Summer Leaves Makes Feel Fine

Summer is in full swing and all I have on my mind is wool. Lots and lots of wool, and a thousand different ideas of what I want to cast on in the future. I started off just wanting to learn to knit for the fun of it, then I knit up a few scarfs, then branched out into socks. For quite a few months I was under the delusion that I would a be scarf and sock knitter. That's it, very specialized.  Then I threw shawls into the mix. Yeah, scarfs, socks and shawls, I'd stick with that.

We'll I'm in deep kids. I want to knit ALL THE THINGS! My Ravelry Queue is busting with stuffy and sweater patterns. I swore, "I'll never want to knit a sweater. That's just too complicated, and too much of a commitment." It's all I think about now. I'm obsessed with finding the perfect first sweater pattern, and the perfect wool.

Fortunately, I'm kind of an over planner, so it will be a while before I really cast on my first sweater. Mentally, I'm ready for the challenge.

For today, I have another pair of socks off the needles. This pair is going to my mother-in-law for Christmas. I'm thinking of doing a matching shawl in a similar colorway, with a leaf edging. Either the Saroyan or Wrapped in Leaves (from my newly acquired Botanical Knits--great pattern book, highly recommend!).

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Dedux by Mona Schmidt (highly recommend!)

Yarn: Dream in Color Yarn, Smooshy -- 70% SW Merino/20% Cashmere/10% Nylon

Colorway: Spring Tendrils

Ravelry Project Page

This yarn is a dream, and "Smooshy" is absolutely the correct name for this base. It's squishy, cashmere soft decadence. It's beautiful to knit with, and look at that color! I'm not really a green girl, but the entrancing variegation of greens and subtle pops of blueish-green is just stunning. I am beyond pleased with how these turned out.

Since I'm on a quest to knit all the things, I've cast on two new projects:

 

This beautiful yarn from Hedgehog Fibres was their July Twist Sock Club color. I saw it and immediately knew they had to be socks for my hubby.

These will be new socks for me! The colorway is "Unicorn Rainbow Fight" by The Cyborg's Craft Room, so of course, I HAD to have it. I can't wait to see how it knits up. 

That's all for this week. Make something awesome next week everyone!

And now for your Moment of Zen...

The Usual Suspects, the carrot line up...

Wishing you much Peace, Love & Wool,

Heather

Knitting my Rainbow Connection

I'm obsessed with rainbows. I can't get enough of them. I'm hoarding skeins of rainbow yarn like it will insure world peace through the end of time. Rainbow yarn = endless happiness. I'm just sure of it. Did I hear you snicker? Just look at these socks and tell me the 12 year old girl deep inside you didn't just hug her stuffed unicorn and smile knowing everything is going to all right. Nothing bad can happen in the presence of a rainbow. A drawer full of rainbow socks are my new insurance policy against the big bad world. Hey, they're softer than whiskey and firearms, so I'm rolling with this plan.

I'm tired of dressing like every other sad middle aged adult. I'm tired of black and conservative cookie-cutter clothes. I want hand-knits custom made for me and rainbow socks!

This yarn is a dream to work with. It's so squishy, and has lovely stitch definition. These are probably my favorite fitting and feeling socks I've knit to date. I absolutely love them. 

Yarn: Manic Pixie Dream Yarn in the Zooey base; 80 SW Merino/20 nylon

Colorway: Cloudy with a Chance of Rainbows

Pattern: Pin Striped Socks by Julia Swart

I also wanted to share some of my new favorite things:

This is the most ingenious little stitch/row/repeat counter EVER...

This is by KaratStix on Etsy. She makes all sorts of wonderfully hand crafted knitting accessories. You can also see my Kitchener Stitch key chain, which I cannot ever finish socks without. But let's talk about the Counter. This thing is genius. It comes with 8 little pegs with multi-colored rings so you can keep track of multiple stiches, rows and repeats all at the same time! What!?! I know! And it's so stinkin' cute. She burns the images into the wood, so they are not going to rub off. All of her products are extremely well made. I've used this for my latest socks and it is such an awesome system. Yes, at 5 1/4"x 6" it's a bit bigger than most stitch counters, but it does so much more. LOVE, love, love it!

Here's the flip side of the key chain. How cute are those sheep? I'm all for plastic mass produced knitting accessories when you need to get the job done, but when I can buy well made, cute, hand crafted accessories, they are going to win my heart and money every time. So cute and Karen is lovely! I really need a 4" x 4" gage counter next.

Now check these out. Yes, I have the cardboard tube DPN holder/protectors, and they work fine. But they are big and bulky and take and take up a lot of real estate in my project bag. These are the bomb!

 These clever DPN holders are by Pokdej on Etsy. The are sewn fabric with snaps. So simple, soft and flexible. Smart design that really works great. They fit so much better my small sock project bags. Plus I knit my socks in tandem--two at a time simultaneously. Yes, I use DPNs, and I'll knit one cuff, then the other, then the leg on #1, leg #2, etc. That way I get perfectly identical socks. I can remember if I modified one or started/stopped at a particular place in the pattern or the yarn color repeat, and in the end I finish the pair of socks on the same day. I always close my toes up at in the same sitting. So, I always have two sets of DPNs in my bag at all times, and need two sets of DPN holders in my bag, and these fit smashingly. I HIGHLY recommend them! Grab yourself some. She's lovely and ships super fast.  

And now for your moment of Zen:

Wishing you much peace, love & wool,

Heather

Frosting Makes Everything Better

The older I get the more I believe that every aspect of your day, and your life should be special and magical--maybe not to everyone, but to you. I'm also done with feeling the need to explain my wacky ways. Why does a 43 year old like cupcakes, unicorns, rainbows and fun bright colors? Because they make me happy, dammit! I don't know who decided that after a certain age people should stop having fun, should stop enjoying things they've loved their whole lives, and stop believing in magic.

P.S. I have no idea what age "people of a certain age" is. No one tells you this in the "grown up rules", there is just some inexplicable edict that after a certain age you should stop doing [fill in the blank]. I usually ignore theses rules.

One of my personal rules is that everything is better with buttercream frosting. My favorite yarn colors are often candy and birthday cake colors. My latest socks remind me of perfect, yummy
petits fours. 

I LOVE this yarn from Barking Dog Yarns. It's from their Opposites Attract collection. They pair two yarns together that are essentially opposite colorways. So cute. It's lovely yarn to knit with. Very soft.

Don't you just want to eat them up with a spoon? I added a little hemmed picot cuff for a dainty top.
Heaven knows, I need help to achieve dainty whenever I can. 

Monkey pattern by Cookie A

Barking Dog Yarn --Opposites Attract--80/20 Merino/Nylon

Colorway: Little Miss Muffet and her Tuffet

When life gives you lemons, wear comfy beautiful socks and have a huge piece of yummy cake! They'll always get you through.

Wishing you peace, love & wool,

Heather

Rainbows Make Everything Better

Nothing Says Screw You Like a Rainbow! That is not just an awesome sentiment, that is the best name for a colorway EVER! White Birch Fiber Arts makes this super fun, magical, yarn. They specialize in self striping sock yarn and spinning fiber. Love this yarn. It's lovely to work with, the color is so vibrant, and it has excellent stitch definition.

Don't you just want to pull out your Lisa Frank sticker book and organize your unicorn collection?

These are just happiness in foot form!

White Birch Fiber Arts, 80% SW Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon

Colorway: Nothing Says Screw You Like a Rainbow

Plain Vanilla Socks. Project Details here.

Since I'm apparently regressing into an angst ridden twelve year old from 1982, I'm also working on this Sparkle Fairy Multnomah Shawl. 

And now for your moment of Zen:

Have a sparkly, magical week!

Wishing you Peace, Love & Wool,

Heather

The Rainbow Connection

What's so amazing?
That keeps us stargazing?
And what do we think we might see?
Some day we'll find it.
The rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers, and meeeeee.

All of us under its spell, we know that it's probably maaaaggggic!

They're Flying Off the Needles

So much productivity happening here. The weather is finally seasonal, sunny and lovely. Today I spent my lunch outside on my deck knitting my latest shawl. We'll save the details on that one for later. There is plenty to share today. 

These harvest color socks are not my color palette at all, but they are my mother-in-law's. These were her Mother's Day gift. I think she liked them. 

 

 Pattern: Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes

Yarn: Ladybug Fiber Company

Colorway: Frost on the Pumpkin

The Prairie Ridge Shawl is finished. This is a great first shawl pattern. It's fast, easy and I love the way it came out. I do think I will add an extra section or two. I need to remember that tall girls need bigger shawls than most patterns create.

I absolutely love the ruffle edge. So cute and flirty.

 

 Yarn: Infinite Twist, 2ply worsted weight wool

Colorway: Iris Garden

Pattern: Prairie Ridge Shawl by Susan B. Anderson

As a fairly new sock knitter I have quickly learned that there are several must-knit sock patterns out there. Hermione's Everyday Sock is one of them. And I can see why. It's an easy to remember, straight forward pattern, and it makes a very nice fitting sock. I used KnitCircus's gradient sock yarn, which is just magic. It's so nice to work with, and the color is so seductive.

Yarn: KnitCircus Greatest of Ease Sock

Colorway: Eat Pray Love

Pattern: Hermione's Everyday Sock by Erica Lueder

And now for your moment of Zen:

Peace, love & wool,

Heather

Socky Spring!

Happy Spring! At least I’m hoping Spring is finally here. It’s been a long, hard winter, and it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I’ve spent some time reorganizing my life and my interests, and what has been the end result? After 20+ years as a self-identified and degreed fiber artist, I’ve finally taken up knitting and found my personal happy land.

Why has it taken me so long to learn to knit? I keep asking myself the same question. I can felt, needle felt, weave, embroider, and countless other fiber arts, but knitting had alluded me. I think the most truthful factor was the (ridiculous) notion that knitting was a low level craft. All the knitters I’ve ever known were of the acrylic yarn from the discount store, Barbie clothes and toilet paper cover variety. In my mind, I was a fiber ARTIST. I create my own work. I don’t follow patterns. I don’t use cheap materials. As if that were the only knitting path.

I admit it. I was a highly misinformed idiot.

I’ve have a life-long love affair with wool, handspun fibers, hand dyed yarn, handmade woolly products, and it took a HUGE Oprah style A-HA moment to realize I could knit high-end, good quality, unique pieces. I know, DUH. Well, when you think Cheese Whiz is the only “cheese” out there (you don’t want to know about my distain for Cheese Whiz) you can’t know that Stilton will rock your world. I’m here to tell you that knitting (and Stilton) have rocked my world.

I am a knitter--Full in, crazy train, if I’m sittin’ I’m knitting, girl.

I started simply enough, where most people do with scarves, but it was soon not enough. And I made the leap quickly to the magical land of socks! Soft, scrunchy, self-patterning, self-striping, love them all socks.

I won’t bore you with my not so stellar beginning knits. We’ll jump right to my latest and greatest creations.

The ballerina pink socks are so sweet and soft. Love them!

Yarn: KnitCircus Tencel Merino Gradient Kettle Dyed

Colorway: Baby

Pattern: Vanilla Latte

If you’ve never tried KnitCircus’ yarn, it’s amazing. So nice to work with and the colors are outstanding. So vibrant.

I’ve started Susan B. Anderson’s Prairie Ridge Shawl. I bought the kit she created with Infinite Twist. It’s absolutely gorgeous yarn. Very nice to knit with, and the pattern is clear, easy to follow and memorize. This is my first shawl and I’m loving it.

I just cast on a new set of socks for my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day. These are her favorite colors.

Yarn: Ladybug Fiber Company Superwash Merino, Nylon & Silver Stellina

Colorway: Frost on the Pumpkin

Pattern: Vanilla Latte

These were one of my first pairs of sock. They have some issues around he gusset, but overall not too bad. 

Yarn: Felici Fingering Self Striping Superwash Merino

Pattern: Susan B. Anderson's Sock Recipe

My obsession of the week: Ink Master. I love tattoo shows. I can’t help it. I really do love the art of tattooing. And the great TV that comes from bad tattoos.

And now for your moment of Zen:

Peace, love & wool,

Heather