Citrus Slide Socks

I haven't posted here in over a year, what with the ease of sharing on Instagram and all...  But I kind of miss this space, so here's a pair of socks.

These took a while to finish, partly because, even though I loved the colors of the skein when I got it, as soon as I started (well, a couple inches in) I really disliked how it was knitting up.  I feel like this happens a lot with me and this type of yarn.  Anyway, I powered through, determined to finish them even though I was sort of grossed out by the color combos all along the way...  Would I even wear them? Since finishing and blocking, these have grown on me a bit. They'll look great under a tall pair of boots!

Pattern: Smooth Operator Socks
Yarn: Wisdom Yarns - Pix in Citrus Slide

Socks x 3

My second, third and fourth pairs of hand-knit socks.  (Here's my first.)  Each is an improvement on the previous (and also a little bit taller).  I just finished the yellow pair and they are totally my favorites - the little cables make for such a perfectly snug fit.

2nd) Autumn colored yarn:  Madelinetosh - Magnolia Leaf
Pattern: From "Knitting Vintage Socks" by Nancy Bush

3rd) Grey-blue yarn:  Regia - Stable
Pattern: Garter-rib socks from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch

4th) Yellow yarn: Cascade Heritage - Mustard
Pattern: Combined baby rib stitch pattern with "How I Make My Socks" by Susan B. Anderson

My First Socks

I'd been wanting to attempt socks for a while, but was trepidatious… It all looked tricky to me, with so many heel, toe and other options. Eventually I just had to settle on a pattern and go. (Plus a little friendly "sock challenge" didn't hurt.) Turns out socks aren't as complicated as I thought. Especially starting with knitted socks in Made by Hand, a simple, clearly written pattern with good photos. Anyway, I suspected that I'd enjoy knitting socks and boy was I right. I'm already halfway through the second sock of my second pair and I can't wait to finish so I can start another! P.S. This is really cruddy yarn, so I'm not even going to mention what it is. Ha.

Sydänmaa Mittens

More knitting!  I made a pair of mittens, my first, and I really really like them.  I used this free pattern and Drops Nepal yarn.  These were pretty quick and easy to knit and they fit my hands perfectly.  The only change I made to the pattern was casting on 4 less stitches for an extra snug cuff.  I just added them back in before the cable part began.  Wearing these I think I can put up with (a little) more snow.

Diode Hat

Here's a hat I've probably already worn more than any other I've knit for myself so far. I love the snug/warm doubled brim and tiny bobbles. The pattern is Diode by Erica Knits and I used Drops Alpaca. Thinner yarn and a lot of ribbing made it not the quickest hat to knit, but it was way worth it.

Elder Tree Shawl

Here's a shawl, photographed last fall, which I actually completed a while before that.  It was my first shawl and I wasn't sure I'd stick to it or even like it, so I used some mediocre yarn I had a few skeins of from a brief purple phase years back.  Anyway, I ended up enjoying knitting it and it was a lot easier than I thought.  I kept going until I ran out of yarn, thinking I wanted it to be fairly large…  When I stretched it out and blocked it I was surprised at how big it actually became!  The pattern is the Elder Tree Shawl and it's a good one.

Raglan Openwork Baby Cardigan

Here's a little cardigan I knit for my niece Esmé. The pattern is from a vintage 1968 book (the same one I used for this sweater & hat). The yarn is wonderful alpaca from Nordic Mart (on sale right now!). This was my third sweater and I think it turned out pretty well, though I can see room for improvement, so I better keep practicing! The openwork stripes add a nice bit of prettiness to an otherwise plain sweater and I like how the front button bands are folded over. It seems a tad short and wide, but we'll see come spring!

a cat and a hat

here are a couple of quick knits that made great christmas gifts.

first a squishy little kitty for esmé.  the easy pattern is from this book.  instead of the sleepy face the pattern suggests, i gave mine this funny awake expression. i also decided to do stripes for the body, which made it a little tricky to sew up the side seams, but it worked out okay…  oh, and at the last minute i couldn't resist adding a skinny little tail.  this is a great project for using up scraps (the mustard yarn is leftover from this sweater).    i think he turned out pretty sweet.





and i made a hat for david!  he chose the pattern and the yarn and they combined to make a pretty cool cap.  it's the wanderer cap from this book (also available on ravelry).  the yarn is madelinetosh vintage (color: whiskey barrel) which is superwash wool and is so soft.  it fits david perfectly and looks great.  the pattern was easier than i thought and i like how the zigzags on the sides spiral into the top point.






if you'd like you can find my knitting projects on ravelry.

rainbow wrists

i'm happy to report that i finished these fingerless mitts that i started two years ago.  actually, i didn't work on them at all last winter and when i pulled them out recently i found that there was only about an inch left to knit on the second thumb.  oh, dear.

most of the knitting is a distant memory, but i do know that i used this purl bee pattern as a starting point, re-calculating things since my yarn was a bit thicker (i cast on 38 instead of 60 sts).  i added the picot edging for pizazz, but i also like how it snugs up all the openings, keeping out drafts and such.

i wore these a couple times before shooting photos, so if  you spy any fuzziness about the palms, blame the powdered-sugar-covered-fritter i ate at the apple festival.  it was too cold to take these things off.

little knits

a couple of hand knits for a new niece or nephew...  this was my first sweater and it turned out better than i'd expected!  i used this free pattern which was pretty easy to follow.  the wool yarn is from nordic mart.  it's super-wash, which i thought sounded like a good idea, but then i realized how easy it is to hand-wash a little sweater in the sink...  plus i started reading lots of scary stories about items knit with super-wash yarn expanding in the washing machine. anyway, this little sweater success has me wanting to knit more small things!  (oh, and the pretty yellow buttons are vintage).

also, i just had to make the mini-blanket with a dog head.  it's from this free pattern, made with leftover cotton yarn.  i changed up the striping from the original pattern so there wouldn't be so many ends to weave in.  something fun for little hands to grab on to!










(also on ravelry).