and made up my own. The cables on her mitt's mirror each other, so I did the same with the cables here.

Pattern: my own - coming soon!
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepheards Worsted, Red Rover
Needles: US 7 - knit picks Harmony tips - their trial run

So now Mom's neck can be warm and snuggly along with her hands!

I will write this up along with the mitt's one of these days. I know I keep saying it, but it will eventually happen! It requires putting down the knitting... you all know how hard that can be right?

I'm currently snowed and iced in, so I've almost got another pair of socks done. We're having near record snowfall right now. It's crazy. I went to my dentist appointment this morning and it felt like my car was a sled. Our road does not get plowed... there are really deep ruts, some deep enough to high center my car, so... not going much of anywhere right now!

Being Stupid...

Don't you hate it when you do something stupid like this?


I got this in the mail yesterday from a trade and even though I was trying to be careful... I hacked into the yarn ball. This is why anyone sending yarn should make sure there is air space in the envelope! Because there are people like me who despite trying hard not to, will do something like this. Argh. The good news is I'd already planned to use it for someone with small feet. Good thing. I should be ok. Just feel like whacking myself upside the head.

Another whoops recently... I ran out of yarn on my BFF socks. Note to self... cables with Koigu and a size 11 foot... not compatible. I did however find the perfect recipient for these and she will get to enjoy them... as soon as I knit the mate.


While I am recovering from my disgust over running short on yarn because I clearly didn't even think... just saw, 2 skeins for S/M/or L and since I was knitting the S, just a little longer I thought I'd be fine. Obviously if I'd used my head I would have known it wasn't enough! Shortish yardage and cables... hello?!

ANYWAY, I started this pair. This is yarn from Hub for Christmas. It's a lovely heavy weight. I wanted more than a short cuff so I peeked around on Ravelry and found another ball of it and traded for it. So I have yardage a-plenty here! No running out! I love the speed of a heavy weight sock... it makes me look like I'm as fast as well... you know, some people. Sure, I can whip out a cuff in an evening... see... lol!


And yes, clearly, I have a sock addiction. Clearly. I can't step away. I am actually curtailing myself from casting on a couple more pair. It must be a chemical imbalance.

I did finish Mom's Scarf... it's waiting for a blocking. I just haven't gotten to it. Miss E's had a wicked cold the past few days so a little extra TLC has been needed. Soon, soon...

Quick Note on Longies Pattern

Several people have had trouble downloading the file. Unfortunately it is too large to be able to just include in a post. So, I may be looking for another site to host the pdf. Fortunately, we have Ravelry! They have a new feature which allows designers to have patterns hosted there! So, if you are a member of Ravelry, you may find a perfectly functioning copy of the pattern here!

Samaras Hat

Here is the mystery FO! Just a hat. But a nice snuggly one! I've been browsing a lot of hat patterns lately, trying to find some that I felt I could do without a massive amount of swatching etc... I'm impatient like that. You see, at the end of November, a friend of mine was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. We used to go to church together, and were in bible study and moms group together. Her oldest child is the same age as mine and she has two younger as well. We now live several hours apart and I can't go over and entertain her kids or clean her house or anything like that. But I can knit her hats right? She was diagnosed and one week later had her first chemo treatment. A week after that she lost her hair. Now, I've always known chemo patients lose their hair. But I think I always figured they had more time to get used to the idea before it happened. Not so. Two weeks... wow. Not only getting used to the idea that you have cancer, but your hair is gone!

She is keeping an online journal of her journey. It's absolutely inspiring to read. She is just an amazing testimony of trust to me.

So, you'll see a hat here and there and they are going to her. This one included. I got Hub to help me out with modeling, but the hat is for Kerri.

Pattern: Samaras Hat
Yarn: Dream In Color Classy - can't remember the color name
Needles: US size 4, 6
Mod's: None really, I did have a different row gauge so I had to account for that a bit

He's kind of cute huh? he he. I think he's stopped shaving this week so he can help keep his face warm! It's cold! Hub says if you wear glasses you'll be happy to know that this hat hugs nicely, but doesn't smash your glasses up against your head or face.

Longies Pattern!

Ok, folks, I've finally got my longies pattern up for you! You can find it and all future patterns in the sidebar.

I am having some troubles with opening it on my end, but only some of the time. I think it has to do with my computer though, and not the file. However, if you have trouble, please let me know. I think I might need to find a different place to host it. If you have any suggestions please let me know. I'm new to this sort of thing!

Now, for the pattern, I will warn you, it is not for the faint of heart. There is math, there are short rows and grafting... It can be a little scary as I don't "hold your hand" in this pattern. It has been tested, so it should workout but please, let me know if you run into any issues or errata!

I'm really hoping that it is downloading for everyone else ok. Please let me know if it's not!

Cable Crazy

I started a new pair of socks for the January KAL of the SKA group... this month, I choose from Cookie A. patterns. Seeing as I'm a bit partial to cables lately, I choose the BFF socks. And... I also happened to have the exact same yarn in the stash. So out came the Koigu! I had only planned to start these just to make sure they were on the needles in January so they would count. I was going to do a quick DK weight pair from Christmas yarn and then return to the BFF's. However, these socks have enchanted me and kept me working on them the past few days. I just couldn't stop! They are turning out lovely!

And... I slogged through a bit of Moms Scarf as well. I'm not really enjoying this one. Scarves are hard to enjoy for me. But it is turning out great and is probably almost halfway done.


There will be more knitting in the days to come. We've got frigid temp's and blowing snow. Lovely! I'll be indoors with my wool and a cup of tea!

I have an FO...

But I'm not showing it to you today. Nah! I need dh home in daylight hours willing to model for me first. Soon, soon. It's not earth shattering. I think you can wait.

Instead... here's a couple of WIP's.


The Seahawks Socks... well friends, unfortunately, Green Bay got it's magic on Saturday... snow... and LOTS of it. It's like magic for those Packers. So they sent the Seahawks packing for home. And now... I have a nearly finished sock in progress. What to do? I am thinking I'll finish this sock off if only to retrieve my needle for other projects... but what about that second sock? So far this one was knit (with the exception of the heel) during games. But there are no more games to knit for this season. Hmm... I would like to say I'm going to put it away until next season, but I don't think it's in my person to leave a single sock laying around like that for that long. Ah... revealing more of the neurotic mind!

And... I think I finally came upon a solution to Moms Scarf Dilemma. It's not the most fabulous thing on the planet, but it matches her mitts within reason and the stitch count is good with the yarn. I did find one pattern that I really liked, alas... there was hideous pooling with the yarn. Figures eh? I took this this morning but I've worked it several turns more since then.


So that's all the knitting news I have for you. I've been busy with the kids lately, so progress has slowed.

A little funny... Miss E is rather loud lately. She doesn't have an inside voice. Nope. And especially not when shopping. Most of what comes out of her mouth is pure jibber jabber, but she has a few words. While in Costco this morning in an attempt to get her to quiet down a wee bit (I don't need every person in the store to stare at me!) I started singing 'Johnny Appleseed' quietly. So then... she just started yelling "AAAA-MEN!" over and over... there's just no sneaking around when you have toddlers!

Enchanting

No, I don't mean my feet in Birk's. They are certainly anything BUT enchanting. But if you were to come to my house any old day, this is what you would see. We don't wear shoes in the house, and seeing as I am home most of the time and we have hardwood floors I have to wear something. These are my "house shoes". They work great and save my back and legs.



The light in these photos is all different. Winter is so hard to get consistent lighting! I took these outside in hopes of getting better light as anything I took indoors was way too dark. I think the first and last pictures are probably closest to the real thing although still not great.

Pattern: Basic Sock Recipe, 72 stitches 1x1 twisted rib cuff
Needles: 2.0mm, 2.25mm
Yarn: Superwash Merino Sock by Radiant Twist, Enchanted Colorway

Notes: These are my December Sockdown entry for the SKA group on Ravelry

To be perfectly honest, this was one of those delayed gratification projects. I didn't really enjoy working this this yarn base. It seemed a little bit sticky. But when I put it on my foot... oh my. Love the feeling of it on my foot. This was the case with my current favorite to wear pair of socks as well. So if these follow suit, they will be favorites too!

I have really square toes. All these patterns with pointy toes freak me out. My feet are long and square. Best to keep the Birks on for curves eh? lol!


On my last post Danielle mentioned in the comments that ripping out mistakes is relaxing. I totally agree! I am glad to hear someone else say it. Looking at things that are "not right" or have mistakes just drives me up the wall. It makes me stressed. Ripping out something that is not working is just relief! And it's perfect to mention Danielle in a post about my socks because they always come out of pretty bags she made me. :)

My next pairs... I have two coming up for myself. One is a quick pair in a dk weight with yarn Hub bought me for Christmas. I want to knit these up for two reasons... one, to show Hub that I like and appreciate the yarn, and two, to get another pair in my drawer quick! Last year Hub went yarn shopping... and well, lets just say that yarn might never make it's way out of the stash. It's the thought right? But I want to make sure the message is sent that he did well this year!

The other pair is for the January Sockdown of SKA. It's Cookie A. month. I'm really loving cables lately, so I'm going to do a pair of BFF socks. They happen to be done in Koigu and I happen to have some in a lovely natural cream color. With the cables and the color they'll have a traditional look. I think this picture is much better for showing off the classic pattern.

New projects! Fun fun! I have some hats coming up too. Will tell you about those soon.

I'm skipping my workout today... I think shoveling 6 inches of snow out of this driveway is plenty of workout for me today! Hub is out of town for the day and I really want to leave the house later... so... shovel it was.

Uninspired

That sums up how I'm feeling of late. My blog posts are bo-ring! The knitting is a wee bit frustrating or boring at the moment. Lets just say I am neurotic. I mean, we might as well because I know you're all thinking it! That red scarf and I are going a few rounds. Despite Miss T and Hub both telling me maybe this should be the time I 'let it go and keep on knitting'. I couldn't do it. I have a sickness. There is nothing to show... there have been four versions and all were ripped out. I have yarn now and a new plotted out idea. We'll see how it goes.

The Enchanted socks are almost done, probably within a day or so. Report soon.

Did I ever mention that I ripped out the Red Monkey's? Pretty as they were, they were too small for me. I debated over it for quite a while, then one day I found a mistake I'd made and decided that was the sign... riiiiip! I'm not sure if I'll try to alter the pattern to make it fit with this yarn, or just move on.

AND... the Seahawks won! I've got to whip a heel onto sock #1 so I'm ready for the next game on Sunday! I don't think I can watch playoff football AND knit a heel. In all honesty the gusset might be pushing it. Especially since they are playing in Green Bay... oy!

Anyhow, I wanted to tell you about a Christmas gift I got. My mother got me a cookbook. Now, if you knew my mother, you would laugh. She hates cooking. Does it as little as possible. On top of that it's a book about getting your kids to eat more vegetables. Seriously... my mother is NOT concerned with that in her own home. I just laughed. HOWEVER, it is right up my alley and I am loving it!

I am sure some of you have heard of it. It's Deceptively Delicious and written by Jessica Seinfeld. It's got a super user friendly layout and the graphics are really cute too!


So I spent part of New Years day making vegetable purees. While I was steaming the carrots and roasting a sweet potato and squash Miss N said "Mommy, you are cooking something yucky." HA! I had to agree, it didn't smell very good. I chose veggies that are not popular with one or more persons in the house, sweet potatos, squash, and cauliflower. And I threw in carrots because they are easy and they were on sale.


Now I have been meaning to take some tempting pictures of the yummy things I've made from this stuff, but I forgot. Sorry. I will say, there has not been a single flop yet! There are tons of recipes for snacky type foods. Which is perfect because the kids and I snack like mad. So far I think the applesauce muffins (with carrot) and the Oatmeal made with pumpkin (canned) have been my favorites. I called it 'Pumpkin Pie Oats' to Miss N and got her all hyped on them before she even took a bite. I have to say... it was even better than actual Pumpkin Pie. I've also done cauliflower in both mac-n-cheese and lasagna and while you could kind of taste something different in the mac-n-cheese, you could not detect it at all in the lasagna. The sweet potato pancakes were great tasting. The sweet potato makes them sweeter than a regular pancake. The texture is a little heavy though. So if you're into a fluffy pancake, this ain't it. Everyone, including Hub, have eaten everything and really liked it. I am so excited to be getting more veggies into our diets!

I can't wait to try the recipe for doughnuts. I have to buy a new pan first though. So it might be a bit... but don't they look yummy?! I love being able to eat baked goods and not feel guilty about it! The recipes are healthful on top of having the veggies in them. I think it's a great book for anyone interested in boosting their nutrition. It's definitely not just for kids.

I bid you some yummy and healthy eats this week!

WIP's

With finishing the gifts, and the requisite longies for Miss E, I've felt a wee bit of freedom this past few days. I've knit here and there and started something new...

I cranked out the first of this pair. 72 stitches on 2.0mm needle. It's slow. Especially for my big old feet. I just made it with a wee bit of yarn (maybe a thumb sized hunk) leftover after this sock. But I made it and that's all that matters!

My pictures are a little dark, cloudy icky weather... my apologies.

I finished block 8 of this big old looming WIP. The last two blocks are big, and two color. I really like my working yarn 1 ball at a time. This is actually the same size as most baby blankets right now. The final blocks are going to make it big enough to last through many years. This might be finished by her second birthday... I've got 3ish months left.


I started a new sock for Hub. I am LOVING this yarn. It's Hazel Knits Artisan Sock Yarn. This colorway is 'Hometeam Football'. Since Hub and I grew up in Seattle... no matter what, we're fans. I started this during the small bit of the game I got to watch last week. It just flew! The yarn is yummy. It's a nice fat fingering weight. Just yummy. I want some for myself!

And yes, I'll take any excuse to make colorful socks for Hub!

And, my New Years Eve project... I started a scarf for mom to go with her mitt's. The pattern is done in a velvety yarn and I didn't realize that there was so much seed stitch in it. I thought it was just ribbed. I'm mulling over what I think about that. Moms mitt's had no seed stitch... just ribbing. The reversible cable is nice though.


So that's where I'm at... I know... I promised sweaters soon. I am, as usual, distracted by socks. More sock yarn keeps coming to me. I haven't even bought any for myself lately and it's just coming coming! lol! I am gladly knitting it up because after the Holiday crush, my brain needs a rest. Speaking of my brain... I can't think of anything else to say! Terrible. Ah well, I've got some non-knitting explorations in food I have been doing. Will share soon!