Busy Fingers for Winter

It's been a while since my last post, so I have oodles of things to fill you in on!  I've got a couple of finished items, lots of things in progress, and a couple of projects I'm currently pondering.  A little bit of my knitting is for Christmas gifts, but I'm keeping gift knitting to a minimum this year.  I made so many things last year, and felt quite burnt out afterwards.  This year, a few select people are getting handmade items, while everyone else is getting still thoughtful and useful but store bought items.  Well, technically mostly online bought.  I went on a frugal shopping spree, and knocked out 90% of my holiday shopping in one evening after making a list and checking for best internet prices.  I'm doing a bit of sewing for Christmas as well this year.  Two people in addition to myself (yay for self-gifts!) are getting sewn fleece blankets for gifts.  The flowery fleece blanket shown below was actually a joint effort with my brother for a gift.  He chose and paid for the fabric, and I sewed it since I'm the one with access to a sewing machine.

The owls are for me, and the flowers are for Grandma.  The other blanket will remain hidden until after Christmas!

The Surprise Item

Lets get started on the projects!  I'll start with one of the finished objects.  Unfortunately, I can't go too much into detail on this one.  It's a surprise for one of my holiday giftees, so I'll just leave a sneak preview of the fabulous yarn that I'm using for it.  It's super soft, and it's also machine washer/dryer friendly!  I'm just about entirely done with this item.  I finished blocking it and weaving in ends over the weekend, and just have a wee bit more finishing type things to do on it before calling it 100% done.  I'll definitely post more pictures and info once it has been received!  (Or you can be sneaky and check out my Ravelry profile and scope out the project there... hint, if you're traveling to IL for the holidays and want to keep the surprise alive, don't do this!)

This is all I can reveal about the mystery item.  It's so soft though!

 Grandma's Leafy Shawl

The next finished item is one I can talk about, since the recipient doesn't do computers.  My grandma taught me to knit years ago, and I've made her several small things over the years like bookmarks and a scarf.  This year, I wanted to make her something bigger, and something that could get a bit more use.  I officially finished my Grandma Leafy Shawl this past weekend.  I'm using the Traveling Woman pattern that I already used to make a shawl for myself.  I love that this pattern covers multiple yarn weights, from lace all the way up to worsted.  It makes it very versatile!  I already have plans to make a third one for my mom in red for her birthday.  For this one, I used Berroco Vintage Colors in the Oasis colorway.  It's an easy to wash yarn, which means it can go in the washer and be fluffed in the dryer.  It would just need some light blocking to get the shaping back to perfectly normal again.  I'm going to make part of the gift a lifetime laundering guarantee, so that my uncle doesn't have to worry about washing it, since he's the household laundry guy.  I think the colors for the shawl are perfect - it has blue and purple, which are her favorite and my favorite color, respectively.  In addition, it has shades of green, which symbolize the outdoors and gardens that are so important to both of us.  And the pattern resembles a cascade of beautiful, multicolor leaves.  I didn't even think about that when I chose the yarn as a souvenir from Davenport, Iowa a few weeks ago, but now that I've spent hours looking at it and working with it, I realize just how fitting the colors are.

Absolutely loving worsted weight shawls.  They practically fly off the needles!

Harry Potter Owls Cardigan

This DK weight sweater seems to be just inching along!  The last couple of sweaters I made used bulky yarn, so it feels like it is taking so much longer.  It is finally starting to look like an actual garment now.  The back is done, the sleeves are attached, and I'm working on the shoulder/yoke decreases now.  I just love how the lace owls panel is taking shape.  I get impatient with long stretches of purl stitches.  The purled rows are what is slowing me down right now.  I'm trying to keep chipping away at it, because after the body is done, the finishing should go nice and quick.  The Swish DK yarn is lovely to work with.  It's very soft, and it's comforting to know that it will be easy to launder.  I find hand washing small items fairly easy, but larger items can be tedious, especially with the resident feline "helpers."  Drying a sweater often means locking a cat out of a room for a day, which is a bit tricky in a one bedroom apartment.  Herding cats out of their favorite lounge area is not an easy task!

It's finally starting to look like a sweater!  The owls are showing up marvelously.  Those stinkin' sleeves seemed to take forever though.  Also, this yarn is super tricky to photograph accurately!  I'd say the top right pic is most true to actual color.

Husband Socks

I'm making a small amount of progress on the socks for Matt.  The first sock is done.  I've got so many other projects going, I haven't started the second one yet.  But I certainly haven't forgotten about them.  Matt won't let me forget about them anyways.  He's pretty excited about having some handmade socks!

Matt sock #1 is complete.  I played a bit of yarn chicken on them... that little string in the left corner is all I had left when I got to the toe!  Luckily, there's another ball for the second sock.  Otherwise I'd be in trouble...

Festive Socks

I just started a new pair of socks for myself.  They look marvelous!  I got a ball of fancy hand-dyed self-striping yarn on Etsy from the Nomadic Yarns shop.  It's sport weight sock yarn, so I can use US3 needles and they are just flying by!  The first sock's cuff is already halfway done, and I just started them last night.  Matt really likes the colors too, so for a last Christmas gift, I got a second ball of the same color to make him a pair of matching socks.  If I'm lucky, I'll even be able to finish both pairs before Christmas!  The yarn is soo soft, and the colors are very bright.  And it's giving me a chance to use my awesome birthday gift from my little brother.  He got me a sloth yarn bowl!  It looks like a sleepy sloth giving the ball of yarn a big hug!  It's extremely cute.  And to add to the cuteness even more... I've got a festive project bag to go with the festive sock color scheme!  I was lucky enough to catch a Fat Squirrel Fibers shop update a few weeks ago, and got a small project bag, which is perfectly sized for holding all things knitted sock related.  Plus the shop helps support one of my favorite video podcasts, The Fat Squirrel Speaks.

These colors are simply amazing!  It was so hard choosing, the Etsy shop has so many great color combos available.

Gift Dish Towels

I signed up for a gift exchange at work, and it has a $5 maximum gift price.  For my giftee, I'm making two dish towels.  One is done, and the other in progress.  I've got until Tuesday night to get them done, so I'll have to see if I can knock out the other one this weekend.  I've gifted them to a few other people at work and they have rave reviews, so hopefully my grab bag giftee loves them just as much!

Simple gifts, and they remain useful for years!

New Barley Hat

The Barley Hat Pattern is an extremely simple, fun little knit, which comes in sizes for the entire family.  I made one last year, and it has gotten lots of wear.  I'm making myself another one, this time with some fancy yarn I found at Goodwill over the summer.  It's a skein of Spud and Chloe Sweater Yarn in a turquoise color.  It's a 55/45% wool/cotton blend, making it both soft and durable.  So far I've only gotten the ribbing of the hat brim done.  I can't wait to get further, it's so soft!  And it will match some of my other winter accessories.  

I think that's about it for projects.  There's a couple others, but they haven't seen a lot of action so I'll leave them out until there's something more exciting to say about them.  As for projects I'm currently pondering, I'm trying to find perfect patterns and colors for a couple pairs of fingerless mitts.  One of the gloves from my cousin's pair went missing, so I want to make him a second pair for Christmas.  And if I'm making him a pair, it's only fair to make a new pair for his wife... so I've got two patterns pulled, and I'm contemplating perfect yarn choices for them.  I've got lots of darker colors for my cousin, and then I'm eyeing some of the more fun and bright colors for his wife.  They will be fun little instant gratification projects to break up the slow progress of the larger things I'm working on.

Linus and Apollo, my constant knitting companions.  And in the lower right, Clyde in catloaf form.  If I'm at my parents' house, he's usually close behind, moaning and yelling to announce his presence.

Wow, I was far more busy with knitting than I imagined!  So many neat things to work on!  

Prepping for Winter

Looking at all of the projects I have on the needles, it definitely looks like I'm getting ready for the long Chicagoland winter.  All I need to cast on is a pair of mittens or fingerless gloves, and I will have a full wardrobe of woolen-wear in progress.  Which may happen soon. I'm currently browsing patterns and investigating my newly trimmed down yarn stash.

I went on an epic yarn cleanout this week.  It started as a quick trip through my closet to grab a couple clothing items to go to Goodwill, and ended two hours later with me sitting on the floor in the middle of mountains of unwanted yarn trying to organize the Keep Yarns back into bins on the shelves.  And of course I had feline supervision for the entire process.  In total, it was six grocery bags full of unwanteds.  It was mostly cheap acrylics that had either been used once and not touched again or ones that had been gifted to me that hadn't really been used.  I know there's all sorts of projects out there to use up cheap or less desirable yarns, but there was just so much of it that it was getting hard to find the yarns I really wanted to use.  Now, everything is neatly organized again, and looks much more manageable.  The husband was thrilled to see some of it go, too.  And I expect I've made a few Goodwill shoppers very happy.

Helper Cat Linus is clinging on to my sweater yarn for dear life.  Luckily he doesn't try to eat/chew/swallow yarn.  He just gets his claws tangled in it, and carries it under the bed to his secret stash of stolen goods.  Which is mostly socks.  Some households have a dryer gremlin that steals socks, but we have a Linus.

During the Great Yarn Shoveling, I came across some yarn that I've been contemplating using for ages now.  So I matched it to a pattern and got started on a new hat.  I actually got the idea for the hat at Cracker Barrel, where I spotted an awesome University of Illinois hat in their gift shop.  But it was $20 for a 100% acrylic hat that I could totally improve upon.  So I'm doing exactly that.  I'm using the Yarnster Hat pattern to make a navy blue hat in Knit Picks Capra with Cashmere yarn.  Then, I'll be using some beautifully coordinating orange yarn to make a flower decoration of some kind.  All that's left is to find a scrap piece of fabric with the Illini symbols or lettering to glue into the center of the flower.  A trip to the Joann Fabrics bargain bin is imminent.  I've only done a few rows so far, but ohmygoodness.  The yarn is so incredibly soft and lovely to work with!  It's an 85/15 merino wool and cashmere blend.  And it is 100% amazing.

The Hat of Inspiration, and the work in progress.  The actual color is much closer to the dark navy of the original hat.  It was just excessively bright in the living room at the time of photography.

It's always good to color coordinate your cats and your knitted projects.

The Hitchhiker Shawl has some slow but steady progress.  I've mainly been working on it in the car (while Matt drives), while drinking, and other times when I simply can't concentrate on a more complicated project.  I love how simple this shawl is.  It can be worked on anywhere.  And it's of course interesting to see what the self-striping yarn is going to do next.  

Stripes and stripes.  I'm a master at outfit coordination.

The Husband Socks are also slowly coming along.  It is looking more like a sock, with the foot starting to take shape.  I also got some nifty needle keepers to keep the DPN's from poking through my project bag while it rides around in my purse.








Now.  Onto the exciting stuff.  My Harry Potter Owls Cardigan is coming along awesomely!  I have the body done up to the underarms, and I'm working on both sleeves simultaneously, thanks to the awesome Magic Loop two at a time method.  The sleeves have been a bit slow going, but that's typical for me.  I just find sleeves quite boring to work on.  Once the sleeves have been powered through, I think the yoke and finishing will go much quicker.  I actually can't wait for the finishing touches.  I absolutely love contemplating button options, and for this sweater I'm going to try the grosgrain ribbon buttonband method, as demonstrated by the Knitmore Girls Podcast ladies.

Top two pictures are true to actual yarn color.  I can't get enough of these lacy owls!

I've also had some non knitting related activities lately.  I baked an epic collection of goodies for my birthday, and brought in treats for work.  Shown here is walnut brownies, garlic parmesan pull-apart bread, gluten free green tea chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cardamom cookies, and classic peanut butter cookies.  Best lunch ever.  I also did some thrifting, and came back with great goodies like this matching Star Trek movie set to send to my brother.  And while I was busy with all of this, Linus spent his time trying to sneak cuddles from Apollo.

Tune in next time, to see if I didn't die of boredom while working on my sweater sleeves!  I've been livening it up by watching epic amounts of Parks and Recreation while knitting.  Thanks for reading!

One Stitch at a Time

I have lots of fun things happening here on the knitting front!  I am very excited about both my current projects and my plans for future projects.  And I have a couple of finished objects to show off as well. 

Let's start with the DONE List!  I knocked out my Pair of Mittens.  Really, the mittens only took a couple days to make.  But they were started a few weeks ago when I had a cast-on binge night, then promptly ignored the newly cast-on items for a while.  A few days ago, I had a sudden urge to see them completed, and set to work on them.  I made them with Magic Loop Two-At-A-Time method, so that they would be perfectly symmetrical.  I did switch to DPN's for the thumbs though.  I couldn't quite work out how to make the Magic Loop work for that.  And I had to do some creative stitch pick-ups and decreases, since the mittens were knit on US10's but my DPN's only go up to US8.  But it all worked out, and I love them!  They will soon prove useful for the Chicagoland frigid winter.  Plus, the pattern is quite simple and free!

My hands will be so toasty!

The ankle socks are also completed, and were great fun to make.  Since they were anklets, they seemed to be done extremely quickly in comparison to my other pairs.  And I absolutely love the colors.  I'm a big fan of all things purple, and these socks have multiple lovely shades to satisfy me.

Linus had great fun supervising my sock completion.

I currently have three projects in progress.  My Flower Power Hitchhiker Shawl is from the same cast-on frenzy that produced my mittens.  It's named after the colorway of self-striping yarn I'm using on it.  I'm holding the yarn double, using larger needles than called for, and a wider repeat than would be standard for the yarn's intended use of socks, so the striping pattern is turning out different.  I really like the result of it though, and it's a fun way to use up my excess sock yarn stash.  The yarn is a thoughtful gift from my aunt, in a color I probably wouldn't have chosen for myself.  But now that I'm knitting it, I am loving it more and more.  It's a reminder that I should be more adventurous with my yarn choices.

Loving how the stripes are evolving.  And it makes it more exciting to work on, knowing that color changes will happen every couple of rows.

Next up is the Husband Socks.  Matt chose the self-striping yarn out of my stash because it was one of the most manly ones, it's super soft, and he said that he "would feel like a leprechaun every time they're on."  Which is apparently a good feature for socks to have.  I've done the leg, heel flap, turning the heel, and am in the middle of the gusset decreases.  I had sent the mail to an awesome Ravelry user that wanted to untangle it for me.  I just got it back, so whenever I finish the first foot, the supplies for the second one are ready to go.  The only downside is the pattern is written out to be worked on 4 DPN's but I prefer 3, so I've had to do some careful counting to make sure everything lines up.

Again with the stripes streak.  It's a fun habit to have.

I have finally been making awesome progress on the Harry Potter Owls Cardigan from the Harry Potter Knits Mag.  I am just a couple rows away from doing the bust shaping, and then three inches to go before starting the arms to then be attached to the body.  It's very exciting to watch the owls taking shape along the back, and the Swish DK yarn I'm using is extremely soft and a lovely blue green jewel tone color.  Plus, it's superwash wool, so it will be super easy to care for!

Looking more like a sweater every day.  And the owls are visible!

In addition to the current project excitement, I have a few future projects planned, and some new tools on the way.  I used some early birthday money to get US 13, 15, and 17 needle tips to add to my Knit Picks circular needle set, a set of birch US 1 DPN's to try (all of mine are metal), and a few other odds and ends.  In addition, my craft enabling mom gifted me her old sewing machine and some old knitting patterns from her childhood.  Lots of new things to try out!

The machine is a bit old, but is still in perfect working order.  And I may need to make more mittens soon!

To test out the DPN's, I have two styles of Patons Kroy FX sock yarn that will soon be stripey socks for me.  All that's left is to decide which style is first!

Both are self-striping, but with different striping patterns.  I'm in love with both of them.

I have two skeins of Malabrigo Silkpaca lace yarn that is going to be a gorgeous Semele Shawl.  Other Ravelry users have used the same yarn and color to make it, and it is absolutely stunning.

The leaves are really what makes this shawl spectacular.  I can't wait to try this pattern out.

My last planned project is to make an Owlet Sweater with Berroco Vintage yarn I picked up a couple weekends ago.  Not sure who it's going to, but I like small instant gratification projects like baby sweaters.  And the yarn is supposed to be machine washable, which is perfect for a baby garment.  If it gets lots of wear, it's also going to need lots of washes.

It will be fun to make a mini sized owls sweater!  And super fast to make, too.

It's been an eventful yarn filled couple of weeks.  Stay tuned for more updates!

Knit ALL The Things!

This weekend was full of bad decisions. Instead of being content with my current projects, I decided to cast on two new projects, and look up patterns for a few more. I have a very long To-Do List now.  It also brought a stop at Michaels, which means I have some new sock yarn.  Which means I need to look up a few more patterns to put them to good use!

The yarn inspiration basket, including my most recent fiber acquisitions.  The newest are the Patons Kroy FX balls, which are both self-striping bright colors.  All of these are sitting on the coffee table while I contemplate what they are going to be!

Let's dive into the new projects.  I was planning on postponing the Husband's socks until my current pair was done.  But I got impatient, so I cast on for the Matt Socks anyways.  I'm doing a basic 1x1 ribbing for the cuff, then 3x1 ribbing for the rest of the sock, with 72 stitches around.  That will make them nice and stretchy for guaranteed fit.  I'm using the Lyle pattern I found on Ravelry, and using some of my stashed Knit Picks Felici sock yarn.  I have one ball caked (spun into a center-pull ball, for all you newbie or non knitters), and I'm waiting for the other full ball and partial ball to be returned to me.  When I dug them out of my stash, I discovered that they were hopelessly tangled.  I was having some serious patience and frustration issues with it, so rather than battle it myself, I am using one of the Ravelry groups dedicated to untangling yarn messes.  For the cost of shipping it to an interested person and a small gift card as a reward for them, I get my yarn straightened out without any effort on my part!  I am so excited.  And since I have far too much sock yarn, I also included a fun surprise for my detangler match as an extra freebie.

Here's the yarn disaster.  My attempts at fixing it were futile.  It's now on a cross-country vacation while someone that actually enjoys predicaments like this fixes it.

I'm starting a pair of toasty mittens, as well.  I picked up a couple balls of Patons Colorwul in the Ocean colorway on the dangerous Michaels trip this weekend, and decided they needed to be an item right away.  I'm using the Chunky Mittens pattern, which was the top mitten result on the Ravelry search.  It's a busy yarn, so a simple pattern is perfect.  I'm also using a slightly fiddly method to make them, so a simple pattern has less detail to worry about.  I'm using the magic loop two-at-a-time method to do these so I can make them on circular US10 needles and make both at once.  The first few rows are a bit of a pain to get set up, but overall, I do like this method.  I used it to make the sweater sleeves on my Owls Sweater.  I'm partway through the cuff now!  For two-at-a-time items, I've found that putting each ball/cake of yarn into a Ziploc bag helps keep things organized, keeps ends from tangling, and makes the project easier to transport.

My hands need to be toasty all winter!

Moving on to ongoing projects... My Stripey Ankle Socks are extremely close to completion!  I'm following the Simple Short Sock pattern as well as pulling some tidbits from the ever-popular Sock Recipe.  I'm using a lone skein of stashed Knit Picks Felici self-striping yarn.  I'm working on the toe of the second sock, and I anticipate that it will be done sometime tonight.  I'm always thrilled to have a new pair of socks to add to my wardrobe.  And I'm happy I found a suitable project for the yarn.  It's a discontinued line, so this variety of self-striping yarn is quickly becoming one of a kind.  Once I use up the few colorways I have of it at home, that's it! 

Sock one done, the second in progress, and tinkering with my tablet while working on it while sipping on a weekend treat coffee.  Multitasking!

A foot-modeled view of the first completed sock.  Don't mind the invading cat ears.

Nothing new on the Harry Potter Sweater front, besides a couple measly rows of slow progress.  Soon enough I'll catch Sweater Fever and want to work on it more, but for now I'm in the midst of a Sock Craze and want to just run with it!

My basket of sweater goodness, patiently waiting for me to poke at it some more.

 That's all of my knitting news for now!  As a send-off, here's a couple pictures of the beasts, demonstrating their mad skills in coziness.

Linus showing off his toes while trying to wake up from a nap.  Key word:  trying.  He definitely failed, and passed back out for another two hours before moving again.

Apollo, doing a great job at taking over the bed.  These two cats can easily take up over half of a king size bed on their own.  It's truly impressive.

Sock it to Me

I've been on a bit of a sock kick.  I just finished one pair, cast on another, and have yet another pair in the queue.  And I have possible other sock ideas floating around, but I'm trying to ignore them for now, so that I don't end up with a To-Do list a mile long.  Between my love of sock yarn and my awesome aunt feeding my yarn addiction, I have quite a lot of sock options right now.

As I just mentioned, I finished my pair of Mixed-But-Matched Socks in the absolutely fabulous Knit Picks Stroll Glimmer sparkly yarn.  I used the colors Kestrel and Peacock.  So I suppose I could also call them my Bird Socks.  This yarn is quite affordable at only $5.89 for a 50 gram ball.  Two balls will give even the biggest of feet a pair of socks, and I've even got some left over.  I'm accumulating all my left-over bits to eventually turn into a completely mismatching pair of scraps socks.  Or some toddler socks for my niece.  Or likely both.  There's a lot of scraps.  I'm also super happy the cabling pattern turned out well.  I couldn't find a cables layout that I loved in any patterns, so I used Stephanie Pearl McPhee's basic Sock Recipe, pulled a 4-plait cable and an eyelet chain from some stitch dictionaries, and created the layout myself.  The cable had an 8-row repeat, and the eyelets a 4-row repeat, so it was quite easy to keep track with the help of my row counter clicker.  Seriously, those things are a lifesaver for me, since I instantly lose track of counting knitting rows.  Plus, they're sold at Joann Fabrics, so save up those 50% off coupons, pick up a few, and never lose track on your projects again. 

They're finally done!  I restarted them 3 different times before finally settling on a pattern.  Feels good to have them off the needles at last.  And apparently this yarn smells/tastes delicious to Linus.  He will not leave them alone!

The instant I finished up the Sparkle Socks, I had to get started on another pair.  I'm now working on a pair of ankle socks, aka instant gratification socks.  They feel like they are just flying by!  I'm roughly following the Super Simple Short Sock pattern, but also pulling from the Sock Recipe.  I just started them a couple days ago and already have the cuff, heel flap, and heel turn done with minimal knitting time.  I'll be picking up stitches for the gusset and starting the foot tonight.  It's so exciting to see them taking form so quick!  I'm using some of my precious Knit Picks Felici self striping yarn.  This line has been discontinued, so the varieties I have left are very special!  This is in the Sugared Violets colorway.  I only had one lone ball of this one, so I have enough yarn to make a full pair of ankle socks or a lone full size sock which would then have a mismatched pair.  I don't have any handmade ankle socks, so I figured I'd try something new.  I appreciate self striping yarn because it keeps projects interesting with little effort.  I don't have to do anything fancy and still get to see color changes every few rows. 

Just a couple days of minimal efforts, and I'm already on the gusset decreases.  I would have been further, but I had a train mishap.  Ended up driving into Chicago for a weekend adventure instead of train-ing, which meant I lost precious project time.  Grr.  Still knitting up quickly though!

I've got another Knit Picks Felici pair of socks in my Knitting Queue, as well.  The husband has been insisting for weeks that "I never make him anything and that he desperately needs fancy socks for work."  So as soon as the anklets are done, I'll be starting a Matt pair.  I have some Blue/Green/Brown Felici self striping yarn stashed to use.  It was used to make a pair of tot socks, but even after that there's still more than enough for a manly sized pair.  I'm still cruising around for the perfect pattern.  I want to add a cable or some other simple design element to make them more interesting to work on.

The tot socks for my niece.  They'll soon have a long distance matching pair here for Matt!

My Ginny's Owls Cardigan from the Harry Potter Knits Magazine is taking a brief hiatus.  I'm still slowly chugging through the 4 inches of ribbed waistband.  The sock fever kinda took over a bit, and I can only knit so many rows in one day.  I'm a quick knitter, but I don't have superhuman speed needle maneuvers... yet.  About all I've done with it is pull it out of the project bag to admire it and maybe do a row at a time, or grab the pile of super soft Swish DK yarn and pet it a bit while simultaneously guarding it from Linus since he likes to grab and steal full balls of yarn.  He doesn't play with them, just grabs, runs away with it jiggling between his front legs, and then hides it from me.

Delicious, soft, squishy basket of sweater-y goodness!

I have a project patiently waiting in my To-Do list that I've been eyeing.  I need to learn how to do the provisional cast-on before I can start it.  I've tried it before and struggled with it, so I need some practice before starting this item.  For any non-or-beginner knitters, this technique allows you to cast on without a distinct edge.  The stitches that are cast on will be live, meaning they can then be picked up and knit again, or grafted to another edge.  The project is a cowl / infinity scarf, called Precious.  I stumbled across it on Ravelry, and thought it would be a perfect way to use up some of the yarn my aunt gifted me to feed my stash addiction.  I'll be using the Berroco Sox Metallic yarn in the Appletini colorway.  It's self-striping, but the stripes are spread out enough it should work even on a wider item like a cowl.  I need the provisional cast on so I can start on one edge, work the item flat, and then graft the last edge and the starting edge together. 

I'm all about the sparkly stuff lately.  Sparkle socks, and soon a sparkling leafy cowl / infinity scarf!

That's about it for projects, so I'll move on to miscellaneous other knitting matters.  I just received my most recent order from Knit Picks.  I got a couple sets of Knit Picks Nickel Plated Interchangeables to test out a few weeks ago, and I am a huge fan of them.  They work worlds better than the Boye Interchangeables I've been using since I first started knitting.  They stay screwed together better, the needles feel better in my hands, the screwed end doesn't flare when tightened, and the cords are more flexible.  My only complaint is that Knit Picks doesn't offer shorter cords (the shortest they have is 24"), but the Knitter's Pride brand cords are compatible and currently 40% off on Amazon.  I picked up one of each in the three shortest lengths at only $3 a piece with free shipping!  I'll now own Knit Picks circs in all sizes US 4-11.  They do offer 13-17, which I will get eventually as well.  I'll also find a fancy carrying case at some point, but for now the $1 pink pencil case will work wonderfully.

Full set of new circular tips and cables, a lifetime supply of pins, connector screws, and end caps, and all contained in a beautiful $1 pencil case!  Keeps the packaging safe from a certain feline that like to lick and chew on plastic tape and packages.

Lastly, I wanted to quickly mention my favorite knitting listening material.  There's so many neat podcasts out there for all things knitting.  I have three current favorites.  I listen to the Knitmore Girls every week.  It's a mother daughter pair that spend around an hour each week discussing current knitting, spinning, and sewing projects, knitting events, book/yarn/equipment reviews, and more.  Their show is definitely my favorite podcast.  I look forward to it every week.  Never Not Knitting is another great one that comes out about once a month.  This show includes a knitting story at the end, usually provided by listeners or guest speakers.  The videocast I watch most often is The Fat Squirrel Speaks.  It comes out weekly, and Amy the host is hilarious.  Yes, she discusses knitting and yarn related things, but she also goes of on tangents about why 10 pounds of apples in her freezer are definitely necessary and may or may not have used a project bag as a hat in the last episode.  It's well worth a peek!

Project Overload

I have three main knitting projects going right now.  Plus a few that are in hibernation right now...  But three items that I am actively knitting on.  And I'm equally in love with all three, so it is very difficult to choose which item to work on.  It has caused some indecisive knitting issues, including bringing all three projects in to work because I couldn't decide which one should keep me occupied at lunch.  And it is how I ended up doing almost nothing this weekend besides sit and knit.  Dishes, vacuuming, tidying, and laundry were all neglected.  It was a busy Monday night playing catch-up on the apartment.  It was finally at the breaking point where desks and tables were starting to eat items.  But I did make some serious progress on my re-watching of Torchwood, made the cats very happy with some blankets and wool yarn naptime, and made some decent progress on the Works-In-Progress.

All three of these project bags rode to work with me, because pre-caffeine decision making made it impossible to decide which one was getting lunchtime attention.

The Mix and Match Socks I've been working on are a little over halfway done.  The first sock is completed, in all of its sparkly glory, and I started the mixed and matched second sock this weekend.  I'm making the colors opposite on each sock.  I only had one ball of each color, not enough to make them 100% matching.  And I love funky socks.  And they're extra special, because I pulled the cable stitches from elsewhere and arranged them myself.

Sparkly mixed up socks.  So fun!  Plus some cables and things to keep them interesting to work on.

I'm a decent way through the alpaca/merino/bamboo blend cowl too.  I'm trying to power through it this week so I can have one less thing on the needles.  It's incredibly soft!  It will be marvelous on my neck for the cold winter that is rapidly approaching.  I'm still unsure of how I feel about the yarn itself.  I love the softness, but this is my first time working with thick and thin yarn, where the thickness of the strand varies throughout.  It creates a neat look, but I am not a huge fan of working and knitting with it.  I probably won't be buying more of it in the future, and won't make anything larger than a hat or cowl with the other thick and thin skein that I already have.

I feel so-so about the yarn, but I do love how the cowl is turning out.  Just a little bit further!

Now, onto my newest and most recent large project.  The Ginny's Sweater from the Harry Potter Knits Magazine!  I got the yarn in, started knitting the ribbed waistband, and have already started some finishing items selection.  More on the finishing in a bit.  I love the affordability of Knit Picks yarns for larger projects, which is why I chose Swish DK.  As much as I'd love to use fancy, more unique yarns for big projects, it's simply not in my budget.  The Swish DK is machine washable and dryable, very durable, quite soft, and is only $4.70 per 123 yard ball.  Since I'm estimating needing 8-9 of those balls, every dollar saved counts.

The yarn color is tricky to capture on my phone's camera.  The top panel is the most true to actual color.

On to my sweater finishing excitement.  I found a new technique to try!  I'm going to be doing a grosgrain ribbon button band, and will also be using backing buttons for a more sophisticated, secure way to attach the buttons.  The ribbon, sewn into the inside of the button band, makes it more sturdy, and the backing buttons put less stress on the knitted fabric.  The Knitmore Girls Podcast ladies made a couple of excellent tutorials for sewing on the ribbon and the button attachment.  I watched them once already, and it goes through every single step needed.  I'm a bit sewing challenged, but this technique looks quite approachable.  I already picked up a couple of ribbon and button possibilities to contemplate.

Possible front buttons on the top, possible ribbon choices on the bottom, and the simple backing buttons.

It makes me so excited to have such interesting projects to work on.  The only tricky part is deciding which one to work on at any given time!  If only I had more arms... It's not like the beasts can do anything to help me.

The felines Apollo and Linus "helping" around the house.

Trip Knits

The Washington vacation was a marvelous success!  It was great to see family and explore the Pacific Northwest.  We saw Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Hurricane Ridge, the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver Island in British Columbia, and so much more.  As well as lots of stops at brew pubs.  I even fit in a local yarn store stop while we were in Victoria, BC.  The weather was just chilly enough that I was able to wear knitted socks every day, and could even justify wearing the two sweaters I brought, as well as some brief use of a knitted hat, scarf, and fingerless mitts (it was a chilly ferry ride to Vancouver Island, and there was a cold wind on Mt. Rainier).  It was an excellent getaway.  In addition, I was also relatively productive with knitting projects, and I learned the basics of crocheting as well!

Knitwear in action!  The Pacific Northwest has the perfect "knitted goods all year round" climate!

I'll start with my newly discovered crochet talents.  My aunt has both knitted and crocheted for years, so she busted out her old book of basic stitches and some radically bright Red Heart yarn, and spent an evening going over the basics with me.  My first couple attempts ended badly, since my cast on chains were so tight that they were unusable.  After getting the hang of that though, it went fairly smoothly.  I can now single, half double, and double crochet.  I can count my stitches, spot mistakes, and confidently rip them out and try again.  I've got lots of dishcloth cotton yarn waiting to get used up, so I'll try a few crochet dishcloths soon.  I also have my kool-aid dyed yarn that I haven't found any inspiring knitting patterns to go with it, so maybe I'll browse through the beginner level crochet patterns and find a good match.

I made... a thing!  It doesn't amount to anything, but I did get plenty of practice on all the beginner stitches I need to know.

Next up is the Hitchhiker Shawl.  I finished this up very early in the trip.  I was done with it by the time we landed at Sea-Tac!  Arriving extra early to the airport plus being unable to fall asleep on the plane meant I had a surplus of knitting time.  It's a very small shawl, and wears more like a scarf.  I love it!  The bright colors make me happy, and I got the yarn in my college town (Go Illini!) so it has some sentimental value as well.  The pattern is extremely simple, so it's a great scarf/shawl item for beginners, as well as for mindless knitting for experts. 

Of course the feline sidekick had to supervise photography.  Anytime I'm home, it's like I have a little, hyperactive shadow.

I spent much of the trip working on a pair of socks.  It took half the week just to settle on a pattern.  I chose patterns, started a sock, didn't like it, and ripped it out three times before finally deciding I would try designing my own pattern.  My Mixed Up Socks use Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Sock Recipe for the basics, and along the front I've added cables from online stitch dictionaries.  I've got the info for the cables on the Rav Project Page for anyone interested.  Now that I've actually got it going, I really like them.  The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Glimmer, and is ever so soft with a bit of sparkle added in.  I'm making them mixed up but still matching.  This sock's match will be opposite colors for each section.  I just finished up the heel, and am working on the gusset decreases now.  I can't wait to have a new pair of toe warmers in my collection!

I always love a good pair of cabled socks!

My other trip project was the Bright Light Market Bag that I am gifting to my mother-in-law for her upcoming birthday.  I got everything but the last few inches of the strap done while out of town.  Last night I finally powered through the last of the strap and the finishing while re-watching some Torchwood. I am so pleased with how the pooling came out!  Time to sift through and see what other colors of cotton yarn I have, because I have a few more of these to get done by the end of the year for gifts.

Done and ready for the MIL's birthday at the end of the month!

The trip also gave me justification to get a splurge purchase.  I usually aim for more affordable yarns, but since I was on vacation I went for whatever skein I fell in love with, regardless of cost.  Here's the beauty I found at the Beehive Wool Shop in Victoria, BC.  I'm still undecided what it will be.  I just couldn't pass up that color combo. 

Ancient Arts Fibres 100% Bluefaced Leicester Wool.  In gorgeous, fun colors.  Cannot wait to use, but I'm putting off winding it because I LOVE how it looks right now!

I'll have more about this project once I have the materials in hand, but I am starting a new sweater soon!  I have been browsing patterns for the past week, and finally decided that I need Ginny's Sweater from the Harry Potter Knits Magazine.  I'll be using Knit Picks Swish DK in the Marine Heather color.  I should have the materials within a week or so.  I can't wait to have a lovely warm project to work on, just in time for autumn! 

Model pics from the magazine linked above, and the color of Swish DK I'll be using.  Already in love with this project!  Can you tell I have a bit of an owls obsession?  :-)

Thanks for reading!  If there's anything you'd like to hear about, let me know!