Knot In The Rainbow

I forgot to tell you all that when I was at the doctor this week, I found a knot in my Felici yarn! I know, I know….knots are normal and acceptable in commercially produced yarn. But this knot totally interrupted my rainbow. This color change totally skipped light blue and yellow and went straight to orange.

So I took a deep breath and pulled out from the skein until I got back to a dark blue spot. I kinda had to fudge it since I already had some dark blue stitches knit on but not a full stripes worth. I ended up with a nice hunk of yarn pulled out.

I’m going to continue my sock to preserve the rainbow. I may have to get creative for the heel on this one. I might kick over to the first tube and get the heel installed so I know how much yarn that afterthought heel requires.

I still hate knots. Happy Knitting!!

Can They Be Socks Yet?

Despite my choice to knit and drink wine, my Paintbox Socks, Take Two have heels that are swimming along.

The first sock heel is complete. I do a modified afterthought heel where I add extra plain rows at the beginning of the heel to add depth. I have a high instep and this extra fabric makes for a better fit. I didn’t invent this, but I have knit enough socks to figure out what works for me.

I need to finish the second heel and then I will I have a second pair of shorties done in as many days! Gotta love knitting from machine knit socks tubes. Happy Knitting!!

Ripping Back

My Double Vanilla Socks having been sitting in timeout for….awhile. The foot just kept looking super skinny compared to what my normal socks come out to. So I pulled a finished sock from my drawer and held them up together. And my instincts were correct….this sock is too skinny. So to the frog pond it went.

I didn’t go crazy, I only ripped back to the toe. I think I am going to only add 4 stitches to the total sock. That equates to two more increase rows before proceeding with the foot again. I think I will just be happier with a bigger sock.

My interest in this project has been rejuvenated since I made the decision to make them bigger. Sometimes my sub conscious is better at knitting than I am, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

I Have A WIP Problem

Spring has sprung and I have been cleaning organizing. I got my to bedroom and discovered I might have a WIP problem…..

In this pile are two blankets (long term), enough yarn for three shawls, three pairs of socks, several random cakes of yarn for hats one glove project….oh and a knitted knocker.

I think I need to dust some of these off and either Finish or Frog. But not today George, lol. I think I’ll just knit in another room…

Happy Knitting!!

Almost There Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks

I’m down to the last few rows of cuff on my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks!

The heel turn is complete and I muddled my through the second leg. The increases may not be in the exact same places as sock number one but there are for sure the same number of increases.

I’m already scheming my next sock cast on for when these are done! Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Sand Castle Vanilla Socks

Do I have at least two pairs of of socks on the needles? Why yes, I do. Did I need another? Why yes I do! I pulled some cashmere sock yarn from my stash from Leading Man Fiber Arts in the Sand Castle colorway and started some toe up vanilla socks.

This yarn feels like BUTTER between my fingers. It’s so amazing that I don’t care how long these socks will last as they will feel AMAZING on my feet when they are done. I have managed to get the toe increases done and I’m ready for just a poop ton of ’round and round’ in stockinette. That is my sweet spot of knitting right now. It’s my happy place

What is your happy place?

The Last Heel

Thanks to some socially distanced travels to the grandparents this weekend for Jellybean’s 6th birthday…I have almost finished socks!! My Retro Rainbow Socks are almost complete and basking in the early Kansas fall season.

The first sock is still complete and the second one is a complete tube with a finished cuff. I have a sneaking suspicion that my socks will end up being fraternal rather than identical. Most certainly due to my gauge and no fault of the dyer. This pandemic and remote school has played all kinds of hell with my tension.

Fingers crossed I have a finished pair of socks this week! Happy Knitting!!

Clearing The Deck

Also on a quarantine reaction front, I decided to use some of my kid free time last weekend to do a little “crafting round-up” to see if I could clear the decks a little. I just had the urge to organize and get rid of projects that don’t make me happy. I ended up cleaning my craft room bookshelf and the crafting corner where I dump all my projects. I came up with the following:

  1. A tote of WIPs I hadn’t looked at in at least two years or more
  2. My ginormous mitred square memory blanket and project bag
  3. Two giant knitting bags with many many project bags in them

Y’all, I dumped the whole shooting match out on the living room floor and just started sorting. I managed to empty three project bags and reclaim the yarn and needles for projects I just didn’t want to do anymore. I repacked my tote with three projects I still want to have on hold and organized my scraps for my memory blanket into one place.

That let me with one bag/pile of WIPs I actually feel like I want to work on. Including a blanket project that I forgot I had from….ahem….four years ago?

I’m hoping the revs up my mojo a little bit. But at the very least I feel a little less burdened with “to-dos” and projects. There is a lot of potential in that bag I just need to realize a little of it maybe.

Happy Knitting!!

My Current State

Hey guess what? The laundry from yesterday is still there. I decided it was a good idea to delegate the folding to my hubby since I washed and dried it all. But he has a different world view on how quickly these kinds of things should be done. I’m curious to see how long it will take to get put away? For now, I’m just dressing Jellybean and PB from the baskets, lol.

But for now I have comfy yoga pants and my Weekender Sweater. The ladders are still there no matter what I try so I’m hoping that the blog advice that they will block out and even out when its done is true. So far I’m really pleased with the even colors I’m getting with the helical knitting. I have almost put one complete ball of the Malabrigo Rios into this sweater. Here’s hoping the next balls fades in nicely as well!

Happy Knitting!!

Knitting Nest

We have this microwave/TV cart that we have been carting around since our first apartment in 2007. I think this was even handed down from my Aunt back then who used it for many years before I got it. It has been a bedside table, microwave holder, toy storage and book storage. But during a recent shuffle of the upstairs of our home…it found itself empty.

Very quickly and organically it filled up with knitting. I didn’t even plan it on purpose. It lives behind the couch out the way of sticky little kid fingers. And in the evening I can pull it out and put beside the recliner in our living room. Then put it away when I’m done. It has all the essentials: wine, ear buds for podcasts, snacks and three WIPs.

I have my Weekender in the purple sheep bag, the Arya shawl in the gold polka dot bag, and the long languishing Party Top in the dark brown polka dot bag. My hubby has dubbed this my “Knitting Nest” and I kinda like it! It’s my knitting spot…only mobile!

Do you have a knitting spot?