FO alert - NOT socks. Crazy.

So, I needed an instant gratification project. My secret pal at work from last year gave me some yarn (feed the addiction, ya know), and it's been hanging out in the yarn closet, looking tempting, but never jumping at me for a project. I finally picked it up, and - tadaa! - a variation on an already-knitted theme. Here we have a kids hat!

Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky in Carnival (100% acrylic)
Needles: size 5 DPN for cabled band, size 6 circular and DPN for top of hat
Pattern: a variation of Coronet from Knitty (the brim doesn't flip up - the stitches are picked up along the top edge of the cable band)

On a (thankfully) rainy Sunday

We need rain. Badly. So - hooray! It's raining. To help combat what would otherwise be dreary - a bright new sock is still in progress. The more I work with this yarn, the more I like it. Can I tell y'all how much I love how the colors pool and run? So lovely. Go get you some of this yarn! (And yes, that really is a horizontal surface in my house with ONLY a vase on it. Be proud.)

State Fair yarn, and a first - toe up sock!

So - as promised - a picture of the yarn I'm planning to use for some State Fair socks. It's Louet Gems fingering weight in colorway Terra Cotta. I like how it matches my skirt o' the day.























And next, a close-up of a(nother) first for me. I'm trying a toe-up sock! I tried to make a mini-stocking last year that was toe-up, but was quite disastrous. This beauty is being knit in Colinette yarn's Jitterbug, in colorway "Jewel". I'm so excited about this!














So in all the sock hubbub, some things are on hold. The Spiral Eyelet socks are in time-out until I'm not mad at them anymore, the cute pink baby socks have been ripped out in favor of a more understandable pattern, and the hemmed top socks are, well, chilling by the air conditioning. Which is good - over 100 degrees for several days in a row now!

SOS update!

I finished a pair of socks for the BHE's momma. Yay! I know she'll be proud to have some handknits of her own. After some initial mishaps - here's the finished product.

Yarn: Lion Brand Lion Wool, dyed by me
Pattern: The Super Simple Knitwits Sock Pattern
Needles: size 5 bamboo
Mods: I initially made these too small for la madre-in-law, so I had to rip out the toe and try again. I have NO yarn left at all (and Momma-in-law only wears a size 7).

FO alert!

So, it's been languishing in the stash. A ball of yarn, bought on super sale, turned into a mitten with no thumb. And there it sat, for a good 10 months. And now - a finished pair of mittens! These are headed to the church's Clothes Closet when the weather is cooler.

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Shadows in Autumn
Pattern: Lion Brand's Warm Wool Mittens (free after registration)
Needles: size 6 DPN
Mods: I didn't use a smaller needle for the cuff, and made it a bit longer than the pattern called for.

Something new

A new kind of top for the socks! This is the "hemmed top" from More Simply Sensational Socks. I think I'm in love. How neat does that look?! And the yarn - one of the two mystery yarns that I received in my package a little while ago. I did also get a package in the mail yesterday - my yarn for my State Fair entry! I'll post about it soon. But for now - even though camping was fun - time to sleep in a bed. :)

SOS updates!

Man, life can certainly get busy. And stressful. Uck. In midst of grading, gutter issues, walking the beast, and trying to just be a good person, I actually got some knitting done! Here are the updates:

First, a pair of socks in Paton's Classic Wool on size 5 needles. This shows off the new heel I learned at the guild. Thanks, C., for showing me! Purty, huh?
Up next, a little progress on the Spiral Eyelet sock. I swear, the needles have slipped out of this thing so many times, it makes me want to beat my head against the wall!

And finally, I think I'm getting the idea of short row heels! Here's a (blurry) picture of the cable sock from Knitting Daily's free patterns (Better than baby booties baby socks).