Spin.Knit.Kids.School.Repeat

Finished Object #2 in 2011

It's been getting colder here lately.  And I made this just in time.  I actually wore it clipped together yesterday when we ran to the grocery store amidst the foot of snowfall we got and my ears were the toastiest part of me!  The pattern is beyond simple using short rows to create the shape.  Calorimetry is a free pattern from Knitty.com. 

The yarn I used is Sunshine Yarns Worsted Merino in the Fall Kit Color "Plum Spice".  I love it!  The colors are a joy to watch as it all comes together.  The pattern only used up 51grams of the skein, which came out to about 90 yards.

I do still need to find a few buttons for it still, but it so squishy soft I see it being around for a while & making more!

Well, since I've been MIA for a bit I should probably update what I've done lately:

May:

I finished my MIL's scarf/stole/shawl thingy.  I used 2 skeins of Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock yarn in Mulberry Spice and Sweet Clementine. (-2)

I was asked to weave a scarf for a friend after she'd seen one I'd done in the same yarn. Woven using Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in New Moon Alice.



I spun this yarn and knit a Haruni:
Spun from 2 Sunshine Yarns SW Merino Rovings.  Un-Birthday Party and Patronus.  I spun these on the new lace flyer I got and ended up with around 880 yards of 2 ply fingering yarn. (-2 +1-.5 = +1/2)


Picture of the yarn preknitting:


I spun this yarn for a friend.  Sunshine Yarns SW Merino in Blood Red, spun into a 2 ply sport weight 300 yards.  She made this into a gorgeous shawl.



In June I finished:
Char's Birthday Boheme.  Made with Sunshine Yarns Worsted in Ever After.
The pattern is written for sport weight, with sizes up to 18 months.  I was able to modify using some tips from other project pages to make a 4t using worsted weight yarn.  She is very happy with it.  (Please don't pay any attention to the mess in the background!  The kids' toybox was confiscated and redeposited in the middle of my office floor.)  Buttons are by BlueManateeButtons on Etsy.  (-2)

In June I also started 2 pairs of socks...brilliant me made each on a set of DPNs instead of my usual 2 at a time using magic loop knitting.  So I  have 1 of each.

Skew:  Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Alice (WIP 1)

Rivendell: Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Forest Mist. (WIP 1)

And spun this yarn:  Sunshine Yarns SW Merino, Potronus, 2 ply light fingering, 500 yards.

Here's a kinda slouchy beanie that I've had hiding out in my purse being worked on here and there.  "Unbirthday" by Sunshine Yarns, a colorway of which I don't know if I'll ever have enough!

I plan on eventually writing up the notes on this project, once I actually have time to sit still long enough with it in my hands to do it.

Wow, if that came up in a search I'm sure I'd get some "what the ____" 's !

Anyways, the "Like A (Monkey) Virgin" socks were finished last month!  A record 12 days of knitting, with school taking time away, these are my fastest socks yet!  And I love them!  They fit wonderfully, the colors are great, the yarn is great...(wait, how could I not love the yarn...it's Sunshine Yarms!)

Here they are:

Yup that's right.  April 1st we had snow and hail, so I cast on another pair of socks!  I cast on Cookie A.'s Monkey pattern.  It's a well loved pattern that I never even thought of making, since there are only 11,500(ish) pairs out there according to the Ravelry pattern pages. The pattern is free, published in Knitty.

Plus the April Sock Knitter's Anonymous group on Ravelry is having their Cookie A. month this month and we decided to have a side knit-a-long for "Monkey Virgins."  Only those who have never knit a pair of Monkeys qualify for the SKA Sockdown Challenge with Monkeys.

After scowering pictures of FO's on the project page I thought I wanted a mostly solid color, but then I found the perfect yarn and it just sort of clicked!

My "Like A (Monkey) Virgin" socks have been started! They are being knit in Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Red Queen.

 It's finished!  It's finally finished!  One knitolution officially completed!  I have conquered colorwork, steeking, and seaming!  Not to mention my first i-cord edging!

For more pics and notes check out my Ravelry Project page!

results in this:

And a close up:
Now all that is left to knit is the flap.  (2500 of 7000 stitches of it is done so far!)
This needs to be finished by Mar. 31st, @ midnight.

No not basket ball!!!  As if I'd even know that when that was beyond it being called "March Madness"!

No, this is my own form of March Madness!  I've cast on 2 pairs of Mystery Socks so far this month and it's only the 7th!  Not only that, I have plans for at least one more pair!

The first pair I cast on is the SolidSocks Mystery Sock March/April 2010 pattern for the Solid Socks group on Ravelry.  I'm using Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock (big surprise there!) in Mountain Shadow.On US 1 (2.25mm) DPNs.  I'm thinking I'm going to try and run to the LYS down the street from school in order to get a few more pairs.  I have exactly 6 needles this size, one of which is broken.  So I knit clue1 of sock1 for this pair and then had to move it to a couple stitch holders to be able to start another sock.

Mountain Shadows Hide Mysteries:

My February Socks died today!

I LOVE the pattern, Bex, by CookieA.  But I couldn't get them over my heel.  Turns out I was on a needle size too small.  The pattern calls for 2.5mm, and I was on 2.25mm.  Oh well.  They were frogged this morning.  It was sad, I even cried a little.  When you see the pictures you may understand:

All the beautiful cables:

This is my first attempt at writing down a pattern.
It's pretty much how I'd talk someone threw it, so the technical terms may not be there, but I think it's pretty straight forward.
Any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The name for these mitts came about due to the constant "me", "mine", "my" that went on while knitting the sample. My 2 1/2 year old daughter thinks that everything I knit is for her. And while talking to her and her brother there is alot of word jumbling. How do we know mommy is frustrated? How jumbled up her words get!

I’ve made these only once so far and while I like them I have a few changes I’d make for the second pair. Mine were made in Sport weight on US8’s; the fabric itself is a little loose as well as the overall fit. This pattern is the result of the proposed changes.

Worsted yarn on US8 or Sport yarn on US6

Long Tail CO 50 stitches. (30 stitches will make up the front, 20 for the back.)
Place marker and join in round.
Row 1 (Set up round) K2, P2, K4, P1, K12, P1, K4, P2, *K2, P2, repeat from * until end. (This forms the back of the cuff.)
Row 2 K2, P2, C2F, P1, C3F C3B, P1, C2B, P1, *K2, P2 repeat from * to end.
Row 3 Same as Row 1.
Row 4 K2, P2, C2F, P1, K12, P1, C2B, P1, *K2, P2 repeat from * to end.
Row 5 Repeat Row 1.
Row 6 Repeat Row 2.

Repeat Rows 1-6 for the desired length of cuff, finishing with Row 2 or 6. Initial sample has a 3 in cuff.

Thumb gusset. You can do this many ways. It you only want the thumb opening, work back and forth across the mitt as if it were flat (Rows 1, 3, & 5 will be purled in this case.)

Thumb gussets:
Form thumb gussets in the best location for you.
This is still something I’m playing around with.
At the location where you’ve decided place markers on each side of one stitch.

Starting on the next row:
Row 1: M1 after each marker (increasing the # inside the markers by 2.)
Row 2: The next row knit all thumb gussets.

Continue these two rows until thumb gusset reaches lowest thumb knuckle. (I know, technical right…)
Place thumb stitches onto scrap yarn.
Begin knitting around as before gusset, continue cables as pattern reads.

Continue cable on front & stockinet on back until palm is ½-1” shorter that the desired palm length. End with Row 2 (or 6).

Next Row, begin 2x2 ribbing for the top of the mitten. The cables should flow pretty easily into the ribbing. Complete ½ - 1” of ribbing. Cast off.

Pick up thumb stitches. Pick up 2 stitches from body of mitt, between edges of gusset. (Go for an even # of stitches here.)
Row 1: Knit all stitches.
Row 2: Begin 2x2 ribbing.
Repeat row 2 for desired length.

It's finished!  My New Moon Clapotis if finished!  A brilliant pattern by Kate Gilbert, offered free through Knitty.com.

I used Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in New Moon Alice on US 6's, using up right around 120 g of the yarn.  It's a little shorter than I'd like, but I can always add length next time around!  There will definitely be a next time around!  It makes a nice light weight scarf/shawl with this yarn.

Here she is!!!  I can't wait to get some pictures wearing her, but I'm not about to hand my Canon over to the 4 yr old!  (The color is off in the first one due to the kiddie mats I use for blocking!)

Knitolution #2 has been marked as started!

I started knitting my first sweater for me!  It's being done in the lovely Vampire Merino Worsted Yarn from the Sunshine Yarns 2010 Sweater Club.  It's momentarily been set aside in order to finish some older WIPs.  But so far I'm about half way through the raglan shaping.

The Pattern is called Wicked, written by Rachel Bishop, and has many different variations you can make.  I'm planning for short sleeves, possibly with the pocket and most likely adding some bust darts and length to the sweater.

Here's the progress as of 2 weeks ago:

Yes, I know, we are halp way through February.  But when you have to order more yarn to finish a pair of socks and then they must wait until other items are finished it's okay if January's socks are a little bit late!

So for January's installment of the Sock-olution I made Peat Duckies in Sunshine Yarns' Peat Merino Sport Yarn.  Here they are!

Well, not real vampires...not that there are such a thing, but...

Yummy Vampire Merino Worsted from my dear friend Dani of Sunshine Yarns.  I joined in on her Sunshine Sweater Club that shipped this month. And yesterday I found 9 wonderful skeins in my mailbox!

I love it!  IT's one of my favorite colors from Dani, I already have a pair of socks in the same color:
These are my Vampire Kai-Mei Socks.  Knit in Sunshine Classic Sock using Cookie A.'s pattern from Sock Innovation.

...or at least it will be!

I got my Knit Picks Palette East Meets West Bag kit in the mail on Thursday!  I'm at a loss though, well not a loss, more like being terrified! 

1. This is more colorwork than I have ever attempted!  21 colors worth of colorwork!
2. Steeking!  Eeek!  Never have I ever...

I suppose their are other reasons this terrifies me, but I can deal with those.

New Moon Clapotis:
I started this project back in November (?).  It's been the car project and I've actually made a bit of progress on it.  I'm thinking I might try to ggo longer than the pattern calls for though. Pattern via Knitty. (Clapotis)

Made with Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Yarn in New Moon Alice.

Butterbeer Citron:

A new little classy shawl pattern from the Winter Knitty. (Citron)  I love how it's coming although the rows are becoming unbearably long!

Made with Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Yarn in Butterbeer


 

The thumb gusset is on a holder and there are roughly 10-12 rows left until the repeats for length or the decreases!  I'm so excited and so happy with these!

Updated pics:

Operation Colorwork:

I love this pattern by Eunny Jang and have been terrified of it all at the same time!  Time to bite the bullet.  Anemoi Mittens.  The colorwork is exquisite!  I cast on January 2nd and finally made it beyond the cuff on the 3rd!  I frogged the cuff somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 times trying to use a Tubular Cast On.  I finally found one that worked!  TECHKnitting's provision tail method and would definitely recommend it to others.  You can find her tutorial here.

I'm using Sunshine Yarns Classic and Twist Sock Yarns.  Classic in Cornish Pixies (a wonderful blue) and Twist in Luna (a soft creamy white, yellow and grey mix).  I love the two together and so far it's gorgeous.