ok. I LOVE the first section of Knitting Workshop! It answered practically all the questions I had when I was a beginner knitter. … about joining in the round …. purling the ‘easy way’ … and knowing the difference between the ‘back’ & ‘front’ of a stitch.

and……. LOOK! at my ’swatch cap’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SPECS:
Lion Brand Wool
Size 6 US needles. (DPNs & 16″ circular)
Cast on: 84 stitches, increased to 112
Gauge: ? (I haven’t measured yet)

I’m so proud of this! It fits!! It’s a little long, but I’ll roll up the ribbing and my ears will be warmer. This is the first hat I’ve made that fits me!

Oh! and the colorwork design is mine, all mine. After all, Elizabeth said ‘Don’t use mine. Make up your own’. So I did!

I was all fired up to make another. But the yarn is not co-operating. It’s Knit Picks Wools of the Andes. It is soft, but not as soft as the Lion Brand wool I was using. So, it’s going back into stash until it lets me know what it wants to be. In the meantime, I went to the Yarn Store today and look what followed me home so I can make more hats!

It’s all worsted weight yarn. The right three skeins are Cascade 220. I’ve never tried it before and I keep reading how much people enjoy using it so I wanted to try it.

The skein on the far left is dream in color. Does the colorway look familiar?

It’s the same colorway as the sock yarn I bought previously. I’d totally forgotten!!

And as promised, here’s some images of some of my favorite spinning fiber that I’ve purchased:

From CJKopecCreations:

Custom Blended Wool/Bamboo Roving – SECRETS

From AllSpunUp:

Both below are from Spincerely Yours:

Superwash Merino/Tencel Top – Sedna

Superwash Merino and Tencel in Freya

Hope to see ya soon! Happy knitting & spinning!

1. Fetching - (the color is not even representative of it’s true nature. Digital cameras do not like red… mine especially. )
[Yarn is Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes Cranberry]

I’m actually nearly done with this one… but it is too small
(yes, just like Odessa …I detecting a theme here… )
So I’m going to rip this out and try again with size US 7 needles. The good news, tho, is that this is my very first cable project!! That was a goal for me to do this year. The cable needle is a little fiddly but ok. (I’m not ready to try it w/out a cable needle… I tried and it didn’t work.) I can’t wait to do more cable projects!

2. Bejeweled –
Neck scarf made from Carnivale handspun.

Here is picture of the front …

Below is the section that helped me come up with the name.

The only thing left to do is the bind off … but I’m not happy about which row I’ve ended on so I need to think about it before complete this project.

3. Socks –

These are in a holding pattern while I decide if I want to rip them out or continue them. The yarn is so pretty but the colors have become so muddy in this pattern and there’s a pooly-stripeyness that I just can’t get used to. And if the pattern looks familiar, it is. I modified the Cookie A.’s Monkey socks so I could do them toe up. There’s still one thing I wanna fix on the pattern. I learned a lot working on these. That’s why I’ haven’t ripped them out yet despite my frustration at knitting them.

4. Amethyst Socks
And, I’m still working on these socks.

I am on the heel of the 2nd sock.

Knitting on US size 2 needles goes sooooooooooooooooo slooooooooooow. But I’m still chuggin’ along.

Enjoy your week!

There has been knitting goin’ on around here and it’s time for me to catch you up. First up: Finished Objects (yes… that means more than one! )

Finished Objects

BBE Socks

Yarn: Apple Laine Apple Pie
Colorway: Royal Blue
Needles: US size 3
Pattern: Basket Weave (6-stitch) from More Sensational Knitted Socks
Notes:I didn’t finish these in time to give them to the intended recipient…which I why I still have them. But I like them. The yarn is really soft.

Odessa

Needles: US size 4 & 6
Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK (1 ball)
Pattern: Odessa by Grumperina
Notes: It only took me a week and a half to knit this. But it is too small. But that’s ok ’cause it’s basically my swatch. The gauge was given in pattern and I figured, if I’m gonna knit 4 inches in pattern, I may as well knit the hat. (I bought two balls of this yarn just for something like this.) But I really liked this pattern. Very easy to follow and a quick knit. Now I need to buy size 5 & 7 needles so I can make this hat in the correct size.

Next up: Works in progress… stay tuned!

Godot? No. Heels? YES!

Look how much I’ve gotten done on my Sockapalooza pal’s socks!

I wanted to take pictures when I’d finished the toes, but I couldn’t seem to put the needles down long enough to take a picture!

Ok… let’s first talk about the yarn:
Crystal Palace Panda Cotton – Lacquer Red

My first experience was not fun. I started out with US size 2 needles and let me tell ya … it’s was splitsville. Omigosh! I very quickly reached my frustration threshold. Finally, I told myself ‘Hey. This is supposed to be fun.’ And I was disappointed. I really wanted to make my pal some red socks. So I ripped it out and put it away. But for some reason… later that same day (it wasn’t a conscious decision), I picked up the yarn and my US size 3 and miraculously, much less splitting and I started having fun. It’s interesting how, when something goes wrong, a person blames his/herself (or the yarn) rather than thinking of other possible culprits (in this case, the size 2s).

I can’t say that I absolutely love working with this yarn, but I like do the soft fabric it creates. Since I’ve never knit with cotton before, it’s definitely a learning experience, which seems to happen often in the world of knitting. I was a little nervous about using a fiber I hadn’t used before and whether or not it would show off the pattern well.

And speaking of the pattern: (nice segue, hm? )
I had a hard time choosing the pattern. Not from lack of choices, but rather, lack of confidence. I may have been knitting for a year, but trying something new still ’cause some trepidation. I almost chose a very basic purl/knit stitch pattern … but I was drawn to ‘Crosshatch Lace’ from ‘More Sensational Knitted Socks‘ and no matter what other stitch patterns I looked at, I kept going back to that one. But after calculating how many stitches I need for my gauge, the ‘Crosshatch Lace’ had too few so I noticed ‘Scrolls’ from the same book. It’s very similar to ‘Crosshatch Lace’. Finally, I took a deep breath and dove into the ‘Scrolls’ pattern… and ya know what? I love it it. I actually giggled at seeing the pattern after completing the 14 rows of the pattern. (don’t laugh too hard at me … this is only the 2nd ever stitch pattern I’ve tried on socks!)

What’s next?
The heels. The short-row heels (Sherman style). *insert small groan* The heel is the bain of my existence. Only sheer stubbornness and determination keep me trying but I know I’ll finally do it to my satisfaction one day. That day hasn’t happened yet … but I’m very close.

Finally, let’s mention the toe:
For some reason, I seemed to have forgotten the figure-eight cast-on toe because after three tries, it still wasn’t working … so I tried the Eastern cast-on from the Summer IK issue (I vehemently dislike their new layout, btw) and as it’s very similar to the figure-eight, I caught onto it quickly … but I still don’t love it, so when I cast on for my 2nd Amethyst sock, I went back the figure-eight toe and, because of my attempts at the Eastern cast-on, the figure-eight toe came out better than previously. Isn’t this a pretty toe?

and oops … I almost forgot to show you the finished Amethyst sock!

Isn’t it purty?

And if you’ve made it this far on my post, thank you!

Also, Marce, at the The Brownberry Chronicles, has started a very interesting knitting discussion. Stop by and see what it’s about!

Well, I guess that’s it for now. … except for this little teaser…

(bigger image)

Take care and I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Look what I have!

Meilenweit Cotton Spirit, Sockotta and Panda Cotton.

Unfortunately, I had to buy from three different sources because I couldn’t find one with all three. The little skeins of Panda Cotton are so cute! I think that’s what I’m going to use for my sock pal’s socks. It’s so soft. I know it’s a shift from what I showed you before, but this is based on communication with my pal so I hope she’ll like it.

Now I just need to find a pattern. I just got the ‘More Sensational Knitted Socks’ book so I know I’ve got plenty of options. Thanks again to everyone for helping me in selecting the yarn. I can’t wait to start knitting!!!

Have a good weekend!

Very Special Socks:
(sorry, they haven’t been blocked or anything yet)

Yarn: Paton’s Classic Wool
Pattern: My own basic pattern

Amethyst Socks (for the Cabin Cove KAL)

Yarn: Amethyst colourway from Cabin Cove Mercantile
Stitch Pattern: Woven Stitch from ‘Sensational Knitted Socks’

Easter Egg Hat

Yarn: Wool of the Andes worsted weight from Knit Picks
Pattern: My own, top-down

and I bought the yarn for my Sockapalooza 4 pal. It’s Claudia Hand Painted Yarn/Colourway: Carousel. I love it!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!