An FO Post Way Past Its Time

Eventually, I get around to things.  A couple of posts ago, I told you about receiving yarn for a pair of socks, and promised an FO post for them.  This is the promised post, and it is extremely overdue, as the socks are my last FO of 2014!

Back in August, when I opened up the package containing this yarn, The Tim said, "That yarn would make great socks for me."  I am pretty sure I gave him a dirty look, but I do remember saying, "Well, I'm not sure this is sock yarn," to which he replied, "You told me that pretty much any yarn can be sock yarn if you want it to be."  Great.  Once out of a bazillion times, he actually listens to what I say!

Anyway, fast forward to October 2014.  Our anniversary was at the end of the month, and The Tim is a hard person to buy a gift for, because if he likes/wants something, he'll generally just go ahead and get it.  Which is nice for him, but leaves me racking my brain for ideas.  So I decided that I would go ahead and use the yarn to make socks.  I had a whole month, no big deal.

Except that at the same time, I decided to make a pair of Halloween socks for myself.  Still, it all seemed quite doable.  And I got started on both of them and was happily knitting along.

Then life and work intervened.  After a couple of weeks, I realized that it was likely that neither pair would be even close to finished before the end of October.  So I put the Halloween socks aside, and decided to concentrate on the Kidney Socks, because The Tim's birthday is in November.

Then they became a Christmas gift, since it was clear they weren't gonna be finished by his birthday.  I zipped along, and then just  near the end of the second sock, my osteoarthritis started acting up.  So I had to take about a week off from knitting, though I could do other holiday things, so it was fine that way.

Well, the good news is, the socks were completed.  Yep, at approximately 7:45 a.m. on Christmas morning, I finished grafting the toe of the second sock, wove in all of the ends, and popped them into a gift bad I had waiting.

They were a big hit, but when The Tim expressed surprise about receiving them, I mentioned his comment when I opened the yarn.  He of course didn't remember anything ...

Project:  Kidney Socks
Pattern:  Classic Socks for the Family, by Melinda Goodfellow (my go-to basic sock pattern)
Yarn:  Verdant Gryphon Eidos, colorway The Kidney Heist
Needles:  Size 1 1/2US
Modifications:  Not anything major, I just decided to make the leg longer than the pattern indicates.  I always feel that regular socks that are not knee socks are lower on the leg than I would prefer.  So I added an inch and a half.  The Tim reports they are comfortable, and that he likes the length.  I love the way they turned out, and the yarn was just wonderful to knit.

I'm glad that we both like them, because it was ridiculous how long it took me to make them!  I was determined by December though, that one way or another, they would be a Christmas gift for 2014.  Phew!

The Kindness of (Sorta) Strangers, Part 2

Last month, I showed you a pair of socks that a blog friend knit and sent to me when I was recovering from surgery in July.  That post is here, in case you didn't get to see it.  As I mentioned in that post, receiving those socks was one of the things that made me feel so happy while I was otherwise feeling awful.

Lorraine is not the only blog friend who took the time to be thoughtful and let me know someone was thinking of me and wishing me well.  Amazing.

I have been reading Lorette's blog for years, and we have become really good online friends.  We have a common love for wine and cocktails, knitting, food, music, and reading, just to name a few things.  Through Facebook, her husband John has also become a friend.  So when a package arrived with their return address, I was really curious to see what might be inside.  I opened it, and it was a gorgeous skein of Eidos yarn from The Verdant Gryphon.  The colorway?  The Kidney Heist!  Let me tell you,  The Tim and I got a BIG laugh out of that - and it hurt me to laugh!  The Tim almost immediately said, "That would make great socks for me," and I said something to the effect of, "Excuse me?"

Fast forward to last October.  Our anniversary was coming up, and The Tim is a really hard person, present-wise.  He usually buys things he wants for himself.  So I decided to actually go ahead and use "the kidney yarn" (as we called it) to make him a pair of socks - I mean, it's the only thing he had actually requested.

The details about the socks and their making will be in another post. but I can tell you that they finally got finished, and that knitting with that yarn was a truly wonderful experience.  So soft, and so pretty!  Here's one of the pictures I have of the finished pair:

Again, how lucky am I to have a friend like Lorette, who - even though we have never laid eyes on one another, or even spoken on the phone - sent me not just beautiful yarn, but yarn with a colorway name that was a) appropriate, and b) hilarious?  I still find it astonishing that she took the time to send it to me.

Thanks, Lorette and John!  You gave me a happy feeling and a good (if somewhat painful) laugh at a time when I needed it more than just about anything else, and I will always remember your kindness.

Kindness is never a bad thing.

For Me ... But Then For Someone Else

Aren't these pretty socks?  These are the socks I originally started for myself for a pair of summertime-looking socks.  They turned out to be really lovely.  But nowhere near a size to fit me ...

So what happened?  Well, I started them shortly before The Big Fall, and then didn't work on them again until the time I was recovering from my surgery.  I think I was a) freaked out by my surgery, and b) not paying attention, because in the end, they were just way too small for me!  Which was disappointing, but The Tim suggested they might  be a lovely Christmas gift for my oldest great-niece, and therefore turned lemons into lemonade.  :-)

Here are the details:

Project: Wissahickon Summer Socks
Pattern:  Classic Socks for the Family, by Melinda Goodfellow (aka my go-to socks pattern)
Yarn:  Black Bunny Fibers BFL Tight Twist, in the Village Green colorway
Needles:  Size 1 US
Modifications:  None - at least none that I was aware of making!

They are pretty, soft, and will hopefully be loved and happily worn by my great-niece.

Tonight:  When Knitting Goes Bad - on Fox.  :-)

Not really.  But I was disappointed they didn't fit me.  Not disappointed enough to rip them and re-do, though.

I'll be glad in December ...

And Here Is Some Knitting

As I mentioned in a previous post, even if I couldn't really enjoy reading while I have been recovering from surgery, at one point I was able to knit basic things.  One of my goals while I was going to be home from work was to knit a little sweater for an upcoming great-niece.  My niece and her husband who live in San Francisco are having a baby girl, due on September 19.  I am not all that sure that they will be thrilled with hand knit items, as they didn't seem thrilled the year I knit everyone socks and sent them for Christmas (well, maybe they loved them, but I never heard one way or another), but since I have knit things for the other great-nieces and nephews, I was going to knit something for this baby.

Normally, I would wait until the baby was actually here, and I was certain the package had been received, but since I know that my niece doesn't read much at all, much less read my blog, I decided to go ahead and share now.

So here you go.

Project:  Arielle's First Sweater
Pattern:  Yoked Cardigan by Hannah Fettig (Ravelry link)
Yarn:  Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton, colorway 627 Flamingo
Needles:  Size 8US
Modifications:  None
Comments:  This is a very fun pattern to knit.  Though basic, you do have to pay attention.  There is a lot of purling, so if you are one of those people who will do anything to avoid having to purl, this may not be the pattern for you.  For whatever reason, as I was knitting it, I decided it needed to have navy blue buttons.  The ones I ended up finding are not a dark navy blue, but they are a darker-than-baby-blue, and I like the way they look.  This is the first Hannah Fettig pattern I've knit, and it's really well-written.

The little sweater is on its way to California as I am writing this, where hopefully it will be put on the kid at least once for a photo!  :-)

And Now For Some Knitting!

Before I go any further, thanks very much to all of you for your kind comments and concern about my fall.  It's still a mystery what happened, though I am still of the belief that I tripped, fell, and knocked myself out.  In any case, I'm feeling better a little bit each day, and have gone from really swollen and purple to slightly swollen with more of a yellow tinge. :-)  I got the stitches on my upper lip taken out, and head back to work this coming Monday.  The dentist even put a temporary fix on my tooth!  So, I'm getting there.

*****

As promised above though, I have a knitting project to show you.  This is one I am really pleased with, and that was fun to knit.

On May 10, we added another great-niece to my family when my niece Julie and her husband Keith became parents to baby Penn.  You may recall from a previous post or two, that I had been wanting to make the Baby Tea Leaves sweater for her.  Well, I got that really well underway when I realized that I wasn't gonna have enough yarn to finish it!  (Sometimes I wonder about myself.   But that's a post for another day.)  But thanks to Ravelry, I could search for projects based on the amount of yarn I had, and found one that I thought was worth a try.  And before I knew it, I had a sweet little baby sweater for a sweet little baby.

I just love the way it turned out!  If you are looking for a baby knit that has some interest but is not overly involved to knit, this is it.

Details:

Project:  Penn's First Sweater
Pattern:  Liliana, by Irishgirlieknits
Size:  3 months (smallest)
Yarn:  Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport Solid, in the Lace Kelly colorway (I used most of one skein)
Needles:  Size 5 US
Modifications:  None
Comments:  I got this yarn as part of a Soakbox package, and had every intention of using it for myself.  But when I decided to make a sweater for my new great-niece, I wanted to use stash yarn if at all possible.  I decided since I'd had this for a while already and had not used it, I'd go ahead and use it for this project.  I'm so glad I did, because not only is it a beautiful color, and lovely yarn to work with, but it's a little different for a baby.

The pattern is really well-written, and once you get going on the lace part, it's very easy to memorize and finish.  If you want a quick and lovely project for a small amount of yarn, I recommend this one!

Not only did I have yarn I liked for the sweater, but I found the perfect button for it:

I truly love this little birdie button!  The little bit of blue in the middle matched the yarn perfectly, and it added a perfect touch of whimsy to the whole thing.

The package including the sweater was sent, and was a big hit.  My niece said that the sweater fit now, but also had plenty of room to grow.  And since they would be leaving their apartment in Brooklyn to go to Los Angeles during June and July for her work, she said it would be especially useful.

Here is a picture of Penn wearing her sweater.  (She looks rather shocked about the whole thing, don't you think? Please note that the color in the picture above is closer to the actual color of the finished item ... but that one doesn't have a baby wearing it!)

We are looking forward to meeting her in person once they get back from California.  In the meantime, I'm glad that a little bit of us is already part of her life.

*****

Have a lovely weekend!

Some Greenery

Winter may still be here in full force, but I'm feeling good because of some greenery.

I finally finished these socks!  It's not that they were particularly difficult, or that I didn't like them.  But I started them and got going, and then put them down to work on so many other things, both successful and non-successful.  I had hoped to finish them in January, and came close, but then a couple of weeks ago I closed up the toe and wove in the ends on the second sock.  For all of my sock-knitting, these are only the third pair I've ever made for myself.

Project:  Emerald Hedgerows
Pattern:  Hedgerow Socks
Yarn:  Apple Laine Apple Pie, in the Yoda colorway*
Needles:  US 1 1/2
Modifications:  None
Comments:  This is the second time I've knitted this pattern.  I made a pair of these for one of my nieces a few years ago, and enjoyed knitting the pattern - easy to remember, but challenging enough to keep you interested.  I received the yarn a few years ago in a swap, and have always wanted to use it.  I think I found a good fit with the pattern and the yarn.  The resulting socks are soft, cushy, and very cozy.

I'm going to wear them to work this Friday, and expect them to keep my feet warm walking to and from work in the return of the Polar Vortex.  Also, I am going to the first meeting of a group of knitters and crocheters during lunchtime at work, so it only seems right to wear my new socks for that, right?

*Before anyone mentions it, I do know that Yoda was not green since at least 100 people have told me as I was knitting these.  But I'm not the one who named the colorway ...

Relaxation With No Regrets

Here are some of the things I've been doing the past few days.

Starting

Finishing

Reading

Writing

Pampering

Baking

Celebrating

And then Monday morning my cold kicked in, so now I'm also

Medicating

At least I didn't have to take a sick day, even though I felt lousy.  And it just meant I had to just relax some more, and I was OK with that, you know?

Today, though - back to the real world.  But at least it's a four-day work week!  Let's hope it's a good one for all of us.  :-)

But No Cigar

As in "close, but no cigar."  At least not yet.  I got going pretty quickly with my knitting in January, finishing my hat at the beginning of the month.  Having successfully completed it, I was really motivated to finish my Emerald Hedgerows socks.  I started them back in July, and then I put them aside to concentrate on some other things.  I really want to finish them, as I would like to actually wear them, you know?  So I picked them up, and was going along pretty well, until my stupid arthritis flared up, and I had to only work on them occasionally.  So January ended, and they were still underway.  But there's hope, as I am at the beginning of the foot on one sock, and this far on the other one:

So I figure that unless I forget how to knit, I should have them finished by the end of February.

And at the moment, I'm swatching for what I think will be my next project, Agnes.  (Though I'm not sure why I'm tackling another sweater, since my last couple of attempts have failed.  I guess hope actually does spring eternal ...)  I've read some of the notes from others who have knit it, both on blogs and on Ravelry, and I think I'd like it to be a little bit longer and not really as flared out at the bottom, which are fortunately both easy modifications to make.  I bought the yarn and the pattern a couple of years ago, so it's about time I got moving on it!  For the sweater, I'll be using this:

(Puffin, from Quince & Co., in the Gingerbread colorway)

The contrasting pockets will be the same yarn, but in the Parsley colorway.  From everything I've read, this sweater is a quick knit, and goes smoothly.

We'll see about that ...

18 Years Later - a Hat!

The other day while I was at Rosie's, I asked Lisa (the owner) how long the shop had been around, and she said eighteen years.  I remember discovering it one day on a walk, and being excited because maybe I could learn to knit!  I signed up for their second round of Learn to Knit classes, and the day after the last class, I pulled a skein of yarn from the sale bin and bought it.  I liked it so much, and just knew it would have to become something special.

Each time I would revisit my stash, I would come across the skein of yarn.  It was never considered for giveaways, or for donation to charity, but I also could never think of anything specific to make using it.  For one thing, it was only one skein, and it was bulky yarn, which meant that there wasn't much yardage.  I don't have a lot of yarn in that weight, so there were no immediate pairings that came to mind for it, either.

Enter 2014, and the Polar Vortex.  Snow, cold, wind chills, much more than we have had in years.  I was so happy that I'd  made my Seedy Cowl (seen and described in this post), I thought I should look for some stash yarn to make a hat for myself.  I came across the aforementioned skein again, and thought, "Hmm, that would be a nice hat, and probably a quick knit."  So I poked around on Ravelry, and found that someone had used it to knit The Amanda Hat, which had been in my queue for a long time.  So, I cast on, and very quickly, I had a new hat - just in time for another round of Polar Vortex weather, snow, and wind chill!

As it turned out, I didn't get a chance to block it, because I needed it almost right away - but no matter, I made it to wear, right?  I can tell you that it is amazingly, cozily, warm.

Project:  But It's My Hat Instead

Pattern:  The Amanda Hat

Yarn:  Colinette Skye, in the Bright Charcoal colorway

Needles:  US 9

Modifications:  None

Comments:  This was an interesting pattern, requiring some attention, but with a quickly-learned repeat, and still a pretty fast knit.  The yarn is lovely to knit with, and I didn't find it splitty or rough or anything annoying.  I got to the point where I needed to do the last few rounds on double-pointed needles, and didn't have any in the size needed - grrr!  So I waited five extra days to get to Rosie's and borrow a set to finish it there.  (I was broke and couldn't afford them at the time.)  Anyway, the resulting hat is comfortable, pretty, and doesn't even really give me hat hair (at least not as much as other hats do)!

I can recommend this pattern, and this yarn, though by now it may be discontinued. I mean, I did buy it eighteen years ago ... 

I love the way it looks on the top!

First FO of 2014 = Success