I have been knitting nothing but socks lately, which is good, because it’s been HOT.

I am trying to complete current WIPs and UFOs, but I’m SO tempted to cast on some new socks, because I’ve gotten some great stuff (Woolgirl kits, anyone???) lately. Oh well. I am trying… and so far, I am winning.

I posted about this last time, but the first pair finished for the 52 Pair Plunge III was my Waving Lace socks.

I am still so glad that they are finished!! I can’t wait to send them to my mom. Once again, the yarn is Regia Silk in a denim blue color.

The 2nd pair was a pair I tried to finish up quickly for the Socks that Rawk! Q2 KAL, the Mad Color Weave socks. Even though the pattern was fun, I decided to only do 5 repeats instead on the cuff instead of 6 like the pattern called for, and I knit the foot in plain stockinette. The yarn I used is STR Lightweight in Firebird, which I got in the Rockin’ Sock Club a year (or two?) ago. I love how the striping on the feet almost match up!

Pair #3 was kind of a pain in the ass. I love the pattern (Red Dwarf Socks), but the yarn sucks, IMHO. The yarn is Knit One Crochet Too Wick. It’s supposed to wick away moisture, and it works because I had an extra sweaty water bottle drip on my knitting, and the water just beaded up. If there were any rough spots on the needles or on my hands (I’m a nail-biter), the yarn caught on it and pulled a little. The yarn was hard on my hands, and it turned my Clover Bamboo needles a dark brown (they almost look rosewood, ha!) after the first sock, and a purpley-brown after the second sock. I still haven’t soaked or washed these socks yet, but I bet they’ll bleed like a stuck pig… or, you know, something else that bleeds a lot. My favorite part of the pattern, though, was the garter stitch cuff. I might try this on more socks in the future.

Pair #4 is hot off the needles. Because I’m doing the plunge, I’m finding myself joining any and every sock KAL I can find, it seems. The first semi-successful finish is the Lacy Rib Socks from Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D Johnson (aka WendyKnits). I should’ve gone down a needle size.. the socks would’ve fit better then. They’re a little big/baggy as it is right now, but I’m not ripping them out & I’m not giving them away. The yarn I used was Dream in Color Smooshy in Petal Shower, which I just happened to have wound up from another failed project. Thanks to DiC’s very generous yardage, I have half a ball left, which is enough for another pair of socks if I play my cards right! lol.

I still have a ton of socks on the needles… probably 8 more pair or so, but I’m getting antsy to start something new, as I said before. I just got the new WoolGirl sock club shipment, and a few weeks ago, the first Wizard of Oz kit showed up, the latest Rockin Sock Club… soo much yarn, so little time.

Remember the Cotty Socks from the last post? Well, they made it to their forever home last week. They’re now living with cpurl! I’m glad they fit her!

I’ve started another pair of my own, out of Socks that Rock Mediumweight in the “Lucky” colorway, but I’ve only knit the picot edge on Sock #1, so there isn’t much to show.

June’s been filled with lots of knitting, though. Since the last blog post, I have finished SEVEN projects, and I’m almost done with the 8th.

A bunch of different KALs started on June 1st. 52 Pair Plunge III being one of them. So far I’m right on track to finish my 2nd pair of socks either tonight or 1st thing tomorrow.

The first pair of socks has been on the needles since November 2007, if you an believe that. My mom’s Waving Lace socks, that were originally due Christmas of 2007.

Of the seven FOs, though, these socks are the most recent one.

There is a group in Ravelry called the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup. Basically, if you join when they are enrolling students into Hogwarts, you get sorted into a house, and then you sign up for classes. Each month, there is a new class description. You only have to sign up for one, but you can do more than one. I missed the original enrollment time, but there were a lot of people who dropped out or didn’t follow the rules, so they took “recruitments”. I got ’sorted’ into Gryffindor!! GO GO GRYFFINDOR!

Anyway, I decided to try to submit a project for all classes, and I’ve completed all but two of them which are in progress.

My first project was for Charms. The technique we were to try is Illusion Knitting or Crochet. I decided to knit the Dragonfly Illusion cloth.

For Muggle Studies, we had to knit or crochet something that would project or cover an electronic device that Muggles use. I decided to use some scrappy bits of yarn and knit myself an iPhone cozy. My phone already has a case, but I’m hoping to use it to protect the screen.

For Divination, we needed to knit or crochet or do something related to tea or coffee, so I made a mug cozy. The big deal about THIS project is that I knit it out of my very first handspun yarn! I only had size 6s with me, and the beginning of the skein is especially thick and bulky so it wears a little more like iron than I wanted, but I HAD to knit with it RIGHT then.

For Defense Against Dark Arts, we were allowed to knit on a UFO… to demonstrate what would happen if we were under the Crucio curse and forced to do things we didn’t want to do. My UFO was those silly Waving Lace Socks!

I’m still working on my Herbology and Transfiguration projects, so I’ll keep those under the Invisibility Cloak for now, but it’s FUN. SO much fun! You can still sign up in the group. I believe August or September is the next ‘enrollment term’ and when they will do the Sorting Ceremony, but you can still “audit” classes as a NQFY (not quite first-year). It’s FUN!

Also, for Quidditch, each house member is supposed to knit little wristers, and I knit mine:

Once last FO that is not HP or Sock related, is a little bolero that I made for one of the many babies in my life.

It’s the Bitty Bolero by Pixie Purls. I knit the 9 month size and used Yarn Love Anne Shirley in the Shipwreck colorway. I LOVE it. It looks a little small, though. I know babies are small, but this kinda looks TOO small, so I’m going to find a teddy bear to put it on so if it doesn’t fit Anne, it’ll at least have some use. Even as just doll/toy clothes.

Tomorrow, or maybe later tonight, I hope to have another finished object to show you… another pair of socks!

I have TWO finished objects to share with you. It’s your lucky day!

This weekend, after having to rip out a whole section of the shawl I was working on, I decided that I needed a break. The edging is going to take a million years to knit (or at least feel like it), so I’ve given up having a goal time to finish (hopefully this weekend though. *grin*). Saturday, we went to visit Joe’s family in Santa Rosa, and while he went to the barber, I talked him into dropping me off at the yarn store that I found out was there. It’s pretty new, but they have a lot of nice stuff.

Anyway, one of the things this store sold was Manos del Uruguay, and one of the colors they had in stock was one that I had partially knit into a project that was almost finished: Just Enough Ruffles. The next day, I woke up and finished the scarf because I was really close to finishing it!

It’s not a very good picture, but it’s done, and that’s all I care about. I didn’t have enough yarn (pattern calls for just under 2 balls of Malabrigo, which has more yardage than the Manos does), so I only did the short rows to 7 wraps instead of whatever the pattern calls for partially because of the yarn issue & partially because I was over knitting them. LOL The other mod I made was on the ruffle. I had it in my head that the ruffle was completely garter stitch, which I found out it isn’t about halfway through knitting it. No WAY am I undoing 29029872 stitches, so I just went with the garter stitch for the whole thing, and I like it.

- -
Next up is the Cotty Socks. I loved this pattern, but I’m bummed that they don’t fit. I used a US 2 (2.75 mm), and I should’ve gone up to at least a 3.0mm needle. OH WELL. They will be gifted & I’m sure the recipient will love them, if they fit.

The yarn I used is Squoosh Fiber Arts Sportweight Merino/Cashmere/Nylon in the “Lipstick” colorway. It’s a great red. I really loved knitting with the yarn. My only complaint, and I don’t know if it’s really a complaint as much as it is a preference, is that the the yarn isn’t completely saturated. I had a couple of places where my needle missed a strand of yarn (I really didn’t like the needles I was using), and the yarn was white in the middle. Kind of a bummer, but it was still a lovely yarn to work with. Enough so that I bought another skein of it.

Happy Knitting!

Man, I have been knitting like a crazy person. But first, some FOs!

Last weekend, my friends and I took a trip to Stone Mountain & Daughter to get buttons for our very similar/identical February Lady Sweaters.

Here’s the buttons I picked, after cpurl picked something else:

And here’s a shot of me wearing it!

The Malabrigo yarn is VERY warm. Thankfully it’s been “cold” this weekend, and I had the opportunity to wear it this weekend.

Next up is Liesl. I purposely knit on this and only this all week last week so I could have it finished & just need to add buttons, so while I was there, I bought some buttons for Liesl too. They are really pretty, and I think they’re girlie and feminine enough not to be too “precious” but fit perfectly with the pink of the sweater.

And a shot of me wearing the sweater:

I should have added another button hole.. at least one more. I think because of my well-endowed frontal region, it would’ve looked better buttoned up a little more. Oh well.

I love them, though, and these are sweaters 2 & 3 for NaKniSweMoDo. I’m only 2… almost 3 behind. ahah I have 3-4 on the needles though, so who knows.

I’ve taken a picture of one of them, my Shapely Tank, with leftovers from Liesl. The yarn I used for Leisl (Pima Cotton Silk) was repurposed from my Simple Knitted Bodice, and I still have about 9.5 skeins of it to use! I”m hoping to use it all up in the Shapely Tank, and then I’ll have a bit of a twinset, I suppose. hahah

Next up is the Spring Clover Shawl. This was the lastest offering from the Malabrigo Club hosted by Eat.Sleep.Knit. This is the first project of the club that I’ve actually cast on right away and knit. ahah I like the other offerings, but this is the first time I”ve ever worked with the Silky Merino & I was very excited to get started. The yarn is Malabrigo Silky Merino in the Raspberry colorway. The shawl is a very easy knit. I’ve just started the knitted-on border, and it’s pretty, but OMG, it is going to take a billion years to complete. I killed my car battery on Friday, and while I was waiting for AAA to show up, I was knitting on the shawl. The stress must have caused me to be unable to follow directions, because I had some serious mistakes in the arrow section. I ripped it all out on Saturday after being almost all the way finished with it. I finished the re-knit last night & started the border.

oh!! I almost forgot… an FO shot of Ishbel!

Isn’t she pretty?

Now, back to the knitting…

UGH. I just typed up all the show notes and accidentally closed the window before saving, and they disappeared! I’m going to try to relist links from memory, but if I miss anything, please let me know!

In no particular order:
Cotty Socks (1 finished, 1 to go!)
Ishbel (FO!)
TTL Mystery Socks (FO!)
BFF Socks
Joinless Stitch Markers
Eclipse Socks
Spring Tulip socks
Kai-Mei Socks
Crooked Brook {No links yet. It’s not in ravelry & I can’t find it anywhere online.
Kiila (SKA May Mystery Sock)
Girly Bag

Sock Innovation by Cookie A
Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D Johnson

FYI - Sorry for the weird echo in a couple of spots. I’m not sure what happened. And you’ll also be glad to know that I did wash the laundry I took out of the washer so I could soak my sweater & shawl. LOL

- Go to JoAnn’s to get fabric to line the bags I’m working on.
- Visit a couple of yarn stores, just because.. since I”ll be out. This was scratched since I went to JoAnn’s w/ Joe. lol It wasn’t a real “need to” anyway.
- Finish Ishbel
- Take photos of all WIPs, including the FIVE (yes, FIVE) projects I started on Wednesday, and my recently completed project(s). (I think I got ‘em all!)
- Block Ishbel & FLS. Blocking now!!
- Finish Cotty Sock #1.
- Move Hanami from Addis to KP needles
- Record a podcast. Uploading tonight or in the AM
- Knit to where I can separate the sleeves on Liesl.

Sounds doable, right?

Edited to cross some things off and say, OMG, IrishGirlieKnits was TOTALLY my 1000th comment. If I would’ve known I was that close, I would’ve had a contest. LOL.

5/11/09, 12:32am: Edited to add: ALMOST! I almost crossed everything on the list I have approximately 1-1.5″ left of the foot before I start the toe, and I’m done w/ Cotty sock #1. I just finished knitting the row after separating the sleeves on Liesl, and I think it’s time for bed!

I am working the same three projects right now, and none of them are socks. I’m taking socks with me, and one of the projects I’m working on USES sock yarn, but I’m not actively working on any socks. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I can’t.

What am I working on, you wonder?

1. Ishbel by Ysolda Teague.
Everyone is knitting this or has knit it, and I hopped on the bandwagon. I decided to use Malabrigo Sock yarn, but really I had about 5-6 different yarns that I wanted to use. My Wollmeise, maybe my Handmaiden, some other random pretty skeins of yarn. But I decided on the Malabrigo Sock because I really wanted to knit with it. Most of the people I know who have knitted with it say they probably wouldn’t use it for socks, but it’s perfect for a lacy scarf or shawl, so… I decided to use it for this! I did have a hard time picking out a color. I have 5 skeins in the stash, plus I received a skein of it at the beginning of the month from the Eat.Sleep.Knit Malabrigo Club (sorry! sign-ups are closed for this year!) shipment. I could conceivably knit about 20 of these things with all the yarn choices I had picked out, but I decided on Velvet Grapes because a) it’s my favorite, and b) I hadn’t seen any started/made out of that color yet.

I am SO happy with it so far. It’s a great mindless project, but I can’t wait to start the lace section. I’m ready for something “new”. The yarn is SO soft. I simply love it.

2. Liesl by Ysolda Teague.
Suffice it to say, I just love her patterns. This is a great, quick knit as it’s worsted weight yarn knit on big needles. THe pattern calls for 7mm needles, but I only have them in a set of DPNs, so I’m knitting it on 10.5’s because 6.5mm is closer to 7mm than 8mm. I did notice the fact that I was off pattern after I finished the first ball of yarn. It was very noticeable, but near the top, so I just took the needles out of the project in progress and started knitting from the “working” end of the yarn. The sweater is unraveling as I knit it again into the same sweater, without mistakes, hopefully. LOL I’m having a blast knitting it. I think it’s going to be really cute when it’s finished. Here’s a WIP pic:

3. Hanami Stole by Melanie Gibbons aka Pink Lemon Twist

This was my kit swap present from Chrissy at the Manic Purl Podcast! I’m loving it so far, but for every 3-4 rows that I knit, I need to tink back a row or two and fix a mistake. I have markers in, but the markers like to catch on the lace yarn and jump over a stitch or two. I’ve ordered some markers that are “joinless” and small so they’ll fit better on the needles and in the knitting without distorting the stitches, but I haven’t received them yet. I also ordered some KP needles because the Addis I’m using are just too freaking blunt, especially when I have to tink back across the row with all those decreases. The yarn is really soft and pretty, but it’s fuzzing up. I think the project will have a very nice halo when it’s finished and blocked. I hope it doesn’t obscure the pattern. I’ve fudged on one small stitch/decrease after counting and recounting every stitch in the row several times, so I hope it’s not too noticeable in the final project. I’m about 15-16 rows into the pattern, and it’s safe to say that I LOVE it. I’m taking it slowly because i’ts not a race, and I’ll finish this project when I finish it. It’s my “at home” knitting, though. I don’t do well on it for break-at-work knitting because I only get 15 minutes for breaks, and it NEVER fails that I find a mistake. At that point, I’d rather FIX the mistake than go back to work, and that doesn’t turn out so well.

As an aside, the bag at the top of the picture above is a Gabrielle Lace Keeper project bag by Julip Bags. I highly recommend Julip Bags. I also have a EBTK (Everything But The Knitting) bag, which comes with a little container with emergency stitch markers, a crochet hook, folding scissors, a darning needle, and I think that’s it. Great stuff.

I just realized I’ve been an awful blogger, and I didn’t post about my two most recent FOs!

First up, we have the No Circles & Stripes Stroller Blanket (rav).

I used Blue Sky Alpacas Organic & Dyed Organic cotton. I used almost about 1.5 balls each of Shell & Shrimp, and about 1.75 balls of Bone. I liked working with the yarn… it was really soft, and I think the colors all go well together. I have scraps leftovers plus a whole extra skein of Bone, so I may do something else with it, too. The blanket was blocked & sent off to Texas where it waits for the baby who will be here anytime between now and the next couple of weeks. I like the method they use for doing stripes, but I also don’t see why they couldn’t make the stripes wider and just do 4 rows. After a while, the yarn would get tangled together, and that wasn’t too fun.

I did not do the cabled border, either. I liked the cabled border, but when I was knitting it, I could just tell that it was going to take a while… and then I also would have to sew it to the blanket?? Ugh. So after doing a large portion of the cable border (probably about half of the first strip), I ripped it all out and just added a few garter stitch rows, kind of like the Moderne Baby Blanket.

My baby knitting isn’t done, though, because I just found out that one of my former co-workers is expecting her second child, so I am already planning the next blanket. I might do this one out of Berroco Comfort. I used it on a secret project that I can’t show you, but it is really nice yarn for an acrylic/nylon blend.

I also finished my Shur’tugal (rav) socks for the STR KAL on Ravelry! I LOVE them! I used STR Lightweight in “Pop Rocks”. I got the yarn at Stitches West, so I can finally say that I knit up some of my SW2009 yarn!

Coming soon - A February Lady Sweater FO (sans buttons)! I just started the final garter ridge border.

So it looks like once a month is going to be the time frame for my podcasts, unless I get my crap together. lol.

Manic Purl Podcast

Manic Purl Ravelry Group

My Manic Purl Swap Package from Chrissy, herself!!

Hanami Stole by Melanie Gibbons/Pink Lemon Twist

J. Knits Lace-a-Licious

Sock Innovation: Knitting Techniques & Patterns for One-of-a-Kind Socks - I want to knit EVERYTHING in this book!

Knitmore Girls

The Little Box of Socks

Knitting Vintage Socks: New Twists on Classic Patterns

Socks from the Toe Up: Essential Techniques and Patterns from Wendy Knits

February Lady Sweater - ALMOST DONE! Sleeves are finished, but I need to lengthen the body a few inches.

Shur’tugal by Alice Yu

Socks that Rock Lightweight

Mad Color Weave

Socks that Rawk Ravelry Group

Solstice Slip

Firestarter by Yarnissima (scroll down)

Hedera by Cookie A

Email me: hello.lovely@gmail.com
Ravelry: knitpsycho
RAVELRY GROUP - Knitting Psychos Podcast

A better post tomorrow, but here are some highlights:

- Finished the body & one sleeve on FLS. Am going to rip out the garter stitch & add a few more repeats to the body, though, when the sleeves are done. It’ll make me feel better.
- Working on my Shur’tugal socks. Am halfway done w/ Sock #2.
- Finished baby blanket for my friend. It was received yesterday, but I haven’t heard from mom yet.
- Started Ishbel
- Will be starting Juno Regina
- Finished Traveling Scarves.. need to mail them on Monday
- … more later …