"Secrets" Stocking

Wow.  I have really dropped the blog-ball!  Time to start again and get caught up.


Let's start with the Christmas stocking I finished LAST year.  Here is my daughter Madison's "Secrets" Stocking:

Madison's "Secrets" Stocking

And hidden under the flap is the 'secret':

"Secret" under the flap

The pattern details are not much different than the "Forest" stocking, but here are the specifics:
Kit:  "Secrets" by Judy's Colors
Colorway: Pink
Needles:  US5/3.75mm


I really need to make at least one more stocking before this holiday season.  I think I should get started!

Sheepy Socks complete, a while ago...

Sheepy Socks

These were actually finished in the beginning of November, but I am just sharing them here.  I love these socks!  They are knit with Briggs and Little 'Regal', which is a worsted wt yarn, making them very warm (and quick to knit).  My dear MIL has requested a pair, so you will be seeing these again ion 2011, although I will make them in a lighter weight for her.

Here are the details:

Pattern:  Sheepy Socks (Ravelry link) by Claudia Krisniski/Countrywool
Size: medium (woman's)Yarn: MC: Briggs & Little Regal, a brown-tweedy color; CC:  Sandnes Garn Mor Aase Ullgarn ,    color: 9544; scrap white and black yarn for sheep
Gauge: 5.5sts/inch, 7 rnds/inch, blockedNeedles: US2/3.0 mm, US5/3.75 mm

Forest Stocking Complete

Stocking for Carter

I did manage to finish 2 stockings this Christmas.  The first was "Forest" which I made for my son and included his initials.  I really liked the kit:  instructions were clear, plenty of yarn, and knit up pretty fast.  

Here are my specifics:

Kit:  "Forest" by Judy's Colors

Colorway:  Teal

Needles:  US4/3.5mm and US6/4.0mm

Happy New Year!

Where does the time go?  I can't believe it is 2011.  My New Year resolutions are in full swing and I have even made my list of "things to knit 2011" (no chance I can finish everything on it, of course).

I have projects I finished during November and December that I haven't yet had time to share, but I will soon.  But first I'd like to recap my knitting 2010:

2010 collage

Apollo and Artemis complete!

Socks for September:

I enjoyed knitting these.  It has been a while since I have made a pair of socks that didn't require a chart.   There is a mistake in the pattern for Apollo (see note below). I haven't cast on another pair of socks I can share, but I am working on a test knit for Yarnissima and I am planning on knitting 3 Christmas stockings over the next couple of months. I also plan to make some slippers for gifts and finish up 2 sweaters I started last year. I plan to be busy for the rest of 2010!

Here are the details for Apollo and Artemis:
Pattern: Apollo and Artemis by Kirsten Kapur
Size: medium
Yarn: Handmaiden Casbah Sock, colorway: amethyst
Needles: US 2/2.75 mm

Details: Quick and easy pattern to knit. Apollo has an error:  the YO, SSK should actually be SSK, YO.  Easy pattern to memorize making these great for the car.

Presenting my Aeolian Shawlette...

Here she is all pinned up:

And after:

These pictures do not capture what this wrap looks like "in real life". The beads are a little easier to see in the blocked picture.   I love how the beads and the drape of the yarn look.  What a great wrap!  The design and pattern were both incredibly well done.  I am so happy to be wearing this right now. 

Pattern details:
Pattern: Aeolian Shawl by Elizabeth Freeman from Knitty Spring 2009 with the Alternate Narrow Edge, available here on Ravelry

Size: Shawlette; 4 repeats of the Yucca chart, NO regular Agave chart, just Final Agave chart, alternate narrow edging

Yarn:  1 skein HandMaiden Sea Silk, colorway:  Moss,  with only 4 gr (or 4%) left over!

Beads:  8/0 Butter Cream Ceylon Miyuki Seed Bead from Caravan Beads; used approx 15gr

Needles: US5 / 3.75mm

Details: I shared my notes along the way (click here for a review).

So now that I have finished this big project, I have some time to finish up a couple of other WIPs that have been hibernating.  I will dig them out over the weekend and get started.

Striped Baby Sweater complete!

I have been busy knitting and finished up this baby sweater this weekend.

I love the colors and the wool. I think I am going to make another one in "girl" colors with a picot edge later this winter. Here are the details:

Pattern: Adapted from "Latte Baby Sweater" by Liselotte Weller (click here for Ravelry link). I could really only use Liselotte's picture because the pattern is only available in Danish. I knit it in the rnd, bottom up, hemmed cuffs, and went with a wider boatneck collar and a relaxed fit.

Size: 18 mo (finished chest measurement 22")

Yarn: Woolganic DK, colorway: MC1: Krishna (blue), MC2: Kyoto (green), CC: Samsara (yellow). I used 1.5 balls of each of the MCs and .5 ball of the CC

Gauge: 5.25sts/inch, 8 rows/inch, unblocked

Needles: US 6/4.0 mm

I wish my little ones were still little enough to wear this sweater, but this is going off as a gift. I am really happy with how it turned out. And the yarn is so soft!

Progressive sock wrap up

Finished these a couple of weeks ago:

Pattern: July 2010 Colorwork Mock - Progressive Sock Party! by Chrissy Gardiner; available on Ravelry here.

Size: women's medium

Gauge: 8sts/inch, unblocked

Yarn: MC: Handmaiden Casbah Sock, colorway: natural
CC1-String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn Nano, colorway: North Haven
CC2- Brown Sheep Wildfoote Luxury Sock , colorway: blue
CC3-Seacoast Handpainted Merino Tencel, colorway: Bubble Gum
CC4-ShibuiKnits Sock, colorway: Peony

Needles: US 2/2.75 mm

Details: Fun pattern to knit. 3 heel options: I knit the hybrid heel. Wish I had used a darker pink (CC3), but otherwise happy.

Up next: socks for September. I am thinking I would like to make these (Apollo and Artemis) with this (Casbah Sock in Amethyst):

What do you think?

Quick and cute booties

Another baby present here, this one quick and easy: a pair of booties. I plan on modifying this pattern to work with Woolganic DK soon because I am knitting a baby sweater with that right now and would like a pair of booties to go along with it.



Pattern: Two-Tone Booties by Closeknit/Sarah Owens. It is a free Ravelry download available here.
Size: 3-6 mo (I made the 6 mo size, but they look small to me)
Yarn: Fleece Artist Nova Sock, colorway: stone
Gauge: 8sts/inch, unblocked
Needles: US 2/2.75 mm
Details: Made some mods to the pattern
1. I knit them on 2 needles.
2. I did not break the yarn for the instep or the sides; I rearranged the stitches as needed and changed my BOR. This was a little tricky when interpreting the decrease rnds, but it all worked out and my booties were seamless.
3. For my sole, I just worked 2 rnds of K after the decrease rnds and did kitchener stitch to close. I included a picture of my soles above.

Not sure how my mods will work with 2 colors in DK weight, but I will share my results.

Cobblestone Jr

Summer is flying by. We have had beautiful weather in Maine which is very nice after last year's very wet summer. I still have been finding some time to knit, but never as much time as I would like. Most of my knitting time has been spent knitting up some baby gifts. I am really happy with this little sweater:

It is a miniature version of BrooklynTweed/Jared Flood's Cobblestone sweater. Here are the details:
Pattern: Cobblestone Pullover, Interweave Knits Fall 2007, by Jared Flood, modified into toddler size using notes from Kiwa on Ravelry
Size: 2-3 T, finished chest 27"
Yarn: Fleece Artist Blue Face Aran, colorway: marine; 1.5 skeins
Gauge: 17 st/4 inch, blocked
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm
Details:Pretty much followed Kiwa's mods except I carried the garter stitch seams from the body and continued it through sleeves. I love this yarn and am really happy with how it turned out.

Zum Dirndls Complete!

Well, it was a long time in the making, but love the final product! I do enjoy knitting socks, but I am not sure I will take on a pair of knee highs again. I started these way back in May 2008, put them to sleep for a while, and decided they must be finished--too pretty not to. My camera could not capture the cabling detail well enough so I did the best I could. Here is a picture of the side/back and a close-up:

These socks are a Christmas present--I can cross another one off the list!

Here are the details:
Pattern: Zum Dirndl by Yarnissima
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino 2/6, colorway: olive; 1.25 skeins (plenty left in the second skein for another pair of shorter socks)
Gauge: 7.5 st/inch, unblocked
Needles: US 2½ / 3.0 mm
Details: toe up, knee high, Bavarian style, short row toe. Modified the top: twisted rib instead of drawstring.

Juliet

One last finished project to share, and certainly my favorite: Juliet.

This project has been made 1000+ times on Ravelry and there were lots of modifications to check out. Here's what I did:
1. I made a size smaller than I typically would. It was a good thing: it really did grow with blocking.

2. To keep the hem and front bands from curling, I did a 6 row garter hem and 4 st garter band. I knit the 1st stitch through the back loop and slipped the last st purlwise wyf on every row for a nice edge.

3. I increased the length of the sleeves. I placed the sleeve stitches on a holder and later picked up 5sts under the arm and worked the sleeves in the round 7x.

4. I used 2 strands of yarn for the garter top and sleeves and switched to 1 strand for the lace body.

I can't wait for our weather to warm up a bit so I can wear this! It will be great this summer with a tank top under it.

Pattern details:
Pattern: "Juliet" by Sarah Johnson/Zephyr Style
Yarn: "Deep Earth Worsted" by Woolganic; 10 skeins
Needles: US#10.5/6.5mm
Notions: 2x coconut buttons, 1 3/8"/35mm
Comments: Quick and easy knit--very enjoyable!

Easy socks

Another finished project. These were supposed to be a quick and easy pair of socks to knit during the Ravelympics. They were certainly easy, but I started them in February and just finished a couple of weeks ago, so I didn't manage to finish them quickly.

Here are the oh-so-interesting details:
Pattern: my own, nothing fancy, just let the yarn do all of the work; top down sock, CO 64
cuff: K2,P2 ribbing
leg and foot: K6, P2 wide ribbing
Yarn: "Best Foot Forward" by Nashua Handknits, colorway: 7329 Autumn; 1 skein with about 25% left over
Needles: US#3/3.25mm

Comments: The sock seemed to grow a bit after soaking and blocking. I was really surprised at the color of the water after soaking--a lot of red/purple coloring.

A mobius for Dee

Long time no blog! Has it really been since before the Olympics that I last posted?? I managed to finish the Thrummed Mobius during the Ravelympics2010, although I decided not to "thrum" this one. Here is my lovely assistant posing in it:

This was a gift for my dear step mom and I hope it is keeping her warm and happy! Not many pattern notes, as this is the second of these mobius' I've made. Click here to read the original details. The only difference from my first is the color: this one was knit in "Ruby" Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester Aran.

Done...Summer socks.

But not in time for Christmas gift giving. The good news is that I am coming out of my knitting slump and I'm looking forward to finishing some projects and starting some new ones. Ravelympics2010 starts Feb 12 with the Winter Olympics so get those needles ready!

Here are the details for the finished socks:
Pattern: "Summer!" by Ingrid Hiddessen; link to free pdf here ; top down sock, picot edge, lace and cables
Yarn: "Nano" by String Theory, color: North Haven; 1 skein with about 1.6 z (or 30%) left over
Gauge: 8st/inch
Needles: US#2/3.0mm

Comments: I made the cuff longer and continued the lace and cable pattern to the toes.