So it's been like 9 months since I posted the first of what was to be a weekly blog. Oops! I didn't time things very well. Soon after I first posted, I flew to the States and was there for 6 weeks. After coming back, life just got busy. That being said, I'm planning to blog more regularly. For real, this time. :) The next month is going to be a bit dicey as we are in the process of moving. We're moving from an apartment to a house. We pick up the keys next week so hopefully I'll have some pics of the new place next time.
Last time, I mentioned 3 projects that I was working on. One, a Barn Raising Quilt blanket, is an ongoing project. I currently have 13 squares. It was put on a back burner for quite a while so it's just recently that I started making more squares.
I was also working on a sweater, the Miranda. I finished it. It ended up being a bit too big. I had done extra bust increases to make room for the girls. And that I put it away for a while. When I went back to it, I had forgotten that I'd done extra increases and didn't decrease enough back down. In the long run, not a big deal. It's a cozy sweater that I can layer over t-shirts.
The last project I mentioned last time was my Vanilla Latte socks with a double gusset heel. These are one of my favorite pairs of socks. I now always use the double gusset heel for any top-down socks I do. It's so easy and cups the heel. Definitely the best fit I've found. And my husband even notices the difference and prefers that heel as well.
I was also working on some spinning. I did finally finish it and wasn't super impressed with it. Just not too consistent. I've come to realize that I'm messing up when plying. I've started chain plying and the next 3 braids turned out much better.
So I've been keeping busy with knitting. I joined the multi-year KAL the Stockinette Zombies are hosting. We're doing the Persian Dreams blanket. One block per month. There are 24 so it will take about 2 years. This is my first foray into colorwork. It's slow going for me but I'm pleased with the results so far. I have 2 completed hexagons.
I finished a pair of socks in my first ever Hedgehog Fibres yarn and I'm hooked. In fact, I just found some more on destash that I'm excited for it to show up.
I'm also into contrasting heels, toes and cuffs lately, particularly for self-striping. The colorway is Monarch and is so pretty. The sock pattern is one I came up with and I'm toying with the idea of writing it up and offering it up on Ravelry. I'll have to get some test knitters, if so.
The last project that I recently finished was a Quaintly sweater for my friend, who is about to have a baby girl. I'd originally planned to do it the remaining skein of Little Bunny Foo Foo, but realized I would be cutting it close on yardage. So I looked in my stash and decided to go with some Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Seashell. Since it was a full skein, I decided to make the 3-6 month size instead of the newborn so that she could hopefully get more wear out of it.
I've just got one project on the needles write now that I'm currently working on. It's a new pair of socks for my hubby. He wanted a plain yarn this time so I found some red and navy yarn in my stash. I'm doing red cuffs, heels and toes and navy legs and feet. Next time, I'll use the same and flip the colors. The yarn is ONline Linie 2 Supersocke Silk in the Midnight and Rust colorways. I just started it yesterday afternoon.
I've also got some fiber on the wheel. It's Into the Whirled merino/silk blend in the Martini & Rossi colorway. It's taking some time. It's not my favorite to spin. Not sure if it's because of the silk. It's the first time I've spun anything with silk. Looking forward to finishing so I can get to other fiber in my stash. This picture shows pretty much all of the color variations in the fiber. I'm spinning it for a friend so I'll be chain plying this as well.
I'm a huge fan of knitting podcasts and I recently found 2 new ones that I'm really enjoying: The Grocery Girls and LegacyKnitz. I was recently enabled by Jodie of The Grocery Girls. She introduced me to a new-to-me indie dyer, The Cozy Knitter and I purchased 2 balls of self-striping.
I also picked up some Clara Love from Sunshine Yarns. I couldn't resist all the gorgeous colors. It will be my first skein from this dyer as well.
I also snagged a skein of Circus Extreme from Knit Circus. I love all the colors and I'm excited to check out their booth at Zombie Knitpocalypse this summer.
So that's it for me this week. Sorry it's so long. I wanted to catch up as much as possible. I'm planning to knit on hubby's socks exclusively this week as I won't have as much knitting time as I start packing tomorrow.
Have a great week!
