This was a really quick knit and uses very little yarn. I used some of the kool-aid dyed yarn I posted about before.

I like to wear my hair up, but I also have to be really good about keeping my ears covered because I get earaches in the wintertime. I have a fleece headband I wear a lot, but I thought this would be a fun pattern to try and a good use for the yarn I dyed.



Details:

Pattern - Calorimetry by Kathryn Schoendorf
Yarn - Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in "Cloud" overdyed with kool-aid
Needles - size 7 Knitpicks Options circular, used to knit flat

Notes:

I modified the pattern by casting on 108 stitches and doing 10 repeats of row 5. I read that a lot of people had this turn out rather large when knit exactly as written. I skipped doing a gauge swatch, but thankfully it turned out great!

I was digging around for a button and came across this clear hair barette and used it to snap the two ends together. It looks cute and I can skip sewing on a button.

Labels: calorimetry, dyeing, knitting, kool-aid

My first finished socks! I had issues with the first sock I began in a different pattern and different yarn (no fault to the pattern, though), so I ripped and started fresh with new yarn and a new pattern. In the process of knitting those 2 and a half socks, I have become thoroughly addicted to sock knitting.



I think variegated yarns are really fun since they create their own interesting patterns based on the gauge. The yarn pooled into wide spirals in this case, and I like it just fine since it came out similarly on both socks.

Details:

Pattern - "Not Pedestrian" Ped Pattern by Stitchnsnitch
Yarn - Knitpicks Sock Garden in "Daffodil" (discontinued)
Needles - size 2 bamboo needles, non-brand bought from ebay

Notes:

I rounded off the toes a teensy bit faster than the pattern said to (6 repeats of the 2 rows and then 5 more decrease rows instead of 4). There's a bit of a mistake on the heel of one...I came up with the wrong number of stitches after the heel turn and just knitted another two rows to decrease to the right number of stitches....I really didn't want to rip back and figure out what I'd done wrong, but the result is that one of the heels is a bit bunchy. I had some nice folks help me figure out what I did wrong when the same thing happened to the second sock.

Labels: FOs, knitting, socks

This is my (not so) Noro Hat. I put some projects aside and cast on for this, focusing on this project only since Tuesday afternoon. I realized that the cheap Walmart stocking caps I had bought were really not doing a good job of keeping me warm, specifically my ears. I work outdoors and tend to get earaches regularly in the fall and winter if I don't keep them covered and warm.

Details:

Pattern - Noro Hat by Saartje de Bruijn
Yarn - Just under 2 balls of Patons SWS in Natural Denim
Needles - Knitpicks Options circulars, size 7

Notes:

This was, suprisingly, my first knitted hat. I don't really consider myself a beginner these days, but for some reason I've just never made a hat.

Patons SWS yarn is gorgeous and I have been in love with it and used it for several projects. However, it is equally as frustrating to knit with. It is splitty, has slubs and for some reason, I regularly find knots. The two balls I used for this project had at least two knots each. Ridiculous!

I used a 24" interchangeable circular. It didn't take long for the decreases to make everything fit too tightly on the circ, so at 75 stitches I decided to switch to DPNs because I don't have any smaller cables. Little did I know how utterly annoying it is to purl across needles with DPNs. I took the opportunity to try Magic Loop for the first time and I think it worked fairly well. I'm glad I added on a couple of longer cables when I ordered my Options set.

Labels: FOs, hats, knitting

Today, I relieved myself from the commitment of finishing the mystery lace stoles I had started.

One of them seemed like it was far too complicated for me to focus on. It took me a full hour to finish about 2 rows. I'm only on row 9 of chart 1 (which is 89 rows)! The group itself is up to chart 4 now, so there's just no hope of me keeping up with this KAL.

The other stole is lovely enough, but the lace design is fairly simple and I'm not sure if I like how it's looking all in all. To be honest, I haven't even cast on for it, I've just been watching everyone else progress.

So, both projects are on the back burner now. It's been bugging me that I haven't had much desire to work on these KALs and any time I had the urge to work on a different project, I felt guilty for not working on the stoles instead.

I've been through this before. If I try to force myself to knit something, I will resent the project and refuse to do it. It's more important to me to knit whenever I simply get the urge to knit, and on whichever project strikes my fancy at that moment.

It means I have a lot of UFOs at any given time, but it often seems like it's the process of knitting that matters to me more. It's great when I get a finished item out of it all, but there's no sense in forcing myself through a project if I've gotten bored of it, or if I'm suddenly more interested in trying something else. I can always stash it away for later or eventually frog it if I'm never going to work on it again.

So, today I picked up some hand-dyed superwash sock yarn out of my stash. I received it in a trade a few months back in exchange for my Boye Needlemaster set (I purchased a Knitpicks Options set and enjoy it far more than the Needlemaster). I have two hanks of a red/orange color and 2 of a blue/green/brown/tan color.

I cast on for my very first sock with the red/orange yarn. It's the Roll Top Socks pattern here. I like ankle socks and I thought the pattern might go quicker and be a good choice for my first socks. So far it's going well, but I'm not to the heel yet. We'll see. :)

Labels: knitting, lace, process vs. product, socks, UFOs

Clues 1 and 2 from the Secret of Chrysopolis mystery lace knitalong. I've barely cast on for Clue 1 (so this pic obviously isn't mine), but seeing everyone's progress helps inspire me to work harder!

Labels: inspiration, KAL, knit alongs, knitting, lace, mystery lace