In the (knitting) groove

I've been a bit a busy knitter this week. I've managed to whip up a hat and a scarf in my free time. And I've started on a pair of socks. Yes, those socks. The ones for my mom that keep frustrating me every time I pick up the needles. No pictures of that yet, but I'm only 1/4 inch into the ribbing on the first sock. But something feels different this time. Maybe this pattern really is meant to be.

The hat is for an intern at work. She's dating the brother of one of my bestest friends and she's become a friend of mine over the last couple of months. So as a "Here, I think you're cool so I'm knitting you a present" present, I made a hat. I used the Baroness pattern from Ravelry. Its a free pattern (and you know I'm a fan of those!) and its really easy. I probably only have a bout 4 or 5 hours in it. And that's while watching TV. CSI, to be exact, and I get a little distracted by Grissom. So it might have taken me a little longer than normal.

Anywho.... here it is...





As for the scarf, I took a photo, but haven't had a chance to upload it. 'Tis a simple seed stitch scarf. But I used Misti Alpaca in the most gorgeous shade of red. I made it for my Aunt Sarah. She's the last of the "I'm a knitter now so I have to knit everyone I know a scarf" people. I finally have that out of my system. And it only took 2 years.

I have pictures!

(Disclaimer: Pictures were made on a cell phone. Sorry for the quality of some prints.)



First off is the Oblique:




The bath mat: (Olivia was eating her lunch and refused to move. So she gets her picture published as well.)























And the scarf:

Must. Post. More. Often...

So what's the point of a knitting blog, if you never post a thing? I swear I've been working on projects, even have a couple to show off. But I can't seem to get around to taking and posting photos. So I'll just give you, dear reader, a quick glimpse at what's on the needles.

Oblique -- A beautiful Veronik Avery sweater pattern. Available free on Knitty. I used Malabrigo worsted in Sealing Wax. I love, love, love this sweater and have to keep and eye on it around my friend Erin. She seems to like it a lot. And it fits her very well. Hopefully it won't wander off with her.

Muriwai Bath Mat -- From Knit 2 Together by Mel Clark and Tracey Ullman. A great little cotton bathmat. Needs to be blocked, my edges aren't straight. I used Pisgah Peaches and Cream in white so I can bleach it along with my towels and shower curtain. The kitty seems to like it. She naps in the bathroom floor now.

Easy Flame Lace Scarf -- A free pattern from Knit and Tonic. Love that Wendy Bernard. She does gorgeous stuff. The pattern calls for and I am used Malabrigo laceweight. This stuff is heavenly. I think I've blogged about this project before, but I've picked it up again and have added a few inches to it.

Blanket squares -- No fancy pattern here. Just garter stitch squares for a swap in my Ravelry group, the awesome and amazing Knit Knack. I love those ladies. One of these days, I'll finished those damn squares.

Socks -- I haven't settled on a pattern here. My mom picked out the yarn and it is absolutely lovely, but I can't seem to settled on the right pattern for it. I would love to find something beautiful to make with this yarn in time for her birthday in October. Its Rio de la Plata sock multisolid, if anyone out there happens to have a suggestion.

On a quick non-knitting note, I'm currently reading "The Monster of Florence" by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi. Its fascinating. You should check it out.

Stick a fork in me, 'cause I am done!

I finally finished my green Bacchus socks last night. And I'm wearing them today. I don't care that its 100 degrees outside and they're wool. They're awesome! Here are a couple of photos.... (they were taken with my cell phone, so I apologize for the quality)...

My triumphant return....

Because I just don't have ENOUGH projects going on at one time, I decided to cast on for another do a KAL with my roommate. It really didn't take any time to figure out what we wanted to do. It had to be something small, that we could both make pretty quickly. And the size had to be the same because she's a wee thing and I'm, well, not. Since we live in Alabama and knitted hats are just not going to come out of the closet for another 6 months (it really won't be cold enough until sometime in December), we settled on socks.

I wanted the project to be something special. If I'm going to put all this time into something I'm just going to wear on my feet, I wanted it to be something I'm going to enjoy. Apparently we had both been coveting the Bacchus pattern in the Fall 2008 Interweave. And I just happened to have the perfect Shibui sock in Wasabi. With the vines and bobbles in the pattern I figured the color would work wonderfully. And I wasn't disappointed.

I'm moving along a little slower than my roomie, but I've been busy updating my new iPod (Sad story... my old one disappeared in the Wal-Mart parking lot. I was lost without it.) and house-sitting for my mom while she's at the beach. I have turned the heel and am working on the first set of bobbles past that. I elected to leave off the bobbles on the foot simply because I didn't want them to interfere with whatever shoes I might decide to wear. I think it lookes great without them.

The pattern has been really easy so far and I'm taking the opportunity to try cabling without a needle. It really isn't difficult. But I wouldn't recommend it with a yarn that doesn't stick to itself rather well. That's what keeps the stitches from dropping. The heel was a little tricky and I made sure to pull my first on each row stitch tight as I went back and forth turning the heel. This helped prevent any loese areas. If you wind up with loose areas, you can use some leftover yarn to whipstitch that shut, no problem.

I'm hoping to head home from work a little early tonight and get a little more work done on this sock. But before I go, let me leave you with a little WIP photo....

Long time, no blog....

I am returning to the world of blogging. Soon. I have a few projects to talk about. And I'm going to be making some changes around here. Stay tuned for updates!

Its in the bag, baby

I decided I wanted to make a bag for a good friend of mine. She's very selfless and is a real sweetheart and deserves a little treat. This was made using the Funky Purse by Suss Cousins. The pattern is available in Hollywood Knits. Its a great book, full of all kinds of patterns.

The bag itself was easy. Took a couple hours maybe. I had my mom line it this past weekend. I sewed the handles to it this afternoon. I used a lovely blue-green color of Patons Classic Wool Merino. I've only seen this color once. I wish I'd bought more of it when I had the chance. It was really soft and I think it is a great color.

There's really nothing to discuss about this one. Its a pretty straight-forward project. Easily a weekend knit. And inexpensive enough. I used embroidery hoops for the handles, so they're a little flexible, but still have plenty of support so the bag can hold its shape.