WOW. These socks are... just... taking... FOREVER.

Does anyone want some yarn?  I think I want to burn this. 

The problem this time was that I cast on too many stitches.  I just couldn't recoup!

Maybe after a break these socks will behave... or maybe I just need the right pattern.  I'm starting to hate this yarn.  With a passion.  The color variations are so severe that normal stitch patterns don't show up, but so short that patterns that are made for varigated yarn aren't accented.  It's so horrible!

Magpie in Lexington, KY

So I travelled to a plant in Lexington to go to an awesome workshop on ergonomics.  It was really cool to see how each task is broken down and the motions are analyzed - and the Lexington area has got a lot to do and see (well, not for someone who has to sit in the hotel room and prop her leg up! :( )

The one place I made sure to check out was Magpie Yarn downtown.  It had a great selection of yarns (by color and size) and the woman there was so helpful.  Here's some pictures of the inside to get a feel of the ambience:

It makes me want to sit and knit all day. But, doesn't take much.

Anyway, I decided to buy some local Kentucky yarn - which, strangely enough, there isn't a lot of.  I got two skeins of Colors to Dye For, which are very squishy and beautiful.

This blue is for me, it's a Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend sock yarn.  Cashmere socks.  I feel so rich!  I actually think I might make wristwarmers for these, or maybe another shawl... I broke my cardinal rule with this, which is not to buy yarn unless you have a plan for it... but it was in the spirit of tourism/supporting local business/Iwantitandit'snotlikewe'regoingtostarveifIbuythis.

I don't want to oogle over this light blue/blue/purple mix too much because I bought it for Alysia.  When I find pretty vegan yarn I like to get it for her because she can't work with animal fibers.  The colorway is "Panda" which is her fiance's pet name for her... right? Destiny!

Then this last yarn isn't Kentucky-made, but I was inspired by it.

A few weekends ago Dan and I went to a convention and he bought me a corset that was cream and this exact color yellow.  So, I can make a shawl with this that will match! At least, that's the dream.  My current pace of knitting probably makes that dream laughable, but whatever.  It's a silky smooth sock yarn from Knitted Wit, and the colorway is "Sunshine." I actually think I might design with this yarn, a first for me in like 6 months.  

Ugh, it's been six months since I finished Moby and I still don't have the pattern up :'(

Red Right Ankle

Okay, so it's my left ankle, but whatever. 

Saturday I fell on ice and twisted my ankle really bad.  One of the ligaments is torn.  The picture above was from last night - today the area is still swollen, though not as bad.  It is all yellow and there is a black spot blossoming in the center.

On top of that, I'm travelling for work.  So pain + homesickness + overwork = grumpy.

Thankfully it's not broken. My life would be so miserable right now if it was.

I have some happier, knitting-related posts coming up!

Finished! Flexible Flirtation Cowl

So, I finished this a while ago but I've been trying to take photos of it.  It's very comfy and fluffy, but... I don't look good in it.  But it's comfy! And actually, it wasn't that horrible to knit with, either.  I would work with this yarn again, maybe to make a fluffy stuffed monster.  It makes a great fabric.

Anyway, it's a flexible cowl because I knit it on larger needles, and the buttons fit through the stitches instead of any set button holes.  So you can button it any way you want.  I found four:

I guess if you wanted to add a fifth style you could twist it and make it a mobius cowl.  I'm sure there are more!

So, I packaged it up and will send it off when I get around to the post store... hopefully tomorrow.  I feel like I have had no time to myself lately.  It was very calming to sew up the package on my sewing machine.

Perfect Buttons

Dan and I went into JoAnn's the other day to get buttons for my cowl.  He told me "I have memorized where everything is in JoAnn's, because everytime we go you go looking for things... but really that's just an excuse to browse the store."

He caught me.

It still took me fifteen minutes to find the perfect buttons. He even helped me!

I'm a lucky person.

Christmas Yarn

I normally don't like it when people give me yarn.  It's usually not my style, or not enough to make a good project out of, or just uninspiring.  But over Christmas, my old art teacher RB gave me this bag:

It's got a ton of goodies! This multicolor mystery yarn:

A bag of this stuff:

A PILE of recycled Sari yarn that I spent the afternoon untangling last weekend.  It was so calming to do that, seriously. 

(Before pile)

(After cake)

And then there is this: "Flirtation."  

Normally, I would call this yarn "icky looking" but it's so soft and squishy.  I knit some of it up, and couldn't stop.  So I'm making an easy garter stitch cowl.  I have a plan and everything - the loops on the yarn are so big (because I'm working on US 13 needles) that small buttons can fit through them - so no buttonholes!  If I  put some buttons on the end, she'll be able to fasten the cowl in a few different ways.  

I'm really excited to make this!

Sweater Disaster

So, I was really really proud to finish my first sweater!

But... as you might notice... it's not really finished.  I picked up the exact number of stitches, but it looks like the button band has too few of them, because this weird scrunching thing happens.

This is probably the most unflattering thing that has ever been draped upon my figure.  All of the endorphins from sewing the last button on disappeared when I looked at myself in the mirror.  Instead of a beautiful form swathed in beautiful handknit goodness, I felt like a potato in a too-big potato sack.  I have lost weight since I started knitting it, so it might just be way too big... but I would at least like to have the bottom form a straight line!

Anyway, this thing is in time out until I get the gumption to unravel the button band, cast on with more stitches, and try again.

If Only the Force was With Me...

Does this look like a Princess Leia inspired hat? I'm not really that happy with it... but, whatever, the Dalek came out great!

That makes two pretty big flubs for me this week, the second one being a sweater disaster that I still need to blog about.  I'm starting to feel like most of my blog posts are about problems I'm having! I REALLY am good at knitting... I swear! 

I think my main problems were: 

1.) I made it up as I went along instead of just using one of the many patterns on the internet.

2.) When I sewed the little buns on, I didn't have an orange or grapefruit to use as a gauge of a baby head, so I have no way to tell if they are wonky or not. I just have the sneaking suspicion that they are!

Rainbow Socks are Dead. Long Live Rainbow Socks!

Yep.  I took the time today to try to make the right heel.  It didn't work, and I decided that maybe I would change the way I was approaching these socks.  Maybe top-down socks will work... and maybe doing them two-at-a time will help me finish them quicker. 

I also might not do simple stress socks this time... I might do an actual sock pattern, but I have to find one. 

Pudgy the Curious Dalek

I finished him! There were a few hiccups, but I kind of like it. 

First, I worked a jogless round because there's color work in the body and neck.  But because of them, the start of the round had moved about an inch and a half! So, the eyes are kind of at an angle from where they are supposed to be.  I don't mind it though, because he kind of looks like he's just turning his head.  I think he looks slightly curious.  Like he's hearing someone talking and is listening in, turning his head just a little bit.  And he catches you looking - but instead of looking away bashfully, or turning all the way towards you to engage in conversation, he just freezes.  "Uh... uh..."  Then you have to make the move.

Oh man, I am way too attached to this doll.  I gotta send it away! Stop being adorable, Pudgy!

Anyway, I really like the pattern.  I would make it again, as another gift for a Dr. Who fan.  I know so many! And now that I've made one, I feel like I can make another even more efficiently.  Aside from catching the whole start of the round mess-up, I plan to:

1.) Place a coffee can lid or some other circular object in the bottom to keep it flat.  

2.) Knit the bottom as a flat circle and then work my way up, finishing at the top.  I totally know how to do that!

3.) Use stitch markers to mark where you decrease during the leg-ish section (where the bobbles are).  I did that this time and it worked really well!

Anyway, I had fun knitting this and I'm pumped to call it my first FO of 2014 :)

Sunday Hike

I got a pair of snowshoes for Christmas, with the intent to keep hiking all through winter. I haven't been able to climb a mountain yet (too much ice!)... but we did check out a great trail right in the city.

The snow was awesome... and halfway through, we crossed a gorgeous little brook.  It was like a picture.

The snow had covered everything.  It's very sticky!

So that's my calm to keep me going through this week! I am getting knitting done... I just need to find my camera so I can photograph it.

25%

This weekend, on the way home from NY, I finished the first quarter of my blanket!

In celebration, I decided to do some tidying.  My project bag was a mess...

So I wound up all the skeins that I had finished.

Then I packed up my bag with everything that I needed to work on my project at knitting group.  Because it's such an easy pattern that's all garter stitch, I think it's great social knitting.  I also brought the finished panel... to show off my progress.  At this rate, I might finish it this year! ... Or not.  Probably not.

Knitting for a Nerdy Baby

I've known this for a while, but my friend from college is pregnant! With a little girl! Their nursery is "nerd themed" so I've been really inspired to make lots of cute things for them.  I figured I would post my list of ideas so that I would be able to come back to it.

1. A knit Dalek.  I'm actually working on this one, and it's going really well!
2. A star trek inspired baby cardi.  I have red yarn, and can embroider a little symbol on the front... so it will be a baby red shirt!! (As cool as this is, I mentioned ST to her and they're not really trekkies, so I'll save it for another time.)
3. A baby jayne hat - though I know if Dan sees me knitting this he'll want one :P
4. A little princess leia hat.
5. Actually, a little leia outfit would be cute! And it would be easy.
6. A knit Bantha - OMG SO CUTE!!!!1ONE  I would pay for this pattern.
7. She mentioned a knit tardis.  But that's too easy! Maybe a Tardis diaper genie cover? Hmmm.
8. A baby-sized little jedi costume.
9. I want to do a blanket out of all these - but in yellow and green, because she told me ages ago that she liked those two colors.   That just screams "Waaaayyyy too ambitious" though... right? No... yes.  No... yes... stop!
10. A wookie doll.  Here's a crochet one, but I would make a knit one.  Too bad, I just gave away a bunch of hideous fun fur that would have looked good like this!
11. A stuffed ewok! I couldn't find a pattern for one, but they would be easy to do.
12. A little ewok cowl/hat - here's a crochet version, it would be easy to make a knit one.

Anyway, those were just rattling in my head, I had to get them out! Have a good Sunday!

Saggy Heels - What do I do?

I'm kind of blown away by how big Dan's sock is.  It's as long as my forearm!

I wasn't sure what kind of heel to make, so I went with an afterthought heel because I have LOVED how they feel on me.  So, I knit away at this new afterthought heel, and I kitchnered it up...

And it's too big! :(

It's baggy, saggy, and gross! I'm not quite sure what to do, since it's definitely the right number of stitches for the gusset.  Maybe a radial decrease? Can you do that?  My thought is "I don't see why not" but I really would rather do something that's been done before before I try to un-vent something.

2013 Recap

Lots of people have been posting summaries of what they've finished in the last year, so I thought it would be fun to do!

Then, I looked at my finished photo set... and felt me ego shrink a little.  Here are my finished projects from 2013:

Only 9.  But I'm pretty proud of them! I worked on my Rock Island Shawl for almost 2 years, and I've almost finished my first sweater for myself.  And my House Greyjoy Needlepoint... anyway.  I might not be as prolific as other bloggers, but I think my FO's are still pretty badass.