Friday, June 10, 2016

Projects in Progress or What Madness am I Up to This Week?

It's been a while since I've done a general round-up of what I'm working on.

With Stash Dash upon us, the short answer is "everything" -- but barring that not particularly helpful or fulsome response, I thought I'd take you through a bit of a pictorial tour.

First -- remember those socks I cast on June 1?  I knit the better part of the foot of one Whiz Bang sock (pattern by Sarah Shoo) before I decided I didn't like it.   So I'm back to having two toes.


The yellowy ones to the left are going be Marigold by Pamela Wynne, because of reasons.   The yarn is Highland Handmades Sugar Maple Sock in the "Fru's Hairy Balls" colorway.   It was created as a fundraiser in 2014 for Sillyfru -- a podcaster and knitter who has been diagnosed with Hairy Cell Leukemia.   The proceeds went to help pay for her medical costs, and I was happy to be a part of that.

The multi-colored yarn on the right is Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted in the "Spectrum" colorway. Those are the ones that tried (and failed) to be Whiz Bang socks.  I think I'm going to try a toe-up version of Hermione's Everyday Socks instead.  I'd hate to waste a perfectly good toe.

In other knitting news, I have a cowl on the go out of some yarn I picked up last winter from a dyer who was going out of business.  This is Rambling Rose Yarns Divine: Merino Sock in the "Midnight Blue" colorway.


This is the Trifle Cowl by the Sorting Hat from the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup. This term the Headmistress' Challenge is to participate in a Cowl Mystery Knit or Crochet-along. I'm doing the knit version, and so far I really like it!   (I did cheat and look at other people's clues before committing ... mystery knitalongs being somewhat of a gamble.)  I like it though!

Next up is my Lionberry Shawl.  The pattern is by Narniel of Endor (er, that's what it says in Ravelry anyway.  I suspect her mother didn't give her that name, but I dig her choice of fandoms, so.)


It's a crescent shaped shawl, with distinct sections of texture.  I am calling the project "For Aslan," and am knitting it with Him in mind.  The yarn is Lost City Knits Pathways sock yarn in "Rumpelstiltskin."  I picked it up specifically with this shawl in mind at Stitches South this April.  So far I'm loving working with the yarn.

I'm also working on Bifrost by Cate Carter-Evans.   The yarn is her Infinite Twist Helix base, and the colors just make me salivate.


The scarf will run through a full rainbow before it's done.  It's happiness in squashy garter stitch.  I might decide to mattress stitch the whole business closed when I'm done and turn it into an infinity scarf.  I'll decide when I get there.

In crochet news, I'm still plugging away at my Cosy Stripes blanket by Lucy of Attic24.  It's amazing how quickly three stripes a week will grow a blanket.  Especially when compared to "no stripes per week" which is how much I was working on it before.


That's folded in thirds, and there's another three feet or so hanging on the other side of the chair.  I really want to get this done though -- both because I am nearly as tired of it as I love it (which is a lot) but also because this bad boy is going to net me around 4000 meters for Stash Dash.  Big blanket is big.

My Circles to Squares Afghan is so close I can taste it.  All the squares are done and I've started crocheting it together.


It looks a little wobbly now, but an outer border should help tidy it up.   Here's a close up of what the back looks like:


I rather like the ridges it makes.

So that's the majority of what I've been working on lately.  It's rather a lot, but in this case "lately" really means, "I've touched it in the past two weeks."

That doesn't actually make it any saner, does it?

Saturday, June 04, 2016

FO: Rose City Dancers and a Very Berry Anklet

To make up for being a day late getting this written, I offer you a "two-for-the-price-of-one" FO post.

I sat down on May 1 to cast on some socks.  At the time I had no socks on the needles at all, having just wrapped up the Monkeys that I started back when.   Nature abhors a vacuum, and my sock needles were getting cold and lonely.


I ended up waiting on the yellow yarn, but I got the the Knit Picks Dancing in the middle, and the Knit Picks Felici and leftover Knit Picks Stroll over on the right started.

Rose City Dancers


Dancing is a cotton/wool/nylon blend that I am hoping will make great summer socks.  This is kind of a good news/bad news situation -- Dancing has been discontinued for 9 years.   On the other hand I have a ::koff:: well curated stash.  If these work out, there could be more, is what I'm sayin'.

Project Notes

Pattern: Rose City Rollers by Mara Catherine Bryner
Yarn:  Knit Picks Dancing in the "Tap" colorway.  Probably.
Total Yardage: 243 yds.
Needles:  US 1.5 (2.5mm), Magic Loop method
Started:  May 1, 2016
Completed:  May 29, 2016
Ravelry Project Page: here

Very Berry Anklets

And speaking of discontinued yarns, I had one skein of this Knit Picks Felici in my stash.   (Actually, let me be perfectly clear... I have an embarrassment of Felici in my stash, it's just this particular colorway that I only had one ball of...)


When I went looking for yarn for contrasting heels, ankles, and toes, the Stroll from the Monkey socks I'd just finished seemed about perfect.

These socks aren't just pink, they're PANK.

Project Notes

Pattern: I knit these toe-up, without a specific pattern.  I stole the toe off of Carrie Ramirez' "Double Gusset on Bottom Toe-up Sock Pattern" and the OMG heel from Megan Williams.
Yarn:  Knit Picks Felici, "Cochineal" and Knit Picks Stroll, "Rouge"
Total Yardage: 221 yards
Needles:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm), 2 16" circulars
Started:  May 1, 2016
Completed:  May 31, 2016

Ravelry Project Page: here

So, I learned some things this past May.  I learned that I can knit two pairs of ankle socks in one month (providing that month has a full complement of 31 days) and I learned that I may have a bit of a sock... thing.

Okay that last wasn't much of a surprise.  I pretty much already suspected.  Miss "I Am Going to Try to Knit 16 Socks in One Year" is now sitting pretty on 14 out of 16 socks done.   Now, granted, four of those socks have a shorter cuff than average, but even still.

The real hint that I might be a bit sock obsessed came when I immediately cast on for two new pairs on June 1.  Because of course I did.

Sockwatch16:  14/16
StashDash16:    880 m