Saturday, April 28, 2007

Baby Socks Galore


I have been so busy with these little baby socks. There are so many girls at work in the family way, I thought I would knit a bunch of them since I am knitting for an upcoming baby shower already. Some are knit in Reynolds Utopia Sport and some in Cascade Fixation. I love little baby socks almost as much as I love little baby feet. As you can see the knitter's ADD extends even to the littlest of projects. I can't even finish a pair of baby socks without starting another one ... how sad is that?

I did finish the Scroll socks from MSKS, knit in Blackberry Ridge Mer- Made Fingering in the Tropical Fish colorway. I will probably knit this pattern again. It is so quick and easy to memorize. The only thing I didn't like about this yarn was the way the green and yellow pooled together. The other side of the socks has huge pools of it and the whole time I was knitting, it reminded me of John Deere tractors.... not that I have anything against John Deere tractors ( no letters please), I just don't want John Deere socks. This yarn is very soft and wonderful to work with. I have not seen it around here, I bought it in Cincinnati while visiting my sister a couple years ago. I have had a few comments on the sock blockers. I got them from the Loopy Ewe , go ahead and go order some, I will wait..... I love mine!

Last night after I finished grafting the toe on the Scrolls, I cast on a pair for DD2...well because the needles were empty, and I believe it is a sin to have empty sock needles... right? She chose this color of Opal Farbe 6 Partie 136. I have to admit, this is not my favorite colorway or family of Opal, but the price was right and the kids like it. I don't like the way the colors make the heel look sloppy, trust me it isn't, it is just the way the colors fall. I was worried that I had made the short row heel too deep for her little foot, but it is a perfect fit. She loves them! Too bad it is too warm for her to wear them now. I will make them a tad longer than she needs them for right now so they will fit her in the fall. I am hoping there will be enough of this for a pair of socks for my DS too. These are his school colors, well for another year anyway.
Karen told me about a contest Carrie is having ... there is sock yarn involved, and she has a fun blog. Knit a springy looking cloth and have your name thrown in for some sock yarn. So I dug through my dwindling S&C cotton stash and whipped this up yesterday. I am in need of some new cloths so this contest came at just the perfect time.
Whew, I think that is all I have to show and tell for today. I have to take DD1 to the library. It is so pretty here today, after a cold gloomy yesterday .... I think I will knit outside today. Happy weekend all!

Friday, April 20, 2007

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy...

Woo Hoo, I finished the baby blanket. I am so happy to have this thing finished. It was taking forever, to get around just one round. It ended up with 680 stitches. I did a single crochet followed by a shell stitch for the edging. That took me forever too, as I am not proficient in crochet. I tried to get a good picture of it flat but I just couldn't. DD1 says she would like one, but in adult size please .... I don't think it is going to happen any time soon unless I can find some really nice, super bulky, yarn for it.

I finished the back of the baby dress too. I have cast on for the front and am working the endless stockinette stitch of the skirt part of the dress. I am so looking forward to the bodice section, lots of decreases and it will be finished in no time at all. I am also going to make a little pair of Mary Jane's to go with the dress and a few pair of baby socks / booties. I started one little pair last night, but the picture is a bit blurry, so I will share those later.


And, I have a little sock progress to show, but not much. The cable socks have been my "take along" project in the car. I am on the gusset decreases on this sock. It will be quick now with half the stitches in stockinette. I do so love cables.
The other sock is the one I was graphing the other day. I frogged the reticulated sock from SSK and decided to go with something different, but with the same yarn.
If I frog these it will be to do the cuff different, otherwise I like it.

I am off to tale the kidletts to be tortured at the allergists office for their shots. Happy knitting all.

Friday, April 13, 2007

ADD knitting

I really need to be working on the never ending baby blanket. I need to have it finished by the end of this month. It doesn't look any different picture wise from before, because it is still all scrunched up on the circular needles, but it is about 32 inches across now and over 600 stitches around. I did make myself work on it during Survivor last night and even continued to knit on it through CSI. But then it was put away for sock knitting. I will work on it again this evening during whatever we watch on Friday nights.... DH controls the remote. I usually just sit and knit anyway and occasionally listen. Unless it is Survivor or the Amazing Race.

I finished the first Scroll Lace sock in the Blackberry Ridge yarn. And I even cast on for the second one. I wish I didn't have such big feet. It was really nice knitting those little ankle socks for my niece and her small feet. That foot just seems to go on forever and ever.







And because I have knitter's ADD and absolutely no self control, I cast on for the Traveling Vine socks in the Koigu I won for the Socktopia Knit Off. I am knitting from both balls at the same time because there is a noticeable difference in the shade from one ball to the other. I hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt, not knowing for sure when I am finished with a whole ball... you just never know with the small Koigu balls. I am hoping all the lace work will save me. Maybe I will make the toes solid purple just to be on the safe side. I have some dark purple Koigu left over from socks I made for my niece. I just don't know....
I ripped out the Reticulated socks I was knitting a long time ago, I don't feel like knitting those anymore. I was graphing some charts the other day so I think when I get the baby blanket finished and the yarn has had time to rest I will cast on for a new design. Well that is about all for today. Time to knit some more.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Weekend Knitting Update

We went to Cincinnati this weekend to visit and celebrate my nieces Birthday. It was very cold for this time of the year. I finished my nieces socks while we were there. I didn't start them until Thursday night so I knit on them right in front of her Friday and some on Saturday, but she is so used to seeing me knit she didn't even pay attention to what I was working on. That whole hiding them in plain sight really does work. I forgot to take my camera along, so I had her send a picture to me so I could post them. They are just some Plain Jane ankle socks, 64 stitches knit in Regia Cotton Surf on size 1 circs. I also gave her an I- tunes card and a puzzle of Captn' Jack Sparrow. She and DD1 had that put together in no time at all.

And since I had empty needles, after I finished those, I cast on another pair. Karen has the new More Sensational Knitted Socks. I started the Scroll Lace socks with some Blackberry Ridge Fingering wt I have had for awhile. It is the Tropical Fish colorway. What an easy pattern to remember and really a pretty quick knit.


Karen got her socks and they fit, I am so glad. And to show you just really what a slacker sister I am .... I took yarn over for her to wind for me. Now, I have to tell you, I have a ball winder and swift, I just hate to drag it all out. She tells me all the time she likes to wind yarn, so I thought this would make her happy ... right? Well I left it at her house on Friday night when we left for the Hotel hoping the winding fairy would appear throughout the night, but it was still in the bag in hanks when we returned the next morning. But later in the afternoon the winding fairy wound all this for me. Lorna's and Koigu, all in beautiful little cakes. I mentioned that I should have brought more later when we were talking and she told me I was on my own. ....Maybe she doesn't like winding yarn as much as I thought.
Happy Knitting all!

Thursday, April 05, 2007

A lot of socks.....

...But only one pair is finished so far. I knit these socks for my sister for our sock exchange. I am a slacker sister and have had mine from her for a long time. Thank goodness she is patient with me. She understands my second sock syndrome affliction, and knitter's ADD. I knit these in Lorna's Laces in the Sunshine colorway. They fill many categories ... they are yellow for Project Spectrum, My April socks for SAM3, pair 1 of 52 for the 52 Pair Plunge, and my "Sunshine on my Shoulders" theme socks for Socktopia. If you are interested in any of these groups just click on the button located in the sidebar button area to the right. This is my own pattern, and no I didn't write it out. I did graph the chart for the lace but I misplaced that about half way through the first sock, so I don't think it will be reproduced. Someday I will learn to take notes as I knit. Karen, I promise I will remember to bring them along this weekend.

I finished this sock last night while I was watching Bones. 3 x 1 rib on the leg, standard heel flap and stockinette foot on size 1 circs. Opal yarn from the Rainforrest collection in the Doktor Fish colorway. I think it is one of my favorite colorways after the the original Petticoat from Opal. It is a mindless, so they will be the socks I knit in the car when we go to Ohio this weekend for my niece's B-day.
And I have two other pair of socks I started this past weekend. One pair in Meilenweit Inca, Farbe 1526, Partie 65427. Size 1 dpn's, short row heel. These require a little concentration, so I only knit on these when the kids aren't around.



The other pair is in Opal Uni, a very pretty blue. I am knitting it all in cables, I do so love texture in knitting. And the cables keep me from getting too bored. Size 2 Lantern Moon dpn's. I love those Rosewood needles. The yarn doesn't glide as quickly across these as they do with my Crystal Palace dpn's, (which are really my very favorite dpn's), but I love the feel of them, and the stitches are less likely to slip off as I do the cables without a cable needle.
The other pair is for this months Project Spectrum also. "Pinks". Another plain jane for knitting in the car, and while waiting at the allergy office, and for all the after school activities. The yarn is Trekking 133. And crystal palace dpn's, EOP heel.


And Look what else I got this week. A new vehicle. Another Honda Odyssey, 2007. We traded in the 2003. I have it sitting out with the windows cracked to get rid of the new car smell. It gives me a migraine. My kids love the new car smell, but oh it makes me so sick. I went out into the garage a bit ago and the smell about made sick to my stomach, so out to the drive it went.
Well that is all the show and tell I have for today. Happy knitting all.

Edited to Add:

I received my Knit Off Prize package to day. Isn't it yummy. Koigu yarn in P147, a Sock Project Bag from Knowknits.com, stitch markers, coffee from Hawaii, Tea from Hawaii, and a Macadamia Milk Chocolate candy bar. I love Macadamia nuts. Thank you Momma Monkey for a great prize package.