2019 Knits and New Year's Day Cast On

Before we go much more into this year, and I have it in my brain, I thought I would share what I knit during 2019:

When I first made this mosaic, I was a little disappointed that I had not done more over the past year.  Then I realized that until the end of March, I couldn't knit at all, due to my broken wrist.  Then when I was allowed to knit, it wasn't for very long or to do very much.  When I gave that some thought, I decided that I actually did pretty well!  (Because of course if I had been able to knit the whole time, I'm sure I would have completed 12 pairs of socks for my Box o' Socks, and made about 50 other things, right???)

In any case, I'm pleased with what I accomplished.  I hope to do a little bit better this year, at least I hope I can do more socks, and maybe complete the 12 pairs!  Also - please note that I did actually complete TWO SWEATERS - a big thing for me.  Yes, I know there are people who make tons of sweaters, but I'm still relatively new to sweater knitting, so getting two of them knitted makes me really happy.  :-)

******

Did you do a Christmas Eve cast on?  I never have, mostly because I'm usually busy all day and evening on Christmas Eve, and don't want to take the time to stop and cast on a project.  Instead, I decided to do a New Year's Day cast on, so that I could begin the year with something new.

I don't know if you remember, but in 2018, I had saved up to purchase a yarn Advent calendar.  Of course, I had no idea that I would not be able to use the yarn right away, though again, I'm busy during Christmastime and would likely not have been able to open the yarn, wind it, and knit on a project for the 24 days leading up to Christmas Day.  Anyway, the broken wrist meant it wasn't happening no matter what.  I had decided a few weeks ago that last year's Advent calendar was going to be used for my New Year's Day cast on.  So I started winding the mini-skeins, and then on Wednesday, got started.  I chose the ADVENTurous Wrap by Ambah O'Brien for my project.

What a fun, addictive pattern!  This is what I had after only a few hours:

It's one of those "let me just do one more color" things, and the only frustrating thing for me was that I could not find the #5 mini-skein (the last color on the top), so I just substituted something I already had.  I also worked on it yesterday, and here you can see that I've made even more progress:

This weekend I plan to wind all of the rest of the skeins so that I don't have to interrupt any future activity because I've knit all that were ready so far.

Right now, my only other project I have going is the pair of Christmas socks I was making for myself.  I was on the foot of sock #1, and realized I'd made a major mistake that I just couldn't live with, so I ripped out everything up to the patterned part, and started again.  I'm now a bit further than I was before, so I'm moving along.  I'm going to have them be my first pair for my 2020 Box o' Socks.  I know in the "official" KAL, you can't start with a WIP, but since I'm on my own, I can do it my way.

I'm really happy with how my 2020 knitting projects are starting, and hope this is a sign that whatever else I work on this year will be a good project.

Have a good weekend!

Saturday FO: The Last of the Official Gift Knits

I am feeling very proud of myself - last weekend, I finished the last of the "official" gift knits for this year.  What, you may ask is an "official" gift knit?  Well, that is a gift knit that you planned in advance for a specific date - in this case, Christmas - and finished and is ready to gift.

Here they are - finished, with all of the ends woven in as of Sunday, November 24, which I might point out is a full month before they needed to be ready.  This is a new record for me.  Granted, in the past, I have put aside knitting for The Tim until the very last minute, so finishing and weaving in ends late on Christmas Eve and then hurrying to wrap the gift has in fact happened.

But not this year.

Project:  Christmas Vacation Socks
Pattern:  Generic Vanilla Sock pattern in my brain
Needles:  US size 1
Yarn:  Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso, in the "Oh Clark!" colorway
Modifications:  Nope.
Notes:  As I mentioned here once before, our family has a ridiculous and wonderful connection to the National Lampoon movies, especially the Christmas Vacation one.  So when I saw the name of this colorway, I decided to break my no-buy and get the yarn to make socks for The Tim.  These were fun to knit, watching the stripes and speckles show up.  They went quickly since there was no real pattern to concentrate on, so I was able to work on them while watching TV, or listening to music, watching a podcast, etc.  I also worked on these while The Tim was around, and I am 99% sure that he will nonetheless be compeletely surprised with them on Christmas morning.  :-)

The only concern I have is that this yarn seems like it might not be too sturdy.  I hope I'm wrong, but I just got that feeling while I was knitting.  It didn't give me problems while knitting, it just didn't feel like a lot of other sock yarns.  We'll see.

Now, my big decision is whether or not I want to start any other quick projects and still call them potential gifts.  I am seriously considering starting something and not calling it a gift, or calling it a gift for myself.  We'll see.  I also want to cast on 1,000 things, so I just really need to narrow it all down and start something and just enjoy the knitting.  That's the whole reason for doing it in the first place anway, right?

Last Gift Pair - an FO Post

OK, so it's just a matter of time until something happens that will either a) make me look like a fool, or b) kick me in the butt.   Why, you ask?  Because I am feeling pretty darn pleased with myself.  Over the weekend, I finished the last pair of socks that need to be sent as Christmas gifts.  

Project:  Zach's House Socks
Pattern:  Vanilla sock pattern, with bands of color added
Needles:  US size 5
Yarn:  Encore Worsted, in the colorways, Red, Navy, and Denim
Modifications:  I made the "fancy" navy pops have a serrated ridge by doing them in slip stitches for the first round of the color change.
Notes:  My niece told me that Zach is particularly fond of reds and blues.  Since I had the most red yarn, I decided that would be the main color.  Haha, said Fate.  I ran out of the red right before the last couple of rows before the blue bands near the toes!  Nothing like having to order more yarn for a scrap project, right? 

But they are finished, and I hope he'll like them and that they will fit.  In any case, all of the knitted gifts for people other than The Tim are now finished, so I'm happily ahead of things that way.

How are you coming along with knitted gifts (if you are in fact knitting any gifts at all)?

No Tiny Needle, But a [Kinda] Tiny FO!

I don't have a single stitching project going at the moment, so I have nothing to show there.  I have a couple of things I want to get started, but I've been busy with gift knitting, and just haven't picked up any other projects.  Probably since they would be for me, and once my gift knitting is finished, I can do any project I like without a deadline!

BUT ...

I do have a small knitting FO to share, so let's do that.

I finished another pair of gift socks:

Project:  Penn's Christmas Socks
Pattern:  Rye by TinCanKnits
Yarn:  Plymouth Encore Worsted, in the Candy Cane colorway (red-white), and Christmas Green colorway
Needles:  US size 3 and 5
Modifications:  None
Comments:  Another fun, Christmas-themed knit gift ready to go.  If you have not yet tried the Rye pattern, give it a shot.  It's the perfect combination for knitting while chatting, watching a movie, or listening to music or a podcast (I guess it's good for knitting while reading, but I have not mastered that).  The cuffs are ribbed, and most of the sock is stockinette, with just enough that is not to keep it from becoming a slog.

As I mentioned when I was showing you her brother Oden's Christmas Socks, I don't think these will be Penn's favorite Christmas gift, but I know her parents will be pleased that each kiddo received a pair, and I know they will keep her feet warm, so when you are talking about young children, that's not a bad result.  :-)

*****

I started on my great-nephew Zach's pair of house slippers/socks yesterday.  They will just be plain vanilla socks, in red and blues, since his mother said he likes those colors.  Since he is older with bigger feet, that's fine with me!  I will be using worsted weight yarn again, so they should still go pretty quickly.  I've also been zipping along with the hat I was knitting for The Tim, and am getting ready to start socks for him, so my gift knitting is going along quite nicely.

How are your projects - gifts or not - coming along??

Small. Quick. Cheery. Gift. FO = A Winner!

So, it IS Friday, but a long one for me.  Nonetheless, when I leave here tonight, I won't have to return until next week, and that's keeping me going.  Plus, I'm looking forward to my Going to Rhinebeck By Staying Home weekend.

But today you get my latest finished project.  This was a fast one, and very easy, but enjoyable nonetheless, and it ticks off one of the things on my gift list for Christmas.

Project:  Oden's Christmas Socks

Pattern:  Rye, by Tin Can Knits, Toddler size

Needles:  US 3 and US 5

Yarn:  Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted, colorway 1386 (Christmas Red), and 1004 (Peppermint)

Modifications:  Only making the cuffs and toes in a different color than the rest of the sock.

Notes:  This was a fun and quick knit for my great-nephew Oden - a small project, thicker yarn than sock yarn, happy and cheery colors, and a gift.  They may be a bit big for him, but better bigger than too small.  I have no illusions that these will be his favorite gift, but I do think they will keep his feet warm.  

I started and finished these in the period of eight days, and it only took me that long because for five of those days, I didn't get a chance to knit at all!  Seriously, you could finish both socks in a day if you just spent the time knitting.  This is also a really nice pattern, well-written and easily understandable, with lots of good illustrations where needed.  On top of which, it's free, so why aren't you using it to make many pairs of socks???  I know that once my gift knitting is complete, I'm making a pair for myself.  :-)

I hope everyone has a good weekend - see you next week!

Starting With a Finish

Hello and Happy First Day of Fall (even if summer weather is still horning in)!  Yes, I am annoyed that the fall weather we had last week turned back into summer weather, BUT - I know that as we go forward, fall will really happen, and the weather and temperatures will be those that make me both comfortable and happier.  (Unlike summer, where I know it will only get hotter before it's time to cool off.)

Anyway, I hope all of you had a good weekend, or at a minimum, not a terrible one.  Mine started out OK, but got derailed yesterday and I never caught up with myself.  At least it was on a Sunday and didn't put the whole weekend out of sync!

The good news is, I have a finish to show you - YAY!  

Project:  Grey Tabby Socks
Pattern:  Heel Toe Do Si Do, from Crazy Sock Lady Designs
Yarn:  Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts 100% Superwash BFL Wool 4-Ply Fingering Sock in the Grey Tabby colorway (part of their Meow Collection)
Needles:  US size 1
Modifications:  I did a normal 2 x 2 rib at the top, rather than the twisted rib indicated in the pattern.
Comments:  This was such a fun knit, the pattern just zooms along!  You can't tell in this photo, but the front of the sock ends up with a chevron-type look, and it's easy enough to remember that after the first few 2-row repeats, you've got it in your head.  I probably could have finished these sooner, but I took some time to [obsessively] finish my counted cross-stitch project.  I've never knit one of the Crazy Sock Lady's patterns before, but if they are as well done/written as this one, she has her sh*t together, I must say.

The yarn is from my stash, which pleases me, and it is has a cozy feel to it as you are knitting.  It moves along well in your hands, and doesn't get tangled on itself along the way.

These will be for me, and now that they are finished, it's time to get started on some gift knitting.  I don't have a lot planned, but I want to get it underway so I'm not doing anything at the very last minute.

Finally, RIP to my Edie sweater, at least for now.  I took it over to Loop yesterday, when they were offering a help session.  Besides the issues that started the whole thing out, the person there pointed out to me that the friend who made a temporary fix (said friend said she had "triaged" it), had actually done something that meant that the sleeve that was the problem had about 20 extra stitches on the needle, so regardless of what could/could not be figured out, the sleeves would not match at all.  I went home and frogged it, which on the one hand was dismaying, but on the other hand was OK because since it's linen, I won't even think of re-knitting it until next spring/early summer, when it will all feel new again.  And at least in theory, since I have already knit the body, it should all go more quickly.  I wouldn't even consider this except that I really want this knit, and it was an enjoyable project.

And that's it for today.  I hope all of you have a good week, and that none of your projects have to be frogged for any reason.  :-)

And Here You Go, a Friday FO!

Friday is upon us, and after this week, it is even more than usually welcome.  Plus, today I have an FO to share with you - seems like it's been a while!

I finished a pair of socks for myself.  You may recall that I had completed a single sock of the Georgia Socks pattern, and decided to move on to something else.  I was still wanting to make a pair of shortie summer socks, and as I said when finishing the first sock, I don't mind scrappy socks, just not changing yarns really frequently.

So I made myself a pair of shortie socks the way *I* wanted to do it.

As you can see in the photo, the heel on one of them has two different yarns, but since they are for me, I don't mind.  It's also far enough down on the heel that you won't see it when the socks are worn in shoes.

Project:  Watermelon and Mojito Shortie Socks

Pattern:  Vanilla shortie sock pattern of my own

Yarn:  Watermelon Self-Striping Yarn from Artistic Yarns by Abi; West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply in Mojito; and the yellow and golden brown are from tiny remainders in my stash that I no longer can identify.  

Needles:  US size 1

Modifications:  Well, none since it is my pattern and I make it up as I go along ...

Notes:  I love the finished socks!  All of the yarn is leftovers from my stash, and the two main yarns are from two of my favorite pairs ever.  They seem extremely summery to me.  Originally, I was going to call them Watermelon, Mojito, and Lemonade Socks, but then I ran out of the yellow yarn (aka "Lemonade") so I adjusted my name for them.  

When I make pain vanilla shortie socks, I just knit 12-18 rounds of 2 x 2 ribbing, then an inch to 1.5 inches before starting the heel flap and gusset, and then just knit after that until they are the length I want and finish off the toe.  They generally go pretty quickly, and all of the pairs I've made like this are very comfy and well-fitting on my feet.  I seem to do best with the heel flap and gusset construction, at least of the options I have tried so far.

So I am very happy to have both another pair of finished socks, as well as an FO to share after what seems like a long time.  

*****

I started to wind the yarn for my next pair last night, and it was clear it was one that was not going to cooperate with the winder.  I have about 90% of it wound, and there is some more untangling left for tonight before I can even start thinking about next steps.  But I'm ready to start a new pair, so I'm determined to have the yarn bend to my will!

Now I just have to get through this workday without a) killing anyone, and b) going insane.  There's a better chance of "a" being easily accomplished because none of these people are worth doing time, if you get my drift.  ;-)

Happy weekend to all of you!

Friday FO

I am happy to report an FO - these were actually finished a week ago tomorrow (Saturday), but I didn't have them blocked and photographed until now.  These are the socks I knit for a friend's husband who is having a kidney transplant this coming summer.

You may recall they started out like this:

The first sock went pretty quickly, and soon I'd started the second.

The second sock zipped along - mainly due to the fact that I needed something to occupy my mind over the past week, and knitting fit the bill.  Since these were just plain vanilla socks, they were a perfect project.  And I think the finished pair look great.

Project:  Socks for Brian

Pattern:  Classic Socks for the Family, with a 2 x 2 rib on the cuff, 3 x 1 rib on the leg, and an  Eye of Partridge heel

Yarn:  fiberstory FAVE sock, in the colorway Tranquil; the toes are Knitted Wit Gumball in the Cranberry Bog colorway

Needles:  US size 1

Modifications:  None

Notes:  This turned out to be a wonderful project on several levels.  I actually bought this yarn, because since I don't know Brian that well, I wasn't sure if he would like bright or wild socks, and that is most of the sock yarn I own.  When I saw this color, I not only liked it, but the name of the colorway - Tranquil - seemed perfect for him, since hopefully his life and health will be more tranquil once the transplant happens.

The yarn is so lovely - tonal, and so incredibly lofty and soft to work with.  It takes a pattern really well, and I can imagine that a textured pattern would look great using this.  I was a little bit nervous that I would not have enough yarn for both socks, since the yardage is slightly less than I'm used to, so I decided to jazz them up with a different color toe.  The Knitted Wit Gumball in Cranberry Bog seemed like a good combination, and I love the way they turned out.  (As it turns out, I would have had enough of the other yarn, but I didn't want to agonize since these were a gift, and I wanted them to be an enjoyable project for me).

I took these with me when we went home over the Memorial Day weekend, to add in some extra good juju.  While we were there, I showed my niece Amanda and her husband Patrick how they were coming along, since they are the ones who are really good friends with Brian and his wife Nancy.   Then I had the brilliant idea to have them knit a few stitches, for even better juju.  So Amanda knit about five stitches, and Pat did three stitches.  They were both nervous and worried that they would mess them up, but both of them did just fine, and I think they were surprised that it "worked."  There are some thoughts and prayers of Jack included as well.

I figure with all the goodwill and good thoughts in these socks, Brian's recovery should be smooth and hopefully without issues.  :-)

******

If you are reading this, you've made it through another week.  We don't have any plans for the weekend, which is fine, since we are still taking it one day at a time.  I hope that whatever you have planned - or however you decide to just relax - makes your weekend a good one!

A Fun Day Followed by an FO

Yesterday was one of the best days ever!  Dee has some great photos on her blog documenting the day (because of course it didn't occur to me to take any photos.  At all.  Eejit).  The weather cooperated and the kitties and Hamlet were thrilled to have company.  Hamlet was quite disappointed at the end of the day when I came home alone - he looked for Dee for a few minutes and then looked at me as if to say, "WHAT have you done with her???"  I haven't had such a nice and fun day for a long time and I have to remember to remember it when I get back to work and have a regular day there.

*****

Today by contrast is overcast and misting outside.  A good day to be inside and doing some of the things I'd planned for this week.  But first, it's time for me to show you the last of the Started-Before-I-Broke-My-Wrist-Projects.

Project:  First Down Socks
Pattern:  My own!  And it worked! (And it's nothing difficult or earth-shattering, but nonetheless ...)
Yarn:  lolodidit Everyday Sock, in the Fly Eagles Fly colorway
Needles: US size 1
Notes:  I was perusing the lolodidit site one day after hearing the Grocery Girls talk about her yarn on their podcast, and saw this colorway and decided I MUST HAVE IT BECAUSE - EAGLES!!!  I cast on these socks last fall when football season started, and then of course broke my wrist and that was that for a few months.  But once I was able to knit again, they started to feel the love and I decided that I would not start any new projects until all of the BBW (Before Broken Wrist) projects had been finished.

Of course, I wanted the pattern to be something special.  But I couldn't find one that I wanted to use with this yarn.  So I made up my own, and am quite pleased with the result.  The yarn is wonderful to knit with, and the colors are so great (though you can't really tell in my photo, sorry).  I will now put these away until football season starts again this year.  Hopefully both the Eagles and I will have a better season this year (though they did very well last year - me, not so much)!

So now I'm all "caught up" to myself, and can start some new projects without leaving others in limbo.  I have started another pair of socks - the ones for the friend's husband getting a kidney transplant - and will be winding yarn today for this pattern.

I hope all of you have a good one today.  :-)