FROGGED

Remember these knitted half-socks?

Where I talked about being stuck on the heel here?

Well it didn't end well

Nope. Not. At. All.

They weren't fitting right, there were too many mistakes and I was just plain mad at them.

So now they look like this again. 

Maybe next time they will remember who the boss is around here.

FO: Ducky Feets!

In the middle of my travels I had loads of knits to work on…


One being the cutest pair of little socks for the cutest little baby girl. My good friend and her husband are both fellow Ducks and graduated with me at the University of Oregon. She was expecting her first little baby - a girl! and I was hoping she would deliver before I made my scheduled trip to Portland so that I could meet her little duckling - I know, I'm so clever!

I knew I wanted to make something special for her baby as she is a very good friend to me and one of my  oldest friends to boot (not in age but in length of friendship)! So as I was browsing patterns looking for something to jump out at me when I saw it.


Duck by Jenny Stainman


Serisouly can you get any more perfect than that? I immediately started daydreaming of their little girl going to her first Duck game wearing her little duck sockies


So I got out some yummy malabrigo in the perfect duckie feet color and got to knitting - in fact you might notice them in progress here


I was really impressed with how clever the construction of this pattern is and I learned a new technique! The turkish cast on. I LOVE IT. simple easy peasy cast on that looks fabulous once the knitting starts.

Pattern: Duck by Jeny Staiman

Needles: US size 2

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Ochre - less than half a skein

Sock Saga

Or should I say heel saga.

I signed up with a bunch of my friends to try to knit six pairs of socks during the year 2011. So far I have completed one pair. Considering we are on almost half way through that year that means I should be nearing the end of my third pair!

Here is the state of my other two pairs. Sigh.

The tan ones (Nutkins) are cuff down (oh and should have been finished back in APRIL!!!)  The purple ones are toe up (Leyburns). Together they make a full pair of socks!

Absent the heels of course

I'm stuck on these dang heels. See, what happened is friends started saying they were having problems with the heels one the Nutkins. There were holes, it was too tight, etc. and I froze. Just sorta put the socks to the side and quietly worked on other things figuring (I guess, but really who knows!) that the heels would sort them selves out.

It wasn't long before it was time to cast on the third pair of socks, the Leyburns. I thought "oooh goody fresh start!" And got to knitting. It wasn't long before once again I heard back that the heels are too loose! So again there they sit, in a heap, right next to my Nutkins.

Obviously them sitting around isn't actually fixing the problem of how to knit the heels. I tried this theory thoroughly and let me tell you SO NOT WORKING!

And seeing these perfectly beautiful socks sitting half done has finally gotten to me. I must finish them! I must persevere through the heels!

Wish me luck!

FO: A pair of pair of socks!

I have had a long standing deal with my family. You send me yarn and I'll knit it for you. It's the best way to ensure a few things. One it's the yarn they like in the colors they like and two I get to knit with lots of different yarns.

My sister took me up on this offer and sent me two skeins of Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints

Two skeins = Two pairs of socks and after two years (what? there was not timeline!) they were done!

It totally helped that I joined a sock knitting group as they got my tush in gear to get the second pair of socks started and finished in just a month. They also helped motivate me to get the first pair, which had been sitting in WIP land for quite some time, done and dusted.

So here I show you the first pair:

Pattern: Lace and Cable Socks by Wendy D. Johnson

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints

Needles: US 2's

Style: Toe up

and the second pair:

Pattern: Shur'tugal by Alice Yu

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints

Needles: US 1 1/2

Style: Cuff down

Here are two pairs of socks on two pairs of very happy feets

and the best part is that each pair of feets liked the pattern of their socks best...

...that makes me one happy knitter!

Recipe for a famous sock - KISS in Chicago!

Here's what you need to make your sock (or in this case Amanda's sock) famous

2 good friends on an adventure - one has to be smart enough to think outside the knitting bag - in this case all credit goes to Amanda!

2 tickets to KISS & 2 surprise backstage passes

1 sock in progress

Add a dash of waiting in line and persistence in the backstage area and you get this:

KISS holding a SOCK in progress!

After picture enjoy the concert and let rest for a while in a cool dark room until mid-noon

Wake up, brush off Rock N Roll party dust and send photo to the Yarn Harlot

Watch Amanda's pink sock become famous!

Backstage at KISS and being on the Yarn Harlot's blog in less then a week... This is so exciting I might pass out.

No Knitting

I haven't knit in 3 days. This (for me) is a substantial amount of time. It isn't that I don't have anything on the needles... You can easily look to the right and see that I have at least 2 projects waiting for me to work on. The problem, I have realized, is that I am unsure of them. I'm not sure the socks are the right size and I'm not sure what row I was on in the Ishbel and it just makes me stop. I just put them down and think about them all day. Should I continue when the socks might be too big and then I would have to rip them back? Should I stop and measure but measuring isn't as accurate as everyone makes it sound. We all remember the dreaded FLS rip of '09when I had to rip back an almost complete FLS, even though I swatched (for the first time ever I might add), because it came out way too small.

I guess I could get started on the shawl pretty easily but to be honest I REALLY don't feel like working with lace weight right now. Even though I am mere rows away from being done with the Ishbel I just cannot look at lace.

So now I'm in a dilemma... and what do I do? I sit and do nothing. I just stare at the socks. Then I hide them so that they don't taunt me and then I pull them out like I'm going to work on them only to start worrying and put them away again. sigh. Somehow, in my mind, if I let them sit long enough then they will magically be perfect and I can start knitting them again. I know I know - Great solution right?

Ok thank you for listening and letting me get that all out there. Back to staring at socks

FO: Ducky Socks!

I finally have an FO to show everyone! It feels like it had been forever - when really I guess it's only been a couple week. Although it might also just feel like a long time because I cast on for these socks on Dec 31st! So it has taken me two months to knit a pair of socks... my excuse: Ravelympics

I started these socks to show my obvious support for the Oregon Ducks (as embarrassing as they are at the moment)... In case wearing a t-shirt, hoodie and sweats weren't enough I thought my feet should show my allegiance as well.... not to mention I love love love the vibrant colors of this yarn!

Pattern Details
Pattern: Duckies by Samantha Hayes
Yarn: flydesigns Monarch, Colorway - Spring
Needles: US 2’s Addi circs
Mods: I knit these two at a time using magic loop. The pattern calls for DPNs so the only modifications I had to make was the math in my head to convert the pattern to magic loop.

This was my first top down sock and my first time knitting two at a time. I love the two at a time process it feels great when they are done at the same time not to mention I love that I don’t have to remember for the second sock when I turned the heel or when I started on the toe – the two socks just come out the exact same!

I also, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t pair this bright vibrant yarn with this pattern only because I think a softer colorway would do this pattern more justice however how could I pass up making my Oregon Duck sock in a pattern named duckies? Just not possible.

The more socks I knit the more I like them and the more I come to the conclusion that I am going to have to get shoes that show them off better!

Duckies

I'm working on knitting these duckies two at a time.

And I'm working on my coffee consumption

Sounds like a good day.

2009 Knitting Review!

I thought I would recap my knitting accomplishments for 2009!!!

Here they are in order and the awards (Officially given by the Knitting Duck foundation) they recieved

1. Phiaro - Gets the award for Most Used. I wear this thing ALL THE TIME! I love love love this scarf and would probably never knit this again. Hello endless stockinet

2 & 3. Noro Stripped Scarf and Noro Striped Scarf II- gets the award for most addictive knit. I NEVER knit two of something... there are too many other things I want to knit to knit something twice!

4. Happy Birdie - gets the award for "Awwwww"! So cute! and all the seaming is well worth it!

5. Roaming Hat - gets the award for recycling as the yarn came from someone else's de-stash. Bonus!

6. Twirly Skirt - gets the award for stash busting as this was all made from leftovers from the pinwheel sweater! LOVE!

7. Party Hat - gets the award for fun! This was fun to knit and I know my niece has loads of fun wearing it

8. Roses - gets the award for most loved. I know my mom loves having these roses that never wilt... in fact if they get a little dusty you can just throw them in the washer dryer!

9. Roar! - gets the award for scariest hat! Any kid that puts this on automatically feels like a real dinosaur!

10. Orange Hat - This hat gets the award for brightest knit. You can spot this hat from miles away. It came out fabulously and I know the recipient loves it

11. First Socks! - Gets the award for being MY FIRST SOCKS!! and I love them for that.

12. Monsters! - These two get the award for cutest recipient - The little guy I made these two for is SO cute! His cuteness outdoes the cuteness of these monsters exponentially!

13. Bath Blanket - the blanket gets the award for most creative. I know it looks to be one of my simplest knits of all year but I knit it with out a pattern and on the diagonal. So, for me, it was really creative to think up what I wanted and make it happen. Oh and this blanket also went to Mr. Cutie Cute from the above award.

14. Knotted Hat - this hat gets the award for team work. My mom picked the yarn then I found the pattern and then we drove all over portland trying to find the pattern as it could only be bought in hard copy. But our persistence paid off and a week later mom had a hat!

15. Swollowtail Shawl - definitely gets the award for biggest accomplishment. I dyed the yarn and then knit it into this beautiful shawl. My first lace shawl ever! Really loved the way it came out with the pattern and the colors. score!

16. February Lady Sweater - this sweater gets the award for longest. knit. ever. I started this on February 1st 2009 and finished it October 23rd! 9 months! It wouldn't have taken so long if I hadn't put it down for 6 of those months or had to knit most of it twice but oh well... I took my time but still got it done. and I love wearing it!

17. Husband's Socks! - These get the award for endless cables! ugh those one stitch mock cables never ceased to mock me with their neverendingness!

18. Silky Ruffles - gets the award for perfect project for the yarn... I searched hi and lo of a project that would do this georgous yarn justice and didn't find it until I found the pattern for Just enough ruffles. LOVE!

yeesh 18 projects and total skeins used was 26!!! Seeing as my new years resolution last Jan 1st was to have 10 Fo's I would say that I more than accomplished that! Score one for lindsay!

My second new years resolution last year was to make something for me. I accomplished this too in a big way because the FLS, Phiaro, First socks, Noro Striped Scarf II and Silky Ruffles are all for lil' ol' me!!!!

This year I also started dyeing yarn and learned that I really enjoy it. I am hoping to get some more dyeing time in 20-10

But overall I'm quite happy with my progress for 2009 but I know that next year will be even better!

My goals for 20-10 (knitting wise at least) are:

- Knit with some of my dyed yarn
- No yarn buying until at least June!
- Finish the cabled purse I started ages ago
- Make a second sweater for my self (I'm looking at wisteria)
- Complete 19 FO's!

FO: Husband's Socks!

I just posted these in my WIP Update post a couple days ago and look they are done already!

Basically once I reminded my self that I had started them back in JULY! I decided that I had to finish them. So I directed most of my time towards them and got them done in a matter of days.

The color repeats don't really match up on each sock but Husband loves them and that's all that's really important


Project Details

Pattern - Mock Cable Socks by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn - Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock - Lightweight in Monsoon
Needles - US 2 / 2.75 mm
Mods - I didn't really make any modifications to these. But what I learned are that "mock cables" are the same a regular cables except you have to do them more often! every. other. row! although these gave me great practice in cabling with out a cable needle! Bonus!


I was so excited to finish the socks that I cast on something new... for me!

WIP Update

I know! I haven't done one of these posts in a LONG time!

Partly because previous projects were surprises to one of my regular blog readers and partly cause work is a bit crazy so I haven't had time to make much progress on the knitting... but i feel I have finally got a too a good spot and I want to show you what I have been working on.

So this first one I have started calling Snowfall. It's my first (of many, I'm sure) Ishbel and I'm knitting it in Posh Yarns Miranda in colorway Snowfall! (now you know my inspiration!). I'm knitting this for a very good friend of mine who deserves something delicate and beautiful.


This next project is a baby blanket, of my own design (woot woot) made from Rowan Calmer. It's for a good friend of mine who is expecting her first little one.


Finally these I have dubbed "Husband's Socks" cause they are for my husband (I know I'm really creative with project names) I have been working on these for quite a while but they got shelved a while back when I was trying to get some previous projects done on time. Any how I have picked this back up and am nearly finished! They are made with BMFA Socks that Rock and a pattern from Wendy Johnson's Socks from the Toe Up (love this book!)


I am really loving these current projects. Especially all together they are the perfect balance... a little lace for when I want to work on something complex, some socks for when I want something portable and the blanket for when I want to work on something soft and cuddly!

FO: First socks!

I finished my very first pair of socks. I started them while I was in the States because I got the pattern book Sock From the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson aka Wendy Knits and then I got this lovely Dream In Color Smooshy and I just couldn't wait any more!


Don't you just love that color?
this pic is the closest to actual color


Socks From the Toe Up is a lovely book and it's fantastic for a first time sock knitter. Wendy walks through all the different ways to cast on, all the different heel types and all the ways to cast off. It was so helpful! And by her showing step by step all the different methods you can in turn customize any of her patterns (or any toe up pattern for that matter) to your liking.

So here are the much awaited details:
Pattern: Van Dyke Socks from Socks From the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson
Size: 8
Needles: #2 Addis in a magic loop (Love the magic loop!)
Yarn: DIC Smooshy in Pansy Golightly from The Knitting Bee in Portland Oregon
Mods: I didn't make any modifications to the pattern. I used Judy's Magic Cast-on and this video helped immensely in figuring that out. I also used the sewn bind-off. Ohh and I'm not sure how I managed this but I only used half the skein of Smooshy so I can make a whole other pair of socks! woot woot!