The Long Awaited Surprise!

Pattern: Childs Cabled Jumper, by Anne Hanson

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, Lime

Needles: US 7
Notes: This was a dream project. The pattern is very well written. I had no modifications, and no problems at all... not a bit of ripping back. It was amazing! It's exactly the dimensions it's supposed to be too! A dream. Yummy!

Front

Back

Miss T got her "baby shower in a box" today! Meghann of Radiant Twist and I have been scheming for several months on a way to really treat Miss T. She's kind of had a rough go of it and we just wanted to make sure she got to celebrate this joyous occasion! Meghann is lucky enough to live near Miss T so she got the honors of giving the gifts to her. She's blogged about it with some cute pictures here!

I myself have been sitting here on the west coast dying of anticipation! Of course I had to be done first so I could ship the gifts back east. It's just no fun to hold it all in!

Look! Mama and Baby Socks that Rock!

Aww...

Sooooo cute! And so fun!

Pattern: Priscilla's Dream Socks from Favorite Socks.
Yarn: Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Chapman Springs, and Mediumweight in Fairgrounds, both from leftovers stash! They both have tiny feet. :)
Notes: What's not to love? Miss T needed some labor socks. And we must impart good taste to the baby right away so she needed a pair too. I love the look of the zig zag bind off. I'm not sure if it would be comfy in a pair of shoes, but these are so thick I don't think they'll go in shoes. It's sure pretty to look at!

Womans Heart, 2001

The knitting was all really fun and cute. But this was really the heart of the gifts I sent. I created this piece about 8 years ago just after I'd gone through a very surprising divorce. I started thinking about my future children and how they wouldn't even know about this part of my life until they were possibly quite a bit older, or maybe never. It sparked a train of thought about the depth of a womans heart. How it holds so many treasures and secrets, hurts and loves. But looking at her face, you'd never know. Miss T and I have talked about this piece quite a bit. She's had some high's and some low's in the past year or so. All little treasures to be tucked away in her heart. And perhaps when she looks at this piece on her wall it might remind her of things she has forgotten about. Or maybe it will just remind her of the depth and beauty that she holds within her very own self. Because that is certainly something to celebrate!

I love you Miss T. I am so happy for you and this upcoming adventure. Another beautiful memory to tuck away in your heart.

Crazy Socks

Pattern: Basic 60 stitch Sock with a Dutch Heel from Knitting Vintage Socks

Yarn: Selah Parvana Sock

Needles: US 1.5, 2
Notes: I can't help but think of Easter candy when I look at them. Maybe it's just the time of year, I'm not sure. I need to rave on this yarn. I reknit the heel on the first sock 2 or 4 times and you can't tell. This yarn is tough! The Dutch Heel... not sure I like it. I have a narrow heel, and yet it's still kind of puckery. I'm hoping it will relax a bit when I wash them. Thank you Julie for this yarn! It was a second that she gave to me. It has been the most fun yarn!

We're leaving town next week and heading north to Alaska for a couple of weeks to visit my family. To cope with the stress of traveling with two toddlers and all that entails I've been doing three things... winding yarn, spending extra time at the gym and freaking out. The freaking out is followed by a trip to the gym or a session winding sock yarn. Now I know I don't NEED to take enough yarn for half a dozen socks with me. But it's calming. So shush! I'm not sure if I'll be taking anything besides socks with me. Baggage space is at a premium when traveling with toddlers and all their stuff. Not to mention dragging two carseats with us. Miss E is also sick right now... hoping that doesn't pass it's way around the house. Did I tell you yet that our flight leaves here at 5am?! Pray for me. lol!

Heavenly

I finally cast on some of my Dream In Color Smooshy sock yarn. Oh my. I only meant to start this and put it away for later. But... it was soooo yummy. If I were a cat I'd have purred the whole time.

Go ahead, laugh at me. Then buy yourself some and see for yourself!

The Curse is Broken!

Fancy socks for me!

Pattern: Primavera Socks
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino, Wild Cherry
Needles: 2.25mm, 2.5mm

I really love how these turned out. They are just gorgeous! I did not however really enjoy knitting them. The yarn is another one of those "little bit sticky" ones. So it felt slow even if it wasn't. And the pattern... there are a lot of M1's and they're a bit fiddly. I felt like I was fighting my way along. I am glad I saw it through as they are lovely but I won't be repeating it.

I feel like I haven't had anything to blog in forever! Secret projects don't lend themselves as blog fodder. The secret project is finished and will be revealed sometime in the next few weeks. It's really just an internet secret... lots of locals got to take a peek already. :)

Last February I took a sock class... and it certainly has been a year of socks! Well it's time for something new again (probably overdue, but lets not talk about that...) I started my first adult sweater! Sheri at The Loopy Ewe wanted to knit herself a sweater out of Dream In Color's Classy and in order to make sure she completed it... invited everyone to join her. She further enticed us with a promise of 20% off on the yarn to do it! I had a credit at her store already and I love Classy, so... I didn't need much arm twisting. There are quite a few people knitting the same sweater as myself as well as a few other newbies. I feel like I have some backup should any problems arise. So I feel a bit "safe" in my choice for my first. And not guilty for ignoring the sweater yarns I've already purchased because now I'll have some experience under my belt and can jump off on my own!

The pattern itself is pretty simple. It's Wicked. You've probably seen a million out there. The construction seems simple enough to be manageable and quick! The yarn is Classy by Dream In Color in Ruby River. So here I go! Perhaps this will be the year of the sweater!


Yes, I have a thing for reds and purples and especially together. That's probably fairly obvious in this post eh? lol!

Chugging Along

The secret project is in full swing now. I managed to clock quite a bit of time with it over the weekend and got the majority of the knitting done. Now come the fiddly parts. I have really enjoyed knitting this and it's gone so fast I can hardly believe it. I was thinking about the yardage I've knit versus the yardage in a sock... this has gone SO much faster. Bigger may be faster. (You won't hear me say better!) I love little teaser pictures. Miss T is getting very squirmy. Muw ah ah! That baby ticker she has is freaking me out! 29 days?! Better get back to it!

I also finished a pair of socks... last week I think. I suppose I should knit them mates and not go out like this. Both second cuffs are a bit over halfway done already. That crazy sock goes really fast. That's what I'm calling it now. That wild and crazy patterning makes me giggle a bit. I've said a million times I am not a fan of pooling or spiraling or any of that. But this one is just SO out there crazy that I love it. I'm not sure what that says about me and I'm not sure I care! lol!

One MORE reason to love my Hub

He brings me nice treats now and then. :) Hub has been traveling a lot lately and was in fact gone most of last week. He was gone again yesterday, but only for a quick day trip. He stopped in at a yarn store and picked this out for me. It's Manos del Uruguay's newest yarn, a Merino and Silk blend. It's very pretty. Hub choose the colors because they would go with both my plum and red coats. When I got my new plum colored winter coat I tried to find something to match to make some mittens and a scarf out of, but it's proved to be difficult. He remembered. How's that for thoughtful?! And he picked up some handmade dark chocolate covered raisins at a country store he always stops by. I have no resistance to these. They are already gone.

With Hub being away knitting hasn't been moving very fast. That and I've been experimenting. February's SKA challenge was to try new heels. Well... that means they don't always fit. For some reason or another I really want to find a short row heel that will fit me. I had the idea if I added in an extra 10% of stitches to the heel that it might work. Often people say to work the heel on 60% of the stitches dividing it 40-60, but this wasn't enough for me. So I thought why not work it 50-60? That way the instep wouldn't be robbed of any stitches. It was a good idea and I think it would work for a lot of people, but it was still a bit too snug for me. Darn! I think you have to be more in proportion for this to work. I just have a thicker ankle and a narrow foot. And my poor heel is right in the middle. It's just a little hard to work.

So here it is looking lovely... on my second try... first was too pointy. Second, too small.


Then this weekend I came down with a bit of a cold. It doesn't seem to be hitting me full on. First I was achy and tired. Now I have congestion. But not enough to be really sick... just enough to be annoying. I keep thinking 'am I sick or not?!'. Anyway... I wanted comfort knitting and something that would work. So I turned to good old Nancy Bush. First I attempted the Welsh Heel. But it's just plain weird. It has yarn overs in the heel turn. So there are these little holes. I didn't like it. Rip! Then I turned to the Dutch or Horseshoe Heel. Ah... yes, here we go. It's a little different in the construction and I'll admit at first I tried to alter it a bit because I didn't think it would work the way I wanted it to. Um, yes, I had to rip it out. The second time I actually followed the directions. And guess what... it turned out perfectly. That Nancy does actually know what she's doing. (ha ha, snort)


I've lost count of how many times I have ripped and knit this heel. All I have to say is that this yarn is VERY forgiving! It's held up just fine and you can't even tell I've abused it so much.

The Dutch heel is very square. The flap is a little longer than a usual flap. I was thinking it would be too big even on me, but after I turned the heel I saw the reason... you need it for this sturdy square little heel turn.


You know how you usually have a k1 or a p1 after the dec stitch in the heel turn. Well you don't have that here. So all the decrease stitches line up and form a sturdy little square.

This also makes for less stitches when you pick up the gusset and start going round again. So the gusset decreases are spaced out between two plain rows. I kind of liked that part... the less decreasing that is.


So anyway... the socks and I are at peace again.

I've been swatching for some exciting new projects! And no, they are not socks! I've been strong armed into a KAL. Well, maybe not strong armed... but coerced. lol!

Shh...

No, you don't need to adjust your screens. I just can't give Miss T any hints!

I started swatching for the secret project. Swatch #1 isn't quite right... going for #2. Things with gauge scare me. Gauge never REALLY matches!

I started a new sock this morning too. I needed something plain. I have been working on the Primavera's, but honestly, I needed to put them down for a bit. The M1's are driving me bonkers. They aren't fun to make. They are gorgeous, but no fun. The sock only needs a toe so I might suck it up and finish it off tonight if I get some time. But I can't really start the second because I stole the needle for the new socks. lol! I did place an order with Knit Picks for a couple more. Two sets of both size 1's are necessary I think. I'll probably finish this darn sock before they get here though... sigh... so slow with the shipping!


So the new sock... it's knitting up pretty wild at the moment. I just went down to the smaller needle size so it should change up. (You know... my 'cheaters calf shaping', knit the top half of the cuff up a needle size) We'll see what happens. I am really liking the base. She calls this her Parvana sock yarn. It's yummy. Julie of Selah fame gave this to me. It was a second. This was a new yarn and she was playing with it a bit. There are great benefits to having an Indie dyer in your knit group!

I have several testers ready for the mitten patterns. Thank you for volunteering! I will have the files out to you ASAP... speaking of which I should get back to that...