Knitting update

I finished my 12th pair for 2011 last night - which means I'm still ahead of my target :-) These were great fun to knit - the pattern is Rudy Got Sole by Amy Klimt, using Claudia's Handpainted sock yarn in the John B. colourway. Must get some more of this stuff - I love the rich, saturated colours and it knits up beautifully.


It will be interesting to see how June goes - I'm 'supposed' to start the June socks for the Knit.Sock.Love KAL (I'm substituting Sam for Stricken - can't face all those cables right now.....) and I also want to knit Yarnissima's Gush mystery sock for the Solid Socks group. However, I also have FIVE pairs of socks already on the needles, on which I really must make some progess.....

First up, there is Rhombus from Knit.Sock.Love - these are taking foreeeeevvverrr. I've finished the 1st sock, and the leg on the 2nd - really hope they will be worth all the work, because I'm totally not feeling the love right now...



Then there is the May Mystery sock from the Knitting Goddess group - I'm making these using a skein called Heather Trio (bought way back in 2009 would you believe?). Again, these are going slowly - I've only done the 1st clue on both socks......my brain doesn't seem able to cope with charts at the moment. There is no real deadline for these, so maybe I'll just let them 'rest' for a bit....


I then have a pair of SKA mystery socks that have been hibernating since March (these are the same pattern as the red/brown ones that Mum claimed as her forthcoming Christmas present)


I don't have photos of the fourth (Tresse Socks by Nicole Masson aka Stefanina, using Angels & Elephants sock yarn in the Mevagissey colourway) and fifth (Solid Socks March Mystery socks by Lisa Stichweh using a lovely delphinium blue from Patons) pairs - but that's because I haven't really made enough progress to justify getting the camera out......

UPDATE: I did indeed cast on the Gush socks :-) I couldn't decide between three shades of blue, so Mr A helped me pick this: Knitting Goddess Merino 4ply in Hyacinth:

Aren't they the most gorgeous colour???

Plodding along.....

I finished the Hedera socks for the January Knit.Sock.Love KAL - not too sure I understand why people rave about / enjoy this pattern so much. I found it quite boring, and had to really push myself to finish them. They are now in the hands of Royal Mail, heading off to Scotland - hopefully they will bring a touch of spring to my best friend's feet :-)


Pattern: Hedera by Cookie A.
Yarn: Buffy Sock by Juno Fibre Arts in Stargazer colourway
Start date: 15 January 2011
Finish date: 4 February 2011


I'm still soldiering on with the Hazel Knits mystery socks - I've reached the final clue on both socks, so hopefully I will have a new, finished pair to show you shortly. I've enjoyed knitting these - mainly because I know completely understand why people rave so wildly about this yarn. However, they have been slow-going and I will be glad to get them off the needles and onto my feet. The yarn is super squishy and bouncy - and these socks will be very warm and cozy - perfect!


I've also started a pair of Monkey socks for the February Knit.Sock.Love KAL. I'm using some Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Quinault Canopy colourway. I've always drooled over this yarn when I've seen it on Ravelry - so I treated myself to four skeins for my 40th last year. This is the first one to be knitted up - and I LOVE it....the squishiness, the colours, the excitement of seeing how the colours come out and they way in which they pool together in different, mysterious ways......happy sigh! Here's the first sock (are you impressed with the photographic composition?)

I've also started another Mystery Sock (I know, I'm powerless to resist!) in the Barking Dog Yarns group. I've only recently discovered these yarns, and I'm looking forward to knitting with the skein of Sirius that I recently purchased. However, I'm not using that yarn for this project, as my swift has had to be sadly retired to knitting heaven and I am therefore forced to only use yarns that I have already wound into cakes until I can find a replacement.

I started out using a rather interesting yarn I had traded last summer with another Knitting Goddess - it's composed of 50% wool, 50% yak (of all things!). I love the colours and it was coming out quite pretty:

Unfortunately, it feels very stiff and scratchy. It's also unbelievably fragile - in the space of one single row, it broke THREE times. So, I have frogged my progress so far - I think I'll use hold it double and use it for something that won't get intensive wear, like a hat or scarf. We'll see......

I'm now going to be using this:

Zitron Trekking XXL in a lovely grey that is shot through with red, orange and brown. I've had this for ages, so it's definitely time it got used! I've only managed the cast on so far, but I reckon I should make good progress in the next few days.

That's it for today - now must get off and finish those HK socks!

New Projects

It's a New Year, which means New Projects - right? Well, in my world it does :-)

(Note: we will ignore the two pairs of socks still on the needles from last year, as well as the three crochet blankets crying out for a little attention......)

First up, I've been whipping up some more squares for Knit-A-Square -

I'm particularly pleased with this one, which is called Wagon Wheel Square:

Then, we have the first 'official' KAL for the Knit.Sock.Love group. Cookie has structured this book according to the design elements of the patterns - Columns, Tesselations and Diagonals, with the patterns in each section being listed according to difficulty. The group will be knitting the patterns slightly out of order, with the 1st Column, then the 1st Tesselation, etc. etc. We are allowed to substitute up to four other Cookie patterns throughout the length of the KAL.

This month the pattern is Hedera - which has never really rung by bell, so to speak. So I'm using my first substitute card. I give you Cubist, using Koigu Painters' Palette Premium Merino (also known as KPPPM in the knitting world - not surprising really!) in a rather lovely, washed-out shade of minty green:


As always with a Cookie pattern, it's an interesting construction - and it's growing quickly (the picture shows the results of just one evening's knitting), which is good because I have also started a Mystery Sock with the Hazel Knits group. I was lucky enough to be given a gorgeous skein of Hazel Knits Artisan yarn by the lovely Christine back in the summer. As it's a mystery sock, there is no name for the pattern just yet, but it's by the amazing Lisa Stitchweh who does awsome things with cables:

Interesting, until I saw these photos together, I hadn't realised quite how similar these colourways were - it's obviously going to a 'spring green' month.....anything to counteract the grey skies and drizzly weather that have been hanging around in the last few days.

I might (just might) start a pair of blue socks for the Solid Socks KAL (January has been declared 'blue' month) but I'm not sure yet - I'll certainly not finish them by the end of the month (both of the other KALs are two months long - even if Life intervenes, I know I stand a good chance of finishing them before the deadline!).

Socktober!!!

October is a very exciting month in the sock-knitting world - because it means the start of Socktober! It started out as an excuse to knit as many socks as possible in the month - either new projects or finishing up languishing projects.

I had started a pair of socks using the Knitting Goddess April sock club colourway (Speckled Egg) back in April of this year. It is the most gorgeous stuff imaginable - merino, cashmere and nylon - you wouldn't believe how soft it is.

Anyway, I finished one sock and had done the cuff and one leg repeat when (for whatever reason) it was consigned to the 'Works in Progress' box and was happily ignored. Given my impending status as a new auntie, I thought they would be perfect for keeping my sister's feet warm during night feeds. So I 'resurrected' them last Friday and got them finished on Tuesday - not bad, even for me! Even better, this is the 13th pair I have finished in 2010 - which means I'm waaaay ahead of my target to finish 12 pairs (wonder how many I can actually do before 31st December?)

Yarn: Knitting Goddess Luxury sock yarn in Speckled Egg

Pattern: Cloverleaf and Double Eyelet Socks by Mary Hough

Started: 1 June 2010

Finished: 5 October 2010

One of the other really cool things about Socktober is the annual mystery sock published by Kirsten Kapur (aka Through The Loops) - I made two pairs of her 2009 pattern last year (yes, it was THAT good!), so I was really looking forward to this year's pattern.

It's also been declared 'Opulent October' in the Knitting Goddesses forum (an excuse for using something 'special'), so I'm using Crazy4Dyeing's Luxe Sock - yep, more cashmere! It's looking good so far - once I'm finished here, I'm off to start the 2nd clue. Don't you love all the little twisted stitches in the cuff?

Lastly (and because I'm just a sucker for starting new projects), I'm joining in with 'green' month in the Solid Socks group.

This is yet another 'luxury' yarn, from KelpieFibers on Etsy - and how gorgeous is the colour (Jade Water Garden)? The pattern is Passerine by Cookie A, which as you would expect, has lots of twisted stitches - think I might need to do a pair of plain, 'vanilla' socks next month!

A little inspiration......

One of my favourite blogs for sheer inspiration and bold, fun splashes of colour is Attic 24. Lucy, the lady who writes it, has the most amazing eye for colour and a charming way of describing the ups and downs of being busy with little ones. She also takes the most amazing photos - wish I could make mine look half as good.....

She is also an avid crocheter and has come up with a number of simple patterns that make use of bold colours and are quick and easy to whip up into something rather fabulous. One of these is a 'bucket bag' - I've been wanting to make one of these for my Mum for what seems like forever.....in fact, I think I bought the cotton late last summer! Anyway, with an impending trip to the Grandparents approaching fast (two weeks to go - Miss A is sooo excited to be going on a plane, I can't tell you!), I thought it was time to get started. Pretty colours (I actually added a ball of white and a ball of dark pink to these after the photo was taken):

I've almost finished the base of the bag, but can't show you any pictures as a) I just discovered this morning that the camera battery is flat (god, I'm so organised sometimes, it kills me!) and b) I wouldn't be able to take a decent picture, because it's chucking it down.......scuse me? It's August - you shouldn't have to put the heating on in August!

P.S. While I was mooching around the net looking for Lucy's blog this morning, I stumbled on this fab website - it's where I got my lovely new 'shabby' blog background - pretty, pretty!

New job!

I went for two interviews this week - one was a bit of a disaster as I strangely got very nervous. Thankfully, the 2nd one went well - and I heard today that they want me to start on Monday! Whee! Now don't get too excited - it's a temporary role, so far only guaranteed until the end of June. Having said that, it's a proper marketing role and it's with a professional services firm, so I shall be back where I belong in every sense of the word. I'm really looking forward to it - and even better, guess what I get to see out of the office window?

Yep! The Tower of London! And look where I get to spend my lunch break

St. Katherine's Dock - let's just hope there's lots of nice weather in the next few weeks.

One good thing about all the travelling I've done to and from interviews? I've finished a pair of socks - of course, they don't quite match.....

On the left, we have some rather gorgeous Koigu made up using the Charade pattern - I've christened these my Sugar Plum Fairy socks as I think the colours reflect what she would have worn (yes, I'm prone to girly flights of fancy occasionally). On the left, we have the Knitting Goddess's April sock yarn club using a cloverleaf and double eyelet rib. April's sock yarn also coincided with Easter - so the colourway was Speckled Egg - for that particular month, I got the luxury option (80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon). Amazingly soft and a dream to knit with.....

I'm also solidering on with May 2010 Mystery sock by Cynthia Levy - cables, cables and more cables. This is possibly the most complicated pattern I have attempted so far - and I can only do about four rows at a time before my shoulder/wrist starts hurting. Still, I am enjoying it (in a slightly masochistic way) - and I'm really happy that I have finally found a suitable pattern for this gorgeous merino/tencel that I hand-dyed last summer - about time too! The picture shows the first sock done to the end of Clue 2 - but Clue 3 comes out tomorrow, which means I'm already a week behind...

Finished / On the Go

I've been a bit slack about posting recently, so I thought it was time for a quick update!

First, the cabled fingerless gloves have been finished for quite a while and have been keeping my hands nice and cosy in this recent bout of unseasonably cold weather that is gripping the country (it's Easter for goodness sake! Spring should most definitely be here by now....):

As I said before, this yarn (from Juno Fibre Arts) is just divine - if you can get your hands on some, then do so - you won't be disappointed!
As you can see, I also had enough of the original skein left over to make some matching mittens for Miss A - she loves them and is particularly thrilled at being 'twins' with Mummy :-)

I've also finished my Faux Cable socks (these were made using Araucania Ranco Multy in a rather scrummy mix of teal blue, eggplant and dusky rose).

Very simple, very quick (or they would have been if I didn't keep getting distracted by other projects) and very snuggly.
So that means that I am now back on track with my '12 pairs of socks in 2010' project - wheee! But that doesn't mean I've been slacking - oh no! I currently have four (yes, four!) other pairs of socks on the needles.

The first are a pair of 'Plain Jane' vanilla socks, using the amazing rainbow-coloured yarn I bought last summer from Spindlefrog. Not only is it super soft and squishy, but the colours are the most saturated I've ever found - there is just about every colour that I can think of in here and the very short colour runs mean that the stripes are very, very cool:

I'm actually much more advanced now than the picture shows - sock #1 is done and I'm about to turn the gusset on sock #2. I just haven't been home at times when the light has been good recently.....





Pair #2 is a pair of Charades using the most gorgeous pink, purple and brown gorgeousness in Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (or KPPPM in 'knit speak') - I've christened them my Sugar Plum Fairy socks as I think these are the colours she would wear....


















Pair #3 and #4 are a bit of a new departure for me - they are both being made using the 'two-at-a-time' technique. This technique definitely requires me to use my brain in a different way but the results (i.e. no Second Sock Syndrome) should be worth it.

The first pair will be for Miss A, using this gorgeous limited colourway - Perfect Beach - by Joy of The Knitting Goddess. She was very busy during the month of March, dyeing a new colourway every single day, with part of the proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer care - it was a bit of a feeding frenzy each night, which is why I only managed to get my hands on this one. I think they'll look just great on a little person. I've only managed the cuffs so far, so you'll just have to have a picture of the skein before it was wound up..

The final pair were not exactly planned....but then yesterday I received my April sock club yarn from the afore-mentioned Goddess. This month's colour is called Speckled Egg and is the most gorgeous mix of duck-egg blue and chocolate brown with small white specks here and there. I opted to receive the 'mixed' club, which meant this month's selection was a skein of luxury sock yarn (cashmere & merino with a bit of nylon for strength). As soon a I opened it, I knew it had to be started then and there - I've only done the cuff(s) so far but it is just so soft and is knitting up beautifully. Pictures soon - I promise!

Cozy cables

Anyone who follows the Yarn Harlot will be aware of her 'personal sock club' initiative - she basically picked a bunch of yarn from her stash, paired them up with their designated patterns, placed them all in ziplock bags on a shelf in her cupboard and will be pulling one bag out at random over the next 10 months. A number of my fellow Knitting Goddesses have done the same thing - and have so have I (sheep? me? never! LOL!).

I had a very happy few hours last week - pulling out all the yarns that were screaming 'KNIT ME FIRST!' and then whittling it down to a more manageable 15 or so. Given my natural inclination to always pick a blue shade over every other colour, I tried to mix up the colours a bit - I've got burgundy, green, turquoise, mixed pinks in there to bring a little spice and variety to the coming months. I also tried to make sure I had a mix of socks (ok, there's still 50% in there!), shawls, heavier-weight projects. There's even something in there for Little Miss A....

However, before I started on any of these projects (which are all stuffed into my 'Medium Brown Bag' from Bloomingdales right in the middle of my study - so I can't miss them), I made myself promise that I would first finish off some WIPs (Works in Progress) or, at the very least, make some decent progress on them. So having finished Mum's top-secret present and made good progress on the 2nd Pyroclastic sock (I've turned the heel and started the rather complicated gusset shaping), I was finally able to start the first 'baggie' yesterday morning:

A pair of Cabled Fingerless Gloves using some gorgeous DK weight wool from Juno Fibre Arts. I have drooled over her goodies for quite some time now, but this was the clincher. Gorgeous soft colours ranging from a pale, ice blue, through pale lilac, seafoam green, faded denim blue, pewter and silver grey with the occasional 'pop' of bright magenta - love, love, love it! And it's knitting up just beautifully as you can see:

I managed four cable repeats yesterday (my knitting was interrupted by a trip to the local library and various large piles of laundry - humph!). Another four repeats and I can start the thumb gusset. I have the day off tomorrow and I hope to have a new pair of gloves by the time I get back to work :-) That's what I call a productive weekend......

It's time to be selfish......

Yesterday, I added another hat to the Christmas goodie pile. It's a Pretty Puffs Slouchy Beret, made using the scrummy Freedom Spirit by Twilleys. I've had this in my stash for ages, and I can't believe I haven't used it until now - the colours are fab and it will give the lucky recipient a very warm head and ears this winter. I had two skeins, but only used a smidgen of the 2nd to finish the hat (partly because I was using a smaller size hook than recommended by the pattern, and therefore needed to do a few more increase / puff stitch rows). THe observant among you will note that I have turned it inside out - I actually think it looks nicer that way (yes, I'm a little strange like that......)



Having finished this, I started pondering what to do with the leftover almost-skein. Answer: a pair of fingerless gloves. And you know what: they are NOT going on the gift pile. You heard right: these are all for me (it's about time I made something for myself!)

Managed to finish the first glove last nigtht (minus the thumb - I'm waiting to see how much yarn I have left after I finish the main part of the 2nd glove - that way, I can always do a contrast thumb if necessary). I started the 2nd this morning.





This leads me to a rather urgent question: how come I can make an (almost) entire glove in about two hours of concentrated knitting time when I have the house to myself, but can only get 4 rows of ribbing done while supervising a toddler?



Just so you know that I'm not yet ready for maternal sainthood, I'm feeling absolutely no guilt this morning at telling her openly and honestly that she is annoying the living daylights out of me........

Getting ready....

...the days are getting shorter, the alarm clock goes off when it's still dark, and there's a definite nip in the air! Yes folks, that means crafters all over the world are starting to think about Christmas......I have a ludicrously long list of projects / gifts that, in an ideal world, would mean all my friends get showered in hand-made bounty. However, being realistic, I know I will have to prioritise as there really is a snowball's chance in hell of getting them all finished on time....

Of course, I couldn't make Little Miss A wait until Christmas - sending her off to nursery without something to keep her ears warm would have been just too cruel.....so I whipped this up using some of the leftovers from her little tank top from earlier this year. She loves it - thank goodness!

In addition to all the cowls, gloves, and hats that are in the pipeline, I have well and truly been bitten by the 'lace bug'. I can't quite explain just how soothing it is to knit a lovely, lacy design and seeing it grow exponentially on your needles. These projects can look like something the cat sicked up before you block it, and then 'pow', it just blooms and comes out looking gorgeous. Take this Ishbel for example:

Made using the Knitting Goddess's BFL sock yarn in semi-solid violet - just gorgeous! Of course, I still have no idea who it will go to - maybe I will wear it myself?

But that's not all....oh no, not by any means! I've also got these three (what is happening to me?) shawls on the go at the moment:

A Leaf Lace shawl by the amazing Evelyn Clark (she also designed the Swallowtail that I finished back in the summer), using some lovely, shimmery Rowan Damask in shades of blue - when I actually sit down and concentrate on it, it goes quite quickly....

An Ulmus shawl by Kirsten Kapur, using a limited edition colourway that the Knitting Goddess created for Wimbledon 2009 (that's the light green with cute little white flashes) combined with some yarn I hand-dyed in the summer (that's the dark green). In fact, it is so green, I have rechristined it Leaping Leprauchauns :-) This pattern is seriously addictive - I started it yesterday afternoon and I've already managed 7 of the 16 repeats - that is seriously wow for me....









This little Multnomah, using Easy Knits Merino Bamboo in Rhubarb, is not too advanced right now, but I think it's going to look really cute





And of course, I've also been doing lots of sewing. My No. 1 customer ordered all these goodies a while ago:

a tote bag in a lovely 'Apple' fabric, lined with red polka dot fabric. I cannot tell you just HOW pleased I am with how this came out - it's definitely my best sewing effort yet :-)

and a series of project bags with an autumnal / Halloween / Christmas theme - cute no?

Ooops!

I have been a naughty blogger, haven't I? No real excuse, apart from running around after Little Miss A, trying to keep the house (and Mr A!) in order, re-writing my CV so as to tailor it to specific jobs, the annual madness that is Wimbledon (c'mon Murray!!!) and LOTS of crafty stuff!

On the knitting front, I've managed to complete three pairs of socks:


Peppermint Kiilas for the SKA June Mystery challenge on Ravelry

Yarn: Knitting Goddess 4 ply Merino / Tencel in Peppermint
Needles: 2.5mm dpns



One pair of Baudelaires (on the left) and one pair of Monkeys (at last!)

Baudelaires

Yarn used: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Incredible Shrinking Violet
Needles: 2.75mm

Monkeys

Yarn used: Artyarns Supermernio
Needles: 2.75mm
The Baudelaires are going to my sister - the colours are perfect for her. The Monkeys were going to be for me, but they have come out just a bit too short, so they are going to my mad friend Claire, who is doing three sponsored swims for various cancer charities over the summer - including one in the Docklands - brrr!


I have also started my first pair of socks from Wendy Johnson's fabulous book - these are Diagonal Lace, using the amazing LuxeSock from Crazy4Dyeing - this has a mix of merino and nylon, with just a touch of cashmere - oh my lord, sooo soft! And this particular colourway (Tickle) is just stunning - these socks aren't going on anyone's feet but mine!

I have actually finished the first sock, and started on the second, where I am making a 'design decision' and mirroring the pattern so that when both socks are on the eyelets will go in different directions.


I'm also making good progress on Little Miss A's tunic dress - yes, I am finally making use of the Babylonglegs Merino that I bought so long ago (it's only taken me 4 patterns to find the right one!).

And last but not least, I have also started my first lace project, using some amazing handspun in greens, blues and purples from the lovely Otiva -


I won't be showing you any more than this, as it's actually supposed to be a 'secret' (i.e. Christmas!) project.........yes, I'm starting early this year, partly because I have a long list of people to make things for, and I'm determined that every single one of them will get something handmade - am I certifiably insane?

I've also been busy on the sewing front. Two (or was it three?) weeks ago, I got a total of five bags out of the two 1.5m lengths of fabric - and they have all gone! I obviously hit the nail on the head by 'going over to the dark side' with these!



















The shop also had a little update last week with a real mixed bag ('scuse the pun!) of colours and sizes













I also finally had a go at doing something I've wanted to try for a while - pretty, beaded charm bracelets - I'm really pleased with how this came out, and can see many more in the future!

Finished!

Still brimming over with crafty ideas - my head is just full of them! I've been scribbling them down as fast as they come - really need some new notebooks.....what a pity Woolworths isn't around any more, they were perfect for that sort of thing.

Anyway, here are the results from last week's creativity:

First up, the little memory box I mentioned in the last post was delivered last Thursday - a day before the baby in question actually arrived! Couldn't have timed it better if I tried......the brief wasn't the most obvious: the baby's sex was unknown, and I wasn't allowed to use any faces or eyes (due to the baby being of the Muslim faith), so that meant no pink or blue, and no teddies.....in the end I went with a cream and gold colour scheme and lots of swirls and hearts.

Here's the top of the box

the front side

the left and right sides were done the same

Then I was asked to make one of my drawstring knitting bags in a cupcake and polka dot fabric - came out quite well, although the pictures don't really show how pretty it was due to the poor light........

(whisper) - both of these were 'paid commissions' which means the 'wool kitty' has been replenished! :-) Oh, and the lady who bought the memory has also given me some 4ply wool - yippee!

I also finished my contribution to the 'Knitting for Joy' campaign - even though it is made for an adult-sized head, I think this particular model looks rather fetching in it!

Next up, I have joined three Knit-A-Long (KAL) groups on Ravelry - the first is called Sock Knitters Anonymous (SKA) - appropriate no? They have a Mystery sock pattern as their May 'challenge' - it's called Kiila (Finnish for gusset apparently) and you get a new clue every Friday for four weeks (but we have till the end of June to finish them). It's great fun, although involves cabling without a cable needle, which I am not finding very obvious.... I am doing mine in some lovely merino/tencel mix from the Knitting Goddess in a scrummy semi-solid shade of Peppermint - see the pretty little cables that go up each side of the sock? I have actually done this much on both socks, but I just can't seem to be able to take a piccy of both socks together......

The other two KALs are focused on knitting the patterns from two new books:

Sock Innovation by the amazing Cookie A (see my Monkeys from the last post)

and Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson

Now, I don't have my copy of Sock Innovation just yet (Amazon is having major stock problems with this book - it's obviously proven much more popular than they expected!), but you are allowed to substitute a Cookie A pattern that is not in the book - so I have started a pair of Pomatomus in Socks That Rock lightweight

- the colour is Incredible Shrinking Violet which I obtained through a Ravelry trade. I just love how the various shades of lilac and purple are working with the curved stiches..... I'm really having to concentrate on the pattern, so going to have to get my skates on if I'm to finish them for the end of May...Thankfully, the Wendy Johnson KAL doesn't actually start until June...

Oh, and last but not least, in order to help me keep track of all my sock projects (the wool I used, the needle size, who they were for, whether or not I liked the pattern), I quickly whipped up this little 'Sock Log Book':

Phew! It's been a busy week......