Plugging Right Along

I'm trying to get back into a regular blogging schedule. Yes, I know I know this isn't the first time I've said that. It's only been a week since my last blog post so that's progress. I've finished a few projects but two of them are secret projects so no showing until well after the packages are sent out.

I did finish my "on the go" lemon socks.

These are made out of Lionbrand Sock-Ease in the Lemon Drop colorway. The pattern is my standard toe up pattern with a short row heel. The yarn is like most typical wool/nylon workhorse sock yarns. I'd say it's about as thin as Trekking. I haven't found any locally but people on Ravelry are destashing it at a reasonable price.

I have gotten a few kits too. I just link them to my Flickr account so I don't end up spoiling it for anyone who hasn't gotten theirs. I've received the Yellow Brick Road Wizard of Oz sock club kit, my Tea Party kit, and the final shipment of the second installment of the Lord of the Rings sock club from The Unique Sheep. There is one set to sign up for but I haven't yet. I hope to sign up for it in the next payday or two.

My Cassidy (ravelry)(non ravelry) is moving along well and I'm about a quarter of the way through the other front piece. I would have been farther along but I messed up and had to frog 20 plus rows.

I also started another pair of "on the go" socks. I'm using some Patons Kroy sock that I picked up from Michaels a few weeks ago. They're toe up and will have a short row heel. They're going to be plain stockinette because it's easy and I can toss them down and not have to worry about losing my place.

Happy Crafting!

Bad Blogger, No Cookie

Wow, my last blog post was written at the end of March. This could be why I've had a serious drop in readers. Sorry for not posting, things have been busy. I'll try to post more often but I'd be crazy if I made promises. Now that Shawn has a motorcycle to get him back and forth to work I have the car with the exception of nasty weather days then he takes the car.

I've been pretty busy with knitting, between test knits and my own knitting I always have something on the needles. I've finished a few pairs of socks since I last posted.

First up is a pair of basic socks knit with self striping sock yarn.

The yarn is from Studio Avenue Six and the pattern is my basic toe up pattern with a short row heel. For a little excitement I worked a picot cuff.

Next up is a pair of socks from Wendy Johnsons new book Toe Up Socks for Everybody.

These are the Laurel (ravelry) sock pattern and the yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in the Flamingo Pie colorway. Very comfy socks! My next pair are going to be the Diamonds and Cables socks (ravelry)using String Theory Caper sock.

I've also finished two pair of socks for Bree.

The top photo is Regia sock yarn and the bottom pair is made with Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn. She requested socks out of the blue one day so I cast on right away. I have some Patons stretch sock and Kroy sock in the stash that will soon become socks for her.

I started a baby blanket for my sister in law who is due in July.

The yarn is Knit Picks Comfy and the pattern is Pine Forest Baby Blanket. It's a freebie pattern available for download on Ravelry. It's an easy pattern without being completely boring. I've set the blanket aside to work on other things but will get it finished before the wee one is born.

I've also started my Cassidy (ravelry)(non ravelry) sweater for the Loopy Ewe quarterly challenge which is now due 1 July instead of the original date of 1 May. 

I'm using Dream in Color Classy in the Deep Sea Flower colorway. I'm alternating skeins every other row and it seems to be coming out nicely. I'm actually a lot farther along then this photo shows. I've finished the back piece and the left front piece. All I have left is the right front piece, 2 sleeves and a hood and the button bands and I'll be done. If I keep going the way I have I should be done with it in time.

I also have a new pair of "on the go" socks on the needles.

These are once again a basic toe up sock with a short row heel. The yarn is Lion Brand Sock-ease in the Lemon Drop colorway.

I got my May Loopy Ewe sock club package in.

I really like this one and it does scream summer. The yarn is Fleece Artist BFL sock and for the extra goodie we got a set of Oh Snap bags from Namaste. I've been wanting a set of these for quite some time now.

I've also acquired quite a bit of yarn since my last post but I think that could be a post all on it's own. If you're on Ravelry and are on my friends list then you've most likely seen all the yarn added. If you're not on my friends list and want to be, let me know and I can add you.

Happy Crafting!

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).

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.

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. 

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.

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.

 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Shock of It

Eeeek, gasp, shock, wow! I know it's shocking that I'm posting to my blog and it's only been about 2 weeks since my last post. I may just get back on a regular blog posting schedule after all, not that I have a whole lot to post about other then some yarn purchases. I have two items I knit for Miss Babs for Stitches West and since that's going on right now I'll post some pics in my next blog post.

We got the final word down the other day so it's official, we're not moving to Germany. Our orders were canceled so we'll be staying here in Montana for now. I'm really not upset about it. I think it would have been a wonderful experience for our family but at the same time it was going to be a lot of hassle. We've already been told that there is a big possibility for another set of orders to come down in 6 months so we'll see what happens. If we're meant to go then we'll get another set of orders to Germany in 6 months....only time will tell. I for one still have my fingers crossed that the next set will be to Honolulu, Hawaii. Hey, a girl can dream can't she.

I'll start with the few knitting projects I can post about then follow them up with the yarn.

First up is a pair of socks I'm knitting for myself.....Butterfly Garden Socks (ravelry)(non ravelry)

 

These socks are actually a lot farther along but I haven't taken a picture of them yet. I've finished the heels and have worked about 2 inches of the leg. The next picture I take will most likely be when I finish them. The yarn is JulieSpins M420S and the colorway is called Golden Glow which is so cheerful and perfect for overcast nasty weather. The weather here was overcast and we had a good amount of snow when I cast on these socks. The weather has since changed and is now more like Spring. I keep waiting for the weather to change and dump 2 feet of snow on us. I keep having this feeling like we're not done yet. If you like a pattern loaded with little cables and twists then you'll love this pattern. I find that the more complicated patterns work up quickly for me then plain socks.

The 1 Jan 2010 Monthly Dishcloth KAL cloth.

 
 

I was using scrap yarn in my stash and ran out. I had another red ball in there but as you can see the two colors weren't from the same dyelot. I'm not even sure if they're the same brand since they all feel the same to me.

Now on to the goodies portion of the post. I have done a bit of yarn buying since we're not moving. I need to restock some of the yarn I destashed....ok so I didn't really buy this yarn with that intention.

First up is Zen Yarn Garden's new base Serenity 20.

 
 

This sock yarn base has 20 percent cashmere in it and is completely squish-able! The colorway is Blueberry Swirl. I'm to busy hugging it to knit it right now but I'm looking for the perfect pattern so I can't start knitting with it soon.

My last Woolgirl order.

 
 

I picked up a few things from Woolgirl's shutting down the online store sale. I picked up 2 sock patterns and several skeins of sock yarn (from left to right): Union Center Knits sport weight sock yarn, Mama Llama's Bounty Ewe (merino/cashmere base sock yarn), Yarn Love Marianne Dashwood, and Curious Creek Fibers Serengeti.

I have the first shipment of the second installment of the Lord of the Rings sock club from The Unique Sheep. I joined for another 3 shipments. If you want to see it Click Here.

Beyond Basic Knits Self Striping sock yarn.

 
 

I picked this one up because all proceeds from the sells of these pink yarns are going towards their fundraising efforts for their Susan G Komen 3 day walk. They have a blog set up if you want to check it out. I love self striping yarn and the money is going towards a great cause so you can't go wrong.

The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga!

 
 

Need I say more. I caught this in the last update from The Loopy Ewe. The colorway on the top is Marpesia Marcella (picture came out a little bit to maroon-ish) and the colorway on the bottom is Oleander Hawk Moth.

Wollmeise 80/20 Twin sock yarn in the am kalten Polar colorway.

 
 

I happened to stubble upon a Wollmeise update going on at The Loopy Ewe. I've been wanting this colorway for some time now and finally managed to get a skein.

Finally, an order from Knit Picks.

 
 

Actually the order was placed for the skeins of Comfy worsted (planetarium colorway) for a baby blanket but I had to throw in the skein of sock yarn (stroll handpaint in the Make Believe colorway) and the Sock Club book to hit the free shipping mark. Plus the book was 40% off when I ordered.

I think that pretty much covers everything for now. I'll try to post here again in the next week with some more knitting pictures. I'm hoping to start spinning again this weekend. My back is doing much better now and I think I'm finally ready to spin again.

Happy Crafting!

No Snappy Titles Left

I think I've used up all my snappy titles. After several years of blogging I'm all tapped out. Actually I think maybe I just need a vacation. I keep saying my motivation is hanging out on a warm beach sipping mojitos and enjoying a good book so maybe I should join my motivation. I does sound like a great idea! Nothing better then your toes in the sand, reading a good book and sipping on a cold drink.

Not a whole lot going on here in the Luvs2knit household. Same junk just a different day. The base is undergoing a huge inspection so I've pretty much been stuck at home since Shawn is working late hours and weekends. If all goes well this weekend will be ours although they haven't announced if they'll get Presidents Day off or not. It's getting kinda boring sitting around the house and no I don't want to scrub the house from top to bottom just to keep the boredom at bay. Between you and me, I'd rather be bored....just sayin.

Let see if I can play a little catch up here. My mom now has her shawl and loves it to pieces. I've been working on a few test knits for Woolgirl and I have some yarn coming in to knit samples for Miss Babs for Stitches West.

Might as well get started on posting FO's and new goodies that I've received in the mail.

First up is the beaded socks (ravelry).

I ended up making these for my mom. The yarn is Huntington sock yarn from WEBS. It's very soft, super cheap, and I loved knitting with it. I see more of this yarn in the future.

Shawn's Iain cabled hoodie (ravelry)(you can find the pattern through various stores online)

The picture isn't all that great. We had a lot of days with little to no sunshine so an indoor photo was all I could get at the time. All I need to do now is knit the sleeves and hood. Shouldn't take much longer. 

I broke my no yarn till after we move rule to pick up a few skeins of yarn since my last post.

First up is JulieSpins MCN355 in the Ginger Cat and Emerald colorways.

I found two people on Ravelry who were destashing these colorways so I had to give them a new home. I can't get enough of this yarn. It's so squishy and soft plus JulieSpins colorways are gooooooorgeous!

My Ruby Slippers Oz Sock Club package came in. You can see it here if you want. This is one of the patterns I test knit for Woolgirl not that long ago.

Next up are two skeins of JulieSpins M420S which is her superwash merino sock yarn.

These were from her Unclub that she does out on her Ravelry group. The top color is called Golden Glow and the bottom is Beach Plum. I absolutely loooooove these colors. I'm using the yellow one right now to knit the Butterfly Garden Socks (ravelry)(non ravelry).

Then I picked up some Fearless Fibers Merino Cashmere Nylon sock yarn.

I like Fearless Fibers sock yarn so I wanted to give this MCN base a try. The color way is called Feel the Love and is absolutely gorgeous.

Skein of String Theory Caper sock that I picked up from The Loopy Ewe.

This is the Isle colorway. OK, I have to admit it appears I've got a merino/cashmere sock yarn addiction now.

I have in my possession a skein of the new Mountain Colors Crazyfoot sock yarn.

Mountain Colors was having a contest on their blog and I won along with I think 49 other people.....woot! The colorway is Wild Raspberry. As soon as I finish up my sample knits this will be hopping on the needles. I just need to figure out which pattern I want to use. 

Finally this yummy squishy yarn ended up on my doorstep.

It's Dream in Color Classy in the Deep Sea Flower colorway to knit Cassidy (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) for the TLE 2010 Q1 Sweater Challenge. Thankfully the challenge is going on till July so I have plenty of time to get it finished. This is my "woohoo we got our income tax refund reward".

I have a box full of goodies coming in from Woolgirl's "closing the shop" sale. She posted out on Ravelry that's she closing down the online/store portion of the business and is going to concentrate on kits and clubs. Everything is 35 percent off. I'm sadden to see her close the shop but it's for her health which is more important then yarn.

Now it's time to go wake sleeping beauty (who is snoring on the couch, quite loudly I might add) and go to bed. Course it's very possible that sleeping beauty won't wake up and will sleep on the couch for the night. I swear when Shawn falls asleep on the couch in the evening time it's almost impossible to get him to move.

Happy Crafting!

Making Up for Lost Time

Every time I type up a new post I swear to myself that I'm going to start blogging more frequently and every time there is always something that seems to get in the way. It takes a bit of work to get a post put together. 

On the moving homefront we're getting prepared for the big move although it looks like it could possibly be pushed back due to some schooling the military wants Shawn to have. Right now we're set to leave around the 10th of March but if Shawn gets sent to school he'll leave the beginning of March and won't be home until mid June. As much as I'd love to pack the house up and have everything sent to Germany and follow him to Maryland for those 3 months I have to think about the kiddos. Kaity is still in school so that means missed time from school and dealing with the pains of enrolling her in a new school for the last 3 months of school. Logistically it's easier for me to stay here with the girls while Shawn's in school.

Anyone else having freakishly weird weather this year? Apparently Mother Nature is a tad confused because we're having warm spring like weather here in our part of the state for last few two weeks. We've had a few days where it's hit in the 60's (Fahrenheit that is). Of course that's not destined to last because the forecast is showing that we're suppose to dip back down into the 30's here in a few days. 

The destashing has gone well and I'm thinking there won't have to be another round to get rid of more yarn. Between what I sold, what I'm sending to my mom, and yarn that I donated to charity I think the stash has been culled down enough. There are a few things in my trade section on Ravelry that are still for sale but I'm not planning on pulling more out of my stash. I will admit I've splurged and bought a couple of skeins that caught my eye and some time toward the end of the month I should be getting the Ruby Slippers shipment from the Woolgirl Wizard of Oz club.

I managed to snag a skein of Skinny Bugga! last week from The Sanguine Gryphons site.

The color is called Emerald Swallowtail and is the most gorgeous green I've ever seen. I was also looking at this gorgeous yellow color too but decided that I should stick with just one skein.

A skein of Knitterly Things Vesper sock yarn managed to jump in my cart the other day.

I swear I don't know how it got here.....I'm sticking with the theory that it was lonely and wanted to hang out with the other sock yarns in my stash. I swear I'm innocent of all charges!! Seriously though I'm still on a self striping sock yarn kick so when I saw this colorway (Shamrockin) I knew I needed to pick it up.

Dream in Color Classy in the November Muse colorway.

OK, this one was part of my winnings from the Sonny and Shear Nutkin KAL. I won first prize and my winnings was a gift certificate for $50. So the gift certificate paid for over half the cost and it's not sock yarn....mah ha ha ha! I'm thinking maybe making Wisteria with this yarn.

Now on to knitting projects. I do have a few I'm working on and I finally finished blocking my moms Whispering Pines Shawl.

First up is the Whispering Pines Shawl (Ravelry)(non Ravelry).

I absolutely love this shawl. As soon as I finish the socks I'm knitting for my mom I'll be dropping her package off in the mail.

Here are the socks I'm working on for my mom.

The pattern is the 2009 January Socktopia mystery pattern (Ravelry). I started them for myself but it occurred to me that I haven't made my mom socks in awhile so I now they are moms. Guess I'd better make a pair for my sister. I haven't made her any in quite some time too. The yarn I'm using is Valley Yarns Huntington. This yarn is soooooo soft and great to work with. It's a great price too at less then $9 for a pair of socks. I've heard a few people complain about it being splitty but I've yet to have a problem with it splitting while I'm knitting.

Basic toe up socks using Patons Stretch Sock.

It's not a bad sock yarn. It's a tad splitty but not horribly so. This is just a basic toe up sock with ribbing and I'll be using a short row heel. Nothing fancy, just a no pattern required sock that I can take with me where ever I go.

I've been making great progress on Shawn's cabled hoodie. I'm about 12 rows from finishing the back and will then move to working the v-neck for the front. The sweater is knit in the round until the armpit area where it's split and the front and back are worked separately. I don't think it'll take me much longer to finish this up. I'll try to get a picture of my progress for the next blog post. 

I do believe I've managed to catch up on all the projects I have going on. I do have some secrety secret test knits that I've finished up and will show them when I get a chance. 

Happy Crafting!

2009 At A Glance

Wow! 2009 flew by so quickly. I can't believe the year is over with. The members of the Luvs2knit household have a lot of things planned for 2010. As most of you know we're moving to Germany in March so things are going to start getting very very busy around here. It's time to buckle down and figure out what we are going to take, sell and store. The decisions decisions.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2010! I'm leaving you with a slide show of all my projects from 2009.

2009 Slide Show