Undulating rub socks and others

The sun was out for a brief period this morning and I finally managed to get pictures of some of my latest FOs. I will probably publish a post with them later on, but for now, I thought I'd introduce my newest socks.



Pattern: Undulating rib socks from Favorite Socks
Yarn: BFL sock yarn from Angel Yarns (they only sell on Ebay) in Zennor
Needles: 2.25mm

While these socks didn't look like much while I was knitting them, they turned out to be just the thing to wear with jeans on a weekend. While initially I didn't find the yarn very soft, it was not bad to knit with and so far it does not make me itch, unlike some more expensive brands. I alternated two balls to stop the yarn from pooling and I think the colour is quite nice, especially for the price it is sold at.



I've also got some new lace yarn in the mail. I bought some merino/ silk lace-weight in the Old Maiden Aunt sale. It is in the cinnamon colourway and it is pinker than I thought it would be. At first I wasn't sure if I really liked it (the dangers of internet orders!) but I think I know now what I'll knit out of it... It seems to me to be just the yarn to make the Laminaria shawl out of.



I also got 4 skeins of the discontinued Rowanspun 4ply in midnight. I am not sure yet what I'll make out of it, but I do love how it looks.

For some reason I have also cast on for lots of new projects over the last week or so. There is of course the never-ending red cardigan I have been working on on and off (mainly off) for months. I bought the yarn for this back in March last year - maybe I will be able to finish it in a year?

All my other projects are new. I started knitting the Fourth Grade Hat from the twist collective. I have the sudden urge to complete another hat before the end of winter. It is a bit fiddly for a hat, but every time I complete an entrelac triangle / square I feel like I'm making huge progress. I also cast on for a pair of mittens from my new Selbuvotter book. I love the patterns and even though I am not sure yet who the recipient will be, I cast on for a pair on men's mittens in Cornish organic wool I bought at IKL. I also started on the tea cozy from The Knitter's Book of Yarn I've been wanting to make for ages. And I also cast on for a knitted jacket in super-bulky yarn that I could use at the end of winter, early spring. But that's a whole other story and maybe (hopefully!) I will be able to post about the finished product soon...

2008 round-up

I haven't blogged in a while, mostly because I am not sure if I want to a blog on the internet that could be linked to my real-life self. I haven't posted about a lot of finished objects, but I might still do so - I've got photos.

In 2008 I managed to finish 22 knitting projects, which is not entirely unimpressive. I will try and do at least 24 this year as a challenge. I will also try to buy less yarn than I use up / give away.
Of the 22 projects there were:
1 market bag (which I never use...)
1 tank top
1 sweater
1 cowl
2 gloves
2 pairs of baby booties
2 hats
2 lace shawls
5 pairs of socks
5 scarves
and a bunch of dishcloths.
7 of them were gifts. This year I'd like to knit more sweaters / cardigans and socks. I also need more hats.

On the yarn front, I just bought yarn for four projects in my queue, and as a result I've started looking at yarn on the internet in general... Despite immediately wanting to buy lots of sock yarn, I've been good and only bought lace yarn for two shawls. So I've only fallen off the wagon a little bit!

Knitpicks

I am ok, but haven't had time to blog because work is busy and I have other things to do with my free time. But today I am feeling ill which made me pretty unproductive. As a result, I'm blogging.

Not that there is much to say knitting wise. I have lots of WIPs. I finished a couple of smaller things over the last month, but nothing overly exciting. The scarf I made out of malabrigo is absolutely yummy.

Today I finally ordered yarn from knitpicks for the first time. They don't deliver to the UK, but we are doing a joint order through ravelry through one of the groups there. I bought quite a bit of fingering weight yarn. I was disappointed because they were out of so many colours of Palette, but I picked two colours to make the Endpaper mitts. Then I picked some Gloss in cocoa that should complement a yarn I already have to make this cowl. (Isn't the pattern just gorgeous?) I also got some gloss to make Nancy Bush's Evening stockings in red. That is something I've been planning to make for a while, and even if I decide that I don't like Gloss as a sock yarn, I can still knit a little shawl or scarf out of it. Opinion on ravelry seems to be divided as to how good Gloss is as a sock yarn. And then I got enough of Gloss for a pair of socks in the pumpkin colourway. I've been wanting some orange sock yarn for a while now and I'll probably cast on with that as soon as it gets here. Overall, I've been pretty disciplined. I didn't buy anything that wasn't on my shopping list for my queue.

I'll post again if I actually manage to finish any interesting projects.

The real WIP

My thesis is nearing completion. I am nearing complete exhaustion...


I have been knitting though (and checking ravelry) as a way to relax a little bit. I've got quite a few works in progress, most of them stuck on one thing or another. So I am going to cast on yet another sock tonight...

I did have to finish these baby booties for tiny baby Calvin.


They took about an hour to knit and longer than that to finish. So much sewing for such a tiny thing! Next time I'll try the seamless version.

Pattern: Saartje's booties
Yarn: Fyberspates Merino Sock Yarn
Ravelled here.

To the neighbour whose car alarm keeps going off

Dear neighbour.

Your car alarm has been going off in the car park for a week now and it is rather loud. You know about this, since I contacted the management company of the apartment block repeatedly and they have talked to you, repeatedly. And I am not the kind who normally complains to them about anything.

Your car is in a secure car park with security cameras. No one is trying to steal it. Yet, you choose to just leave it there with the alarm on. You live on the other side of the building and do not work from home in any case, so why should it bother you?

Have I mentioned yet how annoying it is to work with earplugs in my ears, especially when I have a cold? (Insert Darth Vader breathing noise here.) And that car alarm - congratulations, I think you've chosen the loudest model on the market. I can't even keep my windows open.

To be honest, I wish someone would steal your car. At least then it would be quiet.

I am not kidding you - this woman has left her broken car alarm on for a week. It keeps turning on and off randomly. And it's not as if she doesn't know about it.

Rant over. Now back to work.

Boston yarn party

I went to Boston for a conference last week and couldn't resist the opportunity to buy some more yarn. I did my yarn shopping at Windsor button, which had a great selection, reasonable prices and friendly staff. Everything a girl needs! Overall, I was reasonably restrained. This is what I bought:


I bought a skein of Malabrigo worsted and I already cast on a scarf out of it. It really is as nice as everyone says - I'll be definitely buying more!

The rest is all sock yarn: Plymouth Happy Feet, Mountain Colours Bearfoot and Claudia Hand-painted. I can't wait to knit with them all! I am a bit concerned that the Happy Feet will pool, but we'll see. I am especially In love with the Mountain Colours. It is a colourway called Lodgegrass and even though it is not the kind of colourway I would normally go for, I fell in love with it. It is a mix of blues and grays and oranges. Not sure what I'll make out of it, but I like looking at it!

Since I got home I haven't been doing much knitting. I am very busy with work and now I even have a horrible cold. I have made a little progress on my cardigan, but not much.

I leave you with a picture of the ducklings in Boston's Public Gardens.

Work in Progress

I have been strangely monogamous in my knitting lately. I have quite a few WIPs and a couple of things in my queue I have the yarn for, but most of the time I have been working on a shawl I am knitting for my mom for Christmas. It is the arctic diamonds shawl from an old issue of interweave knits and I find the combination of the cashmere yarn and the pattern rather enjoyable. Still, it's a very slow process and I am only about a third of the way there. I figure I may as well keep working pretty much exclusively on this one while I'm still enjoying it.

There are a couple of things that just need finishing. I knit a pair of Saartje's booties for a friend's baby yesterday evening and I have made a mesh market bag a few weeks ago that needs to be finished.

Now that I have finished my latest pair of socks, there are a couple of contenders to replace it as my tv knitting. I cast on a little mobius shawl out of some 4-ply alpaca, but I don't like working with the yarn. It is lovely and soft, but it makes my fingers itch after a while. There are always the socks I started for mom earlier this year, although I still don't know her shoe size. Or I could cast on for a new pair of socks. Or I could just get started on one of the jumpers and cardigans in my queue...

And of course, there's my WIP from hell - a cotton tank top I designed based on a vintage Hungarian pattern. I put way too much work into it to just frog it or throw it away, but I think it will be a while before I pick it up again.