Brainless Socks

I like to have at least one project going that doesn't take very much brain power to knit.  Something where I can let my hands do the thinking.  Hermione's Everyday Socks fit the bill perfectly (and they work well with really busy, multicolored, handdyed yarns).  Apparently, this will be my fifth pair of these, so clearly I like them!

I'm knitting them in Hedgehog Fibres Sock in the Splash colorway.  This was an ESK exclusive from 2018, when the Yarnathon theme was ocean-y.  This yarn is a finer weight fingering so I'm working them on US 0's (2.0 mm) needles.  Since they're on smaller needles, I'm using 72 stitches instead of my usual 64.  The pattern is super easy to adjust since it only has a four stitch repeat.

In non knitting related news, today is Mr. Noodle's third birthday!  Honestly, we weren't sure if he was going to get this far.  We thought he'd accidentally do himself in.  Obviously, we're very happy that he's been unsuccessful with accidentally killing himself, but we keep a close watch on him.  Constantly.  He's a total love machine and is truly sweet, but the crazy streak runs deep.

A Finished Cardigan

I finished my Growing Cardigan over the weekend.  This will be a perfect layering piece for colder weather, but it's supposed to get into the 80's today so I'm not sure if I'll be able to wear it until fall.  

Something about the way the upper body section is designed makes this sit perfectly on the shoulders, which doesn't always happen on cardigans without closures.  The fronts actually go all the way over the top of the shoulders and join the back on the back side of the shoulders (it's kind of hard to explain).  There are short rows involved, but beyond that I have no idea how this works.  You can see the line where the back and fronts join in the photo above.  (I used a two stitch i-cord to match the sleeve and hem bind offs instead of what the pattern called for here.)  It's not the usual sweater construction, but it works really well.

I knit it in Malabrigo Rios in Pines.  I skipped the pockets and intended to make it as long as I could, but then I tried it on and realized the length was perfect right where it was.  I actually ended up frogging a few inches so I could re-knit in ribbing.  This was my first time knitting a pattern by this designer, but I'll definitely be doing more.

A funny story about the color, I was watching the Super Bowl and I kept looking at the Eagles' helmets.  I thought that shade of dark green, with just a bit of blue was so pretty.  My eye kept going to that color throughout the whole game.  Finally in the fourth quarter I realized the helmets were essentially the same color as the sweater I was knitting.  While I was watching the entire game.

Easy Peasy Socks

I finally wove in the ends of my Easy Peasy socks, so I can now call them finished!  It took me two episodes of Gray's Anatomy to get these finished, but they are ready to wear now.

I don't currently have a pair of socks on the needles and it feels kind of weird.  I haven't decided if I want to knit a pair of single color socks or if I want to do another pair of colorwork socks.  Then I'll have to go stash diving and pick color(s).  Or maybe I want to start a shawl.  I'm going to have to do some thinking about this.

Have a great weekend!  I'll be over here thinking...

Happy Valentine's Day

My Valentine's Socks are all finished!  I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday, whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not!

New Socks

First of all, let me just say that I have finished the Easy Peasy socks, I haven't woven in the ends or blocked them.  Maybe this weekend.  I did start another pair of socks for ESK's Craft Your Heart Out FCAL.  The point of this Flash Craft-A-Long was to make something with a heart, any heart.  I chose to make the True Romance Socks from the Heart Shaped Sock Set pattern (there are three different sock designs in this set).  

I'm using Three Irish Girls Adorn Luxe in My Cherie Amour for the main (pink) color, and I chose Madelinetosh Twist Light in Kitten for the colorwork motif, but I was afraid the speckles in the pink might make the colorwork look muddy, so I'm using Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in Natural as the background for the colorwork.  I have lengthened the leg of the sock a bit, and I made the leg slouchy while the foot fits snugly, and I also skipped the little bit of colorwork the pattern calls for near the toe.

I've finished the first sock (and woven in the ends!!!), and I'm in the colorwork section of the second sock now.  I have until midnight Tuesday night (I think - probably need to double check that) to finish.  This is the first stranded colorwork I've done with long floats, so I'm doing a bit of wrapping on those so I don't catch my toe on them every time I put the socks on.

Have a great weekend!

Spinning

I plied the singles over the weekend!  Here are the finished skeins of Malabrigo Nube in the Azules colorway.  They are a heavy fingering weight, possibly sport weight - I haven't washed them yet so there might be some floofing.  I ended up with 325 yards of three ply for the big skein, and 32 yards of chain ply for the little skein, made of the leftovers.

I spun the singles on my Kromski Symphony and did the plying on my Schacht Flatiron because it has bigger bobbins.  I have no definite plans for this yarn, I'll just stash it until I do.

Back to Socks

I woke up this morning to a world covered in ice.  Everything is edged with a delicate fringe of icicles.  We're supposed to get above freezing later this morning and get regular rain this afternoon, so I'm hoping that will clear some of the ice away.  The back patio is a solid sheet of ice and even the little birds are having trouble making clean landings.

I've gotten back to work on my Easy Peasy socks.  Actually, I've gotten back to the second sock since the first was finished before the end of last year.  I did the heel turn and I'm working my way down the foot now. I haven't woven in any ends on either of these socks yet.  I've carried yarn as much as possible, but there are still a lot of ends.  I'm kind of trying not to think about it.

I still haven't plied the singles I finished spinning last week, but I hope to get to them this weekend.  I hope you all have a wonderful and cozy weekend (unless you're in the middle of summer right now and cozy doesn't sound like a good idea).