sock darning

Happy weekend friends! I am doubly enjoying it because I have an extra long, four day weekend :) So far it feels very productive; I crossed off a resolution!

I have a pair of beautiful (purchased) Fair Isle socks that I haven't worn for a few years because I wore the heels thin. Besides the heels and toes, the socks are in good condition and I could never bring myself to throw them away! For a long time they sat in my sock drawer waiting to be fixed. Finally at the beginning of this year I decided they must be repaired, and moved them to my knitting shelf. One of the reasons I kept putting off fixing these socks was because I didn't have a darning egg. And the last time I went to my LYS they were out. There are always a lot of reasons not to do something, huh? ;)

The ultimate push was reading Hannah's superb tutorial on sock darning.

  

I used scrap yarn to darn, and I lucked out finding some that matched the socks! (the pink scraps I mean, I ended up not using the brown) But really, I wouldn't mind if the darned part mismatched the socks.

In lieu of a darning egg, I found a light bulb. I remember reading somewhere of someone using one... I also considered using a hard boiled egg, haha! It would work I think :) 

I'll post photos of my process, but you really should visit Hannah's blog for the tutorial.

so actually, this was the only process photo I took LOL

I am pretty pleased with my darning. I think gram would be too :) 

And the toes received a little love too.

Now I just wait for my hand knit socks to show signs.....


ETA: looks like I'll be needing to find a new "darning egg" as Scott used mine to replace the garage light. haha!

Spring is here!

these daffodils were only $1.99 and they spent the week slowly blooming :) they are so cheerful to have in the kitchen... money well spent! And I just returned from having my taxes filed...whew! I am so glad to have that done.

That little bunny nugget is knit from my handspun!! He turned out kind of big actually, because the yarn ended up being bulky! They are so much more squishable at this size :) he is being sent to my swap partner, along with this shawl:

The swap was organized on Instagram and is called I Yarn, U Stitch (or #yarnstitchswap). The idea is you knit or crochet for someone, and then you receive a sewn item (or vice versa, depending on your handicraft). Swappers aren't necessarily paired up with the same people they are making for, so it's very exciting!! My partner said she would like a scarf and that her favorite color is purple.

My Ravelry page has this named Once Upon a Time because I marathoned a season and a half of the show Once Upon a Time while knitting it :) and the color plus lace...it's kind of fairy tale-ish, right? :)

Pattern: Definitely Diagonal Scarf by Kris Basta

Yarn: Berroco Vintage

Needles: US 10 circular

Modifications: none! 

The drape is lovely and the worsted weight yarn makes for such a cozy and squishy shawl... I really want one for myself now!! This pattern is very easy to memorize and knitting went quickly. The rows become pretty long, but that is the only negative thing I have to say :)

I also finished a pair of socks:

These are the Monster Socks. I used about 252 yards of socks scraps! That's a pretty rough estimate. I know each stripe used about six yards of yarn because I measured and cut them to size (all except the last two stripes because I ran out of magic ball!)

Do you track your yardage through knitmeter.com? I am obsessed lately with knowing how much I've knit! So far this year, I have knit 1.5 miles!!

I used Hermione's Everyday Socks for the pattern and incorporated a Fish Lips Kiss Heel too.

Very pleased with them! They are pair 8/13.


Let's see, ongoing projects... I am eager to finish this gift:

It's a Hitchhiker knit in Knit Picks Glimmer, colorway Peacock. I love knitting with glitter yarn! This is another one that will be hard to part with... 

I also have a plain vanilla sock on the needles:

It's in Knit Picks Felici, colorway High Tide. It will have an afterthought heel.

I just realized it looks like a sushi roll when I do this... hehe

One last thing. I bought a Sock Sack and it's too cute:

Michelle from StudioInTheGreen sewed it.... I had to have it because of the kitties. But when it arrived, I fell in love with the mice too!

Midway through this post I remembered I've been soaking hand knit socks for about two hours... oops! Better take care of them.

I hope everyone has a joyful weekend xx

Monster socks and spinning

Hello everyone! Sorry for a little absence. I celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago, and I never quite know how to talk about it! My birthday is February 29 and it never came this year, so that in itself is kind of strange! I spent several days with family and friends to celebrate, and it was really nice. I have to share this story: Scott gave me yarn but hid it all around the house. When I came home from work, I found skeins in my slippers, in the coffee mugs, under my pillow...they were everywhere! It was really sweet :)

Ok, things to share. You might remember I started a cross stitch sampler of fairy tales; here is my progress:

I finished February! It is a very cute project to work on but it takes a lot more concentration than knitting.


I am also working on a pair of Monster socks:

I meant to blog about them sooner!! The socks are part of a KAL with Sheralynn from the Fibre Pigeonhole Podcast (it runs the month of March and it's not too late to join the KAL!)

Katie has already finished her pair and they look awesome! I am partial to purple so I loved them right away :):)

Monster socks are basically socks made from your yarn scraps. I decided to limit myself to six different leftovers, and made a magic ball:

I used the Russian join method and I have to say it works very well.

The pattern I am using are Hermione's Everyday socks and a Fish Lips Kiss heel. I considered using an afterthought heel...maybe the next pair. And yes, I have ideas for another pair of monster socks using self striping yarn!

I also cast on March socks, but I am feeling a little iffy on them:

The pattern is Shur'tugal; it's nice but a little challenging! I am on the fence about the yarn choice however. The pattern is not standing out so far (I have knit about another inch further than this, and it still seems unremarkable). For those of you who have knit this pattern, did the twisted stitches stand out right away or did it take several pattern repeats to notice them? I might frog this and find another pattern for this yarn!


I did finish a pair of socks:

The yarn is Zwerger Garn Opal Vincent Van Gogh in the Red Vineyards at Arles colorway. I like 64 stitches on 2.25 mm needles, and I used a modified Eye of the Partridge heel, which I also really like. This formula seems to fit me so well, so I use it all the time :) I am pretty happy that this is my seventh pair so far!


Ok, how about some spinning?

I purchased the Rambouillet roving from Dag and recently spun it up.... aren't the colors amazing?! It was my first time Navajo-plying and I really enjoyed it!

I also started spinning a batt from Moonrover:

It is a really fun assortment of fibers and I am enjoying every bit of it.


I hope everyone has a relaxing and happy weekend :)

catch up

Hello friends!

It snowed all day yesterday and it was so beautiful. The snow plows must have been down our road at least once, but with all the cars parked on the street, they can't clear it all. We helped two people push their cars out today! I've realized what I really like about winter is a deeper sense of community. When I see people shoveling their sidewalks it makes me happy because they are, in part, doing it for the welfare of others.

anyway... now to share all of the recent finished objects that I have finally photographed :)

The first is a test knit that I waited to share until the pattern was released.

The pattern is Frostweed by Julie Zaichuk-Ryan and it is a lovely textured mitt.

I used some yarn I had dyed last summer and a complimentary color also from stash.

They are super cozy and squishy. A very satisfying knit!


Another project I finished awhile ago, with a not very good photo at all:

Pattern: Pendulum by Amy Miller
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk in Turquoise and Charcoal

I am not entirely happy with this shawl. I think in part it's the yarn. Though it has beautiful drape, the wrapped stitches stand out like eye sores when the it's laid flat. I just felt the yarn was too slippery for my taste, which I suppose is the silk. I do like wearing the shawl wrapped around like a scarf.

Project: I ♥ Canada a basic vanilla pattern
Yarn: ONline Supersocke 4-fach Walking Color
Needles: 2.25 mm

These socks received their name because this is yarn I purchased on our Canada vacation last summer! I am wearing the socks now and they are already favorites. They have a well worn feel to them, that favorite sock feel, without looking worn out. I love them. I will have to find this yarn again!

I knit this pair one at a time. I am trying to always have a single, vanilla sock on the needles at all times. It's just perfect for taking along.

a modified eye of the partridge heel

This is pair five of thirteen this year :)

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A
Yarn: iKNITiatives in Visions of Spring Flowers
Needle: 2.25 mm
Modifications: used a Fish Lips Kiss Heel
Pair 6/13

I entered this one into the Ravellenics's Sock Hockey! I am super stoked I finished them in time. But honestly...they were so fun to knit! Once I gained confidence in myself, I was able to knit the chart quicker and even memorized it towards the end.

Fish Lips Kiss heel

 oh! and what's on the needles now:

It's Zwerger Garn Opal Vincent van Gogh in The Red Vineyards at Arles, based off of colors from its namesake painting:

via wikipedia

one of my favorite yarns for many reasons xx


It's Bookclub tonight and I'm hosting so I had better finish getting ready :) have you read the Mortal Instruments series?? I am obsessed. 

bye! xx

skiing the snowglobe

I have quite a few projects to share but they will have to wait until next time. I came down with the crud at the beginning of the week and haven't been up for taking photos. Even worse, my coworker is also very sick so I had to cover her shifts this week.... thankfully I had Friday off and spent the whole day resting. I have been knitting and reading a lot - I finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. It is excellently written and I highly recommend it :) I started the second book last night and am already halfway through!

The weekend before I became sick, Scott and I had a few days off together and we went cross country skiing! I have only skied once before, and that was on a high school field trip, but I loved it!! I am so happy we finally went... it was gorgeous at the pass. We love snow and it was renewing to be around so much of it.

Lolo Pass is only about fifty miles from us and it's a place Scott grew up around.

I only fell a few times, which I am very proud of :) the first day we went, it was sunny. The second day we went, it snowed the entire time!!!

it was so peaceful.

During all that car time, I made good progress on a pair of socks :) here is an Instagram photo of them finished:

sort of :) Berny wanted to enhance the photo xx

hope you are all well, don't catch my cold!

sock drawer claims one more

Woo! one more day in this work week for me! I covered a few days for my co-worker and so I will have a four day weekend :)

I finished a pair of socks that are perfect for Valentine's Day:

Pattern: Socks on a Plane by Laura Linneman
Yarn: A Yarn Loving Mama in Volcano of Love
Modifications: I used a Fish Lips Kiss Heel instead of pattern's written heel
this is pair four of thirteen pairs I hope to knit this year!

I learned to cable without a needle and that was pretty thrilling :) It made it much faster to knit and waaay less fiddly.

the heel:

I really enjoyed learning how to knit the Fish Lips Kiss Heel and it fits me very well. I want to knit more socks with this heel!

   

As far as WIPs, I knit on I ♥ Canada a lot this week:

(sshhhh...I knit on it while I was working... I kept it with my coat in the file room, and every time I needed a little destressing, I knit a few rows....)


and I cast on a pair of Monkeys:

It is a pattern I've been meaning to knit for a long time and am finally doing it! The yarn is handdyed by iKNITiatives and the colorway is called Visions of Spring Flowers. 

This pair is for Sock Hockey in the Ravellenics! Are you playing? 

About the knitting journal, it was a gift from a friend:

the front

I have never kept a knitting journal before, but now that I am, I find it incredibly handy. I glue the tag with a sample of the yarn to each project page, along with pattern information, modifications, amount of yarn used, and so on. In the first few pages, there's a list of the monthly sock patterns I want to knit, and on another is a record of things I have actually knit this year.


The first Ravellenic project I completed was an Aerial Unwind:

I decided Rockefeller just wasn't for me. It's a little nostalgic, as it was my first mystery KAL.... but I'm over it!! I plan to dye the white yarn, and knit socks from the other two skeins! The yarn is Mountain Colors if anybody is curious.

Doesn't the middle skein remind you of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles??


In other news, it appears Knit Picks is discontinuing their Felici sock line, or at least, discontinuing all current colorways and possibly returning with new colorways. It frustrates me that a public announcement is never made about yarns they will no longer make.

I did panic..... :

I hope everybody stays warm and dry this week! xx