more WIPs than FOs ... C'est la vie

January in Montana is feeling a whole lot like SPRING. It's really weird and while I love the sunny days, I am also missing the snow that I know we should be receiving this time of year.

I have been working on many WIPs.

I finished my first one at a time sock! I know why two at a time appeals to me, because I can be willy nilly about the leg length, or if I want to make my toe this pointy instead of that. I can just knit it how I like and not give a second thought to those measurements. But with one at a time, I am forcing myself to keep diligent notes to help with the second sock. It will drive me crazy if one has a longer leg than the other. That said, I am really enjoying the process of these socks :) I have definitely become a ginormous Crazy Zauberball fan!!

After finishing the first, I immediately cast on the second sock:

 

and then I cast on three new projects... :):):)

The first is Socks on a Plane by Laura Linneman, in A Yarn Loving Mama's Volcano of Love sock yarn:

I am so in love with this yarn!! All of the speckles make me so happy! I am also enjoying this pattern very much! They are my first cabled socks and I am cabling without a needle, oh yeah! I learned how to from Leethal Knits tutorial. It has made me so excited about cables that I can't wait to knit more this way.

stitch marker by AYLM too, isn't it so pretty?

These socks were unplanned and not on my 2014 socks list... but I couldn't resist the KAL on IG and Rav for them!! They will probably take me through February to complete. I am planning to do my first Fish Lips Kiss Heel on them. I am always the last to the party on trends but I am very excited to try this heel!


The second cast on is a Hitchhiker in my handspun!!

It was spun during the Tour de Fleece in 2013. It is 100% merino and I have about 372 yards. I might use another handspun to finish, because I'm sure I will run out of yarn. This is my first project knitting with my handspun and it is so wonderful. I love knowing I spun the yarn...and the idea still trips me up sometimes.

I haven't made much progress on my third cast on because I ended up frogging what I had knit and going down a needle size, but I will tell you that it is a test knit! And I am using more kool-aid dyed yarn.


As far as finished objects, I have two!

Pattern: The Weasley Homestead by Erica Lueder
Yarn: KP Bare handdyed with Kool-Aid
Needles: 2.25 mm TAAT
Modifications: none


I also finished my first ever cross stitch sampler:

Woo hoo!!! It is the Woodland Sampler by the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. I adore it. I framed and hung it over my yarn stash, next to a photo of my gram. It was not in my budget to have this professionally framed, so I bought a frame that holds three 5x7" photos, removed the matting, and it fits perfectly. It took a little ironing to keep the edges tucked in. yay!


One last thing, we tried this recipe from Skinnytaste last week...it is so good I made them again:

sweet potato Irish nachos.......... :)

yumm-o! 



What have you been up to? xx

Tonight is Scotch whiskey and a Psych marathon...doesn't get much better!

I have gotten such a great response to my 2014 sock list! It's really awesome hearing from others, and it sounds like there are quite a few who will be planning their own list :) that said...I have already changed February's pattern. At this moment (haha!), it is no longer True Love by Chrissy Gardiner but Monkey by Cookie A, another pattern that I really love.

Lately I have been working on this lovely sock:



It is my first Crazy Zauberball and I LOVE it! The colors are amazing!! I am also knitting this pair one at a time, another first for me. The main reason for this choice is because I love how the yarn is already wound! If I knit them two at a time, I would have to rewind. Another reason is I have been very curious about what it feels like to knit just one sock by itself. And I'm enjoying it so much!!




There is some relief in reaching the end of a row and knowing I just turn and keep knitting, no second sock to worry about. One sock seems so much more portable too. I am not worried about having second sock syndrome...this yarn is so pretty and I am loving the mindless knitting.




I am still (slowly) working on the Weasley Homestead socks:




Last week I was just working on the heel flaps and now I am about two-three inches away from decreasing the toes:




My third WIP is a cross stitch project!



It is the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Once Upon a Time Sampler!!! eeeee! It is a year long mystery pattern, with a new part of the sampler released once a month! And it's fairy tale themed! ♥ ♥ ♥




I am not very far along, I have worked a little bit of the inner grids, and am now stitching the top part of the border. Then I will stitch January's little section and border! seriously so excited...I love fairy tales!


Last postI mentioned my second finished object of 2014, which is a Great Divide Shawl. Finally, photos!


 

Ravelry page
Yarn: madelinetosh dk in Robin's Egg and Black Currant
Needles: US 8
Modifications: none! well, I did run out of my main color during the final garter edge, so I finished knitting it with the contrast color.




I love this pattern! I love wearing this shawl! It is so cozy and squishy. Every time I wear it I receive compliments. love love love!


Enjoy your week, my friends!
xx



ETA: flickr is changing some things, and for the past two posts when I shared a photo, you would see the iframe...and it was driving me nuts!!! I figured out how to post just the photo and not the iframe. Thanks for bearing with me!!  xx

2014: a year in socks

Happy New Year!! I hope it has been treating all of you very well. So far my January has been very inspiring and hopeful. I hope I can make it last! :)

Right now I am knitting Weasley Homestead socks by Erica Lueder:


The yarn is stuff I handdyed with Kool-aid! I am really pleased with how these are knitting up; I wasn't too sure on the color at first, but the colors combined with the pattern.......ooooooh!


Since the new year began, I have finished two objects. yeah!!



Pattern: Afterthought Heels by Laura Linneman
Yarn: String Theory Colorworks Tachyon Self Striping in Helix Nebula
Needles: Magic loop on 2.25 mm 40" cable
Cast on: December 23, 2013

Learning to make an afterthought heel has been in my to do list for quite some time. I love when all the stripes line up. And these were soooo easy to do! Very eye-pleasing with not a lot of effort :)


My second FO is currently blocking; it is a Great Divide shawl. I started it in September 2013, so it feels awesome having it completed. I will take photos as soon as possible!! I already know I love it. I knit it with Madeline Tosh dk...... ♥ ♥ ♥


Have you heard about the Knitting Resolutions KAL that My Sister's Knitter is hosting??

via My Sister's Knitter

Firstly, these are the best KALs I've ever participated in. Andi is an awesome host, and the Ravelry group is full of the most supportive crafters :) and secondly, all of the KALs have been very inspiring!

so, my goals:

1. Knit 13 pairs of socks
2. Knit up more stashed yarn, including handspun!
3. Learn to Navajo ply
4. Buy a darning egg and fix that white pair of socks
5. Organize craft room
6. Frog Rockefeller, reskein and wash yarn ... I will never wear this shawl
7. Knit mom an afghan
8. Knit dad a pair of socks
9. Finish WIPs, I think I have about four
10. Read 50 books

there are several more, but they are pretty unrelated to this blog so I won't mention them :)

 

To help knit thirteen pairs of socks, I spent my morning organizing and going through both my Ravelry library and queue, combing patterns I have been dying to knit. I really want to knit new patterns this year. There is nothing wrong with Hermione's Everyday socks, but they are my go to pattern when I don't know what to knit, and I would like more variety!! hehe :)

I created a 2014 tab in my queue with eleven sock patterns (ideally one per month!):

January: is my current WIP, Weasley Homestead
February: True Love by Chrissy Gardiner
March: Shur'tugal by Alice Yu
April: Cadence Socks by verybusymonkey  (I want to try this pattern again since I frogged my first try)
May: School Pick Up Line Socks by Lisa Beth Houchins 
June: (open)
July: Devil's Snare Socks by Erica Lueder
August: Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark
September: Merripog Socks by Jennifer Hagan
October: Boo! Toe-Up Socks by Emily B. Miller
November: "Little Pumpkins" Socks by Sabine Ruppert
December: On-Hold Socks by Wendy D. Johnson
floating socks (that I might work on between other sock patterns):  another stripey pair of AfterThought Heel Socks by Laura Linneman. and there will more than likely be Hermione's too...because I can't help myself

The above photo are skeins I would like to knit into socks this year, and many of them have been "assigned" to a monthly sock pattern. I am sure there will be changes to this list during the year; I will really just use it as a guideline. But I am already looking forward to all of these patterns...some have been in my queue for years!! It feels really good to have a plan for them finally :)

I really hope planning a year's worth of socks pays off! It will give me something to look forward to each month. It will help use up stash. It forces me to use patterns I've been collecting...and ogling :) 

that's it from me, I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! xx