2015 Year in Review

Wow, it's been a year.

Wow, I don't really have a lot to show for myself on the knitting front. On the other stuff front, I got my anxiety under control, got an awesome new job, and awesome new cat, travelled to Germany, New Orleans, and Vancouver, and quit sugar.

But not much knitting. Still, I love looking at the beautiful collages that people make around this time, so I'm going to make one too! Here it is:

6 things. Yikes! Hopefully next year this post is bigger. I'm a little ashamed. :(

Ho! An FO!

I finished my Acorn Stash socks today! It's going to be an industrious vacation. I've already helped Dan make a bookshelf, put up about a dozen photos on the walls, and have strongly contemplated cooking.

Anyway, I'm so happy with how these came out. I'm not happy with the fact that I didn't check for

errata when I was making the first pair, but it all turned out ok in the end!

I added a little detail to the second sock - I finished off the acorn on the toe. I love it! I'm too lazy to go back and do it on the first one, though.

Danmas Eve

It's a wonderful Saturday. Dan's birthday is tomorrow and I'm making him a cake later. Everything is going awesome.

The cats are napping...

Rosie the Roomba is running... (without causing cat freakout! Miracle day.)

And I've finished Dan's Socks! Just in time for his birthday :)

I'm really happy with this pattern. I seriously will never get tired of knitting these 3x3 stockinette socks. I used to HATE colorways like this one, but not anymore! Long live waltz socks.

Anyway, hope you have a nice quiet weekend!

Star Crossed Slouchy Beanie

I needed some gratification, so I knit this hat up this weekend with some random Plymouth Encore yarn that I had in my stash from who knows what. (It was a half finished skein! So I know I used it for something!) I knit it up using size 10 needles, because slouchy hats tend to slowly slouch off my head. I really like it! It's great for the chilly spring weather that we're having, and I think the color looks really good on me.

I finished it in the car on the way to a night out, and thought I could use it to cover up my hair. So I wore it, and people had trouble recognizing me! I recently got new glasses for work, and was wearing them because my non-safety glasses were at home, so I did look very different. Someone called it "a hipster disguise."  Here's photo evidence:

Dan and I are both constantly in a "hipster disguise." Here's some broccolini that I picked up from the organic market and we grilled (because it's never too early in the summer to convince the man in your life to cook dinner for you.)

Here's Dan adjusting the grill while holding a craft beer.

Hipster disguises, guys.

Finally, something to show for my efforts!

Attention feels like it's been spread really thin lately. Reading, weight loss, exercising... there hasn't been much room for knitting. But really, I think it's because I've been knitting less due to stress, sickness, etc. Yesterday I took the whole day off to recover from a pretty miserable kidney infection (it was also my last day on antibiotics, but I still feel kind of crummy) and I spent yesterday and today taking it easy - knitting, reading, and going for walks.

Finally, I have something to show for my effort! A Dan's blueberry waltz socks are done!

I was really proud... until he tried them on. The heel is just way, way, way too tight. I don't know what to do here - on the last socks I made him, the heel fit well! He says he doesn't mind it, but I mind it! For all the time and effort, they should fit like a glove.

Anyway, he told me not to worry, which felt patronizing, but I'm going to trust him. When I'm re-making the heel in a year's time because they wore out, I'll point to this post as an I told you so!

Other than the socks, I'm making progress on my puppycat and my little afghan for my hope chest. Slowly but surely. I haven't really been in a mental state to read blogs though... I've just gotten gloomy from it, so I hope ya'll will forgive me. Have less awesome lives, darn it! :P

Bonus photo of my landlord's adorable cat, Curtis:

Reeses Pieces Socks Finished!

I finished them over the weekend, and I have to say I love the yarn.  They knit up so well, and the stripes are STRIPEY and fun. I couldn't resist just using plain stockinette.  The fabric is so lovely as is, I didn't want to muddle it with a pattern (but that's how I feel about most self-striping yarn!)

I knit them two at a time, and just kept knitting until I felt my calves were too big.  I could have increased the number of stitches and kept going, but I just didn't want to. I felt like it was the right length.

One thing I love about this yarn is that the striping pattern isn't mirrored - so the socks don't quite match. One sock was knit from one end, the other from the other, so the stripes don't line up and they have a mismatched look!

The pair was 70 grams, which means I am just short of making a third sock! Though that might be for the best, since 3 socks of the same would confuse me down the line. 

If you're interested, I bought the yarn from the Revelations of a Delusional Knitter.  Her blog is here, and her shop is here!