Category Archives: WIPs

Into Hibernation: Part One

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The Down Cellar Studio Pigskin Party KAL is here and sadly WIPs don’t count. I tried like the dickens to finish up all my WIPs before the knit-a-long started but alas I was not successful. So a few of my projects are going to have to go into hibernation.

First up is my, Strands of Drunken Watermelon socks….

As you can see I finished the first sock. I think it looks beautiful with this combination of yarn and pattern. I was feeling the time crunch and really just wanted to be done so I worked the pattern a few time for the leg and added the cuff. I’m usually disappointed when I make decisions like these. But I think the sock fits great and it’s really an okay length. And I only had a small ball of yarn left…I promise.

The sock has 72 stitches which is big even for my size 9/10 US feet. But the slipped stitch fabric really pulls in and tightens up the sock. The gusset heel also fits nicely around my big girl feet. I haven’t tried a short row heel yet but the gusset heel fits the best out of all the others I have tried so far.

I did cast on and establish the pattern for sock number two before putting these into hibernation. Well hibernation might be an overstatement. These went back into my desk drawer for “back up emergency conference call and webinar knitting”. They will probably get worked on here and there but won’t receive any concerted focus until after the KAL ends.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Knitted Knockers

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The Down Cellar Studio Pigskin Party KAL is here! And on the first day I wanted to get a quick victory and clear out some old stash. I have two skeins of Cascade Ultra Pima in my stash from 2012 that never found the right project. Well, it is in fact once of the approved yarn for Knitted Knockers so both skeins are destined to become boobs!

To make sure I could wrap my head around the construction and get used to the size 8 DPN needles, I made an A cup size first. The first of the pair flew off my needles in one evening!

Un-stuffed it looks like a weird pyramid, lol. But other than some slight laddering between the needles I’m quite pleased. I remembered halfway through how I need to tighten the stitches after switching needles to discourage laddering. So the second one will be better. 

The charity accepts them in this state (un-stuffed). But I want to see what they look like filled so I think I will stuff this pair just to see. My plan is to sprinkle in some knitted knockers among my other KAL projects to get a fast win here an there but also to do some good for women healing from a mastectomy.

Happy Knitting!!

Cuff Decision

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I had been working my Vacation Vanilla Socks from a single wound skein. Normally I split my yarn into two equal cakes for matching socks so I don’t have to guess or measure during the knitting. I was far enough with the first sock that I weighed and pulled out enough yarn to get half and then cut.


I had a quite a large ball of yarn left to finish this first sock. I kept going up the leg and ball didn’t shrink much. I’m at decision point….keep going up the leg or start the cuff.


I need to measure with a ruler. My eyeballs say “that’s far enough” but arguably they aren’t always reliable, lol. I hate making decisions when I feel the pull of “just get this project done”. This project needs to percolate a bit I think.

Happy Knitting!!

So Easy To Get Offcourse

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My Strands of Drunken Watermelon have a very easy slip stitch pattern. And now I’m working the pattern all the way around the sock. So it’s easy to get off course.


The slipped stitches are worked worked with the yarn held in front. And the bars created in this process are offset/alternated by two stitches every other pattern row (if that makes any sense). This is not captivating TV show or late night knitting. I lose the ability to count to two and my bars go all wonky. I tried working on this late into the evening Labor Day weekend and I ended up tinking more than I knit.

Lesson learned…

Knit-us Interruptus

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My scrap blanket hit a speed bump this past holiday weekend…



This is Harper the ball of fluff my parents are fostering. Not only does he not understand knitting isn’t for licking, he doesn’t understand why I can’t spend all my free time throwing his toys for fetching. This little pup is the energizer bunny of playing fetch. You will tire out before he does. If you don’t throw the toy in a timely manner he WILL yap loudly at you. 

I finished exactly one and a half squares in a long weekend because my large blanket was very tempting for puppy cuddling!

Happy Knitting!!

Now The Drunken Watermelon Leg

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The heel is turned on my Strands of Drunken Watermelon socks!


I did go with the toe-up gusset heel. I may have started it a tad bit later than I should have. The foot length looks loooong. The slightly more objective tape measure versus just eyeballing it assures me the foot is just slightly over 9 inches. Which should be fine. Should be…

For now I’m just going to admire my heel. Plus now I get to work the pattern all the way around. One less marker to fuss with!

Happy Knitting!!

Ps. How awesome is Miss Babs Hot shot!?!?

Night and Day

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Oh my gosh….the proper tool for the job makes ALL the difference! I’ve done the last two squares of my mitred scrap blanket with the Knitters Pride Karbonz and it’s like night and day!


I finished the bottom row with the bamboo Clover needles and the new column of squares with the Karbonz. The metal tips are just what I needed. The cable joins aren’t as smooth as I would like. They catch a stitch here and there depending on what kind of scraps I’m using. I can deal with that (for now anyway).

Happy Knitting!!

A Little Pulling

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My Strands of Drunken Watermelon socks are still living in my desk. The foot now measures 7 inches. The pattern said to insert your favorite short row heel. But A) I converted these to toe-up and B) I don’t know any short row heels for toe up off the top of my head. I briefly flirted with short row heel patterns on Ravelry but ultimately I couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger. I just decided to work a standard toe up gusset heel. I can continue the pattern over the top of the foot and do my increases in stockinette in the bottom. My brain knows how to do that so that’s what I’m doing.


The progress keeper shows my process since last I blogged about these. You may also noticed (as I did only just now) that the slipped stitch patterning is pulling the fabric on that half of the sock.


The designer warned in the pattern to work the sole tightly and the top loosely. I sincerely tried. I’m not *too* worried as the slip stitch fabric stretches nicely when pulled. I’m hoping a nice aggressive blocking arranges that. Regardless they will be perfectly serviceable socks even if the front is shorter than the back.

Happy Knitting!!

Ps. Jellybean is still on his sleep rebellion. This time thanks to growing pains. I’m really tired so apologies for any nonsensical errors in the above post 🤤

All The Squares

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I might be my imagination but I think I’m getting faster at my mitre squares!


I can almost do an entire square in an evening….provided it’s not my bedtime turn with Jellybean and I can just sit and relax. I’m still working across the bottom but I know I will make another column after this row. I plan on going crazy on this blanket into September 7th when the Pigskin Party KAL kicks off. Then his will go back to hibernation for a bit.

Happy Knitting!

Up The Leg

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My Vacation Vanilla Socks saw a little more progress thanks to a trip to IKEA. Jellybean got a big boy twin bed that doubles as a tent/secret hideout. God bless the swedes….here’s hoping we can sleep sometime soon!


I’ve turned the heel and started up the leg. I can’t get enough of these speckles! I had been working from one large cake of yarn. I broke out the scale to weigh the ball and split the yarn into two equal amounts. This way I can maximize the yarn in these socks. Now I’m just going to knit leg and cuff until I run out of yarn.


Don’t you just love the happy triangle that a gusset heel makes!?

Happy Knitting!