where has the time gone?

i have been MOST unproductive. i've been working on all my little projects, some of which i can share, and some i won't until the recipient receives it/them.

i haven't finished too much either, since it's way more fun to start new things!

but, this is what i have finished ...



 1 christmas sock. yes, one sock. one very long sock, which uses up every bit of that ball of yarn, but still ...

i will cast on the mate at some point when i'm feeling the need for some mindless knitting. the parts between the toe and gusset are mindless, and then after joining back in the round, there's miles of leg to knit in twisted 1x1 ribbing!

the other sock on the right side of the screen is part of a pair.


 these are my "totem pole" socks. it is a published pattern, and the idea was to use leftovers, and change stitch patterns every time i changed yarns. i first thought these would be a piece of cake, ... oh, was i wrong!

 i decided to change the pattern. it's written for 66 stitches, but i decided i wanted to knit it with 64 stitches. so, that also changes which stitch patterns i can use, as they have to be a multiple of 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 32. and it's not that 66 has more factors, it just seems my stitch dictionaries had more choices (or better choices) for stitch patterns with the numbers of 2, 3, 6, and 11. go figure!

the other part that proved tricky, was finding compatible leftovers, and figuring out a color sequence. i didn't really want to have any repeats, but alas i did. i ended up using some of the colors more than once, but i did not repeat any of the stitch patterns. it was fun to try lots of different stitch patterns too ... i found some i'd like to probably use all over for an entire pair of socks.

knitting with leftovers is a trip down memory lane!

new year, new projects!

after stuart got his pony, and i got my pillows, and everyone got everything else (hello holidays!), i finally had some time to cast on a couple of things for myself ...

each new month of SKA means a new cast on, for a new challenge.

this month, i am seriously taking on the challenge. yes, i can knit socks, heck, i could probably knit a pair blindfolded. really.

but, that doesn't mean i've mastered all the techniques.




this sock is called "bulgarian blooms" ... it's from the book _sock knitting master class_. the sock is knitted toe up (eeks!) (lol!), and then when the flower portion is introduced, the flowers are knitted as intarsia-in-the-round. the technique is completely explained by the designer, priscilla gibson-roberts.

i'm anxious to start this part, and as you can see, i've chosen my colors. BUT, i'm going to probably wait 'til the weekend to introduce the colors. i just think i need some solid "me time" to try this thing out.

the black is the only "new" yarn (ie: from stash, but never knitted), and the other colors are leftovers. so, if you have a main color, this project will make a good stash buster.

the other pair i'm working on ...





is called linaria bipartita. this pattern is by hunter. oh, so beautiful! the yarn is dream in color "smooshy".

i haven't knitted so much on this, because i've been distracted with other socks ... but, it's such a keeper.

happy new year!

a very crafty christmas

i mostly knit, mom crochets. i learned how to crochet first, as a child, and later taught myself to knit. i'm glad to be able to do both, as i don't feel limited in my creating.

i kinda like to keep mom "busy" (not that she needs any help from me in that department). but, "busy" with what i consider to be "fun" stuff, ie: making things. i created a ravelry account for her. i know and use her user name and password. i am the one that updates it for her and adds projects. maybe some day she'll have the time or interest to do it herself. if not, then i'll just keep doing what i've been doing, ... as long as she keeps making ME things ;)

this year, i asked for some crocheted pillows. it started with this bird pillow, as i'd found the pattern as a "tear off" freebie in the craft store.




  this pattern is called the crocheted folk art bird pillow. it uses premier yarns everyday worsted, which is nice and soft, has great colors, and quite affordable. i don't have to tell you i'm a sucker for a nice acrylic yarn. though i thought the colors used in the original pattern were pretty, i wanted something a bit more neutral for this design.
i bought the yarn, tore off a pattern sheet at the craft store, bought the 14" square pillow form, and packed it into a clear zippered bag (like the kind you get when you buy bed linens) and took it to mom. i said, "look! i got YOU something to make for ME!".

and she rocked it! i don't know if i can convince her to make another one, or perhaps i should do it myself ...

so, i'm certainly smitten with this. she didn't like that i had chosen black, which i understand. it's a lot harder to crochet with black than to knit with black.

i can knit with my eyes closed (the basic stockinette stitch). but crochet any stitch with my eyes closed? nope.

then, i showed her some other pillow and cushion patterns, and picked out some colorways of our giant acrylic stash (stashed at her house). next up, the blooming flower cushion(s).

 

i chose these colors, mostly. here's the funny part ... see the white? i had chosen BLACK. yeah. she was already "done" with the color black when she crocheted the bird pillow. so, she made an executive design decision, and nixed the black!

par, par, bogey, bogey, par par! 

but, it turned out very nice! don't ask me why i wanted the black .....

she had so much fun with the first one, she made a second pillow  =)   

again, i am the lucky recipient! this time around, she decided on all the colors. i had picked out a color range, and she pulled out other colors that coordinated with the ones she'd already made, or ones she thought looked better in general.

and then, there was the BIG SECRET project. this one, i had no clue about. i hadn't even put this pattern in her queue. but, it's in my raverly queue.

 

this pillow is based off of the pattern for the freeform crochet blanket (this is a ravelry link). i just think these funky birds are so freaking cool! the tutorial gives instructions on forming the birds, but then it's up to you to "fill it in". i would love a blanket of these guys, but for now, i have a really cool pillow!

so, here's the whole gang, outside on one of the decks. it was a very overcast christmas, but not too bad for taking pictures outside  =)

jerry the musical monkey, loves stuart

 so, it turns out, little monsters and critters happen to love sock monsters! i finished this jerry monkey for a friend last night. i gave it to her this morning. i didn't have time to take a proper picture, but played with some of the editing tools on flickr. jerry is one of the pdf patterns from rebecca danger.   for my friend's monkey, i used the 2 skeins of yarn on the right, Sheep(ish) by vicki howell. i was going for color and yardage. i can't say i love the yarn, can't say i like it very much at all, but the colors are very good. when i participated in my color themed swap in the ravelry danger crafts group last july, my awesome swap partner knitted me a jerry. so, it was time to share the love ....

     looks like he has some bad habits, doesn't it?

christmas socks

or, i can call this post, "christmas boots" ... or "i went shopping for other people and i found these fabulous boots for myself!".
 

     

well, there is a sock in progress in the boot ...

 i really like the christmas colorway of red heart's "heart & sole" sock yarn. the colorway is not new, and is available year round, but i suddenly got the urge to knit christmas socks. unfortunately, these won't be done in time for the holiday, as i'm still working on other people's gifts. i'm using my favorite toe up pattern, Spice Man, by yarnissima. the idea is to knit 'til i run out of yarn!

the criminal minds mystery kerchief

oh, so pretty! but i think she looks bigger than she is. she's more of a small shawlette, vs. a full cover the body kind of shawl.

the pattern is called Criminal Minds Mystery Kerchief. it was part of a mystery knit-a-long. now, i don't like mystery knitting. life is short, i wanna know what i'm going to get when i cast on.

but, i saw finished versions of this shawlette, and i saw it in this very yarn (well, same yarn, different colorway), and decided to give it a whirl.

one thing i enjoyed about knitting this pattern was it was error free and quiet detailed. imagine, knitting a shawl without pictures and charts (when it was part of the mystery kal).

so, the pattern gives frequent stitch counts. pretty awesome!

when i went to SAFF, i did buy another pattern by the same designer, and some more color changing yarn ... perhaps i'll reward myself in january or on new years day with a new cast on  =)

why yes, i STILL knit socks!

as a matter of fact, i just finished this pair earlier this past week!



this pair is for a very good friend. i started the socks back in february, as the ska theme/sockdown was to knit "man socks". i could had knitted these for myself (with fewer stitches), as the pattern is designed for man, but instead decided my good friend would love some handknit socks. i showed him the socks this past week. man, what a GRIN! he's going to wear them this coming week at a holiday party. he plans on breaking them in with some major dancing. for myself, i'm knitting some leftover socks, called totem pole socks (rav. link). i'm using up all kinds of leftovers in my superwash merino or merino/nylon mix.

 

at first, i planned out the colors. and then, as i started to knit, things just changed ...

 

i was even able to incorporate that purple from the recently completed pair above. essentially, with this sock, i'm changing stitch patterns and yarns every so often. i'm knitting on 64 stitches, and using stitch patterns from my various stitch library books (ie: _sensational knitted socks_). i just finished sock #1 last night, and hope to cast on the mate tonight, or work on my gloves, or my ______. you get the picture. not enough hours in the day!