Slacking, Slacking, Slacking

Hello,

I know I've been slacking in my blogging lately...but I'm trying to get myself back on track.  It's not that I don't enjoy writing my posts, quite the opposite I assure you!  It's just that I either get so busy I don't have time to post, or I'm too tired to think straight and write something that would make sense.  Work is slowing down now though, only one more week to go!  So I should have more time in the near future.

Even though I've been slacking in my blogging, I've been making up for it in creating things during my spare moments.  I've been quite busy with needles, hook and yarn this past week and last.  To date I have knit 5 baby hats, 1 bonnet, 4 pairs of booties (and three singles who are awaiting their mates), 2 pairs of baby socks, 3 dishcloths, and a tiny gnome.  That's not mentioning all the projects I have started or have on the go at the moment.  I find that when my mind is too tired to think, I can usually still knit - granted that the project is pretty mindless.

Today while starting to tidy up around here (I've haven't been only slacking in blogging...) I found that I have three pairs of socks on the go right now.  So I set myself a little goal of getting one pair done this weekend.  Two pairs are on the second sock and the other pair is on the foot of the first.  I'd also like to finish up a few other little knits I have on the needles as well this weekend, but we'll see how everything goes.  I find it helps keep me on track if I make a little list, otherwise I get distracted by new things (kobo cozy using the magic loop technique because I want to learn it) and start working on something entirely different from what I was supposed to be working on in the first place.  I'll be back on Monday to let you know how it all went.

Have a great weekend, and try to sneak in some YOU time if you can.

xoxo

Hippo Day

Hello,

Today is Hippo Day and in acknowledgement I thought this week's cloth should be a hippo.  I used another one of Elaine Fitzpatrick's patterns, and as usual, it's a cutie. I've had a soft spot for hippos since I was a kid, so when I seen this pattern I knew it would be just the thing.

I remembered that I forgot to post about last week's cloth.  I decided to just do a plain one using my favourite go-to pattern, since it was such a hectic week.  Knitting the garter stitch with simple increases is so soothing and easy to remember; just what I needed. 

Last night while watching You've Got Mail with my Mom I finished the Groovy Socks.  I really enjoyed knitting up this pair.  The colours are cheerful and the yarn is super soft.  It's like knitting with a cloud. I bet they will feel like little clouds on my feet too.

Well, it's been a long week and I can honestly say I'm so glad to see the weekend.  I've got a nice, slow one planned with knitting, crocheting, reading and tea.  I hope you have a wonderful one planned as well.

xoxo

Off and On My Needles

Off my needles:

My Watermelon Socks

On my needles:

Groovy Socks

xoxo

P.S. Sorry for the rather short post.  We had to put our beloved Lab Cassie down today, and I'm just not up to much right now.

Watermelon Socks

Hello,

A couple of days ago while I was catching up on some blogs, (since I haven't had the chance to read them much since before Christmas), I came across a post about socks on Susan's blog.  Now I am always an admirer of Susan's socks, but this time one pair in particular stood out to me: her Watermelon Socks.  I went and looked up the yarn details right away but soon remembered that I am currently attempting not to buy much yarn till I work through more of my stash.  And at that sad moment, while I was lamenting the fact that I would not be able to have my own pair of watermelon socks, I remembered a few years ago Knit Picks did a watermelon inspired colourway in Felici Sport called Picnic, and I just happened to still have three balls in my stash!  I went and dug 2 of them out of the bin and immediately cast on for my own slightly different, but still watermelon-ish pair of socks.

I'm enjoying each and every stitch; they are making me so happy!  The colours flow into each other perfectly and the tones remind me of spring/early summer.  I don't have very many pairs of sport-weight socks, so these will be a welcomed addition to my sock drawer.  The slightly thicker yarn and bigger needles makes them knit up so fast.  I'm now planning a couple more pairs using some of the other sport-weight sock yarn that I found in my stash.  Clearly I need to go stash diving more often.

I hope you are having a great weekend!

xoxo

P.S. I do have to say that Susan's Rainbow and Cloud socks also caught my eye...they're stunning!  But I'm trying my best to resist buying that yarn though... I better go check if I have any rainbow-ish yarn in the stash first.

Socks, Mittens and a Dress

Hello,

Wow, I have really been slacking in the blogging department lately.  I'm so sorry about that.  I hope to be back to myself here soon and back to posting regularly as well.

After my last post and with no WIPs left to finish up, I cast on for a new pair of socks using some gorgeous yarn my swap partner Richelle sent me in the Itty-Bitty Group's Mini Valentine Swap.  It's Alcidina Skyward Special Edition and the colourway is Destiny.  This yarn company is really neat because they base their colours on images from the Space Station.  I wanted to be an astronaut when I was little, so I found this particularly thrilling.  The results were this:

Destiny Socks

The yarn came with a larger skein for the leg and foot portion and had a little mini skein as well to do the toes and heels.  I thought that was such a neat idea!  I'm so happy with these, they're just gorgeous!

I also made a couple other projects over the weekend:

Hippi Hot Baby Dress

These little baby dresses seem to be my go-to crochet projects lately.  They're so cute and fast!

Lollipop Mittens

My friend Julie gifted me the Waiting for Winter Mittens and Fingerless Gloves pattern a couple weeks ago, which I have been wanting to try since it first came out, and I finally got the chance to knit myself a pair.  I used Knit Picks Chroma in Lollipop (my favourite!) so they would match my favourite hat that my sister knit for me out of the same colour.  Now I have a matching set!!

Well, I hope that you are all having a great week and that you're staying warm and dry where you are.  We're in the middle of a snowfall warning right now, and I can honestly say I'm totally enjoying it!

xoxo

A Day Early

The December socks are being started one day early :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

A Glitch in the Plan

Hello again,

I know it's been a while since I last posted.  I got busy, then distracted and then I just didn't feel like I had anything of consequence to say.  I finally decided that I would just try and ease back into blogging, so today's post is my first attempt at it.  Please bare with me.

My most recent work-in-progress has been a pair of Jaywalkers that are part of my Mom's Christmas gift.  This is my second time knitting this pattern (which is rare for me!) and I have to say I'm hooked.  It thrills me so much to see each coloured stripe turn into a perky little zigzag; making for quite addictive knitting.  I always want to see what colour is coming next.  

I have a few other Christmas gifts on the go as well: a ribbed hat, and a calm cowl.  There are more on the list, but I haven't got them started yet.  Dad's Sesame Street socks are done, I just haven't photographed them properly, but I think they turned out great.  I should have a post about them up sometime next week.

The gift I'm really stuck on right now is my Mom's birthday present.  Her birthday is December 24th.  I want to make her something really special, but I also want it to be practical, something she can and will use.  First I thought a Zuzu's Petals cowl, so I knitted it up, but it turned out too big (I shouldn't have gone up so much in needle size), so I decided I would knit it again, this time either with smaller needles or a sport-weight yarn.  However, she mentioned to me the other day that she didn't really wear cowls much because she found them too hard to get off when she got too warm, say when driving or while shopping in the mall.  So I crossed that one off the list.  Then I thought I'd make her a nice scarf, that way she could just undo the ends whenever she needed to, but she said she already had so many scarves that she didn't even wear.  Mittens were my next idea, but she said she prefers gloves (the leather kind) and would only use mittens when she walked the dog, so there went my idea of a beautiful pair of colourwork mittens.  She does want a hat, but she already picked out the yarn and pattern for that one, and it's going to be for her Christmas gift anyway.  My next idea was a shawl for her to wear when she has somewhere fancy to go, but in all honesty, I hardly think she would actually wear it.  She never wears fingerless mitts and I'm not knitting her a sweater (which she admitted she wouldn't wear anyway), so now I have no idea.  I have spent days searching for the perfect thing on Ravelry, and still, I've got nothing.  Do you ever have someone difficult to craft for?  What do you do when you're stuck like this?  She honestly is one of my most favourite people to make things for, because she truly appreciates and understands all the work that goes into each gift, so I really do want to make her something.  Plus, I promised I wouldn't buy her anything this year.  We made a decision in our family to not spend much for Christmas (and she included her birthday gift in this), and I have to hold up my end of the deal.  So what's a crafter to do?  Any suggestions?

xoxo

The Past Two Months

Hello,

The last two months were tough ones when it came to my Self-Imposed Sock Club.  I started the September pair in September, I even brought them to England and back - but I didn't work on them even once during that time, which is probably why they didn't get completed until almost the end of October.  This of course put a mad rush on the October socks, which forced me to change plans and do a Plain Vanilla instead of the pattern that came in the bag.  I'm actually very happy with them and I think they still turned out lovely despite this.  Plus, I wanted to be able to enjoy knitting them since they are for a Christmas gift and I believe in happily knitting gift projects so that the happiness is embedded into them, so I thought this was the best call.  I've now decided to do the same for both the November and December pairs since they are for Christmas gifts as well.  I know it's not sticking to the original plan, but I think sometimes you have to deviate in order to get things done.  This time of year is just way to full to add complicated patterns to it.

Project: September Socks
Started: September 1, 2012
Finished: October 23, 2012
Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted in Make Believe - 1 skein
Needles: 2.75 mm DPNs 
Mods: I did a short-row heel and I stopped the patterning on the foot and replaced it with k6, p2 ribbing.

Project: October Gift Socks - made for someone's Christmas gift

Started: October 23, 2012

Finished: October 26, 2012

Pattern: Plain Vanilla Socks with a short-row heel

Yarn: Scarlet Fleece Grassy Wool in Guitar Hero (This was gifted to me by Mary Rose in the Itty-Bitty Secret Santa Swap a couple of years ago.)

Needles: 2.75 mm DPNs

Mods: None.

I will leave you with a picture of the November socks in progress:

These ones are for my Dad's Christmas present.  The colour is called Building Blocks, supposedly based on Lego pieces, but for some reason they remind me more of Sesame Street, what do you think?  They're a little "out there" in colour for my Dad, but since I'm trying to use up my stash and limit my yarn buying till I make a nice dent in it, these are what he gets.  They can be his happy socks.  I think everyone should have a pair of happy socks, don't you?

xoxo

August Socks: The Beginning

Hello,

I started the August socks a while ago, but I haven't mentioned them till now, at least that I can remember.  This was the first time I had to make a substitution to my originally planned year of socks.  The pattern that I had picked out of the box this month was Harris Tweed, which I had been wanting to try for quite a while, and the yarn was Crystal Palace Mini Mochi.  I gave it a good try, but these two just did not go well together at all.  I honestly really like the Mini Mochi yarn, but I just don't think it's suited to socks, at least it's not my ideal yarn for socks.  I found that each time I purled, and even sometimes when I knit, the yarn would split, and I had to constantly watch my knitting, which I didn't like.  I was hoping since the pattern was pretty mindless, I could just sort of go on auto-pilot and knit away, but with the splitting, it just wasn't possible.  These socks would have been super soft and lush to wear on my feet, but I couldn't bare the thought of knitting them when I was struggling so much.  I decided that it was okay to switch from the original plan, so I substituted another yarn and pattern I'd been wanting to try instead.  I picked the Vanilla Latte Socks pattern and I'm using Knit Picks Felici in the exact same colourway as the original design.  This is a fun pattern, very easy and mindless and you all know how I feel about Felici, so they make a beautiful combination to me.  I have one done, and I'm on the leg portion of the second one right now.  I haven't had as much time to work on them as I would like, but they are coming along.  I will do my best to get them done before the end of the month.  Some days I wish I could knit in my sleep!

xoxo

Drive by Post

Hello,

I'm super busy here today so this post will be a short one, but I wanted to share a few things I finished up a while ago but just now got around to photographing.  So without further ado:

Project: July Socks

Started: July 1st, 2012

Finished: July 5th, 2012

Pattern: Spring Forward by Linda Welch

Yarn: ONline Supersocke 100 Jungle Color #1132

Needles: 2.75mm Signature DPNs

Mods: I did a short-row heel, but everything else is just as written.

Project: A Wisp of Lace

Started: June 8, 2012

Finished: June 10, 2012

Pattern: Shell Script Wrap & Scarf by Michelle B.

Yarn: Knit Picks Aloft in Pennyroyal 

Hook: K (6.5 mm)

Project: Rocky Raccoon

Started: June 26th, 2012

Finished: July 6th, 2012

Pattern: Amigrurmi Raccoon by Stacey Trock from her Woodland Animals Craftsy course

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Grey Heather, White and Black

Hook: H (5.0 mm)

xoxo

400th Post

Hello,

Wow, today is my 400th post, and Sunday marked my 3rd year of blogging.  These are great milestones to start the week.  The blog has become such a joy to me and I'm so blessed to have such wonderful readers.  I want to say a huge "Thank You" to each and every one of you, I'm so grateful that you take the time to stop in for a visit and that you find my ramblings interesting and worthy of a read.  I'm planning a giveaway for Wednesday, so keep your eyes open for that....

In knitting news, I finished the June socks early Sunday morning.  That's a first, usually I'm stumbling in at the end of the month, just barely squeaking by.  This pattern was so much fun though, it practically knitted itself.

Project: Jaywalkers
Started: June 1st, 2012
Finished: June 3rd, 2012
Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina
Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in Rainbow
Needles: 2.75mm Signature DPNs
Mods: Cast on 72 stitches for the ribbing and did a short-row heel.

Be back soon with something that is not a sock, bet you didn't expect that!
xoxo

June Socks: The Beginning

Hello,

I started the June socks yesterday.  The pattern for this month is Jaywalker and the yarn is Knit Picks Felici in the Rainbow colourway.  They are turning out so, so, so pretty.  This is fast becoming my new favourite sock pattern.  I sure am looking forward to spending some quality time with these socks this month.

Happy Weekending,

xoxo

May Socks

Hello,

I know it's now June and here I am posting about May's socks, but I didn't have time to post yesterday about them like I had planned.  I finished these on the 30th, which was really cutting it close.  I started them on May 2nd and everything was going along great until I hit a snag once I got to the leg portion.  For some reason (my own fault, not the designer's) I couldn't get the patterning to work out correctly on the leg so I put them aside for a while and knit on other things.  When we came from vacation I knew I had to figure something out since it was getting close to the end of the month and I was still on the first sock, so I decided to just knit the leg in plain stockinette.  I actually like them this way.  With this colourway it's hard to see the lattice stitch anyway so I don't think it makes a big difference.  I call them my "Tigger Socks" since that is what the colour is called and they remind me of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.

Project: Tigger Socks 
Started: May 2, 2012
Finished: May 30, 2012
Pattern: Leyburn Socks by MintyFresh 
Needles: 2.75 mm Harmony DPNs
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Muli - Tigger
Mods: Did the leg portion in stockinette and did 2x2 ribbing at the top.

In other news, Bingley the cat had his vet appointment yesterday and he is in good health.  He is neutered already, and got his rabies shot, worm pills and Revolution treatment.  We put an ad in the paper and if we don't get any calls we will either keep him or try to find him another good home.  I'd really like to keep him since he is so lovable and precious, but that all hinges on how he gets along with our other cat and two dogs.  Lots of prayers for a good transition would be very much appreciated!!

xoxo

Dahlia Socks

Hello,

I know today is Tuesday and I should be posting a one-a-day progress report, but I haven't worked on my hexagon blanket at all this past week.  I should be back on track next Tuesday though.  So instead, today I thought I'd share the other pair of socks I finished on Sunday.

These are the Dahlia socks I took with me on vacation.  As I mentioned before, the yarn was a birthday gift from my friend Jessica, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of knitting this pair.  The yarn is great and the colours are lovely!  I really am getting quite a hand-knit sock stash now aren't I?  I can't think of anything better though, cause hand-knit socks are up at the top of my list of the great comforts in life!

xoxo

Patchwork Socks

Hello,

I finished my Patchwork Socks last night!!  They were such a great knit and I think they were extra fun because I took part in the knit-along on the Itty-Bitty Group.  It was great to get encouragement and share progress reports with all the other knitters.  I found it particularly neat to see that once some of us had gathered together our yarn scraps it was clear what was our favourite colours were.

Here is the pile of yarn I started with.  As you can see I like pink quite a lot....

And here they are finished and on my feet:

These pretty much flew off my needles.  I wonder if it was because I was always wanting to see what colours would come next.  I'm really happy with how they turned out and I'm so glad I didn't rip them back when I wanted to.  I thought the colours weren't working well together, but now I can see that they actually look good.  This was a great pattern for using up some of my sock yarn scraps, which I seem to have quite a few of....  Next I'd like to try some hexipuffs for a Bee Keeper's Quilt, so you may see some on the blog here in the near future.

Our power has gone off quite a few times since I started writing this post due to some thunderstorms we've had go through the area this evening, so I should post this before it goes out again.  I hope that you are having better weather in your area tonight.

Be back soon,
xoxo

Vacation Knits

Hello,

Well, I'm finally home! The plane Mom and I were flying on from Atlanta to Detroit on Tuesday got delayed so we ended up missing our flight to Sault Michigan. We only missed it by a few minutes too, and since it was the last flight out that night, we had to stay in Detroit and then fly out the next day around noon. My cousin and Auntie M were on a different flight than we were, so they made it home as planned, which was good. Mom and I looked at the whole thing as an adventure so it really wasn't that that big of a deal. We ended up getting home Wednesday evening, and I just relaxed yesterday. Today I have to go to the city for a doctors appointment for the vertigo. I'm praying this will fix it and I will be well again very soon.

Anyways, today I wanted to show you a few of the things I knitted while on vacation.

I knit this little gnome for Matt as a birthday present and I got Mom to embroider the flowers on his shirt to make him a tropical gnome.

I knit this tiny frog for a friend, isn't he cute? The pattern for these two was gifted to me by my friend Julie (Tanknit) for my birthday. It's the Tiny Things Collection 3 from Mochimochiland. I want to knit the little stack of pancakes next! I really enjoy making miniatures, they're fast and the end result is always so cute. Thank you Julie for these!!

This is the sock I started on the way to Myrtle Beach using the Cascade Heritage that Jessica sent me. I took this picture our last night there and I ended up finishing it on the car ride home from the airport. I haven't started the second one yet though. I've been working on my Patchwork socks since I came home and I have one finished and I'm almost to the heel flap on the second one. They're just zipping right along! As soon as I get the second one done I'm going to cast on for the second one of this pair. I've really been enjoying working with the Cascade Heritage yarn, its so soft and the colours are gorgeous!

I didn't get much knit on my Whippoorwill, but I think I'll get back to it soon. It was just a little too much for me to concentrate on when I wasn't feeling well. I think it's going to be beautiful though and I was enjoying knitting it when I could.

Well, that's all for today!
xoxo

Yep, Socks Again

Happy Friday!

Well, it looks like I've got socks on my brain again today.  I finished the By the Sea socks yesterday and (surprise, surprise) immediately cast on for another pair.

These ones are for my Dad for Father's Day.  I'm using Knit Picks Felici in Firefighter.  I took this photo last night, now I am working on the foot.  It's coming along really nice.  

While we're still on the topic of socks, I wanted to mention the neat ones that Susan B. Anderson is knitting over on her blog, you have to pop over and check them out!  She posted both yesterday and today about them.  I can hardly wait till she releases a pattern or recipe and I heard word of maybe a knit-along.  After knitting all these socks, I have a lot of scraps hanging about and these look like a fun way to use some of them up.  I've also been considering doing The Bee Keeper's Quilt, it looks so beautiful.  You'll probably see one or the other, or both here on the blog in the not to distant future.   

In other news, I'm in the middle of baking a birthday cake for my Grandma right now.  We are having her Birthday party tomorrow afternoon.  I'm excited to get together with family and celebrate, my Mom's side of the family is funny, loud and great to be around.  We're quite the scene when we all get together.  I'm trying to decide what knitting project to take along with me, but I'm a bit stumped.  Dad's socks are the only plain vanilla pair I've got going at the moment, and I don't want someone to ask me who they are for because they're supposed to be a surprise for him.  All my other projects are ones that need some concentration so they are out.  Hmmm....I'll have to give it a little more thought.  

Well, I should go check on the cake.  Have a great start to the weekend everyone.  And if I don't post again  before, Happy Mother's Day to you all!!

  xoxo

May Socks: The Beginning

Hello,

I hope you are all having a great weekend.  The weather here is beautiful today.  I hope to get a chance to spend some time outdoors and maybe do a little knitting in the sun.  As I mentioned yesterday, I've started May's socks, that's them above.  I'm using some Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted in Tiger that I purchased quite a while ago.  Its a quirky colour that reminds me of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.  The pattern is Layburn and it's a fun one.  I'm sure that the "quilted" detail would show up much better with a solid or kettle-dyed yarn, but I still like how these are turning out.  I haven't memorized the patterning yet, so I've been working on them when I have more focused time.  They're coming along pretty good though.

I finished what I'm calling "the Narnia socks" that I knitted up with the Lorna's Laces Jessica sent me in the RAK that I shared a few posts back.  I'm so happy with them!  The yarn was a treat to knit with and the colours are gorgeous.  Thank you again Jessica!!

Now that I finished these I cast on for another pair of socks.  I like to always have one plain vanilla sock on the go at all times so that I can knit on it while in the car, watching a movie, reading, chatting, etc.

These ones are for a gift.  The yarn is Knit Picks Felici and the colour is High Tide.  If you're a blue fan, then I highly recommend this colour, it is stunning.  There's something incredibly mesmerizing about watching the stripes knit up, I think it makes the socks go faster somehow.

Wow, I didn't know this post was going to be just all about socks, but I'm sure you can guess what my favourite thing to knit is now can't you?  Since yesterday I've done some thinking and I'm going to wait and do more research on steeking before I do any cutting.  The project is quite large and I don't want to screw it up for lack of knowledge.  In the meantime I've been busy working on the socks.  I haven't started the Hexagon one-a-day thing yet, I was thinking I'd start either tomorrow or Monday.  I know most people do their progress posts on Tuesdays but I'm thinking about doing mine on Mondays or Thursdays, I'm not sure which one yet.

Well, that's it for today.  Have a lovely weekend,

xoxo  

A Couple of Things

Hello,

Sorry for the long delay since I last posted.  I've been a bit under the weather this past week.  I'm starting to feel more like myself again today and I should be right as rain soon.  I've got a few different projects on the go right now, and I also finished up a few things.  Here are my Mom's Mother's Day socks:

This is one of the new Knit Picks Felici Sport colours called Macaroon.  Mom picked it out herself so I think she'll like them.  They remind me very much of the French Macaroon cookies.

I also completed a project I've been working on for quite awhile.  It was hard to photograph properly, but here it is:

The pattern is called September and I used Loops and Threads Snuggly Wuggly Baby Sport.  I bought the yarn and pattern book two summer's ago when I was in Traverse City, Michigan shopping at Michael's for supplies we needed for my sister's wedding.  I really like all the different colours and how they are paired up, it's cheerful and fun.  Next time I do a blanket like this though I think I'll use the join-as-you-go method because sewing all these together with whipstitch was not really fun....  However, I am happy with the final outcome, so for this blanket I'm glad I did it that way.

Well, that's about it for today.  I will try to be back again soon.

xoxo

April Socks

Hello,

This month's socks flew by!  I was praying they would since I got such a late start on them.  I wanted to share pictures while they were in progress, but before I could post it, they were done.  Here's a picture from Friday evening, I was sitting down to enjoy knitting the second sock and read my new copy of Crochet Today! magazine.

And here they are finished:

Project: Marigold Socks - April's Month Socks

Started: April 18, 2012

Finished: April 20, 2012

Pattern: Marigold Socks by Pamela Wynne 

Yarn: Spud and Chloe Fine in Firefly

Needles: 2.75 mm Harmony DPNs

I was so happy with this pattern, it was easy, fun and very, very quick.  I got my pair out of one skein of Fine, I should have done the foot part a bit longer though for a more easy fit, which would have used more yarn and required a second skein, but they still fit just as they are.  I actually enjoyed doing them toe-up and really liked the short-row toe and heel.  I'm thinking of coming up with a pattern for just a plain vanilla sock done in a similar fashion so I can get more out of my skeins of yarn.  I really liked knitting with the Fine, it has such a beautiful sheen to it from the silk content.  I would definitively use it again.  I've had my eye on the Tutu colorway for quite some time, and now that I know how it knits up, I may have to treat myself to a couple of skeins.  I could see this yarn making lovely shawls as well since it looks so regal in knitted form.  

Well, that's all for today!!

xoxo