Work in Progress Wednesday

Hello again, I had fallen into what I call my vacation "nesting." I get into a mood which might seem like depression to other people but I'm happy. I don't want to leave the house for any reason & don't answer the phone. In short, I avoid being around other people. I think I do it for my sanity. Things are so crazy during the school year. I'm pulled in 20 different directions at the same time. All I want to do during vacations is just enjoy being with my family and ignore the world around me. I have come out of my hiding hole & and ready to be a member of society again.

On Wednesdays, I will be updating my works in progress. Right now I have 3 different pairs of socks on the needles.

The first pair is a pair knit with Knit One, Crochet Two's Soxx Appeal. Some people have said that this yarn is a substitute for Cascade's Fixation. I like Soxx Appeal better. It is a cotton, nylon, elastic blend. I'm using a plain knit pattern to highlight the varigation. The toes, heels, & ribbing will be solid light olive. I work on this sock at home while watching TV because it is a mindless knit.


I've knit a pair of Monkeys before and really enjoyed the pattern but I knit them toe up using 2 circulars so my pattern was upside down. I've wanted to do another pair using DPNs but have had problems using the smaller needles. I love using wooden needles in the larger sizes but I bend the smaller ones. The metal Knit Picks were so slick, stitches kept falling off before I could get the 1st round joined. This time, I cast-on over 2 2.25 (US size 1) circular needles. I knit the first round onto the 2.50 (US size 1.5) needles then I joined the round. It worked wonderfully and now I am able to knit using the needles. This pair is with Cherry Tree Hill in the Martha Vineyard colorway. It has a lot of royal blue & purples but includes hightlights of a bright green, brown & grey. It is absolutely beautiful. I work on this sock when I am able to focus on the knitting, usually when listening to podcasts.


I cast-on another sock to knit while walking, riding in the car, or during next week's training & meetings. It is another mindless knit that I've named Halloween. It is out of Opal Rainforest in Schmetterling (Butterfly). It has shades of orange, black & white. It is being knit using magic loop (Knit Picks size 1.5, 32 inches long). I cast-on 11 stiches per needles using Judy's Magic Cast-on. Then increased to 36 stitches per needle following Queen Kahuna's method for toe-increases. Once the toe was 2 inches long, I started a 4x2 ribbing on the insole of the sock. I haven't decided with heel I'll use.

Stay tuned for Finished Object Friday.

A Knitting Update

I love having a summer vacation because I can knit and knit and knit 'til my hands are sore. I get to finish projects that have been waiting.

On Sunday I finished my Summertime Skinny Dippin' Socks. The yarn is really delightful. It has a nice sheen and is very squishy & soft when worn. It is All Things Heather in Superwash Merino/Bamboo sock yarn. The colorway is exclusive to the Loopy Sock Club but I plan to buy more of this yarn in other colorways. These are my first completed pair of socks for the Summer of Socks KAL. At first I wasn't very happy with the blue stripe where I made my gusset increases. But, now that the socks are done, I kinda like it so it is a "design feature."

Today I finished my Patriotic Socks in time for July 4th. I originally wanted to wear them for Flag Day but once that date passed I needed to change to a more realistic goal. I didn't worry about matching the stripes. I like that the stripes are different on each sock.






I've also made progress on Adara. Only 4 more repeats to go. I might add a couple more repeats to make it longer. This is the first time I'm knitting with yarn that doesn't have any give when knitting. Adara is a cotton/linen blend. It has taken some getting use to. I've learned to loosen my guage by knitting with this yarn. I don't know what else you could make with it.



I joined the Mystery Stole 3 KAL. The first clue came out last Friday but I just started on it last night. I've completed the first 45 rows. Only 55 more rows to go before this Friday's clue comes out. I'm using Zephyr in Charcoal, a clear bead with a coopery liner, and size 3 needles. The pattern hasn't had a memorizable (new word?) repeat so I can only work on it when I can focus 100% on it. It's been hard finding time having the 3 kids & my hubby around. I guess I'll need to work on it before anyone else gets up. I'm happy with how it is looking so far. The picture didn't come out very well. It is a solid black - there isn't any other color or shading.

The Sock's First Day at Disneyland

We spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Anaheim. What Anaheim trip would be complete without stopping at Disneyland? We went to Guest Relations & Sock got a 1st timer's pin.


A highlight of the day was when Sock & I got our picture taken with Captain Jack Sparrow.












Spending the day with a newborn sock (she was only 4 days old) is not as easy as you would think. She wouldn't stand nicely in the 75 minute Finding Nemo line. I hate to think what would have happended if we were there during the 2 1/2 hour wait! Here Sock climbed over the railing to get to sit on the rock. Luckily DD#1 fussed at Sock and Sock came back before a cast member saw her.




The ride was worth the 75 minute wait but I won't wait that long next time. It had some really cool special effects including movie clips.









Sock went into a pouting fit when she wasn't tall enough to drive the Autopia cars by herself. I wasn't going to let her drive even with a passenger. She apologized so sweetly after her time out . . .








I decided to let her drive with me in the car anyway. I don't know why she acts so spoiled.

Ouch!

Yesterday I was making great progress on my Summer Skinny Dippin' Sock until I sliced my finger with a size 1 (2.25mm) knit picks needle. I often use my finger to help push the needle when I knit. This is the first time I hurt myself. Every time I knit I kept poking myself again in that exact same spot. I ended up putting my sock away and knit on the Adara shawl for a while. I don't push as much with larger size needles. I don't really like the pattern for this yarn. The striping on the sock is much prettier without the patterning and I think the design gets lost in the stripe. I will keep knitting because I don't want to frog them.


I cast-on the second sock for my 1776 socks at DD#1's softball game. I was able to knit while I was in the score booth. My finger is still sore so I was making slower than usual progress. I was asked about the yarn for these socks. It is a self-striping yarn, Schoeller & Stahl Fortissima Socka in the 1776 colorway. If you can get the guess the correct guage & number of stitches, the yarn makes perfect stars. You can view the first sock of this pair here.

Unfortunately, Dory's team lost so they are finished for the season. Having 3 kids playing softball/baseball sure gave me quite a bit of prime knitting time.

Start of Summer

Whew! The girls and I finished school on Tuesday & Worm finished today. Next year all four of us are on the same schedule. It will be the first time in 8 years. I have mixed feelings about it - it will be easier on the family but i enjoyed the days when they were in school but I had the house to myself.

I didn't wear my Icarus to graduation. We used it to cover a dress code violation (a bare back dress). I still hope to get better pictures of my shawl.


I finished one of my 1776 socks. I tried to do a sewn bind-off. I was really happy with it until I ran out of yarn about 8 stitches too early! It took me a couple of hours to undo the bind-off, attach longer yarn, and re-do the bind-off. It leaves a loose edge but the sock is hard to get over my heal. I'll need to do it even looser next time. I made it with a longer than usual cuff so I can fold the cuff over. I like the warmth it gives my always cold ankles.



Today starts the Summer of Socks Knit-a-long. I decided that The Loopy Ewe Sock Club Summer Package would be perfect. I'm using All Things Heather in the Skinny Dippin' colorway. The pattern is knit cuff down on dpn. Of course, I'm knitting it toe-up. I am impressed with how the yarn shines. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Icarus Completed!

It took me a week to bind-off but I've finished my shawl. I'm pretty happy with my first lace project. Here's a close-up of the edging.



Hopefully I'll have pictures of me wearing the shawl at Monday's graduation.

I love to knit socks & lace. I don't normally wear shawls, ponchos, & lacey stuff but knitting this was fun. I think using lace weight yarn is perfect for the Antelope Valley's warm days. I was able to knit this when the thermometer was close to 95.

I've cast-on the Adara Rainbow Shawl from elann.com. Adara is a linen cotton blend. I just love the colors & the yarn feels cool & smooth to knit with. I don't think I'll ever wear it though - my DD#1 is trying to claim it.

TTFN

A First Concert

My DS, aka Worm, had his first school concert tonight. We were all very proud because the entire band did an excellent job. It is nice to see all the hard work & practice pay off for all performers.

In knitting news, I have about an inch left on my 1776 sock. It might be finished this week! I am really enjoying magic loop more than I ever expected. Thanks, Darcy, for converting me. I've begun the bind-off on my Icarus Shawl. I'll block it this weekend in time to wear for Monday's graduation. Pictures of both projects to follow.