Author Archives: atangledyarn84

Preparing For The Holidays

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I’m really trying to get ahead of Christmas and birthdays this year. (My mother and sister have birthdays right around fathers day in June). I was really caught off guard last holiday season and it was not very fun. I felt like I really didn’t think about the meaning behind each gift.

This year is different. I have been hearing about Henry’s Hat by Joanna and Eric Johnson on literally all the podcasts. I just knew Jellybean needed this for Christmas. And thanks to Amazon it’s already landed on my doorstep. For sure Jellybean will get a matching hat to go with this book. Anything beyond that is still up in the air

Happy Knitting!

Talking To Muggles

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I have a department wide staff meeting twice a month on Fridays. At our last meeting our director got up and shared about his volunteering and coaching youth basketball. It was really heart warming and neat to see behind the suit. He wants to have some time at every meeting to learn more about each other. He asked for volunteers and you guys you could have heard crickets! So being the proper outgoing theater girl I volunteered.

What’s a girl to talk about? Knitting and yarn of course!! So I did up a short 10 minute presentation about knitting with an awareness I was talking to Muggles. I focused on the health benefits and crazy fun that comes with knitting. I even let them pet a few of my pretties!


I got a really positive response and a few knitting requests, lol. (Which I politely deflected!) All in all it went well and was really fun!

FO Friday: Dad’s Lap Blanket

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Well the blanket for Dad is done. And all I can say is….meh…

  I definitely screwed up somewhere. I crocheted on this almost exclusively at night after Jellybean went to sleep. Sometimes in the dark. And boy did I pay for that. The cast on side of the blanket has at least 12-14 more stitches than the bind off side. My fingers just can read/feel crochet the same as knitting. And I know I missed some stitch placement. Le sigh….
 It’s still beautiful and my Dad will never care. (P.S. he will definitely be able to tell because when you fold it its patently obvious its not square.) For now this is “done” and gone into hiding/hibernation. I did consider un-picking the cast on edge and ripping back to where I realized I was getting smaller and crochet back the other direction. Being as this is crochet I think it would work. But I’ve already wove in ends so I could have a couple tricky places given that. For now…I’m just done with this and it needs to think about what it did!

Zoom Zoom

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My Mandrake socks are zooming!

 

I’ve had a bit of project ADD of late so a lot of things are getting a little progress. But these have been my purse knitting so they have gotten more than their fair share. Thanks to addicting strips of String Theory Colorworks yarn and a vanilla patter these are flying. I’m almost ready to establish the ribbing at the top of sock number two. After that all that is left is the afterthought heel. I’ll be sad and happy when these are done because they are so cheerful and the cashmere content is sooooo yummy under my fingers.

But one thing I find myself thinking about is the afterthought heel. I’m not finding it as comfortable as I used to. Well at least compared to the last couple socks that had toe up gusset heels. I already do an afterthought heel over 60% of the total stitches and it fits. It can feel a bit tight and not as form fitting as the gusset. Maybe my sock preferences are changing?

Happy Knitting!

WIP Wednesday: Zigzagular Socks

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I finally had the guts to start working the chart for the Zigzagular Socks. I did half of the chart back here and did the second half this week.

I could use some working keeping consistent tension when my cables are moving. You can see above that I’m already getting better. I’m still a cable knoobie but it’s very neat to watch them wave back and forth. And being new to this I still need some quiet to work on these to make sure I’m going the right directions. So this project is relegated to after Jellybean goes to bed. Progress on these might be slow…

Happy Knitting!

Mitre Progress

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Germs are once again invading our home. This time it’s a stomach bug, blargh. I guess this is what you get once you have a child that touches/licks/eats everything in sight. We are on the mend but during the worst of it I managed some knitting while holding a sick little Jellybean.

I was unhappy with my first attempt at the mitered square for my Cousins Mitered Square blanket. My travails are logged here. I went down to size US 5 needles and got to work. I also used a firm cast one (long tail cast on) to start the first square. I am much happier the fabric is firmer and squishy. I also knit the first stitch when I remembered. There are few stitches I slipped due to muscle memory and good TV. But those I can hide with the next square. I also did some YouTube research on picking up the bumps. Not to shabby if I do say so myself!

 Now I’ve only like 16 more squares to go….

Happy Knitting!

Enabled: Knitmore Girl Style

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I was minding my own business on the evening of April 1st when Jasmine of the Knitmore Girls Podcast hardcore enabled me with a FB post from Erin Lane Bags. As a not so April fools joke the ladies at Erin Lane Bags had an April Fools 50% off sale….no joke! I’m a weak weak knitter so I hoped on and couldn’t believe my eyes. So two sock bags made it into my cart and then into my mailbox. 

  I was feeling guilty about all the knitting related shopping I have done this year but my mom piped up and said she thought they were beautiful and she would pay for them for a Mothers Day gift. I get something pretty and she doesn’t have to shop. I love that my mom is also an enabler!

FO Friday: Fantastico Vanilla Socks

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Another project for the 12 Months to Christmas KAL with BostonJen of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast is in the books! My Fantastico Vanilla socks are done…

 Pattern: Toe Up Vanilla sock over 68 stitches

Yarn: Regia 6-ply Fantastico

Needles: US 2s

I worked these toe-up with a gusset heal. I got feedback from my husband that this heel fits better across a wide foot. And my dad has is size 13 US wide. I managed to sneakily get my Dad to try these on pretending they were for my hubby. The fit was great and he remarked how soft he thought they were. I’ve given these a good wash and block and tucked away for Christmas. I meant to get my husband to model these for me but once out of sight…out of mind!

These turned out fairly tall and I only used 80% of the skein. Regia is a great yarn to work with and the 10 year guarantee doesn’t hurt. I see a lot more Regia 6-ply socks in my future for the sock worthy men in my life!

Happy Knitting!

Establishing The Pattern

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I’m slowly working on my Zigzagular Socks. I’m converting these to toe up so I’m having to think through the construction and the pattern to wrap my over tired brain cells around that all.

  
I’ve knit the stockinette toe for the right sock and places stitch markers for the pattern section. When I get a minute to concentrate I’m going to try to work through a chart repeat to see how this goes.

I made a series of realizations whilst working the toe increases. A) this yarn is more of a light fingering B) the ideal stitch counts for my foot at this guage fall in between the pattern counts C) my sister’s shoe size fits the 64 stitch count and guage perfectly. So basically my knitting subconscious is telling me these need to be for my sister. I don’t have the warewithall to both follow the chart, work my first cables and modify this to fit my foot. Baby steps….I’ll get the pattern in my fingers/brain first and then do another pair for me. Besides it will knock an item off my Christmas to do list!

Happy Knitting!

WIP Wednesday: Mandrake Vanilla Socks

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I’ve made some reportable progress on my Mandrake Vanilla Socks!

  
The first sock is done. This is a 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock with afterthought heel. I like the afterthought heel for preserving the stripes but I’m not sure it’s the best fit for me depending on my gauge/stitch count. But it works well enough to keep using for now.

  
I’ve started the second sock. When I wound the yarn I made sure to get two matching balls that started with the same stripe. However, I didn’t even use close to 50% of the yarn for the first sock so I’ll have lots of leftovers. But I’m really enjoying the cashmere content in these socks so leftovers would be the worst thing ever!

Happy Knitting!!