Knitting "progress"

Since last I wrote, I have done astonishingly little knitting. I assumed I would have evenings to knit. You know, after the girls are done with school, and while the baby is happily playing or napping. Stupid, stupid, plan. There has not been a single evening so far that has been open for knitting.

Since last time I posted I have managed to frog 2 newborn soakers and use the yarn to make a medium sized soaker. Alas, I am out of lanolin, so it sits unused for now. I have completed 3 rows on the orange "Brainless" socks; big progress, I know, lol Also during school hours I've managed to knit 3 "mug-rugs" (basic garter stitch squares large enough to set a mug on) from scrap acrylic yarn.

I have far off plans of making more woolies for my baby. I really like the Rhino Romper, and want to make one with long legs and sleeves for winter. I also have my eye on a monster longies pattern over at ravelry.com. I think I will make this one next, just have to check if I have enough yarn to make it. Hopefully I'll be able to make a yarn order within the next few months, but until then I'll just have to go through my "left-overs." (my amount of yarn does not qualify as a "stash" in my view).

Update

This was meant to post several days ago, but it didn't, so I'm taking care of it now.

Life has been hectic, so not much in the way of knitting news. My hba2c failed :( I ended up with my 3rd c-section, recovery was kinda rough, had thrush, then mastitis. I am feeling pretty normal now, so hopefully I'll be able to get going on a couple projects again soon. I have a pair of socks currently hanging in limbo; should finish those.

The wool soakers I made for my baby work great! I am very pleased with how well they work. The soakers and longies only fit him for a couple weeks though (he was 9lbs 3oz at birth). The wrap style and the shorties still fit, though I use them mostly at night (use mostly pocket diapers during the day). I hope to make some larger soakers for him and maybe a couple longies. I don't have money for more yarn at the moment, so will be stripping the lanolin out and frogging the things that are too small for him. Kinda sad about that, but at the same time I'm excited to have the yarn available to reknit them in a usable size.

I haven't been posting because my computer took a huge dump on me. I am going to try to post from the app on my phone more, even though it is a slightly painful process. I haven't been able to figure out why I can't post comments from my phone either. I can get part of a comment typed then it sort of freezes and no more text will enter in. I haven't been ignoring comments! I just can't make my phone work right (it does it on both the app and in the browser).

The plan is to train myself to post more often, but keep it short. We'll see how that goes, lol

Some pics of woollies on my baby boy :)

This pair is one of the first soakers I made, the cheeky soaker. He is about 2 weeks old here.

These are the go-veralls, he wore this to his 2 week check up. They are tight, but still fit okay at 2 months old.

These are the larger sized shorties. They come up past his belly button, and the legs are just a bit short for pants. They work awesome and will fit him for a long time. He was a week old here (seriously, I don't were stretchy pants ALL the time ;).

Striped longies here, and oftly small in the rise and waist. I had a hard time getting them on him at about 3 weeks, it was the only time he wore them :( too bad, because they are cute.

Here is the pinkgreen tie wrap. My husband really likes this soaker, and it works great. I don't care for it so much. It is hard to get on snugly enough on a squirmy (or angry) baby, and you have to lift the baby up some to wrap the ties around the back. I just find it a hassle comparied to the pull up kind, though you can get a really good fit.

I don't think I posted about this project, but it is the "Rhino Romper" from revelry.com. Fun knit, great fit, cute, handy buttons so you don't have to completely take it off for every diaper change. Baby is about 6 weeks old here, and the fit is getting snug, I hope to make another one in a larger size eventually. It is a really adorable outfit. Next time I make one, I will post about the process.

Current knitting plans, and lanolizing.

I just posted a whole slew of finished projects, and I think I am finally caught up. I haven't been posting very regularly here lately, and things were getting away from me.

I have two sink-fulls of baby woolies lanolizing right now. I never really thought about just how long it would take to get a wool item fully prepped for first use. I thought once would be fine, but nope! First time lanolizing needs 3-4 rounds! It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't take the thicker wool items two full days to dry between each lanolizing. I am finding that the process is pretty easy, it just takes a while.

I probably have plenty of soakers made already, but I plan to make up a few more. I want to make a couple more of the wrap style soakers. I think they will work best during the newborn stage. I have three pairs of pants made for my little boy, and that really should be all I make in newborn size. I will make a few in the 3-6 month range, but maybe not for a week or so.

To break things up a bit, I started working on a baby hat today. The only problem is that the hat is going to be a super quick knit. To extend the life of the project, I am going to make another one in a toddler size as well. I am making these for the little girl the blue blanket was for, and I am using the left over yarn from that blanket. The hats should be pretty cute and are quite girly and frilly without being over-the-top.

I have a few patterns that I found a couple weeks ago that I need to buy yarn for, otherwise I would be working on them right now.  I found a pretty awesome pattern for a knitted Cactuar!! If you know what that is and anything about me, you can only guess how badly I want to make it! I will make that thing, as soon as I can justify buying "unnecessary" yarn. I also found a pattern for a Totoro toy that looks pretty cool. I am pretty sure my baby boy NEEDS a Totoro toy (at least as much as he needs a Cactuar toy anyway, lol).

That's about it for my current knitting plans. There is so much going on with preparing for the birth and the baby that I don't really have much time to knit outside of school hours. There are so many things I want to make, but such limited time and yarn : )

Knitting plans for baby boy.

Wednesday we learned we are having a baby boy! So now that I know for sure the baby is a boy, I have tons of projects I really want to knit! It is a bit overwhelming really. I have a stack of patterns that I want to make (I am apparently not capable of picking one pattern then making it, but have to print out a ton of them, lol). The stack is at least an inch thick, lol

I just ordered some yarn for baby projects. I was going to wait until we get the tax return, but I just couldn't help myself ;) I got yarn for a gift blanket and for a blanket for my baby. Yarn for a blue wool soaker, and some discounted sport yarn for making a pair of baby leggings. My order should come sometime next week! I can't wait to start on a new baby project! I'll make the gift blanket first, since that baby is due sooner. I like the pattern and yarn I picked out, so hopefully the parents like it too! I doubt the baby will care much for quite a while, so long as it is soft and cuddly :)

I started another wool soaker last night. If I work on it for a couple hours, I should get it done today.  After this soaker is finished, I won't make anymore newborn sized ones for this baby. I hope he really won't need more than 3 in each size, lol The yarn I bought will be for the next size up or bigger, and the leggings will be made to match. The leggings should be a bit big, because the baby won't really need them until it gets cooler or he starts to crawl.

I'll post a picture of the soaker once I finish it, and of the yarn when it arrives next week.

That's all for now :)

Quick knitting update.

Just an update about my knitting. I have not been good with posting. I am currently 12 weeks and 3 days pregnant, and have been so tired it is a miracle when I get anything done. So my blogs and knitting have been suffering here lately.

I have been doing some knitting in the evenings when I can manage to stay awake, lol I scrapped that gray pair of socks for my husband and restarted with a much more stretchable stitch pattern. I am done with the foot and heel, and have a couple inches of progress on the legs. I think they are looking nice so far and hopefully I'll manage to have them done in a week or two.

I started an over sized sweater for my 7-year-old daughter recently. I think I talked a little about converting a poncho I didn't really care for into a sweater for her. I actually started on it! It is a pinkish hued (the color name is Parfait) LionBrand Homespun yarn, which will be good for a little girl who loves everything pink. I am almost done with the body and will split for the arm holes in a couple more rows. I am using size 10 needles so it will go a bit faster. I was going to use my size 11 needles, but the threaded part on the cable broke off inside of my needle (wasn't using anymore force than normal to tighten it) :( So much for that cable and set of needles :( Next time I make an order to Knit Picks I will buy a replacement. I was pretty upset over it, as I love my nickle plated Knit Picks needles. Thank goodness their needles aren't expensive.

The orange dress is done. I finished the knitting a while ago. I crocheted around the edges a couple days ago, and just finished weaving in all the ends last night. Feels great to have it finished! I think it turned out pretty nice. Now comes the hard part though, blocking it. The skirt is huge! I have no idea how I am going to block it unless I just do sections at a time. I'll post pictures after I get it blocked.

I have a ton of projects planned for the future. My baby is due in May, and I have a huge stack of patterns already. I have patterns for hats, blankets, leggings, pants, wool soakers, rompers, sleep sacks, bibs, washcloths, and anti-scratch mittens. Besides the stuff for my baby, I will need to find a pattern specially for my niece's baby that is due in March. I usually make blankets for expectant babies of family and friends, and I never make the same one twice. To make things harder (in the area of gift giving anyway), the couple is waiting until birth to find out the gender, so whatever I make will have to be gender neutral. It may be tricky finding a gender neutral pattern and yarn that is still unique and pretty. I will be doing a ton of knitting!

That's all for now. This is my 3rd blog post today, and frankly I am all blogged out, lol Hopefully I'll remember and post a picture of those socks later today. :)

MoH Dress, please!

I have been slacking with my posting here of late. I am done with the blue sock, the pink tunic, and more than halfway through the foot portion of the green socks. I think I may scrap my old way of doing things, and use the blogger app more to upload pictures more frequently. Right now I feel "behind" and so dread doing the massive updating that is required. I am going to just not bother, and once I block the projects I will post directly onto this blog.

In other news, I started my big project for this year. I mentioned before that I am making my own gown to wear as the "Matron of Honor" for a friends wedding, and I just started it yesterday. I don't really have much progress to show yet (you can't even see the pattern) so I won't post pictures of it just yet. It is really big around (I am working bottom up) and I don't currently have a cable long enough to hold it (one is on the way from KnitPicks.com!). I have been using both of my 40" cables and swapping needle tips and end caps around so I can transfer stitches onto the "working" cable to knit. It isn't hard, but it takes forever and isn't exactly fun. I cast on 1,222 stitches and it took forever! I worked from late afternoon to a little after midnight, and only got 2 1/2 rounds completed (I am also on the second skein of yarn already).

I have been calling this project the MoH Dress, and it is sticking so that is probably what I will refer to it as in future posts. I am making the skirt pretty simple, and I hope to keep the top portion simple as well (though who knows what sort of shaping issues I will encounter). I am really hoping to have the skirt portion completely done before the end of this month, though I will need to wait until May before I knit up the top (so that it fits, as this whole changing weight deal throws a bit of a wrench into making this dress ahead of time). I am hoping to make notes along the way and have a working pattern by the end of the project, not that I am in a big rush to make a second large project.

That is all for now, hopefully pictures in a day or two :)

XMAS yarn haul

 As the title says, this post is a yarn haul. These are the yarns I got as gifts for Christmas (except one, but I'll get to that :).


This first yarn is from my husband. He told me I could pick out some yarn from Knit Picks as my gift from him this year. I usually buy my yarn from Knit Picks because I like the quality and their yarn is a lot cheaper than comparable blends and quality yarns from other brands. Both colors are the same kind of yarn; Wool of the Andes bulky weight. It is hand wash so not exactly easy care, but isn't supposed to pill and should last for a very long time. It isn't really soft, but I don't really care as I will be making sweater tunics out of it and will be wearing them over another shirt for added modesty and comfort.

 This is the color "Juicy." I picked this color because it is bold and fun and should go great with black leggings/skinnies or the thigh-highs I had started. Just FYI, I plan on making this long enough that it will be more dress than tunic.

This is the color "Polar" and is reminiscent of icy mountain peaks. I liked the concept behind  this colorway and thought it was great for a more muted look that would be great for winter and would go good with jeans. I am not planning on making this tunic as long as the pink one as I plan to always wear this with jeans or pants and not stockings. I am also planing on making arm warmers for this tunic, but haven't decided if I will for the pink one.

The next yarn I picked out using the very generous gift certificate I received for a local yarn and needle craft store. It was fun to go into the store for the first time and see all the yarn that is usually out of my price range. I had a $100 gift certificate and spent it all on one bag of yarn. I went in looking for an easy care cotton blend in a peachy color in a dk weight. I didn't find exactly what I was hoping for, but am happy with what I selected.

 As you can see from the pictures I picked out yarn by Cascade. I have never used this brand of yarn before because of the hefty price tag. This yarn was $11.50 per 191 yard hank so it was $103.50 for the bag of 9 hanks. This isn't the soft peach I was going for, but it is a pretty salmon color that will work nicely and be bright and fun for summer. It is a worsted weight, so a bit bigger than what I was thinking of, but that is just fine. This is the Cascade "Sierra" yarn so is a 80% Pima Cotton and 20% Wool blend. I am hoping the wool helps add a bit of springiness to the yarn (but not too much!) and will make it a bit warmer for summer nights.

I am still planning on using this yarn for a self-designed spring/summer short sleeved tunic. I decided about adding extra beads or glittery thread for embellishment and think I will just use a more interesting stitch for added interest around the neckline. I am hoping to keep it simple and elegant but very wearable. I am not sure how washable this yarn is. I have never used it before and have found conflicting reviews online. Some people say it washes great in the machine, while others say washing it ruins it. I think I will try washing it in the machine, but on a gentle/delicate cycle only.

I am excited to use this yarn because it is the most "high-end" yarn I've ever had. I wish I could start working with it now, but I still have Christmas knits to complete and will probably do the cold weather tunics before doing this warm weather tunic. The yarn feels nice and has a pretty sheen to it, so it will be interesting to see how the finished product turns out.

 This next yarn is yarn I purchase while picking out yarn from my gift certificate. I wanted to get some sock yarn to knit a pair of socks for a friend, but didn't really want to order one skein of yarn over the internet. I am happy that I found something that will work.

This yarn is not the typical wool sock yarn that I usually use. The friend I will be making these socks for lives in a southern state and I wanted the socks to be wearable for more than a month or two out of the year. This is Kraemer Saucon Sock yarn in the color "Lime." It is 44% cotton, 43% acrylic, and 13% nylon. I would have preferred more cotton or nylon and less acrylic, but the yarn feels good and will be easy care. I picked this color because I thought it would go very nicely with the lacy wave-like sock pattern I picked. I have never used yarn from this brand before, but given it was $12.50 for this one skein I am expecting it to be good quality.

There you have it, the entire yarn haul. I got some very nice yarn and am excited to get started on these projects as soon as I finish the Christmas knits I have going now.

Happy New Years!!!

Progress update and future plans.

The "Hourglass" socks are coming along well. It is too bad that I wasn't able to complete all the Christmas knits on time, but it is what it is. I am halfway done with the foot area, so I am nearly done (top down socks). After this pair of socks are completed I will have a scarf and another pair of socks (maybe two) to knit up before completing my Christmas knits for this year. I am hoping to be all done within three weeks.

I have a few projects planned once my current queue is done. I want to make a knit tunic for myself (chunky yarn), finish those thigh-highs, finish the jacket for my husband, and I am planning a new project. I met nearly all my goals for this year with knitting, so I am thinking about new goals for 2012. I want to get into designing more and following other people's patterns less. This isn't really a problem for me since I am a progress knitter, but the problem comes in having a written pattern if I want to share with others. I want to get into designing and making patterns as it seems like I can never find a pattern for exactly what I want to make.

I was given a gift card to a local store that sells yarn and needlework supplies. I have never been in there, so I am excited to see what all they offer! I have decided what I want to make and what kind of yarn I want to use, but I need to come up with the technical aspects of it so it looks like I envision. I want to make a short sleeved tunic for spring/summer. I am thinking I want to find a dk weight cotton yarn in a light peachy color and keep the design of the tunic simple and feminine.  I am thinking of pairing it with light colored capris or skirt and a pair of wedges or flats (assuming I have the money to buy those things, lol). I am still trying to decide if I should include some kind of embellishment at the neckline (thinking either beads or glittery thread held along a white or cream colored yarn). So far all I have is a sketch. I need to actually buy a book and read up on designing and pattern making.

I hope to go shopping for the yarn for the spring tunic tonight. I hope to get the kind of yarn I want (don't care what brand it is). Depending on how much money is left after the yarn for the tunic, I will probably try to get some fun colors for summer things for the girls. I was thinking that some bright stripped summer skirts or dresses would be fun. At some point I want to pick up some chunky yarn for my 7-year-old, but I want her to finish the scarf she is currently crocheting first. I hope she finishes the scarf before winter is over. She wants to learn knitting, but I don't think she is quite ready for that yet.

I need to get back to working on the "Hourglass" socks. I am really hoping I can get them finished before the week is up. If I power knit all this evening I should be able to get the rest of the foot done and then work the toe tomorrow. I will update as soon as the socks are done and on the blockers!

Bad knitty kitty!

My cat loves to lay on my lap and watch the yarn strand move by as I knit. He is a great knitting helper. He keeps me company while I spend hours winding hanks into balls, he comforts me with his purrs when I am frustrated and rip out rows of work.

On occasion, my knitting helper releases his evil alter ego; the yarn shredder. This morning as I sat down to relax and knit on the "Skullface" scarf I noticed my one skein of black yarn was gone. Following the strand attached to my work, I discovered a tangled and shredded mass of black yarn under the coffee table. I don't have any clue how he managed to tangle it so badly, but it took me over an hour to get it "fixed" and wound into a usable ball. No more kitty on my lap today. I am still angry at him and can't help but glare when he walks by.

It's been a bad knitting day :(

Latest Knit Picks order.

My order from Knit Picks came yesterday. No pictures :( Just haven't felt like bothering with pictures much. The yarn is spectacular and will make a very handsome scarf. I will no-doubt make the scarf with the jade colored yarn once "Skullface" is done, however long that may be.

Also included in my order were two sets of sock blockers, one large set and one medium set. They work quite well and seem plenty sturdy. You can see a picture of them in my recent post on the Tribute socks.

I have mixed feelings about the fixed circular needles I ordered. The 2.5mm looks great, but there is a weird problem with the 2.25mm size needle. One tip is considerably sharper than the other. I am a bit perplexed how something like this could happen. I would assume that the needles are all shaped the same way and would be identical to others in the same size. I am also a bit baffled by the lack of quality control on needles at Knit Picks. Everything else I've ordered from them thus far has been exceptional in quality, except for their needles. Remember that one Harmony needle tip that was separating in the grain of the wood? I did fix it with clear nail polish and it seems fine now, but I am wondering if I will get a messed up needle with every needle order I make; it is 2 for 2 so far.

Should I complain and return the needle because the ends differ so much, or should I just keep it and see how much it really effects the effectiveness of the tip? I am torn on what to do. I would like a perfect set of needles and to have consistent tip sharpness, but on the other hand there would be a considerable amount of time I would be without a 2.25mm needle while waiting for the exchange. I need that needle size for the sock patterns I have for Christmas gifts, and my time to complete those gifts is limited. The needles aren't very expensive, and I'm not sure I can afford the time it would take to return them. I need to see if the needles are usable as is, if so I will probably keep them. I don't feel like messing with them at the moment though. Maybe next week I will test them out.

Hooray for an order complete!

Yes! Knit Picks FINALLY got that jade colored gloss fingering yarn in stock and available for order! My needles, sock blockers, and yarn should hopefully be here early next week. I was getting worried I would never be able to make my order, so that is a burden lifted.

Since I am posting, I may as well update on my sock progress. I managed to do a full repeat of the lace pattern yesterday. I have one more repeat before I can start the heel section. I must have forgotten how long it honestly took me to knit up that last (child sized) pair of Tribute socks. I will not be getting the gusset section done in two days. I may get the gusset section completed in 3 or 4 days if I really push myself. I am not sure I will have as much time to dedicate to knitting as I would like. We were slack in our school last week, so need to do extra this week. Oh well, I will get the socks done when I get them done. No need to stress out... really.

Irritated with Knit Picks.

I really like Knit Picks as a whole. Their website is easy to use, their needles and yarn all seem to be affordably priced yet superior in quality...so why am I so irritated with them? Simply put, they won't sell me the yarn I so desperately want! I have been waiting for the Gloss Fingering yarn in the color Jade for awhile now. I want it to make a classy scarf for a classy man whose favorite color is green. It is the perfect color in the perfect blend for the perfect scarf for the man I intend to use it for. Only problem is that Knit Picks isn't making it available.

A few weeks ago the availability of the yarn was marked for October 5th. October 5th came and the yarn said "available soon." Part way through the day it changed to "available 10/10/11." I have a whole order waiting on the availability of this yarn, so I was a little irritated that it changed. Well, today is the 10th of October, and the availability tag has been reading "available soon" for several hours already. I am scared it will get changed again to next week.

I know that the yarn will be fantastic, as I ordered some in black previously. It has a beautiful sheen to it from the silk, and the merino wool is super soft. I haven't decided if I am going to use the black to make a scarf for my father, or use it to make a couple pairs of socks in the Tribute pattern. This would be perfect for my 5-year-old daughter who loves all things black, and I might like a pair of socks for myself or a lacy scarf even (or some lacy wristlets! I have never made wristlets before!.

I am especially frustrated over the fact that I have an entire order hinging upon the release of this yarn. Every order from Knit Picks over $50 gets free shipping. I have sock blockers, and two fixed circular nickle plated needles in my cart. I need $10 more to get free shipping. I would hate to pay for shipping for this order then turn around and pay shipping for the next order within a few days or a week. I am not so keen on paying shipping charges ever, so it would really irritate me to pay for shipping twice if I could have avoided it altogether.

My issue is that I need those sock blockers and needles to work on the 3 pairs of socks I have planned for Christmas knits. I could really use them for the Tribute socks I am working on now. I am using a 2.5 mm needle to increase the size of the sock, but would like to switch to a size 2.25 mm when I reach the foot area, then use a 2 mm needle for the toe area. I have both 2.5 mm and 2 mm, but I am missing a needle in that middle size. I am wondering how long I will end up waiting until I can order the needles and blockers I need. It will take me several days to finish the leg, heel, and gusset sections of the sock, so it will be a little while until I need the 2.25 mm needle. There is also the issue of the free shipping taking about a week until I get my order. I may be working on scarves only for a couple weeks.

Christmas project #1 - Tribute Socks.

I just started project 1 of 11 Christmas knits. Yes, I am making 11 knitted gifts for Christmas this year. I just ordered the yarn yesterday from KnitPicks.com. I had purchased the yarn for this gift when I bought the yarn for my husband's socks. I just started knitting them today and I am totally not following the pattern at all, lol!

The socks I am making are super cool and they are named Tribute. I love the look of these socks, and picked them out for a certain person that I think will like them. They are such fun looking socks! I really am not following the pattern for these at all. These are top down socks, but I am making them toe up. I will make the gusset and heel portions like I did on the Diamond Wave Socks, only I am using the pattern chart for the lace from the Tribute pattern. I turned the chart upside down to work it. It seems to be going well so far, so here's hoping it turns out well! I will post pictures once I get more of the foot portion done so the lace pattern can actually be seen.

A note about the yarn. I have purchased most all of the yarn I will need for my other 10 Christmas knits. I may make one scarf in the black yarn that I ordered, then purchase a beautiful jade green later to make another one. There is a certain person is the family who likes green, and this green yarn is very beautiful but still masculine enough to make a nice scarf for the man I am thinking of using it for. I had thought the yarn wasn't available until the end of October, but I was wrong! It is available the 5th! I forgot to order sock blockers with my last order, so I will make an order on the 5th for that yarn and those sock blockers I keep forgetting to buy.

Diamond Waves Socks complete!

I finished these sock a couple days ago but have been too busy to post until now. Overall I really liked the pattern and will probably make it again once Christmas knits have been made. The Paton's Kroy FX yarn was decent. It is not a luxury yarn, but seems durable. I have yet to wash the socks, but will update once I do.

Here are pictures of the socks themselves.

You can see that I am modeling the socks on my feet. I do not have a sock blocker yet (plan to buy a set the end of the month though!). I also decided that while these socks fit snugly on my narrow-ish feet, there is no way they would fit the wide feet of the person I was hoping to gift them to. I am keeping my first pair of "real" knit socks.

When the socks are on, I really don't mind that the yarn is slightly different colors (one is lighter than the other). The striping is a sort of causal fun that doesn't bother me now that the socks are complete (perhaps I am just happy that they are done, period! lol) They don't add quite as much bulk as I was expecting when worn inside of my shoes, but they do add a bit of cushion and a ton of warmth. I have worn the socks for two days, and I am really going to have to make some more!

As I said earlier, I will update this post after I wash these socks. The yarn says it is machine washable and dryable, but I haven't tested that out yet. If I were going to gift them, I would have washed a swatch just to be safe, but since I am keeping them I will take the chance of washing the socks.

A note about the needles and method used to make these. I used the magic loop method and really liked it. I have tried knitting on two circulars and hated it too much to bother. I don't mind using DPNs but magic loop seems less of a hassle to me. The needles I used were rather short, so next time I will make sure my cable is longer. I used shadow wraps instead of wrap & turn, and will most likely keep using the shadow wrap method. I found it to be a bit easier and it looks nicer. I really like having invisible wraps instead of that ugly out of place thread when doing traditional wrap and turn. This was my first time knitting toe-up and two-at-a-time. I will be doing something different for my next socks (following the pattern to be precise) but will experiment with this more in the future and try adapting patterns for toe-up and two-at-a-time.

Diamond Waves Sock progress, and a needle order.

I powered through sore finger tips and aching hands to get the heels completed on the socks yesterday. My hands are so sore, but I'm loving every minute of it! I had some trouble with the heels in all honesty. Remember this is my first time doing either toe-up or two-at-a-time, AND I decided to use a new wrapping technique on top of it. I used Alice's Shadow Wrap, and actually I much prefer it to the standard wrap-&-turn I've used previously. The tutorial for the Shadow Wrap here.

 See, I really did complete the heel!

I am really liking the pattern so far. It is easy enough to do while I watch tv, and it is quite pretty without being too feminine. This would make a great sock pattern for either guys or gals.

So far I am pleased with how the socks are turning out except for one thing; the yarn color. I made sure to get yarn out of the same dye lot, but they are wound differently. One has more prominent contrast threads than the other and I swear the shade is much lighter. I am still torn whether to gives these as gifts or not. I was leaning towards giving them as gifts, but now I am thinking I may just end up keeping them. I think the socks are beautiful, but the whole not really matching thing bugs me to no end. I don't know what I'll end up doing in the end. It may depend entirely on how much time I have and how many projects I can get completed before Christmas time.

Now to get to the exciting part; the needle order! I stated previously that I was trying to decide which needles to get. I would like to get an entire set of needles that I love, but I need to find which needles I love first! I will be getting at least one circular needle of KnitPicks Harmony line at the end of this month, but wanted to try something else out in the mean-time. After several searches I discovered that the number one knitting needle preferred by the majority of knitters are Addi Turbos.

I placed an order today on Amazon.com for 3 Addi Turbo fixed circular needles. I ordered all of them in 32" cords with a size 0 and a size 1 in regular tips and a size 1 with lace tip. I wasn't going to order a lace needle, but figured heck, I am trying to find my perfect needle after all. The needles are nearly twice as expensive as the KnitPicks needles at $13.50 each. I think that is probably as high as I am willing go pay for individual needles. The KnitPicks Harmony needles are $7.49 each for the smaller size. My order of Addi Turbos should come by the end of next week. Once I am done with the Diamond Wave Socks, I will work on my husband's jacket until the new needles come. I am really looking forward to using them!

While ordering my needles I do believe I may have stumbled across a nice online yarn store. I bought my needles on Amazon.com, but it was through a third party vender named FabYarns&Knits. I went to their website out of curiosity and was pleased by the premium yarns and tools that they carry. I have had a hard time finding luxury yarns on the web, but they have a pretty good selection at FabulousYarn.com It is nice that they also do discounts. You can sign up for their newsletter and get 5% plus they give a 10% discount on every order. The 5% off stacks with their other discounts too. Orders over $100 get free shipping on top of the percentage discounts. There is even a crazy 30% off if you order over $1,000. It would be awesome to get that much luxury yarn, but good heavens that is a lot of money! I can't deny it would be a great deal to get $1,000 worth of yarn for only $700, but that is like my yarn budget for the whole year, lol Their discount page here.

I will probably end up making a $100 order from FabulousYarn.com either end of next month or early November. It would be a great place to get luxury yarns for Christmas gifts from. 100% baby alpaca hat anyone? That would make one dem fine gift :) I will no doubt get the yarn for my husband's jacket from there if I end up making a nicer quality one for him. Oh the yarn I would buy if only I were rich! lol

I believe that is all for now. I will be posting again with pictures when the socks are complete.

Here comes knitting season!

The hot days of summer are slowly becoming a thing of the past and cooler days are approaching. Yes! That means it's knitting time! Knitting in the summer is surely quite possible, but not very pleasant if working on anything that covers a lap.

My summer knitting break is over and I've picked up my needles again over this past Labor Day weekend. I had a few goals for knitting this year, and toe-up socks and two-at-a-time sock knitting were both there. So I started knitting a pair of socks, toe-up and two-at-a-time. I also started knitting a jacket for my husband. While there was a sale at the local Joann's I picked up enough yarn for two more pair of socks.

First the socks I have started. I am using a pattern found on Ravelry.com called Diamond Waves Socks. For the yarn I am using Patons Kroy Socks FX yarn. I am using a size 1 circular needle. The yarn is self striping and 75% Washable Wool and 25% Nylon. It is not the softest yarn out there, but it should be warm, durable, and very importantly washable. I have not yet decided if I will make the socks to fit me, or make them as a gift for Christmas. I am leaning towards them being a gift since I have so many gifts to make in just a few months. Here are the pictures of my progress thus far.

This last picture the lighting is off, but it shows the pattern quite clearly.

I used the Magic Loop cast on, and have been working on the socks since Sunday. It is rather slow going because the size 1 needles make my finger tips sore rather quickly. If I am going to be knitting a lot of socks I may yet invest in some support gloves to help with fatigue and protect me from blisters.

Thank you to my awesome Mother-in-Law for helping me get started on these socks! :)

The other project I started is the long-planned jacket for my husband. I had previously picked out the pattern to use, the Scarlow. I picked out yarn for the project and the price was over $120. I tried again, looking at discounted yarns and got a price of $97. I don't have $100 to be spending on yarn right now, but wanted to start the jacket for him. I ripped apart a huge afghan that I had started years ago and never finished. I have plenty of yarn to work on the jacket and they are colors that he should be okay with. The major problem is that the yarn is cheap acrylic yarn (Red Heart Super Saver) and is worsted while I need a bulky weight yarn. I am doubling up the yarn and using two strands to gain the thickness and gauge that I needed with the size 10 needles. The jacket won't be as nice as it would have been if made out of nice wool yarn, but if this turns out fairly nice and he actually wears it then I will make another one for him out of nice yarn later this winter. Hopefully by the end of the year he will have two jackets :)

I just started the jacket Monday night, so haven't been working on it much so far. I work on the socks, then switch to the jacket when my hands start hurting. I am working on the side panel and here's a picture of my work so far.

The stripped panel is achieved by alternating colors every two knit rows. My main color is two strands of dark green, and my contrast color is a strand of tan and a strand of sage green.

I have several projects planned to make as gifts for Christmas this year, so I've got a lot of knitting ahead of me these next couple of months. I will be making at least 4 pairs of socks and a few scarves, hats, and such. When the family and I stopped by Joann Crafts on Labor Day I stopped by their yarn section to look for sock yarn. I didn't find anything really great there, but did get a couple yarns. My husband likes the idea of having some socks made for him so he picked out the yarn he wanted. He picked out a green color of the Patons Kroy Socks FX. I have a fancy sock pattern in mind as a gift for a specific person that calls for a white yarn, and I actually found a yarn that I thought would work. Red Heart, Heart & Sole yarn is 70% Superwash wool and 30% Nylon. The Red Heart is a bit softer than the Patons yarn, perhaps due to the "with aloe" bit. Here is a picture of the yarn I got, three skeins of each.

On a last note for today, I am in need of some new knitting needles. I only have one circular needle in size 1, and it is on the short side. I am going to need at least a size 0 and a size 1 needle with longer cable if I am actually going to complete the projects planned for gifts (most of them are made using fingering yarn). I need to look around for what needles I'd like to buy.When my husband's parents were here visiting, my mother-in-law let me look at her KnitPicks needles. They seem very nice, with soft flexible cables (one of the main things I am looking for in new needles) and they have a nice feel to them. I will definitely keep the KnitPicks needles in mind, but I will look around more before deciding for sure what to get.

I hope to get the socks done this weekend, start on the next pair and make some progress on my husband's jacket. It is great to be knitting again!

Unlawful knitting.

Yes, I broke my knitting fast. I had every intention of not knitting until my yarn comes on Monday, but I got curious about the brioche stitch and wanted to try it. Somehow my little test section ended up turning into a hat, lol.

It all started because I wanted to learn some edging techniques for knitting straight pieces. I watched a couple videos on YouTube and decided next straight (not in the round) piece that I knit I will try one of the chain edge techniques. The one I will be trying will be to slip first stitch knit-wise, then to purl the last stitch. It sounds easy enough and looks quite nice. The video is here. It somehow progressed into my watching random knitting videos, until I ran across some brioche stitch "how-to" videos. I've always thought the stitch looked pretty, but had never attempted to actually knit it.

I told myself that I would just try it, just for a little bit then I would stop. so I got my size 6 circular knitting needles, two partial skeins of Lionbrand Wool-Ease (purple) and Cotton-Ease (gray). I followed the techniques found in these two videos here Part 1 Part 2. I worked a couple inches and liked the process enough I just kept going until bedtime. This morning I figured out how to decrease it (by trial and error, really I should have just looked online) and ended up with the hat pictured below.

This is the right side of the hat,

and this is the wrong.

This picture is just to show how it sits, though it is pretty stretchy and can be manipulated to sit lower or higher. It would also be able to hold a good amount of hair underneath it.

Here is the top of the right side, you can see the decreases here...reminds me of a star.

And this is the top of the wrong side. It doesn't look as nice as the right side, but it still looks nice enough to be fully reversible.

So that was my little knitting adventure I did last night and this morning. I am getting a picture in my head of a man-sweater with dark blue main color and dark grey contrast color using this two color brioche stitch. I may be ambitious and attempt making it sometime this winter. For now though I have a good size stack of knitting projects that I have set aside for Christmas presents. I would like to get those done before working on any more "just because" projects (after the sweater for me and the Scarlow sweater for my husband of course, though I may sneak in a pair of socks between them).

Finished Projects.

I have been in a slump lately, so haven't been doing much updating. I had planned to post progress pictures, but I don't remember to take pictures when I'm blue and knitting into the wee hours of the morning in front of the tv. I completed two of my projects and am nearly done with the third.

In the previous post I said I was having trouble with the socks for my daughter. It is such a simple pattern, but I just kept making dumb mistakes. No surprise that the sock is the project that I haven't finished yet. I am on the right track though, and remembered to increase this time. I will most likely finish it later this evening then take a break from knitting until Monday.

The tank top I knit for myself turned out very well, but I don't think I'll be wearing it much until fall time. It is pretty warm, and I think would look good over a long sleeved button-up shirt. Using two strands of Red Heart Super Saver and size 13 needles, it knit up pretty quickly. I think it turned out quite excellent for just casting on a random number of stitches and holding it up to my body to decide when to make arm holes or neck shaping. I completed this Saturday morning. Here are the pictures.

The shirt for my 4-year-old I completed Monday night, realized I made a mistake, ripped it partially apart then re-completed it Tuesday morning. It turned out very pretty and my daughter loves it. I used the same eyelet pattern as is used in the sock pattern, with a seed stitch edging. I was hoping to use up some of the leftover yarn (Lionbrand Cotton-Ease) from the girls' "Elenka" dresses. The shirt used up the partially used skeins, but I still have a pink that was barely used out of, and a green that hasn't been used at all. Guess I'll save them for something later on, perhaps I'll make a matching hat and scarf for her later.

Although I am not yet finished with the second sock, I will go ahead and included a picture of the one that is complete. I don't think I'll create a post when I do finish it, just because that seems a bit of a waste of time since they will both look exactly the same anyway. Here is the free pattern I used for the socks.

Because I've been in a slump lately I changed my mind on what to make next. I was going to make the "Scarlow Cardigan" for my husband, but I didn't think dark musty colors sounded like a good idea right now. I wanted to make something pretty for myself in a more cheery color. After a bit of searching I decided to go with the "Abotanicity" pattern I found on Knitty.com. It looks just complicated enough to keep my mind occupied, but not so complicated as to be frustrating. I will be using the Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Silk Yarn (80% Low Micron Superwash Merino Wool / 20% Silk) in the color Tea Rose. It was a bit more costly than I would have liked, but working with this yarn should be a pretty big "pick-me-up" and I sort of need that right now. The yarn will be here on Monday, which is why I will start knitting again on that day.

I am excited to start this project as I will be completing two of my personal goals in knitting. It is made in the round from the top down, and the arms are knit with two circular needles instead of DPNs (double pointed needles). I really don't mind using DPNs, but apparently a lot of sock knitters hate using them, so many of the sock patterns I want to try are written for circulars. I figured it would be good to learn the technique on something like this sweater that is a bit simpler than the lacy socks I want to make.

After I have completed the "Abotanicity" I will try to make that cardigan for my husband. I want to start working on some gifts before too much longer. I would like to make socks and maybe some shawls. I want to make the Shipwreck Shawl. It is beautiful and I've never made a circular shawl before. I may make one for me and one or two for family member(s) that I think may like it as well. I have a hard time knitting or crocheting gifts for people. There are a few people I know who actually use and like what I give them, but then there are others that I have an inkling just don't care and never use the gifts.

That's all for now. I will be trying to catch up on reading and working on the garden over the weekend. When the yarn comes on Monday I will put up a "Yarn Haul" post complete with pictures.

Random knit stuff.

I have three on-going projects at the moment. I am still working on the children's sock. Truth is I completed the first sock days ago. I completed the second one soon after, then discovered that it was too small. I ripped it out and started over, to discover that I hadn't made the wrong size after all, I just forgot to increase after the cuff was made... I have since fixed it and gotten about two inches done on it, but am too discouraged at the moment to work on it.

While upset with the sock, I started working on a shirt (perhaps it will be a tank, it all depends on how far the yarn goes) for myself. No pattern, I just cast on a random number and started knitting. I decided it was going too slowly (size 5 needles so it would be closely stitched and dense, but took way too long to work each round) and the greens were sort of depressing... so I started my third project. The left over Cotton-Ease from the girls' dresses are being worked into a shirt for my youngest daughter. My husband thinks it looks kinda kooky with pink and green together, but what does he know?! (it really does look kooky, but I'm hoping it looks better once finished, hey, I'm working with what I've got, lol).

The child's shirt has a pink seed stitch edging on the bottom, and the green main color I am working in an eyelet pattern. I am hoping it looks decent when I am done, and fits (seeing as how I did zero measuring and just cast on a random number of stitches). I am only about 4-5 inches on it, but it should work up fairly quickly.

Today I decided I didn't like how the shirt for me was turning out, so I ripped it all out and wound it into a ball. I started over, but am working two of the strands together on a size 11 needle. I have been working on it fairly steadily throughout the day and have a good 7 inches in progress. I am using left over Red Heart Super Saver, in a dark green for edging and light sage for the main color. It is working up pretty quickly and I hope to get it done by the weekend.

On a last note, I am teaching my 4-year-old to crochet. We just started today, and besides her getting frustrated very easily, it is going pretty good. She wants to make a scarf just like her big sister is making, only hers will be purple and white instead of pink and light pink. We are only doing single crochet stitches, but so far so good. She seems to be picking it up pretty well, but is having trouble learning how to hold the yarn and hook properly. I expect her to be doing very well with it in a couple more days (we just started today).

I've got a head full of knitting worries.

I am nearly done with the crochet dress, then I have a crochet pullover and I'll be finished with my four projects for spring. It must be because I'm nearly done with the "Spring Four" because I've got ideas swimming in my head for what I'm going to make next. I am actually stressing out about trying to pick a group of patterns to knit next...when I'm not even done with the current group.

I've wanted to branch out my sock making for a few years now. I've only made socks with leftover yarns that were worsted weight. Mostly I've used Red Heart Super Saver yarn leftovers from afghans I've made. I want to try my hand at making socks with actual sock yarn, especially the stretchy stuff. I will be making at least two pairs of socks in my next group of projects, I just need to narrow down the patterns to my two favorite, lol That could take awhile...

There is the matter of making a sweater for my husband. I can't get a satisfactory answer out of him when looking at patterns. He thinks the models look weird, and doesn't even seem to see the sweater I'm trying to show him. I may end up just picking something that I like and hoping that he likes it when it's done. There are at least four patterns that I would seriously consider making for him that I have found so far. I will continue to search and hopefully find the "one."

I further complicated my status of "too many projects, too little time" by picking up the Spring/Summer 2011 edition of Vogue Knitting. I only want to knit about 13 of the patterns shown, lol I already have a heap of patterns that I want to make which I've printed out off knitty.com (speaking of which, they just updated their pattern archive so it's much nicer to use now) including a few tanks for summer. Then I have the stack of patterns from LionBrand.com, some of which I would like to make as gifts. Many of the patterns I had selected last year, but never got enough money to actually make the projects in time for Christmas. I will probably try again this year, but it all depends on the cash flow.

Yarn cost is a bit disheartening sometimes. Even knitting with medium to low-end yarns can get expensive. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to knit with a premium yarn because the sticker shock is a little more than I can handle. Maybe I'll be so lucky as to find a phenomenal sale, hey I can dream, right? The Patons Grace I am using for the crochet dress was plenty spendy enough, and it is considered a medium quality yarn AND I got it on sale. It's a good thing knitting is so relaxing and works as my therapy. I could never afford to knit if I had to pay for talk therapy, lol Life is too stressful to not have an outlet. Thankfully I have a husband who understands knitting is my relaxation and peace...if only I could get him to pick a stupid sweater pattern, lol

I am trying to convince myself that I need to wait to pick out new patterns, but I am failing miserably. I keep thinking about what kinds of things I'd like to make while I am working on my current project even. I think I just need to get the "Blue Tangelo Reflection" dress finished and move on to the crochet pullover. Working with a different texture and yarn weight should help put off some of this yearning for new projects. The Patons Grace has been giving me a bit of "yarn burn" on my finger, lol Something softer and thicker would definitely be a nice change.

I should be finished with crocheting the front of the dress by this evening. After I sew the side and shoulder seams I'll need to block it, so I won't be able to do the edging until tomorrow. I am not quite understanding why I didn't attempt to do this dress in the round instead of following the pattern exactly. I guess I never fully trust myself to make too many alterations to a pattern without totally screwing it up. I probably won't be making this pattern again to try it in the round, simply because there are so many patterns I want to make.

I should have pictures to post of the completed dress some time tomorrow.