Sockless in PA

For years socks have been my primary knitting passion. But, somehow, with the invention of shawlettes I have moved away from socks. Shawlettes are wonderful but often take a long time to knit...those rows of stitches are never-ending. I don't need a lot of yarn for my socks because I only wear a size 5 1/2 shoe, so being frugal I pick out sock yarn and knit the shawlettes because I use most if not all of a skein. Time for sock knitting reason to set back in!

I am vowing to get back to my sock knitting because:

a) I love handmade socks because they fit me

b) They are a much more portable project

c) Socks are a quick knit -- a sense of accomplishment

d) I have boxes of stashed sock yarn that needs to be used -- well, I am using it for shawlettes

e) Realistically, how many shawlettes can one person wear

f) I LOVE SOCKS! Wear them daily....

Photo is of a pair that has been in the works for some time. Sock one is done and sock two is well on its way. Love how they match. Goal is to finish shawlette this weekend and then this sock is next project, along with two summer baby hats which in DK weight yarn won't take long...photos of them in a week or so.

Major Progress on Shawlette

I am nearing the eyelet rows for the edging of Simple Things Shawlette. This is a delightfully easy pattern to knit and the results are really nice. I knit one in a sparkly handpainted wool in shades of raspberry and pinks for the holidays. Loved it!

Maryland Sheep & Wool is quickly approaching and I wanted to have a small handknit to wear to the show. If you have never been to a fiber festival it is well worth the trip just to see the handknits people are wearing. Generally fabulous.

Dug into the stash and pulled out a lovely ball of Sockotta fingering weight yarn. Sockotta is a nice blend -- 45% wool; 40% cotton; 15% nylon. Loved the shades of blue and decided it would look nice around the neck of a tee shirt. So, I started knitting. Only have 3 rows remaining on the stockinette section before I begin the 10-row repeats for the eyelets rows. The pattern calls for 2 rows of eyelets, but I know I have more yarn than called for in the pattern, so I'm planning to do 3 and maybe even 4 rows...will depend on amount of yarn in the skein and my desire to get finished.

Will post a completed photo when project is done, which I anticipate to be in another week. What's on your needles?

Part Two -- Ravelry Valentine Exchange

Kandice received her package in today's mail and loved what I sent to her. Yeah!!!! I knit her Laura Chau's "Simple Yet Effective Shawl" which can be purchased for a few dollars. This can be knitted in many weights and a large variety of yarns. I chose Schaefer Anne's shade of purple in fingering weight. The shawlette I made for Kandice has 5 repeats each of the two sections -- one is stockinette and the other garter. I was going to do 6 of each but was running out of time and yarn. There are a lot of stitches in this shawl.

Photos show the finished shawl and a closeup of the pattern sections. I really, really love the shading in this yarn. Enjoy Kandice!

Ravelry Valentine Exchange

Since November I have been participating in a Valentine's Day gift exchange on Ravelry. The Loopy Ewe group to be precise. Today I mailed my gift to Kandice in California. Once she receives her box later this week I will post a photo of what I knit for her. I really like it and hope she does, too. Kandice is now one of my blog readers, so I am not posting until I know she has opened the gift. I've been teasing her too long to spoil it now!

Last week my present from Janet arrived. Wow! Look at all the goodies in this photo. At right is a gorgeous lacey short scarf Janet knitted for me from Zauberball. Those colors are lucious and just perfect for my wardrobe. The scarf looks cute flipped over in a short tie and also with a shawl stick.

Janet also sent me a gorgeous skein of Sweet Georgia yarn in a beautiful raspberry-purple combination. There is plenty for a shawlette. But, I think I will knit lacy socks and use the leftover for fingerless mitts. Plenty for both in this large skein. The candy Janet sent me is gone, gone, gone ... and yes, I enjoyed every bite. Additionally, there is a cool box with a variety of cocoas and a recipe book. Going to dig into that this weekend. She sent an adorable card, too, which was a nice touch.

Swaps are fun. I love what I received. I hope Kandice feels the same when her box arrives in California.

It's Baaacccckkkk!!

What is back you may ask..well my Knitting Mojo, that's what. And I am so glad. Now if I just had more time to knit. Sigh...

Right now I am on a deadline for a swap gift on Loopy Ewe Ravelry site. I am enjoying knitting for this young woman who lives in California. We have developed a terrific relationship via email and I know it will be one I will foster for years. I will be the recipient of a handknit gift from another Ravelry woman who is also a dear and I love emailing with her too. I think our friendship will be a good one, too.

I am about 85% finished with what I am knitting. I think my partner might read my blog so just to be careful and keep the surprise, I'm not mentioned what it is or showing a photo until after she receives it. The packages are to have arrived by Valentine's Day, so it won't be long until I can share photo. I love it and am really happy with the way it is turning out.

Once completed, I have a knitting list a mile long. When I need a break from this larger project, I am knitting two baby hats for my almost great-nieces. Annie and Lily were born at the end of August and are just adorable. The hats are alike but the colors are different. When I get a bit further with the first one I will post a photo.

I have several shawlettes I want to knit for myself, some socks, and I want to knit a worsted weight circular scarf that matches a hat I made for myself. Also have some other worsted twisted wool for some sort of cool scarf/hat for me. I'm tired of freezing at Penn State football games each winter.

I am trying my best to knit from stash this year. We will see how this progresses...

I Did Not Buy Yarn

I was only at the PA Farm Show briefly on Saturday morning and might go back again this Saturday. I didn't buy yarn and won't be buying any. First, I don't need yarn. Second and probably more key to me not adding to my stash was that I didn't see any yarn I liked. The PA Alpaca Breeders Association has a much smaller selection than last year. I saw only 4 skeins of fingering weight and the rest was worsted weight. It was pretty and I think commercially dyed. And it was expensive with low yardage. There were two other women with yarn. One had hand-dyed with a rough base and not very good dying. The other had all worsted weight and commercially processed and dyed yarns.

But, I did buy this little Yarn Angel. Isn't she sweet and she was only $15. I'm glad I nabbed her as she was the only one with a knitting basket.I now have to decide where to locate her.

Saw the baby pigs who were fighting to get fed by their mom. Oh the squealing could be heard for a long distance. They were so cute -- only 2 1/2 weeks old.

Of course my favorites were the alpacas from A Suri Farm which is owned by my friends Monica and Dennis. The cuties in these photos were born in May, 2010 so are still babies.

A Time For Resolutions

Happy New Year! I hope 2011 brings all of you good health and memory making fun.

As always I plan to do a lot of knitting. Timber is still time-consuming but is quite a cute Golden fellow so I don't mind too much. Teddy Bear is an angel...and I remember the time I never could imagine describing him like that. He is now 7 and is grown up but loves to play with his 11-month-old Golden brother. Lily is doing well on her thyroid medication, so I'm hoping she continues to ride a steady course.

I will be knitting for myself and others. I knit for a very few selected friends and for charity. It makes my heart feel good to knit a simple hat for a child, teen or adult who otherwise would be cold. The people of Penns Valley are important to me. I have encourage my fellow knitting group members to knit for charity and the people of the Valley. I haven't heard responses yet but I'm hoping they consider giving a little of their time and talents to knit or crochet something for others. Our knitting group has plenty of donated yarn and others of us have niceleftovers that could be knitted into striped hats, scarves, neckwarmers, mittens and gloves. It is horrible to be cold. I'm planning to knit at least a dozen charity items this year and more if possible. I am trying to be realistic and do know my time constraints.

Other charity knitting on my list is fingerless mitts to donate to Golden Retriever Rescue for its sales table. I think they will sell well...at least I hope so. I have nice yarns from Knit Picks for those items.

My mantra for the year will be "Knit From Stash." I have tons of yarns of varying weights, colors and fiber contents. I'm also going to share some stash with others who would love to use a nice skein of hand-dyed yarn but it just isn't in their budget right now.

I am not unrealistic enough to say I won't buy any yarn....heck if I lived in a cave I'd find a way to order on-line! But, my purchases are going to be better thought out, not spur of the moment, and measurable less in volume that the past few years. The two places where I know I will buy yarn of some sort is the upcoming Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, PA (begins on Jan. 8 for a week). There are a number of vendors with hand-dyed yarns and many with handspun fibers. Really nice. Also, a number of alpaca farmers have booths and their yarns are scrumptious. And of course there is Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival in May. I have some specific goals in mind for this show and plan to visit as many booths as possible. Last year I saw less than 15% of the show but this year will be different. It is always an awesome time.

I need to knit myself some more socks. Yes, seriously, I do. But instead of the heavier weight ones that I'm hooked on I must add more fingering weight yarns into my sock knitting. Some heavier ones wont fit into certain shoes so don't get worn often enough.

I resolve to learn to knit a cable. OK, laugh. I'm sure they are as easy as you all say but until I knit one several times I won't be convinced.

I also want to learn to felt, if only to knit slippers for three guys who I know will love them. I have plenty of terrific stash yarns that will work. One thing I want at MDSW is to purchase slipper bottoms for each of them...that will definitely get me knitting and felting.

Hopefully, even if it is just a few rows I will be able to knit almost every evening. It is relaxing before bedtime.

What are your knitting resolutions for 2011?

A Golden Christmas

Merry Christmas! Kim, Teddy Bear and Timber

Christmas Knitting

Christmas knitting was done...or so I thought. Then I got the bright idea to knit a neckwarmer for the wonderful woman who takes care of my Goldens at the kennel. An easy, quick worsted weight neckwarmer. Easy, peasy right...not necessarily.

I chose a nice superwash Cascade 220 twist in navy, royal blue, teal, and light greeen. Really pretty, soft and from my stash! Yeah stash knitting!!

I have knit probably 4 inches total but right now there are no stitches on my needles. I have frogged twice. The pattern I was modeling my version after called for 95 stitches on a size 6 or 7 needle. I had an idea for a simple neckwarmer -- 4 rows of purl, 8 inches or so of stockinette, 4 rows of purl and cast off. Easy pattern but huge...would have fit a middle linebacker for the New York Jets. Second time I tried 85 stitches on the size 7. Still too big. So, now I got a size 6 circular needle and am knitting 80 stitches and I hope it isn't too small. I think it will be fine. Design is stretchy. I don't want her to feel as if she is wearing a neckbrace but I also want a sturdier fabric and smaller neck opening. So it will be her New Year's present when I pick up my boys from her kennel.

I knit a nice feather & fan neckwarmer for the friend of a friend. She loved mine and my friend picked the yarn -- from my stash again. Woo-hoo! Mountain Colors twist in the Sundance colorway (I think that is the name). Came out really nice and should keep the new owner who lives in Buffalo warm this winter.

I also knit a pair of fingerless mitts for the woman who grooms my Goldens. Hope she likes them. They are shown in the accompanying photo.

It wasn't a Christmas present but I made a neckwarmer with a drawstring for a colleague in Philadelphia. She received it in Thursday's mail and called me that night. She LOVES it and can't stop raving about it.

Next up after Jeannie's neckwarmer is a gift for a swap I am doing through Ravelry's Loopy Ewe site. Will not post photos until it is mailed for the Valentine's Day deadline. I think my swap partner is now reading my blog so I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Knitting Erratta

November just flew by. I will have knitting content to post in a few days. I still have to finish the ends of the neckwarmer for Erin. MUST do that tonight so I can mail it to her. The neckwarmer is not a surprise, but my choice of yarn is. I gave her 3 to select from and she couldn't decide between 2 of them and let it to me. I am pleased with the results and think she will enjoy it.

The fingerless gloves are almost done. Only need to knit one thumb and pull the ends through so that will be a photo soon, too.

The baby sweater is stalled but will be finished. However, the little girl arrived on Friday morning and is well over 9 pounds. So, I'm going to make her socks and save this sweater for a little girl who is smaller when born. Teaches me to knit a minimum of a size 9-month next time.

Also knitting a neckwarmer for my friend to give to her friend. She chose a bright, multi-colored Twist from Mountain Colors. Really fun to knit. I made myself one from this pattern last year and it is basically a quick knit and fun with feather & fan.

Am happy to say that all the knitting is being done from stash yarn. My friend "shopped" in my stash instead of us heading to the yarn shop.

Spent the weekend in PA instead of NJ, so I did more organizing of my yarn. Made good progress and hope to continue the process this weekend. My goal is to have the mess cleaned up and know where things are by the end of 2010 so I can begin the New Year fresh.

Photos in next post...I promise.

Fingerless Mitts

I love the fingerless mitts pattern designed by my friend, Libby, and decided to knit a pair for Nancy who grooms my Golden Retrievers. Just started them and they are going quickly...almost done with the ribbed cuff. The pattern calls for a 3-inch cuff but like most knitters am going to make a slight change. But only slight to add 1/2-inch to the cuff length.

The yarn is in shades of green, a dark teal, raspberry, denim and purple. Color changes are an inch to two inches in length and work well together. This is the first time I've knit with Plymouth Yarn's "Sockin' Sox" and really like it. Content is 60% superwash merino, 25% bamboo and 15% nylon. Quite soft to knit with so should be wonderful to wear.

Hopefully will have a finished mitt to post by early next week. We will be heading to NC next Thursday so will get some car knitting time. I also am working on a hat and scarf in Malabrigo worsted for myself and they will definitely go along for the ride. Happy knitting!

A Night for Frogging

Looked through a few UFOs and decided that some frogging was necessary.

First was the shawlette from Zauberball. Why did I ever think I would wear Halloween colors near my face? Beats me. The yarn will make lovely fun socks and I will enjoy them immensely.

Frogged a pair of socks that were going to be huge for me. They were probably the third pair I knit (one was finished and the second one was about 1/4 complete). I am wearing a pair today that are too loose because of too many stitches. Decided I didn't need another pair falling down around my ankles.

Third was another shawlette from Lorna's Laces sport weight in the Zombie Bar-b-Q colorway. A pretty mix of greens and reds but it doesn't look like Christmas. Can't remember what pattern I was knitting but I decided I didn't like it. So now I have 600 yards of Zombie for something else fun.

Have two shawlettes planned. Both from stash. I'm doing pretty well knitting from stash. I have a long way to go until I get it under control.