My overly organized OCD brain has convinced me to number my entries with KnittingSarah’s #whatsonmyneedles posts. I just can’t help it. I kinda want to see how many I could do in a year?
Anyhoo….back to the point!
My Plain Rye socks now have the gusset complete and I’m cruising into the foot section!
Yay for worsted weight yarn! I’m really hoping to finish these soon so I can start my husband’s socks I blogged about last Friday.
What’s on your needles today?
Recently my hubby asked for hand knit socks. This is the FIRST time he’s ever requested or even indicated he’d wear a hand knit. So of course I’m happy to comply. Well he’s a size 12 US shoe so I might be less happy when I’m knitting forever!
I used my Very Berry Vanilla Socks as a gauge swatch and measured the aforementioned giant feet. That’s a lot of stockinette so I decided a simple ribbed sock was in order. Not to mention it would give the fabric a little leeway with the stretch. Here’s the “recipe” I came up with:
Husband Ribbed Socks
CO 24 stitches (I prefer the figure 8 method)
Knit one round
K1, incr 1, knit to last two stitches on needle, incr1, k1. Repeat for second needle
Repeat these two rows until I’ve got 80 stitches total.
Work in K3,P1 pattern for 9 inches (from cast on edge).
Insert lifeline for some sort of afterthought heel across 40 stitches.
Continue to work in K3,P1 pattern until 2 inches short of total sock.
Work in K1,P1 or K2,P2 for cuff for 2 inches.
Decide on and Insert heel.
Sounds good right? Fingers crossed it works! And I’ve got the yarn narrowed down to some kind of Opal or Knit Picks Stroll. Oh the choices!
(Ps. I’m blogging this “recipe” more as a helper/reminder to myself and not so much as a published pattern. Be warned this has not been tested so knitter beware if you attempt it!)
Today’s #whatsonmyneedles is brought to you by my Plain Rye socks!
I’ve completed the heel flap and the heel turn. This is worsted weight yarn so it’s going quickly. I have no idea why this project suffered from SSS for so long!
One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that my tension has changed since I started these months ago, can you see?
I’m really trying to relax to match the original but I’m also hoping blocking will do wonders. Fingers crossed anyway! Now I’m on to the gusset and foot section.
Have you checked out KnittingSarah and the 2015 what’s on my needles project?
Due to my recent sock kick (here and here) I’ve got little bits of yarn hanging around. I tend to lose little bits if I just tuck them away. So I implemented a solution I saw in a magazine/Pinterest/somewhere…
Eventually these will fill up and I’ll have pretty vases full of yummy yarn bits. The hope is that I’ll always be able to find sock yarn for sock repair or perhaps a scrap project sometime. Not to mention something I can dig my hands into and pet the lovelies 🙂
How do you store your leftovers you can’t part with?
It’s still pretty darn cold here so I’ve been snuggling Jellybean in hand knits. His reaction is priceless…
Not sure what I did or said to provoke this face….but when I saw it I laughed till I cried. Parenting win for sure!
This is my Baby Sophisticate #4. I didn’t add the button holes or button instead opted for an open cardigan. I made this for a friend and she returned it after her baby bear outgrew it. Now it’s keeping my little one warm. Proof that well made and well cared for knits can be passed down and down!
Happy Knitting!
I had a blast with #sockswithsarah last year with KnittingSarah so I decided to play along with her #todayonmyneedles project.
Nothing fancy today, just getting ready for my first afterthought heel!
Notice the photobomb from Chloe, lol.
Happy Knitting!
I have a thriving baby, a career, loving family, and a pretty amazing husband. I just don’t knit as much anymore as the aforementioned things are taking a bit more time. I don’t mind, to all things there is a season. I’ll soon enough have more knitting time and miss these previous days.
That being said, I still have some knitting goals for 2015:
1: Ravel all my projects
2: Keep better track of my yarn in versus yarn out (I heart spreadsheets)
3: Make at least two pairs of socks for my loving husband
4: Knit a winter sweater for Jellybean (12-18 months size)
5: Finish all my 2014 carryover projects
6: Find a space for and use my cedar chest
There you are, nothing drastic but rather logical and reasonable goals for a knitting mommy and wife.
Do you set goals?
Some recent windshield time coupled with lots of Grandparents time for Jellybean has meant I’ve gotten some knitting done!
My Very Berry Socks are moving along swimmingly. I’m loosely following the DVD – Simple Toe Up Sock pattern. I’ve reached the after thought heel on sock #1 and very close on sock #2. You may notice that I’m knitting two at a time. For Christmas I got a second 8″ sock circular. And I’m in love!
One thing about these socks….the skeins are different dye lots I picked up from another knitters destash. So I purposely started them at different color stripes. They are almost mirror images of each other. I hope this will help hide the fact the colors don’t match exactly. Fingers crossed….
Yesterday I talked about my spendy yarn purchase for Christmas. I’ll freely admit that this has caused a bit of guilt (along with my Knit Picks Cyber Monday spree).
So during one of jellybean’s naps I tore through my stash. It is fairly busting at the seams in my storage drawers. I have more than I could ever need. So I’m paying it forward!
I went drawer by drawer and did a long hard look at what I would use and what I never will. I’ve come up with a large-ish bag of acrylics and cottons that just aren’t my aesthetic or fiber of choice anymore. There are several nursing homes nearby that take craft donations for residents who can’t afford supplies. I also went through my needles and pulled the duplicates and triplicates to donate as well. I made the activities directors day when I walked in. And it made me feel a bit good as well.
I feel a bit more in control of my yarn and storage space. Not to mention this perfectly good yarn will actually be put to good use! I’m not trying to toot my own horn or anything. It’s not like I saved the world. But if I brought some peace to my space and a smile to a lonely heart….that’s a damn good day!
Happy Knitting!
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