FO: Just Keep Swimming Socks

July 13, 2014September 19, 2018 | yarn & yarns

I’m definitely a creature of my surroundings. No surprise, then, that my fish socks demanded serious needle time during our cabin vacation. Finished them up with plenty of time to hold a photo shoot on the dock. (The perfectionist in me feels compelled to tell you that these hadn’t had a good soak yet — that’s my excuse for the wonky colorwork, especially in the gusset area, and I’m sticking with it!)

The socks sure came in handy when the temperatures dropped mid-week and I was otherwise regretting the fact that I’d failed to pack bed socks. Given the double layer of yarn created by the stranding, I’m pretty sure these will be a favorite this winter — whether or not I feel the need to “Just Keep Swimming!”

swimming1 — **Pattern**: Swedish Fish Socks
**Yarn**: TFA blue label in Deep Sea and After the Sheep Panda in Butterscotch

Let’s Just Pretend Winter Is Over, Shall We?

March 21, 2014March 24, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Can’t hurt, right? Maybe that Polar Vortex will realize it smells like three-day-old fish and just move along now that we’re on the other side of the equinox.

You could say I jump-started my spring cleaning with this blog. A refresh and move were long overdue. I’ve swept up many of the loose pixels on old posts… Please forgive the rest you find lingering in the corners.

While I’m not so foolhardy as to actually box up the knitwear, I’d like to put my winter FOs into a tidy pile here.

First up, my Frosty Fiddleheads. Taking the time to add the lining was worth every second.

Pattern: Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilia Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts DK (Lucky Penny & Charcoal), lined with Frost in fingering — **Pattern**: Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilia
**Yarn:** Tanis Fiber Arts DK in Lucky Penny & Charcoal, lined with Frost in fingering

Next we have my Ravellenics project, the Hat Halfpipe: Ogiku. Here’s how the photo shoot played out, in case this series isn’t clear. Izzy grabbed Lily to help her model. The predictably ~~jealous~~ loyal Violet decided to join in. No surprise who won the “battle of the pets.”

Pattern: Ogiku by Sarah Mombert Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Cosmic label in Atlantic & Natural — **Pattern:** Ogiku by Sarah Mombert
**Yarn:** Tanis Fiber Arts Cosmic label in Atlantic & Natural

And last, but not least, the infinity cowl and fingerless mitts I made my mother for Christmas. While she was excited to receive them, know that this shot if more about what a good sport she is.

Patterns: Cafe au Lait Mitts by Paula McKeever & Honey Cowl by Antonia Shankland Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino in Jupiter — **Patterns:**
Cafe au Lait Mitts by Paula McKeever
& Honey Cowl by Antonia Shankland
**Yarn:**
Malabrigo Silky Merino in Jupiter

FO Parade: Blue Iris Rivercats

October 24, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

So that sock pattern that wasn’t quite right for the If a Tree Falls colorway I got at Yarnover? It was perfect for this OOAK lovely from Tanis Fiber Arts.

riverbed 2 — **Pattern**: Rivercat Sock by Brenda Patipa
**Yarn**: TFA Blue Label (Blue Iris)

So success on that front, but I should have gone down a needle size. They’re a bit big inside shoes, but they will keep my feet toasty at home. Or be great layered over another pair for January outings. As you can see, they’re too pretty not to wear.

And this brings our FO Parade to a close. Hoping to keep up better in October.

FO Parade: Spiced Cotton Reels

October 23, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Why, yes. You are correct. I did already knit another pair of fingerless mitts this year. But in my defense, I live in Minnesota.

Plus, I used fingering-weight scraps to create these. So I’m feeling all “virtuous” in a waste-not, want-not way. (What’s that, you say? My fingers are in my ears, so no, I can’t hear you laughing.)

cotton reel mitts — **Pattern**: Cotton Reel Mittens by Ysolda Teague
**Yarn**: TFA Blue Label (Plum and Spice)

What do you do with your yarn scraps? I’ve got lots more itching to become something…

FO Parade: Fall Fields

October 20, 2013March 22, 2014 | yarn & yarns

Last weekend, the Finishing Frenzy continued with blocking and photographs. Most even made it into Ravelry before I ran out of time. Oh, for more three-day weekends…

I’m going to queue up some blog posts now that the FOs are truly and completely finished — and before this weekend fades away, too.

A local yarn store closed its doors in August. Always a bitter-sweet event. Along with a half-priced sweater’s worth of Malabrigo and all the Noro I need for the POP blanket I intend to knit after I get this current wave of sock knitting out of my system, I picked up a lone skein. With all my favorite colors intertwined, I just couldn’t pass it by despite the high acrylic and rayon content. In fact, I was compelled to cast on that very day. And talk about a Pride & Prejudice moment: I love the result.

**Pattern**: Fields of Wheat by Varant Ekmekjian
**Yarn**: Berroco Boboli (Ginger Scone)

While fall seems to be a no-show this year in Minnesota, today’s snowflakes up North are a clear sign this is about to get lots of use.

FO: Beach Glass Spectra

March 26, 2012 | yarn & yarns

First things first: Izzy is recovering nicely from her sprained wrist — phew! Thanks for all the well wishes. Now on to the knitting. Remember that rut I mentioned about a month ago?

Pattern: Spectra by Stephen West

Yarn: Noro Taiyo Sock (S8)

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (Antique Lace)

Well, I decided to embrace said rut when I couldn’t wait to cast on another shawl the minute I finished up this one. Yep, I signed up for the the 12 shawls in 2012 challenge. Crazy? Perhaps.

And for those keeping track of my New Year’s “three new techniques” challenge, I’m counting this Spectra and its short rows as #2 down. Sure, I did a few short rows when making those holiday Malabrigo loafers. But here I worked on learning how to conceal the wraps — thinking of Cat Bordhi and her excellent tutorial each time I lifted a “yarn necklace” (all 500+ of them).

Monsters and Scarves and UFOs, Oh My!

October 28, 2011March 21, 2014 | yarn & yarns

There’s been lots of knitting lately — between Izzy’s skating lessons and her twice-weekly OT/Brain Training sessions, I’ve managed to squeeze in a remarkable amount of “out and about” needle time. Concentrated, at-home finishing time? Seemingly impossible to find. Evidence:

A. Woodsmoke Scarf that only needs a half-dozen kitchener stitches (yes, I still fear them) and blocking
B. Tweedy Cowl that needs, geez, four ends woven in and blocking
C. Two Penelope Monsters that have been blocked and stuffed and only need assembling
D. Most shameful of all, a Transverse Cardigan that needs 1-1/2 side seams and buttons sewn on (and that’s been at this state for nearly a year)

To motivate myself this weekend to finish up at least the monsters (one of which is now an overdue birthday present), I’ve set that finishing as a hurdle for casting on a Chadwick with the two skeins of Tanis Fiber Arts I splurged and ordered recently (Mallard and Chestnut). Seriously, folks, the colors of this yarn are even more stunning in person.

My plan has one major flaw, though. I have 1-1/2 hours of lobby time tomorrow evening during Izzy’s OT session. And no way, no how can I sit there without any knitting. Looks like I have a Scarflette to cast on… Make that re-cast on. (But that’s a story for another day.)

PSA, Fellow Knitters: Tanis just launched a line of Merino-Cashmere-Silk yarn, and she’s giving away a skein with a pattern she designed. Enter before Halloween! (And any family looking for Christmas ideas, consider this a big-ole-hint! 😉

FOs: One for Izzy, One for Me

September 22, 2011March 21, 2014 | yarn & yarns

It took several months, but I’ve recovered from the heartbreak of Izzy having lost the first skating sweater I made her. Yep, you read that right. Best we can figure, it went MIA at either the ice rink or school in April. But since it never showed up in either’s Lost & Found, I’ve consoled myself by fabricating a story about how it’s being worn and loved by some little girl somewhere. Some little girl who sleeps in it and never lets it out of her sight.

So when I agreed to cast on another sweater for Izzy, it came with a sworn promise that she would not lose this one. (And the acknowledgement that if she did, there would be nadda handknits for her for years to come.)

Pattern: Purl Stripe Cardigan by Amy Polcyn

Yarn: Alice Starmore Scottish Heather (Aubretia), Noro Iro (111)

It also seemed wise to go stash diving for the yarn. In the end, I ended up frogging a half-finished Tweedy Pie coat I’d started for Izzy when she was three — even at that small size, it was more Seed Stitch (1000-some yards) than I could stomach. The yarn is this amazing heathered purple with bits of violet and pink that’s not done justice by my photos. It also proved to be one of those yarns that change texture completely (from stiff and kind of scratchy to almost fuzzy soft) after blocking.

This is my first attempt at a yoke cardigan, which had me quite nervous before the blocking. The fact that I’d pushed the purl stripes by selecting a slightly bulkier yarn than what was in the pattern certainly didn’t help. In the end, I’m reasonably satisfied with the result — the button band is just a bit wavy, but I’m hoping that will straighten out with wear. I’d also done the math to size up two-inches around to make it bigger than the largest size in the pattern. And while it’s a bit big now, given how fast Izzy’s growing, I was happy to see that.

To get the color sequencing I wanted, I had to dip into the second skein of Iro I bought for the project. But that left me with nearly a full skein to play with. And who could resist digging through Ravelry to find just the perfect pattern to use up the rest of that glorious rainbow yardage?