Category Archives: finished

9:45 am - January 14, 2014 - AngelaH

Toasty toes

I still haven’t taken photos of the first official FO of the year, so instead, how about some socks? I finished these on Friday and even though the weather has improved, I’ve already been wearing them like crazy.

Last year I knit two pairs of Stepping-Stones (the excellent and free Clara Parkes pattern from her equally excellent book The Knitter’s Book of Socks) for my mum. I’ll admit to not being totally convinced about the pattern after the first pair (although I quite like how they look), but after the second I knew I wanted a pair for myself. That it got so friggin’ cold here just pushed me to knit them sooner.

These socks took a week, almost exactly, which was great. I can knit a pair of fingering weight socks in a week when I really want to, but these socks felt like they were knitting themselves, and they flew off the needles. My original plan was to give them contrasting toes, because I was pretty sure one skein of Tosh DK wasn’t going to be enough for my big feet and because I wanted to use up my leftover Hudson, which was a pretty good match.

As it turned out, contrasting heels and toes would have been a better plan, but oh well. I kind of like the asymmetry of these socks, which are still clearly a pair, despite their differences.

Details
Pattern: Stepping-Stones by Clara Parkes
Yarn: Tosh DK in Cosmos and Jill Draper Makes Stuff Hudson in Chestnut
Needles: 3.25mm
Notes: I followed the pattern pretty much as written, though I changed the heel because I’m set in my ways and like a slip-stitch flap heel best. Ravelled here.

It has gotten warmer over the last few days, but I’ve been fooled by January before. I’m not totally over my love of this pattern, but I’m thinking I might try Rye by tincanknits for my next pair of quick and thick socks. I already have the yarn and everything…

Tosh VIntage in Amber Trinket. Two skeins this time.

Categories: finished, Knitting Tags: socks

9:28 am - January 2, 2014 - AngelaH

The year in knitting

When I was thinking about this list, I was pretty sure I knew what to expect. Last year, I just broke down what I knit into categories, and I meant to do that again this year, but then Andi did her year in review with photos and I thought that would be a fun way to do it (and much more manageable than a big collage of everything together, which Ravelry basically does for me). So, here’s what I knit, month by month, in 2013.

January

Clockwise from top left: Cedarvale mittens, baby hat, and moose gloves

February

Puerperium cardigan and Everyday Socks

March

Scrollwork hat, Seafoam socks, Stepping-Stones, plain socks

April

Hummingbird socks and Woodstove Season cardigan

May

Happy Street shawl, Monkey socks

June

Sproutlette

July

Willowherb socks, Kit Camisole

August

Plain Koigu socks

September

Camp-out Mitts, Simple Skyp Socks, Camomile Mitts

October

Burrard cardigan, Stepping-Stones (again!)

November

Saltburn socks, Rift hat, Charade socks, Charm shawl, Riverbank cowl

December

Holiday Jaywalkers, Hot Chocolate hat (which I finished, despite the photo), Plain dad socks.

I have to say, I was pretty surprised by the way my projects were spread out. I’ve organized everything by month finished (rather than month started or worked on), so in the months where I only finished one thing I was generally knitting other things at the same time. But still, it’s interesting to see everything spread out like this.

This year I finished 30 projects:
Socks – 14 pairs (5 gifted)
Garments – 3 (2 cardigans, 1 tank top)
Baby things – 3 (2 cardigans, 1 hat)
Mittens/gloves – 4 pairs
Hats – 3
Shawls/Cowls – 3

For fun, I thought I’d break things down by colour too, since I’m pretty sure I knit with the same colours over and over again (blue and green, I’m looking at you). In the case of variegated yarn, I just slotted the project by the dominant colour.

Blue – 7
Green – 5
Purple – 4
Red – 3
Striped (no dominant colour) – 3
Yellow – 2
Grey – 2
Brown – 2
Orange – 1
Pink – 1

I didn’t break things down by colour last year, but it will be interesting to see if the blue/green bias holds this year. On my (active) needles right now, I have a pink-ish/red sock and a green/pink baby sweater, so for now at least, I’m turning over a new colour leaf.

Categories: finished, Knitting Tags: year in knitting

7:05 pm - December 29, 2013 - AngelaH

Holiday socks

For the last three years (basically since I started knitting) I’ve taken the holiday break to knit myself socks. Two years ago (the first year) those socks were only the second pair I’d ever knit and I still wear them (you can see them here). Last year, I knit these, and after they stretched in the wash I gave them to L, who wears them quite happily.

The stripes look off in this picture, but they’re actually a perfect match until the tips of the toes.

For me, holidays socks needs to be a couple of things: They need to be good for social knitting, since I spend a lot of knitting time with family and friends; they need to be at least a bit interesting – I haven’t knit plain socks since that first holiday pair, and even they had surprise toes for interest; and, perhaps most importantly, the knitting needs to last about a week. I always pack a back-up project, but in general I like my holiday socks to last for just about the whole time I’m away, which tends to be about a week. The combination of social knitting and not-too-quick can be a little tricky, but Jaywalker fits those requirements nicely.

Jaywalkers have a nice two-row repeat that is easy to memorize and, once you’re a few rows in, requires no counting. Because of their structure, though, they need way more stitches than a normal pair of socks (I’d normally cast on 64 or 68 stitches for plain socks; for Jaywalkers I use the 84-stitch size), which means they take longer to knit. As a bonus, when using self-striping yarn the pattern looks very dramatic.

I’m very pleased about this heel.

And can we just talk about the yarn for a minute? I was all geared up to use stash yarn for my holiday socks, but then I was on Etsy and this Gynx yarn caught my eye. It’s Gynx Strong Sock in the Christmas Bells colourway and it was a total pleasure to knit with. I used almost the entire skein, with just one repeat of red leftover. The yarn is soft and squishy, and the stripes blend so seamlessly between colours that there’s no jogging or obvious break points anywhere. I loved this yarn so much that I’ve been keeping an eye on the Etsy shop just to see if more self-striping yarns will be added.

I would have loved these socks anyway, but somehow the drama of losing them and then getting them back and still finishing them on time (on the plane home, with hours to spare until my self-imposed deadline) makes them that much better.

Details
Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina
Needles: 2.25mm Addis – I knit these entirely with a magic loop, not my preferred method, but so much better for travelling.
Yarn: Gynx Strong Sock in Christmas Bells
Mods: None really. I cast on for the small size and knit the ribbing and then increased evenly up to the next size for the rest. The next time I knit this pattern I’ll probably go up a needle size, as these are a bit tight to pull on over my heels. I’m really happy about how matchy they are, and I’m especially pleased about the heels. I’d pretty much resigned myself to having the heels mess up the stripe sequence, so when they totally didn’t, I was thrilled. They’re ravelled here.

I know I should be annoyed about that little red toe, but I kind of like it instead.

Categories: finished, Knitting Tags: socks

6:14 pm - December 28, 2013 - AngelaH

What I knit this Christmas

Now that all my knits are gifted, I can post photos and details of the finished items!

I really love how this turned out.

The first gift I finished was not the first one I started. This is the Riverbank cowl (by Melissa Thomson) I knit for my sister Jenny. I knit it up in SweetGeorgia Superwash Worsted in the colour China Doll. This was the perfect match of yarn and pattern, and the finished cowl is squishy and drapey, with just enough structure to support all the texture. I especially love that she can wear it as a cowl or a caplet.

Even with all the cabling, I have almost half a skein of the main colour left.

My sister Connie requested a pair of socks, so I knit her Saltburn by Rachel Coopey. I used Jill Draper Makes Stuff Splendor Sock (sadly discontinued) in Cobalt and Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in Natural. Connie is a huge fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, so knitting her socks in their colours was an obvious choice. The cables meant the socks aren’t very stretchy, though, so they are a bit snug. So snug in fact that she couldn’t get them on until she soaked them and stretched them wet over her heels (and she does not have big feet). I think they’ll be wearable, but I said I knit her another pair of plain socks in the same colours, since I have yarn left over.

My mum requested a shawl ages ago. Just something small she could wrap around her neck to fight a draught and look nice. I looked at a lot of patterns before settling on Charm, which turned out to be perfect. I knit it up in Hand Maiden Casbah in the Ruby colourway. She wore it all Christmas day, so I’m declaring it a hit.

Dad socks.

Both my dad and L got socks. For my dad, I went with something fairly plain, since I don’t think I’ve ever seen him wear exciting socks (and by exciting, I mean other than white socks with jeans or black socks with suits). There’s nothing wrong with a great pair of plain socks, though, especially when they’re a perfect fit, as these turned out to be. I knit them up in two shades of Zitron Unisono, which I intend to stock up on, because it is such a pleasure to knit with and really nice to wear (I knit myself a pair of socks in it almost a year ago).

I have not managed to get a proper shot of these since finishing them, but oh well.

I went a little fancier for L and went with Charade in Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock in Mushroom Hunting B Side. I wrote a fair bit about these socks as I was working on them, but suffice to say, L has been wearing them and says they’re a good fit.

The last gift I knit was a hat for my Uncle Michael. I forgot to get a photo of it before I mailed it off, but I knit it using some Jill Draper Makes Stuff Hudson I had in my stash. This yarn is some of the nicest I’ve knit with in a long time. It’s super soft, springy, and takes Jill’s dyes beautifully. I knit the hat in Chestnut, which is a really warm brown, almost the colour of a cup of hot chocolate. I was worried it wouldn’t arrive in time, but my Uncle e-mailed to say it got there just before Christmas, which is perfect.

How did your Christmas knitting go? I got back from Switzerland on Boxing Day, so there’s a proper post-holidays post coming about pretty yarns and mountain views – I just need to re-acclimate to this time zone first.

Categories: finished, Knitting, Uncategorized Tags: Christmas, gift knits

9:10 am - October 18, 2013 - AngelaH

Stepping out

I always overestimate how long it will take to knit up worsted-weight yarn, which means it’s always a nice surprise when I finish earlier than expected! I cast off my mum’s Stepping-Stones Tuesday night and, if I hadn’t decided to block them, they would indeed be in the mail already.

Ta-da! My mum likes tall socks, so I knit these to 7 inches before dividing for the heel.

Instead, after taking a couple of quick all-finished shots, I looked down at the socks and realized they had some cat hair/miscellaneous dust on them. That’s pretty normal for a pair of socks, either here or at my parents’, but it hardly seems like the condition they should be gifted in, so I threw them in some Soak, thinking they’d dry pretty quickly.

But, it isn’t summer anymore, so instead of drying in less than a day, they’re still quite wet. It’s been a damp and alternately humid and chilly few days, which is not ideal drying weather. Canada Post doesn’t run on the weekends, so it won’t make a huge difference delivery-wise if I get them in the mail on Monday instead of today, but mentally, I’m feeling days behind (instead of ahead, which is more or less where I am, I guess.)

I should note here that schedule is a relative thing, and something that exists solely in my head. I have an idea of more or less when things need to be started and finished in order to not get caught up in holiday knitting stress. Some amount of that seems inevitable, but I would like to be finished before heading to see my family (last year I had part of a fair isle mitten, two thumbs, and a hat to knit when I boarded the plane; I got it finished, but it was close). I’ve learned, though, that it’s best to take stock after the weekend rather than before. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, and while that kind of sucks, it also means I’ll probably get to curl up with my knitting and hang out with L at home, and that sounds not so bad to me.

What does your weekend look like? Are you starting to feel the tug of a gift-knitting schedule?

It is a testament to both the excellent dyeing at indigodragonfly and Clara’s pattern that this yarn didn’t pool in these socks. I love the way the colours moved around.

Details
Pattern: Stepping-Stones by Clara Parkes
Yarn: Indigodragonfly Superwash DK in Fringe Over Troubled Water
Needles: 3.25mm
Notes: I have now knit this pattern in both a solid and a variegated yarn, and I’m happy to report that it works beautifully for both. These photos are bit a dark (see my earlier comment on the weather this week) but the stitch pattern actually does show up pretty nicely even in this dark multi-coloured yarn. I also really like how clingy this stitch pattern is and how easy it is to remember. The only mod I made to the pattern was to use my normal slip-stitch heel in place of the stranded heel given in the pattern. Ravelled here.

Ps. Thank you all for the amazing suggestions for man socks! I cast on for Charade yesterday, and while I’m only in the ribbing (which I’m making extra deep), I’m already loving the way the yarn is knitting up. I ended up giving my Cranberry Biscotti socks to L as they were a bit too big for me and not only are they a good model for what will fit him, but he wore them today, which means I need to bust a move on these ones (when he starts wearing wool socks, you know the weather is cooling down).

Categories: finished, Knitting Tags: gift knitting, Indigodragonfly, socks

2:09 pm - October 3, 2013 - AngelaH

Bonjour Burrard

Finished! Burrard is officially a garment, and I am so, so happy with it.

L wasn’t home so I took the tripod and did a bunch of fancy selfies.

I actually cast off two nights ago, but things never feel properly done until all the ends are woven in, which is what I did last night, as well as sewing on the buttons. I tried it on and it got the thumbs up from L’s sister, who’s staying with us, and it felt great. But. But, it didn’t feel quite right. The shawl collar was sitting funny and the buttons felt just a little out of proportion with the cables. This morning, I took off the buttons, and undid the cast off, and re-cast off with a larger needle and sewed on slightly smaller buttons (from the Wooden Artist) and yes, now it is finished (except the buttons bands need proper blocking, but there’s time for that).

This is only my second finished sweater, and my first with seams and set-in sleeves, and I was a little nervous. I did a lot of holding pieces up to my body and trying to determine how they would look at the end (which is pretty much a waste of time). Once I had it all seamed, I tried it on and was pretty glad it fit, although the fit was off since it didn’t have a collar or button bands, and thank goodness those worked out the way I thought they would.

I should probably trim those button threads…

I didn’t really change much about this pattern, to be honest. It was clearly written, with lots of pictures of various parts of the sweater that reassured me I was on the right track, and aside from the mis-crossed cable incident, and the ripping out and re-doing of the cast off, this was a knit without major incident. And I got to learn how to seam and set-in sleeves and do a shawl collar, and I love learning new things, so that is a major bonus to an already excellent experience.

One thing I will keep in mind when knitting future sweaters, though, is to add some length. I am tall and busty, and (mostly to do with the latter, I think) an extra inch or two in the torso would be good. I actually quite like the length of this cardigan, but it’s something to think about going forward. The sleeves, though, are perfect. They’re the right length and knit with about zero ease, which makes them fitted but not tight, and certainly roomy enough to let me wear long sleeves under this in the winter.

I didn’t quite make the ssKAL deadline, but I have a lovely new sweater to wear, and it’s finished before the cold sets in, so I don’t care. I pretty much have to turn to gift knitting now, but I’m already planning my next big knit (I’m thinking pullover), bolstered by the success of Burrard.

Details
Pattern: Burrard by Glenna C.
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Liberty Heather
Needles: 4mm and 4.5mm
Mods: I did two extra body increases above the waist, since my bust and hips are the same measurement. I decreased the extra stitches in the armhole, which also ensured I had a comfortable amount of ease at the top of the arm, where t-shirt sleeves tend to bunch up. My gauge was a little off, with my stitch gauge slightly tight and my row gauge slightly loose, so I did a little fiddling to make everything work out. I also added two additional rows to the button bands before the buttonholes, and then made six buttonholes to mitigate the pulling across my chest. All the details, etc. are ravelled here.

Categories: finished, Knitting Tags: Burrard, ssKAL

9:24 am - September 27, 2013 - AngelaH

We’re sorry, Burrard can’t come to the phone right now

I really, really thought I was going to have a finished sweater to show you today. I finished seaming Burrard last Thursday, before we went camping, and that just left the button bands and collar to do this week and I really, really thought that was a realistic goal. And then, well, this week rolled around and it was a day short (because we didn’t get home from camping until Monday night) and then I had long days because I was filling in for a special section at work, and before I knew it it was this morning and I’d spent about three and a half hours with Burrard and, well, yeah.

It’s not so bad, really. I’m four rows into the button band, which means I’m one row away from putting in the button holes, and since I’ve already more or less mapped out where they’re going to go, that’s a snap. And that means I’m only two rows away from starting the short-row shawl collar, and once that’s done I’m only a few rows from binding off, and then it’s just weaving in ends and I’m done. Practically nothing! Except my sister is coming to visit this weekend, and the weather looks good, so we probably won’t sit around the house talking while I knit like a maniac. But by the next week? Yeah, by then I should have a finished sweater to show you.

In the meantime, how about some finished socks? These were my everywhere socks. I carried the first one with me around Boston and grafted the toe shut on the plane on the way home. The second sock took longer, but I every night on the way home from work for the last couple of weeks I’ve knit a couple of rows (including a few while camping), and wouldn’t you know it, they all added up and now I have a finished pair. This is the kind of stealth knitting that surprises even me. All that time, feeling like I wasn’t making any progress and then all of a sudden I was dividing for the heel and then, before I knew it, decreasing for the toe. It wasn’t fast, but it was exactly what I needed.

I kind of love the weird way colours pool around a flap heel. It should bother me, but it’s so unpredictable I almost look forward to it.

I am a big fan of this pattern (Simple Skyp Socks, which has been knit by everyone I think) and this yarn (Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock) and I suspect to see both in my near future. If you, like me, are late to the Skyp Socks party, I say don’t wait. They’re addicting in the way that patterned socks can be, but also mindless enough that you can pick them up and put them down and not worry about wondering where you are when you get back to them. They’re perfect for social – or transit – knitting, and the pattern includes a range of sizes. Even better? They don’t gobble up much yarn. I have size 9 feet, and knit the leg longer than normal, and still had 32 g left over.

I’m still working on the whole selfie-sock-photo thing. I’m getting better though.

Holiday knitting is right around the corner, so I might not finish another pair of socks for myself for a little while, which makes these even sweeter. They’re the first cashmere blend socks I’ve knit for myself, and even if it takes a few months for a repeat performance, at least I know my feet will be cozy and warm in the interim.

Details
Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku
Yarn: Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock in Admiral Benbow
Needle: 2.5mm
Mods: None, really. I forgot to knit a purl row after the ribbing, so I left it off the second sock too. The only other tweak I made was when dividing for the heel I arranged my stitches so the instep would be symmetrical, with one purl stitch on each side. Otherwise I just knit as the pattern directed me to. Ravelled here.

I knit both of these socks from the same skein, but they looks totally different. Somehow, the second half of the skein had way, way more of that rusty orange colour. I love that about hand painted yarns, especially with a pattern like this one.

Categories: finished, in progress, Knitting Tags: Burrard, socks

9:50 am - September 24, 2013 - AngelaH

Wool in the wild

It’s weekends like the one was just had that make me so, so glad that I’m a knitter. L and I, and our friends Sam and Carmen, went camping in almost-Northern Ontario (almost northern because we didn’t go as far as, say, Sudbury or North Bay, but were north of Barrie – this will mean nothing to you if you aren’t from around here, but if you’re curious about where we were, here it is on a map). Basically, it was far enough north to already be fall, which meant it was not exactly warm.

It rained for most of the first day, but it wasn’t too hard, and there were some breaks, and it was warm-ish rain, so none of us really minded. The temperature dropped quite a bit over night, though, and it can’t have been warmer than 8 Celsius the next morning (that’s about 45 Fahrenheit). It was cold and still overcast when we set out for our second site. By the time we got there (about an hour of canoeing) Carmen and I were freezing. It was quite windy and the site, while gorgeous, was very exposed. We set up a windscreen and put up the tents and then L and Sam (impervious to cold) went for an afternoon paddle while Carmen and I tried to warm up.

Here I am, trying to start a fire (with great success a few minutes later). For the record, I’m wearing wool socks, hiking boots, two pairs of pants, a wicking t-shirt, a wool base layer, a medium-weight base layer, a fleece jacket, a rain coat, my shawl, and mitts – and I was still cold.

Luckily, I brought a lot of wool. In addition to a wool base layer, I brought four pairs of hand knit socks (one for each day and a fourth for sleeping – my sleeping bag is rated up to -25 Celsius, but I still need wool socks to keep my feet warm when then temperature drops to single digits); my Sweet Street shawl, which was lightweight and warm and wrapped snuggly around my neck twice, and was basically perfect; and a pair of Camp Out Fingerless Mitts that I decided I really needed about 36 hours before we left and finished in the car on the way there – I will never go camping without a pair of these mitts again.

I was in a rush when I cast on and didn’t read the instructions properly (what is it about simple-looking patterns that makes me think I don’t have to read the directions?). Anyway, I cast on nearly three-times as many stitches as necessary for the cuffs that go around the fingers. This part is knit sideways, though, so they didn’t end to too big, just very long. I was a little annoyed about this (I only had a few hours to knit these and three times as many stitches means three times as long) but when I put them on I realized it was one of those happy accidents. At full-length, they were kind of like open-ended mittens, which made them warm while still giving me the full use of my hands.

Rolled-down, they were the perfect fingerless-mitts height, and also doubly warm around my palm. That easy convertibility meant I basically didn’t take them off for three days. They’re a bit felted now (I wore them while paddling) and could use a good wash, but they were exactly what I needed and I’m already planning to knit another pair with a couple of other mods (the main one being to pick up stitches around the thumb and knit three or four garter ridges up, since my thumb did get a little chilly).

This pink sky at night did indeed portend a sailor’s (or, canoeist’s) delight the next day.

Our last day, yesterday, was absolutely gorgeous. It was that perfect fall day when the sky is a deep, endless blue, and the wind is low so the water is just slightly rippled, like antique glass. It was warm in the sun and our paddle out was perfect. It’s the kind of weather you hope for, and I’m glad we got at least one day of it; even if it was our shortest, it was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Details
Pattern: Camp Out Fingerless Mitts by tante ehm
Yarn: Cascade Eco+ in Lake Chelan Heather (shade #9451) from my stash
Needle: 4.5mm
Mods: Mainly just casting on too many stitches initially. I also shortened the hands/arms because I was in a hurry, and added four rows of 1×1 rib to the bottom. When I knit the next pair, I’ll add a couple of garter ridges to the top so I can pick up a few more stitches for the hand. I’ll also knit up the thumb a bit and, before the bottom ribbing, I’ll cast on a few stitches just to make the bottom a little stretchier. I pulled these on just fine, but even with a loose cast-off, they were tight coming over my hands. I’d probably knit them longer too. Ravelled here.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? I brought my Skyp socks with me, but didn’t manage to knit more than a few rows while we were camping (and a few inches in the car on the way home).

Categories: finished, Knitting, Out and about Tags: camping, mittens

9:32 am - September 9, 2013 - AngelaH

Marriage mittens

A little while ago, I read Nancy Bush’s Folk Knitting in Estonia (yes, read; there’s a lot of front matter on customs and traditions before you even get to the patterns) and I was amazed by the role mittens played in Estonian traditions, especially marriage. For example: by the time they were brides, women were expected to have at least 50 pairs of mittens in their dowry chest. And not just regular mittens, either, fancy mittens they could present as gifts to their wedding party and their groom and his family and the guests. Mittens were also traditional gifts for an Estonian bride because, as Nancy Bush says, in Estonia people would often go through three or more pairs of mittens a winter.

I read all this after having knit a pair of mittens as a wedding gift for my friend Carmen last year. They were the fanciest mittens I’d ever knit and, for reasons I couldn’t quite express at the time, seemed like a perfect wedding gift for an October bride.

This October, my good friend Jacq is getting married. I knew I wanted to knit her a wedding gift, and after reading Nancy Bush’s book, I knew that mittens would be perfect. She is someone with a deep appreciation for tradition, especially where women’s work and wisdom are concerned, and I knew she would appreciate not only that the mittens were hand knit, but also that they relate back to marriage tradition – albeit, one from a country and culture that neither of us are related to.

The trouble was, of course, what mittens to knit? There are a lot of patterns out there and I wanted them to be pretty but also suitable for everyday wear. Jacq often walks to work, so they needed to be warm (Toronto winters can get cold), but not so thick that she couldn’t easily hold a coffee cup or use her phone while wearing them.

I looked at a lot of patterns before remembering how much I liked Rachel Coopey’s Chamomile mittens and hat set from last winter’s Twist Collective. I knit them up in Classic Elite Fresco, which is a blend of wool, alpaca, and angora, making it lightweight and super warm and perfect for stranded colour work. The pattern also suggests traditional lace edgings to me and, although I have not yet seen the wedding dress, I just know it’s going to feature lace detailing.

Jacq’s bridal shower was yesterday; she didn’t open any gifts during the shower, but she e-mailed me this morning to say she opened the mittens last night, and, in her words, “they’re perfect for me.” Her wedding is in October, and while I hope it isn’t yet cold enough for her to need the mittens, I hope they keep her hands warm and cozy through the first few winters of her marriage, and, when they wear out, I will happily replace them.

Details
Pattern: Chamomile by Rachel Coopey
Yarn: Classic Elite Fresco in Cornflower and Parchment
Needles: 2.5 mm
Mods: I knit the pattern almost entirely as written. My only real change was to rechart the middle row of the colour work (between the “lace” borders). As written, the charts would make mittens to fit my hands perfectly, but I am probably 7 inches taller than she is, and her hands are thus proportionally smaller than mine. I took nine rows (!) out of each colour work repeat, which shortened the whole mitten by about two inches and the finger area specifically by about an inch, which was perfect. It took me a few tries to figure out a mod that I liked, but after that, the knitting flew. Ravelled here.

Categories: finished, Knitting Tags: gift knitting, mittens

9:38 am - August 16, 2013 - AngelaH

Slightly odd socks

iPhoto tells me this was taken July 5.

It turns out that maybe the best way to finish a pair of plain socks is to cast on an intricately cabled sweater. These socks have been on my needles since April. They were my backup knitting: something I could knit a few rows on here and there when I needed a break from whatever else I was working on, or we were spending an afternoon with friends, or I thought I might finish my book on my way home from work and maybe I should tuck my knitting into my bag just in case. And they were perfect.

The first sock languished at the toe decreases for a while (they’re easy, but not totally mindless) and then I finished it up and cast on the second sock back in June, when I thought I might need a stretch of plain stockinette. And then the second sock just sat there with two inches knit until my recent cabling issues. I wasn’t in any rush to finish them, but then after turning the heel on the weekend, I decided I was pretty close to done should maybe just buckle down and finish them off.

After the weekend.

There has been a twinge of fall in the air here this week, and it has been getting decidedly cool at night, two things that should make me want to finish a big sweater, but instead drove me to knit socks. I can’t explain it.

The two skeins knit up really differently. The first sock barely pooled at all (except around the gusset, which is to be expected), but the second sock flashed like crazy. This is why hand painted yarns are fun.

What I can explain, though, is why they don’t quite match. This goes back to casting on when I needed something plain. I had most of two skeins of this Koigu KPPPM (#P123), so I went for it. Two skeins of Koigu will make me a pair of plain socks almost exactly (that is, minimal leftovers). I knit these socks at 9 sts to the inch, because without the benefit of nylon the tighter knit makes them last longer, so they’re dense, and I have big feet, but one skein per foot is perfect. I, however, did not have one full skein per foot, and instead of altering my standard sock pattern – say, knitting a 5-inch leg instead of my normal 6 inches – I just went on autopilot and then ran out of the first skein just before the toe of the first sock, and then ran out of the second skein in almost exactly the same spot in the second sock.

I had some leftover Koigu (colourway number forgotten) kicking around, so I just used that. They don’t quite match, but I don’t mind so much. I have a soft spot for surprise toes (toes of a different colour, whether just one or both) and when the yarn is this wild and not-matching anyway, I don’t mind at all.

Details
Pattern: Basic 68-stitch cuff-down socks
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM #P123
Needles: 2.25mm
Mods: Besides the toe, none. These are knit more tightly than my normal socks, which is why there are more stitches. Notes are here on Ravelry (thank goodness, because I couldn’t remember the exact numbers of things by the time I got to the second sock!)

Oh, and yes, even though I meant to go right back to Burrard, I may have slipped accidentally and cast on for more socks. Simple Skyp Socks have been popping up all over the place and now I know why.

Super addicting. (Knit in Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock in the Admiral Benbow colourway.)

Categories: finished, in progress, Knitting Tags: Dragonfly Fibers, Koigu, socks