Fancy (And A Socks That Rock Review)

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Pattern: Gentleman's Fancy Sock by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Socks that Rock Mediumweight - Tlingit

Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm)

Date: Feb 21 - March 8, 2010

@Ravelry

I like to knit lots of different things but every now and then I get stuck on something: socks, washcloths, toys, whatever. The last overriding object of my attention was socks (it's washcloths now but I'll save that for later). I'm not always sure what throws me over the edge but this particular sock knitting binge started when I was looking for the perfect pattern to go with a souvenir skein of Socks that Rock. Eventually, I picked Gentleman's Fancy Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks and I'd like to say it's a good pattern but, really, I have no idea since I modified it so much. Toe up with a reinforced heel flap and my own set of calf increases. Basically, I only kept the stitch pattern and what a glorious stitch pattern it is.

It wasn't just the stitch pattern that had me enthralled. The Socks that Rock did actually live up to the hype. The colors were beautiful (even if they did turn my needles and hands black), the yarn had a nice, tight twist, and the yardage was quite generous. I can't speak for its durability though because I managed to finish them right as Winter and the chance to wear tall, wool socks was fading out. I have high hopes for next Winter though.

Spring Cleaning

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Spring Cleaning | ravelry | download |

Spring is definitely here and the sun, warm temperature, cool breezes, and even rain prove it. As a side effect, I've definitely been bitten with by the Spring Cleaning bug. Winter clothes are being put away, the house is getting a good cleaning, and the clutter is being cleared out. Part of that clutter is all of the ideas that have been floating around in my head since last year. It's high time to get them out of my head and into the world. 

One of these ideas was a simple washcloth that would use up my small, leftover balls of cotton and be useful around the house. The pattern wasn't as simple as I first envisioned and it seemed like I spent more time ripping than knitting. Short rows came to the rescue though and after a bit more tweaking, the idea was finally out of my head. The final pattern uses worsted weight cotton, US 7 (4.5mm) needles, increases, deceases, and short rows to get the final shape. Both solid and variegated yarns look great and don't hide the pattern. Besides from giving a few sample stitch counts, I've also included directions on how to make any size cloth you want. Have fun making one as big as you want and use as much or as little yarn as you want.

Good luck with your own spring cleaning both knitting and other-wise. 

Game Knitting!

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Buttoning Headband from Game Knitting by Lee Meredith

@rav

Even though I finished this headband as Winter was ending, I feel like I finished it right on time. After all, it'll still be there when Fall and Winter come around again. Second, the knitting helped me stay warm, cozy, and laughing through the last of Winter's doldrums because of Game Knitting. Its premise is simple but powerful - knit a basic pattern according to a set of occurrences in TV, movies, or daily life. So, I to kept myself happy with tea and knitting along to the Red Green Show. Whenever someone used duct tape, something exploded, or someone got hurt on Adventures with Bill, etc, I made a cable. Some episodes had more cables than others but it was a great time and I was sad to bind off.

Game Knitting is more than just a headband and cables though. It's more than hats, scarves, and mitts. It's more than short rows, bobbles, ribbing, eyelets, and color work. It's all of these things thrown together with randomness and spontaneity. You might not know what to expect when you begin but it's a lot of fun finding out. The ebook showing you the way is full of colorful photos, patterns, detailed explanations, and lots of inspiration. I can't wait to use it again.

Cotton Leaf

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Cotton Leaf Rag by Ann Buechner (ravelry)

This leaf is one of the latest additions to my fleet of hand towels and washcloths.  I couldn't resist making it way back in December since it reminded me so much of Spring and non-freezing temperatures. It turned out to be a really quick knit and all the short rows made it so much fun. Maybe I'll be able to make a few more before Spring officially arrives.

Home

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There’s always a bit of work involved to make a place feel like home. Moving boxes and setting up furniture is only the start. For me, though, it’s the small things that have the biggest impact. So, when house hunting began in earnest, I dug out my cotton stash to make a piece of home. Three kitchen towels were finished soon after moving day and, after a few months of use, they look like they belong here. It finally feels like I do too.

Linoleum Dishcloth by Kay Gardiner (ravelry)

Mosaic Stripe Set (ravelry)

Mosaic Flower Dishcloths (ravelry)

Play

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Pattern: Konnichiwa by Judy Summer (

ravelry

)

Yarn: Cascade 220 - 

Ruby

Needles: US 6 (4mm) DPN’s

Date: Feb 1-13, 2010

@rav

March’s socks, Konnichiwa, were so much fun that I finished them in less than two weeks. They’re a combination of a good pattern, a good yarn, and a good technique. Those things aside, what made them really fun was that I didn’t hold myself to the pattern. My version is toe-up, a larger size, and has alternating cable crossings. In other words, I let myself play.

I know play doesn’t seem like much. After all, shouldn’t I be working and productive? Shouldn’t I be doing something important? What I’ve come to realize, through knitting and architecture, is that play is very important. Play is the driving force behind serious work and focus. It is the motivator behind great work and great feats because it pushes people to keep experimenting and pushing limits. Without play, work (or anything else) becomes something to finish so you can get onto something you like. People can tell difference. So, don’t be afraid to play. You never know where it will take you.

Quick Knit for the Win

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Pattern:  Argyle Cuff by Lee Meredith

Yarn: Cascade 220 - 801

Needle: US 7 (4.5mm)

Date: Feb 14, 2010

@rav

Last weekend, I wanted to cast on to something new and the Quick Knits Club came to the rescue. One of February’s patterns, the Argyle Cuff, looked fun so I dug up some scrap yarn and got started. The 2 stitch cable made it a fun project that was finished in an afternoon but the finishing took a bit longer. Blocking was definitely required and the cuff seemed to take forever to dry. The wait was worth it though. The cables really popped and the width was perfect. Once I sewed on two orange buttons, it was perfect and quite cozy. 

February's Quick Knits Club

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My love affair with the Leethal Quick Knits Club continues. Being February, this month’s theme is Valentine’s Day but it’s really about the act of giving as an act of love. The patterns and yarn are geared to a multitude of people but aren’t boring or bland like one might expect. Both patterns are for wrist cuffs which,through some strange coincidence, I’ve been thinking about a lot. The first offering. the Argyle Cuff (@rav), is a buttoned band done up with small cables in an argyle motif. Bolt (@rav), the second pattern, looks like a bolt of lighting tied to your wrist and it seems like a pretty fun project.

The yarn for these cuffs really grabbed me and I really wish I had a few more yards of both. The dyed yarn stripes red, blue and green and has a slight halo that I find irresistible. Also irresistible - the matching buttons. Anyway, the spun yarn is 100% cotton and a combination of grey, blue, purple, and yellow. It has a wonderful barber pole look and it’s hard to resist hanging the skein up as a piece of art. I think I’m going to put both of the skeins aside for a special project because, as I’ve been thinking about cuffs, I don’t wear them often and would rather use the yarn for something I’d really enjoy. 

I’m also really enjoying the goodies this month - a dinosaur card, nice paper, some fun foam stickers, and even a double sided crayon. I think the dinosaur card and the octopus sticker are going to stay with me but I can’t wait to do some crafty things with the rest of it for gifts.

On the whole, I’m going to have a lot of fun with this package and I can’t wait for March’s fun to show up in my mailbox. 

Yarn takes Center Stage

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Pattern: Center Stage | ravelry | download |

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks FX - Cascade Colors

Needles: 2.5 mm

Date: Jan 8 - 29, 2010

@Rav

I’m very happy to say that my January socks, the first of my personal Sock-A-Month KAL, are finished and on time too. That second week into 2010, I started these socks because the yarn was calling me and I was helpless to resist. Since the yarn was my main reason for casting on, I wanted it to be the center piece and the dominate the pattern; however, plain stockinette just sounded really, really boring. Plus, interesting sock constructions were still bouncing around in my head.

To meet all of my specifications, I added a simple rib detail and went from there. It definitely kept the socks interesting and let me play around with the gusset and the heel flap. All the experimentation and fiddling with details was really fun. Once the experiment was over, I had a pair of warm, comfy socks.  I’m also releasing the pattern here, so you can make a warm, comfy pair of socks too.

When I purchased this yarn, I was drawn to it because of its long stretches of color and I was not disappointed after knitting it up. The colors create wide stripes which move from light to dark. I did find it prone to a bit of splitting but not annoyingly so. The yarn is also a bit on the hairy side but I think that lends itself to the warm, cushy-ness of the finished fabric. Compared to Patons Kroy Sock 4-ply, the fabric is very similar even though I found the FX yarn to be slightly thinner. One of the downsides is that the socks look a bit different in spite of being the same dye lot. My other complaint is the smaller put-up (166 yds), which led to shorter socks, but I still liked the yarn enough to buy another pair’s worth.

These socks were a great way to start off 2010 and I’ve already made some good progress on February’s pair.  I hope your knitting resolutions (and the other ones too) are going as well as mine.

P.S. The winners of the Diagonal Sock pattern are Theresa and Barbara Wright. Email me at studiostrategos at gmail dot com 

Finally Diagonal

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Near the end of 2009, I wanted a pair of simple, yet engaging, socks to work on both at home and around town. The yarn was wound and ready to go but I didn’t have a pattern. Nothing was quite right. Too complicated, too boring, etc... So, I started playing around with stitch patterns until I came up with something I liked. It was love at first stitch.

The stitch pattern kept it simple while the construction kept it from being mind-numbing. Since I wanted to play with how socks are constructed, I hid the gusset on the instep and put it on just one side before continuing in a more conventional fashion.

In the end, I got a pair of toe-up socks that were exactly what I was looking for. Now, you can make a pair for yourself too.

$6.00  

In order to celebrate the sock knitting love, I’m giving away 2 copies of this pattern. Just leave a comment and you’re in. I’ll pick a winner on Friday, Feb. 5.

Importance

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I often find myself prioritizing my to-do list by what is most important. It’s a pretty handy technique since it helps keep me on track. Lately though, I’ve been questioning how I decide what’s important since knitting always seems to end up at the bottom of the list. Obviously, sending out resumes and doing the laundry are necessary things that shouldn’t be ignored but their importance doesn’t lessen the necessity of knitting. The opposite also stands true; however, my knitting comes second (or third or fourth) place to these things. Why?

Knitting has helped me do some amazing things. It kept me going through an all-consuming architecture degree. It helps me help others and make people happy. It makes me happy. These are important things that shouldn’t be ignored. Still, I know all of this and still manage to completely ignore it when I’m deciding what to do with my day. No more. Hopefully, I can balance all those pesky important necessities with all the enjoyable ones, knitting and otherwise, in the future.

Sock-A-Month 2010

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Several months ago, I came across this post on the Kelp!Knits blog about knitting a pair of socks for each month of 2008. The idea really appealled to me since, A, hand knit socks are awesome and, B, it usually takes me about a month to knit a pair of socks anyway. Also,C, I only have about 34 pairs worth of sock yarn.

So, on January 8th, I took the plunge and cast-on with some Patons Kroy FX. What first attracted me to this yarn was the graduated color changes and I haven’t been disappointed. In order to best display the long color repeats of the yarn, I came up with an uncomplicated but not boring pattern. So far the pair is coming along nicely and should be finished by the end of the month. I might even have the pattern up at the same time.

P.S. Diagonal is almost ready too.

Diagonal

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Recently, I finished up my last bit of business from 2009. SOCKS! Since Christmas and all of its assorted activities were coming up, I wanted a simple, yet engaging, patten to tote around to various gatherings and shopping lines.  In November, I was seeing all these beautiful socks online that were just unassuming combinations of knit and purl. The simplicity was too much to resist and, eventually, I came up with a fun, slanting stitch pattern to decorate my socks. The gusset was my other favorite part of this pattern but I’ll tell you more about that when I release the pattern at the end of the month. In the mean time, you can check out some of the other details over on Ravelry.

Snow Cat Set

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Usually, I don’t put much stock in New Year’s Resolutions but the start of a new decade seems too powerful not to take advantage of. I have my small list of resolutions but, before I can get started, there’s some unfinished business from 2009 to put to bed.

Pattern: Snow Cat Hat from Cosymakes.com

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool - Burgundy

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)

Date: Oct 29-31, 2009

@Rav

I thought the Snow Cat Hat was really cute when I first saw it and I was thrilled when I won the pattern. After some obligatory yarn shopping and during a break from Christmas knitting, I quickly cast on. The hat was a fun, quick knit that I finished just in time to wear for Halloween. The only change was an additional .5” to get one more full repeat of the lace pattern.

@Rav

Since there was half a skein leftover, I decided to make a pair of matching fingerless mitts. The base pattern is my own with the lace and a similar rib pattern added in. I had just enough yarn to make them too but I was a bit worried over the last few rows.

These hat and mitts have become my go-to set ever since, not only do they match my coat, they also keep me warm near drafty windows. You can’t beat that.

O Christmas Tree

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Pattern: Holiday Bird Ornament

Yarn: Worsted

Needle: US 4 (3.5 mm)

@rav

My default Christmas gift is the Christmas ornament and I look for the for the perfect pattern all year. The Holiday Bird Ornament from The Purl Bee was this year’s choice by a landslide. Digging through and matching up my scrap yarn was almost as much fun as the knitting. By the time I was finished, I had a kaleidoscope of red, green, blue, purple, yellow, and white.

Most of them have migrated to their new nests but these two stayed with me. Fair Isle has been preying on my mind lately and I couldn’t resist mixing it with this pattern. The birds were great practice because of their small size but large stitches. Had I known how well they’d turn out I would have made more to give.

Since Fair Isle wasn’t finished with me and I had a little extra time before the 25th, I knit up this cute mini stocking in honor of the first Christmas in the new house. Now I want one for 2010, 2011, and beyond. Since 2010 will be my third year making ornaments, knitting them will officially be my own holiday tradition. I can’t wait.

Almost Finished

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These gloves are almost finished and, by proxy, so is my Christmas knitting. Once the fingers are knit and the ends woven in, I’ve just got a few more ornaments to make and I am done. Just in time for Christmas too.

My other main project: moving into a house. Thankfully, the unpacking has been steady and it’s starting to feel like home. Also, just in time for Christmas.

Distractions

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Lately, I've been perusing two very fun websites: Crafty Leftovers and Leethal. Both sites are creative, inspiring, and not just about knitting. They make me want to drop all of my current projects and start something new RIGHT NOW.

Crafty Leftovers, which is the web adjunct to the Crafty Leftovers Zine, covers a variety of crafts and tutorials utilizing those pesky scraps from other projects. The Earth & Sky Mini Sock Ornament has already proven to be a major distraction. If only some of my sock leftovers matched. Guess I'll just have to use worsted weight yarn. On the non-knitting front, these little matchstick notebooks have already taken up a bit of my time.

Leethal, which also has some focus on repurposing scraps, has a very different aesthetic than Crafty Leftovers and is no less awesome. The patterns, projects, and tutorials are so inspiring that I want to try the lot of them. After all how can I resist such things as the Before and After Photo, Recycled Sweater Wool Jewelry, Gradient Mitts, and the cute Zippered Coin Pouch. These projects do more than demand me to make them. They throw my mind on a tangent and I can't help but think about how to change and adapt them.

Unfortunately, my creative spirit has to go on the back burner.  There's still Christmas knitting to be done and this yarn won't knit itself. Oh, have I also mentioned the packing?

Winter Leaves

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I had just completed the heel flap and was working on the cuff when I felt Second Sock Syndrome sneaking up on me. In order to evade this dreaded enemy, I needed something cute and quick to save me. Enter the Winter Leaves pattern from this month's Quick Knits Club.

The pattern was indeed cute, quick and fun too. From one night's worth of knitting, I got 5 leaves out of 15 yds of yarn but only barely. Come Christmas, these leaves will be put to use as ornaments but I still haven't decided if they need ribbon loops. At the moment though, I'm having fun stacking and arranging them in fun patterns. They're too cute to put away until it's time to hang them.

These leaves worked wonderfully well as a defense against Second Sock Syndrome. I only have a few inches left on the sock and I should finish it in the next few days. If SSS sneaks up again though, I've always got this cute little project in the wings too.