Surprise Finish: Nickie’s Hipster Beanie

Today I bring you a surprise FO! This is a beanie that I cranked out in a single day of remote trainings. It went so fast that I didn’t even bother with photos until it was done, lol.

Pattern: My own 88 stitch beanie “recipe”

Yarn: Potion Yarns Bombshell Worsted in Hipster colorway

Needles: US 8s

I think this hat will go to the same friend who is getting the Ponytail hat. I think she should have an option for a closed top when she isn’t worried about hat hair at work. This hat used 75% of the total skein which is roughly 166 yards. So it’s decent sized.

This yarn was nice to work with and I like how the pops of color stick out from the grey neutral of the main color. OH….and I finished the ponytail hat but I will show you all that tomorrow. I can’t quit hatting…..

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Sport Ankle Socks

I stalled out on the last 30 minutes of knitting on these for like…..a long tie. But my Sport Ankle Socks are done!

I started these as 60 stitch socks but ultimately worked up to 64 stiches. Which I was happy with for circumference and negative ease. However, I missed the mark on foot length and its a bit long. I am leaving it alone for now and give them a couple wears to see if they need sock surgery.

I only ended up using 66 grams of yarn or 290 yards for these shorties. I am consciously trying to knit shorties to add to my collections for winter ankle boots. This is KnitCircus opulence in a OOAK color from mystery box. It has cashmere content so they feel great on the feet….time will tell about pilling.

Now I need to get these needles with new yarn and my next socks on them! Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: 2023 Leftover Advent Socks

Happy Friday!! I have some shiny new socks!

Pattern: My own 68 stitch “recipe” for toe up sock tubes and afterthought heel

Needles: US 1s

Yarn: The Cozy Knitter 2023 advent skein and Knitted Wit Smartie in Carbon

Working these toe up means I have used up every last inch of this beautiful self striping. And I got the full rainbow in before casting off. The ribbing could have been started soon but it’s close enough.

In total with the self striping and the contrast heel, the socks weigh 75 grams and used about 280 yards of yarn. The mini skein had a teeny tiny ball left but was almost completely used up.

It took me way to long to finish these but I’m happy to start beefing up my shortie sock stash in my drawer for next winter!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Queen City Advent Granny Stripe

My Queen City Yarns Granny Stripe blanket is DONE!

Pattern: None really. I chained 245 stitches and followed a basic granny stripe recipe

Yarn: Queen City Yarns NoDa sock and some Amber Waves of Fiber Cashmere sock and some Knitting Fever Teenie Weenie Wool

Hook: G Hook (4MM)

This monster of a project consumed all of the 2,600 yards of yarn in the advent kit and another 200 yards from the skeins I picked to be able to eek out the full blanket. I strategically used the Amber Waves and Knitting Fever yarns to work the Christmas-y stripes in between each day. I doubt now that it’s finished you can tell which stripes are the alts!

The finished size is definitely a throw or lap blanket. I didn’t bother to measure but it fits me nicely in the recliner. The biggest joy? All that yarn is now out of my stash and into something I can enjoy. This won’t be my last crochet blanket but I do think I will go back to knitting and spinning for the next little bit.

Happy Crochet!

FO Friday: Mom’s In The Light

The wooden coaster turned tassel maker works just fine. I got my tassels finished and temporarily on my Mom’s In The Light. We even got to see that yellow ball in the sky that was the sun for some good photos.

Pattern: In The Light by Casey Day-Crosier (Rav Link)

Yarn: Laneras Barefoot (100% Polworth) held double with yellow and green

Needles: US 8s

Mods: Omitted the lace section to conserve yarn as I only had two skeins.

I tried to style this shawl on my necklace holder. This photo was before it’s wash and blocking so it’s a little scrunchy. But I think it still looks nice. My mom is coming this week so I can get her input on the tassels before I do final touches.

I used every bit of each 400 yard skein for a total of 800 yards used. So this was a nice bang for my buck getting yarn out of my stash. And it will be nice and toasty with the fingering held double.

Snowy Finished Socks

A snowy finish to share this week! My 2023 Christmas Eve Socks are complete with frosty photo shoot!

Pattern: My own toe up 60 stitch sock with Wendy B Johnson gusset heel

Yarn: Lilliput Rudy’s Sport in Tail Wagging colorway

Needles: US 2s

Mods: very little but I did add some leg increases to accommodate my calves

These socks have the perfect amount of ease. I do find that the feet portion are maybe 3-4 rows too long. The toes have a little too much fabric to them in my boots. But they will work. The variegation really played out nicely in this FO. It kind of reminds me of some vintage Christmasy types of decor and ornaments.

I do have another skein of sport weight yarn picked out to start. I also have the advent leftovers on the needles. I should buckle down and finish those but I am going to follow my whims and work a little on both!

Happy Knitting!!

Well, It’s A Hat

Well, the Teal Dreams hat is done and off the needles.

Pattern: My own 96 stitch “basic” beanie with folded stockinette brim

Needles: US 8s

Yarn: Lilliput Yarn Woof Worsted in the Tucker colorway

And now I present to you the glitch. When I was knitting together the folded brim, I developed a little pucker. My last few brims have been ribbed and easy to keep the edges aligned. I guess that is a little harder to keep track of in stockinette and I had more live stitches than cast on. Sigh

I didn’t notice this until I was three inches into the body of the hat. And I made the executive decision to just keep going. The hat will still stay on a head and keep it warm. It’s just not up to my exacting standards. This hat will live in the kid bin for school/sledding/etc.

I am going to start my next had to clear my palette of this oops! Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Sparkle Handspun Mitts

After knitting three darn gloves, my Sparkly Handspun Mitts are DONE!

Pattern: Loosely based off the Dreaming of Spring Fingerless Mitts by Joelle Hoverson

Yarn: My own bulky handspun

Needles: US 7s

Mods: Started at 44 stitches and ripped back to 40 for a better fit

The finished product ended up weighing about 100 grams which by some basic math worked out to 83 yards. Seems crazy to see how big these are but I guess that’s the magic of bulky/heavy worsted yarn.

I have a little bit left of this skein of handspun and a second full skein. I think I will try and Musselburgh all that I have into a matching handspun hat. But I need to clear some needles first, lol.

Happy Friday and Happy Knitting!!

2023 Cozy Knitter Advent Socks

Continuing my New Year’s parade of FO, I humbly present my 2023 CozyKnitter Advent Socks!

Pattern: My own 72 stitch toe up vanilla sock “recipe” with afterthought heel

Yarn: CozyKnitter Bliss Sock in the 2023 Advent Skein

Needles: US 1s

Mods: I upped my stitch count to 72 from my usual 68 and that works great for the foot and leg. But my heels are baggy and I should have reduced their size by 4 stitches.

I used about 88 grams of yarn or 300 yards of yarn for these including the contrast and stripe. So these go farther up my leg than my KirbyWirby socks. I really enjoyed these socks as this dyer never disappoints. I will admit my old eyes had some problems with these subtle color changes.

I definitely have enough of this yarn for a full color repeat for a second pair of socks. I won’t use a contrast toe this time and I want to incorporate some sort of slipped stitch or contrast stitch in between the colors. And I fully understand that I may have trouble detecting those color changes in some cases. I really want to try but I may hate it and rip it back out. I reserve that right!

Happy Knitting!!

2023 KirbyWirby Friends Advent Socks

May I present my 2023 KirbyWirby Friends Advent Socks as a delightful FO! They are toasty my tootsies by a roaring fire.

Pattern: My own 72 stitch toe up vanilla sock “recipe” with afterthought heel

Yarn: KirbyWirby Old Faithful Sock in 2023 Friends Advent

Needles: US1s

Mods: I upped my stitch count from 68 to 72 and probably didn’t need to. There is very little negative ease and the heels came out loose/big. But they are serviceable enough.

These came out as ankle socks instead of calf high socks. Which is fine as it adds variety to my sock drawer. The finished object used 62 grams or 280 yards of this yarn kit. That is for both contrast color and self striping. I completely used up the contrast but I may 1.5 repeats of the stripes left? With how I wound my original skeins to be able to start with the same color I am left with one large-ish ball and two small balls.

I don’t think I will attempt to make another matching pair of socks. They would be VERY short. I might think about putting these in my scrap blanket or maybe a pair of mitts? I’ll let that idea marinate for awhile. For now I’m going to snuggle with my new socks!

Happy Knitting!!