Spring is Around the Corner - I Hope

I started my monkey sock and I am really liking the pattern and I love the Dream in Color Smooshy yarn. I am using the Happy Forest color and size 2 needles. Since this is the first sock I am knitting where there is a pattern in the design, I wanted to try a solid color and Smooshy filled the bill. It is sooo soft. The color is such a Spring color and has me dreaming of warmer weather.

I am still working on my Sheepaints sock, but other things have been getting in the way.

I fell in love with a scarf that one of my knitter friends was making in our knitting class. She was using two types of Haibu yarn. One was cork cotton and the other was tobe moire. After searching the internet, I landed out ordering it direct from Haibu in NYC. The cool thing is that instead of receiving balls of yarn, they sent cones. Also, since the one yarn had more yardage on it, I would have been left with extra yarn. Since they put it on a cone, they only sold me what I needed. Can't wait to start this. You knit both yarns together on size 10 needles until the yarn runs out. I am planning to cast on this week.

I did finish up a third and final Awareness Ribbon dishcloth this week.

And, I finished up the Reverse Ballband dishcloth. The original ballband pattern is revised by Elizabeth Warner to make it reversable and to make the edging neater looking. This was my first ball band dishcloth and I didn't have any trouble knitting it up. In fact, I really enjoyed it and plan to make more of these.

Right side:

Wrong side:

I have been reading too. Remember, I have a goal to reach by the end of the year. So far this year I have read the following books:

Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovitch

G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton

H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton

I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton

J is for Judgement by Sue Grafton

I have enjoyed all of these books, but I need to get a move on and read more. Oh, for warmer weather and not working. I dream of sunny days and relaxing days spent on my back porch reading and knitting. Only 29 days left until tax season is over and Thursday is the first day of Spring. It's getting hard to control my excitement!

Easter Socks are Finished

I finally finished my Easter socks! I'm so excited and I really love how they turned out. Next will be the monkey sock pattern in Dream in Color.

I also finished up some dishcloths I was knitting:

The February Mid-Month KAL called Finders Keepers by Sue Schaeffer from Harvest Moons Designs. I used Peaches and Cream in mauve and verde green with size 6 needles. This was a great cloth to knit and has given me the confidence to try the ball band dishcloth that is in the Mason Dixon knitting book.

The March KAL called Empty Tomb by Lindy. I used Peaches and Cream in Camel with size 6 needles.

The second Awareness Ribbon cloth by Donna Burgess. I used Sugar and Cream in Rose Pink and size 6 needles.

I find that when I have 40 stitches or more for a dishcloth that size 6 needles are better to use.

I am finishing the final Awareness Ribbon dishcloth, have gotten past the heel on my first Sheepaints sock, started on the sleeve for my sweater. I'm on a knitting roll!

New Yarn

Yes, I did it. I went and bought more sock yarn. I just couldn't resist.

From Twisted:

Arial in Batty and Karma colorway. Batty reminds me of Plucky Knitter's palatial color.

From the Loopy Ewe:

On top: Paca Peds Gator colorway, From left to right from Fannies Fingering Weight Yarn: Autumn, Fall Flowers, and Brambles.

All are wonderful colorways and I can't wait to cast on socks for these yarns.

And, of course an updated picture of my Maggie May (Isn't she precious?)

Feeling of Accomplishment

It's a wonderful feeling when you are finishing a project or getting close to finishing. It's also wonderful feeling good about what you are knitting verus dreading working on a project. For the most part I am enjoying the projects I am working on. I do have a few that I have put to the side for now, but know that I will eventually finish them.

I am close to finishing the Meilenweit Sock. I need to pick up stitches at the heel and then finishing will go quickly. Just in time for Easter since I am calling these my Easter socks.

I started another sock by Sheepaints. It's their bamboolaine line in Grapes. I am using size 2 needles on this sock as well and I like how it's striping. It's different than other socks I have knit since the stripes are wider.

I believe that for my next sock, I will try the monkey sock pattern using Dream in Color Smooshy. Can't wait to start these.

I have also finished one Awareness Ribbon Dishcloth. One down and two to go. I enjoyed knitting this pattern. I liked the size 6 needles for this cloth.

And, I finished the squidge cloth in Peaches and Cream. This was a fun cloth to knit.

I am just about finished with the front of my sweater. I should be able to complete that before the end of this week and then I can start on the sleeves. Yippee! I will be glad to finally finish this project. I have a black shrug that I haven't worked on for quite awhile. I only have a row or two to finish, so I will work on this next after my sweater is done.

Ah, the wonderful feeling of accomplishment when projects are finished or just about finished!

Knitting Friends

Finally got to go to knitting class on Saturday. Boy was I glad to be back. Here are some pictures of my fellow knitters.

Ann Marie and Sharon

Kathy, Rose and Pat our wonderful teacher

Lois and Maria

Gail and Donna

I am glad to be back. I missed being there and missed all my knitting friends.

Sock Yarn - a Discovery

Sock yarn is amazing. Before I knew even how to knit socks, I would browse through blogs and see the finished socks of different bloggers. The patterns and colors amazed me and had me chomping at the bit to learn how to do this. When I saw a patterned sock (simple stockinette) and I loved the colors and pattern, I would determinedly look through the blog notes to find what sock yarn and what color it was. (As a side note, I really wish bloggers would not be so mysterious and let us know the yarn brand and color they used. I hate when they keep it a secret). I am a pretty good detective and most of the time, I can find the yarn. I then proceeded to buy it, even though I didn't knit socks. The best part is that it is usually only one (or two) skeins, which isn't always much of an investment.



Eventually, I did learn how to knit socks. I have found that it's a wonderful process knit up this yarn and any new sock yarn I have discovered. But what is even more enlightening is finding yarn that I really enjoy knitting (separate from the color). The way some yarns feel as you knit makes a whole lot of difference on how you stick with a project. So far, I have loved to knit with Socks that Rock, Colinette Jitterbug, Wollmeise, Plucky Knitter, and now Lana Grossa's Meilenweit Multieffekt. Each yarn has it's own feel and texture and when I find that I enjoy knitting with it, I knit faster and want to knit it rather than leaving it as a work in progress. I often think of Miss Violet of Lime and Violet who will squeal, when she finds a sock yarn she wants and is able to buy it. I feel that excitement now when I find a sock yarn I love to knit with.



I love the pattern that comes out of these yarns. As I knit, I want to knit faster to see what comes next in the pattern. It really is a joy to have this excitement come over you to keep knitting so you can finish to see the final result.



I love knitting on size 2 bamboo double pointed needles. Size 1 needles are okay, but my fingers feel cramped. Plus, you have to knit longer to get the size sock you want. After using size 1 needles, Size 2 needles make it feel as if you are flying when you knit. (Bloggers, please also give us the size needles you used to make your sock. Size does matter. In some cases, to avoid pooling, you need to change needle sizes).

So, here are my Meilenweit Multieffekt socks in color 3124 that I am knitting on size 2 bamboo needles. I just love knitting with this yarn and I love the pattern. I call them my Easter socks.

Also, on the needles are two dishcloths. I am knitting the Squidge Cloth by Knit-Nutt. I am using size 6 knitpicks needles with Peaches and Cream in Sea Mist.

I am also knitting the Awareness Ribbon Cloth by Donna Burgess using Sugar and Cream in Rose Pink with size 6 needles.

Still knitting my sweater and I am close to finishing the front. Hopefully, the weather will allow me to go to class on Saturday as I might be able to complete it by then.

Finishing is Rewarding

I feel good. I actually finished something this week. In fact, I finished two items. I completed the February KAL from the Monthly Dishcloth Yahoo Group. I used Sugar and Cream in rose pink on size 7 needles. I really liked this pattern.

I also completed my Plucky Knitter socks in Palatial. I love, love this yarn and the color. I think I would like to even knit a second pair using size 1.5 needles. I have more Plucky Knitter yarn and will definately have to cast on another pair of socks using her yarn.

This week, I need to work on my sweater. I am so excited because I get to go to my knitting class on Saturday. I haven't been there for three weeks, so I am anxious to get back. It gives me something to look forward too.

It's Tax Time

I had a busy week last week. This week will also be busy, but at least I have off the weekend and next week gets better. I did get to work on my sweater a little bit and cast on for the second Plucky Knitter sock.

I started on the February dishcloth KAL yesterday. I checked out the Elmore Pisgah web site and they have the yarn on special for all of the KALs for the year. I am really tempted to order since the majority of the colors are solids and I need solid colors. So, I may be breaking my stash building with this purchase. I will hold off until later this week to decide. Peaches and Creame is much nicer than Sugar and Cream.

I did get more Plucky Knitter yarn. Both are 100% merino fingering yarn. I got colors Toille and Josie. Can't wait to try another pair of socks with this.

I do miss my knitting class on Friday's and Saturday's. Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into by going back to work for tax season. But, I just need to hang in there. Next Saturday, I will be able to go back to class. I really like staying home and not working.

Going back to the beginning

I finally finished the Yarn Pirate Spooky socks. They turned out okay and do fit, although I have to pull them over my heel a little. I like them, but I don't like them. I think it was working on the size 1 needles. Somewhere I saw that if socks start to pool to cast on less stitches. The person who suggested this, cast on two less stitches and her yarn stripped well. That wouldn't work for me. I would have to cast on four less stitches to make the stitches divide well. But, I found another alternative. HiYa HiYa makes size 1.5 bamboo needles. Maybe that would work instead and the needles wouldn't be as thin. I'll have to buy some and try it next time this happens to me.

I also finished one sock using Plucky Knitter's yarn in Palatial. I really love this yarn and love the colorway. The only negative was that I had to go down to size 1 needles to get it to stripe. They striped better than the Yarn Pirate socks above. I really love this sock. Now on to finish the second sock. I don't plan on starting a new sock until I finish this pair.

I did start knitting on my sweater that I started in 2004. This was my first knitting project that I started when I began knitting. It's the Olivia pattern from Berroco booklet 219. I am using Araucania Nature Wool Chunky yarn in color 108. I like the yarn a lot. I have the back completed and I'm almost finished with the front. The sleeves shouldn't take long. I won't be at my knitting class for a couple of weeks, so I am hoping to get close to finishing the front by the time I am able to go again. Then maybe I can start on the sleeves. The sweater appears to be really big for me, but I don't care. I just want to finish it and I can wear it around the house as a big comfy sweater. Maybe I will knit another in a smaller size later. I found that I have learned a lot about knitting since I started this sweater. Sock knitting has helped me.

Got my STR club yarn for January. I love the color. It's called Dragon Dance in lightweight yarn. This will probably be my last year for this club. It's getting too expensive and I have a big stash of sock yarn.

I did order some knitting books from Knitpicks. I love them all. I think the toilet roll covers are cute and I love the scarves in the Ocean Breezes book.

Well, this week will be tough for knitting. I am working every day this week plus Saturday. This past Saturday was slow, so I got to go home early, but I don't think that will be the case this week. There are times I wonder why I am doing this because I love to be home, but it's only until April 15th (79 more days and counting).

Dishcloth, Headband, Socks and Cupcakes

Well, my time off is coming to an end. We are starting to gear up for tax season, so I will be working more. I'm kinda sad because I really, really liked being home. But, the good news is that it is only until April 15th. That will bring sunlight lasting longer, warmer weather, and time off.

I have been knitting a lot. I finished up the Mid-Month KAL from the Monthly Dishcloth group. It's a Diamond Lace pattern and I like how it turned out. I used Peaches and Cream Peppermint Ombre yarn that I got from Elmore Pisgah. It was an easy pattern to do.

I also finished a third Calorimetry headband using Berroco Jasper Yarn in black.

I am at the heel with the Yarn Pirate spooky yarn. This sock has been on the needles for awhile, so I will be glad to finish it up. My plan is to do the heel tonight, so I just have to knit to the toe and finish it up

I also got to the heel with the Plucky Knitter yarn in Palatial. I really, really love this yarn and the colorway. I like it so much that I might get another skein of this colorway.

For both of these yarns, I had to go down to size 1 needles to get the yarn to stripe the way I liked it. I saw something on someone else's blog, where she cast on two less stitches to get the yarn she was working on to stripe correctly. I may try this, but instead of two less stitches, I will try four less stitches and of course use size 2 needles. Size 2 is easier to handle than size 1.

I snagged some yarn from the last Loopy Ewe sneak up. I was even able to get a skein of Wollmeise yarn (Iris Sibirica). Apparently, they had server problems because so many people wanted the Wollmeise yarn. Everything was running slow, so I was glad to be able to get some of it. I also got two skeins of Collinette Jitterbug (Coulis and Castagna), and one skein of Rio de la Platta (Wood Thrush). I just love the Loopy Ewe!

I found two skeins of Knitpicks Essential yarn that I had in my yarn tote. I forgot that I bought this. It is the Meadow Multi colorway which should make a pretty pair of socks.

I'll finish off with a cupcake that I bought from the Betz White store. What a neat knitted cupcake. I recommend it highly. It makes me hungry for cupcakes. I know that there are now cupcake bakeries, but alas there are none in my area.

Happiness Is Knitting All Day

Last week was a great week for finishing projects. I completed my Jitterbug socks in the Gaughin colorway. I had no problem with running out of yarn. In fact, I had quite a bit leftover.

I also completed another headband (Calorimetry) in the brown colorway. This was made with Berroco Jasper yarn.

And, I finished up another comfortghan square in the Little Checks Square pattern by Mary Dixon.

This week I have been working on my Yarn Pirate Sock in the Spooky colorway. I am using size one needles for this sock because it wasn't striping using the size 2's. I was concerned that they would be too tight, but they fit okay. Whew!

I started on another sock using the Plucky Knitter yarn in the Palatial colorway. I had to use size 1 needles for this sock as well because of the striping. This yarn is really soft and stretchy, so it should be okay. I am annoyed when a sock doesn't stripe well.

I started another headband (calorimetry) in black. I told you I really liked this pattern as well as the yarn.

I finished my third comfortghan square this year. Pattern is Double Broken Rib Square by Mary Dixon. Only 21 more to go for the year to reach my goal.

I have off from work three days this week and I spent all day knitting today. It was wonderful to be able to do that and I was able to accomplish alot. So, it's back to the knitting the headband. I would like to finish that up this week as well as the second Yarn Pirate sock and maybe pull out the sweater that I started back in 2004 to finish that up in the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck.

Time to Knit

2008 keeps ticking away. I found that by making a list of things I want to accomplish for the week really helps to keep me focused. Hopefully, this will continue for the rest of the year.

I am working on my Jitterbug socks. I really like the color of these. The yarn is like Socks that Rock (I wonder if they will fade?) and I think I will end up with enough yarn for the two socks. There has been a bit of controversy on the Internet that one skein will not yield two socks over size 8. I am a size 9 and believe that I will have enough yarn to finish. I did buy a half skein from the Loopy Ewe just in case, but can use it for a smaller pair of socks later.

I have completed one comfortghan square and started on another. The pattern is Little Checks Square by Mary Dixon. I am using a Light Celery Green in TLC Essentials for this pattern. I am currently working on a second one in this pattern.

I also completed the first KAL in the Yahoo Monthly Dishcloth Group. It was a football pattern. I used Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton in Natural with a size 7 needle. I joined this group in August of 2005 when Andi first started it and now we are up to 5000 members. Wow, that's alot of members. It's a great group because we have two KAL's a month and you really learn new things by participating in them. I like the KAL's too because you get 10 rows a day. This is much better than just participating in a KAL and knitting at your own pace. 10 rows a day is doable and if you can't knit one day, it's easy to catch up on another day.

I started a second Calorimetry headband in Jasper using a brownish color yarn. I am about half way done with this one.

This pattern is so great. It is fast to knit and I love the yarn. I know I will be making more of these.

I started my yarn diet, but I did receive two types of yarns that I ordered in 2007. Lisa Souza in Little Devil and in Denim colorways. I have wanted to order from her for quite awhile so I bit the bullet and did it before my yarn diet started.

I also ordered from the Plucky Knitter. What great yarns she has. I got three skeins in colorways: Palatial, Verdant Valley, and Dapper. I discovered her on a Ravelry ad that Jess recommended and I am not disappointed. When I finish my Jitterbug sock, I WILL be casting on with one of these colorways (I think the Dapper will be my first choice). I also saw that the Loopy Ewe will be carrying her yarn too.

Time to stop chatting, I am off to do some knitting!

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Today is a day to reflect on what I accomplished in 2007 and what I want to achieve in 2008.

I completed the following projects in 2007:

18 Dishcloths

12 Comfortghan Squares

6 Pairs of socks - I'm really proud of finally feeling comfortable with knitting socks.

2 scarves

1 pair of fingerless gloves

1 baby blanket

1 headband

In addition, I read 62 books this year. Posted on my blog 39 times in 2007.

UFO's:

Mystery Stole

Berroco snowflake

Two pairs of socks

Socks that Rock scarf

Silky Tie Wrap

Shrug

Sweater

Candle flame shawl

pair of fetching gloves

Beach tote

Ripple afghan

Thrummed Mittens

Other things that happened in 2007: We lost our wonderful, wonderful cocker (Sadie), we acquired a precious cocker named Maggie, who is now a year old. I lost my job and I got a new part time job. I became a member of Ravelry and I'm starting to keep track of projects and stash.

Goals I hope to achieve in 2008:

1. Complete installing files and programs on my computer (hard drive crashed)

2. Organize closets and cabinets and purge items (or maybe a yard sale in spring).

3. Organize my yarn stash better and continue to update Ravelry.

4. Update my blog at least once a week.

5. Do some stashbusting - I really need to stop buying and use up my stash. But, I know I will be tempted and will allow it occasionally.

6. Knit 24 comfortghan squares for my Yahoo Dishcloth group.

7. Knit 12 socks (one for each month) if not more.

8. Knit a patterned sock

9. Knit a Christmas stocking or two

10. Knit the Ice Queen pattern on knitty.com

11. Attempt two color mittens (Icelandic type) and a fingerless glove with cover.

12. Finish some UFO's

13. Read 65 books

It will be interesting to come back at the end of 2008 to see how well I did.