wifeKnits

Handspun Socks

My handspun socks are done. I cast off sock # 2 last night and wove in all the ends. I even wore them and took pictures. :) Hurray. I think they are pretty comfy. A bit loose, but being 100% wool, maybe the next time I wash them (by hand, which I really need to remember), they will shrink just enough to be a bit snugger. I really like them. This pair of socks marks my first toe-up socks, my first knitted item using my handspun yarn and my first short-row heel. And for a first time, my heels and toes look pretty darn good.

Posted in Socks | No Comments

Quinn

I’m up to the heel on my 2nd handspun sock, but last night I decided to polish my toes, so I couldn’t work on it because I couldn’t try it on. So what did I do instead? I started a new project. Gah! I’m doing Quinn (a cabled bag) in some TLC Essentials that I have in my stash from the old granny square project I abandoned. I’ve only gotten one repeat done of the top band and it looks awesome. I consider this an advanced cable pattern, because it’s an 11 row repeat and every row has a cable cross. After one one repeat of the pattern, I can already see the cable pattern forming. It’s so cool.

I’ve been wanting to do cables for a while now and I think this is a good practice to get me a little more comfortable with it before I plunge into the Central Park Hoodie. My husband of course, was teasing me about starting yet another project before finishing the ones I’m working on. LOL! But he really is supportive of my hobbies.

I’m itching to work on it again, but I do want to get the heel done on my sock so I can get it finished. There’s just something about knitting with yarn you made yourself.

Posted in Bags, Socks | No Comments

Short Row Toes

You know, I was doing a little thought processing this morning on the way to work while listening to the Knit Picks podcast and I had an aha! moment. I just recently did my first short row heel and it made perfect sense. I started thinking about how it would apply for the toe and suddenly it all clicked. It also suddenly made sense why you need a provisional cast on and that I’m sure I could figure out how to use the cable of my cable needle as a "waste yarn" when using the magic loop method, which I prefer when making socks.

I also decided I much prefer the short row heel when using circular needles, because you don’t have that insane # of stitches on the needles from picking up gusset stitches. Somehow it all made perfect sense.

Isn’t it great when you have that aha! moment when everything clicks and it all makes sense finally?

Posted in Knitting, Socks | No Comments

Office Gear

The air conditioning in my office has been fixed, or we hope. This is day 2 of cool air coming out of the vents. Hurray! This means no more oven to sit in all day. It also means I have reason to get back to my minimalist cardigan. So that I can wear it in the office finally! I must finish those sleeves that I had to rip back. And pray they will fit. If they do not fit, then it means the sweater as a whole will not fit. When I knit the body, I knit to the stitch instructions for the size 34" because my gauge was so off. It worked and my sweater measures just short of the width measurements for the size 39" which was my intentional size. I also knit the length of the armholes for the size 39" so that I’d have more room in the armhole since I have somewhat chunky upper arms. But I made the mistake of knitting the sleeves to the size 34", which meant the sleeve cap was way to short for the armhole. So when I went to sew the sleeves on, the sleeve was so tight I couldn’t move my arm. I ripped it all back out and cast on again. I’m planning to work the sleeves in the size 39" and hope it works out better giving me more room in the armhole to actually move my arms.

This finally cool office also means I can go back to my plan on knitting Evangeline [links to ravelry] (fingerless mitts/wristwarmers). I’ve been wanting to make these for a while, but decided to wait til the weather got cooler because I had no need to make them now with an office that felt like an oven. It’s cool enough in my office now that my hands and fingers actually got cold. So I think my need for a pair of fingerless mitts just increased. Hurray!!!

Yesterday I did make the run to A.C. Moore and picked up a Vera look-a-like bag. I really like it too. I can fit my two projects, patterns, and my notions bag in there and it takes up less room than total tote. I can also sling it over my shoulder with my purse, which is nice when I’m carrying a mug of coffee and a toddler with all her stuff. The only thing is that since she carried it around the store for me when we bought it, she now thinks it’s hers, so she won’t let me carry it. She just screams "BAG" when she sees it and insists on carrying it herself. LOL!

Posted in Knitting, Sweaters and Cardigans | No Comments

Thank Goodness for Lifelines

This weekend I worked on my lace shawl. I always make sure I work on it sitting down where I can lay out my pattern and focus on each row, so that I don’t make a mistake. Well, apparently I was too focused on the show I was watching and not enough on the shawl, because I ended up making a mistake. Thank goodness for my lifeline. I managed to rip back 3 rows to my lifeline, put the needle and stitch markers back in place and redo the row.

Of course it meant no progress, because as soon as I got all that done, the little one woke up from her nap, so the knitting had to be put away again. Go figure. So I only managed to complete one lace repeat rather than two this weekend like I was hoping.

In other knitting news, I’ve decided I need a "Vera Bradley" bag for my knitting. I’m coveting a soft, fabric-y squishy bag for my knitting. I’m currently using a Total Tote and I really like it, but for some reason, I know want a soft Vera bag. But I can’t really afford a Vera bag, so I think I’m going to head over to AC Moore this afternoon and get one of the knock-offs they have. But, hmm, I may just have to head over to the mall and check out the real Vera bags, just because.

Posted in Knitting, Lace | No Comments