Tag: <span>knitting</span>

Tag: knitting

Finished Objects, Gloves/Mittens, knitting

Bee Mittens

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Bee Mittens
Started: 28 Jan 2022
Finished: 5 Feb 2022
Pattern: Hey Bee-Otch Mittens by Drunk Girl Designs
Yarn: Valley Yarn Huntington in Mustard (0024) and Chocolate (B118) – 21 grams remaining of the yellow and 20 grams of the brown.
Needle: US 0 / 2 mm
Notes: Okay, so they’re not quite exactly to pattern, but as a beekeeper, I kind of wanted just plain bee mittens even though I deeply appreciate the bee pun.  So, I repeated the “Bee” part from the left mitten to the right once I got to that point in the chart, otherwise I left everything the same in the pattern.  I probably would knit the thumb another 5-6 rows longer (it was still a little short even after having added an additional 4 rows), and would swap out the thumb increases to run along the border to the mitten body instead of along the center outside of the thumb.  The construction just feels wonky and fits weird?  I’ve never done thumb increases this way and, it works, but it’s definitely not my preferred method.  Also, the patterning on the thumb made the float situation a hot mess on the inside.  If I knit these again, I’d probably just invert the design on the palm for the thumb to keep things tidier inside the thumb.  There were lots of long floats in this pattern, so it involved a good deal of managing those floats while knitting and then futzing with the finished piece to pull the too-long ones into submission, but it’s 100% worth it for the final result.  This designer does SUCH a gorgeous job on the colorwork designs and this is the second pattern of hers that I’ve knit, and I’m super happy with the finished mittens!

Finished Objects, Socks

Beekeeper Socks

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Beekeeper Socks
Started: 18 Feb 2021
Finished: 3 March 2021
Pattern: “His Last Bow” by Lotta Groeger
Yarn: Haldecraft Yarns Andre in colorway, “None of your Beeswax” (80% SW Merino, 20% Nylon)
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: You know that a beekeeper who is also a knitter is contractually obligated to knit these, right?  Read the fine print, it’s in there.  These are toe-up socks which is something I try to avoid since I find the cast on fussy and, really, I’m just way more comfortable with cuff down.  The little bee detail in some of the cells means they really do need to be knit toe-up, and they’re bees (!!!) so it was 100% worth forging ahead with a method that isn’t my favorite but produces a beautiful set of socks.  As is usual with toe-up socks, I can never seem to gauge where to start the heel, so the foot is just a tiny bit too long.  Then I got overzealous and knit the leg a bit too long, so it’s a little tight near the cuff.  In hindsight, I could’ve added a few extra stitches around to accommodate my calves, but by the time one was done, I wasn’t going back to fix it since it wasn’t too-too bad.  Can we appreciate though, the beauty of lining up the sock pattern and the yarn color and colorway name here?  I’m absolutely delighted with how these came out and obviously am going to bee wearing them a bunch!

Finished Objects, Socks

Sock Knitting Catch-up – Part 4

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Blue & Purple Speckle Socks
Started: ??
Finished: 26 Jul 2021
Yarn: Skein band missing, though I think it’s from Mountain Laurel Yarns
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: I absolutely love the colors of this yarn.  I think I had originally bought it to make a hat, but it makes a mighty fine pair of pretty socks.

Dutch Vacation Socks
Started: Sep 2021
Finished: Oct 2021
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock yarn in colorway, “Indiecita”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: Started these on the plain on the way home from a brief vacation to the Netherlands while the husband was actually home, before he left for the UK for 2 years (that’s a whole ‘nother story) and while there was a lull in Coronavirus cases.  Yep, pandemic vacation socks.

Plain Old Socks
Started: Oct 2021
Finished: 23 Oct 2021
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in colorway “Good Luck Jade”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: This is one of those yarns that looked really heavy variegated in the skein but actually knit up in a pretty even set of color values (light/dark) and probably could’ve handled a simple pattern pretty well.

Purple Storm Socks
Started: 29 Oct 2021
Finished: 4 Nov 2021
Yarn: Wullenstudio Superwash Sock in colorway “Wooly Bully”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: I picked up this yarn at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival in 2009, so it’s definitely on the older end of the stash spectrum.  I really dug the purple and grey together and they pooled up every so slightly around the leg in wide stripes.

That wraps up the plain old socks catch-up!  There’s one more that I need to post, but it deserves its own post since it’s actually a really neat design.  There are other knits to post too that aren’t socks, so I’ll be busy getting caught up for the rest of the year probably!

Gloves/Mittens

How Cold Is It?

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How Cold Is It Mittens
Started: 13 Jan 2022
Finished: 24 Jan 2022
Pattern: How Cold Is It Mittens by Drunk Girl Designs
Yarn: KnitPicks Palette in colorways B961 (Light Blue) and 2425 (Dark Blue) – used just about half a skein of each
Needle: US 0 / 2 mm
Notes:  This is now the second time I’ve knit these mittens and these ones went to a friend as a holiday present.  It’s not too often that I knit for other people, but there are some folks who are absolutely knit-worthy!  Most of the time I’m knitting for just me because it is a sizable amount of time, energy, and cost that can go into producing a knitted object.  You’re damn right I’m going to do that for myself!  There’s a longer conversation here that I saw on Twitter about men’s vs women’s craft/hobby endeavors and how women are called selfish if they engage in a craft or hobby for themselves while that’s not said of men.. and also a conversation about how I knit for the enjoyment of knitting and don’t need to monetize it and sell what I create in order to make it valid and worthwhile.  Buuuut anyway, back to the mittens!  I had to check back to my notes when I knit the first pair, and I did indeed go down 2 needle sizes to a size 0 since I tend to knit a bit loose in colorwork and the pattern called for a US size 2 which seemed way too big.  I also always use a Norwegian Knitting Thimble for colorwork since I’m a continental knitter, and it works great to keep the yarn organized on my left hand without getting twisted or falling off my finger.  The mittens came out a tiny bit tight straight off the needles, but after washing and laying out, the yarn loosened up a considerable amount and the fit is damn near perfect.  The pattern also comes with a Norwegian style thumb, but I find that those twist the mitten funny when it’s being worn – our thumbs sprout out the side of the palm, not the center – so I switched up and added a “sore thumb” instead.  For the thumb, I started increasing every other row at the edge of the mitten body starting at row 3 of the mitten chart till I got to 25 stitches and then slipped those onto a holder and backwards cast on 1 stitch.  When it came time to work the thumb, I picked up 5 extra stitches along the thumb ‘crotch’ for a total of 30, then worked the thumb till it was long enough, decreased, and cast off.  This is absolutely my favorite mitten thumb type to knit and IMHO, it fits the best without twisting or distorting the pattern while wearing the mittens.  Uncensored version below the jump!

Continue reading“How Cold Is It?”

Finished Objects, Socks

Sock Knitting Catch-up – Part 3

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Continuing on with the sock knitting catch-up posts, but at least we’re into 2021 now!  This is some peak winter pandemic knitting, just basic plain stockinette socks, but honestly it was all my brain had space for at the time.

Fall-ish Socks
Started: 25 Dec 2020
Finished: 2 Jan 2021
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight, Mill Ends
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: Mill Ends are the not-quite-perfect runs of sock yarn that are still plenty good, but not perfect.  Ravelry says I picked this up at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool festival in 2009, so wow was it due to be used finally.  This yarn is an absolute delight – it’s SO squishy and comfortable to wear even if a little thicker than most sock yarns, and what a pretty colorway.

Day at the Beach Socks
Started: 2 Jan 2021
Finished: 11 Jan 2021
Yarn: Spindle City Yarns Handpainted Sock in colorway, “Day at the Beach”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: It’s my best friends, blue and brown again!  Ravelry says I bought this in 2008, so this was one of my first few sock yarn purchases ever.  Pretty wild how a few skeins of sock yarn became bins of yarn, enough to keep me warm for an eternity.  This project marks my transfer from keeping records on Ravelry to keeping records in a notebook because of Ravelry’s site redesign and refusal to add basic code for accommodating those who found the new site intolerable or harmful to use.  I even noted on the project page, “Last FO on Ravelry.  Going to notebook logging or posting on the blog.  BYE RAVELRY.”  Part of the reason I got back to blogging was to keep better track of Finished Objects, so, here we are.

Stormy Night Socks
Started: 6 Jan 2021
Finished: 11 Jan 2021
Yarn: June Pryce Fiber Arts Plum Panda sock in colorway “Stormy Night”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: Oooh aren’t these pretty?!  The yarn was picked up at the Pennsylvania Fall Fiber Arts Festival in 2015 so it didn’t wait too long to become socks.  My notes on this say that I left the leg longer than I usually do to preserve the color transition.  I even alternated and used the other end of the ball for the heel since the yarn was supposed to transition all the way back to the dark green again.

Bacon Socks
Started: 14 Jan 2021
Finished: 23 Jan 2021
Yarn: Holiday Yarns Flock Sock in colorway “Bacon”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: Plain old sock!  The yarn was acquired at Rhinebeck in 2010, and how can you possibly resist a colorway called “bacon” which pools up like streaky bacon?!  I mean it really is pretty great.

Finished Objects, Socks

Sock Knitting Catch-up – Part 2

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Another round of sock posts!  Probably at least 2 more to go after this until I’m done.  Still working through this long backlog of plain vanilla socks, but I wear handknit socks constantly, and especially with boots, the unpatterend ones are more comfortable.

Galapagos Socks
Started: 22 Aug 2020
Finished: 6 Sep 2020
Yarn: Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock in colorway “Galapagos”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: If I remember correctly, the yarn was a gift?  We had been to the Galapagos Islands years ago and it was a once in a lifetime kind of trip.  So yeah, obviously a colorway named Galapagos was a thing that had to happen.

Blue Stripe Socks
Started: 8 Sep 2020
Finished: 13 Sep 2020
Yarn: Austermann Hand Painted in colorway “Esiblume”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: This one pooled up really weirdly for me!  My standard sock is 64 stitches and I think maybe at 72 stitches, I would’ve gotten the stripe pattern shown in product photos.  I *think* I bought this one on a trip to the Netherlands, but can’t be entirely sure since it was after I’d started to abandon Ravelry.  It’s not a particularly soft yarn, but it’s one of those solid, workhorse sock yarns that probably won’t need darning for years and years.

Harvest Socks
Started: 14 Sep 2020
Finished: 25 Sep 2020
Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns Fannie’s Fingering Weight in colorway, “Harvest”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: Another yarn from 2010, these buttery hues worked up really pretty into an evenly variegated yarn without really any pooling.  This is outside of my blue and brown comfort range but I can’t help but admire how beautifully the colors work together in the final knitted product.

Caribeno Socks
Started: 23 Nov 2020
Finished: 30 Nov 2020
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock in colorway, “Caribeno”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: Annnd back to blue!  The yarn was a gift from a friend who knows exactly what colors I like and oh, what gorgeous blues.  Malabrigo is so dang squishy and soft too, these are just fantastic.

Finished Objects, Socks

Sock Knitting Catch-up – Part 1

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This year will mark my 14th year as a knitter.  Hard to believe it started one summer with a friend teaching me the basics and then letting me fly.  Socks are my go-to comfort knitting because I don’t really have to think about them yet they still keep my hands busy, and I can crank out a pair in one long day or, on average, about a week’s worth of evening knitting in front of the TV.  Now that I’ve given up on Ravelry because of their horrible redesign and subsequent hostile response to people saying it was causing them actual, physical harm, refusing to make even basic accessibility accommodations, I’m going to focus on posting these on my blog here instead of on Ravelry.  So, here we are!  This also gives me a little more room to talk about the knitting, any modifications, and so on.  I’ll post 4 of these at a time until I’m caught up and then hopefully, keep up with posting new stuff here as I knit.  The majority of these will be older projects, and I fell into knitting plain old vanilla socks (using my basic sock pattern) to try and use up some heavily variegated or pooling sock yarn that wasn’t really all that well suited to something with a pattern.  Anyway, on to the socks!

NYC Socks
Started: 25 Apr 2020
Finished: 3 May 2020
Yarn: Dragonfly Fibers Dragon Sock in colorway “City That Never Sleeps”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: This colorway was a TON of fun to knit.  The black is VERY black, so the colored bits really stand out against the dark.

Nell Socks
Started: 11 May 2020
Finished: June 2020
Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy 2 ply in colorway “Nell”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: I apparently bought this yarn back in 2010 and then it sat in my stash for .. a decade.  It’s definitely a set of colors that’s right up my alley between the blue and brown and oh gosh they knit together so pretty.

Juniper Socks
Started: ??
Finished: 13 Aug 2020
Yarn: Enchanted Knoll Farm Superwash Sock in colorway “Juniper”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: It appears that this dyer is no longer dyeing yarn, but it’s yet another entry in my blue-and-brown personal colorway, though this one is a little more turquoise and tan.  Gosh I really loved this set of colors and still do, but this and the yarn above were both bought in 2010, so I definitely had a real thing for those colors!

Dusk Socks
Started: 13 Aug 2020
Finished: 22 Aug 2020
Yarn: Ella Rae Lace Merino in colorway “Dusk”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: Still sort of blues-and-browns-ish, but definitely aptly named with the muted tones of greens and blues.  Not sure when I got this, but I was pretty great about keeping up with the stash on Ravelry until the last 5 years or so, so it was probably a much newer acquisition that I never added into their database.  Really dig those colors, and Ella Rae’s lace merino is definitely a solid sock yarn.

Next four are coming soon!  Still trying to get a blog post up once a week, so a lot of these are scheduled out in advance, but it’s great to be back at the blogging thing.

Socks

Ember Socks

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Yet another Spun-to-Finished project!  Simple socks this time, but I really wanted to show off the color transition, and a pair of “fraternal twin” socks seemed like the perfect opportunity.  First up, the fiber!


The fiber is from Twisted Fiber Art and is “Sleek,” a now discontinued blend of 50% Superwash Merino wool and 50% Tencel which makes it a great, sturdy blend for socks.  The colorway is, “Ember,” which has also been discontinued from the Twisted Fiber Art list of colorways.  The tencel makes the Superwash Merino spin up super silky and smooth.


And the spun yarn!  I used a chain ply method to get 415 yards out of 4 oz of fiber.  The plying method helped preserve the color changes in the roving.  It came out to right about fingering weight, so I knew this would eventually become socks.

The finished socks!  I knit the same basic sock I always knit – 64 stitches around, top-down, with a heel flap.  I started them August 3, 2016 and finished August 19, 2016, so these went pretty quickly!  As you can see, the striping doesn’t quite line up from sock to sock, and that’s okay.  I actually prefer to waste less yarn and just knit onto the second sock without worrying about the start color lining up just right.  For the heels, I switch to the other end of the yarn cake once I start the heel flap so that the color transition on the leg to instep section isn’t interrupted.  Yeah, it makes for two extra ends to weave in per sock, but it takes a matter of a few minutes and makes the sock look nice.  Here’s the Ravelry Project Link for this project if you want to see more.  There aren’t any notes or anything since this isn’t a really complicated pattern, but I am pleased with how they knit up and, as usual, how amazing it is that my hands can turn a bunch of fiber into something I can wear.