Monthly Archives: February 2021

Cast On: Double Vanilla Socks

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The last thing to hit my needles from my winter winding party are my Double Vanilla Socks. And they have been my go to school pick up/drop off knitting.

This yarn is some Blissful Knits Classic DK in the teal colorway. It’s a DK sock yarn that is 80% wool and 20% nylon which made me feel safe to turn these into socks. Now it’s been a hot minute since I have knit DK socks so I pulled the Double Vanilla Socks by Blue Ammonite Designs (ravelry link) so that I could follow a stitch pattern and heel.

I totally didn’t gauge swatch so I am just winging it and following the medium size on this free pattern. I may regret this choice, but its not like DK yarn doesn’t knit up quickly into socks. I can always rip out and start over if the first one is small. And a plus side, I am going to try a new to me heel!

Happy Knitting!!

Fading The First Color

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Okay, I admit, the Into The Light shawl is completely addictive and I can’t put it down!

I have finished the first color section and I just added the second color in a fading section. I really like this pattern as the fading instructions are really easy to follow. And the i-cord like edge helps me carry my yarn up the edge to reduce ends.

The pattern has two versions, a fringed version and a plain version. I think I am going to go for gusto and do the fringed version. Which is a little out of my norm but I am here for it. It’s very mentally satisfying to see how fast holding sock yarn double eats up the yarn cake. I am slowing down a little as the rows do get longer every other row.

Happy Knitting!!

Coffee and Toxic Oreo Vanilla Socks

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Socks in the wild!! I managed to snag a rotation for going in to my physical work office so my knitting got to leave the house (with a mask, lol)!

Zoom meetings have been really good for my zen knitting of stockinette in the round. My Toxic Oreo Vanilla socks have a decent sized foot going!! And the speckles do not disappoint as Lemonade Shop yarns really have this down to a science.

I should be about an inch away from starting the gusset heel. I have, over the years, figured out how to work the toe up gusset heel and stay on my nine inch circular needle. The needles do get a little full but its manageable for me and it saves me from transferring live stitches.

At the rate I am casting on socks I am going to need a bigger sock drawer! Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: 2020 Advent Socks

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The next thing to hit my needles after my winding party are my 2020 Advent Socks. I have decided on a plan to work them in tandem on two separate nine inch circulars.

So far I have the full skein out and I have knit both toes of my socks. Next up I plan to open up the minis in the order the dyer intended and split each 10 gram mini into halves. I will then add half to each sock. The yarn is BFL sock so I think I should be able to spit splice my joins so I won’t have 1,000 ends to weave in.

I haven’t decided on a heel plan or final construction. My first instinct would be to knit tubes and add after thought heels. But I have a TON of yarn and I think this will end up looking pretty scrappy. Maybe I will do a toe up gusset heel and just let the colors fall where they may?

I’ll just decide when I get through the foot I guess! Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Into The Light

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The first thing to hit my needles after my winding party is the Into The Light shawl by Casey Day-Crosier.

I did end up swapping out one of my color choices for a last minute addition. My gut told me to do it so I just went with it. I decided my final combo would be Hue Loco Spun Sock in
“Skip With Me” (my first color), Twisted Owl Fiber Studio Super Sock 4 ply in “Razz-Ma-Tazz” and finally Into The Whirled Meridian Sock in “Scissors Lizard Spock”.

I have the tiniest of the tab of the beginning of the shawl. This project does have you hold the yarn double. My needles aren’t the sharpest so I have to be careful to make sure I grab both strands. But otherwise, I REALLY love this project. It eats yarn sooooooo fast and I can’t wait to get to the first color fade.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Baby Dreams Blanket

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Ten out of ten skeins are complete and my Baby Dreams Blanket is in the books!

Pattern: Cast on 100 stitches and worked a half double crochet

Yarn: Knit Picks Biggo in Garnet Heather (I used 10 skeins or 1,100 yards)

Hook: US L hook (8mm)

This blanket is soooooo soft. And it has really kept my lap warm these past few evenings. I need to give this good bath to wash off all the schmutz collected as my two year old drug this around the house.

I think I will tuck this one away in my gift box for a future special baby. The yarn is superwash so it can be machine washed which is nice for sleep deprived parents and leaking babies, lol. And the icing on the cake is this was completed in time for the Down Cellar Studio podcast’s Pigskin Party KAL and it counted as a blitz project because it was over 1,000 yards!

Now that this is off the hook, I’m not sure I have a hankering to cast on another one. Just not yet anyway. Maybe I have thoroughly scratched my crochet itch?

Happy Crocheting!!

Cast On: Toxic Oreo Vanilla Socks

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The needles from my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks were feeling chilly and lonely so they told me that I needed another pair of toe up gusset heel vanilla socks.

After a fun trip through my sock yarn stash I found my precious skein of Toxic Oreo from Lemonade Shop that I have been hoarding. I can’t wait to see how these speckles work up in all their rainbow glory. I was so enthused that I didn’t even cake up this yarn. I hand wound a ball and just got to work!

I have cast on my pretty standard vanilla sock of 68 total stitches on a US 1 needle. This yarn might be light fingering so I’ll have to see how the fabric works up. But for now I have completed the first toe and I’m ready to cruise up the foot.

Happy Knitting!!

Winter Winding Party

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Here comes the cast-on-itis! I couldn’t deny it any longer so I threw myself a winding party!

In this pile I wound three skeins for my Into The Light shawl, one skein of DK sock yarn for some bed socks and the full skein from my 2020 Advent calendar. PB even helped for a little bit. He was mesmerized by the swift turning and turning and turning. But then he got bored and asked for the iPad, lol.

I definitely have a theme going here. I’m in a very pinky/purply place I guess. The front three skeins will be faded for my Into The Light garter shawl. I guess the outlier would be the teal DK skein for my bed socks. But that was a mystery skein so I didn’t really get to pick the color.

And true to cast-on-itis I have already kitted up that yarn into bags with patterns, needles and notions. From left to right there is: Into The Light in my TanneCasey bag, DK vanilla bed socks in my TanneCasey sock back, and 2020 advent socks in my Supernatural Yarns project bag.

Now I just need to find the time to get all this knitting done!

Baby Dreams Blanket Progress

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My Baby Dreams Blanket is now four skeins in out of ten. And this project continues to delight me. It’s soothing and I’m getting closer to crocheting without looking every single stitch.

I am being very consistent to make sure all my skein changes are happening on the same side (on the back in this picture). That way I can attempt to hide the ends all on the same side and keep the other side clean. I am very glad I dropped down a couple of hook sizes. I am liking the fabric is not as open as my previous Knit Picks Biggo blankets.

Happy Crocheting!!

Finished Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks!

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I couldn’t wait for FO Friday, I had to share these today! My Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks are DONE.

Pattern: My own toe up vanilla sock “recipe” with 68 stitch count

Yarn: MudPunch Slash Self-striping in Carbon sprinkles color

Needles: US 1s

They fit my freezing feet and go a decent way up my leg. They maybe don’t have enough negative ease in the foot but the ease is just right for the leg so they won’t sag too much. I washed them on their own and didn’t see any dye come off in the water. That’s always a relief to me when I there is red and black in the same yarn.

I am really really happy with them and pretty pleased they match almost exactly. That is not a requirement for me but its nice when it works out that way. 10 out of 10 would knit this dyer’s sock yarn again. Its plump and bouncy and her color sense is on point. Ravelry tells me she uses an 80% SW merino and 20% nylon blend.

Happy Knitting!!