Lotsa stuff

Hi! I have, um, a lot to blog about since I've been playing hooky for a while.

Here's a sock:

You'll just have to trust me that there's a finished pair. I made these pretty long, about 10" from cuff to top of heel flap, and finished with enough yarn that I could have made them an inch or two longer. It still amazes me that plain old yarn can turn into socks. Every time.

I have begun attending a monthly knit night that meets at the home of a friend. Most of the women who come are brand-new knitters, but last week there was a woman who had been spinning and knitting for several years and it was really nice to discuss various techniques with her. Since she has eight years of spinning experience, I told her that I wanted to start spinning again and asked her opinion of wheel brands. She happened to have an extra (broken) wheel that she offered to give me! Yes. Yes, I'll take it.




It's an unfinished Ashford Traditional. The conrod joint is broken and it's missing a tension rod and one of the flyer hooks (a couple of owners ago it sat in a garage for several years, can you tell?), but those will be easy to replace. I've been considering converting it so I can spin left-handed - the way I learned - but that would be a major undertaking so far as I have figured it. But I don't want to have to re-learn to spin right-handed. I'll keep cogitating on it and perhaps I'll come up with an easier solution.

A pair of wrist warmers. These are knit from Urban GypZ Twisted in Rainy Day Blues. I copied Kimberly's but I can't find the specific post to link to. These took just over half a skein; I think I might attempt a matching hat with the leftover yarn. I'm quite pleased with them and they are going to the gift basket.

Finished Carousel socks. The yarn is Claudia's Handpainted fingering in Carousel (that color is now discontinued). The pattern is Yarrow Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. The yarn is pretty but it doesn't feel like it will hold up terribly well, and I think I could have chosen a pattern more suited to the yarn.



Lastly, some anklets in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport. I believe the color is turquoise, and the pair took less than one skein. These are a gift and have been posted to the intended recipient.

Shooting down the UFOs

Do you read Knitting Daily? I do, and last week they did a survey of how many UnFinished Objects (UFOs) people had lying around. Wanting to be helpful, I dug around my several bags and baskets. I was rather surprised to find that I had a grand total of 17 partially finished projects. I answered 15, but then afterward found two more, which I subsequently lost and then re-found this afternoon.

As I mentioned in my last post, we have all been sick. I was tired and I was shamed by my 17 projects so I decided to take yesterday evening "off" - as much as one can when one has two young children - and work on a few things. I really got a lot done number-wise; I now have finished 6 of those projects.

The abandoned baby sweater was bound off and is therefore now a baby hat. I might still add tassels on the corners because that would just be so cute.



I also finally stuffed and sewed up these little balls from Knitting for Baby:


And last but not least, I finished a sock.

You are my sunshine

For those of you who use Feedreader or another program of that sort, I have to share with you the quote now found in my header:

"[Lady Bostock] considered, possibly correctly, that there is nothing that brings the sunshine into grey lives like a sock or two." - P.G. Wodehouse

Thank you, Dear, for pointing it out to me.

Socks and sock

I finally finished these socks that I started a few months ago. They are plain 2x2 rib knit from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in powder blue.
I also finished this sock, knit from Fortissima Colori Socka Color, color 9094 (I found the label!). This is a plain stockinette sock, of which I haven't knit for quite some time (since my first couple of pairs); I was amazed at how quickly it went. I loved how I could pick it up and stop at any point without having to think about it at all. Great for car knitting, and I also found it incredibly soothing to knit while letting my brain work through other things. This sock also provided some practice time for knitting while reading and with my eyes closed. From now on I plan to have a stockinette sock in progress at all times.

(F had to take pictures too.)

This puts me at 3 1/2 pairs of socks for the year. My goal is 6 pairs and I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it! (Which means that I will have accomplished both of my New Year's resolutions. I don't think I've ever completed all my resolutions before.) I have 5 socks on the needles right now so I just have to finish those and that'll be it.

The finished pair

Works-in-progress Wednesday

I finished my first Sockapalooza sock yesterday evening. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) Here it is being worn on one of my blockers from Leggy Creations.


Naturally, I immediately cast on for two different socks.


On the top, Claudia Handpainted in Carousel that I got for my birthday. (A colorway which I just discovered has been discontinued, which makes me want to buy out all I can find. Too bad I'm on a yarn diet.) I love this yarn. It's dreamily soft and the colors are so vibrant that just looking at it makes me feel happy.
On the bottom... I'm not sure. However, it is the Very First sock yarn I ever bought. Many moons ago. I started to knit it up once but it turned out too small so I ripped it and it's just been sitting in the yarn basket ever since. It's the only self-patterning yarn I own.
I didn't take any pictures of my progress because I neglected to take photos before the natural light faded. But I only have the cuffs done, so it's really not that exciting anyway.

Works-in-progress Wednesday

Finally. some decent progress to show on my Sockapalooza socks. They are coming along quite nicely, despite the fact that I can only work on them here and there. A friend of mine watched my girls last week while I went to Starbucks and knitted, and then I got a good chunk done last night after the wee ones were asleep.