Making Progress

The last few weeks have not been the best for knitting, with life being busy, I just wanted something to knit that required no thought at all, so I worked on a pair of vanilla socks in a really nice blue colorway from Patonyle. This became my only knitting as I was enjoying it all over again. Now they are done. And sorry, no pics yet as I had to wear them immediately after the final ends were woven in, so I will take a picture after they have been washed. But now I have cast on another vanilla sock:

 You'll have to excuse the blurs, I didn't realise at the time! As you can see I have begun the cuff of the first sock and it's being knit out of Moda Vera Noir, Pink Mix. Not my favourite sock yarn, but I have it in my sash so I'm using it. I think I'm ready for the leg now, I usually only knit the ribbing for an inch or so, until it bores me.

 I have also cast on the one row scarf from the Yarn Harlot. On the weekend at my S'n'B, I was given 2 skeins of handspun alpaca in lovely teales and blues. I had originally cast it on as a Saroyan, but the stitch definition was terrible. So I chose the simpler "one row scarf " and it is working up lovely. Pattern is memorised, I love the texture, and I like the idea that I knit until there is no more!

 Lastly, I finally made some progress on my Handspun Seneca. I have finished the body to the armholes, and had to begin a sleeve, but I wasn't in the mood to do the horizontal cables, and last night I finally had the desire to work on it.......and I'm so glad I did. It was nice working on something that required some concentration, but also so much fun watching the cable develop.

I'm looking forward to being able to wear the Seneca soon, I think it will be a really warm and comfy knit. For now though, I'm just happy that my joy for knitting is back.

These socks make me Happy :)

After my unhappy ending for the Leyburn Socks, and the boring finishing of the Classic Black Cardigan, and Nathan's jacket being too big.....I needed to knit something for me, something pretty and something soft. So I chose socks. Basic, predictable pattern, at least that way there can be no surprises and I know what to expect.

So I chose this yarn, Patonyle shade 1111 (very exciting name isn't it?) and am knitting the Knitmore Girls Vanilla Sock pattern which you can find here. And I am loving it. The yarn is so soft and smooshy and feels so nice being knit, and the self-striping shades of blue are fun and pretty too! The pattern, now that I've memorised it, is easy especially for times when you need something to knit and don't want to learn anything new.....or think too much.

So with these socks I know that they will fit and fit well, and this project should be free from frustration, disappointment and boredom. And I know that as soon as these are done, another pair will be on the needles, I think I also need the quick satisfaction that a pair of vanilla socks provide.

In conclusion......these socks make me Happy, very Happy!

Lost Needle Gauge........Again

Although I suspect that the gauge has either decided to play an impromptu game of hide and seek or has run away for good. I don't like to think of how many needle gauges I have lost ( or ran away) from me. It is very frustrating. I do not want to go to Spotlight to buy another, yet I have searched everywhere and I cannot find it. I'm sure that it will make itself known once I have ownership of another, because, that's what always happens.

And doesn't these things always happen when you NEED them? I NEED the needle gauge to locate my 4.5mm circulars, of which I need two, so that I can begin the sleeves for my Handspun Seneca. And so instead of being able to quickly stick the needles into holes and them keeping or rejecting them, I have been holding the needles together with the existing 4.5mm that has the Seneca body on it........and attempting to assess if they are the same size or not. Very tedious and filled with self-doubt.

But in the end I think I have located the needles, and really hope that I am right. I have finally finished off my other projects (coming soon) and have begun a pair of gorgeous blue self-striping socks from Patonyle, which are my travel knitting (or knitting while on lunch, on the exercise bike or while cooking dinner). And I NEED the Seneca to make some more progress, it has been left to the side for too long and for no good reason.

So, here's hoping my nimble fingers can accurately gauge my needles, and that the sleeve I cast on tonight will be the right size. It would be just too sad if it wasn't.

FO - Leyburn Socks :(

So I finished the Leyburn Socks. Not so happy. Not even sure if they will live out the week.

They look ok, and the pattern was alright, but I just don't like them. I had one of those moments back at the beginning of sock 1 that I ignored, and I shouldn't have. I did learn from these socks, I learned the provisional cast-on, and got the general idea of how a toe up sock works. Unfortunately the pattern assumes you know how to knit a toe-up sock, and suggests you "use your favourite toe and heel". Not much help for me there. But I found the Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern by Wendy Johnson which was very helpful.

Now the first problem I have with these socks is that I do not like the way they fit my feet. I do not believe I did anything wrong, I just think that the shaping of the foot of this type of toe-up sock is not for me. I know that so many people prefer knitting toe-up socks, and prefer the way they fit, but for me, I much prefer cuff-down. Not only for the fit, which I find is really excellent for my feet, but also for the construction. I founf the toe-up method a lot more fiddly and less enjoyable. I will admit I cast on a cuff down vanilla sock within minutes of weaving in the final ends of the Leyburn socks!

My other problem, and this is probably because I have wide feet, is that the socks feel too tight, and there is no give in them. They were just not very comfortable. In fact, it felt like my feet were actually bandaged up. I know I got gauge so that is not the issue, I think it is just a combination of the inflexibility of the lattice pattern and that my feet are wide. So unfortunately, I think I may frog these socks and make another pair from a different pattern. Ordinarily I wouldn't be fussed, but I do not know of anyone else who may benefit from these socks either.

But in the end, I made them, and although they were a bit fiddly I learned a lot and still enjoyed the knitting. And that's what's important........right?

FO - Chunky Cabled Beret

Last week I spent an entire day knitting this:

A nice, thick and very warm beret for the days I am outside all day in the freezing cold.......which is every day at work lately. We are setting up a new store and my days are spent checking stock as it comes out of the shipping containers. The building is not finished yet either, so no office, no seats, and no heating. I have never been so grateful for my warm woollen handknits!

This hat seriously only took 1 day. 1 day of knitting it exclusively all day. But in the end so worth it. And I really loved the pattern and I knit it out of some left over 10ply I had from making my father-in-laws vest and my dad's christmas beanie and fingerless mitts, which I am very pleased to say are being worn.

I plan to knit this hat again, but there are so many in my queue, that phase 2 may be a long way away.

This weekend is about finishing for me, so hopefully I will have a few more FO's to post about, and if I can actually get on rav, then hopefully i can update my project pages. For some reason unknown to me, my laptop will not let me on rav, which is very frustrating!

New Project Bags

So I was shopping on the weekend, not looking for anything in particular, and I find this:

A new project bag! Only $2! At the Reject Shop! But I love it anyway. I love the little phrases "When I learnt to knit, I forgot how to cook" or "Shhhh........I'm counting", "It takes balls to knit" and "Knit fast die warm!" So adorable! And then I found this one:

And this one:

I like them all for different reasons, the first for the phrases, the second because it is all shades of green, and the final one because it is so bright and vibrant. Unfortunately the bags are not high quality, they are fabric but they aren't lined and do not have any zips, buttons etc. But they are so cute, perfect for projects and they have knitting and yarn!