Finished Josie's Socks (and asst. knitting gabble...)

Finished Josie's ankle socks. She hasn't taken them off since I cast off. Got the wool for my Knitting Olympics "event," the Tubey sweater from the winter Knitty. I'm very happy with the color, a deep blue a couple steps up from navy. I love KnitPicks. I also got a bunch of sample cards so I can reference colors correctly for yarns I really like. MAN, I am in yarn lust right now.

Finished Object: Josie's Scarf

I'm cranking out the finished objects at Knitting 911: My Knitting Olympics sweater (6 months late) and the two scarves for Lou and Jo, to wit: Started: 9/27/06 Finished: 10/18/06 Materials: Essentially 1 skein of green heather Cascade 220 with pompons in a contrasting heathered lavender.

Finished: Socks for Dad

Second finished object of 2006: Socks for my dad, pictured with a pair finished in late 2005 for my mom. Dad's are made from Knitpicks Simple Stripes in color Storm, with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Pewter for the heels, toes and ribbing. Mom's are made with my own handspun merino with commercial eggplant-colored sock wool for the heels and toes, I think by Lang but I can't remember. Label long gone. Now I'm starting the second sock of a simple pair for Josie in a wacky white with confetti speckles, and then I get to swatch for my Knitting Olympics sweater, Tubey, which I'm knitting solid not striped in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in a dark blue called Winter Night. John is excited about me in ribbing. Form fitting and all that. Men. Except, of course, when he gets all excited about me in ribbing he lets me buy yarn... Categories: knitting, socks, olympics

First Finished Object of 2006: Shmittens

Yesh, they're shmittens! Josie's are on the left, I finished those late in 2005. Lou then started begging for a pair like them--and she needed them, her old pair are very scratchy early handspun--so I took the remaining yarn and made a "reverse" pair for her. I finished them last night during the Battlestar Galactica season resumption. (woohoo! more BSG!) The orange is some vintage 70s-era wool from the Mill End, back when the Mill End actually sold its own mill ends; for some reason a couple years ago they brought a bunch of stuff out of storage, among it this orange and some eye-popping orange-yellow-pink ombre Anhata got that we call "peyote sunrise." One look and you'll know why. (Hata, you should post pix of the hat and mittens you made from it, they are *so* cute.) The variegated is some of my handspun, dyed by Sandy Sitzman. If memory serves it's Corriedale. It's Navajo-plied, spun on my Babe Production Wheel, and it's a tad shy of worsted weight--just a little lighter than the orange. I have enough of the variegated left to make a small something for me. Not sure what, though. Oh, and if you want to see where most of the orange ended up, here's Josie's sweater that matches the shmittens.

FO: Baby Bonnet for Kevin and Darcy's Girl

Started: 12/15/06 Finished: 12/16/06 -- seriously! Materials: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport superwash wool in colorway 92, River; mismatched bamboo #3 DPNs Pattern: Hello Yarn Top-Down Bonnet without the Totoro face and ears I cannot BELIEVE how fast this went. I wound the yarn into a ball yesterday afternoon and finished it this afternoon. I had forgotten how fast baby clothes are to knit. But even so--this thing just flew off the needles. I definitely am going to start a stash of these for presents, though I may rejigger/redesign the pattern a little; the figure-8 cast-on is so incredibly annoying. Ever since making Josie's night cap I've been obsessed with bonnets. I'm discovering that a lot of what might be called "old-timey" clothing is still practical today. Night caps cut body heat loss tremendously (we don't heat our house at night, preferring to spend the oil on our waking hours). Children's pinafores are not only cute, they keep a child tidy and are easier to wash than a whole outfit. Aprons, same thing (why did aprons ever go out of style?). Then there's the whole explosion of wristlets, shrugs, capelets etc. Are we preparing for peak oil and the end of central heating subconsciously, perhaps? Addendum: Pix are now up of LouLou's Sockies and my Fetching mitts.

FO: Dishcloth blanket

Started: 8/15/06-ish
Finished: 9/20/06
Materials: 4.1 skeins Lion Homespun in color Shaker
Needles: Plastic Susan Bates size 13 40" circ
Pattern: Diagonal dishcloth scaled up to the ridiculous
Recipient: Todd

If I took a picture of this I can't find it.

FO: Fetching Fingerless Mitts

Started: 12/10/06 Finished: 12/12/06 Pattern: Fetching from the Summer '06 knitty (free pattern!) Materials: Lambs' Pride worsted in Deep Charcoal that's been in my stash for 10+ years, set of weird faux tortoise #6 double points I like this pattern a lot, though if I make it again for myself I will make the palm part above the thumb shorter; my hands are small. These also have a tendency to curl at the top that I dislike greatly, so I might also add some kind of edging to stop that. These were so fast and took so little yarn that I can foresee a great number of these coming off the needles to be stashed for presents and doled out as needed. They're also toasty, and I can knit while wearing 'em! This has been my most productive knitting year ever. John says, well that's because you've been sitting on your hinder most of the year. Thanks, dear, I love you too. But at least I've been productive whilst sitting on me hinder. I'm still moving project pages over from knitting911.net so I don't know exactly how much I knit this year (I kept track over there) but I know I made at least 3 pairs of socks, a sweater vest, a lap robe and 3 scarves, off the top of my head, and there are still days left in the year. Currently on the needles: Josie's handspun sweater, which will extend into the new year; and the second sock of a pair of pink footies for LouLou that I started earlier this year and didn't want to finish because I trimmed the tops with fun fur, and I hate knitting with fun fur. Life is too freakin' short to knit with fun fur, I tell you what. Oh! speaking of Josie and handspun! She has finished her first spindle full of handspun yarn and is now knitting with it! It's lumpy, bumpy and funky, but it's beautiful and I'm so proud. *sniff*

FO: Giant Peach Tea Cosy

Started: 10/20/06 Finished: 10/21/06 Pattern: Super Simple Tea Cosy in a bigger gauge that the generator doesn't provide. (Sorry!) Materials: Clover/Tahki Bamboo circ #8, sport/fingering weight 2-ply Wensleydale in an eyepopping yellow and pink colorway, spun from roving bought at Black Sheep Gathering 2005. Oh, and the cording has a strand of green DMC perl cotton, which you really can't see in the picture but which just makes the thing "pop." This yarn has been sitting in the bin, slowly getting whittled away as Josie's cut little bits off of it for various projects. It was promised to her for a shawl, but slowly we both came to the realization that Wensleydale, as beautiful as it is, is not a garment wool. She gave me permission to use it for something else. What possessed me to buy this roving in the first place, I cannot say. These are not my colors. But now, spun up and knitted double, I couldn't be more pleased. It makes my English teapot look like a giant peach. The sheen and texture of the Wensleydale is just right in this use. And now I have a second tea cosy and can wash my old one, which is getting pretty ratty indeed! My new dilemma: I don't have anything on the needles! And I need a knitting project. Oh--well...there is the never-ending pi shawl. Because I'm so uninspired, perhaps that's the project I should be working on...

FO: John's Gray Vest

Started: 11/02/06 Finished: 12/03/06 Materials: Brown Sheep Company Top o' the Lamb in Brownstone, trusty 24" bamboo #8 Clover circs, wooden craft buttons stained to match-ish Pattern: Plain vest from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns This went together very quickly, especially for me. It would have been done even sooner had I not dallied in blocking and finishing it. The side seams are almost obscenely tidy, and make up for the frankly sloppy shoulder seaming and the slightly off-kilter buttonholes. It fits perfectly. I'm sort of between projects now. I've got a sweater for Josie on the trusty #8 circs, but I'm not liking the texture. I want something softer for a sweater for her--or for anyone, really. Romney is a bit scratchy for next to the skin. But I promised her that yarn, and the next thing off the needles, so I'm toying with making a large shawl for her instead, maybe in old shale. It'd be fine for that. In the meantime I'm crocheting of all things a night cap, patterned after the ones girls used to wear in the 18th-19th century. Not the stocking-cap kind, more bonnet-y. Josie started wearing a wool cap to bed at night lately so I thought I'd make her a proper one.

FO: Josie's Night Cap

Started: 12/05/06 Finished: 12/10/06 Materials: Wool, spun in the grease and Navajo-plied, size 2 crochet hook I rarely crochet, but Josie really wanted a night cap of all things. In part it's because our upstairs isn't very well heated; in part it's because we've been reading a lot of books about the 18th and 19th century, and all the little girls in them have night caps. :) When she started wearing a regular knitted hat to bed, I finally said fine, I'll make you a little cap to wear. This isn't historically correct--I don't think they had crochet in the 18th century--but the shape is accurate. Now on the needles: Josie and I have decided that the blue-green handspun sweater should stay a sweater, and so it shall. As a smaller, more instant gratification project, I'm knitting up a pair of Fetching fingerless mitts to make up for the gloves that Josie burned a tiny hole in on her snow trip recently (actually it was Daddy's fault but never mind, I'll mend them soon). I'm making them up in absolutely ancient charcoal Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride wool/mohair that I've had in the stash since, like, forever; it was originally for a (pre-kids!) sweater for John that never worked out. They'll be toasty, and my fingers will be free to knit! I'm nearly done with the mitts, should be completely done early tomorrow--very quick to knit, and doesn't take much yarn. I expect to have many pairs of these, for myself and to give away.

FO: Lou's Scarf

Started: 9/23/06
Finished: 9/27/06
Materials: Essentially 1 skein of lavender heather Cascade 220 with pompons in a contrasting heathered green. The second scarf will be knit in the green with lavender pompons.

FO: LouLou's Sockies (now with picture)

Started: Way back in the summer, I think Finished: 12/14/06 Materials: Silja sock yarn in pink; scrap of pink fun fur; mismatched #2 double points These are top-down footie-type socks--just enough of a leg to go round the ankle, and that part in fun fur. Now I'm on to a bonnet for our best man's impending daughter. :)

FO: Mom's Flame Socks

Mom, I need a picture of these!

Started: Some time in June 2006
Finished: Some time in August 2006
Pattern: My usual toe-up PGR style sock
Materials: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Flame colorway with ribbing, heels and toes in a German sock yarn the label of which I've lost, in a dusty eggplant color.

FO: Second Pair of Socks for Dad

These were my dad's "thank you" gift for helping during my hospitalization this spring. I need to start making longer socks. I'm always worried I'm going to run out of yarn.

Started: 7/06, can't remember exact date
Finished: early 9/06

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, Waves colorway, gifted by the wonderful and wonderfully named Adrienne Martini while I was in the hospital--she's right, yarn makes you feel better!--with heels, toes and ribbing in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Pewter.

Pattern: Off the top of my head, toe-up using Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Simple Socks short row toes and heels.

Needles: My fave stainless steels from a lady in Dallas, Oregon who I see at fiber shows all the time. I'm hoping she'll be at OFFF this year so I can get a second set, I seriously love those needles.

FO: Stubborn Scarf

Started: 10/24/06 Finished: 10/30/06 Materials: Handspun slubby 2-ply in various purples, pinks and blues, of various fibers--mostly wool with silk, mohair and a little angora bunny; my trusty circular bamboo 8's Pattern: Feather and Fan/Old Shale This was a quick knit, once I got the dang thing going, and it turned out nicely. I'm thinking of keeping it. (Update: I gave it to my counselor; it reminded me of her office.) Now on the needles--the exact same trusty 8s, it seems I make everything on those except socks--is a simple, warm vest for John in good ol' Brown Sheep Top of the Lamb, color Brownstone. It's a really lovely gray shot with a warm brown, and will make a very nice vest. John's a vest kinda guy. After that's done, it's on to a cardigan for Josie in the blue-green Romney I spun earlier this year, though I'm thinking of doing a quickie something for LouLou first. She hasn't had a knitted piece from me in a while, and she could use a sweater actually.

FO: Tubey Sweater

Started: 2/15-ish/06
Finished: 10/18/06
Materials: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Winter Night, size 8 bamboo circs

Finally! My Knitting Olympics project--finished! Sure I look like hell, you think that's bad, check this:

But! The hubby loves it so what the heck. I draw your attention to the fairly even hemline on the side view. When I first finished this the front was WAY higher than the back. I had forgotten--how could I forget?--that I really need to add 2 inches to the front of any top. I already add that without thinking to sewn items, but not to knitted items. I ripped out the hem and did a half-assed set of short rows in the front that to my amazement worked out. The sweater needs blocked still, but it's comfy.

PS: Like the bra? Fancee Free, my chickens.

Spinning 2006

• Wild slubby batts from OFFF '05: pinks, purples, blues, reds and whites in a mix of fibers from wools and mohairs to silks and I think some soy silk or tencel. Became this scarf.
• "Mystery batts" in grays and reds with a little sparkle that I won in the Spinner's Triathlon at OFFF '05.
• Merino/silk Sandy-dyed in blues and purples, given to Melisa for her birthday.
• Romney pencil roving in Blue River and Forget-Me-Not from Crown Mountain Farms, being worked into a sweater for Josie to be finished in 2007.
• About a pound of Ashford Bay Merino in Sandalwood, spun up into a dk/worsted.