Year of Projects: Week 29

This has been an eventful week!  I worked my last week at my seasonal retail job.  I'm sad to have to leave but the store isn't keeping any of the seasonal workers and from what I've seen, there isn't enough business to support the workers as it is.  I got another job, for the same company in a different location.  Colour me happy and I hope I enjoy it just as much as I did at the first location (and for still being employed).  I start at the end of the month so that's like have just over 2 weeks vacation :)

I am suitably happy with the work that I've done in regards to knitting this week.  I've finished a project, cast on another and I'm about to cast on for another.

It's now 4 out of 26! Woefully behind but who cares?  I've finished the Circe Socks.  The ends have to be woven in and socks have to be washed but I am classifying them as being done!

 

 Yarn: Anzula Squishy in the colourway Ducky

I need a proper picture needs to be shown to show the details of the socks.  They are beautiful and a fun and easy knit.  I'd definitely do it again.  Also, if you can get to an LYS and squish this yarn, DO IT!  It feels so nice!

I started the mittens for the SpillyJane KAL from my LYS, Handknit Yarn Studios, late Friday night.  I'm knitting the Warm Woolen Mittens.  I haven't even finished the cuff yet so I don't quite think there's a point to taking a picture as of yet but there will definitely be one next week. I got to be ready for the cast on party at the shop.  We were actually given permission to start early if we wanted to.

The other project that I'm about to start is another test pattern for Econnerd on Ravelry.  It's a fingering weight cowl.  Only problem is that I don't think I have a circular needle in a size 2.5 US and neither do I have it in interchangeable tips.  I may just go up a needle size and be done with it.

On another note, if you want to try a Stephen West pattern, they are 25% off until the end of today (meaning Sunday January 12, 2014).  I purchased 3 of them; Clockwork, Barndom and Rockerfella.  I got the yarn picked out for one of them (if it gets found) and I'll probably keep the other 2 in mind when I go out and buy more yarn for the stash.

YEAR OF PROJECTS / 26 PAIR PLUNGE

Year of Projects: Week 15

Guess what?  I can finally use this again!

I finally finished the Ladder to the Sky Socks and I still have a good amount of the yarn left over.  I'll weigh it tomorrow and see what can be done with the remains.  I'm feeling a quick stint on the Blankie is in order.

So that's one FO.  I have another one as well for this week.  I finished the birthday gifts for my brother RJ.  I don't have a picture of him wearing them yet since I kinda threw it in the car after he got out of it without his knowledge and I think his mother hid it even further in the car so he doesn't open it until his birthday on Friday.

So that's two FO's (and three in the last 2 weeks).  I have been working diligently on the Earth and Sky Shawl and I am still loving it.  I was debating on Friday what size to do.  I finally decided on the small and that means I have just a few more rows to do and then block the darn thing.  I have never blocked anything other than socks and that's rare as it is.  It should be finished this week.

I am still loving the colour choice and as much as I say I want to make another once, I want to do another Stephen West shawl pattern soon.  I think I had Chadwick next on my list.  I just have to actually acquire the pattern and I'm sure I have enough yarn in my stash, starting with the new skein I got for the sock club.  I've already determined it's not going towards socks.

YEAR OF PROJECTS/26 PAIR PLUNGE

Year of Projects: Week 9

Another week as come around and guess what?  The pair of socks I had hoped to be finished by last Sunday, got finished by early Wednesday morning (a la "just after midnight" morning) .  So that means I can use the 26 Pair Plunge banner yet again and then show off my lovely Tiberius socks.

Aren't they pur-tee?  They are very bright and I love them.  So that's 2/26 for the 26 pair plunge, and 6/13 for the 13 socks of 2013 (which apparently I forgot I was apart of too).

Speaking of the 13 of 2013, I actually pulled out all the socks I had knitted since January.  They had to be a completed pair and I have 6 pairs with one with my aunt since I did make them for her.  I piled them all together and took a picture (not including the pair for my aunt because she forgot I had asked for them).

It's things like this that really make you see that you are making progress (and that I need to make a pair of socks in the orange/red family), especially when you feel like you're not going anywhere.  I've already knit more socks that I knit last year and we're still only in August.  I've got quite a few one foot socks that I need to finish soon, especially since some them...mainly the Stitch Surfer, I consider pretty mindless knitting.  I could probably do that one while catching up on a tv show or while watching my soaps (I cannot believe I have gotten back into soap operas but they're getting so interesting again!).

I casted on for the August/September a pair socks for the Cookie A.'s 2013 Sock Club called Istanbul.  I'm making these ones for my aunt and I'm using a yarn that I dyed for it.  I'm also happy that I wrote down the directions for this colour because I want to knit a pair of socks or anklets for myself in this yarn colour.

I am a bit further along but not by much.  I'm still decreasing on the gusset but it is coming along nicely.  I'm not making any time guarantees for this one though because last night, I caved.  I went to the tupperware bin that house the Blankie and I started to knit.  I have even joined the two pieces and I have 2 complete rows finished and I'm a square and a half away from finishing the 3 row.  I even started cleaning up the back of the Blankie while watching Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless.  Somehow, I'm up to 123 squares.  I was at 117 Thursday afternoon. before I picked it up.  I will keep up the work for this weekend and them I will have to pick a different WIP to work on in conjunction with my socks.

One of the projects I want to finish off is the Stitch Surfer (as previously mentioned) and it's not like it will take a lot to finish it.  I just have to unpick the bindoff, and do it properly, and then get started on the second foot.  Perhaps once I finish the Istanbul's, I'll some effort towards it.

Year of Projects / 26 Pair Plunge

2/26 done!

This actually happened early Wednesday morning, after I saw the news program about Elmore Leonard; I finished the Tiberius socks!

They just to be washed and they are ready to join the other socks I have knit for this year since January. 

I quickly, after getting a good 8 hours of sleep, cast on for the Istanbul socks for my aunt. The plan was to knit them as a set of anklets. I soon realized I would not figure out how to proceed with this within 30 minutes so I started to knit them as per the instructions and decided that they will be a little longer than anklets. By last night, I was at the beginning section of the heel flap and as of today during "Days of Our Livrs", I was working on the gusset. I think this will be another quick pair. 

Also, I'm using a skein that I had dyed back in March, I think, for the Tosh-a-long. I'm happy that I wrote down what I did to make this skein because I am loving it but since these socks are not for me, I will not be able to reap the full benefits :(

And as a bonus, and a good show of how much progress in knitting I have done since the new year (not the knitting new year), I pulled out all the socks I have knit with the exception of the one pair that I have to my aunt.

That is 5 whole pairs of socks for myself, 1 for my aunt and like a bunch of one foot pairs. This is encouraging :) and I also realized that I need more from the red family in my sock stash.  I do have my red BFFs socks but that was for last year. I think before the year is out, I need knit something with either the blood-orange yarn from SweetGeorgia or the fuschia yarn from Springtree Road. I guess I have a pre selected skein for October and/or December.

I am looking forward to putting all of my socks for this year in one picture and see how high the pile will go.

Year of Projects: Week 7

I finally have a finished project! A sock project!  So that means I can finally use this:

And show off my socks!

The Spock Socks are done. They just need to be laundered but that'll have to wait until later. I'm still basking in the "I have a new pair of socks" feeling.

And with a newly finished pair of socks, I have more yarn to add to the Blankie. As much as I'd like to immediately add the Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label to the Blankie, I know myself; once I put on one, I won't stop. Then I'll bemoan the fact that I'm not finishing my other projects. I just need to learn some self control and patience.

I could have also picked up on the Shapely Boyfriend Cardigan but decided against it. I'm still at the ribbing and I have about 5 more rounds to go however it is such a good project to work on when people want I have a conversation with you at a knitting circle. This is what generally occurs at the knitting circle so in saving my more mindless knitting for then.

I went looking for the Tiberius Socks that I had started not long after Spock socks. For the life of me, I could not find it. I saw the bag I had housed it in a few days before but it was like it sprouted legs and in the middle of the night, it decided to take a leisurely stroll off of my bed and never came back.

Not much worried other than the fact I had the perfect colour for "Command Gold" inside of there. I went to a box I had with 50g balls of sock yarn from Knit Picks and pulled out Dandelion in Stroll. At the very least, it was not as bright as my Sunshine Tanis yarn that by name alone sounds too bright to be used for socks named after Capt. James T. Kirk.

See how bright this colourway is? The Sunshine skein is even brighter.  The Tiberius socks are coming out nicely. In actually really liking the pattern and I was shocked with the progress I had made in less than a day. By the time I had gone to bed on the first night, I had almost finished the 24 rows of the setup and now, I'm half way through the leg chart already.  I think these may end up being a quick knit pair.  I am enjoying the process way too much.

Last Monday I received the patterns for August and September. I don't know how much I am really feeling them. I may just spend some of the time finishing up WIPs and maybe attempt anklet versions instead. Who knows? Maybe my opinion will change once I start knitting them.

I actually started looking through my stash, trying to decide what yarn I was going to use for the Tree of Life socks by Janel Laidman only to realize the next day that I have the Firebrand socks on my list, which requires a lot more yarn...I may be making my first change on the list.  The Tree of Life socks were the socks that attracted me to the book in the first place so I don't think I'll be feeling guilty about changing the pattern.  Perhaps I can get some suggestions as to what to use (for socks that probably won't be attempted until next year).

The 2 right squares have the same skeins of yarn but it's different ends of it.  The dark colour is Kohl in Muscadine by Springtree Road.  The contrast skein in the top left is Foliage in Stroll by Knit Picks; bottom right is Goldstone in Muscadine by Springtree Road and the right side is a skein that I dyed myself from Acme Fibres.

Year of Projects Update

1 down and 25 more to go

My Spock socks are done!

I had already started at the toes last night but I think that at 2:30 in the morning, it was safe to put the socks aside and go to bed.

I went to pick up the Tiberius socks a couple of hours later, only to find that I could not find it. I have no idea where it is. So I went to my stash, pulled out 2 balls of Knit Picks Stroll in Dandelion and started again. It's not like I had knit the other sock that far anyways.

It's not the "Commander" yellow (circa TOS) I was looking forward to using but the other yellow I have is called Sunshine; the name alone tells you that it's too bright for socks referring to Capt. James T. Kirk.

With July comes new challenges

This time of year seems to be the new year for year-long knitting challenges. Starting July 1st, I will be participating in 2 of them: Year of Projects and 26 Pairs of Socks. Luckily for me they can work together and can include my WIPs as well.

26 pairs of socks

- remaining 6 pairs from the sock club (6)

- the WIP one foot socks that I have to finish (4)

- anklets (7)

- 2014 Sock Club (6)

- something from The Enchanted Sole (1)

- another 2 pairs from somewhere else (2)

That takes care of the socks.

Sweater/Cardigan

- Shapely Boyfriend

Mittens/Gloves

- Hermione's Fingerless Gloves

Hat

- Hermione Loves Ron

Other

- Blankie

The Blankie is probably the only one that is not expected to be finished by this time 2014.