FO: Blue Artichokes

This one is Ravelled here.

Pattern: Artichoke Socks by Megan Humphrey
Needles: size 1 (2.25 MM)
Yarn: Sheep Dreamery Allure in Aquitaine
Started: 4/25/14
Finished: 10/29/16
Modifications: None
Comments: Even though these took forever to knit I do like the pattern. It was fairly easy to memorize and I was able to read my knitting The yarn is super soft and is holding up pretty well. These are by far my new favorite socks.

FO: Root Beer City Rollers

 I am still working on the FO posts for my 2016 projects. This one is Ravelled here.

Pattern: Rose City Rollers by Mara Catherine Bryner
Needles: size 1 (2.25 MM)
Yarn: Green Mountain Spinnery Sock Art Forest in Sassparilla
Started: 5/8/16
Finished: 10/18/16
Modifications: None
Comments: This is a very easy pattern. Do not allow the amount of time it took me to complete this project discourage you. For some reason socks always take forever for me to complete. There is a very sad ending to this project. I wore them just one time and they have disappeared. They are in my house somewhere but it has been a few months and they are still MIA.

WIP on Wednesday: Root Beer City Rollers

Every year the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin podcast hosts The point is to cast on a project for you whether you are a mother or just have one. This year I decided to cast on the Rose City Rollers pattern. The yarn color is Sassparilla so I have named these Root Beer City Rollers.

I am about a half inch from starting the toe decreases on the second sock. For some reason socks always seem to take me forever to knit. I find this very strange since I have pretty small feet. My original goal was to have these ready to wear this summer. Now it seems that they will be ready just in time for colder weather.

FO: Rye Socks for Charity

I am really behind on posting my finished objects. I finished these socks back in March. Ravelry page located here.

Pattern: Rye by Tin Can Knits
Needles: size 4 (3.5MM) and 6 (4.0MM)
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Ranch Red
Modifications: None
Comments: this is such a nice pattern. These came out huge but they will be going to the homeless shelter so someone can wear them over another pair of socks to keep their feet toasty warm.

WIPs on Wednesday

Right now I have 3 active WIPs that I am working on.

I am knitting a Spider-man Sheldon. This will be a Christmas gift for Clark.
 

I am on my second Blue Artichoke sock. I just turned the heel and am ready to pick up the gusset stitches.

Finally I have my Bumpy Road Shawl design. I am getting to the end of my ball of yarn so I need to figure out how I want to finish the design.

Until next time ....

FO: Clark's Tube Socks

Clark's Tube Socks

Pattern: None – just a simple tube with 1” of 2x2 ribbing and the rest in stockinette

Needles: Size 1 bamboo

Yarn: Patons Kroy in Grey Brown Marl and Flax

Modifications: none

Comments: very easy and he loves them

When Knittng Attacks

As The Knitmore Girls say I have been attacked by my knitting. I cast on another pair of tube socks for Clark. The last pair were a little big so I went down to a size1 needle from a 3. I did increase my stitch count from 40 to 44 as well. I have been happily knitting along but there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I was afraid it was going to be to small. However, in my infinite wisdom I kept on knitting. Every once in a while I would hold it up and think it maybe to small but again I kept on knitting. Last Thursday I finished sock #1 and on Saturday  had him try it on.

I bet you can guess what the outcome was huh? Yeah he could barely get his foot in the thing and there was no way it was going to go past his ankle. So this has been ripped out and I will cast on again once I finish his Valentine gift. The moral of the story - always listen to your gut. Until next time ....

FO: Clark's Tube Socks

Here is the last FO and this one was just finished on November 23rd - Clark's Tube Socks.

Pattern: none
Needles: Size 3 bamboo
Yarn: Paton's Kroy Sock in Grey Brown Marl
Modifications: none
Comments: they are a bit big but he loves them. I have enough yarn that I can make him another pair. This time I will use a size 2 needle.

FO: Clark's Tube Socks

I am still playing catch up on finished object posts. I thought about just starting fresh and scrapping these but my OCD tendancies will not allow this. Here are Clark’s Tube Socks that were finished on August 30^th.

Pattern: none

Needles: Size 3 bamboo

Yarn: Red Heart Heart & Sole left over from my Undecided socks

Modifications: none
Comments: Since he outgrew his Christmas socks so quickly I decided to rip off the Knitmore Girls and make tube socks for him. I cast on 36 stitches, knit 2x2 rib for 1” and then did 6” of leg before decreasing for the toe. They fit him ok but I will make future pairs longer in the leg.

FO: Rye Socks

I am very lucky. My son loves and is very interested in my knitting. He always asks if what I am making is for him. One day he announced that he wanted socks in his favorite color green. I knew I has some worsted weight green variegated yarn in my stash he would love. Now I needed to find a pattern to go with my yarn. Of course I went to Ravelry and found the Rye pattern by TinCanKnits in my queue. This was perfect!

Raveled

The socks are a little big on him but that just means he can wear them longer. I really enjoyed knitting these. The pattern had enough going to keep your interest but was still good TV knitting. This is from their Simple Collection for new knitters however I think even experienced knitters would enjoy making this pattern.

The yarn is Sheep Dreamery Choptank in Emerald City. This was a door prize from Knit-topia 2013. Unfortunately I do not think she is dying anymore. The yarn was very enjoyable to knit with and the colors very vibrant and beautiful. The boy and I are both very happy with the results.

Until next time ....

Toe Up Sock Failure

One of my goals for the year is to learn some new knitting techniques. One of the techniques I wanted to try was knitting toe up socks. I had the Don't Cage Me In pattern in my queue for awhile so I started knitting these socks for my New Year cast on.

I should have known things would not go well when I could not figure out how to cast on. I always knit my socks on DPNs and even using online tutorials I could not figure out how to cast on so after a few frustrating attempts I decided to knit these magic loop. A few more attempts were made and I was finally able to cast on correctly. I knit through the foot and went onto the heel and then I realized the socks were coming out way to large. I riped back to the toe and tried to reduce a repeat but things just were not working out correctly. So I made the decision to rip it out totally.

I have decided that I do not like knitting toe up socks. I also learned that I do not like knitting magic loop either - for socks anyway. Since life and knitting time is to short I am not going to knit things I do not enjoy. Even a failure can teach you something. I do like the pattern and feel it can be converted to top down so I will be casting on later - cuff down on my beloved DPNs. Until next time ....

FO: Clarks's Christmas Socks

After knitting Clark socks last year and having them come out to small I swear I would never knit him another pair. Well you know what they say about never say never. I decided he needed a pair for Christmas so I cast on and did not look back. This time I was smart though and decided to try the first one on him when it was done so I knew they would fit.

The yarn is Paton's Kroy that I found on clearance at Michael's for $1.99. I did not worry though about matching up the stripes but they are not that far off. The pattern is Toddler Socks which I used for the last pair. It is a very easy and basic pattern. One more gift crossed off the list. Until next time ....

FO: Basket Case Socks

I am still working on knitting more projects from the books that I own. A couple of Christmases ago my dad bought me The Little Box of Socks and I decided to knit my next pair from here. I picked out the Basket Check pattern and some Dream in Color Smooshy in the Deep Seaflower colorway and got started.

 I knit these using size 2 needles instead of my usual size 1s and I may need to use this size more often. The socks are still snug like I want them but the fit seems better. I am very happy that the weather is starting to turn so I can wear them. Until next time ....

WIP: Basket Case Socks

While I do not have a lot of knitting books I have collected a few over the years. Unfortunately I have not knit many projects from them. I am now making a more conscious effort to look at my books when I am trying to figure out what to cast on next. I wanted to make a pair of socks so I went to my books and found the Basket Check Socks from the Little Box of Socks.

I am calling these my Basket Case Socks. The pattern is really enjoyable - easy to memorize but involved enough to keep your interest. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in the Deep Seaflower colorway. I received this in a swap many years ago so it is nice to finally get it out of the stash. It is a beautiful purple with bits of blue and is really nice to work with. I am actually quite a bit further along with the sock than the picture shows. I am actually working on the gusset decreases now. I started these 2 weeks ago and I am proud of how far I have come. Maybe these socks will not take me 6 months to finish. Until next time ....

FO: Rockin' Toddler Socks

This FO is one major epic fail. Back in December I decided to try and knit Clark a pair of socks as a Chrstmas gift. I found the pattern and pulled out some left over sock yarn from my stash and the Rockin' Toddler Socks were born.

Now why are these a fail? Well first they took forever to knit. Why socks for such little feet took me over 2 months to comlete I do not know. Secondly, I ran out of yarn and had to rip back to the cuff on both socks. When they were finally finished and I showed them to Clark he told me "I don't want those socks."Then when I finally got him to put them on they are to small. I have some more yarn and could make them longer but I really don't want to. So these will be heading into the charity bin and I am thinking Clark will be wearing store bought socks from now on. Until next time ....

FO: Crocus Socks

Another KAL project has bit the dust. I have finished up my Crocus Socks for the Knitabulls Podcast Sept/Oct Self Stripping Sock KAL.

I used these socks as an opportunity to learn a new technique - an afterthought heel. I do not think this is a technique I will be using often. It is very fiddly and I had a hard time with holes no matter how many stitches I picked up. Plus the traditional flap fits my narrow heels better. However, I am glad I took a chance and learned the technique.

The yarn is Loops and Threads Luxury Sock and it is wonderful to work with. At less than $6 a skein it is a great deal as well. I almost got the whole pair out of 1 ball. I ran out of yarn with about 8 rows left on the heel of the 2nd sock so I had to use another sock yarn that sort of matched to finish. However, I think if I did my traditional heel I would have been fine. I did have to rip back past the heels on both socks and into the leg because I was going to run out of yarn and I was to cheap to go buy another ball when I knew I would only use about a 1/4 of it.

All in all I am pretty happy with the socks and I cannot wait to see how the yarn wears. Until next time ....

KAL Madness

Something has come over me and I have joined way to many KALs. At this time I have5 projects on the needles. Of these projects 4 are for various KALs. So without further ado here is what I am working on.

First up are the Fallberry Mitts by Anne Hanson. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed that I received as a destash prize from Jane. These are for the October Fingerless Mitts KAL with the Student Knits podcast.

Second are what I am calling my Crocus socks. The pattern is the Afterthought Heel Socks by Laura Linneman and the yarn is Loops and Threads Luxury Sock in Crocus. I am a bit nervous about the afterthought heel but it is a technique I have wanted to try for awhile. This is for the Knitabulls September/October Self Stripping Socks KAL.

 

Third is what I am calling Judy the Precious Pig. My mom's name was Judy and she loved and collected pigs.  Right now I have a head, two ears, a snout and I finished the body last night after this picture was taken. This is for the Pink-tober KAL with the Knit Nerd Podcast.

Finally is my Celtic Cable Neckwarmer for the Fall Accessories KAL for the Retro Lemon Studio Podcast. I am having a hard time with the cable chart on this pattern but I am determined to power through and finish.

So I have been rotating and working on a different project every day. I hope I will be able to finish them in time but it is going to be quite the challenge. Until next time ....

FO: Fruity Pebbles Part Deux

My knitting mojo has been pretty much non existent lately but you could not be able to tell by the number of projects I have finished the last couple of weeks. The next FO is my Fruity Pebbles Part Deux socks.

These are my simple vanilla socks - 2x2 rib for the cuff and 3x1 rib for the leg and foot. It only took me 3 months to finish these which is my personal record. I do not know why socks take forever for me to finish but they do. The yarn is Knit Picks Dancing and I used it to make my very first pair of socks. I called them Fruity Pebbles since they reminded me of the cereal. Now these will live in my drawer since it has been at or close to 100 degrees here all week with no signs of a break in the temps. Until next time ....

Some WIPs Going On

For further proof that I did knit during the stress ball called April I do have progress on some of my WIPs.

First up is my Ashton Shawlette in Ella Rae Lace Merino. This is part of the Knitting Blooms April/May KAL. I have made some more progress since this picture was taken and I am halfway through Chart 3 of 4. I am hoping to have this done by the end of the month but I am a little concerned that I may run out of yarn.

Second up are my Fruity Pebbles Part Deux socks. I guess this technically is a HO (Half-Finished Object). I have not worked on these since Knit-Topia so I need to get moving so they can get done and off the needles.

I have so many projects that I want to start that I need to write them down and put them in order. I am fighting a serious case of startitis over here. Until next time ....

WIP: Fruity Pebbles Part Deux

Back in 2008 I knit my very first pair of socks. I called them Fruity Pebbles because the yarn reminded me of the sugary cereal. Well these socks went through the ringer and I had to darn them a couple of times. I kept them so long for sentimental reasons but recently realized that they had to go. However, I did have some of the yarn left over so I decided to knit Fruity Pebbles Part Deux.











This is my plain sock recipe - 2x2 rib for the cuff and a 3x1 rib for the leg. I have made some progress on these since the picture was taken. The leg of sock #1 is done and I am about 3/4 done with the leg on sock #2. Hopefully it won't take me 6 months to finish these like my last couple of pairs of socks have. Next up some projects that have been languising for quite a while. Until next time ....