Category Archives: Knitting

All my knitting adventures

Ready For A Sandy Cuff

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I powered through some knitting this week and finished the heel turn, the leg and calf increases for my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks. Added a little gratuitous Christmas decoration that I haven’t had the energy to take down yet.

I flew by the seat of my pants on this one. I just knit up the leg and eyeballed installing the calf increases. I added four or six extra stitches over top half the leg. Maybe not the most scientific and will undoubtedly be super hard to recreate on the second sock. But that is future Rachelle’s problem

Happy Knitting!!

WIP Wednesday: Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks

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Welcome to my happy place…..self striping yarn! My Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks well into production of sock number two.

As with sock number one, I plan to knit sock number two all the way to the cuff as a tube. I’ll install both afterthought heels at the very end. I may regret this choice when I’m on “heel island”, lol.

I am little excited to get these into my sock drawer. I feel that between the patterning and knit fabric feel will mean this will be some favorite go-to socks. I have a full sock drawer now so it’s nice to be able to have lots of choices so I don’t put too much wear on any one pair of socks.

Happy Knitting!!

Ready For The Heel

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I blinked over the weekend and realized I had knit 6 rows past where the heel on my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks. I slipped a progress keeper in where I need to tink back to.

I am really enjoying this yarn and project. The cashmere content in the yarn just feels so decadent. And I never seem to tire of vanilla knitting in the round. Up next is to count my stitches and start working the heel turn.

For my toe up socks I used the Wendy Knits pattern for toe up gusset heel socks. Her instructions are clear and happen to match the stitch count I use for my feet. Works every time and the fit is good.

Happy Knitting!!

2020….How Did I Do?

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Being an accountant I like spreadsheets and tracking things. And that includes my knitting! I use Ravelry to store my projects and tag them with identifiers but at the end of the day I still keep my Yarn In versus Yarn out spreadsheet in Excel. I have the best of intentions/goal each year to knit down more yarn than I bring in. How did I do in 2020?

  1. I completed 27 projects this year:
    1. five pairs of socks
    2. six blankets
    3. eight accessories
    4. four toys
    5. four sweaters
  2. I brought in:
    1. 92.2 skeins of yarn
    2. 4,269 grams of yarn
    3. 17,871.60 yards of yarn (16,374.50 meters of yarn)
  3. I knit or crocheted up:
    1. 69.18 skeins of yarn
    2. 15,592.50 yards of yarn (14,320.14 meters of yarn)

This means I did not end hitting my goal. I got really close? I ended up with a net in of roughly 2,300 yarns or 2,050 meters of yarn in to my stash. But all in all I created a lot of beautiful items in an otherwise crazy year. And some of that stash “out” was some super old yarn that needed using up.

I am pretty happy with the yarn I chose to bring in this year. I found myself buying more sweater quantities as I am currently drawn to garment knitting more and more. Probably the a contributing factor to the more in than out as well, lol.

Now….let’s see what I can do in 2021! Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Pardon Me Sir Hat

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Y’all, tomorrow is a new year and I have cast-on-itis. I pulled a skein of KnitCircus worsted weight yarn in the Pardon Me, Sir colorway and cast on a hat last night. After binging some of my favorite TV comedies I have a GOOD start on a hat.

I worked completely through the brim yesterday morning and by the evening I am a fair ways into the hat portion. I’m going full skein with this project. I am not using a pattern. I cast on 90 stitches and I’m making it up as I go. I want to use up as much of this yarn as possible to capture the wonderful gradient.

I think why I like this project so much is that these are my high school alma mater colors. And it will coordinate with my winter coat. This hat will most definitely be for me. The colors are sublime and the yarn extra extra soft. I can’t wait to finish this one!

Happy New Year and Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Sand Castle Vanilla Socks

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Do I have at least two pairs of of socks on the needles? Why yes, I do. Did I need another? Why yes I do! I pulled some cashmere sock yarn from my stash from Leading Man Fiber Arts in the Sand Castle colorway and started some toe up vanilla socks.

This yarn feels like BUTTER between my fingers. It’s so amazing that I don’t care how long these socks will last as they will feel AMAZING on my feet when they are done. I have managed to get the toe increases done and I’m ready for just a poop ton of ’round and round’ in stockinette. That is my sweet spot of knitting right now. It’s my happy place

What is your happy place?

One Finished Tube

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Thanks to some holiday downtime I managed to get the first sock tube completed for my Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks.

I feel like I knit a pretty long tube and I even worked some increases in the leg portion. I’m sure it won’t be as long as I think it will be. That’s probably the impatient knitter in me. I need to weigh the yarn to see how much I used to create the first tube before I start the second tube.

I really think I’m going to be lazy and not put the heel right now. I will install both heels when I am done with the second tube. Why? I really don’t know why other than “I just feel like it”, lol.

I am really really really liking the speckles in this striping yarn. I need to get my DPNs out and get the second tube started before I get second sock syndrome.

Happy Knitting!!

Christmas Eve Cast On

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I admit I am struggling to get fully into the holiday spirit. I knew I wanted a Christmas Eve cast on but I just couldn’t decide what I wanted it to be. So I decided to make up a kit from stuff I already had. And it worked out nicely

I pulled out last year’s Christmas pajamas and I’m just praying they fit after my COVID weight gain. And then I grabbed a bottle of wine off my wine rack that I have been meaning to try.

Next up was the yarn and pattern I received as part of my 2020 Nomad Yarns retreat back in October. I grabbed the Transforming Mitts pattern by Erika Kempf Broughton and the yarn of Tweed Rocks from Nomad Yarns. It feels good to use this yarn with the pattern it was designed for.

It’s not the perfect AHA project I have had in years past. But it’s good enough for 2020. And I mostly can’t wait to put the world aside and just watch Christmas through my children’s eyes. We are going to “bubble” with my parents and isolate from the world on their property. All I want for Christmas is knitting, a good wine and not to be the primary adult for a little bit.

What do you want Santa to bring you?

Blanket Tidying

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I am feel the Christmas fog for real in this last run up to the big day. I have finished my latest crochet blanket and other than some socks I don’t have much on the needles. I’m kind of waiting around for my Christmas Eve cast on. So I picked up my Memory Blanket. I probably haven’t touched this in a year and a half?

Turns out I left it with a TON of ends to weave in. So I pulled out a tapestry needle and got to work tidying up my blanket.

I love it when a plan comes together! I just looks so polished and complete after burying those ends. I was even inspired to add two new squares while I had this out.

And I packaged up all my ends and I think I will put out in the spring for the nest builders in my yard. I have both mice and birds. The mice are due to neighbors….sigh.

The blanket is really getting to decent sized. I need to finish the row at the top and the concentrate on adding to the longer side. I am just so pleased with how this really looks like a stained glass project with the grey in between.

Happy Knitting!!

Video Meeting Knitting

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My Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks are growing steadily. This has been my “lap” project during video meetings. Work is getting steadily more complicated as we race to year end and these socks have kept me sane during many a meeting.

I am past where I would put in the heel but I still have some leg to knit. I think I am going to add some increases and knit these with a pretty tall leg. I just can’t quit these speckled stripes. They are just too fun to watch develop!

Happy Knitting!!