Just a quick little post to share with you some of the knitting I’ve been doing lately.

I started a new project for my friend Amanda’s baby who will be born at the end of the month. Here’s a link to my Ravelry project page.

I’m loving how they’re turning out. I bought the yarn from a woman who attends the weekly knit night I started going to. Her business is called Blissful Knits and she has great, vibrant, modern colors. Super cute! I’m thinking of getting a couple more skeins for a hat for myself and another pair of longies for another baby being born soon.

I also finished the Alpaca Socks I was working on. Here they are in their already-worn, dog-hair-covered glory.

They are some of the most comfortable socks in my drawer. Love!

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Just when I was starting to compose a lovely little springtime post, updating you on things outside the house — chickens, garden, etc. — I woke up to this lovely scene.

Please know that I use the term “lovely” with the most sarcastic undertone imaginable.

Without a doubt, I am ready for spring to arrive. We do have little bulbs starting to sprout and I did get outside just yesterday and do a little post-winter clean up. It was actually lovely outside yesterday. I had the windows open and airing out the house a bit. I’ve dusted, moved things around and given the house a nice little makeover.

But what I really want is to be outside. Well, maybe tomorrow.

For today I’ll update you on a couple of new knitting projects. Though I haven’t finished anything up yet (so I technically should not have cast on anything new) I have officially put Leo’s sweater into hibernation mode. I do intend to finish it, but I haven’t found the motivation to rewrite the pattern. Soon.

I’ve also decided to frog the Twining socks. I do plan on designing my own pair of socks at some point but these just weren’t working out right. I also have enough on the needles with complicated cable patterns. I’m thinking a nice textured purl design is just what I need to do with this yarn.

Until I decide to plunge back into those projects, here’s what’s holding my attention for the moment.

The Peony Cardigan

This is the Peony Cardigan from the most recent issue of Interweave Knits. I love the moss stitch detail. I am so motivated to make this sweater that I even made a gauge swatch. I’m not very far along but I hope to make some good progress over the next couple of days. I’m using Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in a lovely purple color.

Daybreak

This is Stephen West’s Daybreak Shawl that I am making as part of a couple of knitalongs on Ravelry. I chose two incredibly vibrant colors. The teal is Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere. The orange is Cascade Handpainted. I’m loving how the colors are coming together. I just hope I have the courage to wear it when it’s finished.

That’s what’s on my needles at the moment. I suppose the upside of this unexpected spring snow is that it gives me a good excuse to stay inside and knit!

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It hasn’t really felt like winter around here so far this year. We’ve had just a couple of snowfalls followed by warm days that melted it all away. It’s been nothing like last year when we had a huge storm around Thanksgiving and then a week of under 5 temperatures.

This past week we were finally rewarded for our patience with five straight days of snowfall.

The chickens don’t love the snow like we do, though. Here’s their snow-covered coop.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted so I have lots of new things to show.

First, my most exciting thing — my package from Janel Laidman’s Knitterati Sock Club.

This is the first club I’ve ever participated in and I was so excited when this arrived. The project bag is just perfect. The stitch markers are so cute (perfect for socks!). And the Hazel Knits exclusive Knitterati colorway called Iceland is gorgeous. I just love Hazel Knits.

The emailed pattern that was included is called Boreal.

I. Love. This. Pattern. I can’t wait to cast on — even though they’re toe-up. I have forced myself to finish a few things up, though, before casting on.

I did cast on the included mystery pattern, though.

I allowed myself to cast this on because I knew it wouldn’t take very long to finish the first clue and then I’d be forced to wait for the next. I’m using some really beautiful Shalimar Yarns fingering weight that I bought at Sock Summit. So soft!

What I really needed to finish up before casting on Boreal, though, was a pair of socks. Two sock wip’s was just too much, I decided. So this morning I put off my schoolwork for awhile so I could finish up these.

These are my Owlies that are my socks for the month for the Sock Knitters Anonymous Ravelry group. This was my first beaded knitting project and I’m so happy with how they turned out. They are a little on the snug side for me, but I like my socks a little tight. Worst case I figure I can hand them down to my daughter who would just love those little owls. They’re done out of some Plucky Knitter yarn that I got at Sock Summit. I lost the ball band, so I’m really hoping they’ve got some nylon content (but I’m pretty sure they do.) Super-cute!

Other projects I’ve got going . . .

This is a sweater for my friend Kelli’s baby, Charlie. Kelli used to babysit my kids and we’re so happy that she has a little one of her own now. He’s adorable and I can’t wait to get this sweater done for him. I’m using the Easy Baby Pullover pattern from PurlBee and it is very cute and very easy, but it is knit on fingering weight yarn, so it’s pretty slow going. I’m actually using sport weight because I want for it to be a pretty dense fabric. This sweater has a pretty unique construction. You cast on the bottom back edge, knit up to the armholes, cast on extra for the sleeves, and continue doing the neck and front all in one piece. It’ll be fun to watch it all come together.

These are my Wollmeise Blathnat socks. These are also for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group — they’re this month’s mystery sock pattern. Mystery patterns are kind of nice because they force me to wait a bit for the next part of the pattern before I can finish them up. Of course, when the final clue does come out I’ll be scrambling and knitting like crazy to finish the second sock, which I suppose could be relieved by taking up a two-at-a-time method, but I really prefer to knit one at a time.

So, that’s what’s on my needles at the moment. The legwarmers are just about finished up and will go into the mail next weekend and I’ve made the difficult decision to frog my Snooks mitts. They were just too tight and I didn’t like how the long color repeats of the Chroma were turning out. The sock yarn blanket gets occasional love as it is such a mindless project. I’ve pulled it out at school now that most of my handwork students are on either their second sock or the foot of their first. Looks like handwork will be a piece of cake from here on.

I’m going to make more of an effort to take photographs these days. I’ve definitely noticed my picture taking taper off over the past few months. There are such beautiful things in the world to photograph — I just need to get out there and do it more!

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Today was a most pleasant Saturday. I woke up and knit a little, worked in the yard a little, and walked the dog a little. We’re due to finally get some snow tomorrow so I wanted to make sure I got out and enjoyed the fresh air a bit. It was nice.

The knitting was nice, too, because I got working on a project that I’ve been ignoring a bit since I cast it on and had a late night binge knitting a couple weeks ago.

This is one of the legwarmer set that I’m making my swap partner in the Ravelry swap I’m participating in. It was nice to finish it up and I’m really happy with how it turned out. I made up the fair isle patterns as I went, consulting my Alice Starmore book of fair isle patterns. I was almost exactly halfway done with this one when I picked it up today, so it’s good to know how long it’s going to take me to knit the match. The package gets sent off at the end of the month, so I better get working.

One of the things I love most about this legwarmer is the way the colors go together. I chose mostly heathered yarns from Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (though I think the pink and the orange are Swish that I had in my stash.)

I anticipate having lots leftover of several colors so I’m already thinking about what’s next. I’m thinking I might make a hat for my friend’s baby who is almost a year old and has not yet received his gift for being born. I’m sure there are some super-cute fair isle patterns out there for hats, though I’m so happy with how my design-your-own worked on this legwarmer, I might just do it for that, too. Remind me to check my gauge on the legwarmer so I don’t have to do a swatch!

I’m really proud of myself for sewing in the ends on this legwarmer the minute I finished it, too.

As you can see, it was a bit of a chore.

This evening I’m planning on getting a little bit of school work done, but I’m also hoping to make a bit of progress on my Owlies.

These poor socks have been cast on three times now. First with my new Wollmeise, then with some String Theory yarn that I ordered, and now finally with some yarn from Plucky Knitter that I got at Sock Summit. I’m not exactly sure which Plucky Knitter yarn it is, though, because I threw out the ballband. I’m just hoping it’s got a bit of nylon in it. It looks like the third time is the charm with these socks, though. I’m loving how these little guys are turning out and I’ve astonished myself as I took the plunge into learning a new technique to add the beaded owlie eyes. So cute! I also think grey is the perfect color — doesn’t detract from the owls and it makes them completely wearable. Love!

I also listened to a couple of podcasts that I’m definitely adding to my list of subscriptions. The first is 2 Knit Lit Chicks, which is the mother/daughter team of Barb and Tracie. I love that they chat about not just knitting but also books that they’ve read and/or listened to as audiobooks. Listening to them really inspired me to get active on my Audible account and download some listening material. A good part of my knitting/yard work/dog walking today was accompanied by Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, which is a great read, by the way.

I also watched the videocast of Round the Twist with Carin, thanks to a mention of her in another podcast — The Knitting Samurai Plus 1.

I’m happy to add these podcasts to my growing list of favorites. They’re great to listen to while I’m on the treadmill, walking the dog, doing mindless work around the house or classroom or, of course, knitting. In case you’re interested, here’s a list of my current favorite podcasts.

The Knitgirllls

Knit Knit Cafe

90% Knitting

Knitting Pipeline

Cloudy with a Chance of Fiber

Knit Picks

and the ones mentioned above. If you know of any others I should add, share them in the comments!

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Well, I knit like a mad-woman to get so many things done for the holidays that I was left with hardly anything still on the needles. I was happy, then, to cast on a few new things with the new year. Here’s a little rundown of what’s currently in my current projects sidebar.

Super Secret Legwarmers

These legwarmers are for the 80′s themed swap I’m participating in on Ravelry. I suppose they’d be a bit more in keeping with the theme if I’d been able to find some neon pink or green yarn, and fair isle doesn’t exactly scream 80′s, but they are legwarmers, after all. I’m designing them on the fly, keeping my handy book of fair isle patterns nearby for inspiration. I’m currently working on those pink dancers and I can’t wait to see how they look once they have legs. Fair isle is so addictive because you just can’t wait to see the motifs take form!

Leo’s Sweater

No new photos to share of this one. This poor sweater has been languishing because I still haven’t located the pattern that I so painstakingly and artistically drew out using Elizabeth’s Percentage System. I really want to finisht his sweater, though. I love the yarn (Cascade 220) and the way it’s coming together. I really need to either find that pattern or draw it out again.

Wollmeise Owlies

So, my family Secret Santa (my kids’ dad) gave me the best present ever — my very first skein of Wollmeise. I told him that what made this present so great is that I never would’ve bought it for myself so it really feels like an indulgence. I was so eager to work with this yarn that I rolled it into a ball on Christmas Day (with the help of some skein-holders who were standing around.) I did wait to cast on, though. I’ve decided to make Owlies Socks because the theme for January on Sock Knitter’s Anonymous is Flora and Fauna.

There are so many great animal sock patterns out there, but a lot of them are fair isle, and I’ve got enough fair isle projects on the needles for now. I’ve been wanting to knit something with these owls for awhile now, and these socks are just the thing. I’m hoping the detail will show enough, even though the color of this yarn is pretty dark.

Snooks Mitts

Welcome to my current favorite project.

Before we went away for the holiday I placed a little order with Knit Picks, primarily for the Wool of the Andes for the legwarmers, but you know how they give you free shipping when you reach $50? Well, that gets me every time. As a result I ordered the yarn to cast on the Hippocampus mittens which are a current knitalong on the Stranded board on Ravelry. Well, I cast them on last night and started having second thoughts. Though I love fair isle, I’ve noticed that when there are long expanses of one color I become quite dissatisfied with the wonkiness of my knitting. Seems like no matter how many times I twist my yarn to catch those strands my gauge ends up being a bit off. I could also see that I would have wanted to modify the pattern so the cuff goes a bit higher on the wrist.

Anyway, all of this led me searching for a new pattern. This is what I came up with.

Oh my, I can’t tell you how much I love these mitts. Now, I think part of me is swayed by that gorgeous pink color, but I just know that my Knit Picks Chroma is going to produce some pretty beautiful mitts.

They are also such a joy to knit and with strands no more than three stitches long, I’m sure they won’t go wonky.

So, combine the fact that they’re fair isle, and that the Chroma has color changes and you’ve got one addictive project. Yay!

I’m pretty sure that I’ll make the mitts, rather than the mittens with flap. I can’t wait to get my work done so I can work on them some more.

Sock Yarn Blanket

No new photos there. I did, however, decide at the last minute to cast on a pair of socks to fit the “leftovers” theme of December on SKA. I worked on them the whole drive home from Seattle and though they’re kinda cute, I really needed the needles to cast on the mitts. Also, I realized that by making them I was using up all of my leftover yarn that is supposed to go towards my blanket. I wasn’t happy with how the heel turned out (cuff down short row heel, something new for me) so I pulled out the needles but haven’t frogged the sock yet. We’ll see what happens there.

So, that’s what’s on the needles these days. Happy knitting!

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This little break from school and the many hours I’ve spent in the car have given me a good chance to get quite a bit of knitting done.

These socks were a mystery sock pattern from the sock knitting group I’m a part of on Ravelry. These were for the month of November and I finished them just before the deadline.

The pattern used a different toe than I usually use and as a result the socks are just a wee bit too short. They’re still pretty serviceable brown socks, though and I’m sure I’ll wear them a lot.

In other knitting, I made my mother a scarf for Christmas. I bought the yarn and cast on the Monday before Christmas and finished it on Christmas Eve. It turned out quite pretty and made a nice little hostess gift for her.

With all of the things I’ve been finishing up my wip (that’s knitter-speak for work in progress) count is getting dangerously low. This is particularly distressing because I have a 6 hour drive ahead of me tomorrow. To remedy this situation I’ve decided to cast on a new pair of socks. The theme for the month of December on Sock Knitters Anonymous is socks that use leftovers. My plan is to make the Minestrone socks using the yarn I brought to work on my sock blanket project.

Speaking of the sock yarn blanket . . .

This is the progress so far. I have a few more squares finished at home, as well. I’ve decided to start putting it together the way it is described in the pattern and I’m really liking it. This makes the project less portable but given that my sock projects are so portable, I think it’ll be fine to have the blanket stay at home. I can’t wait to continue working on it over the next few months as I get leftovers from my sock club projects. Exciting.

I think that’s about all there is to update for now. Tomorrow we head back home and I have to switch into full-time work mode. A new block starting next week and lots of other turning of the year things to do.

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