Tag Archives: WIP

First Smooth Operator Heels

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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!!

The Second Heel Goes Slowly

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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!!

Wow Those Are Stripes

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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!!

Socks In The Wild

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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

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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!!

Yarn Chicken Fail

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My Baby Vertebrae for PB officially has two sleeves!

I can’t help but keep thinking the speckles of this yarn paired with this pattern are just so sharp looking! And the fabric has quite the soft hand to it even before washing. It’s 100% merino and a nice plump 4-ply DK. I just love it so hard. I have forbade the husband from even THINKING about washing this in fear of felting it. I might even make a dark red HAND WASH ONLY tag and affix to the inside, lol.

I’m very clearly ready for button bands. But guess what guys…I lost at yarn chicken….

All I have left is this TINY ball of yarn and an entire button band to knit on. I broke down and ordered another skein from Apothefaery Fibers in her Etsy shop in this same color. I know the skeins won’t likely match. But I only have the button band left and I’m okay if that color difference shows. I can totally spin that as intentional! Now I just have to sit and wait for the mailman to bring me my pretty!

Happy Knitting!!

Matching Heels

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The toes are installed on my Accidental Travel socks…squee!!!

I literally cannot put these down. Jellybean hasn’t been very consistent about sleeping and PB is growing like a weed making it not easy to find a comfortable pregnancy position. These socks have been like salve to my soul. Who needs sleep when you can knit pretty yarn?

Today I’m going to cut in the true afterthought heel and try to get them knit up. I do a little bit of my own flavor of afterthought heel that adds the depth I need for my foot/heel. I’ll try to remember to put notes on my Ravelry page on what I do. If I work a heel like a “standard” toe its NO WHERE NEAR deep enough of a pocket to fit my foot.

Happy Knitting

WIP Wednesday: Accidental Travel Socks

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My Accidental Travel Socks have officially reached the toe.

I would like to say that I carefully did math and made sure I had enough tube for both foot and leg. But that would be a bald faced lie. I knit the tube until I couldn’t stand it anymore and then knit up the tandem sock to match. I did measure and the tube is 14 inches so I’m probably okay.

I am pleased at how well the stripes matched up. I did intentionally try to do that but I was worried because the cuffs were slightly different from the beginning. I’m guessing that one sock is every so slightly shorter/longer than the other one because of the different initial yellow stripe difference. But I don’t care….if you are that close to my foot to notice then you deserve a kick to the schnoz. These are sparkly and just my everything right now!

Happy Knitting!!

One Sleeve Down

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One project that needs to see more love is the Baby Vertebrae for PB.

I’ve finished the first sleeve and put the needles in for the second sleeve. After this it will literally only need a button band and blocking. I think my mental block on this one is the DPNs. They are not my jam. I have to pay special attention to my tension when changing needles to avoid laddering. (This is totally why I knit my socks on 9 inch circs.) I really want this sweater for PB and it should be just right for fall. And the yarn is divine….I am just struggling with my mojo a little bit.

Oh well, slow and stead will still win the race right?

Happy Knitting!!

Blanket Resurrection

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I recently cleaned my large knitting tote full of WIPs that lives on the chaos of the “mail table” as we call it in this house. I sorted needles, notions, and yarny bits and bobs back to their rightful places that had collected. I also took some WIPs to the craft room for longer term storage. Call it pre-baby knitting nesting if you will. Really it was a task I had been putting off for too long mostly due to the prolonged morning sickness and just general hair on fire craziness at work.

As a reward for completing a boring but necessary task….I treated myself to pulling my memory blanket from hibernation and adding two new squares!

I added a square of deep royal blue from my Midas Hat and as I talked about I added a stripey square from my Accidental Travel vanilla socks. I found I really missed this project! I think this blanket might be the perfect post-partum maternity leave knitting plan. It’s easy to pick up and put down as well as soothing garter stitch. It allows for some quick mini-victories after completing each square that should be good for a soul that doesn’t have many knitting minutes left in the day. Not to mention it’s just lovely and cheery to look at.

I am preparing myself for the joy and total time-suck that is nursing and caring for a newborn baby. And this go around I will also have an active young-ling that will also need his own attention. Knitting is important to me and I’m not going to give that away. But I am mentally preparing for the (temporary) shift in schedule and priorities. I wasn’t able to do that with Jellybean as I literally had no clue what was coming as a first time parent. I want to be kinder and gentler with myself this go around. My littles will only be small for a short time and I want to soak up every second…no matter how exhausting they are!

Happy Knitting!!