Summer begins

Well, it's officially summer! So I cast on my first socks for Summer of Socks 2008. I'm working Anklebiters by Terry Ross using DIC Smooshy. I'm working gussett increases on sock 1. My goal is to finish at least 5 pairs of socks.

This may be an ambitious goal as I always have a prayer shawl in the works and I'm working another sweater. Yeah, I know I said no more till cool weather.

The sweater is Allspice vest using Anna's yarn. This sweater has about 15 different colors and I had to decide what to use where. I'm not a very good color theorist but the picture below doesn't look bad.

I finished my Greenjeans design socks. They match my Mr Greenjeans sweater and are made from DIC Smooshy in Into the Mystic. I designed these with the help of a sock design class at The Loopy Ewe Spring Fling led by Cookie A. I did a couple of things that I'd do differently if I make them again. I decided that I need to be more consistent with taking notes. As in, WRITE IT DOWN WHETHER YOU THINK YOU'LL REMEMBER OR NOT!!!! I had to drag out the magnifier while making sock 2 to figure out what I'd done on sock 1. I did take notes while working sock 2.
Also OTN is a prayer shawl and a market bag. I finished a couple of Chakalakas and will post pictures next time.

On the wheel is some Creatively Dyed Roving in Fairy Dust. It's 70/3o wool/seacell. I'm on the second bobbin. Looks like I'll have enough to spin two more. I'm beginning to be very pleased with my singles. Hopefully the plyed will look good too.

Getting ready for Summer of Socks 2008

Last week I finished up a sweater project I'd had OTN since February. The last few days I worked it temperatures soared near 90, and the dog and cat still insisted on be lap animals. Needless to say, a lap full of dog, cat and sheep was hot at that point.

Now temperatures are close to 100. I cast on a sweater vest which will very likely hibernate in a few days.

Now I signed up for Summer of Socks 2008 which officially starts on June 21. At my house the socks only knitting will start sooner. I'm working on my design sock based on Mr Greenjeans cable and rib pattern using Into the Mystic Smooshy.

I worked yesterday on my second baby surprise jacket that I'm making using DK superwash from Thank Ewe. I was short about 50 yards (oops) so had to custom-order more.

I started making Chakalakas which are small baskets made from cotton. Since I'm not making dishcloths much anymore, this is a good project to use that stash. Also I found a pattern for knitted market bags. I'll be making some of those. These will be good gift items.

I also spent some time yesterday organizing queued projects--gathering patterns and yarn and putting in bags. I also organized my sock patterns because I keep buying Wendy's patterns and was concerned I'd duplicate. Guess what I had! The next few days I'll be winding yarn for Summer of Socks projects which will be:

1. Anklebiters designed by Terry Ross. Yarn will be DIC Smooshy Don't be blue
2. Moselle designed by Cookie A. Yarn will be Wollmeise Spring Fling
3. Spring Fling toe ups by Wendy. Yarn will be Wollmeise
4. Asparagus Cables by Wendy. Yarn will be Smooshy Spring Tickle. I'll be designing a sweater to match these in the fall.
5. TLE Family Frolic by Debbie O'Neill. Yarn will be Claudia Hand Paint fingering and Louet Gems
6. fresh, again by Sarah Nopper. Yarn will be Sparkles sock yarn from Keegan Lane Yarns.
7. St Louis socks by Wendy. Yarn will be Claudia Hand Paint fingering

Now I probably won't finish all these and I may cast on Anklebiters before June 21 so they may not be counted as SoS socks.

I've used enough stash to free up a small tote and this allowed me to stow kitted projects. Yay!

Finished projects:



Opal toe-ups based on Wendy's pattern. Please note Debit's paw. I suspect had these not been on blockers she would have grabbed one. I started these before Spring Fling and called them my travelling project. I started out making both at once. Never again!!!! Half way up the toe I moved one to waste yarn. Then I failed to make good notes (bad knitter). Obviously I figured it out.

In progress: Allspice vest using Anna's yarn, design sock, chakalaka, baby surprise jacket, prayer shawl

Gonna sign off for now. Stay cool--knit socks.

IT'S FINISHED--FINITO--OFF THE NEEDLES

(This has a lot of pictures of finished projects. I didn't post all. Those of you on Ravelry can see all. My id is timspinknitz.)


In January I attended a knitting retreat at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, NC. One of my classes was a sweater design class led by Varian Brandon. She used part EZ percentage, part Alice Starmore, part from a book titled Knitting the Old Way and part her own method. In February I started my first design sweater. It's had a couple of naps but mid-week this week I bound it off. I'm not overjoyed with the neck. It's a little scoopy but I learned and will adjust the next one. Here's the picture:

I also finished my Mr Greenjeans sweater. A couple of changes I made to this pattern were using larger needles for cable work on body and making full length sleeve. The yarn is Dream in Color Classy Into the Mystic. I highly recommend this yarn you can find it at The LoopyEwe.
Here's a picture:


Here's a prayer shawl I made for my aunt. It's the basic k3, p3 shawl made in Lionbrand Homespun. I'm not sure what the colorway is. I bought this on eBay and it didn't have a label.

This is a Rocketry sweater for a new baby at my church. It was designed to use Dream in Color yarns. I used some Knit Picks Swish because I was being cheap and didn't want to spend the price of the kit on the gift. Since I'm totally lacking in color theory abilities, I didn't think this was a very baby-like sweater. I suspect Tristan will get this sweater.
Another reason I wasn't overly thrilled by the above sweater was that I made an EZ baby surprise jacket. This was from some superwash yarn dyed by my friend Laura. I also made a matching hat from 101 One Skein Wonders. Now when I first finished this little jacket, I thought "It's okay but not the cutest sweater I've ever seen." Then I found these little bear buttons at Walmart. When I sewed them on, it was like magic. I'm now making a baby surprise jacket for the "church" baby.


These are my exchange partner's socks. Pat is from near Chicago. She gave me a beautiful pair of socks made of Claudia Handpainted, some qiviuk to spin, some chocolate, some Wollmeise, a tape measure, some note cards and a basket. Her socks are Wendy's Loopy Laces and the yarn is Regia Stretch in Skater colorway.
This is the finished Argosy wrap. I gave it to a knitting friend who has breast cancer and is undergoing chemo. It's made from Fantasy Naturale and the colorway ought to be red hatters delight but I don't know the name.
I think this is most of the big items I've finished in the last two months. I finished Janelle's dorm socks and some hand towels. They're in my Ravelry notebook.

On the needles now, a pair of generic toe-ups based on Wendy's pattern using Opal sock, a pair of design socks to match Mr Greenjeans sweater using Dream in Color Smooshy, a baby surprise jacket using some DK superwash in Spring Melody from ThankEwe, and Allspice vest from Anna Zilbourg from kit. I'll also be working on some market bags for Christmas gifts soon. Bye for now. Hope to be back sooner.