And another one's gone ...

Another one bites the dust!

Alpaca Sox Legwarmers. Pattern by Pam Allen.

I started these legwarmers back in September 2013, with the idea that they were pretty easy and would be a quick knit.  I was going gangbusters on the first one (I don't remember why I decided to knit one at a time), then all of a sudden I slacked off.  

Today, I reclaimed the yarn and put it back in my stash.  It will eventually be knitted into socks.  But now I'm happy to have one less project in my pile. 

This morning, I knitted a few more stripes on my grandmother's socks. They are kind of addictive.  I hope to make a lot of progress on them this weekend.

Until next time!

~mz

Frog one, start one

So ...

You know those fingerless mitts I told you about last week?  Well ... shortly after I reclaimed that yarn and put it back in the stash, I pulled out some sock yarn and started those socks that I told you about.  See?

Tom and Ethel Socks by Nigel Pottle.
For my beloved Nana, whose name is Ethel :-)

I just love the color combination. It's bright and cheery and I think they will make my grandmother smile.  The original plan was to knit both socks at once, on one long needle. I tried that but it was pretty much a disaster.  Yarn got tangled and it was giving me a headache so I decided to knit one at a time. It's not my preferred method of sock knitting, but it will save me the trouble of untangling yarn which is so not my favorite thing to do.  I hope to get a lot of knitting done this weekend!

Maybe I'll knit for a while before I go to sleep ...

~mz

More progress!

This morning I went stash diving to find some yarn to knit catnip mice.  Along the way I came across these mitts:

I generally love how they look, but I started them in September of 2012 and haven't really touched them since then. So today I escorted them to the frog pond!  Feels good to recover some needles.  Now I won't feel quite so guilty about whipping up a few catnip mice for the cats, and then settling in to start the Tom and Ethel socks (Ravelry link!).  

Photo credit: Skacel Collection, Inc.

I chose some Cascade Heritage Silk yarn (from stash, mind you!), in snow and turquoise. The socks will be knitted toe-up on one long circular needle.  I'm debating whether to knit them one at a time, or both at once.  Since the socks require 2 colors, there is the potential for major tangling with the 2 at a time method. But I gotta say, knitting socks one at a time is a little like torture for me. I think knitting both socks at once is the way to go -- what's knitting without a bit of tangling, anyway? -- so after I check some things off of my to-do list, I will settle in and cast on.  

How will you spend your Sunday?  Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy every moment!

~mz

Catching up

I totally forgot to write an update about my #finishorfrog2014 project! I finished MrJ's socks earlier this month:

I apologize for the not-so-great photo.  The socks are nicely textured, due to the broken seed stitch pattern. I didn't really love the process of knitting them (I think I just didn't love the stitch pattern) but I love the final product. They look really great on him, and one of these days I will get a photo of him wearing them.

The next project I'm working on this weekend isn't mine at all.  A friend of mine recently started a baby bunting (a sleep sack kind of thing) for a new granddaughter who is due to arrive any day now (yay!). However, last week, she had some excruciating pain in her arm and hand which halted her knitting!  I told her I would try to get it finished. I ran into some trouble with the pattern and had to rip out a bit and start over. So part of my plan for the weekend is to finish that up. I am looking forward to being able to present the finished bunting to my friend next week. 

I'd better get to it.

~mz

Finish or frog 2014

Oh boy.

It has gotten to the point where I have at 19 projects on needles (yup, I counted!).  I swear, a few years ago I vowed to only have 3 projects going at any given time -- 1 knitting, 1 crochet, and 1 spinning. Yeahhhhhhhh...

Recently, I was emailing a friend of mine about the overabundance of projects on needles and decided that in 2014, I will either #finishorfrog everything that is currently in progress.  That plastic bin up there? Those are my unfinished projects.  I took them out and photographed them recently, and will blog about them as I pull them out of the bin over this year and decide what to do with them.

First up: socks for my Mr!

In October, I was at a professional conference in North Canton, Ohio. Of course, whenever I go somewhere, I sniff out the yarn shops.  Hey, don't judge!  After the conference, I hopped in the car and drove the short distance from the conference venue to Artist Yarn Gallery.  The shop was about 30 minutes from closing time, but the manager allowed me to hang out in the store for about 30 minutes after closing. She sat and knitted with me to give rush hour a chance to ease up a bit before I hit the road.  I purchased this yarn Kertzer On Your Toes sock yarn, which is infused with aloe vera.  Unfortunately, this yarn is now discontinued. The color fits my Mr's color preferences -- black, brown, gray, and blue -- and while brown is not one of my favorite colors, I know that he will like the socks.  I knitted these with the Fish Lips Kiss heel and it is now my favorite sock heel of all time. I don't have a photo to share (yet!) but this heel is magic.  Easy to learn and execute ... these are the best-fitting socks I've ever knitted him. I can't wait to use this on the next socks I knit for myself.

Watch this space for my #finishorfrog2014 progress!  I'd better go knit.

~mz