9:13

Pair #9

yarn: gingerbread people Desert Vista Dye Works

I had to buy this yarn after my BFF bought it. I'm such a copycat. It's self striping, and sparkly. And it came with a mini skein for contrasting heels and toes. Love.

pattern: Basic sock pattern.

8:13

And just like that, pair #8 are done!

I made these as a pay-it-forward gift for Bart's cousin Cari in Florida. She has special ordered many items from me, and mentioned a few times how she'd like some socks. How could I resist?

yarn: Karynlandia colorway, BMFA

I cannot say enough nice things about this yarn. It's lovely to work with, has a great twist, comes in gorgeous colors, and is so squishy that I just love to squeeze it!

pattern: ripple socks, from Not Just More Socks by Sandi Rosner

easy to memorize, quick to knit.

7:13

Hey, wow!

Two blog posts in one week. I'm on a roll :)

This is pair #7. Knit up superduper fast.

pattern: Simple Skyp socks

yarn: Cakewalk yarn, colorway Brooklyn

I really love the little bits of color in the yarn, and will buy more! I will also knit this pattern again, as it  was so quick and easy. Maybe in a manly color next.

5 & 6:13

I have become the anti-blogger. I think about it, really I do! I just never seem to find the time to add new things, and photos, and links. It's a lot of work, yo.

I have found time to crank out many new pair of socks.

First up, a pair that I started probably 2 years ago and never finished. I don't know why...the pattern is awesome and the yarn is squishy. The pattern is Kai-Mei by Cookie A., sock genius extraordinaire.

The yarn is Prism Saki

 This pair I made in April for a KAL on Rav. These are Mullet socks, in the BMFA colorway Baby Zombie. The minute I saw the name of this color I knew I had to have it. Love me some zombies :)

I have become terrible at taking photos of things I've made lately. I made two baby sweaters as gifts and didn't get a photo of either completed before I mailed them off. Don't know where my head is at, but it's not on photo taking.

At this pace, I will for sure have 13 pair by January 1st!

4:13

This is the fourth pair of socks I've completed in my quest to knit 13 in '13.

Simple socks, to rest my brain between all the cabled business I've been up to lately.

Yarn is from Desert Vista Dyeworks, given to me by my BFF Heather.

I love self striping yarn. Nothing but happiness here.

Sock experiment 2

Since sock experiment #1 was so successful, my BFF and I decided to do another one.

The first pattern I chose was very fussy. I knit almost an entire sock before I decided that I loathed it. So I scrapped that sock.

I decided upon Yarnissima's Slingback pattern (I've been wanting to knit it for a long time) and I decided to do it in this lovely Smitten Stricken yarn that I got in the Cookie A. sock club last year. It is more purple in person than it is in the photos. Lovely, lovely yarn. I really loved it.

We had the entire month of March to work on it.

 The first sock was a little tricky; this pattern is a toe up and I never do toe ups. But I figured it out, and then was moving right along. The second sock gave me fits. I don't know what happened, but by the time I got to that criss cross in the middle, my counts were off. I tried to tink back and fix it, and ended up ripping out the whole thing. Heartbreaking. So I've now actually knit this sock 3 times.

 My Bff Heather is a big old cheater. She came to visit me St. pat's weekend, and she was all finished with my pair. AND she came bearing other gifts, all so she could say she kicked my ass. And she did.

This was the pair I got in return. Awesome doesn't even begin to describe them. I love them so much. If you can't tell, there are owls all over them. With beaded eyes. I told you she kicked my ass!

I love my socks. Love love  love!

A couple of quickies

One thing I have wanted to knit for myself was a simple cowl that I could wear with just about anything. 2 weeks ago I found the softest alpaca yarn, and decided to whip one up. No, really. It took me one evening to make this!

Quite possibly, the easiest thing I've made.

 Then we have the hat.

I bought this crazy pink puffy coat in the fall. Love it, but nothing matches it.

I found this skein of Crazy Zauberball yarn, and fell in love.

The hat is super easy as well, mostly stockinette stitch. The color transitions are very pretty. The hat is lightweight and slouchy. It's perfect.

I posted this pic on Facebook, because Evan said I looked like a dork in my hat. Not only did everyone disagree, one friend wanted one just like it, and another friend wanted the cowl! So I did both of these projects times 2. And make a quick couple of bucks for my effort!

Pay it forward, part 4

I'm so behind on posting! February got the best of me this year. I really am so glad it's over.

Moving along!

I sent out my fourth creative pay it forward gift to my friend Jen. I instantly knew what I was going to make for her, since she posted about the wall of hearts on her blog. I noticed there weren't any knit hearts. After playing around with several different puffy heart designs, I decided that I liked the motif I had seen on an ornament. Then it was just a matter of finding the right yarn combos.

 The first yarns I chose (red & white) were all wrong. I hated the entire thing. I hated it too much to even frog it. I just pitched it in the garbage can. Then I chose a multicolor yarn & a cream. They were better suited to one another. I took my time on the stranded portion, and it was much better the second time around.

I bought the kitchen canister from IKEA. It's red & has a lid, or you can use it to store cooking utensils. Maybe a little candy :)
ANYWAY, word is that Jen likes it, which is all that matters. I hope it brings a smile to her face every time she enters the kitchen.

Sock experiment

My cousin Erin and I decided to try a sock experiment.

I knit a pair for her, she knits a pair for me.

Knitters choice on pattern, yarn & color.

After answering a few questions, I decided to knit Jedi MInd Trick in Fleece Artist's SeaCell yarn, a beautiful silvery grey. The pattern is from Cookie A.'s sock club last year, and won't be available to the public until later this year. It was a fun and challenging pattern. Now I'm itching to make myself something in a neutral color. I have nothing!

We met on Sunday and went to Zingerman's for lunch. Delish.

 This is the pair that Erin made for me. They are so soft and squishy and perfect in every way. The bind off is so stretchy...she needs to teach me that! I love love them.

 Here we are exchanging socks. We really were more excited than it looks. This is my first ever pair of socks that I didn't knit myself.

Awesome experiment. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

creative pay-it-forward, part 3

For my third pay it forward item, I chose Stacy and these boot toppers. About 2 weeks previously, she had posted on facebook that she would like some of these. I had mentioned that ribbed ones would be easy enough even for a knitting novice. When she responded to my pay it forward post, I knew immediately what I would make.

I used Bernat alpaca yarn. It is soft and fuzzy and perfect for this kind of project! I used just a tiny bit over 1 skein, so a pretty inexpensive project too.

pay it forward, creatively!

I signed up again this year to do a creative pay it forward, where you make and send a little something to 5 people, and then those people are supposed to do the same thing, It's a nice way to brighten someone's day, and you feel really good in the process!

This  year's recipients are Jan Connair, Lisa Kemp, Cari Brennaman, Regan McDonald, Stacey Bogert, Jen Brecht, & Jennifer Hignite. Yes, I realize this is 7 people. I have a hard time saying no :)

I sent out my first 2 packages. This is the first!

Topiary beanie from weekend hats

for Jan Connair.

I love the lace motif on this hat, and it is gathered in the back so that it slouches just perfectly on your head. I overdyed the yarn, to make the pattern stand out more. The yarn took the dye oddly, so it's greener in some places, and there is a purple tinge in there as well. WTF? I used a dark teal dye, and am baffled as to why it came out unevenly.

The hat looks a different color in all 4 photos. Sigh. The last is the closest representation of what it really looks like.

It's a beautiful hat, but next time I won't screw around with the color. Kind of bummed me out.

Anyway, it's done and in Jan's hands!

13 in '13

My friend Jen blogged about goals the other day
so I thought "I should get some of those".
After a few minutes many hours of careful consideration,
I decided that I have two goals this year.
For right now, anyway.

1. Knit 13 pair of socks in 2013. This should be a fairly respectable challenge for me. I know that it's possible to do, but still a lofty goal. I have no less than 4 socks waiting for partners, so I'm already well on my way. I am going to knit thru the massive stash of sock yarn that I own.

2. Run the entire 5K. October 20,2013. If I can't run the whole thing by then, I never will be able to. Plenty of time to train. Plenty of time to breathe. Plenty of time to find my groove.

There are also things like 'I want to lose weight' and 'I want to spend less money' and "cook yummy things" that I plan to do but I'm not calling them goals. If I keep up running, I will lose weight. If I knit from my stash, I will spend less money. If I meal plan, I will spend less money. All beneficial side-effects of the original goals.

Keeping it simple.

Knit in 2012

This is the fruits of my knitting labor for 2012: 30 projects. This doesn't include things I made for my shop, and I know I knit a baby hat/booty set that I forgot to photograph. There may be one or two more things I've forgotten, and many things I started but didn't finish. Wow.

In 2013, I want to knit even more!

Bayard hat, and enter my giveaway!

Nothing screams summer quite like a wool hat.

The pattern is Bayard from Brooklyn Tweed. First time using Loft yarn. I like the way it knitted up, but wouldn't say I'm a big fan of the yarn in general. The dark brown especially was very wispy and pulled apart easily. That's frustrating to someone who likes to pull their stitches tight so they don't have ladders! I like the pattern though, and have lots of other yarns I can make more hats with.

Have you entered my giveaway yet? You could be the proud owner of a hand knit hat.

Of course, you're not expected to wear it on 104 degree days!

sockstar*

One of the items on my summer manifesto was to knit 5 pair of socks. Well, I just finished pair #4 and have started pair #5.

I may even get a few more pair knitted. Awesome. It feels so good to use up some of the sock yarn that I've been hoarding saving up for a special occasion. I've barely made a dent in my stash, but I am well on my way. So happy to see the yarns knit up.

*as dubbed by my pal Erica, who is a knitting superstar in her own right.

FO-Simple socks for Nicole

Last week I was able to pick up my needles and knit again! The pain in my elbow was down, and I tried to not knit more than an jour at a time. So far, so good!

I knit this pair of fun socks for my friend Nicole, who took the time to make me some awesome die cuts with her Silhouette. I offered to pay her for her time and she declined. So I made her socks :)

Super basic stockinette pattern. 64 stitch cast on. Alternated colors every 4 rows. I used Knit Picks yarn in Chroma & Stroll. The yarn was really nice to work with, and there are so many colors! I can't wait to start a pair for myself. Maybe three or four pair!

The colors just make me happy. Giddy, even.

Nicole got her socks today, and they fit (whew!) and she likes them (double whew!)

There is nothing quite as awesome as a pair of hand knit socks. I will never get tired of making them.

FO-Rambutan socks and Lateral epicondylitis

Here is my most recent FO: Cookie's Rambutan socks.

This was the last pattern and yarn for the 2011 sock club. It isn't available to the public until December 2012, but it's a great pattern!

The yarn is Bugga! by Sanguine Gryphon, and is absolutely wonderful. Can't say enough great things about it. Sadly, SG is no longer.

Somewhere along the way, after I did my gussets, I stopped looking at the directions and missed the foot chart. Whoopsie! Instead, mine is all stockinette stitch. It's pretty, but maybe I'll make another pair the correct way someday.

This may be my last FO for quite a while. I have been experiencing pain (commonly known as tennis elbow) in my right elbow for several months, and it's gotten to the point where it hurts to do anything at all with my arm. It wakes me up many times each night. Even little things like using scissors or grabbing the gallon of milk are unbearable. According to research, total rest until the pain is gone is the solution. Since I can't feasibly do that, knitting will have to go on the back burner until the pain subsides. It's killing me! What will I do with myself?

FO-Ronan's sweater & booties

Haven't shown any knitting in a long time!

Last month I made this sweater and bootie set for my high school friend Bret, who was preparing to welcome his first child. I was hoping to get to meet the young man while they were here, but Bret had to leave sooner than expected.

This sweater is cool because you can wear it facing either way.

As a last minute addition, I made these 'fake Uggs', which I thought were the cutest things ever. Super easy to make. Whipped them up in a night.

Both are knit in Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo yarn. I love working with this yarn. I've made many things from it. It is so soft next to the skin! Also has a lovely sheen. It's a great yarn.

FO-Boysenberry YO socks

These socks were one of the two patterns from Cookie's sock club for April. It was a very easy to memorize lace pattern, so it took no time to whip up this pair.

The yarn is a special new yarn from Lorna's Laces not available to the public yet. Another perk of Cookie's fabulous club!

I'm very pleased with the way these socks turned out :)

FO-Baktus

One of my recent projects was this Baktus that I made for my friend Carolyn. She is my soccer car pool buddy, and while I was going through radiation treatments , she picked up a lot of slack for me. She also brought us dinner one night, and in general is a good listener. A true friend. True friends deserve handknits!

This is probably the easiest pattern in the world. You just knit and knit and knit. Add increases and decreases. Voila, you have a very cute little scarf! I loved the way this one worked up. I orginally started in some cotton based sock yarn and I hated the way the colors pooled. I ended up frogging the entire thing. This yarn is Mini Mochi, color 108. I bought some in a different colorway to make one for myself as well. It's just adorable.

My daughter has royal wedding fever and plans to wake up before 6:00 to see Kate's dress. I, for one, will catch it later at a more reasonable hour. Happy Thursday everyone!