Forgotten Socks

That’s right, I’m still posting last year’s finished objects. And sadly, this is not the last project from 2009 still waiting to be photographed. But it’s definitely one of my most worn. My sock projects tend to go straight from the needles and onto my toes, and this was no exception.

Pattern: Child’s First Sock in Shell Pattern, from Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Merino, hand dyed
Needles: Size 2

I suppose there’s a benefit to posting after having a few months to break these in. I can honestly say that the Knit Picks Bare Merino yarn is sturdy stuff. It’s starting to bloom a bit and the twist was a tad loose for my liking, but they’re wearing very well and remain soft, even after repeated washings.

This also happens to be one of the yarns I hand dyed. I first dyed it last year with blueberry juice. It turned a beautiful pale lilac color, but washed out quite a bit when soaked. I then overdyed it a few weeks later with Kool-Aid, using just a small amount of a packet to get a pale pink. Then end result is lovely, with a blending of shell and strawberry pinks and a faint stripe of lilac in the background. I’m almost tempted to mess with all the fruit in my fridge to see what other colors I can get.

But the best thing about these socks is their fit. So many of the socks I make tend to have the same number of stitches in the foot as they do on the leg, leading to that baggy bedsock feeling by the end of the day. But this pattern keeps decreasing after the ankle stitches, and the result is a sock that fits closely, even after several hours of wear.

See. Even the toe is a better fit.

Little Pink House

I’ve been reading the Checkout Girl blog for awhile now, amazed at the beautiful things she makes with scraps of fabric and felt. So when she posted a tutorial to make her little pink house frame, I knew I had to make one for my mother, who loves small cottages and gardens.

I have to admit that I sometimes get bored with sewing and embroidering, and will put down a pattern for long stretches of time. But this was a joy to make, particularly all the flowers. And there’s no problem if your sewing goes a bit wonky, as it just seems to add to the charm of the design.

I’m tempted to make a little cottage of my own. I just need to figure out how to make a felt goat!

Winter Nights

In early December, I decided I deserved a break from holiday knitting, cast-on for Ysolda Teague’s Damson, and then promptly messed it up. I frogged and re-knit it, only to realize that, even with pattern adjustments, I still didn’t have enough yarn in my Colinette Jitterbug. So I frogged it yet again, and cast-on in a different color, only to find out that my glorious Madeline Tosh yarn, which looks like jeweled jelly in the skein, looked a bit more like mad tie-dye when knit. I threw the whole thing in my knitting cupboard and decided to make myself another Ishbel as consolation.

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in Corvid
Needles: Size 6

I’ve been saving this particular color for something special. It’s stunning, a mixture of purples and greens, like the wings of a bird swirled into inky black.

There’s something extremely soothing about the simplicity of this pattern. It’s so easy, but it yields a truly beautiful piece of wearable art.

Somehow, I doubt I’ll be stopping at three.

Homemade Christmas 4

Back in October, I decided to take part in the Through the Loops Mystery Sock knit-along. I even enticed Alexis to knit it with me. But October became a bit tricky, and it became a two month sock.

Pattern: Mystery Sock ‘09
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids in Dove
Needle: Size 2 dpns

I love the pattern on the leg, and how it follows down the foot…

…all the way to the toes.

These were for my poor aunt, who is finding the suddenly wintry Texas weather a bit hard to deal with.

Homemade Christmas 3

And the final item in the Warm Hats for Cold Heads collection. My show piece, you might say…

Sometime in November I asked my sister that if I were hypothetically to make her a Christmas present, what would she like. She answered that she might hypothetically like the Aira beret I made for myself earlier in the year, but in a rich red. So that’s what I made her and she likes it quite a bit more than hypothetically. Which is rather a shame, because I kind of wanted to keep it for myself.

Pattern: Aira
Yarn: Berroco Comfort Sock in red
Needles: Sizes 1 and 2 dpns

The only modification I made was to go down from a size 4 needle to a size 2. I wanted to make it a little less slouchy and a little more cloche-like.

Works beautifully in the Berroco Comfort Sock, which is blessedly machine washable and easy-care for my extremely busy sister.

Homemade Christmas 2

For my brother-in-law, who apparently steals my sister’s warm knitted fuzzy things. And he’s a minister!

Pattern: Another Hurricane hat
Yarn: Malabrigo scraps (seriously, must have only been about 70 yards!)
Needles: Size 7 dpns

Homemade Christmas 1

From the Warm Hats for Cold Heads Collection, the first of three Hurricane hats I’ve made for friends. Well, the first and second, really. One skein made two hats. And then I just couldn’t stop making them…

Pattern: Hurricane hat
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia, sort of blueish-green (no tags)
Needles: Size 7 dpns

The furry and the woolly

Cat tested:

Cat approved:

Dig those crazy stripes!

I am celebrating the first snow of the year by breaking in a new pair of warm and woolen stripey socks. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Pattern: Generic cuff-down, short row heel, 60 stitches
Yarn: ONline Supersocke 100 Circle Color
Needles: Size 2

Really…

quite…

groovy!

31 Days of Crafting

Poor little blog – I have neglected you.

But I have been knitting. I am knitting. And, considering all gifts this year will be homemade, I imagine I will be knitting all the way through Christmas Eve. All of that conjugates to a whole lotta knitted items, and I’m going to try very hard to photograph them and post them here. You know, now, not three months later.

Let the knitting begin…