Mar 27, 2010

Back from the Dead

Things haven't been all that exciting around here. I've been dealing with a nasty head/chest cold that I'm finally starting to kick though I still have a nagging cough that is driving me crazy. So needless to say I was sporadically online but just not feeling the love to work on a blog update even though I do have a few things to post about. Amazingly enough I do have some finished knitting projects even though there was a good week or so where I didn't touch my knitting needles....shocking, I know! I'm really looking forward to kicking this cough so I can go back to physical therapy since my back is starting to bother me again. 



Lets see, hmmmmm, what should I start with first. Ah, I know the Butterfly Garden socks (Ravelry)(non Ravelry).

image from farm3.static.flickr.com
They are a bit snug so I'm trying to decide if I want to frog the leg and reknit without the pattern on the back of the leg and do a simple ribbing or seed stitch to match the front of the sock. I did change the cuff to a basic k2, p2 ribbing. I tried the cuff from the pattern but it was way to small for my foot let alone my leg. The yarn used is JulieSpins M420S (etsy)(artfire) which is a lovely superwash merino sock yarn and the color way is called Golden Glow. I'll definitely make these a again but use a slightly thicker yarn, maybe Dream in Color Smooshy.



I finally finished my latest "on the go" socks.

image from farm5.static.flickr.com
These are knit using Patons Kroy Stretch sock. The colorway is called sugar and the pattern is a basic toe up sock with a short row heel and k2, p2 ribbing. I do believe I can get this at Michaels so it's cheap and easy to obtain. It's not a bad sock yarn and I think they'll make great summer socks. Not that I stop wearing wool socks in the summer. I don't wear them outside but I do wear them around the house. Certain parts of the floor here in the house are freezing because the designer of this house was a real idiot when they decided where to put the vents for the air conditioner. This of course wasn't the only thing the designer messed up on but I won't go into that since it would probably be a blog post in itself.



I started and finished a scarf using the Mountain Colors Crazyfoot I won in a blog contest. 

image from farm3.static.flickr.com
The pattern is Rivolo (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) by Knitspot. As you can see this is the progress photo that I took. I haven't blocked the scarf yet so I'll post a finished picture when I get that done. This was a great knit and the pattern repeat was easy to work so I had no difficulties working on it when I was watching tv. It took me less then a week to knit. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the scarf....keep it, gift it. The yarn is Mountain Colors new sock yarn called Crazyfoot and the color way is called Wild Raspberries. I originally started a pair of socks but the two socks were completely different colors. There was a portion of this skein that was a much darker purpley color and then later lighter parts with bits of green and an almost orangish color (which is very pretty) for the rest of the skein so one of my socks would have had a dark purple foot. So to the frog pond it went and became Rivolo which played much more nicely with the yarn.



Here's the projects I worked on for Woolgirl/Miss Babs for Stitches West.

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The top picture is Gust (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) in Miss Babs Yummy Sock in the A Day at Blue Spring Park colorway and the second picture is Hayrick Socks (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) in Miss Babs Yummy Sock in the Vlad's Red colorway. Both patterns are Knitspot patterns. I really need to get my hands on some of the Vlad's Red for myself so I can make my own pair of red Hayrick socks. I love the way these socks came out. 



I did pick up a few goodies along the way. 



An order from The Loopy Ewe.

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 I picked up some ShibuiKnits sock yarn to make the Transitions socks, Dragonfly Fibers Djinni sock (merino/cashmere blend), and Needle Foods sock yarn. 



The first shipment for The Loopy Ewe sock club came in.

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I'm sure most, if not all people have gotten theirs in now. We got Fiesta Baby Boom sock yarn, a sock pattern by WendyKnits, a shawl pattern, and two wooden shawl pins. I haven't decided which pattern I want to knit yet.



Gave some JulieSpins BFL (etsy)(artfire) roving a new home. The colorway is Peach Melba.

image from farm5.static.flickr.com
Someone on Ravelry was destashing and I do adore BFL although I haven't used my wheel since I threw out my back several months ago. She's been rather lonely and neglected. I really must give my Precious some attention.



I found some self striping Watermelon sock yarn on etsy from KnitPurlGurl.

image from farm5.static.flickr.com

The colors are vibrant and the yarn is super soft. I'll probably end up using this one soon for a pair of socks.



And that sums up my blog post for this round. I'm currently working on some test knits so I won't be working on my own knitting much. I was lucky enough to be picked by The Loopy Ewe to be a sample knitter so I'm really excited about that.