For The Love of Cashmere

My Flying North socks hit the FO pile last week and I didn’t let the needles sit bare for long! I pulled the Dream in Color Smooshy with cashmere from my Central KS yarn hop from Unwind in Manhattan, KS.

  
This is the Lucky Stone color way. It’s a deep rich green with bits of black running through. It’s very hard to photograph but totally worth it. This yarn is SOFT!!! I toyed with using a patterned toe up sock but quickly rejected that given the dark color. I don’t want to squint at these socks, so vanilla it is!

  
I’ve completed the toe on sock #1!

Go Patriots! Socks

After some success with my husband’s Heritage Vanilla Socks I decided to start a second pair for him without finishing the first pair.  I pulled the Berry Colorful Yarning Pats color way from my 2016 Sock Experiment and got to work!

  I’ve divided and wound the yarn into tw cakes. This will be a 72 stitch vanilla socks on size US 2 nine inch circs with a 60% afterthought heel. The hubby requested tighter running around the ankle so I may take the ribbed cuff down to 68 stitches to see how he likes that.

As I wound this yarn I was also careful to make each ball start with in same portion of the stripes. This way these babies will match. I lost a tiny bit of yardage due to this. After consulting the hubby we decided on contrasting heels and toes to make up the difference. He chose some Serenity Sock weight by Deborah Norville from my stash…in black. Not my choice but these are his socks, lol.

   
This project also helps me with my 2015 Pigskin Party KAL points total. I get bonus points for using a KAL sponsor product! Now I just have to get these knit before the super bowl…

Happy Knitting!

A Plan For Husband Socks

My previous attempt at Husband Socks were a little lackluster. My hubby has size a 12/13 US shoe size. His foot is literally 11 inches long so that’s a LOT of tiny stitches. I’ve thus far not been very excited about knitting for his tootsies. But he’s been quietly hinting that he’d like warm socks. So I put my big girl pants on and made a new plan!

Thicker yarn + bigger needles = faster socks

  
I had some Cascade Heritage Prints in my stash that is a heavier fingering weight. And I pulled out my size 2 US 9″ inch circs from my birthday.

These are toe up vanillas with 72 stitches on the US 2s. These are flying!! The sharp points of the Hiya Hiya needles really help I’m finding. The pic above is just a couple of hours of leisurely car knitting. Fingers crossed these will keep flying along because it would be a great jumpstart to my 2016 Wishlist!

Happy Knitting and Happy New Year!!

WIP Wednesday: Flying North Socks

My Flying North Socks have plugged right along. Sock number one is complete!

  
These have been very soothing knitting for my sad heart of late. I’m almost done with sock number two.  

I’ve just the ribbed cuff and afterthought heel left to complete. So just a couple of evenings and these will be done! Then I can bank more points for the 2015 Pigskin Party with Down Cellar studio.

The yarn isn’t the softest but is making a nice sturdy fabric. I’m hoping these make hard wearing socks! Also I’ve done a 60% afterthought heel instead of 50% and I think that is providing a better fit. Final judgment on that to come later…

Happy Knitting!

The Project of Loathing

I really wanted a blanket on the needles this winter. I do so love snuggling under a warm winter project while the snow is swirling outside. Thus I cast on my Knitted Chevron Baby Blanket in a rainbow theme with some Homespun from DEEP stash.

  
It’s a pretty straight forward garter stitch chevron blanket. Back in November I started with red and only got three rows done and it’s been sitting ever since.

I just don’t like it and I have tried really hard to like it. The texture of the homespun obscures the pattern. It’s incredibly hard to “read” as I knit. I have zero desire to pick this up. So this iteration is going to the frog pond. But I really want to use this yarn in a blanket! Stitch definition is going to be a problem so I was leaning towards a straight up garter rectangle with the rainbow colors progressing in order.  Though I really feel that a baby blanket needs a distinct border to look a little more polished and finished.

I have black yarn in Homespun so I could outline the rainbow square to set off the colors. Perhaps I could work a small seed or moss stitch black section at the beginning and end of the blanket. Then pick up and knit the long sides of the blanket log cabin style. Or maybe it should be ribbing instead of seed stitch? 

Any thoughts from the blogging world?

Fly Fingers Fly

I’ve been staying up WAY too late at night but I’m determined to get my Cuff to Cuff sweater done by Christmas. I got through the final side and sleeve and got the sweater on the blocking boards!

  
(I measured carefully and blocked the back and fronts to the same length for seaming purposes.) After a good soak in Soak wool wash I put a fan on this overnight. And whoosh….it was dry!

  
I’m going to seam up the sides tonight and get the collar/bands picked up. I’m going with the pick up 3 then skip one method for the edging. That will be just shy of 300 stitches on the needles. And then it’s just 5 inches of seed stitch between me and a FO. All in the next 8 days….ack!

Wish me luck!

Sweater Incentive

Yesterday I blogged about my Cuff to Cuff sweater and wanting to finish this long term WIP. I technically don’t have a deadline but if I do finish it by Christmas then I get some bonus points in the Down Cellar Studio pigskin party KAL. So I’m giving myself a little motivation!

I’m in the mood to KNIT ALL THE THINGS and CAST ON RIGHT NOW. I really want a Momma Vertebrae by Kelly Brooker. One with long sleeves in a nice warm cozy worsted yarn. I even have the perfect yarn! Berroco Vintage in Mushroom…

  
A neutral beige that would suit many of my tops for a great layering piece. Tons of people have knit this and I want to be wearing it already. But first I need to finish the cuff to cuff or I fear I never will! Thus this will be the carrot at the end of my needles.

Do you use knitting incentives to stay on track?

Sweater Resurrection 

I’ve been on an organizing tear of late. I went through my wardrobe with a ruthless eye and got rid of the clothes that don’t fit post baby. And the ones that don’t make me happy or feel good. They will go to a good home to my sister or to a women’s shelter. And I also tore through my WIPs pile. It was time to knit or frog. I unearthed my Cuff to Cuff Sweater.

  I started this in 2014 but it stalled majorly after Jellybean was born. I was sorely tempted to rip it out as I’m not sure it will fit my new and improved mom hulk shoulders. But all it was missing was one sleeve and the collar/edging. Still a lot of knitting to do but it seemed a shame to undo. I can always gift it to my cousin or sister. 

It’s knit with Berroco Vintage in a teal/blue. I picked the yarn up for a song when a LYS sadly closed its doors in 2014. Also, if I finish this before Christmas I can count this as another WIP interception for the Down Cellar Studio pigskin party KAL!

A Warm Solution 

So Jellybean is an active wiggling 15 month old and we are heading into the heart of winter. He has several jackets and coats but we never leave them on in the car seat for safety reasons. So that’s lots of on and off clothing wrestling with a marginally cooperative toddler in the bracing cold of the Midwest. I had a flash of inspiration…he needs a open cardigan much like the kiddy or momma vertebrae. Something to keep his arms/shoulders/back warm without anything on the front to interfere with the efficacy of the car seat straps!

Enter the Snugbug by Tiaga Hilliard Designs!

  
@Tiaga Hilliard Designs 

I pulled some Knit Picks Brava Bulky in red from my deep stash. I’ve already cast on and worked down to the armhole divide. I’m in love and may have to make more than one!  

Happy Knitting!!

Black Yarn Oops

I started up with my Mini Thermal Vest I started for Jellybean back in June. I got about this far…

  
And I hated the fabric which is why I set it down. It was too loose and open on the US 8 needles I was using. So I put my big girl panties on and swatched. The magic number turned out to be US 7s. 

  
I’m flying now, gotta love big yarn on big needles. There is a pattern there I promise. It’s just impossible to photograph this inky black yarn. It’s knit picks shine worsted. I’m hoping to have this ready for church on Christmas Eve with the family!

Happy Knitting!!