Color Me Lucky



Photo Courtesy of StarstruckCat



Size:  S, M, L

Yarn:  Any sport weight 355-385 yards.  I used a local woman's hand dyed, 100% superwash merino, 355 yards

Needles:  US Size 0-3, size to get gauge

Gauge:  7 sts/inch in stockinette stitch

Other Materials:  Tapestry needle

Price: US $4,00

Lovin' the Lucky Socks

I absolutely love knitting socks.  Sometimes I forget how much I love knitting them.  Before last month, I hadn't knit a sock in over two years.  I picked up one or two that I've had on the needles for a while, but just didn't feel the love.

Part of me feels like it's the yarn.  And let me tell you--I absolutely love this yarn.  Unfortunately it is only available locally (although I'm trying to get her on etsy).  Part of it is the pattern.  I have always written my own patterns.  Sometimes they work out....sometimes they don't.  That's the thing I love about socks.  It's kind of hard to mess them up.  You could hate a pattern; but the socks are still wearable.  If the socks are not wearable for you, they may fit someone else.  And if you don't even like to wear hand knit socks, there is nothing more satisfying than finishing beautiful socks.

These aren't finished yet...but they will be soon.  I started them this evening and I don't think I'll be able to put them down until they are on my feet.

Pattern will be available soon!

Color Me Lucky

Here is a peek at the sock blanks for March's Sock Saturday at Starstruck Cat.  I'm pretty excited about it!  Maryann and I spent the day dying these blanks.  And we'll be showing them off at Mallow Run tonight.

Sock Saturday Project

Last week, I got together with my friend Maryann. She's a local woman and fantastic dyer of yarns. She dyed the yarn for my cowl pattern (rav link). We are collaborating for the first Sock Saturday at Starstruck Cat Studio on a special yarn and I designed the sock pattern.

Maryann knit the single-stranded blanks on her flat bed knitting machine with sport weight yarn. She then dyed all 14 of them a light shade of pink, tonal.

We took six+ shades of red and maroon and painted them. Flowers, hearts, stars, swirls, zigzags, dots, and love bugs adorn the blank.

Here is all 14 of them drying. They share the same large designs, but they are all unique.

I began knitting the sock, unraveling as I went. I made the leg longer than I normally would have, but I just loved how the colors are knitting up and there is plenty of yarn to make two long and/or big socks.

I finished the first sock before I was half way through the blank, which is fine. I don't want my socks to be the same or opposites of each other. Fraternal socks are awesome socks!

One of my non-knitter guy friends called them "bacon socks." Men, always thinking about food.

I love ten row lace patterns. I think they make the time and the rows fly by. I absolutely adore the lacy hearts on this sock. I couldn't find a stitch pattern that I liked, so I had to improvise my own. It took me a few tries to get the hearts to look the way I wanted. I LOVE the way this sock turned out.

I'm so excited to release the pattern on Saturday. It will be available on Ravelry on Saturday evening as well.

If You're Happy and You Know It...

I'm way past this point, but I don't have a more current picture...yet. I'm enjoying the simplicity of the pattern and really loving the outcome. I wish I had made the scarf a little wider, I think I will have a lot of yarn left over. But in the case that I do, I will make a matching hat. And if I make it to a yarn shop, maybe I can find worsted or chunky yarn to match for some mittens.

I've also pulled out an old sock to knit on. No pics of that yet either, but I'm thinking that I'm going to work hard and finish them up. It'd be really nice to have a new pair of socks for the first time in forever.

I went to knit night last night and had a really great time; though there were few in attendance. I have missed knit night. Before last week, I hadn't been there in over four months. I've been missing out for sure. Luckily my local knit night is held at a Panera Bread (yummy teas and coffee drinks) and it's every Monday. It's awesome.

So....

I finished two shrugs and started another pair of socks.



The socks are Noro Silk Garden Sock, yum, in color S252. I also acquisitioned color S245. It's gorgeous!! I started the socks when I came home for lunch break today. I've only got three rounds done on the cuff, but I think I'm going to like it.



The shrugs are complete. One of them is a yarn I acquired long ago and have started many things and ripped them and therefore has no ball band. But it's cottony and beige in color and a really nice yarn. I altered the pattern a little bit but basically followed it. The other shrug is the same pattern, again different mods than the first one and a different yarn. This one is made of Rowan Wool Cotton in Antique held double. I love it! I finished it around midnight last night (shouldn't have stayed up so late) because I wanted to wear it to work. I got a lot of compliments.



I started the Rowan shrug first, but quickly ran out of yarn. So, I started the unknown-yarn shrug because I desperately wanted this shrug...even though I didn't get the rest of the Rowan until a week later, I finished them both within two days of each other. It was a pleasure knitting this pattern, although I didn't follow all the directions. I think I will knit more shrugs based on the same construction, but different. We'll see if I ever get there! I'm hoping to have pictures sometime soon, but I just don't know. Things are going on in my life that are drastically changing it and a lot that I thought I had I do not. I know that doesn't make any sense so think of me!

Penguins and Shrugs

Most people who know me know I love frogs. My bathroom is childishly decorated in frog decor, I have tons of little frog figurines and big frog statues around the living room....I love frogs!

Not everyone is about frogs, though; like my guy. My guy likes penguins. He was out of town for a week at a convention and I missed him so much. So I decided to make him a penguin (ravelry link) for when he came home. Knitting this little penguin was fun and easy. It was my first attempt at a stuffed animal and I rather enjoyed the quick knit.

In other knitting news--yes, there has actually been knitting. I am still working on socks for my guy, but they have taken a backseat to a little shrug. Two little shrugs at the moment and soon to be three. I began the first one because I always wanted one like it. I started the second one because I ran out of yarn for the first one and I couldn't get to the LYS for at least a week. Then a certain little miss saw said shrugs and wants a little pink one...so, soon to be three. Hopefully the little miss can accompany me to the LYS and pick out her yarn (she likes pink, what little miss doesn't?!). Pictures of shrugs soon and a link to the free pattern if I can find it again!

Caramel Swirl

I did finish the socks....last weekend. I meant to post a picture earlier than today. I also started on a new pair of socks for my sweetie, but he's out of town with his camera so I don't have a picture yet. I can tell you that the yarn is from twisted, a shop on etsy, and this is the yarn I'm using. It's gorgeous! Unfortunately, as some men do, my man has some big feet...so while I cast on 80 sts on size 1's for myself, I cast of 104 (I think) on size 1's for him. It's going to take a lot of determination on my part to get these things finished! At least I have a few months before it's cold enough to wear wool socks.

Sock Progress

Socks on Thursday...

Socks on Friday....

I am making progress...I can prove it!

Working on some WIPs

Dream in Color, improvised pattern, working on second sock.

FO, FO, FO!!!!!

Yarn: My handspun, Desert Brush from Louet Northern Lights

Pattern: none, simple rib over 80 sts

I Heart Handspun Socks

I know I said yesterday that I haven't been working on much...but I couldn't help digging out a SIP that is my luscious handspun I named Camo. I had gotten as far as the toe during my LYS's last Sock Club, but haven't picked it up again in weeks. Then I thought, "Duh, Jamisyn, if you finish the toe you can start on sock #2." So:

I am making great progress on sock #2 and should have it finished by tomorrow.

Old FO's

Before I had a blog....there were FO's, I swear!



This is my mod of the CPH. I love knitting sweaters. This is the first (and only) time I ever even LOOKED at a sweater pattern, preferring to just "knit it." I adapted the pattern and completely rewrote it for my style of knitting. I don't swatch, like, ever, so I had to adjust some things. I don't think I could fully explain what I did, but I LOVE this sweater. I knit it in the round, raglan style (sort of), sans hood, with an extra long body and sleeves with the cable on the sleeves meeting in the middle on the back. Don't get me wrong-the hood is so cute on the original pattern, but if I had put the hood on, it wouldn't get as much use as it gets now. I used Cascade 220 in a lovely wine color (not sure what the name of this color is), and six beautiful wooden buttons.

Trekking socks, color 100 (?). Green is my favorite color, so when my LYS got this gorgeous colorway in, I just HAD to have it. Definitely one of my favorite pairs. 80 sts on size 1's. The leg is a garter rib and the foot is regular 2x2 rib.

Off To Play!

I'm off to the knitting retreat in a few minutes...But I will leave you with a picture of this little beauty. BTW-I finished my last final exam, EVER, yesterday!!

How Many Socks Do You Have in Progress?

Okay. Am I ready for this? Man, I just don't know. I've been saying I had too many socks in progress. But I never imagined it was THIS many! I had been saying 6 or 7, but I guess you never really know until you gather them all up and count 'em, eh? Let's take a gander, shall we?

1. Yarn-Trekking.
Pattern-Monkey (Cookie A.) from Knitty.
Fate-frog pond. I LOVE this sock, but on size one's and only 64 stitches, it just won't fit my foot! I've already taken the needles to use elsewhere, but I haven't been able to bring myself to rip-it...yet!

2. Yarn-My 2-ply Handspun from Lorna's Laces Wool.
Pattern-none.
Fate-frog pond. Nothing wrong with the yarn, but the needle size just wasn't giving me the fabric I wanted. Again, haven't ripped it yet, but it's going to happen soon.

3. Yarn-Falk (Dalegarn).
Pattern-my own (in my head) ankle socks.
Fate-Not really sure yet. This pair is for the BoyToy. They say BEARS on the front and back, but I got bored after the fair isle and just haven't returned to them yet. Besides, it's not football season anymore...maybe I will revisit them in the fall.

4. Yarn-I have no idea.
Pattern-my own, ankle socks.
Fate-these have been a WIP for well over a year (maybe two). I don't want to use the yarn for anything else, so they may just sit until I don't have any other socks in progress (yeah, like THAT would ever happen-I can dream, can't I?).

5. Yarn-Trekking held double stranded.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-just started these this weekend. They are for the BoyToy. I have to cast on 80 stitches on size 4's for his HUMUNGOUS feet. These are my no-brainer socks.

6. Yarn-My 2-ply Handspun from Louet Northern Lights.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-slowly but surely these are getting done!

7. Yarn-Cabezon Superwash Merino.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-slowly but surely!

Aren't I done yet?!? I still cannot believe how many socks there are!

8. Yarn-Tofutsies.
Pattern-Swirly Girl.
Fate-Not sure, I'd like to finish it, but since I don't use a lot of patterns, and this one with yarn overs....I keep getting eyelets where they are not supposed to be! I cannot live with mistakes like that, so this one gets put away quite often. I don't always have the concentration, even though the pattern is extremely easy.

9. Yarn-Mountain Colors Twizzle.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-well, these are the BoyToy's too. That means alot of stitches on bigger needles. At least there is only grafting left on sock 1, but then I need to start sock 2.

10. Yarn-Pure Merino (Berroco).
Pattern-my own, ankle socks.
Fate-For my mother (Mom, if you're reading this, sorry they're not done yet, I promise they will be soon!).

11. Yarn-Cold Flames Superwash Merino by Yarnahoy.
Pattern-well, none yet.
Fate-this was an attempt at using larger needles. I knit really tight for socks and find myself ABSOLUTELY HAVING to cast on at least 80 stitches.

12. Yarn-Trekking.
Pattern-my own, simple rib.
Fate-just started, in a fit of startitis, because I just love Trekking and have been staring at this colorway for quite some time.

13. Yarn-Bullfrogs and Butterflies (Lorna's Laces).
Pattern-my own, ankle socks.
Fate-started for my mother who loved the first pair I made for her with this yarn, she felt it was a bit too tight, so they will be given to CIC through my LYS when I am finished.

Wow, I cannot believe I could even remember all that! At least I wasn't using patterns, so I didn't have to remember those. Somebody slap me!

The question is: can a knitter have too many socks on the needles?