PB is growing like a weed these days. I did finally manage to snag some more knitting FO pictures before she grew completely out of them!
She was protesting this photo shoot by sticking her legs straight out and locking them. But hey….at least she wasn’t crying!
If you are interested in the project details, you can find my notes and page here on Ravelry. (This is a super old project.)
Happy Knitting!!
I have a new hat for winter! The Thotful Spot Hat is officially finished, washed, blocked and photographed!! Truth be told…all but the photographs have been done for quite a awhile. I honestly forgot about this finish until I excavated my office and found the FO still in it’s project bag. And it’s worth noting, Jellybean insisted I use his purple patio chair as the backdrop because “duh mom”. And those were his exact words….smh….
Pattern: Thotful Spot Hat by Sarah Schira (Imagined Landscapes)
Yarn: Potion Yarns (Temptress base) in the Walk on the Left Side color
Needles: US 4s and 5s
I used roughly 79 grams or 183 yards of yarn for the medium size in the pattern.
This pattern is extremely well written and super simple yet chic for my sleep deprived brain. I especially liked the unique ribbing that Sarah included. The neutral white base with the pops of color should blend well with my wardrobe and winter coats. And the DK weight yarn has a nice heft to the fabric so it should be nice and toasty.
I didn’t follow the decreases *exactly* to pattern due to my lack of careful reading. But I think they turned out quite nicely and no one will ever notice. And now that I think about it…I am pretty sure I forgot to switch my needles from the 4s to the 5s after the ribbing….whoops. Oh well! This was my second ever DK weight hat….I think I need to knit more of these, it works up so easily and fast!
Happy Knitting!!
My nighttime bedside knitting has proved very fruitful! My Electric Mayhem Socks are in the finished pile!
Pattern: My own 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock with afterthought heel
Yarn: KnitCircus Greatest of East in Electric Mayhem colorway and some generic black sock yarn from Joann’s for the heel.
Needles: US 1 nine inch circular
I managed to use up almost every inch of the 75 grams of this gradient set. I have a tiny ball of the yellow left to save for repairs if needed in the future!
This self-striping gradient was SUPER addictive. Even in the dark I couldn’t see the colors shifting and it was always really cool to see what had appeared when I looked in the morning. The yarn is also substantial and yet soft. I would totally knit this base again!
My one possible hiccup was the heels. They heels were worked on separate occasions (in the light) and I took notes. But they are completely obvious they are two different sized heels! One is larger than the other. It doesn’t appear based on a cursory wearing that it affects the fit. But I should get a better idea when they get a full work out in the fall. I have a bunch left of the black yarn. It wouldn’t be terrible if I had to pull out and re-knit the smaller heel. I guess that’s the bonus of afterthought heels right?
Happy Knitting!!
PB has turned out to be very very very temperature sensitive. As in she hates air conditioning and LOVES the Kansas summer heat. Lets just say Mommy has been sweaty and baby has been happy as we have wiled away the hours in the shade of the garage on the driveway.
This meant I have been pawing through my hand knits bin to look for warm snugly things to keep her happy without the rest of us melting while indoors. I found a strawberry cocoon I knit so long ago that it’s not even in my Ravelry projects! I mean it was so early in my knitting career that I knit both items flat and seamed! Oh, how young and naive I was….
This was the best photo I managed to get…and she was rooting around for some milk. Needless to say about 12 seconds later this photo session dissolved into baby screams demanding boob. I will try again another day when shes happy and fed…. before she is too big. (I also have blackberry cocoon I knit from the same pattern that also needs photos!)
Happy Knitting!!
My Antarktis is done, blocked and photographed! A minor miracle considering I am also nursing a bottomless pit who gains 2 oz a day and keeping my house (somewhat) clean.
Pattern: Antarktis by Janina Kallio
Yarn: KnitCircus Trampoline in the Needle in a Haystack impressionist gradient
Needles: US 7
I tried to use my blocking wires from Christmas and I confess that I was rushing due to crying children. So this is not blocked the best. But I got the eyelets to open up just a enough and got the shawl to a nice wearable size.
I really liked this pattern. It was well written and the different sections really broke it up into manageable pieces. And the stitch counts REALLY helped this sleep deprived momma make sure she was not veering off course to far. I found myself reaching for this project every time I had a free moment or two. And the rows really never got so long that they were interminable.
I really have the shawl itch and I need to cast on some sort of garter gorgeousness to fill this project hole that just opened up!
Happy Knitting!!
By pure force of will (and a good bought of pregnancy related insomnia) My Strands of Drunken Watermelon socks are FINISHED!
In full disclosure a good bit of the second sock was knit at 2 am…while eating cereal….and crying for no good reason other than I couldn’t sleep. I’m not sure what kind of karma that knits into this sock…but hot darn I have a FO!
Pattern: Strands of Gold by Linda Garland
Yarn: Miss Babs Hot Shot in Drunken Watermelon
Needles: US 1s
I used roughly 332 yards of yarn for this pair which or 94 grams. I have a nice little ball of leftovers to tuck into my memory blanket and to save a little for any future sock repairs. I was really happy with this yarn. It’s a nice plump 3-ply with great stitch definition. The pattern was a pretty good one. I memorized the pattern really quickly and really didn’t read the pattern after that. Which is evident because I didn’t use the short row heel written in the pattern, lol.
The socks fit pretty well even on my 36 week swollen cankles….so I’m confident the will be ready to fit for fall when hopefully I’m more normal sized. But this finish leaves me with NO SOCKS ON THE NEEDLES. I don’t want to start a bunch of stuff before PB’s arrival but I need at least a vanilla sock for work/purse knitting. Time to go stash diving!!
Happy Knitting!!
Unfortunately, my time at work turned out exactly as I knew it would…..sooooo many meetings. But I was able to finish my Smooth Operator Socks! Even the end are woven in!
Pattern: Smooth Operator Socks by Susan B Anderson
Needles: US 1 nine inch circs
Mods: none
Yarn: Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce Sock in Bam Zap Pow
Overall, I was very pleased with this project. The heels did in turn out to have no gaps and fit moderately well. (Full disclosure, I have devised my own personal afterthought heel recipe that I absolutely love the fit of…so there as a high bar to clear.) Both socks match remarkably well if I do say so myself! The yarn was extremely nice to work with and I think will stand up well to the abuse that socks tend to take. The pattern was helpful and well written, but what else do you expect from Susan B Anderson?
I did try these on…and my legs and feet are now 34 weeks pregnant. They don’t fit badly but they don’t make my feet feel head over heels in love. Like my Accidental Travel Socks, I think I will tuck these into my drawer for fall and test them again post-preggo legs. They are just a bit tight here and there. If I don’t end up liking them or their fit, well, they can just go in the Christmas box for my sister!
Happy Knitting!!
You guys….I finished ANOTHER THING! My Vacation Vanilla socks are done done done!
Pattern: 72 stitch toe-up vanilla sock with a gusset heel
Yarn: Andromeda Sock yarn in the “My Nerves” colorway. I used 80 grams or 370 yards of yarn
Needle: US 0 nine inch circular
Gauge: 9 stitches and 13 rows per 1 inch
My feet and ankles are not there normal size at the moment so pardon the sock blocker only photos. And to be honest I’m not sure how they fit, lol. I will have to stash them safely in my sock drawer until I’m no longer retaining water like the Hoover Dam! But I really adore the speckles. I did notice that one sock appears to have darker tint than the other. Not that it really bothers me and I am well aware this happens with hand dyed indie skeins quite a bit. Just found it a bit odd when I laid them side by side, lol.
Happy Knitting!!
Okay, this FO has been done for awhile. Truth be told all it needed was a bath but a mild but persistent upper respiratory virus attached itself to this pregnant body and I lost all will to do anything but play with Jellybean while simultaneously laying on the couch and then surf Instagram after he went to bed for like a solid week back in early April.
Nevertheless, here is the Baby Vertebrae for PB!!
Pattern: Baby Vertebrae by Kelly van Niekerk
Yarn: Apothefaery Fabrications Delightful DK in the Glimmer coloway
Needles: US 6 and US 4
Size: 12-18 months
Mods: None (other than I really don’t know if I followed pattern gauge)
Gauge: 5 stitches and 8 rows to 1 inch
I’m super jazzed about this sweater and I hope it fits for fall! Either way I really hope this becomes and heirloom piece for PB to save….
While not so patiently waiting for my baby sweater yarn to arrive I decided to crank out another wish list baby item. I managed to make two tutus for PB!
The top soft pink and purple tutu is the standard newborn size from the Lexi’s Knitted Tutu pattern. It’s a good size but I wanted something for my hospital bag and photos so I made a “modified newborn” in the circus/rainbow colors that took the stitch count down a bit. I’m really pleased with both! The bottom rainbow one will fit for like three seconds but that’s all I really need it for anyway, lol.
And it was super satisfying to scratch something off my pre-baby to do list. We didn’t find out Jellybean’s gender so I didn’t have any cute knits tucked into my hospital bag. Not that it mattered one way or the other at the time. But this time it feels right and special. I’m one happy momma to be!
Happy Knitting!!
Michele plays with yarn, food, and music in Portland
Musings from a teacher, runner, knitter, baker and reader
Journeying thru the fiber world, learning new skills, being challenged and making connections.
A Blog exploring yarn, glass and leather crafts, and other things too.
Finding happiness one skein at a time
Adventures in life and knitting in a warm weather climate
my life without spoons in Canberra
Pictures in every post
Do one creative thing a day, and stay positive.
My adventures in the world of crafting
I chronicle my life as an aging homeschooling mother of seven--in nauseating detail.
aging - kicking and screaming
knitting : coffee : tea : life
Encouraging Thoughts About Knitting And Life
with Cia & Pip
Raising two children on 1/2 acre of land
Celebrating life, literature, and the persuit of fiber-y goodness.
Yarning about yarn
the illusion of progress
Farm-->Fleece-->Fiber
Crochet, knitting, spinning, felting, drawing, painting → ∞
A place for fellow yarn addicts.
A Texas city girl in a small New England town …
About my life in wool and yarn, and my explorations into the world of machine knitting.
A blog about running and knitting. Not at the same time.
Just a little crunchy.
A knitter's humorous adventures with one hubby and three cats.
yarn hoarder...accessories fanatic...lover of all things creative
A Norwegian knitting enthusiast with a monthly theme for projects
From Crocheting long chains to knitting sock monkeys and beyond
Chronicles of an Adventurous Beginner
Repeat as required to achieve results
Crafting in the West Country
handsewn bespoke and heirloom quality textiles
Making, Baking and Blogging for the first time...
Affordable accessories from the North of England
Fundraising via handcrafts since 2015
Knitting designs for the hand knitter and more...
Knitting & Crocheting
