Down to The Wire

Well, 2011 is winding to a close and I finished my last pair of socks for the year.  Officially, if anyone is counting besides my anal self, I have finished 34 pairs in 2012!  I don't necessarily plan to improve that record next year, but I am full of anticipation about what 2012 will bring and have a couple pair lined up and ready to be cast on.

Meanwhile, I thought I would show off the last two finished.  I finished the Spiral Stashbuster Pair last week.  I neglected to show you what the yarn looked like before I started knitting them in the last "in-progress" post.  It's interesting to see how the individual colors look compared to the blend.  Also, as you might suspect from the date on the photo, this is some of the yarn left over from doing these.  They don't take much of each individual color.

 

Yarn for Scrappy Stripes

 Here is what the finished socks looked like:

Scrappy Stripes

A very fun knit.  This pattern will go into my "go to" binder.  As will the next one I finished.

Pattern: Thumbelina by Lisa Dykstra
Yarn: Paca-peds in Paccacino

Swirls in my Coffee

A very fast and fun knit.  My only complaint would be the "opposite" pooling effect that happened in the foot/gusset of the sock.  Not sure how to avoid this, but I might have to make it my mission to solve this problem since I have more similarly dyed yarn in my stash.  Otherwise, I love them.

Happiest of New Years and Happy Sock Knitting!

Nana

My Blue Period

***Notice: link and photo heavy post; please step away and have a cup of hot cocoa or  eggnog if this will further stress you, otherwise, enjoy!***

It happens.  In your wardrobe; in your décor; in your paintings; and inevitably in your yarn choices; you take a good look one day and realize that you have been making some very monochromatic color choices.  In the case of my knitting, the color is blue.  It seems like I have been only knitting with blue yarn lately.   This is not strictly the case, but blue has definitely been my power color recently. 

I have finished several blue things (in no particular order)

The Brooklyn Tweed Rock Island Shawl in Mountain Colors Winter Lace / Harmony Starlight

Mr. Greenjeans in Gedifra Extra Soft Merino / Navy

A couple of pattern notes on this... sizing runs a tad small due to cables.   I made the sleeves longer and closed the YO's on the raglan shaping.  I know it's hard to tell from the picture, but it really did turn out nicely.

Movember Socks in A Swell Yarn Shop Middy Duet Sock Yarn / Lagoon Splash

Escargot in Dream in Color Classy / Midnight Derby / Visual Purple / Some Summer Sky

This pattern was a delight!  I needed something small and fun to knit after finishing the cardigan and socks and fell in love with this as soon as the Knitty Bis was published.  It fit the bill perfectly and I may have picked up another skein of classy to knit another one that matches the mittens I wear most. 

I may have slipped in a few of other projects in random colors just for fun:

My November PSC Houdini Socks in Madelinetosh Fingering / Sweet Pea

A Christmas Cowl (Chunky Eyelet Cowl by Nancy Wyatt) in Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky / Shiraz

As a general rule, I'm not much of a fan of chunky yarn, but this stuff is like catnip to me.  I just can't stop playing with it and loving on it.  I might have yet another skein tucked away for one more quickie project.  Which leads me to another Misti project I'm quiet proud of:

Jazz Age Scarf-let (my pattern pending testing, etc) in Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky / Magic Flute 

I got an idea for this pattern and puttered around with it until I got it exactly the way my head wanted it.  This is a fun quick knit and I hope to have the pattern out on ravelry very soon.

The long suffering and taking-forever-to-knit Miss Marple Shawl is still on the needles lurking somewhere near the back burner.

I’ve also cast on for my last socks of the year:

My December personal sock club selection was Lizard Ridge Socks in The Alpaca Yarn Co Paca-peds / Paccacino but I didn’t particularly like the way the pattern was knitting up and I think the yarn is a little too soft to give it structure after being blocked.  I frogged those and am now happily knitting Thumbelina with the yarn.

There were several choices for December from SKA, one of them was stashbusters.  The pattern Stash  Buster Spiral Socks has been in my Queue for a while so this seemed like the appropriate option.  I started these using up some of my leftover sock yarn. (Bonus points if you recognize that green).  I have finished the first sock and started the second.  No promises on finishing by the end of the month/year, but they have been pretty quick so far. 

On the horizon, I have a few more design ideas I’ll be playing with next year.  I have my 2012 personal sock club packaged up and ready to go; and I am slowly refining what’s in my queue to better target projects/patterns/yarn that I have paired and are waiting only to be cast on. 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and if I don’t post again before then….a splendid 2012!

Happy Knitting,

Nana

PS …. The icing on my “Blue” cake?   I got this for Christmas :)

(Ford Edge / Dark Blue Pearl … or is that Purl?)

[I snatched this picture from the official website for the record. ]

Recently

This came in the mail:

Loft Camper

Loft Snowbound

Dream in Color Smooshy w/cashmere in Butter Peeps

 

Dream In Color Smooshy Cashmere - Black Pearl

     

Mother Nature did this:

First Snow

 And these came off the needles:

Jacobean Socks

Pattern: Jacobean
Yarn: Pediboo
Size 2.25mm dpn

I think the mail carrier won!

Happy Knitting!
Nana

Wednesday, Whatever

1. As a long time Cardinals fan, I’m really excited that my guys once again captured the pennant.   I’m also a little sad that Tony La Russa is hanging up his jersey for good.  I’ve always had a fondness for Tony and I appreciate his good work on and off the field.  We adopted Saucey from ARF, which he founded.  

He will remain a hero to us for a long time. 

2. I’m guessing it will be safe to knit myself a pair of socks inspired by these now. (Skip's socks not his buns)

3. I finished knitting my October personal sock club selection:  

 Pattern:  Menehune Cobblestone

Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Indian Corn

Size 2.25mm needles, ML 2AAT

I am so wearing these tomorrow :)

 

4. I’m still knitting a cardigan (but I've switched patterns), the Rock Island Shawl, the Miss Marple Shawl and my October challenge socks.

5. I could have been at the heel turn on sock #2 of said socks last night if I hadn’t needed to rip back 22 rounds because I forgot to pay attention to the chart… ooops!

6. It is raining with the possibility of snow later today, yuck.

7. I plan to cast on my November personal sock club and Mystery socks later today (still mad at that October sock)

8. I’m unofficially playing along with NaNoWriMo which my daughter is officially participating in.  I had an idea, so what the heck.  I used to be a fairly decent writer until I started blogging

9. I bagged up the 2012 personal sock club yarns & patterns… at least I’m ahead on something.

2012 PSC... I may be developing a project bag problem

10. Whatever…. This makes the list 10 items long; so Monk will be happy.

 Happy Knitting! 

Nana

Well, Well, Well

The Cardinals are in World Series!

Despite being distracted by all of the exciting playoff action the past couple of weeks, I've been carrying on with my knitting, just have a look:

The end of several projects…. 

The mystery sock selection for Sept, I was happy to finish these, but am considering frogging the cuff and redoing just plain ribbing of some sort.  They are super floppy and I just don't like that. 

Watercress Socks

This is a little pattern I whipped up for the class I'm teaching at the library.  I needed something simple but with a stitch pattern and a couple of teaching techniques.  The pattern is available here under the "My Designs" tab.

Sumptious Neck Snuggler

Hubby's cousin is having a baby, so he asked if I would knit up a little gift; there's also a hat to match, but the picture isn't good: 

Baby Surprise Jacket

 The long planned and promised dress for my Granddaughter.  This pattern was published in the fall issue of Knitters (last year) and I knew I wanted to make it, it just took a long while for all of the elements (yarn, time, motivation) to come together and git it done, but it is now and on it's way to her with t-shirts and leggings to (more or less) match.  (Whole other rant... Please tell your local retailer that little girls can wear colors other than pink or purple 'k?)

Dress for S

 My September SKA Challenge socks (project named aptly "Falling Behind").  I loved the Mountain Colors Crazyfoot yarn I used for these.  The pattern was okay, but got a little tedious with all of the slipped stitches.

Nornir Socks

Finally, my personal sock club selection for October; the reason all of my knitting felt so slow lately.  The Bayerische socks.  This pattern put me through the wringer... the really sad part is I loved every minute of knitting this.  SHHH... don't tell the Lake County Knitters who really hated it.  Yes it is complex and demanded my full attention, but wow, who can actually hate socks that turn out like this?

Bayerische Socks

I've still got a few things on my needles, but that is (hopefully) another post.

Happy Knitting,

Nana

Color Story

I started knitting the Late Summer Socks the day the state fair started in Iowa.  I initially dubbed them the State Fair socks for that reason, but it really didn't work as a project title.

Coffee, beer, a sock-in-progress and chocolate... what more does a knitter need?

As I continued to knit these, I began to notice something about the colors in these socks:

They were a nice reflection of the colors nature was putting on display here in Iowa as the summer came to an end and fall started to stake a claim on the landscape. 

Late Summer Socks

They are now finished and mailed to my DD #2 who was born 30 years ago this week.

Wait 'til you see the colors of the new socks I just cast on... I hope nature lives up to that palette this fall!

Happy Knitting,

Nana

Things are Progressing …Slowly

Here are a few of my older WIPs … before I get to the really exciting sock stuff :)

You maybe remember I’ve been working on a shawl since (February) forever… it got just a little bigger.  I’m actually almost to the halfway point where the triangle turns into a square with lots of decreases (maybe then I’ll feel like it’s progress)

I also cast on for the Lucia Tee, a knit-a-long at work, this should have been a quick project, but I might have allowed myself to become … distracted… (ooh, shiny new sock pattern)... so distracted in fact, that I don't have a current project photo of the progress.

 

Then, I cast on a new pair of stripey socks just to have something to carry in my bag for car knitting and other wait-knitting.  Just my usual two-x- two Noro-striped sock recipe using colors S95 and the leftover S150 from my stash of NKS leftovers.

Late Summer Stripeys

I'm debating whether to keep these or gift them to someone with a September birthday, (I'm really loving the pop of the fuschia heels and toes). 

And finally, these, a quick little pair of Iowa Hawkeye themed footies for a friend, that only need the toes grafted:

Hawkeye Shorties

 There are plenty more WIPs in my basket, I hope you will stay tuned. 

Sneak preview - guess what this is...

 Happy Knitting,

Nana