Socktober!

Here's a little knitting update for you, in honor of the end of Socktober! (a little late...)

I finished these purple lovelies, and as soon as they were done I put them on and now they're waiting to go in the wash. So you've have to forgive me for using an old photo...

The dye lots were also REALLY off. The labels said they were the same, but the blues are VERY different!

I also started these! I've been referring to them (it?) as the green monsters. I'm doing a seed stitch rib pattern, and I actually tried starting two at a time, but it stressed me out, and since this is supposed to be FUN, I pulled one off and I'm just working on one at a time. I'm totally ok with that. Maybe I'm just not meant to be a two-at-a-timer!

I'm also making really good progress (so far!) on my Color Affection. I'm a few repeats into the second contrast color, but I have to tell you, I've literally fallen asleep while knitting this TWICE. Hundreds of plain knit stitches at once is apparently like Ambien to me. I'm super stoked about getting this done this season, but I'm glad I started another pair of socks, to break up the monotony!

Knitting progress!

So in my lack of time for quilting while in grad school, I've been very happy to have a little bit of knitting to turn to in the evenings when I just need a few minutes to unwind. I started knitting last fall, and I think I've made some progress, but there is still a long way to go before I would consider myself proficient...

My first pair of socks was a worsted-weight "learning" pair that turned out ok, and I've since finished another pair!

These are Hermione's Everyday Socks in some Joann's yarn. I did these cuff down with a fish-lips kiss heel. I really liked these, but I had to frog the first sock because it was waaaay too small for my size 10 feet! I restarted them on slightly larger needles, with a slightly higher stitch count, and they turned out pretty well! I would consider them a tiiiiny bit too big, but they fit really well just after they're washed.

I actually finished these a while ago (much like the pillow...) but never blogged about them. I've almost finished another pair since! These are not quite finished, I have like 5 rows left of the cuff on the second sock. These are my first toe-ups and I LOVE how that worked! I didn't have to worry about running out of yarn at the toe! I just did vanilla stockinette, pleasantly mindless for tv watching, etc. These socks are from the same dye lot but the blues look VERY different. The yarn was another cheap Joann's purchase, so I'm not terribly upset.

I also bought some "good" yarn for a Color Affection shawl! I'm very excited about this! I started it the other night (since the other socks are almost done and I want something on needles at all times!) and looked at some of the mods people made on Ravelry. I'm doing KFBs instead of the M1s, and I'm adding yarn overs to the right side rows.

I've already had to frog it once, since my dropped YOs left big holes, (you can see them here, this picture is the first attempt) but I've started it again putting the YO between knit stitches instead of between a knit and KFB. It's looking better already!

I'll keep you posted as to how this goes, I've never done colorwork before, and I'm excited about it!

Sunday Stash and MAQS Recap

I went to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt show last weekend, and believe it or not, I bought some fabric! lol

In addition to these super sweet repros, I also got some Lizzy and Tula, and a stencil set thing so I can improve my FMQ a little bit. I also got my first skeins of "fancy" yarn! (Aka not from Joann's/Michaels/AC Moore) I think these will become some really sweet Christmas-y socks!

I didn't actually take any photos of the actual show quilts, because I was distracted by another purchase, which is getting it's own post next week!

In the meantime, I'll tease you with the promise of a new quilt in the next couple of weeks. I'm turning these 30's prints into a quilt for my BFF's new baby. Who will probably be walking by the time it's finished. But at least I am SO much more inspired with this than the quilt I was working on for her before!

The one where the power went out...

I had grand plans the other night to get a mess-load of homework done.

But then we got about 3 inches of snow.

And the power went out for a couple hours.

Really??!


It was pretty at first.

Then my house started to smell like Yankee Candle was burning down. And it was getting cold. Good thing I have lots of quilts hanging around! ;-)

At least I got some candlelight knitting done! I'm loving these new socks... So stoked for my feet :-)

By the way, I finished these socks forever ago. My first pair ever! It went much more smoothly than I thought, even if they're pretty lumpy. It can only get better from here, right? ;-)

Today, however, I had to study...

P.S. I figured out what was going on with my flickr... apparently there is some bug going on that won't allow embedding on some photos - some were fine, and some wouldn't let me. I had to opt out of the beta flickr and go back to the old one (which is way better, IMHO) and then it was fine. Frustrating in the meantime, though...

Hello Again!

Can I tell you that I'm downright embarrassed by how long it's been since I posted? I didn't realize it had been so long...

But to be honest, there hasn't been much going on over here. Christmas happened, and with it a very minimal amount of gift-sewing. Knitting is happening, which to be honest, makes it very hard to get off the couch. It's just so very comfy...

Also, there is the Christmas/New Year funk that happened (is still happening?). Holidays have been pretty rough since my Mom died, and this year we're without my grandmother too. It doesn't put one much in the mood to be creative. Or to do anything, really. I haven't even turned on my machine in about two weeks. It's just sad.

BUT. I did manage to finish my Canberra cowl, and have cast on another scarf and my first sock. First time knitting in the round AND first time using double pointed needles. I'll let you know how it goes!

(Pardon my crappy iPhone pics. Santa did NOT bring me a real camera...)

I'm going to be doing my WIP/Goals post here soon, so keep on the lookout for that.

I don't think I'm going to do a wrap-up post for 2013. I was not a fan. It was better than 2012, but just barely. (Looking back on that post, it seems that the funk I'm in right now is exactly what happened last year. Even posting on the same day!)

Here's to me getting my sewing mojo back!

Re-Learning Curve

I mentioned a while back that I had taken up knitting again. Again, meaning that I had knit before. Before, meaning in elementary school.

Needless to say, I was pretty much starting from scratch.

Here is the first photo I showed, a project from the Craftsy class I'm taking that is my 'refresher-but-really-from-scratch' class. I think it's funny that you can see where I first started how the sides were all lumpy, but then I figured it out ;-)

So I'm basically addicted now, and I've since finished the lace scarf. Here is Charlotte being very generous with the reluctant-model side-eye.

I've also casted (casted? cast?) on a couple more things!

The blue scarf on the left is the next project from the Craftsy class, and I'm working on seed stitch and different sizes of basket weave.

The purple-ish one is a cowl pattern I found on Ravelry, and it's a very simple offset rib. I've actually made a good bit of progress on this, and have finished the first of three skeins. I'd like to be able to wear it while it's still cold out!

I know that most of y'all are quilters, but I'm finding that a lot of quilters are also knitters. Are you? What have you been working on? Do you find that there seems to be a knitting 'season'? I'm loving the coziness of this!