How the stash does grow...

The yarn fairy dropped by my house this week. She brought with her these lovelies from Knit Picks. If I am ever going to catch up on my two pair per month dream for this year I needed some more solid color yarn. While I like striping and varigated yarns I really am in lace mode and the pattern shows up so much more with a simple yarn.

Then the yarn fairy dropped of this :

Off to the left hand side of the box of Lacey Lamb is some of the new Angel Wing that made it's debut at TNNA Winter. I knit with some of this in red for that show, now to use some for myself. :)

Not much that I can show you on the knitting front, there has been knitting, but...itsa secret.

~M

More of the spiders

My very first pair of toe up socks are done! And although I did modify the pattern a little bit, and they do have one not quite right, not sure what I did wrong, but no-one can see when they are on, heel, overall I am pretty pleased with them!
The Gardener by Leslie Comstock
Araucania Ranco Solid in greens, and not quite as solid as the name would imply!
Size 1 (US) needles, worked in the "leap frog manner" as described in a prior post.
Mods : Changed the lace bind off for a standard 1 by 1 twisted ribbing until I was tired of it!
Techniques used: A magic cast on and A surprising bind off.

I have one other thing that I can tell you, while I knit away on things I am not able to share just yet...my knitting is in a new book! Comfort Knitting and Crochet has a pattern that I sample knit the squares for..thank goodness I didn't have to attach them to each other as crochet is not one of my favorite things! Check out the book and look at the pattern Petal. :)

~M

Spiders!

In progress photo's of The Gardener, I think I got the hang of casting on for the toes using the magic cast on that Amanda suggested. The first yarn attempt did NOT work out too well for me, so now these socks are being knit in Araucania Ranco Solid in Lime green.

I have been "leap-frogging" these socks, having found that I seem to finish just a little faster (as in not get second sock syndrome) when I am working on a Mystery Sock. So..I knit two toes, on the second toe I moved onto the foot to where the gusset increases begin (did I mention these begin in the middle of the bottom of the foot? Cat Bordhi came up with it!!) then I switched socks and knit from the beginning of the increases to the end, switch again to get as far as the heel and so on and so forth until I got to where I am today.....two feet and one leg.

The vine lace pattern on the front of the leg is really easy to do, a couple of repeats and that chart got lost in the shuffle on my desk, but it is in my brain now so I don't need it!

One leg and some kind of cuff to go! :)

~M

Practically Identical

Stripey and loud was the order of the day for these socks! I think that they fit the bill perfectly and if you account for the fact that the man has one foot extended you will notice that I finally got it right and those socks are practically identical!

No real pattern on those bad boys, just knit 2 purl 2 ribbing that spirals around the leg and instep of the sock. Short row heels and rounded toes complete the "pattern". :)

Next up ?

The Gardener which will be a challenge if for no other reason than I have never knit toe up socks before!

~M

And that's all there was....

I finally finished my March Mystery Socks from SKA on Ravelry. If you like twisted stitches, delicate lace and micro cables this is the pattern for you! I do, so I think it is a fabulous pattern! I can just about guarantee this pattern will show up on the blog again, both myself and the Drama Queen think it rocks! The cat does too and refused to move out of the way while I was trying to take pictures.

Stats:

Currently un-named mystery sock pattern,
size 1 (US) needles, worked magic loop to make it portable
Land O Lace Steffi in Pennock, this is a Just Abouts colorway and let me tell you it is well worth your time to check this yarn out. Seriously decadent feeling, while still being easy care for the gal who isn't so hot at sorting laundry!
Made to fit my feet, but unfortunately that means they also fit The Drama Queen so they are apt to be missing from my sock drawer.

Being a fairly concentration intensive project I had to cast on something simple for movie watching!




Standard 72 stitch sock, in 2 by 2 ribbing that spirals (every 6 rows move the stitches one to the left) with a short row heel. Cascade Sassy Stripes and size 1 needles, knit this far while watching Monsters Vs Aliens and the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The baby blanket progresses but isn't really photo worthy!

Is that all there is?

The week has blown by and all I have to show is the heels of my March Mystery Socks...not that they have been the only knitting, just all I have to show...

But as Peggy Lee sang "If that's all there is my friends, then lets keep dancing."

~M

CatchUp Sunday

I just realized that I never posted the "together" picture of my Silver Gauntlets, so here they are. Now these mitts should be across the country on the hands of a 12 year old. The Drama Queen was a little upset about that turn of events, but has been mollified with the thoughts of some different ones for her very own hands.

Stats: Burnished Gold Gauntlets from Bad Cat Designs, you can buy the pattern at Ravelry or just click on the left hand side of the blog and buy directly from her website
Jade Sapphire Silk Cashmere in Sterling less than one skein. If you knit Netsuke Wrap
you will have enough left of the second skein to knit these.
Addi Lace Needles size 0
Craft Store glass beads
Techniques : Knitting in the round, cables, lace and beading


I also finished Clue 2 on my March Mystery Socks. It is amazing the different row gauges that are out there, the designer ended up with a 7 inch tall leg, mine is closer to 8.5 inches and I have seen everything from 6 inches on up on the group pages at Ravelry!

I am still working on Veil of Isis as Baby Blanket II. I have only been working on this during (rare) lunch breaks and (many) conference calls at work so it is going more slowly than you would expect. I have just completed the third corner pattern. I might have to swap it out and bring something else to work as I need to have this finished in less than three weeks.

~M