Hard to believe, I know!

But I am finally making progress on something! I am knitting the Pomatomus socks from knitty.com and they are progressing without too much trouble. I think this yarn was just screaming to be these socks. I'm using Wildfoote handpaint and size 0. The only problem I am having is that if I do these socks again, I may use double points instead of my beloved Addis. The points are just not sharp enough to do the knit 2 together thru the back loop. I have solved this by using a dpn to do the stubborn ones, then transferring them to the Addi. Doesn't take much time and it works. I think my sister-in-law will like them and I am going to get a few new socks for myself from this whole fiasco. Can't complain about that, can I! Sorry for the blurry picture, I'm too tired to take another one tonight, but will post a better progress picture later.

I am so fickle :(

What a dilemma I let myself get into sometimes. The ongoing saga of the sister-in-law sock. Nothing seems good enough. I actually think the Nancy Bush Wildfoote socks (red) will be beautiful, but I'd like to get the socks to her in this lifetime....haha. I just don't have the time or the wherewithall to concentrate on the pattern right now. I went back to the blue socks again, but they just aren't that exciting to me. Last night out of boredom and frustration, I started playing with some Opal handpaint I have and it's fun, but just not her colors. I just thought it would be fun for you all to look at my mess. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. haha. I just want to settle on something and GET IT DONE so I can finish all these messes.

Back to the blue...

I'm sorry to say I am going to abandon this sock for a bit though. Since I had decided to make socks for my sister-in-law, I really wanted to make them special and these are just not cutting it. I like them, but they just won't cooperate being anything but stockinette. I am thinking if she never gets another pair of hand knit socks, these are just not special enough. So....I am going to make these for myself but I'm going to do something different for my sister-in-law. I started a pair of socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks with some red handpainted Wildfoote. They aren't far enough along to take a picture of yet, but when I get going on them I know they will knit up fast because I'm motivated (for the moment at least! lol) Does anyone else have this problem of knitting for someone else? Nothing seems to be good enough!

Once in awhile there are FOs

I made my friend a moebius basket. Why is it that when you have made something several times without any trouble at all, the one time you are making it for a gift, it gives you all sorts of grief? This was nothing but trouble. Besides the fact that I didn't really like the colors, the bottom was puckery and then after I felted it, my son got ahold of the only balloon I had and put a hole in it so I didn't have one to dry it properly. I had to re-wet it after I got another balloon. Oh well, my friend loves it. The basket probably looks bigger than it really is. It's gone now so I can't measure it, but it's probalby 6 inches wide.
She also had a new grandbaby so I made the baby a hat. It's out of Cascade Fixation on a size 6. I started the hat about 6 months ago or so with no one in mind. She had seen one I had made and was trying to find someone to knit one for the baby so I decided to finish it and give it to her. She was thrilled. Now I am back to my blue Trekking socks, which are behaving just fine now. :)

Sometimes this is just the way it goes

I accidentally erased the first tinking ... I tried and tried to do a pattern of some sort on this sock, but it just wasn't right, so I tinked it all back and started over twice. Then I decided this sock really just wanted to be stockinette after all.....so fine, I was liking it just fine. Then, I discovered a split stitch. Really, I'm sure it would have been just fine, but since these are a gift, my conscience just wouldn't let me go on....so I decided to drop the stitch down and pick it back up. Easy enough most times, but not today. This yarn splits easily, although I still like it. Sooooo........now we have this:





haha......Oh well, I want them to be right. I'm not discouraged. (really, I'm not.....) I just pray these don't become like the "beloved" socks I made for hubby. Those became such a trial that I had to go through huge attitude adjustment and in the end, they became known as the "beloved" socks. He loves them, so yep, it's worth it.

Uh Oh!

I am nearly to the toe decrease on my 2nd Trekking sock but I forgot the first one at my daughter's house last night. What was I to do but start another sock? I have been thinking a lot about my sister-in-law who has been going through so many heartbreaking things. There is nothing more from the heart I can do but knit a sock for her... I always said I would not knit socks for anyone but our immediate family, but I want to do something for her and this is the best thing I can think of. Whether she realizes it or not doesn't really matter to me, I need to do something for her. I was really tempted to do some great pattern because I am excited to give her my best, but then I realized if she never gets another pair of handknit socks, it would be nice if these are something that actually fits. lol.

As soon as I get my other sock back, I am going to have to force myself to finish them before I get too far into these but, hey.....this is good too, eh?

Lovin' these socks!

They are knitting up pretty fast even though I am doing them on size 0. I am looking forward to getting more of this yarn.

It's the day before Easter...

I have a sick child and am so tired. We forgot to color eggs so somehow I will work today, go to our church's Easter service tonight and get those eggs done! I've slept on the couch for 2 nights near my daughter and I am tired.

I've made a little progress on my second trekking sock...I haven't figure out how to match the two so it is starting out a lot different, but I don't think it's going to make a big difference. I'm a few inches into the new cuff. I can't wait to get more of this yarn!

Trekking Socks

Inspired by Stephanie, I got some Trekking XXL Color 90 and knit a sock. It went really well and I do like the yarn even though it has a tendency to split a little. I just did the old stand-by pattern and used the eye-of-the-partridge heel I like to do best. I feel pretty pleased with the sock and I hope to get the other one soon even though it isn't really the time of year to wear them. The colors are beautiful!

Charlotte still sits on the needles, I really haven't looked at it all week. I am not discouraged, I just know I need to take out one more row before I get started again. I like just looking at it. I saw a Charlotte shawl on someone site recently made out of Kuryeon and it was really beautiful....surely worth a try! She did it on size 10 1/2 needles.

Knitting....tinking.....progress?

The past week has been busy....spring break....daughter traveling in Spain. I've just been too tired to post anything. I have been knitting and even crocheting a little....but progress? Hmmm...It's been forwards and backwards. Maybe a little more backwards than forwards. I made progress on Charlotte only to tink back to my lifeline. I started my Girly Girl socks but the pattern and yarn just would not cooperate. I have done the pattern before and thought it was so easy....but what's wrong with me now? It just won't work. I am not sure if it's because I am doing it this time on 0's but why would that make a difference? So instead I started some Trekking XXL socks, am really liking them! I'll post a picture when I have some good daylight. And for crocheting....I started a sweater from Interweave Knits but have come back more than forwards. It's been a long time since I crocheted and I keep gettting off.

She's growing....!

Thanks, Moxie, for the great advice. I am really enjoying this shawl....hey, I told my friends today that I would probably actually finish it! haha. I am just ready to go to the next color transition but started getting too tired to go on. When I hit that point, I just make nothing but errors. I noticed on my lifeline, I missed one stitch and was just too lazy to go back and catch it, I will do that tomorrow before I knit another stitch...too much invested in this now to be lazy about it. I am really excited to get into the next color range. It seems like you don't really have time to get bored with one before it is time to start the next. However, I do realize the rows are getting longer all the time...but the yarn is so beautiful I don't think I will get bored anyway.

I have given in!

So many people I know are making shawls and I have been looking at so many of them on blogs. For me, it all started with Moxieblossom and herCharlotte's Web Shawl she made during the Knitting Olympics. I just could not quit going back to look at it. I had a hard time finding Koigu, but I was finally able to get to a store I knew carried it. I hope the colors go together, there were only about 8 choices and I needed 5.

I have started this shawl no less than 15 times. At least 3 times, I got to row 30 or so and had to tear back for some silly reason or another. Now I am running lifelines. lol.

In spite of the frog pond, I have really enjoyed the process. I am putting no expectations on myself, this is just going to be enjoyable. I had decided I never cared if I knit the yarn or not, it is soooo pretty.

Once again...

My Simply Lovely Lace socks...I have told a few people about them and they were hidden in the archives. I'm new to this and didn't know how to get them back, so I am re-posting the picture. I have really loved wearing them....so comfy and so cute! I am actually going to have to go get tan so they don't look so ridiculous on my white legs! When I ever do get those Silk Garden socks done, I am going to make the girly girl socks from Interweave, they are just as fun as these are. I might actually do the picot edge on those because I loved it but felt the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino might just be too heavy to knit that edge.

Up the hill I go...

I am nearly done with my silk garden sock #2 but I have lost any excitement I ever had for getting them done and I am NOT letting myself start anything new until I do! I only have a few inches left to go and the knitting is fast, but I am just bored with it! As you can see, they are not going to match exactly, which I am obsessive about so this is good for me, but in order for that to happen, I'd need at least one more skein of yarn to make it work. Silk Garden is funny...some skeins have colors others don't. I think I'm going to like them anyway. They'll be great in my crocs!

Exciting new thing today, though....I got Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's new book, Knitting Rules!, today and I LOVE it. I shouldn't have let myself sit down to read it rather than finishing that silly sock! :)

No pictures today

I am turning the heel on my second silk garden sock. I feel like I have been turning the heel for days. lol. I was just too busy to concentrate on what I was doing and actually, I am fighting wanting to start a new project. I always have socks on the needles no matter what else I am doing, and I want to do the Girly Girl socks from Interweave next. I am going to use my favorite shade of green in Opal to make them. I am also getting some of the new Trekking yarn so I know those will be next!

Still around....

Life has been busy ... I've been working on my silk garden socks (ready to start the heel on the 2nd sock) and the intarsia bag is back to the first row of intarsia. I wonder if I will carry that silly little bag yet this year.

I do have the picture of the baby hat finally. It's really tiny, but I bet it would fit a newborn well. Since it only took an evening to make, why not make something that a baby could wear right at birth and make another one later. This yarn is so soft and just perfect for a new baby. We tried one out of alpaca, but realized it is so fuzzy that for one thing, the yarn overs don't show and for another, who wants to let all those little fuzzies into a new babies eyes! I had so much of the yarn left over, I may try making some tiny socks to go with the hat. How cute would that be?

I'm getting the bug to start other projects, but I need to stay on task and finish at least one of my WIP. I can be the queen of flitting from one thing to another.

Hopefully there will be something a little more exciting to post here soon.

It snowed today!

...and I had only one new sock! Ahhh, well....I had fun anyway. I finished the baby hat last night and forgot to take a picture of it. I'll have to do that later. I started the second sock today and I also started a pair of legwarmers from One Skein. Loving that book! If I wasn't so tired, I'd take a picture of them, too...but I am only about 6 rows into them so you can't see much anyway. I'm not really in a rush to get them done, just thought they were pretty.
I'm thinking I took that picture from a funny angle, but I am really tired so either it stays, or I'll redo it later if it really bugs me. It would help if I didn't have the camera so full of junk that I only can take a few pictures at a time before the memory card gets full. One of these days I am just going to get it cleared off so I can take a few decent pictures to choose from!
I do plan to get back to the intarsia bag soon, but am just enjoying a little variety right now. Loved those knitting olympics, but right now I just want to do a little of this and that!

Ooooh la la!

In spite of a busy day, I was still able to get some knitting in. I finished my silk garden sock, but I forgot to bring them home from work. I LOVE it! I plan to start the second one tomorrow.

And...after 5 starts, I managed to get the baby hat started. It's not a hard pattern, but I kept losing count because I was talking too much. What else is new! After about the 4th pattern row, you can see where you are going and it makes it easier to keep track. There are only 12 pattern rows before you go to stockinette. Anyway, here is a picture of the progress on the hat. I think the rest will be a piece of cake. I am about an inch away from the decreasing.

After I get these two things on the way, I am going to have to go back and start my intarsia again....but in the meantime, I am really loving this One Skein book. I have several things running thru my mind to start on soon. I have never been able to stick with one project anyway! :)

New projects

Today I was so tired. I frogged the whole intarsia project this weekend and even though I am looking forward to knitting it, I just didn't have the energy to deal with it yet. I got a new book today...One Skein by Leigh Radford...and it had some great projects in it. I decided to make the Baby Hat out of the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in yellow. I think it's going to be fun and quick!

Also on the needles are my Silk Garden socks. I'm making them these on size 2 Addis and using the garter stitch heel from Lucy Neatby. These are really quick and I'm enjoying them. I heard we are having a cold snap this weekend so I guess I had better concentrate on getting them finished!

I know the second sock is not going to match because this yarn is so funny, there will be colors in one skein that never appear in the other. I'm not at all sure how these socks will hold up but I do love the yarn and wanted a pair of socks that are heavier. It is going to be a challenge not to be obsessed with matching them perfectly...I think it is going to be good for me to shake it up a little and have a pair of fraternal socks for once!

Later in the day: here is the progress on the Silk Garden socks. I felt like I barely had time to knit today and now I am ready to close the toe! Just a few more rows. I plan for these to just be house socks mostly, but I think they'll be fun to wear with my Crocs, too! It's hard to see, but the heel is facing up and they aren't really real short socks. I am probably going to have to pick some of the chaff out of the yarn or they are going to be prickly, but other than that, I think they will be fun. I hope I don't succumb to Second Sock Syndrome, though. I have started too many things at once....but hey, after the Olympics, I have to have a little bit of variety!

Intarsia

Well, one of the effects of the Knitting Olympics for me is that I want to push myself to try something new. I am making a small bag and this is my second attempt. I think maybe I should have taken a picture of the mess I untangled so I could take the picture. Whew....what a mess! However, it is kind of a fun process even though it is a total mess most of the time. I'm using Manos yarns with a little bit of Noro Iro.

I'm also halfway through a new sock. I'm trying a garter stitch heel using Noro Silk Garden. I will post a picture later...not too exciting at this point and my memory on the camera is full.