Hat for Pat

As a palate cleanser after the whole baby sweater thing, I knit a bulky-weight hat for my Pet Physicist, who wanted one to use at his jobsite.
 

PATTERN:  Didn't need one.  I cast on a few stitches and worked top-down, increasing every other row until I had achieved an appropriate head size.  Then I went until I'd run out of yarn, added on the other yarn, and worked ribbing until that yarn was gone.  Easy.

YARN: The blue is my handspun from a Fibernymph 100% BFL braid in "Scylla Beware."  The multi is Classic Shades Big Time in color 814 "Jubilant."

NEEDLES: US 11/8.0mm

NOTES: It's really amazing how much even the worst handspun improves in the knitting.  This is one of the first skeins I ever made (spun in September 2013, according to Ravelry), and it's truly beginner yarn, but it made a nice warm hat, and even matched the commercial grist quite well.  And one can't argue with the results--doesn't he look thrilled?

 

Giant Blue Socks

These were the Irishman's Christmas present for 2012.  As is the custom, he received only one sock (but at least it was a complete sock and didn't have any needles in it or ANYTHING) at Christmas proper, and I finished the other in February.  (In my defense, his feet are very large.)

Pattern: Mindless Socks 

Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere (70/20/10 merino/cashmere/nylon).  This was really a wonderful yarn to work with--the hand was lovely, and it made beautiful socks.  Himself had been begging for cashmere socks forever, and I finally managed to oblige.

Needles: US 1/2.25mm

Catchin' Up

It has been so long, my lovelies! I have been knitting mostly in dribs and drabs, but lately have been seized by startitis.

While the Birthday Pi is on hiatus (awaiting more yarn), I've also started another Mawelucky shawl, Dorothy:


Because I'm a madwoman, I'm knitting it in Jojoland Harmony, otherwise known as the world's thinnest laceweight. I am so envious of Aspen's beautiful Gail, however, that I'm willing to give it a go.

I also restarted the Irishman's Sweet Georgia socks, this time toe-up in a little lace pattern of my own devising. Quite fetching, eh?


And I also cast on a pair of Anne Hanson's Bougainvillea socks, but a picture for those will have to wait until next time.

I am trying very hard to be faithful to these projects, but I have so much else I want to knit. My alpaca sweater! My Maplewing! A Rose of England!

Less blogging, more knitting.

Whole Lotta Nappin' Goin' On

Not much to report here lately. I've passed the gusset on the second Twisted Angles sock, so with luck I'll have that done by the end of the week.

I also put in some work on the back of the alpaca sweater when we went to the theater a few weekends ago, so it is almost ready to start the armhole shaping.

That's been postponed, however, in favor of the Birthday Pi. I'm about halfway through Clue 3, so I won't be winning any speed prizes. (From the sound of it, though, I may still distinguish myself in the KAL; the other participants are also taking a leisurely tack.)


The only novelty to report is that I did cast on a new pair of socks for the Irishman, though it's far too early to tell that they'll be Sailor's Delight. He's had his eye on this Tough Love Sock ever since I brought it back from New York last summer. It's really quite cute how he thought he was being all crafty when picking it out.

Year of the Sock: Still in It to Win It*

I managed to finish the Big Black Socks just under the wire for February--I bound them off while watching Maryland lose to UNC on the 27th (go Terps!)


Yarn: Cascade Pima Tencel (50/50 cotton/lyocel), color 7779. Pattern: Mindless Socks. US 2.5/3.0mm needles.

As well as finishing those, I've actually finished the first of the Twisted Angles. Check out the absolute gorgeousness of the gusset:


I felt like the Malabrigo needed a very tight gauge to be at all wearable, so these are quite small socks. Fortunately, I had a perfect model handy:


This is our patient and long-suffering fake foot. She is currently modeling a plain Zauberballe Crazy sock, but graciously agreed to help me out for a few shots.

The lace pattern biased very badly on the foot, but a French toe helped with that.

And I'm on track for March; I'm alllllllmost to the heel flap, which I should have done plus gusset by the end of the weekend. This Year of the Sock thing is working out!

*Unlike my bracket. You have betrayed me, Syracuse!

Year of the Sock

I have declared 2011 to be the Year of the Sock! I plan to knit 11 pairs this year. Totally doable, right?

I mean, just for starters I'm almost done with the first of the Big Black Socks:


All this needs is another inch or so of ribbing before I bind off.

And since I took this picture, I turned the heel on the first Faux Fair sock:


So it needs another few inches and it, too, will be ready to go.

Then I'm going to cast on a test knit in this:


So that's three pairs sussed out, and January's not even over.

Aside from these, I also owe my dad a pair (promised for Christmas), and I . . . somehow . . . may not have anything appropriate in the stash. I also have in mind to knit the Irishman another pair of socks for Valentine's Day; the socks I knit for him last year are wearing out a bit on the soles. (My fault for knitting them in something without added strength--he's hard on them.)

Oh my GAWD

So I've mentioned that the Irishman, despite having enormous boat feet, is a pretty swell guy. Several weeks ago, for our anniversary, he removed all doubt.

Apparently, months and months ago (probably while blocking something big on the living room floor), I mentioned that I'd really like a proper blocking board.

He remembered this.

Fast-forward to when I opened my present and found this:


We have a policy of being strictly honest about gifts (mostly because both of us are incredibly bad liars), so I said something like "oh, honey, it's perfect! But a little small for what I normally knit . . ."

Whereupon he got a MASSIVE grin on his face, said "too small, eh?" and hauled a enormous package out from behind the bookcase. That package held this:


Yes, that's a piano in the background. And yes, he got me not one but TWO blocking boards, small and large. He said he figured I could put them together if I needed to, or use them separately for smaller things.

He totally won our anniversary.

I'm excited about finally blocking something this weekend--Allégresse is almost complete. Weeeeeee!

Always with the socks

Since it's November, in honor of NaNoWiMo and its various counterparts, I'm going to try to post every day. Think I can do it?

I don't promise pictures, and I don't promise real content . . . but I bet I can come up with something every day.

So here's today's.

I get this thing when it gets cold outside where I want to knit socks. Since I always want to knit socks anyway, that means a veritable explosion of sock knitting lately.

I finished the Be Mine socks, of course. Here's another gratuitous picture, because they're so very pretty:


There's the Irishman's Big Black Socks, which continue to be big and black:


I'd gotten this one almost to the heel turn before but had to rip back to the increases because it was actually TOO big. (I blame the inelastic yarn for this. Somehow.) Knitting socks for him is truly a labor of love, what with the ENORMOUS FEET. Yet I persevere.

And then there are these little beauties:


They're Mindless Socks pattern--the Irishman's are on larger needles, of course (US 2.5/3.0mm), while the Regia are on 0/2.00mms. I've never worked with the latter yarn, but I think it's going to wear beautifully, especially at such a tight gauge.

You will be seeing these socks again as they crawl glacially toward completion. I've gotta develop a more zen attitude toward plain sock knitting.