My first Socks!

Well these are not my first socks, I've been wearing socks for years. They're the very first pair I knit myself though. The pattern is by Susan B Anderson called Ribbed Socks for Bigger Feet. I followed the instructions for the ladies size 6 and they fit perfectly.

I love the heels and how easy it was to turn them. I'm growing fonder of the crazy zigzag colourway but honestly it's not my fav. I have some equally unloved colourways in my stash that I've had no idea what to do with and now I do.

I'll turn all my ugly yarn into socks! Ha! Take that ugly yarn!

On a bright note, I got my seed order in from West Coast Seeds this week. The box was filled with lovely packets. I can't wait for spring!

Finishing Friday Except it's Monday

Friday was a big day for me. I finished 5 projects that really just needed seaming and ends woven in. I told you about finishing Benji in my last post. Here are the other 4.

This is the Pasha Hat by Jane Richmond. I knit this in some great yarn called Queensland Collection Rustic Wool DK. I love this colourway, it's dark grey but with lighter bits and it looks so nice! I need a model to show this hat off properly but she was away at a basketball tournament this weekend.

 

I finally wove in the ends on these Snowbird Mittens. The pattern is in the book Vogue Knitting: Mittens and Gloves. I bought this a few years ago for one pattern and I have the yarn for it, but I haven't knit it yet. I started with these instead and they're cute. I messed up on the snow mitten at the top of one of the trees. Can you see it? It actually has the power to drive me crazy that I didn't catch it before. Now they're blocked and finished and I'm giving them to the library for next year's winter raffle.

I finished Trudy's Mittens for Trudy at the post office. I think they may be too small but they're warm and fun and a great stash buster. The pattern is a free one on this blog. This is the second time I've knit this pattern and it's great. I'd knit another pair for sure.

Finally I wove in the ends on the Dragon Oak Mittens. This is an Alana Dakos pattern of Nevernotknitting fame. She has some really amazing patterns out there and this one is very fun to knit. I like the cabled leaf and the way the increases and decreases form the border around the leaf.

What I don't like is the way the leaf cants to side. I find myself constantly tugging it over to the center. The thumb also pulled the palm fabric. So the mittens feel funny to me. The Superstar tried them on and she thought I was crazy. They're also a gift knit.

I bet you think that's all... but...

I still have a pile of projects waiting for finishing. Looks like next Friday will be a Finishing Friday too!

Benji

I finished the bunny from Itty Bitty Toys on Friday. I named him Benji and he turned out pretty much the way I pictured him. I chose to use fabric for the inner ears and that worked out perfectly. I'm not a huge fan of the acrylic yarn (I have ladders, I hate ladders) but I'm determined to use stash for as much knitting as possible this year.

I've not worked at all on my Teal Contented Cardi. I'm stalled and I blame these mittens

 and these socks...

Do you ever find yourself distracted by some new fancy pants pattern or yarn? I'm a fickle knitter I tell you!

On My Needles

I've been knitting very monogamously on the Contented Cardi by Hannah Fettig of the Knitbot blog (I got a whole lot done last night while watching Dune on Netflix) . She has a few pretty cardigan patterns that I like a lot. This cardigan has cables and a simple, casual shape that I really enjoy.

I'm knitting it out of some dark teal Noro yarn that I've had in my stash for about a year now. Noro Cash Iroha is a discontinued aran weight yarn. I bought 10 skeins and I'll need every bit I think. I'd like to knit the body longer and maybe even the sleeves.

I'm using up skein number 7 on the last sleeve and I'll knit another skein on the body. I'm not sure how much yarn the ribbed edging will take so I'm saving 2 skeins for that. If I have extra, I'll lengthen the sleeves some more...

This colour looks so great with jeans and a light grey tank. It's funny how bleh I feel about it while knitting and then I try it on and I think, yup, I like this! Weird...

I'm also planning on seaming up the bunny bits I knit a few weeks ago. I love how these toys come together. It always feels daunting to get started but once I get into it, it's actually super quick.

I think I'm going to use some fabric for his inner ears. I'll need to get my iron out and figure out the shape to cut. I'm not much of a seamstress unfortunately... we'll see what the finished bunny looks like!

I also have some ends to weave in on a couple pairs of mittens and one pair of fingerless mittens. I'll get some FO shots hopefully this weekend in between swimming and basketball. I also want to start removing paint/wallpaper in the spare room. I guess I need a few "before" pictures of that room too...

Suddenly I have a long list of stuff to do, how does that happen?

2012 Resolutions... Part One

I was catching up on some blog posts that I subscribe to this morning when I came across this one on the Unplugged Sunday blog by Jonah Lisa. 

I like the idea of resolutions but I always seem to fail at them miserably. Well not this year! I love the idea of seasonal resolutions and I think I'll even make some.

So for the first quarter of 2012 I have 2.

1. Keep to my budget... always tough for me... but I have a goal to get to Rhinebeck this fall and I'm committed!

2. To finish what I start... very vague I know but I have a pile of UFO's sitting in a basket calling my name. I want to finish them... I like them, well most of them... I've also stripped the spare room of furniture... I'll start removing wallpaper this weekend. Hopefully I don't loose steam because then I have patching, sanding, priming and painting, and that's just on the walls (there are still baseboards and the ceiling and doors and the floor to get through too)...

So how about you? Do you have any resolutions? More importantly, do you have any tricks that help you keep them?

2011 Knitting Review

I completed over 45 projects in 2011. Above are the ones I've photographed. Again it was a colourful year with lots of red, green, and blue projects. I knit 7 cardigans, 3 pullovers and a tank top, 8 pairs of mittens, 3 pairs of fingerless mittens, 8 toys, 5 hats, 5 shawls, 3 scarves, 1 cowl, dishcloths, potholders and I crocheted a giant afghan.

I consider that a good year!

Here are some goals for 2012:
- a monthly toy kal in the Itty Bitty Group on Ravelry
- and more baby hats
- knit B a sweater this year, my first man sweater. I'm thinking an Elizabeth Zimmerman sweater, I've never knit one of her patterns and I think after I do I'll feel like a knitter with a capitol K.
- I'd also like to finish Mr. Man's afghan
- and start another
- a cardigan for myself
- and maybe the odd gift knitting here and there...

My big giant goal this year is to make it to Rhinebeck and meet up with a bunch of the gals from Itty Bitty Knits and tour around the fair. I'm saving money as we speak and I have a plan... Now to put it in motion!

So here's to 2012 and all the possibilities!

cheers,
Jill