Tag Archives: FO

Easy Blocking

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I made it! My Easy Goes It shawl is blocking!

I chickened out at 7 grams left and bound off. You can see my pattern additions along the right side of the photo. I did 14 or so garter bumps then two a single repeat of eyelets before binding off. I am supremely happy. And I even busted out my blocking wires and gave this puppy a good stretch! My inside curve needs work as it has a few scalloping bits. But a mother of two young children can not afford to be too fussy.

I’m hoping to grab some FO photos tonight if this thing is dry! Yay for Kansas summer heat!

Happy Knitting!!

A Little Mermaid

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One last post to show off my cute baby knits. I snagged these the same day as my blackberry cocoon photos. But as you can see she was quickly becoming less and less enchanted with being mommy’s photo subject, lol.

She really doesn’t like hats….

My project page can be found here on Ravelry, although it’s pretty sparse. This is a cocoon I designed myself waaaaay back in the day. Obviously before I learned that seed stitch is the devil and doesn’t really look that much like mermaid scales, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

My Sweet BlackBerry

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PB is growing like a weed these days. I did finally manage to snag some more knitting FO pictures before she grew completely out of them!

She was protesting this photo shoot by sticking her legs straight out and locking them. But hey….at least she wasn’t crying!

If you are interested in the project details, you can find my notes and page here on Ravelry. (This is a super old project.)

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Thotful Spot Hat

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I have a new hat for winter! The Thotful Spot Hat is officially finished, washed, blocked and photographed!! Truth be told…all but the photographs have been done for quite a awhile. I honestly forgot about this finish until I excavated my office and found the FO still in it’s project bag. And it’s worth noting, Jellybean insisted I use his purple patio chair as the backdrop because “duh mom”. And those were his exact words….smh….

Pattern: Thotful Spot Hat by Sarah Schira (Imagined Landscapes)

Yarn: Potion Yarns (Temptress base) in the Walk on the Left Side color

Needles: US 4s and 5s

I used roughly 79 grams or 183 yards of yarn for the medium size in the pattern.

This pattern is extremely well written and super simple yet chic for my sleep deprived brain. I especially liked the unique ribbing that Sarah included. The neutral white base with the pops of color should blend well with my wardrobe and winter coats. And the DK weight yarn has a nice heft to the fabric so it should be nice and toasty.

I didn’t follow the decreases *exactly* to pattern due to my lack of careful reading. But I think they turned out quite nicely and no one will ever notice. And now that I think about it…I am pretty sure I forgot to switch my needles from the 4s to the 5s after the ribbing….whoops. Oh well! This was my second ever DK weight hat….I think I need to knit more of these, it works up so easily and fast!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Electric Mayhem Socks

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My nighttime bedside knitting has proved very fruitful! My Electric Mayhem Socks are in the finished pile!

Pattern: My own 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock with afterthought heel

Yarn: KnitCircus Greatest of East in Electric Mayhem colorway and some generic black sock yarn from Joann’s for the heel.

Needles: US 1 nine inch circular

I managed to use up almost every inch of the 75 grams of this gradient set. I have a tiny ball of the yellow left to save for repairs if needed in the future!

This self-striping gradient was SUPER addictive. Even in the dark I couldn’t see the colors shifting and it was always really cool to see what had appeared when I looked in the morning. The yarn is also substantial and yet soft. I would totally knit this base again!

My one possible hiccup was the heels. They heels were worked on separate occasions (in the light) and I took notes. But they are completely obvious they are two different sized heels! One is larger than the other. It doesn’t appear based on a cursory wearing that it affects the fit. But I should get a better idea when they get a full work out in the fall. I have a bunch left of the black yarn. It wouldn’t be terrible if I had to pull out and re-knit the smaller heel. I guess that’s the bonus of afterthought heels right?

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Antarktis

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My Antarktis is done, blocked and photographed! A minor miracle considering I am also nursing a bottomless pit who gains 2 oz a day and keeping my house (somewhat) clean.

Pattern: Antarktis by Janina Kallio

Yarn: KnitCircus Trampoline in the Needle in a Haystack impressionist gradient

Needles: US 7

I tried to use my blocking wires from Christmas and I confess that I was rushing due to crying children. So this is not blocked the best. But I got the eyelets to open up just a enough and got the shawl to a nice wearable size.

I really liked this pattern. It was well written and the different sections really broke it up into manageable pieces. And the stitch counts REALLY helped this sleep deprived momma make sure she was not veering off course to far. I found myself reaching for this project every time I had a free moment or two. And the rows really never got so long that they were interminable.

I really have the shawl itch and I need to cast on some sort of garter gorgeousness to fill this project hole that just opened up!

Happy Knitting!!

A Finished Jellybean Blanket

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I managed to squeak Jellybean’s Purple blanket in before sunset and before PB’s arrival.

I did end up doing a SC crochet border around the blanket edge to neaten it up. I took the last half skein of yarn and just went round and round till I ran out. I think I made two full laps. Using the locking stitch markers I was able to (mostly) keep the same stitch count across the blanket. Consequently this blanket is the most square I have ever made!

My stitch gauge kinda changed here and there. But the important part is that Jellybean loved it. And he’s actually keeping it on his bed! Not to lay under mind you….just to pet, lol. He loves it because Mommy made it…..and it’s all purple. That’s a win in my book!

Happy Knitting…..I mean crocheting!!

FO Friday: Strands of Drunken Watermelon

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By pure force of will (and a good bought of pregnancy related insomnia) My Strands of Drunken Watermelon socks are FINISHED!

In full disclosure a good bit of the second sock was knit at 2 am…while eating cereal….and crying for no good reason other than I couldn’t sleep. I’m not sure what kind of karma that knits into this sock…but hot darn I have a FO!

Pattern: Strands of Gold by Linda Garland

Yarn: Miss Babs Hot Shot in Drunken Watermelon

Needles: US 1s

I used roughly 332 yards of yarn for this pair which or 94 grams. I have a nice little ball of leftovers to tuck into my memory blanket and to save a little for any future sock repairs. I was really happy with this yarn. It’s a nice plump 3-ply with great stitch definition. The pattern was a pretty good one. I memorized the pattern really quickly and really didn’t read the pattern after that. Which is evident because I didn’t use the short row heel written in the pattern, lol.

The socks fit pretty well even on my 36 week swollen cankles….so I’m confident the will be ready to fit for fall when hopefully I’m more normal sized. But this finish leaves me with NO SOCKS ON THE NEEDLES. I don’t want to start a bunch of stuff before PB’s arrival but I need at least a vanilla sock for work/purse knitting. Time to go stash diving!!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Smooth Operator Socks

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Unfortunately, my time at work turned out exactly as I knew it would…..sooooo many meetings. But I was able to finish my Smooth Operator Socks! Even the end are woven in!

Pattern: Smooth Operator Socks by Susan B Anderson

Needles: US 1 nine inch circs

Mods: none

Yarn: Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce Sock in Bam Zap Pow

Overall, I was very pleased with this project. The heels did in turn out to have no gaps and fit moderately well. (Full disclosure, I have devised my own personal afterthought heel recipe that I absolutely love the fit of…so there as a high bar to clear.) Both socks match remarkably well if I do say so myself! The yarn was extremely nice to work with and I think will stand up well to the abuse that socks tend to take. The pattern was helpful and well written, but what else do you expect from Susan B Anderson?

I did try these on…and my legs and feet are now 34 weeks pregnant. They don’t fit badly but they don’t make my feet feel head over heels in love. Like my Accidental Travel Socks, I think I will tuck these into my drawer for fall and test them again post-preggo legs. They are just a bit tight here and there. If I don’t end up liking them or their fit, well, they can just go in the Christmas box for my sister!

Happy Knitting!!

A Speckled Finish

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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!!