Cast On: Victorian Mauve Socks

I finished up my last Celebrate the Night socks and I couldn’t stand my sock needles getting too cold, so I pulled some recent yarn from my Hill Country Weavers purchase. This is a skein of BFL Tough Love Sock from La Bien Aimee. It’s just so pretty!!!

The plan is to work my “recipe” of 68 stich toe up vanilla sock with gusset heel that works well for this tonal/variegated yarn. Of course my first step is going to be wind up the skein, lol.

Happy Sock Knitting!!

Cast On: Connections Beanie

I have decided its time to dip my toe into colorwork. I have avoided it up until now for now good reason other than I wasn’t ready to learn. But I have two skeins of DK from The Shepherd’s Mill that have been calling to me to combine.

I have my pattern printed, needles pulled and I just need to wind the skeins up. The pattern comes with a light and dark version. I plan to cast on the light version first with the hopes that I could squeak out a dark version with the colors reversed? Might be a bold plan for my first colorwork project and expecting that much yardage management, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Stark Effect Socks

After finishing my shorties last week, I found myself with no socks on the needles and a date night planned with my hubby. I conned him into taking me to The Lost City with Sandra Bulluck and Channing Tatum. So I hurriedly grabbed the first sock yarn I found and got a sock toe cast on.

This is a skein of String Theory Inertia Self Striping in the Stark Effect colorway. Its very neon and very spring/easter-y. I LOVE IT. And this much sock is exactly one movie’s worth of stockinette in the round.

I think I will knit a sock tube and cuff and then add an all black heel as a contrast. This project is just making me so happy. I will be sad when this one is over and might have to order another skein of this colorway…..

Happy Knitting!!!

The Next Shorties

After the first Standed Paintbox socks fell off my needles, I felt empowered to finish the sock tube and make another pair!

I managed to unwind the waste yarn from one end and use the live stitches from the opposite to unravel and re-knit two cuffs. My plan is to then split the snack in half to separate the two socks.

I am undecided at this point if I will rip back the exposed ends and re-knit toes or if I will add contrasting toe. I think I have enough sock tube to work with but I am decisioned out this week with work taking so much of my brain. I think I will set this aside until the decision comes to me!

Happy Knitting!!

Puppy Love Hat

I have been stressing at work so I cast on a new hat. Totally makes sense right!?

This is the Woof Worsted from Lilliput Yarn in the puppy love color. It’s a pink base with splashes of light and dark pink and lots of purple.

I am doing my “formula” worsted hat that is 88 stitches on US 8 needles. I worked 2×2 rib until I thought it looked good and now I’m just stockinette in the round to decreases! Easy peasy

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Windowpanes

If you have been following my blog this week, you might have keened that I have a case of Cast-On-Itis, lol. Next up is the project I had intended to be my Christmas Eve Cast On. But I didn’t get around to getting that organized thanks to germs and a lack of bandwidth. But I have sorted the cast on now!

I chose Windowpanes by Jill Ramos as its a worsted weight bandana style cowl. I pulled two coordinating skeins of worsted by K-Zip Knits from my stash. I started this once on US 9s and HATED the loose fabric. So I ripped back and started again on US 7s and that made me much happier.

I did have to use my plastic needles from WAY back when I started knitting. Not my ideal needles but I couldn’t lay hands on any other US 7s and I really just wanted to knit. The pattern is pretty straight forward and I have 7 inches of this pattern to do before moving on.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Variegated Musselburgh

Why cast on just one Musselburgh when you can have two going at once?? I had skein of Lemonade Shop Mighty sock just sitting on my work from home desk and I decided to cake it up.

For no reason other than curiousity, I am working this version on a US 3 needle instead of size 2 which I used on my first one and the Christmas version I have in my WIPs. I was a dutiful knitter and measured my gauge and following that directions for the Adult XL for that gauge.

I just finished the increases and this hat is also ready for inches and inches of stockinette. This highly variegated skein is a mix of pinks, reds, and blues with some dark speckles mixed in. The name also gives me much joy as its called “Only Strippers Shave Above the Knees”.

This has been my “my brain has too many tabs open after work” knitting. I am using some wooden needles that catch once in awhile when I skootch my work around. I forgot how annoying that can be!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Christmas Musselburgh

My hat needles told me they were chilly after getting my first Musselburgh off of them. So I couldn’t let them get cold so I got a second hat cast on right away!

I went digging in my stash and found another skein of Moonstone Dyeworks kicking around. This time it is her Stellina Sock base in Christmas on Mars colorway. It’s a nice muted Christmas color with a TON of sparkle to it. I don’t get the sparkle to show up on camera very well.

I am making an adult large again, this time without the extra increases. I’m curious to see how this one differs from my first one. If its too small, then it can go in the gift pile or kid pile. I just finished the increase and its just stockinette for many many inches.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Goth Kitty Worsted Hat

New Year and new cast on! I had some training this week so I decided that a basic beanie was the way to go. I grabbed the skein of Knit Picks Felici worsted, mostly because I required no winding, lol

I cast on 80 stitches on a US 8 needle. I worked 2×2 ribbing until it looked good. I didn’t really have a pattern in mind. The goal was to stay awake while listening to a four hour lecture. The good news is that four hours is enough time to get 60% of a hat done!

I think I need two more color stripes and then I can start the decreases! Happy Knitting!!

Knitting With Handspun

A wise spinner told me that I shouldn’t wait to start knitting with my handspun. I should reap the benefits of my new found skill so matter how “good” I think my yarn is or isn’t. So I grabbed my recently finished teal skein and set to making a hat.

I cast on 72 stitches using a US 8 needles and started ribbing. I don’t have a plan or a pattern. I am just winging it and monitoring how much yarn I am using so that I leave enough for the crown decreases.

So far it is really neat seeing what the yarn is doing with the thick and thin bits. I can really see how that plays out in the stockinette section. I am pretty certain I will keep this hat in my hat collections because it is just too special.

Happy Knitting!!