Tag: <span>knitting</span>

Paisley Socks

Paisley Socks
Started: 1 January 2024
Finished: 4 January 2024
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Wisdom Yarns Pix in colorway, “Paisley”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: It doesn’t look like this yarn is even made anymore.  I picked this up at a local 4H fabric sale and it was priced extremely reasonably, almost criminal to leave behind such a quality sock yarn in a bin!  It’s a good 75/25 wool/acrylic blend and the colors are pretty fun.  I used the opposite end of the yarn ball to knit the heel flap so the color pattern was preserved on the front.  January finally found me some downtime, and I kicked up the knitting a notch since I had time to actually unwind in the evenings.  Sock knitting is my go-to to keep my hands busy if I’m watching TV, so this is the first of quite a few pairs of socks this winter!

Festival Color Socks

Festival Color Socks
Started: 21 October 2023
Finished: 14 November 2023
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Regia 4 ply Ffestival Color sock yarn in colorway #02886, “Full Moon Summit Fest”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: I started these while on vacation in the Netherlands and finished them up about two weeks after coming home.  Basic sock, no modifications.  Love how the colors pooled up.

Heritage Prints Socks

Heritage Prints Socks
Started: 29 April 2023
Finished: 8 May 2023
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Cascade Heritage Prints in color #75, “Roy G B Stripe”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: Pretty standard pair of socks!  I don’t remember where I picked up the yarn, but this was the last _anything_ I knit in 2023 till October.  Bee season was completely overwhelming and I just didn’t have anything left in the tank after beekeeping and processing honey, or any time to do much of anything else.  Really love the colors here, and with the 24% nylon content, no doubt they’ll last a LONG while before needing darning.

Fjord Socks

Fjord Socks
Started: 16 February 2023
Finished: 5 March 2023
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Madeline Tosh, Tosh Sock in “Fjord”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: According to Ravelry, I picked this yarn up on a visit to Loop in Philadelphia in 2011.  Probably some of the newer yarn in my stash, but you see yet again, blues and greens/browns.  Yes, I have a type.  I started these while on vacation in the UK, visiting the husband, and finished them just after returning home.  It’s remarkable how different the two socks are even though knit from the same skein – one definitely has much more blue than the other, but since I like fraternal twin socks, this is actually a bonus for me!  Really comfortable, soft yarn, and these are undoubtedly going to get tons of wear.

Lagoon Socks

Lagoon Socks
Started: 9 Feb 2023
Finished: 15 Feb 2023
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Twisted Fiber Art Kabam! in colorway “Lagoon” with striping pattern “Soulmates”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: I started these on the flight to the UK to visit my husband while he was stationed there, and finished them while visiting.  Gosh this yarn dyer was always one of my favorites and while it looks like they’re out of business now, their website is still up, and I still miss them!  I apparently acquired this yarn in 2008, shortly after I began knitting and I still have a bunch sitting around in the yarn stash.  The bamboo content gives the yarn base a smoothness and durability that I really like for socks, and the colors are just fantastic.  I knit the heels from the opposite end of the yarn cake to preserve the striping pattern, and I’m glad I chose this yarn to bring along on vacation.

Favorite Colorway Socks

Favorite Colorway Socks
Started: 26 November 2022
Finished: 6 December 2022
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Mediumweight in “Mill Ends”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: We know I love a good blue and brown colorway, so it’s no surprise this yarn came home with me from Rhinebeck in 2008 (yikes).  I don’t have a lot of notes on these, but BMFA definitely makes one of my favorite yarns and while I think I like the lightweight a little better than the mediumweight, this is still a fantastic yarn for socks because it’s super squishy and soft.

Netherlands Vacation Socks

Netherlands Vacation Socks
Started: October 2022
Finished: October 2022
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in “Mill Ends”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: I started these on a trip to the Netherlands in October, but apparently didn’t write down the start or finish date, though I did note that I finished them just after returning.  Usually I bring a project to work on during flights and while relaxing in the evenings, but apparently I didn’t get a chance to finish these while on vacation which is fine too!  The colors are really fun together, and a quick peek on Ravelry says I got these at Rhinebeck in 2009, so, yikes, definitely time to use that yarn!

Love Note Sweater & Gypsum Skirt

Posting some old photos since for whatever reason, this never made it to the blog, but I did put them up on Instagram.  Weird?  These were finished/photographed in the early days of the pandemic (May 2020).  I thought I’d put them into the blog here and talk more about the modifications and whatnot.

First up, the skirt!  The skirt is the Gypsum Skirt by Sew Liberated.  I’ve found their patterns to be very well written, sized well, and be really easy to follow in terms of instructions.  This went together pretty quickly – I chose a size that matched my waist measurement the closest since the hips were a little more free.  The extra details with the felled seams and those MASSIVE pockets (yes, you can hold an entire knitting project in that pocket) really make this a nice finished project.  The fabric is from JoAnn Fabrics and I think it was a rayon/linen blend or some kind of faux linen because it’s got a nice drape to it, but just enough structure to have crisp seams.  I’ve worn this a bunch already and I still love it.

Love Note Sweater
Started: 22 January 2020
Finished: 8 February 2020
Pattern: Love Note by tincanknits
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Roslyn (65% Wool / 35% Silk)
Needle: US 7 & 10
Notes:Ravelry Link
This was obviously a super quick knit for me and it went together in no time at all.  I ended up using a plain DK yarn instead of the fingering+lace combo held together.  I don’t really like that fluffy, halo-y yarn look, so this sort of rustic, tweedy yarn fit better for me.  I got gauge perfectly on a swatch, so I forged right ahead and knit size L per the size chart which came out right.  I want to say I might have shortened this by an inch or two from the instructions since I’ve got an absurdly short torso and wanted this to actually be cropped instead of falling to my hips.  The sleeves I also knit shorter, only to 11.5″ length so it comes about to 3/4 sleeve length.  I wear this one A LOT with all kinds of things underneath – dresses, jeans, etc.  Easily one of my favorite handmade sweaters!