Knitting in the New Year
I suppose it’s better late than never to say Happy New Year. 
Unfortunately I didn’t get all of my projects done, but I have made significant progress on many of them. I finished my Clapotis! It took me way too long to finish it, but I’m super glad it’s finally done. I still have a Christmas present to start, but my friend has been generous enough to ask me to wait until I’m not so overwhelmed with all my other projects.
At the moment I’m trying hard to finish all the baby gifts I promised people! I suppose that is what happens when you don’t have a lot of disposable income to spend, but you have a useful skill.
I taught my husband how to crochet! That was fun. Although I taught him how to knit 3 years ago too and that didn’t seem to take. I think he prefers the simplicity of his crocheting projects. I suppose that crocheting amigurumi toys is also another reason that crocheting captured his attention. He tells me he wants to design and make Star Craft creatures. I’m excited to see what he comes up with.
Our daughter is still cooking away. I’m at week 28 and doing great. Obviously more uncomfortable, but that’s to be expected. Our sweet pea already has her own stash (I’m innocent lol), but I haven’t been able to start any projects for her yet. I plan on making matching shrugs for us as well as matching sweaters for her future best friend. Ok, I can’t predict that, but it’s still fun to think about!
Updated list from this post:
- finishing a crochet baby blanket for a friend 2/3 of the way done!!
- a gifted baby blanket for a baby due in January 2/3 of the way done!!
- a gifted baby sweater for another baby due soon stuck again because I can’t find enough yarn she likes that’s already in my stash.
- 2 hats for a father and son son’s hat done and I’m told he loved it!
- a kitchen towel for a family our church adopted done!
- a present for my roommate done!
- a present (hopefully two) for my husband just got one done : / but he loved it!
- a hat for my sister and her friend just started these…
- a present for a good friend almost ready to start!
Then there are my own projects:
- The Clapotis done!
- a knitted vine necklace making slow progress.
- a second sock (darn it) still glaring at me.
Since my digital camera broke pictures are difficult to come by, but I’ll be posting a few soon!
Crafts with Yarn
There are many other things you can do with yarn. I don’t do many other things other than knit, spin, and occasionally crochet. But my friend and I sat down together and made these fun Christmas decorations!
Christmas Trees
Super easy to do! 3 different foam cone sizes, 3 different Christmas colored yarns, and possibly some sparkly fuzz balls (if you’d prefer). Don’t forget your hot glue gun! We started by gluing at the top and then tightly winding all the way down. I glued every once in a while, but you don’t have to. Just make sure you had a line of glue to the bottom row or 2. Once that is done you can either leave the yarn just the way it is or add the fuzz balls!
Also … here is the kitchen towel I finished for the family our church adopted. 
This pattern is quite easy!
Christmas Knitting
I suppose everyone has to learn some lessons the hard way, but I seem to have trapped myself. It’s Christmas time and due to unforeseen bills and our truck breaking down I was pushed into making everything I wanted to give away from Christmas. Don’t get me wrong…I love knitting, but I committed to knitting too much! Want to hear the list of projects I have going?
- finishing a crochet baby blanket for a friend
- a gifted baby blanket for a baby due in January
- a gifted baby sweater for another baby due soon
- 2 hats for a father and son
- a kitchen towel for a family our church adopted
- a present for my roomate
- a present (hopefully two) for my husband
- a hat for my sister and her friend
- a present for a good friend
and so many other things I wish I could make…. 
Then there are my own projects:
- The Clapotis
- a knitted vine necklace
- a second sock (darn it)
and of course all the other things I want to knit for myself. Do you think maybe I got in over my head? I’m pretty sure that I will be giving away half finished projects. Then again look I’m writing a blog and not knitting. haha
Sock Syndrome
Well, just a quick note to say
1 out of 2 second sock syndrome problems solved.
One more pair to go. Seriously … from now on toe up 2 at a time is my way to knit socks. 
My First Hat Design
Technically I suppose this is my first design ever. I will admit that it is difficult for me to think that I accomplished something really amazing. I simply took a swatch pattern out of an old swatch book and adjusted the pattern for what a nice hat size would be. I picked two sizes, L/M & M/S. It turned out really nice! My goal was to design a simple hat design that wouldn’t take me very long to knit, but that would be different enough to catch people’s attention. I also decided to use 100% wool from this amazing company. I went to Urban Fiber Arts and bought a bunch of different colors. She has so many that I decided I would make order forms so people could pick what they wanted.
My husband designed this (you can click on it for a larger image) and he did an amazing job!
I’ve received many compliments. I’ve sold 4 so far! It’s a big deal to get such positive affirmation from other people. I will be honest, again, and say I am working on affirming myself and being content with that. I plan on getting the pattern tech edited and put up on Ravelry.
I have another simple design for a cowl done as well. Not sure if this designing bug will catch for me, but it’s fun to say I know enough to be able to do it.
What Are You Knitting?
If you haven’t heard DH and I are expecting our first little one April 7th next year! I’m around 17 weeks along and have finally found my knitting mojo. I lost it for about 3 months, but I think it was just hidden under morning/all-day sickness and massive swinging hormones. We find out in 2 weeks, hopefully, what we’re having! I suppose that means the baby knitting can commence!
Along with growing a wee human I’ve been busy knitting for other people, knitting Christmas gifts for other people, as well as knitting for a local elementary school bazaar. I thought I would try my hand at simple design and seeing if anyone would want to buy my product.
So … basically I’m knitting a lot of hats While trying to finish the second sock on 2 pairs of socks. (I got a bad case of SSS.) Also trying to finish a lot of projects that are just sitting there sleeping away. I NEED TO GET THEM DONE! haha That’s me…yelling at myself…not you.
I will post pictures of my hats and also make the pattern available before the end of year.
Make it a goal this weekend to at least go paw through your stash and be grateful for what you have. I just reorganized my stash and now all my sock yarns are staring at me encouraging me to finish my projects so I can play with them! It’s fun, encouraging, and plus you get high off the fiber fumes!
What are you knitting? Now that it is fall and the weather begs for more knitted garments to be worn.
Sock Summit 2011
It was funny to try and explain this event to my friends and family. I kept sharing with them that I would be attending this year’s “Sock Summit” during the weekend of July 28-31st, that it was my first time, and that I was super excited about it! I was saving as much money as I could and had a list of yarn/fiber vendors I would be visiting. I think somewhere along the way I forgot that those two words “Sock Summit” don’t really mean a lot to anyone, but fiber artists well immersed in the culture of all of it. Just in case you were wondering or maybe my explanation to you was not clear:
Welcome to the greatest (and only) sock knitting show on earth. Sock Summit 2011 continues the tradition we began in 2009: of a one of a kind conference for hand-knitters that explores the humble art form known as the sock.
A conference for sock knitters.
Why socks? People ask us that all the time.
Socks are practical, beautiful, historical, engaging and symbolic. Socks are circular, portable, structural and a perfect tiny canvas for almost any hand knitting technique you’d like to put on them. No matter what you’re interested in when it comes to knitting, there’s a way that it has to do with socks. We’re sure there’s something here for you whether you’re practical, fanciful or inexperienced in the ways of the sock.
Currently my little digital camera is broken, so I do not have any pictures for you from when I was there, but I did have a lot of fun! This was my first year, so I decided to save my money for yarn and fiber and forgo the classes. I will be taking a spinning class next year and probably a design class.
Here is my haul that I still drool over!
Hazel Knits sock, Sanguine Griffin lace, Abstract Fiber sock, Damselfly sock, and Sophie’s Toes sock.
There will be another Sock Summit in 2013. Let’s all go together!
Knitting Socks with Ease
When I first started to venture away from just knitting scarves and the occasional hat I kept hearing about socks. I knew I wanted to eventually learn how to knit socks. I even had DH buy me some double pointed needles, sock yarn, and a book. It was perfect! Except that it sat in my stash for a year…taunting me. I kept hearing about how difficult these little objects were. Everyone had a very strong opinion about them. I managed to hear a couple of people sing their praises and even heard a few encouraging words for me to try. But most of the time it was often hatred toward the dreaded “heel turn.”
I learned how to knit by watching videos online. Even today, 3 years later, if I don’t know how to do a technique I just go to youtube.com and find a video. Most of the time the videos are very well done and easy to follow. Using this thought process I decided I would just watch as many videos on how to construct socks as I could find. It really did take me a year and half, but I bought 3 40″ circular needles (sizes 0, 2, 3), a book on how to do magic loop knitting, and my sister bought me the book “Toe-Up Two at a Time Socks.” I knew that I would get the dreaded second sock syndrome I had heard about (you knit one sock, but can’t seem to get the second one finished or even started…your drawer is now full of 1/2 pairs of socks). I quickly started and finished my first pair of socks!
The yarn was Red Heart – Heart and Sole. It’s self-stripping, so it makes me look like a genius! The heels were not the worst part at all! I just followed the directions and with only a few mistakes figured it out! DH begged me to start his socks next and then there were 2 pairs done!
He loves them!
A friend asked me to test knit her new sock pattern called “Sockie Sock” and of course I agreed. This socks was not two at a time toe-up with a short-row heel. This pattern called for one at a time top-down, with a heel flap. Once more I jumped in with both feet (haha) and found myself successful!
It’s currently sitting in Urban Fiber Arts on display. Exciting! I did find that the dreaded second sock syndrome has hit me. It’s taking me a lot longer to do the second sock then the first, but that’s ok! I’m still having fun.
I am also working on my first mystery sock KAL by my friend Jen Hansen also known as knittinglikecrazy so far, so fun!
Since I took this picture I’ve actually finished the heel-flap and turn.
If you’ve ever wanted to knit socks, please don’t listen to the discouraging nay-sayers. Find your method (whether magic loop, 2 circular needles, or dpns) and just pick a way. Two at a time, top down, toe up. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re having fun and trying something new! Don’t be scared. Find a video and ask for help! If I can do it, so can you!
Adventures in Lace Knitting
When I started knitting I started with your basic garter stitch scarf. I quickly moved onto simple stockinette stitch hats with either a 1×1 (k1, p1) rib or a 2×2 (k2, p2) rib. Then I had to make my husband his very own Jayne Hat! That hat has ear flaps and a pomp-pomp on top. I’m not sure when I moved to it, but shortly after that I started playing around with yarn-overs in patterns for scarves. Then I decided I needed to make the Traveling Woman shawl. I’m not sure how my skill evolved or when I was suddenly able to understand how to construct triangular shawls, but I completed it in 3 days. Compared to some of the other shawls I’ve done since then it has it’s rough spots, but I’d say it’s one of my favorites.
Since then I’ve completed 5 more shawls (or shawlettes if you’d prefer. They are not large sizes, but some people get confused if I call them a shawlette.) I think I’m officially in love with knitting lace! All 6 of my shawls have been constructed out of fingering weight yarn. (If you’re not familiar with the different weights of yarn fingering is 4 ply and near the small end of the scale.) I finished my first full size stole from lace weight yarn this year 
and I’ve found a pattern that I’m going to use the fingering weight yarn my dad bought me in Paris. It looks like this:
Lace knitting can be very scary looking to some people. And it isn’t always easy, but just as everything else you need to start somewhere and it isn’t as difficult as some may say. Be bold, step out and try some!
A fair warning though … when you go into more complicated lace knitting patterns you may soon find that simply knitting a row and purling back again might bore you just a bit.
Happy knitting!!
Knitting, blogging, and real life.
I seem to recall I had this same problem with my personal blog. I also seem to recall a recent post stating that I would be posting every Friday. I don’t think I thought out the process nor did I realize I would falter on my commitment. I understand that in order to gather faithful readers I need to put in the time and effort to post at least once a week. You’d think I would jump on that. I do apologize dear readers (however many of you there are).
I am still knitting. I am also here cheering those of you on that are still beginners! Keep knitting! When all else fails, frog it (rip it all out) and start again. You are allowed to cry as you frog something. You can also put that yarn in time out if need be…I give you permission. But never, ever give up! Try again please. If you need help and you’re local I’d love to help.
Here are some projects I’ve finished and some I’m currently working on!
First pair of socks!
Red Heart "Heart & Sole" Toe-Up Socks
That’s right I finished my first pair of toe-up two at a time Magic Loop socks! It took me a few weeks and I only had to rip back on one heel. It wasn’t difficult and the pattern in the book I have was relatively easy to follow. I actually prefer videos, but thought that having a book would be the safest route to go. I enjoy that I can knit both socks at the same time, so then they get done at the same time. I also enjoyed trying them on as I knit them! I did make these about 1/8″ too long, but that’s why I used the cheaper yarn for my first pair. The next pair are for my very anxious (read excited) husband. I’m not sure he knows what he is in for. Or maybe that warning is for me. Socks aren’t that scary I promise!
I finished my Ishbel! I’m still in progress on my two sample pieces: the Dancing Cranes Stole and the Kiwassa Shawl.
Here’s to do-overs and continuing to try even if you don’t do it right the first few times! Keep it up I know you can do it!
