Designing? What?!

So finally after several years of following patterns and not really being creative myself (yes I was creating knit projects but I was making someone else's vision), I decided to take on the task of designing my own socks. I mean how hard could it be right?? I knit socks all the time you'd think that I would have the construction of these darn things down... but alas no. I never realized how complex a top down sock could be! The heel flap construction thing just flew right over my head (mostly because I'm on a time schedule and I need to get these projects banged out ASAP, spending time doing a lot of math just isn't going to work). So I took a step back and opted for the super easy toe up formula and went with knitting a child size sock.

I already had the sock yarn picked out, it was just a matter of what stitch pattern would compliment the yarn and work for a little girl. So I got to thinking. When I was a little girl, yes I loved little frilly socks, but when I saw my mom putting on nylons I wanted nylons... not the white ones with hearts on them that I had but the ones that made my legs look all tan. I figured that if I was the daughter of a knitter who was making all these pretty cabled and laced socks for herself and other grown up women I'd want a pair just like them for myself. Not a cutesy version, but an actual grown up pattern made in my size. So that's what I made. Using a king charles brocade stitch that I modified to be worked in the round I put a panel down the top of the sock and one down the back to the heel. The sole of the sock is plain stockinette and I think they're lovely! Even as an adult I want a pair for myself!! The shades of red remind of my grandma's roses, even if the name of the colorway is hibiscus.








I also decided to design my own fingerless gloves. I found a stitch pattern I liked, expanded it and of course adjusted it to be knit in the round and give me a section of plain stockinette so that I could easily put in a thumb hole. They're SUPER warm and I can't wait to be able to use them in my office after the fair is over.

Chugging along...

Any time something needs to frogged its heartbreaking, so as much as I'm disappointed in my outside in socks, I'm still putting off the actual destroying of that finished item. I have moved on though.

I needed to do something that was quick to knit and would be satisfying when it was complete. So I settled on the Shroom hat from Knitty's latest issue. Using a super chunky yarn and size 13 needles (which took me 3 stores to hunt down) I sat down and cast on the hat. Two hours later and 6 rows from finishing I ran out of yarn! I still have yet to finish it. Yes I know it will only take a couple minutes to complete but when I don't get home until after 3am I really don't want to get everything out and taking it to work seems a little silly. Toting it around only to do 10 minutes of work just doesn't seem like it's worth the hassle... but just the same here's a picture of how the hat is looking right now:



Then Tuesday night I decided that I should probably get started on the socks I want to enter in the fair. Since my first set was (to put it nicely) a flop, I wanted to pick a pattern that would look just as good flat as they do on the foot. I went through years (literally) of knitting mags and patterns online before settling on the lacy sock pattern in Knitting lingerie. OMG! They're the perfect pattern! Between the way the colorway changes and the lace pattern itself it's perfect.








Tonight at work I'm working on a side project I've got going on, although I don't know if I should or not since I have so much fair knitting to do, but I said I would knit a blanket for someone so I've gotta get it finished. I'm working on the hoover baby blanket. It's taking FOREVER. I love the way it's looking, but the double knit center is insane! But I'm learning alot about carrying yarn and colorwork. So I guess all in all it's going well.

Double Dang Doo Doo

Finished the first of my outside in sock and I completely detest these socks. And because of the horrid construction (the heel is NOT knit continuously with the leg and foot of sock, the yarn is broken) I can't take it apart and make another sock without having to attach yarn into it. SO frustrating and annoying. I'm going to post pictures of my results because even though I hate it, it was still completed in an attempt to go to the fair. Time to go hunting for another sock pattern... FUN

FRUSTRATION!!

Ugh... So I got started on the baby blanket for our friend Annaleeen's baby (which she had early of course), only to find after 6 or 7 rows that I was carrying the yarn wrong. Yeay me. So I had to frog it and start again. BOO. Then while working on my outside in socks I lost a stitch. I very carefully ripped out row after row and could NOT find that darn thing. So I quit and frogged the whole thing and am now starting over AGAIN. Man am I glad I've gotten so much of my fair knitting done because at this rate it's going to take me forever to get the last few projects finished.

Good news is, now I've got the hang of carrying the yarn on the baby blanket and it's absolutely ADORABLE. I can't wait to get it finished and give it to the proud mama. I'm not a fan of the traditional blue for boys pink for girls thing so I'm making the blanket in green and beige. Its light enough colorwise to still be baby-ish but isn't so much that it's cutesy.

Back to the grind of this sock... Lets hope that since I've done it once already I can get through it rather fast this time.

My needles are on Fire!

My blanket came off the needles last night, pictures will be posted soon (I mean it), and tonight I'm starting work on Outside In Socks to enter into the fair as well. I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in Bucks Bar. It's a pretty purple blue and brown color way.

Decided that since the fair allows me to enter projects that have been completed within the last year I decided to enter my interlocking ballons scarf that I made in a pink/orange/tan colorway that I picked up in San Diego. It's amazing that I can remember exactly where I bought the yarn, and what it was intially intended for (an entrelac scarf) but I can't remember the brand name or the name of the colorway itself. *Shrugs shoulders* Oh well. It's a short entry, but just so it isn't too boring, here's couple pictures of the scarf. First one pulled back a bit so you can see the color changes in the yarn:




And finally one up close so you can see the detail in the stitches (the colors are a little more true in this one but they're really somewhere in between brightness wise):

Starting Over

I started this blog when I first started my journey into knitting and as my life got more hectic I let this blog and my knitting slide. Now things are back on track and I'm looking to enter my knitting into the county fair for the first time. I've got a long list of projects that I've just started on. I've decided that I'm going to get back to blogging my knitting and the perfect way to do it is to actually sit down and blog my progress and and completion of each project I begin on my path to the fair. April 3rd is the deadline to pay all my entrance fees and the deadline for me to decide how many projects I'll actually be able to have completed by the project deadline of April 23rd.

As of today I have finished ONE project for the fair. A pinwheel beret using a brioche stitch.



Here's an upclose of the stitches



Here's a couple of it on:





I finished that one up today (ok technically yesterday since it's 2am), and did some of the knitting while sitting in the movie theater waiting to see the midnight show of Alice in Wonderland (super amazing movie by the way).

At work I've been working on a lap sized afghan to enter in the fair as well. I've got a few color changes to go still, but it's well on it's way to being finished.




On a side note I just finished a baby sweater for a couple close friends of mine and their baby Erick. It is supposed to have buttons but the idea of buttons on an infants sweater scares me (and I'm not even a parent).





So that's where I stand with all my knitting for now. Hoping to start a baby blanket (for another friend who is due in just over a week) and a pair of socks to enter in the fair. If I don't already have arthritis or carpal tunnel I will by the time these next 2 months are over. *sheesh*