First Smooth Operator Heels

Posted on by
9

Working socks in tandem seems to be really working for me lately. I have been knitting my Smooth Operator Socks in tandem on two separate 9 inch circulars.

I split the skein into two balls and I’m working on trying to keep the socks matching. I think I’m maybe one or two rows off, but it’s close enough for me. I worked these socks for six inch legs and then knit the tube past that point a couple more inches. I went ahead used the scrap yarn instructions in the SOS pattern. Now I’ve gotten my needles installed and I’m ready to install the heels. I plan on doing the no gap heel variation from the pattern update that Susan B Anderson added.

I plan on doing some pondering today. Do I use the stripes for the heels….or do I use contrasting grey? Right now it’s a 50/50 tie!

Happy Knitting!!

A Speckled Finish

Posted on by
5

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!!

My First Knitting Class

Posted on by
8

I’ve been knitting for just over 11 (or is it 12 years?) now. And I have been a knitter with a capital K for the past 8 years. I’ve made sweaters, socks, hats, mitts and toys. But I have never taken a knitting class of any kind. I just taught myself or flew by the seat of my pants. Well, as a pre-baby present to myself I signed up for the Shadow Knitting class with Franklin Habit at the 2018 Knitting in the Heartland festival. I have never even attempted this kind of knitting skill before and I’m keen to see what I can learn.

And today is the day! I’m beyond excited and nervous. I have all my supplies lined up and the hubby is my chauffeur for the day. (I promised him some non-yarny date activities after my class and the market place). I think he’s going to show me his Top Golf skills while I sip lemonade, lol.

I just hope I don’t geek out in front of Franklin Habit…..

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Baby Vertebrae for PB

Posted on by
5

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….

 

 

The Second Heel Goes Slowly

Posted on by
5

I have been on FAR TOO MANY webex meetings lately. But the upside is that no one can see me and therefore I can knit while I listen. My pregnancy nesting is starting to pick up some steam and I feel the pull to finish some WIPs before PB gets here. The combo of these two has led to some progress on my Vacation Vanilla Socks that I started in the summer of 2017.

I’m finished with the foot and I’ve installed the toe up gusset heel on the second of these socks. I follow Wendy D Johnson’s instructions for those with inquiring minds. It’s Tuesday morning and I have approximately 7 hours of remote web meetings left this week. Fingers crossed that I can just zoom up the leg and be finished really really soon. One way or another PB will make her debut on or before May 30th…so I only have a little over a month left!

Happy Knitting!!

Canadian Yarn

Posted on by
8

A dear dear friend sent me a quick note to expect a little surprise in my mailbox. We live across the country and once in awhile we tuck things into the mail to surprise each other. Okay….let’s be real…we are 30 something adults with careers and kids. We try to remember each other’s birthdays and end up sending packages 6 months later, lol.

Well, this yarny beauty showed up in my mailbox!

She claims this was a combination of late night Instagram skimming with wine plus the favorable US to Canadian exchange rate. But she thought I needed a pick-me-up skein of self-striping sock yarn. This is even a new to me dyer! I have seen the Cozy Knitter yarn on several podcasts and thought it was amazing. This is a Bliss sock set in “Celebrate the Night”. Jellybean was ecstatic that the contrasting heel/toe/cuff skein was purple. That’s his FAVORITE.

If my Smooth Operator Socks go well and fit like I hope then this skein may just well end up being SOS socks as well!

Happy Knitting!!

Wow Those Are Stripes

Posted on by
9

My Smooth Operator Socks have been my bedside knitting here lately. My baby bump has made it increasingly hard to be both comfortable and knit at the same time. I pretty much only feel comfortable laying down at this point. Which obviously makes knitting not always possible.

Despite my physical limitations, I have made a good bit of progress. Self striping always has that effect on me….just one more color change and then I will be don. And these colors…well they sure are vibrant and springy! The color is called Bam! Zap! Pow! and I think that’s apt.

I’m at about 6 inches of leg and I can’t decide if I want to put the afterthought heel in yet or not. I may go ahead and start the second sock to work in tandem until I can decide. I have another size 1 circ needle empty so it would be easy peasy to totally procrastinate that decision.

Happy Knitting!!

Caution…..Yarn Ahead

Posted on by
6

My stress level at work has not improved. A very lovely coworker experienced a sudden and sad loss in her family and thanks to the lack of fore planning by my less than stellar supervisor my work load tripled at an already busy time of the year.

And since I can’t drink wine or consume copious amounts of caffeine I drowned my feelings in pretty new yarn. Perhaps not the best for the size of my stash…but it was some pretty awesome self-care in my opinion.

I picked up some Western Sky Knits Aspen sock with nylon in the Fairy Dust colorway. And then I hit up some wish list shopping….The Lemonade Shop! The middle skein is some Mighty Sock in the Toxic Oreo color. And the final skein is Simple Sock in the Stormy Day colorway. I need more yarn like I need a hole in my head but these made me feel the pull of my knitting mojo again which has ebbed in the latter stages of my pregnancy.

Now I just need these beauties to tell me what they want to be! Happy Knitting!!

Socks In The Wild

Posted on by
4

I spent some time stomping around my hometown with Jellybean visiting Papa and Grandma last weekend. It was a crisp 40 degrees Fahrenheit but that didn’t stop Jellybean from convincing Papa to play at the park. I played chauffeur.

I wisely chose to sit in the mini van with podcasts (and heat) while Papa chased Jellybean. I had my Vacation Vanilla Socks tucked into my backpack and when I examined them I realized I was ready to start the heel! I improvised some fancy stitch markers from scraps of yarn scavenged from the bottom of my knitting bag and off I went with a standard toe up gusset heel.

This is the second sock and i’m secretly hoping to finish them before PB’s arrival. We shall see…

Happy Knitting

An Almost Sweater

Posted on by
4

My second skein of sweater yarn showed up this past week and I wasted NO TIME in working on this puppy. I hand wound the ball because I was at my parents’ house and didn’t have access to my swift.

I also forgot to pack the smaller sized needles that the button band called for. Turns out….I don’t care! I started the band just kept on knitting with the sweater body sized needles. I think I’m 6 or 7 rows into a 12 row button band. Then its just a bath and this baby is done!

Happy Knitting!!