Knitters In The Wild

I came down with a nasty sinus infection the Tuesday before turkey day. And knowing I would be stuck with a cranky baby who hates sleeping while traveling….I went to the express care clinic. After an hour I snagged some meds and care instructions, but I also found another knitter in the wild!

A lovely older women was smiling at me from across the waiting area so I smiled back. She called me out on my knitting and not only correctly identified it as knitting but that it was also a sock. Brilliant!

I didn’t get a chance to chat after that as I was called back to my appointment. I wonder if she had knitting in her purse?

FO Friday: Neon Vanilla Socks

Another 24 points for #dcspigskinparty2015! My Neons are done and looking fine!!

  
Pattern: My own 68 stitch vanilla toe up sock with afterthought heel

Yarn: Flourmania Color

Needles: US 1s

  
These turned out a bit snug. I’m not sure if they will be kept for my sock drawer or gift. On one side the colors definitely make me happy. But on the flip side I have another skein of flourmania in the stash so I could try again. Decisions decisions….

  
But for now I’m just going to look at and pet the pretties!

Happy Knitting!

So Close

Due to the unfortunate circumstances of a funeral I had a three day weekend back in my hometown. Just Jellybean and I made the trip but Aunty, Grandma, and Grandpa were there waiting. I took full advantage of the free babysitting and snagged as much sleep and knitting time as possible. My goal was to wrap up my Neon Vanilla Socks. I only needed the leg, cuff, and afterthought heel to be done…

  
I got sooo close. Like justan inch of ribbing and the bind off left. I’m just itching to get these done to turn in for #dcspigskinparty2015 points! I guess they shall be done soon enough and I’m not going to look the gift horse in the mouth for the extra knitting time.

I snuck in a couple extra stitches on sock #2 to see if that eased the snugness I had in #1. And to hedge my bets I sneakily had my sister try these on to see if they fit her. They did…..so these might be destined for the Christmas tree…

Happy Knitting!  

Wanted: Warm Hands

It’s finally starting to get cool here in the Midwest. And I have pulled out all our coats and woolies. I’m sadly lacking in the glove department. What’s a knitter to do but knit of course!

I trolled my queue and found the Reverse Rib Mitts by Holly Terrell.

  
Photo @ Holly Terrell

I pulled some Knit Picks Felici leftovers from my stash in the maple leaves color way and got started. I even used my new Hiya Hiya sharps and project bag!

  
The beauty of this design is that you work it inside out so no purling! All the beauty of reverse stockinette without slowing me down!! 

  It’s supposed to be in the 30s on Saturday so I better knit faster…

Happy Knitting! 

Frogs and Toes

I was so excited about my Flying North socks. The plucky feet yarn is to die for!

  
I was cruising along until that niggling started in my brain. Something didn’t look quite right…and then it hit me I was working the pattern across the wrong number of stitches! The pattern is written for 64 stitches which is too small for my feet at my gauge. So I went up to 70 stitches total but failed to redo the math for the pattern to account for the extra stitches. Doh!

  
So I frogged back to the plain toe and started over with the correct math. (I was too lazy to get out of bed so yes, that is a Bobby pin as a stitch marker.) I lost a lot of knitting time redoing this but I learned two things. One, the stitches were very easy to pick up and I pulled the needles completely out. Second, I’m happy with this decision to frog. This yarn is just to special to have sloppy work!

I guess I’m just getting more mileage out of this fabulous yarn!

Happy Knitting

Sock Update 

I’m on a sock jag lately as on can tell from my last few blog posts. So I decided to combine a couple of socks into one post so as not to bore the pants of you all with the never ending socks.

First up….Neon Vanilla Socks

 
I finished the first sock in a frenzy of World Series glory of my Kansas City Royals! It’s my standard 68 stitch vanilla sock but honestly it’s a bit tight. Not uncomfortable but definitely a LOT of negative ease. Time will tell if these stay in my drawer or hit the gift pile. I’m already halfway up the foot of sock #2! These will most certainly be fraternal and it doesn’t bother me one but! I can’t wait to finish these to count for #dcspigskinparty2015 and #operationsockdrawer!

Next up are some new socks!

  
These are another pair of vanilla socks in Premier Yarns Wool-Free Sock Stripes. It’s an acrylic and polyester blend. I have no clue how they will hold up over time. But the self patterning and colors are making my knitting heart happy. The fabric is also quite soft and smooth and very pleasant to feel. This is my current car project.

I have one more pair of socks on the needles but they had a bit of a hiccup that deserves a post on its own. Stay tuned…

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Ocean Geek Socks

My Ocean Geek Socks are in the books!

   
 
Pattern: Geek Socks by Wei S Leong

Size: 70 sts total

Needles: US 1 circs

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in Lighthouse

   
 
These turned out fraternal and gorgeous! The wavy stripes are the penultimate in potato chip knitting and quite literally flew off my needles. I turned these in for the Down Cellar Studio pigskin party. They scored me 24 points coming in with just under 400 yards of yarn used. This is my second project turned for this and it’s been a real hoot so far! And of course the added bonus of another pair of socks for #operationsockdrawer and the coming winter.

Happy Knitting!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I turn….well let’s just say a respectable number and the hubby rewarded me kindly!

  
First up, some lovely fragrant flowers!

And then outdid himself with this..

  
A Hiya Hiya knitting set with small project bag, needle gauge, and 9 inch circs in US1, US2, and US3! I did have to give him a hint by sending him an Amazon wish list as his knitting muggle-ness is quite profound. But he chose very very well! This is my first knitting related present that I didn’t buy myself, lol. 

I think I’m going to cast on some fingerless mitts for myself tonight and put my new tools to use!

Happy Knitting!