Year of Projects: Week 11

For this week, I finished 1 foot of the test pattern sock but as far as I know, I still don't have permission to show it off yet but it does look very pretty.  I love the yarn so much and I was disappointed to find out the dyer doesn't seem to make that colour anymore.  I'd have to check and she if she would be willing to do it as a special commission or something.  It's from Springtree Road in Muscadine in the colourway Framboise and I've had it in my stash for about a year and a half, just waiting for just the right project for it.

Just last week, I had pledged that I was going to get my projects down to 3 WIPs...and then after seeing someone else knitting a scarf/shawlette at the Tuesday knitting circle.  I got the pattern and that same night, I came home, pulled out a skein of Knitpicks Gloss in Coastal Grey and cast on the Hitchhiker scarf.  About 3 tips in, when I decided that it looked a little plain.  I went though my stash and pulled out a skein of Knitpicks Chroma in fingering weight in the Midwinter colourway.  I was one happy camper when I worked on it.  I was going to keep it but then I found out one of my cousins has a birthday coming up in a few months and guess what, she loves scarves and shawlette type things...so guess who's going to reap the benefits of my knitting?  Not me (other than the hours of enjoyment of knitting it).

I haven't knit anymore of the scarf for my brother and apparently I've taken so long with it, he's no longer expecting it so it should be a good surprise when he gets the scarf and the hat.

The "soon-to-be" recipient of the scarf (child 3 out of 5).  I call him my little brother and he's grown so much that he's taller than me that I can rest my head on his shoulders.  The kid has just entered grade 7 and is planning out his highschool life, especially since he wants to go to an arts school.

I don't know if you can tell but he's a "tad" but dramatic.

Year of Projects / 26 Pair Plunge

Year of Projects: Week 10

Finally made it to the double digits.  No finished projects this week :( but that's okay.  I actually casted on for 2 new projects.

First of all, I'm finally doing the Long Promised Scarf, for my brother RJ.  And thanks to last week's update from Sandra (aka: Saminar on Ravelry), I chose to knit the Irish Hiking Scarf for him, as well as the matching hat that I found while looking for the pattern on Ravelry.

The scarf is further along right now but this is the last picture I took of it.  Luckily for me, I didn't even have to pull out my interchangeable needles.  I was able to find 2 sets fixed circulars, both in an 8US and one is a 16" which is perfect to knit with for his hat.

Also casted on this week is another pair of socks.  I'm doing a test pattern for Karen (aka: Econnerd on Ravelry).  I am actually really liking the pattern so far.  I'm still on the leg though and working my way down.  And Karen, if you're reading this, is it okay to show progress pictures of it?

I have not knit much else.  I did finish the 3 row for the Blankie.  Yay.  I'm still working on the foot for the shortened Istanbul socks.  I'm spending time looking through everyone else's finished socks and suddenly wishing I had more needles and yarn to knit more socks...or else knit as quickly as The Flash would, if he would knit.  That, and 'ga-ga'ing over the information on the Sims 4.  Not going to get started on that or else the whole point of this entry would be shot.

Year of Projects / 26 Pair Plunge

Note to self

KnitPicks solid stroll yarn feels so good after it's washed! I swear it didn't feel like this when I washed and wore the tonal yarn. Sigh! These feel so nice on my feet.

So the whole (very short) history:  I knit the Tiberius socks in KnitPicks Stroll Solid in the colourway Dandelion because it was the closest to Command Gold I could find in my stash.  I was hesitant about it since for the past 2 years, I have been spoiled with Indie Dyer yarns and loving the heck out of them.  I used it anyways and liked the knitting process.  The yarn felt good in my hands as I knit.  I knew the true test would be after I washed it.  I finally managed to get together enough light coloured clothing to go in the wash with the Tiberius socks.  I hung them out to dry and tried them on once they were dry.  They were great.

Note to self: add solid stroll sock yarn to the acceptable KnitPicks order, along with Brava yarn.

I knit more of the test pattern socks and it's coming along nicely.  Only 4 rows to memorize and 2 of them are exactly the same.  I'm sure I still have a pretty long way to go before the leg is finished and I have to start the heel flap.

The Long Promised Scarf (aka: the Irish Hiking Scarf) is coming along nicely.  I did 3 more repeats of the pattern, expecting the scarf to now be 10" long and was surprised that it was only 8".  So either I only knit 3" yesterday, or I can't measure properly and really measured 4" the first night.  All that really matters is that it's growing and I'm not bored of yet.  As a matter of fact, I want to get started on the hat.  I'm trying not to be too crazy since I do have too many projects to work on right now.

The long promised scarf and the test

Looking around on over on another Year of Projects" participant's blog today and saw that they were a scarf called "Irish Hiking Scarf". First thing I think? "This would be perfect for RJ!"  RJ is one of my younger brothers (there are 3), who has been very supportive of my knitting since he found out I can knit. He's also been asking me to knit him a scarf for "bajillion years!" (his words exactly). I looked up the pattern on Ravelry and saw there was a matching hat.

Somehow or another, the proper sized needles and 2 balls of worsted weight yarn ended up in my backpack that I take with me for Knitting Circle. Within 10 minutes into it, I had the scarf casted on and was knitting away. Only thing I had to do with sock knitting was showing off the Tiberius socks.

The yarn I chose for this project is the KnitPicks Brava worsted weight acrylic yarn in the colourway Tidepool. The scarf is going well. Before I went to bed last night, I managed to knit 5". I changed it a little by slipping the first stitch as if to purl and knitting through the back loop for the last stitch, like I do for the squares of the Blankie.  The edges are looking much neater now. 

If I can keep up knitting 5" a day, I'll be done by September 10th which is great since his birthday is almost exactly 1 month later and I still have to do the matching hat.  I was thinking the same kind of yarn, but in the colourway Cobblestone Heather with some rows in Tidepool to tie it all together.

On top of the Irish Hiking Scarf, I'm also doing a test pattern for another participant in the Year of Projects. Casting on today and hoping to finish by September 15th which is the dead line.

I'm going to have to put aside my (auntie's) sock for a bit to finish these deadline projects.

First of all, I am loving this yarn!  I was having an internal debate as to which yarn to use for this test patter and finally decided on Springtree Road Muscadine in Framboise.  I have been dying to use this colourway for awhile now and here's my opportunity.  I'm also hoping that Maya (of Springtree Road) still makes this colour because I would like to restock it in my collection....never mind, I went to check on the site and there is no more Framboise right now but I did see a lot of other tempting colours.

The pattern itself is going well however I am still at the cuff.  I believe I knit at a tighter gauge than the designer.  The pattern states 1.5" for the cuff should be at about 15 rows.  I'm about to start row 16 and I'm not even at 1.25"  The cuff otherwise is a 4x4 cuff, which I have never actually knit.  I would have thought that it would stretch out too much but it seems to be snug enough.  All that tells me, trust the designer and so far, everything has been going well.