Finished! Lace Rib Socks

Second pair of socks for 2011 are complete. A simple lace ribbed pair out of a book I've owned for years. The book (Favorite Socks by IK) is a great book. I've made several patterns out of it even though I wanted it for only one pattern. I'm now even making another pattern out of it as we speak. The yarn comes from my Woolgirl Sock club from June 2010.

Stats for these socks:
Pattern: Go With The Flow Socks by Evelyn A. Clark from the book Favorite Socks by Interweave Knits
Yarn: Knitted Wit Superwash Merino Fingering
Colorway: Two Roads
Needles: Size 2 Knitpicks circulars
Notes:
I made these pretty much as the pattern states except

• Only worked 18 repeats for the leg
• I did not shift stitches as the pattern told me to for the heel and foot because I didn’t read close enough. I realized the socks aren’t symmetrical if you don’t shift the stitches. So I’m making the pair a mirror image of each other to compensate for my oversight. On the second sock I moved the pattern around my circular needles by two, so that the purls would end on the needle instead of begin like the first sock. Now, when the socks are on, the rib pattern will look correct going across the tops of the feet.

FO Friday: Vegas by Storm

First finished object of 2011 are my Vegas by Storm socks. Started January 8th and finished last Sunday, January 16th. Cast on while on a plane to Vegas and finished a couple days after getting home.

Stats on these:
Pattern: Storm by Kbomb (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight
Colourway: The Skein With No Name - a RSC shipment yarn for 2010
Needles: size 2US knit picks circulars
Notes: I don't like the heel construction on the pattern. It's written as a heel flap with short row turning. If I make these again I'll probably change the heel to a more traditional heel flap and turn method. They fit fine but it's a little awkward to make.

Another WIP spotlight

Second in my spotlight on my WIPS for 2011 is my "Recycled Ropes & Picots" cardigan. The last progress I made on this was October of 2009. It's a fun project and I'm excited to have it finished some day soon.

 

I Haven't much more progress then what is shown above. The two fronts shown in this picture are finished and I have about 5 inches of both sleeves done. While the pattern calls for full length sleeves, I'm making mine 1/2 length. Partly because mine is a summer weight yarn, partly because I'm afraid I'll run out of yarn, and partly just because I'm more partial to shorter sleeves on sweaters and shirts. This is my first recycled yarn project so I'm worried I didn't estimate the amount of yarn correctly. I think that may be way it's languishing in my WIP pile...fear of failure.

My goal for 2011 is to at least finish the sleeves on this bad boy....finishing in time to wear it in the spring or early fall would be fabulous.  So much to knit, so little time.

Vegas by Storm

I cast on for these socks on the plane to Vegas last week. I got through the leg of the first sock on the plane and the rest of that sock over the time in Vegas. The second sock was started in Vegas but didn't make it far since we had a red-eye flight back to Boston. First socks of 2011 is the Storm sock pattern designed by Kbomb on Ravelry.

25,463 yards

My last sock club from 2010 came this week. It's very nice - pretty color and nice extras...as Woolgirl always has. The patterns (a pair of socks and a small shawl) are super cute!

As much as I love getting sock packages every month, I've decided this year that I'm not signing up for either club. I had belonged to two: Woolgirl and Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock, but after last year they have started to pile up...literally...in my stash.

Time to do nothing but knit. The incoming has to slow down to nothing and I just need to knit. I know I don't have as much stash as a lot of knitters...but mine is too big for me. Time to whittle down.

I thought this would be a sad decision. I thought I'd be mourning the loss of my clubs (I probably will at some point) but right now it feels a little freeing. I don't have to worry about getting anything done at a certain time or not working on something I want to work on for fear of neglecting something I paid for and should be keeping up with. I'm following the Thrifty Knitters Sock Club on Ravelry where the group chooses two free patterns and the knitters choose a yarn from their stash to knit one of them with. I'm already 1/2 way through one of their selections for this month. One skein of sock yarn bites the dust and no more yarn is coming in!

So now, at the beginning of the year by yardage is at about 25,463 yards or just under 14.5 miles. Let's see where that is at the end of 2011.

Resolution for 2011

Happy New Year! 

Today is the first day of 2011 and I'm making a knitting resolution. I am surrounded by WIPs (works in progress). I used to be so good at finishing whatever I start, but over the last year or two I've sorta dropped the ball. Along with writing more on my knitting blog, I vow to finish all and make progress on the larger of the knitting WIPs.  I'll post a separate entry on each of my WIPs, giving them the justice they deserve. I still love them all, but for some reason or another I have stopped working on them.

First up in the WIP lineup is my sock yarn blanket. Now, to be fair to myself I always knew this was a never ending large project. I have a HUGE bag of sock yarn ends (leftovers from socks I've made over the years) and I couldn't bring myself to throw them away. 

This blanket was started in July of 2009. It's made using mitered squares of sock yarn on US size 3 needles. Each square is about 2 inches by 2 inches (25 stitches for each). They are set side by side, instead of on point like a lot of other blankets in this style and I'm making the larger blanket as segments.

Each segment is 6 x 6 squares or 12" x 12". I'm currently planning on making a baby size blanket that will be 40" square with sashing and a border. But, I have a feeling I wont be able to give this blanket away - and I have no use for a baby blanket personally...so it may end up becoming a larger lap blanket.

I currently have 2 segments done (two 12" x 12" squares) plus the first two rows of another square started. My goal for 2011 is to have 6 squares total completed by December 31, 2011. I think that's completely doable. With 6 squares that would put the blanket at about 2/3 done...a nice accomplishment for this project this year. Now I just have to plan out other projects around it.

Gearing up for 2011

My New Years Resolution is to write on this blog. Man it's been neglected! I've still been knitting, just somehow not blogging about everything. 2011 is the year of the knitting blog come back.

Christmas 2010 has come and gone. I surprisingly ended up making most gifts even though I didn't really try that hard. I cut back drastically and didn't stress about making too many things. What I did make, however, I wanted to be just right and exactly what people had asked for.

The real star of the show, however, is my little niece Miriam. She is almost 10 months old and 2010 was her first Christmas. I think she was really the only gift anyone in my family needed this year. It was good to see her. She lives in Philadelphia and rarely gets up to Maine and or Boston for that matter.

I have a few pictures of the knitted gifts I gifted this year. I wasn't as good about getting pictures of items with their owners as I usually am. I blame Miriam for stealing all the picture taking thunder...even my knitting can't compete with her cuteness.

I made my Dad a pair of "Waffle Stitch Mittens"

  

This shawl I gave to my Sister in Law - pattern is called "Adamas"

These "Slip Jig" socks I gave to my mom. One of only a few pairs I made this year.

Now that Christmas is over with I am starting a large project for myself. This is a yearly tradition with me...finish all my gifts then knit a gift for me. This year I immediately cast on for a large and complicated cabled sweater pattern that I've been wanting to make for over a year. I already had all the yarn for it and it's been waiting.  I have been intimidated by the sweater for quite some time. It's a Vogue Knitting pattern (that in itself is intimidating enough) but it's also a coat sized sweater designed my Norah Gaughan. While her patterns are usually well written, they also have "interesting" construction and complicated patterning. Put all that together and I feel like I can't do it.

Pictured at the left is the start of the back. I have the two bottom pieces done (back left and right) and I have joined them and about half way through the top decreases. It looks odd already and can't imagine that all the pieces are going to go together well. This back piece looks tiny but matches the specs from the magazine. I guess we'll see!

I plan on blogging about this entire sweater making ordeal. I'm planning on a challenge so it should be interesting :) Stay tuned for updates. My Ravelry project page is here: http://ravel.me/sawyerlm/3cc (and it should be accessible to all). The pattern is available on the Vogue site.