The lace pattern is very easy to remember.   [...]]]> A few weeks ago I saw Lisa‘s extremely cute Socks for Veronik.  So, you all know me, I see shiny and I chase shiny.  I got home, wound up my Malabrigo Sock Yarn in Rayon Vert that had been marinating in the stash and took off.

The lace pattern is very easy to remember.   I got through the first sock fairly quickly, following the pattern as written.  That’s when I realized the sock didn’t fit.

I started making a deal with Cristi where she would take the socks and trade me for sock yarn at some point (we have a constant trade going on, she and I).  See, I REALLY DO NOT LIKE TO RIP, unlike some of my friends who must rip a project at least 3 times before they’re satisfied.

Once I’d struck up a deal, I moved on the second sock.  When I got down to the heel flap, I decided to try adding another 10 rows to the flap (about an inch).  I’d found the flap kind of small on the first sock but decided to ignore it.  Not this time.  I also added one more repeat to the foot, AND worked the toe decreases until I had 10 sts left, cutting the yarn and pulling it through all sts as if it were the top of a hat.

Well, guess what?  The sock fit.  So, I had to suck it up and rip out the first sock.  But I now have a very pretty comfy pair of socks in a yarn which colorway I actually hunted down once I saw it in person when Mary Ann got hers.  The decreases on the top of the toe are interesting since they’re done with those p3tog that you see running up the middle instead of the more traditional decrease on each side of the foot.  The bottom of the toe does have the decreases on either side tho.

All in all, I’m happy with my purty new socks.

Socks for Veronik

• Source: Interweave Knits, Holiday 2007
• Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock, 0.76 skeins (335 yds)
• Color: Rayon Vert
• Needles: US 1
• Cost: $14.40
• Started: March 16, 2009
• Finished: April 11, 2009
• Mods: Scroll up.  21 total chart repeats from top of sock to toe for my size 11 foot.
  

I can help with a few of those.

Let me introduce D’Lado – a quick hat and [...]]]> If you’re like me, you have a bunch of single skeins in your stash that half the time you don’t know what to do with. Most are probably hand-painted yarns that are difficult to find patterns for.

I can help with a few of those.

Let me introduce D’Lado – a quick hat and cowl set from ONE SKEIN of Brooks Farm Solo Silk.

That’s right, one skein for BOTH of these.

The hat starts off with an I-cord edging.  You pick up stitches and knit a twisted rib.  Then follow the charts along to create a cute swirl at the top with hidden crown decreases.

The cowl is knit as if it were a scarf, back and forth, with built-in I-cord edges.  You then seam the back to create the cowl.

Both of these will take you about 3 days total.

So, pull out your most gorgeous, soft, handpainted yarns and get to knitting!!

D’Lado – A Hat & Cowl Set

• Source: Rosi G.
  
• Yarn: Brooks Farm Solo Silk (about 220 yds for the hat and 184 yds for the cowl)
• Cost: I got the skein at Rhinebeck for $18 – that means a hat AND cowl for $18, ya’ll!!
• Needles: US 7 for the cowl; US 6 and 7 16″ circular and dpns for the hat.
• Started: December 20, 2008
• Finished: December 23, 2008

So remember how at the end of last year I started loving dpns again?  The love intensified when I found Lantern Moon Sox Stix.  I bought my first two sets from Cristi who was destashing; and, that’s it.  I’m [...]]]> Hiya.  Thank you for all the birthday wishes to hubs.  He had fun reading them. 

So remember how at the end of last year I started loving dpns again?  The love intensified when I found Lantern Moon Sox Stix.  I bought my first two sets from Cristi who was destashing; and, that’s it.  I’m officially HOOKED on them. The ones I got from Cristi are ebony wood.  I then went and purchased a rosewood set from The Loopy Ewe but I don’t love them as much as I do the ebony.  They’re ok, just sharper and I don’t really like sharp needles (as you’ll soon find out).  I prefer my needles blunt and rounded.  Like me.

As my last FO of 2008, I made a pair of Knotty Gloves on the Sox Stix.  These are my first gloves.  With fingers, that is.  I have always made mittens or fingerless or wristwarmers.  Never full-fingered gloves.  Can you say LOVE??  And, WARMTH??

I used some gorgeous STR Mediumweight that I got from Cristi a couple of years ago in one of our Bday swaps.  The colorway is Backstabber.  No, she wasn’t trying to tell me something.  I hope.  LOL  Ain’t it gorgeous though??

Knotty Gloves

• Source: Free pattern on Rav
• Yarn: Socks that Rock, Mediumweight (0.7 of the skein; about 266 yds)
• Color: Backstabber
• Cost: This yarn was a gift but since it usually costs around $21, the gloves come out to about $14.70.
• Needles: US 2.5
• Started: December 10, 2008
• Finished: December 30, 2008
• Mods: I used larger needles and a heavier yarn to fit my large hands.

During my holiday vacay, I cast on for a pair of New England socks (from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush).  I used some Koigu yarn I’d gotten from the Yarn Tree when they had all of their Koigu on sale because they will not be carrying it anymore.

Koigu never has enough yardage for my size 11 feet, so I did the heels and toes in a solid-colored Louet.

I love the star-shaped toe on these socks so much that I’m using it on all of my top-down socks from now on.  It’s so easy to do (you just k2tog at 4 even points every other row until you have half the sts left, then dec every row until you have about 8 sts left – no grafting!) plus it fits my feet better than a square toe.

These are my first 2009 FO.  I could’ve probably finished them in 2008 but I was too busy reading (yah, I got roped in). 

New England Socks

• Source: Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
• Yarn: Koigu KPPPM (2 skeins) in a speckled blue and Louet Gems Pearl in Neptune (.15 skeins)
• Needles: Used US 1.5 ndls for the leg and US 1 ndls for the heel and foot
• Cost: Koigu = $9.75 * 2 = $19.50; Louet = $8 * .15 = $1.20; Total cost: $20.70
• Started: December 25, 2008
• Finished: January 4, 2009
• Mods: None really except for the two different sized needles.

Back in September, my boss commissioned me to do some knitting for her as a holiday gift for her sister.  From this, Wrapped-About was born.

Be it Barney’s or the Dollar Mart, Rich Housewife or struggling single mom. Stay fashionably wrapped while you’re out and about. The only requirement for this pattern is [...]]]>

Back in September, my boss commissioned me to do some knitting for her as a holiday gift for her sister.  From this, Wrapped-About was born.

Be it Barney’s or the Dollar Mart, Rich Housewife or struggling single mom. Stay fashionably wrapped while you’re out and about. The only requirement for this pattern is the wearer MUST be GROWN AND SEXY!

Wrapped-About

• Source: Rosi G.
• Size Shown: Fabulous
• Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, 9 (10) skeins
• Color: Charcoal
• Needles: US 7 24″ or 32″ circulars; and, US 7 dpns
• Gauge: 5 stitches and 7 rows = 1 inch in Stockinette
• Started: September 17, 2008
• Finished: December 3, 2008
• Notes: This wrap is knit sideways, with the two halves meeting in the center back. Elizabeth Zimmerman’s “thumb trick” is used to insert scrap yarn where the sleeves go. Later, this yarn is removed, the stitches are picked up and the sleeves are knit down in the round. The pattern is written for two sizes: Fabulous and Extra Fabulous (all instructions for Extra Fab are in parenthesis).