Knitting: Still at it after all these years

I've been quiet on the blog lately. Don't mean to be, just that free time lately has been MOSTLY knitting or sleeping. Due to some family issues and work issues, stress has been a big part of my life the last few weeks.

What really keeps me mostly sane is the knitting and the sleeping. Some evenings, I was far to exhausted to even hold the needles, after dinner and a bit of TV, I would typically be on the phone or headed towards bed. Luckily, my Dad who has been quite ill is on the road to partial recovery. So that part of my stress has dwindled. Work stress on the other hand is still present, but is lessening. And it's mostly just stress while at work, I don't have to take it home with me, yay.

One thing that I do notice though, is that when I take these little breaks, a few days off knitting, it REALLY makes me appreciate it more and then I can't wait to pick up the needles and I go with gusto!

So noted in a recent project, which I'm nearing the end of and very happy about! It's the Haruni shawl which I actually started last May. It starts small and GROWS!!! So back in May, I did several inches in ONE night! I was so pleased with myself and thought I'd be done in no time. Then... Oh look, shiny.... I wandered off the path and this sat around, until about a 1 1/2 weeks ago and I picked it up and started working on it again. I made wonderful progress and am now nearly finished! I have 14 rows to finish, which is approximately 5.5 hours. And then the cast off, which will take some additional time, but I'm thinking, I can certainly get to this this weekend as long as I don't get distracted and cast on for that sweater I've been wanting to make with the new yarn I just got in the mail!

Whitknits.com was having a great malabrigo sale, Malabrigo Stockpile to be exact, so I ordered a bagful of the Chunky weight in PAGODA, it's reddish/burgundy color with a hint of orange tones. It's an interesting color for sure and I think it will work out swell. But I REALLY have to finish that shawl!

Here is a not so great photo of it.


the yarn is noro with lovely pink and purple stripes. I can't wait to finish and block!!!

Knitting: And the socks have it!

I feel a little bad about not blogging lately. I do enjoy it, but often don't take the time for it. I do well for a short time and then fall back ino lazy habits. I've also been bad about reading the blogs of my friends. I'm several weeks behind, so for that I apologize and if you see random comments from me on a post that is weeks old, you know why. :)

Blogging helps keep me up to date. While most of the blogs I read are people I know IRL, it's always an added bonus (to me) to read all those thoughts about their lives or their knitting (they are ALL knitting people); what they thought while knitting, and their finished projects. I like it all! And most of them, I've seen in person, so seeing the object up close from start to finish is fun as well.

Blogging for me, helps me to remember. I know what I was doing when and how I felt about a particulr yarn or place or thing. If it's not kntting or yarn related, it's probably music, movies or travel. So always good to keep writing those memories. I hope to never succumb to those debilitating memory loss diseases, but you never know what age will bring.

Enough rambling. I've been casting on socks left and right these days, although not the lefts and rights that actually go together. Are you surprised, really?!

Here it is... I went to Mystery Sock last Monday 9/27. I purchased the reccommended yarn ahead of time, one I hadn't used before. It's dyed by the Neighborhood Fiber Co and I forget the name of the colorway, it starts with an "A". Anyway, it's green, another shock? Probably not. So the pattern, it has cables and sort of a lace/rib motif going on. Very easy repeat to remember and therefore get through fairly quickly. It was knit from the toe-up with a cuff down option if you please and a short row heel. I have yet to cast on for #2, but do plan on later this week, read on to see why. So the pair will be finished and not left in single sockdom (promise)!



I had a bit of free time a week or so ago, right before Mystery Sock and I didn't have but ONE sock OTN. Well it was a sock I don't like very much and I didn't want to knit it, so I cast on another sock. It's in this lovely blue/purple colorway called Purple Haze. I decided to make a pattern from Wendyknits fame from the book, Toe-Up Socks for Every Body. I can't recall the name at this second, but I did make it through the toe and through part of the first repeat. About this time, I was feeling angsty, not about the sock, but about intense knitting (this was a Saturday). So by Sunday, I decided to go easy and start a new toe up sock, plain, plain stockinette. However, the yarn is Regia Hand Dyed Effects, which does this really fantastic color gradient thing. I didn't want to muddy with a pattern and wanted something easy. This foots the bill (pun not totally intended).

I don't have photos of either of these yet, but in my in-betweens, I've been working on the Regia sock. I'm through the heel and working on the leg. It's coming along nicely. Bring in today, I have Block of the Month, and I am behind. I only have 3 completed blocks so far and 2 half blocks done. I should have a total of 8 (whoops!). And the 2 I have OTN, I cannot find the pattern for... doubble whoops!

I'm also missing a pattern because I missed the class in August and they were out of the pattern when I needed to buy it. I'll pick that up tonight. But I did cast on and do the edging for today's block, so I am ready to go.

Oh and then on 10/01 I decided to participate in the SKA challenge after taking a few months off. I decided on an underappreciated pattern and had to cast on right away to claim it. I'm knitting the Rose Cottage pattern on Rav in the Knit Picks Tonal color Spring Blooms (I think). It's pink. I like it so far, but have only done a partial of the first repeat. It's a charted pattern that isn't difficult, but does require attention.



Then on Saturday 10/2, I received my next to last shipment of the Socks that Rock club shipment. The yarn is a deep green that makes me think of Pine trees and funnily enough is called 'Pining 4 Ewe'. It definitely makes me think of winter and christmas. The 2 patterns for the month are a new twist of EZ's Moccasin sock by Meg Swansen and Buggin Out by Stephen H. (hizKnits). I met him for a brief moment at SS09 and he's a nice guy. While I like the Buggin Out pattern, I think will knit the Mocc Sock first. But not sure if I will use Pining for it or not. Anyway, it's something on the backburner because I have SEVERAL others in line.

Knitting: And the socks go on....

I've been a wild sock knitter of late. I've been challenging myself and setting little personal goals. For instance, a few weeks ago, I was knitting a pattern called Vorticity. It was published in one of this summer's issues of the Knitter (UK Mag). It was written by Alice Yu (friend of Cookie A) and I liked the LOOK of it. I had a few issues knitting it, but overall, I like my slightly modified finished product.


(my apologies if you've seen this and are bored already)

When that finished, I had already picked out my next project. It was going to be the Charybdis pattern (it's free on Rav). This idea was spawned in one of the socks that rock groups. The challenge for the month was to knit one of 2 patterns, Charybdis and another one, in some STR. Well, somehow, only the pattern stuck in my head and not the STR tie in, so there I go off and running with this GORGEOUS skein of Bugga in Blue Dragon Emperor, only to realize that part way through, I should have used an STR yarn. Oh well, I LOVE LOVE LOVE these socks. They are super soft and I adore the color. I also made them the absolute perfect size for my feet and my preference which is a shorter leg, than most folks knit. Anyway, the pattern was super fun and fast and the personal challenge for me, was to make a pair of socks in a week. And I DID IT! Matter of fact, it was 6 days start to finish.

I set this challenge because Iron Knitter 2 was going to be starting on 9/1. I want to be ready to knit as quick as I could. I accomplished it and here's the proof.



With those socks finished, I had a WHOLE weekend to get going on a new project. I opted NOT to cast on new socks because I didn't want to burn out before IK2 and I didn't want to use up any needles that I might need. So I went with the next best thing, started a Baby Surprise Jacket for a friend who is due in December and I'm using some Socks that Rock! The colorway is Stormy Weather, which I loved in the skein, but not so much in the cake or the sweater. I mean, it's ok, but I don't Love it. True to socks that rock fashion, though, it is super squishy and fantastic to work with. I really love the twist in this yarn.

(no photo at this time)

Well, enter 9/1. The IK2 clue was released around 4PM and my team and I took our hands at solving it. I could only play for about an hour because I was meeting Brandy for a movie (Vampires Suck - in case you are curious). By the time I had returned that evening, my team did solve the clue and the pattern was released to us. Though it was late, I just couldn't go to bed without at least casting on the toe. So I did that and made it up to the required 64 stitches. The rest of the week and throughout the weekend, I knitted them up. Everyone has really liked the finished project and I must say, they are quite warm. It's really interesting that though I used the same yarn as Charbydis, these definitely seem more of a tight knit and a bit rougher (although still insanely soft). The charybdis seem so much more loose and soft and flowy. It's weird. But whatever, they are a nice grey sock and though I'm a bit bored by them, they are ok. Don't know that I would have ever chosen a pattern like this, but they are done now and I will wear them with pride and happy thoughts. Oh yeah, and it took me 4 days to finish this first round and I posted #15 of 54 people, so quite happy with me for that.



Now I have a break before the next round of IK2. I think it starts on/around 9/17. I'm looking forward to it. It includes an additional color, I'm thinking something stripey, but I have no proof. I'll need to stash dive and find some good stuff. In the mean time, I'm back on the BSJ project, it's coming along nicely and once I get back into the groove of it, I should have it completed in no time. All this quick knitting has really helped me increase my stitch time. I hope I can continue the pace as I have so much yarn to get used up! And gifts to make.

I'm also a bit behind on the 52 Pair Plunge, so I'm considering getting out all those single socks and making mates to make up for some "lost" pairs. So much knitting, so little time!