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.