A Hat Full of Sky Vanilla Cuff Down FLK Heel w MHF Adjustment Socks
Nearly finished the first section on my Xanthe Shawl by Ambah O’Brien. Finally chose Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Blue Nile and Button Jar Blue and Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in Teacup. I’ve been very picky about the colours – I’ve ripped back a few times and changed the colours and their placements a few times. That’s very unlike me, but I think it I should be more picky in future. I’d rather finish objects that I want to wear instead of just finishing objects for the sake of it.
Blue Nile and Teacup Xanthe Shawl
Planning
I’ve knit a swatch for my next sweater, V-neck Boxy by Joji Locatelli in Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the Vishnu colourway. My swatch was knit up on 3.5 mm needles, and it’s telling me that I have an extra stitch to every 10 cm, so it could probably end up being a little smaller than the schematic. I hate the fabric on 3.75 mm needles, and it is a very voluminous garment so I’m going to go for it anyways. I’ve had really good results knitting garments from this yarn before, even when gauge was similarly off. I just have to be realistic as to which size to knit (i.e. my size or even the next size up, not the smaller size I’d rather be) with my slightly too tight gauge.
I had a bit of cast-on-itis this week.
I started 2 pairs of socks, a pair for me and a pair for my daughter, and I cast-on a Lush cardigan.
First the cardigan:
I’m nearly done the lace panel. I actually did the provisional cast-on, and it worked beautifully. I promise never to try and get out of a provisional cast-on again. The cast-on has already been picked up and knitted; it was right in the middle of the diamond on the panel in the upper-left hand corner of the picture, right below the squirrel stitch marker. It’s also my first time working with SweetGeorgia Worsted yarn. I like it so far, it’s quite strong, almost like Socks That Rock in feel, except that SweetGeorgia Worsted is thicker of course, being worsted and not sock weight like STR.
I’m going to make my daughter another pair of socks with the fish lips kiss heel and since I have enough yarn leftover from her first pair of socks, in the same yarn (Dream in Color Everlasting Sock) too.
I’m making my socks in Lorna’s Laces Solemate toe-up using the vanilla method found in Kate Atherley’s Custom Socks. I cast-on both toes using Judy’s magic cast-on in magic loop. Once the toes were done, I transferred one sock to a holder and another to an 8″ / 20 cm Addi circular needle. I’ve always used magic loop to make socks and I enjoy that method, but why not try something new? I just have to remember to note down everything I do with this sock so the second sock will match properly. I’m finding the small needle a little awkward to work with, but I’ve only done five rounds with it so far. I’m sure there’s a learning curve and I’ll be in it for a little while.
And this one is moving along, but it’s hard to work on around the kids. It really demands all of my attention. I can only knit 2-6 rows a day, and that’s if I’m lucky. But I do love it.
My daughter hates the toe-seam on commercial socks, even when she’s not wearing shoes, so I set about to become a sock knitter for her sake. I really enjoyed making these, though there was a fair amount of ripping back at first. I knit them two-at-a-time using magic loop. They are toe up with a FLK Heel and a Russian lace bind-off for stretchiness. I found the bind-off in Custom Socks: Knit to Fit Your Feet by Kate Atherley, an amazing resource for all things socks.
This yarn was once a pair of fingerless mitts that I frogged a while back. I found it to be a little splitty, but that could be because of all the wear and tear it’s already been through. I will be making more socks for her from this yarn since purple is her favourite colour and she is very happy with these socks.
I’ve been making progress this week – I should finish my hitchhiker and my child’s socks in a few days. I turned the heels on my socks this weekend and the recipient doesn’t want her socks to go to far up her leg, so almost done! I’ve also finished chart 3 on my Evenstar, and am now casting off with beads!!
I finished a WIP from last week, the Insulate! mittens, so as one does, I immediately cast on for two more projects. The Insulate! hat is actually done, I finished it last night. The photo was taken yesterday afternoon; immediately after taking its picture, I decided that I had to work on this hat. I pushed everything else aside, including this post, which should have been written and posted yesterday. It’s super cute, though a little small (did I check gauge? no, of course not) but I haven’t blocked it yet, so fingers crossed it will get larger.
Insulate! hat
I cast on a Hitchhiker as well, I’m using Hedgehog Fibres Twist Sock, which is 80% BFL wool and 20% nylon. I love the yarn, and the colours are amazing. I find knitted speckled yarn gives a lovely gentle overall effect, but can still use many wild colours, while variegated can be hit or miss when it knits up. This shawl’s construction is fun to knit, since it goes so fast at the beginning.
Hitchhiker Shawl
I am so close to being done with Chart Three on my Evenstar. Only 1.5 rows of patterning, and 5 rows of plain knitting, left. I can’t wait to start the bind off/Chart Four. I haven’t worked on any of my other WIPs this week, though the socks are bugging me. My daughter hates the toe seams in commercial socks; the guilt of not being a consistent sock knitter (e.g. my Monkey Socks took me just over three years to complete) is really getting to me.
Evenstar Shawl
And yes, I did put an overturned box on my back porch to use a table / snow protector to take these photos. On a sunny day, the snow outside (it is everywhere) works almost like a light-box. The colours are accurate for once. Oh! and that overturned box was used to ship an Ashford bottom whorl spindle to me. I plan to learn how to spin, but for now I just want to get my feet wet; I want to master the spindle and enjoy it before jumping into the spinning pool.
I recently cast on these mittens, they are a blast to knit. I’m trying traditional colourwork for the right hand (which is finished), and a new colourwork technique for the left (in progress). So far loving the new technique, but I have to wait for the left mitten to be done before I know the final result. Yes, I am knitting mittens with Daleks on them. Pattern here. This also my first time knitting with tosh dk, so love it, but I have to wait and see how it wears in real life. The blue is spectrum and the yellow is maple leaf.
Insulate! Mittens
I’ve also made a little progress on this old friend from 2014, my Evenstar. I should finish the 3rd chart very soon. I will be using beads for the 4th and final chart. This shawl and In Dreams are part of my detention o.w.l. for hpkchc, so hopefully they will both be done by April.
Evenstar
In Dreams
These are the WIPs that I’m not consistently working on, though I should be:
Bat’leth Scarf
Daphne Socks
Amagi Jumper
Luke
Seriously, there is no reason (other than time) that I’m not working on them / that they aren’t finished already.
So the weather is finally changing. It feels wonderful as long as I’m inside. I caved and turned on the heating last week. Everything is brand new, so lots of fiddling by me to a) figure out how the system actually works and b) find the temperature setting that doesn’t leave the house either an icebox or a sauna. Since my husband has crazy work hours and I wake up early and stay home, there is no point to programming the system to turn low at nights or during week days, I’ve had to find a slightly frigid balance between survival and an enormous hydro bill.
I’ve only been working on a pair of socks this month, but given that my average completion time for socks is about 2 years, I’m very happy to report that I’m 80% done. I’m not following any pattern. I just watched some how-tos on YouTube, and winged it. They are turning out really well, except for the heel. I either mangled the instructions (very probable) or this a heel method that has a lot working out left to do. I like that it is st st all the way, though. My heels look very frankenstein, but I’m not going back to fiddle with them because a) I have to finish them before the 30th, b) the socks that I have made get used on cold nights, not fancy dress parties, c) I have a deadline and d) I want to break my sock curse. The actual colour of the yarn is between these 2 pictures. It’s Sundara Sock in Candied Chrome, acquired about 6 years ago. It’s very soft and fun to knit with. The pattern is a twisted stitch pattern from Barbara Walker’s 2nd Treasury, called Rapunzel.
