WIP Wednesday

A post on my two current projects is long overdue, but even though we still have lots of daylight hours, I can never seem to get the camera out while the light is still decent.

Both of these were supposed to be Ravelympics projects, but overcommitments, an allergy ridden family, and a monster infection in Monkeyboy's right ear sidelined these two projects.

First up are my sock blank swap socks. I love how they are have turned out, and in fact, I'm about to start the ribbing. They remind me of an Impressionist painting. I think I should have enough left over for a pair of socks for Sweetpea.

They aren't really flipped on the needles; I did that for the photo to show the front and back. I'm not following the Two at Once Toe Up socks pattern, I'm just knitting them with the different elements I've picked up from patterns here and there. I did do an Eye of Partridge heel on this pair, which I really like :)

Next is the Marihone cardigan for Sweetpea. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the body, and then I will knit the sleeves. I haven't decided yet what to do with the neckline. Since the pattern was for a pullover for a baby, one shoulder was not seamed but had a placket and buttons. The collar was turned and hemmed. I am making this into a cardigan, to be more suitable to our Oklahoma weather. I prefer collars on my cardigans, but that isn't really done on fair isles as far as I can tell. And if I did a cardigan how would I do it? Ribbed? Garter stitch? I may just turn it under and hem it - maybe with a picot edge?

Opinions are welcome and encouraged :)

WIP Wednesday

I started this post yesterday, and intended to take photos and post last night, but Sweetpea got sick - so two of the photos were taken in my parking garage this morning, and the last one was already on my camera :D (Oh, and Sweetpea has fully recovered.)

I have a ton of WIPs now! I narrowed it down to five projects to knit for the Ravelympics, which now seems laughable, one of them specifically. I also finished a few WIPs before the Olympics began, and will be posting about those in the coming days.

OK, now for the good stuff! The project that started it all, my Sock Blank Swap Socks from Melanie. I am on the Sock Blank Swappers team, and cast on for these Saturday night. Incidentally, there is talk on this group of a seasonal swap, so join the group if you think you might be interested. Rumor is the next swap may happen in late September / early October.

Next up is a baby cardigan for some friends who are expecting a boy in September. The shower is this Saturday, so I have to finish this really soon. I was initially going to make Rocketry, but dying my own yarn. I could only decide on the three colors - honestly, the baby registry influenced my color choices. My row and stitch gauge are off from the pattern so I'm recalculating as I go, and changing up some of the details as well. I've picked up stitches all the way around for the ribbing and button bands, so you are looking at the back. When the ribbing is complete, I'll go back and knit the sleeves.

The now-laughable project is Marihone - this has been in my queue long before Ravelry even existed. I think I've had the yarn maybe 2 years? Anyway, I also cast on for it Saturday night. I'm knitting it in sort of a 3T size, but the pattern sizing only goes up to 24 months. My cast on was 252 stitches on size 2.0mm needles - US 0. After a few rows of that the rest of the body is knit on size 2.5 mm / US 1/2. Oh, and I added 10 stitches for a steek because it will be a cardigan instead of a pullover.

Besides those, I also pledged to knit another February baby sweater for our new niece. She is nearly 3 months old (yikes! time is flying), and we will be hosting a baby shower at some point if we can ever get our schedule to match up with the new parents. This cardi will be one of her gifts from us. Really it will be more of a meet the baby party - the parents live out of town, and we offered to host a party for all of there friends who still live here.

Finally, I really thought I could possible finish all four of those projects before the Olympics were over, including the 262 stitch fair isle, so I threw in a final project of more socks from another sock blank I dyed.

WIP Wednesday

On my needles: I'm still working on the Online Supersocke Summer socks (I'm calling them Cotton Candy socks because that's what the colors remind me of). The first sock is finished, and the second sock is past the heel. I need to finish these really soon, because I'm starting KPs Two at Once, Toe Up socks from my sock blank for the Ravelympics. I'm not posting a picture of the sock in progress because you saw the first one here, and really, how much difference is there between sock one and sock two?

I realized yesterday that I have been paying far too much knitting attention to socks lately! If you look at my Ravelry "about me" page, everything in my Featured Finished Objects is socks! I love knitting socks, but I also love knitting other things too! On that note, I'm about to start a baby sweater binge - we have four couple friends who have just had or are about to have babies. Three girls and one boy, and just to pique your curiousity, I've been ordering yarn and dyes for some pint sized gifts.

Last week I started a February Baby Sweater from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Almanac. I'm using Berroco Comfort DK. I love how soft and cushy the yarn is, and the fact that it is machine washable and dryable. It is pretty splitty yarn. I did the sleeves magic loop and now I'm onto the body. I just started my second skein, and I'm pretty sure it won't take all of it. I am knitting this for the almost-4-week-old daughter of some good friends :)

New WIPs

Wicked is long finished, with the exception of buttons and maybe a bit of elastic. If I use some, I'll explain in the FO post.

Meanwhile, I've cast on for two new toe-up socks, unrelated. The first is from my Regia Galaxy stash. I cast on in the Camouflage colorway for BHE. I got stuck (far enough up the foot to start the heel, but no BHE around to try it on), so I put it aside and cast on with Austermann Step in the Hunter colorway, also from the stash.

Speaking of stash, I've been doing some major decluttering in my sewing room / home office. I took a huge bag of yarn to Monkeyboy's speech therapist, for her daughter who is learning to knit I haven't relegated any of the good stuff to the destash pile yet, but there will be some to come, and possibly even knitting books and / or patterns. Definitely some fabric, sewing patterns, and quilting books and patterns as well. I haven't been a serious quilter since Monkeyboy was born 5 years ago, but I do definitely want to get back to it. I think if I get rid of the stuff I don't like anymore and keep only the things I love, that will make it easier.

A (blogless) friend of mine has a theory that the energy in our body is stored in pods. All the dormant WIPS and UFOs lying around suck up energy pods, and each time you finish a project you get some of your pods back. I think if I can bear to part with as much as I hope to, you all will see a bright glow and distinct hum of energy emanating from my little corner of the world.

WIP Wednesday

Here it is - I'm finally knitting something besides socks! This is my cardiganized Wicked, ala FlintKnits. I'm using Dream in Color Classy in Dusky Aurora, and I hope to have it finished by June 1st for the Loopy Ewe's Dream in Color KAL.

I'm showing a close up because the subtleties of this colorway fascinate me. Still this picture doesn't do it justice. In the sunlight it almost sparkles or glows.

I am very close to being finished - hopefully it will be blocking by the weekend!

WIP Wednesday

On my needles this week: my third, yes, third sock in Regia Galaxy Jupiter Red sock. I was so concerned about getting the yarn to actually pool the way it was meant to, to create the rings, that the first sock was knit very loosely. I actually started and frogged 5 or 6 times, trying different combinations of needle size and stitch count . When I finally found what I thought was correct, I continued on and knit the first sock (loosely). Then we took a road trip to Texas, and in the process of knitting the second sock, I went back to my normal gauge, and lo and behold, the stripy rings didn't go away, but the sock was nearly an inch smaller around, and fit much better. So I ripped the first one and started over with my normal gauge.

The green yarn is the March selection from Robyn's Nest sock club. I cast on and started the ribbing, but it seemed really small. Last night I started knitting in stockinette to check my gauge, and I'm getting 9 1/2 stitches per inch, instead of 8 as the pattern calls for! I was using 2.25 mm needles like the pattern calls for, as I can usually get gauge with whatever size is recommended. I'm going to check my gauge on 2.5 mm needles and see how it goes. I did like the fabric I was getting on the 2.25 mm needles, so if 2.5 doesn't work out, I may try to adjust the stitch count and use the smaller needles.

This is everything I received from Robyn's Nest. It is everything included in the March sock club kit, plus an ebony shawl stick I ordered to use with the Vogue Wrap Cardi. It didn't work out, but I'll definitely find another use for the shawl pin. Robyn was great - she initially sent my pin in February when I ordered it, but it was broken in half in the mail, despite the padded packaging she used. When I contacted her, she responded immediately and replaced it free of charge :) I just love great customer service!

WIP Update

I don't have any FO on the horizon to report, so I thought I'd post a WIP update. Currently I'm working on a pair of socks in Lana Grossa Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch color #704 (is the name of this yarn really that long?). I just finished the heel on the first sock. Obviously, this picture was taken before I got that far. Actually, this is the third go at this sock. First I cast on for a 64 stitch foot with US size 2 1/2 (3.omm) - too loose and too big. Rip out, start over with a 60 stitch foot, US size 0 (2.0mm). This sock was so tightly knit, it could have stood on its own. Finally, I'm working now with 60 stitches again, on US size 1 1/2 (2.5mm), and it seems to be fine. It looks too big to look at, but it fits fine. this is the first time I've worked with this yarn. It doesn't seem to have a lot of stretch, but I do like it, especially the color changes.

In between all those cast-ons and do-overs, I also cast on for the Rockin' Sock Club sock for January, Serendipity. I couldn't get gauge with (what I thought was) the recommended needle, size 1. Turns out I have size 1 1/2 (2.5mm), and I have actualy size 1's (2.25mm) on order as I type.

Also in progress (after a long unnecessary time out) is the Wrap Cardigan by Margaret O'Leary from the Holiday 2006 Vogue Knitting. I can't get a decent picture of this to save my life, so you'll just have to visualize. (Here is my Ravelry link to it.) I've knitted the back, both fronts, and am working on the collar. This is interesting in that the outer half of the fronts is knitted with one strand with size 10 needles, and the center half double stranded with size 11s. Can you picture that? So about halfway across the row, I had to switch needle sizes and pick up or drop a second strand of yarn. Now. Once you reach the shoulders, the single stranded portions are cast off, and you continue knitting the double stranded part for 2-3 inches more before binding off. These sections will be sewn together in the back and form the shawl collar. Now you know how I have to change it up. I left the back stitches live, and when the time came, did a three needle bind off for the shoulder seams. Then as I continue knitting the 2 stranded collar portion, I am picking up the live stitches from the back neck, one at a time, and knitting them together with the collar. (I'm halfway across this part now, hence the present tense.) When I get both collar portions worked to the center back, I'll Kitchner stitch them together. Then onto the sleeves!

Oh, I do still need to do FO post for BHE's Apple Socks, I just have to get him to model them for me!