Tag Archives: vanilla

Big Bang Update

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My Big Bang Vanilla Sock has been growing quietly in the dark.

This is my post-bedtime knitting in the dark while the temperamental PB sleeps in the bassinet next to me. She still has finely tuned baby radar and can tell when she’s alone in the bedroom. Instead of feeling frustrated I take this as an opportunity to knit or honestly….go to sleep too. Babies are exhausting.

This TurtlePurl yarn has an interesting striping sequence. It’s two different two color stripe blocks each separated by a single red stripe. The colors emerge and are a complete surprise to me when I get this out in the daylight. I bought this yarn for the cute name and to be truthful, wasn’t entirely sold on the colors after I started knitting. But they are growing on me.

I have a TON of yarn in this sock set. I’m going to see how long I can stand knitting a plain tube. I am shooting for tall socks but I don’t think I will use up all the yarn. I don’t want to have to figure in calf shaping or too many increases over my standard mid-calf sock recipe. Time will tell!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Big Bang Vanilla Socks

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My needles felt very naked after I finished the Electric Mayhem socks. And I totally NEEDED another self-striping project. My brain was just craving that popcorn knitting of “just one more stripe” type of project.

So I pulled some Turtlepurl Yarns Striped Turtle toes yarn from my stash in the Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock colorway. That is a reference to one of my favorite shows, the Big Bang Theory. And the dyer had already split the 100 grams into two matching 50 gram skeins. I got this wound up and cast on my usual 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock on US 1 needles. I plan to knit tubes again and add afterthought heels later. Based on the yarn….I’m thinking solid red heels. But I’ll see how the tubes turn out first.

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!!

It’s An Electric HO

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I don’t have any FOs this week, but I do have a HO! My first Electric Mayhem sock is completed. Okay, the tube is done and it still needs a heel in full disclosure. But that’s just a minor detail right?

But LOOK HOW PRETTY THIS IS!! I bow down to the prowess of indie dyers who can self-stripe and make gradients. This is a KnitCircus yarn for those who are curious. And I purchased a 75 gram set so I would make a me sized sock without wasting a precious inch of the wonderful color.

Jellybean is currently hunting Storm Troopers in the backyard before daycare. And so I treated myself to coffee and casting on the second sock on the back patio. Don’t you just love when your baby bump and knitting coordinate?

Happy Knitting!!

These Socks Are Electric

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My Electric Mayhem Socks are just downright addictive….

I have cruised through three of the five color changes and only have a teeny bit of yarn left. I find myself thinking, I’ll just get to the next color and then I can’t quit. This yarn just makes you look like a knitting genius and absolutely baffles the muggles. Not to mention it helps this knitter get through some interminable meetings and webinars.

I only have a few grams of yarn left. I think the plan will be to finish the green section in stockinette and when I hit the yellow I’ll switch to 2×2 ribbing for the cuff. As I said before, I’m just knitting a tube until I run out of yarn and I’ll just cut in an afterthought heel when it’s all said and done. Easy peasey and no complex thinking required….just what the knitting doctor ordered!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Electric Mayhem Socks

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My flow of webex meetings and conference calls is not slowing down anytime soon. So I know I needed more purse/backpack knitting after having empty sock needles. And because I have been storing up a well curated stash…I know I could just go shopping through my lovelies!

Because of my baby brain and current complete lack of energy I knew the perfect sock skein to grab. And by perfect, I mean already caked up in a matching set….no winding up required! This is my Electric Mayem color from KnitCircus Yarn on their Greatest of Ease base. Literally I only had to grab a project bag and some empty needles.

I hope to get these cast on today during my webinar. My plan is to get started on a 68 stitch toe-up vanilla sock and knit the tube until I run out of yarn. This is their 75 gram set  so that should be just about the right amount of yarn for my size socks while not having to stop before the gradient is done. I will use my big box store workhorse yarn to put in afterthought heels in a solid black.

This is one yarn I’m not concerned about saving scraps for my memory blanket. I want to get every bit of delicious color gradient into the sock. I am so giddy to get these going and watch those electric colors transition!

Happy Knitting!!

A Tale of Two Socks

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My (accidental) travel socks have been giving me the call of the siren lately. They have been living in my work backpack and I have been pulling them out during my lunch breaks and car riding blocks of time. My work load at my job is totally whack-a-doodle and I have found the need for knitting comfort a lot lately. (Whack-a-doodle being an official accounting term, lol)

I have firmly decided to add contrasting toes and heels in some solid grey that matches nicely. And I am working both socks at the same time. I work a little on one and then some on the other as I feel to keep them roughly the same size. The yarn balls are the same amount by the way, one is center pull and the other pulling from the outside so the stripes match up. Therefore the yarn balls are more/less compact giving the illusion of two different amounts. I’m just going to knit peaceful stockinette until they are long enough or I run out of yarn, whichever comes first.

They only caveat to this plan would be to use the ball (left) that has an un-used center pull portion to add a square to my mitered square blanket before I use up all the yarn. I have been feeling the call of that project as well and I think this cheery skein would be a great addition.

Happy Knitting!!

WIP Wednesday: Travel Vanilla Socks

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My Travel Vanilla Socks were very handy at my work conference. (Side note….I saw a fellow attendee doing two handed stranded colorwork with a chart….I was in awe. She was still totally listening and participating. Legitimately awesome.)

I found myself picking them up very often at my conference. So in the span of three days I made the above progress. I’m pretty happy with a good chunk of two socks cranked out.

I also started contemplating how I was going to finish these socks. I don’t normally work cuff down so I don’t have a “favorite” cuff down heel. I recently acquired some plain grey Heritage sock yarn in my stash and I’m considering contrast toes and afterthought heels. So I’m thinking about just cranking these tubes until I get to the length I want and finish toes in grey. I think I’ll just see how my tubes turn out!

Happy Knitting!!

Travel Knitting

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Recently I had the opportunity to travel for work. I was headed to the cold tundra that was Minnesota in February. I attended a three day software conference in a very nice part of St. Paul Minnesota in a fantastic hotel. The week that lead up the conference was incredibly busy and hectic including the last minute cancellation of baby sitting plans. I barely had to time to keep my head above water at work and pack something resembling a suitably filled suitcase. At the last second I grabbed by project bag that held my Down Pour socks I had planned on redoing and dashed to the airport. I knew they had wooden needles from Joanns that I wouldn’t mind losing to a zealous TSA agent. 

Once at the airport and safely through security where my knitting was not deemed a security threat, I pulled out my project and pattern only to find that I needed several stitch markers and they were not in my kit. I had needles, yarn and pattern ONLY. Sigh, so these socks had to become cuff down vanilla socks. Not my favorite…but it was better than than no knitting at all for four days.

I made up for my project D’oh by knitting in the posh hotel wrapped in a plush bathrobe with the remote control all to myself! I have to say is that was pretty much heaven to a pregnant knitter after sitting in ballroom conference chairs for 7 hours!

I’ll try to show my total trip progress if I can grab some updated photos this week. Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Vanilla Rainbow Socks

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Phew! I finished my (hopefully) last Christmas knit! My Vanilla Rainbow Socks!


These were a quick but slow knit for reasons I’ll explain later. But they match almost perfectly! And I turned them in for FOUR KALs for points/possible prizes. How can you not love that?

Pattern: 64 stitch toe up vanilla sock with gusset heel

Needles: US2 nine inch circs

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Prints in the Rainbow color

My mom really like these so they might end up being for her. And the Christmas pair I finished prior might go to my aunt Barb. I used 310 yards or 71 grams of the skein so they could have been bigger but I was soooo done with this project I just couldn’t do it!

Happy Knitting!!