[knitting] No Place Like Home pullover

June's almost over and I test knit a little sweater this month:

It is a 5-year-old size. The pattern is No Place Like Home and it's by The Autumn Acorn.

It came out a little on the small size (I think my gauge was about half a stitch finer than recommended) so I think my niece will get one season out of it.

If I were to knit this again, I would add a little sleeve shaping. And beads to the front lace panel.

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We had a spate of hot days the moment I was done knitting this 100% wool sweater, so I switched to crocheting little cotton doilies. 

Tour de Fleece started this past Saturday. I'm working my way through 8oz of some colorful cheviot from Into the Whirled.

[knitting] Pride Socks

Finished rainbow socks:

Just in time for Pride month. The yarn is Schachenmayr Regia Pairfect Rainbow Color in 1736 Neon. I had to rip and reknit the leg of the second sock (I didn't cast on enough stitches) but other than that it was a relaxing knit. Working with stripey yarn makes me think, "Okay, just one more color... Okay, I'll knit just one more color and then go to bed... okay, just one more color..."

I did a massive wash of all my handknit socks over vacation. All washed and dried and put away until the fall:

I added five sachets of homegrown lavender to try and keep moths away. 

It was really nice to take inventory of all the socks- I was flooded with memories. One pair won Best In Show at the Tunbridge Fair. The pair I knit during a work trip to Korea or on a road trip with my sister, driving a U-Haul to Florida. My first pair. A handspun pair. All the Sock Madness socks. So many techniques- lace and cables and beads. 

32.5 pairs (one sock will never get a mate). Half a dozen slippers. And this doesn't include all the worsted weight socks I've knit for Dollar over the years. 

[knitting] Rainbow socks error

Made it to the heel flap of my second rainbow socks:

Tried dividing the stitches in half... I was short by 4 stitches. I counted around the first sock- 68 stitches. My second sock was only 64. Placed next to each other, I could see that the second sock was a bit more narrow and the color bands got off sync after a while. 

Soooooo... I ripped out the entire second sock. I cast on 68 stitches and counted. And recounted. And double and triple checked. And counted again after knitting a couple rows. I'm PRETTY sure the second sock is 68 stitches this time.

[knitting] Fantastitch complete

Fantastitch shawl, blocked and dry and done and wearable.

It's so soft and lighter than I thought it would be, considering the size. I'm really in love with the alpaca, cashmere and kidsilk haze yarns that I used.

The last sections of garter stitch striped chevrons along the bottom isn't quite as long as written (ran out of yarn), but long enough to have points:

This is my first big Stephen West project- I've only done a hat in the past (knit for an Amsterdam trip and accidentally left on a train).  I would def do another pattern- it was well written and such a good use for many colors.

I might do another. I've got so many random balls and skeins of fingering weight yarn.

[knitting] Dollar Sign Fingerless Mitts

Dollar blew out the thumb opening of his previous pair of fingerless mitts. It's darnable but I wanted to knit a new pair:

The pattern is Easy Fingerless Mitts by Calypso Knits and it's free on Ravelry. I worked the largest, 40-stitch size with US 7 needles. The yarn is Plymouth Galway.

The dollar sign is duplicate stitched on after the gloves were complete, with a little bit of green Knit Picks Wool of the Andes.

Because of the thumb issue with the last pair, I worked a couple rounds of single crochet around the thumb opening for reinforcement.

Easy, fast. I miraculously didn't put the dollar sign on the same side of both mitts.

[knitting] Rainbow Socks

Starting some plain vanilla socks with rainbow striping yarn.

Nothing complicated- something mindless to work on while watching a movie.

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TGIF. Picking up my first meat share at a local farm tomorrow- and I ordered some eggs and a few greens. I picked up a load of various flours from King Arthur Flour a couple days ago, so I think this will be a good cooking weekend. And not just because I found a frozen slab of pork belly in the freezer and nearly squealed in delight.

[knitting] Inis Beag

Teleworking at home has been a struggle because of the pace. While VPN network speed was increased it still naturally takes longer to connect to server and move data around. To alleviate my impatience and frustration, I've been keeping a knitting project by the computer. A cabled hat that I would work on twenty seconds here, a minute there. After more than a month, it's done:

The pattern is Inis Beag on Ravelry and it's free. It's meant to be a child's hat but it's 104 stitches with worsted weight yarn so... it's definitely comfortable and not tight on my big, adult head.

I've cast on for another- to continue to have a telework project but also, now that I've run through the pattern once, I can modify a few things. I'm not sure why the pattern begins in the middle of a moss stitch panel. And I think the purl borders around the 4-stitch cables is too much.

[knitting] Fan TAS titch

Fantastitch off the needles, ends to sew in:

Someone on Instagram sent me a link to a video showing how Stephen West weaves in his ends as he joins a new color (Stephen Weavin') and I heard him say the name of the shawl. I've been saying it wrong. It's Fan-TAS-titch, like fantastic. I've been saying fanta-stitch. Like fantasy. Or the soda + stitch. Siiiiigh.

Anyway, I'll try that method on my next colorful shawl. For now, sew snip sew snip sew snip...

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So this Dalgona coffee craze... I have to try it. Need instant coffee. And milk. 

[knitting] Fantastitch Progress

After finishing the socks, I went back to the Fantastitch shawl:

It is working up to be interesting- in colors and textures. It's been nice working on this in the evenings to relax.

[knitting] Aramis Socks - Finished

Finished Aramis socks:

Pretty bright and cheerful. I like that the pattern has you work the repeats in opposite directions for a left and right sock. 

It's still handknit weather here- there is a winter weather advisory for this evening with 3 - 6 inches of new snow forecast. I'm looking forward to fresh snow for some homemade sugar on snow.

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Things are pretty bizarre with all the social distancing. I knew I had such a gigantic yarn stash for a reason. I've not started any new projects- after finishing the Aramis socks, I went back to working on the Fantastitch shawl. I'm nearing the last few sections but the rows are getting really long. I'm tempted to start something new and quick to work on when I need a break.

[knitting] Fantastitch Start

Working through Fantastitch:

The colors are a little off because it's a nighttime picture. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about using single strands of Kidsilk Haze but I'm just going to keep plodding along. I have the urge to make another- in more rustic yarn and colors. I wonder if I should have two going at the same time... Should I be insane and cast on another? 

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Last night was a wash. I had a mid-day dentist appt that got moved to 4:15 pm. A few weeks ago I had a chipped front tooth and had some bonding done. 8 days later, I bit into a piece of toast and the bonding chipped. I was extra furious because they wouldn't be able to see me for another 8 days to fix it. Anyway, new bonding is now in place and I'm hoping I can go back to eating wacky things like toast.

[knitting] Aramis socks- fixed

This picture likes pretty much the same as the last one of these socks- but I ripped back and added the missing purl rounds after the cuff on the second sock.

I haven't worked on the socks since I started the shawl. 

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Last night I made a big batch of beef jerky. I only make homemade beef jerky a couple times a year because if I did it more, our diets would be 50% beef jerky. It tastes so good but I know it's bad for you.

Knit a little bit more on the Fantastitch shawl. I also reset the dye on a skein of yarn that was rubbing off on my fingers and needles when I tried knitting with it.

[knitting] Fantastitch colors

I picked my color palette for the Fantastitch shawl:

Left pink is cashmere, the rest of the skeins are alpaca. The fuzzy ones are kid mohair and silk. The bottom right ball is baby camel that I'm not going to end up using (It's three strands wound together and I was going to separate them but it would be way too much work.)

All luxury yarns. I've had all those alpaca skeins in my stash for more than a decade. I bought them from the A Touch of Twist booth at a past Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival and they still had the price tag on them- $7 per skein. That's an ancient price.

I've made it through several sections of the pattern- the early sections are short and it's a little addicting mixing up all the colors.

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Good weekend, if a little cold and surprisingly snowy. We took a day trip down to Brattleboro on Saturday and tried to have lunch at Whetstone Station. It was ridiculously busy so we tried The Marina. I loved it there- plenty of parking, tables open for lunch, good food and drinks.

Sunday I did the grocery shopping and worked on the shawl. Low key chill day. We rented Doctor Sleep and I really, really liked it. There were a couple gruesome parts but I loved the story and the filming was really great.

[knitting] Aramis socks- oops

I knew I should have started the shawl right away. I worked on my second Aramis sock instead and when I took a picture:

Ugh. I forgot to do the purl rounds after the cuff! I'm going to rip it back. I really can't abide having that big of a different between the two.

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Speaking of the shawl- I think I found lots of nice yarn to use for it. I've had a bag of alpaca skeins in in my stash for more than a decade and I think this is a perfect project for them. I might throw in some other specials things (cashmere, baby camel).

Bethel University just announced their classes- all free. I've signed up for a couple.

TGIF. Going to take a day trip tomorrow. 

[knitting] Facehugger

And it is done:

I really, really love the finished creature. 

The pattern is free on Ravelry. I used most one 8oz skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Oatmeal. For most of the project, I held the yarn double and used US 8 needles. For the skinny parts of the legs, I dropped a strand and knit with US 5 needles.

The legs were fiddly. I knit them all individually and sewed them on at the end. I would knit up to the first knuckle and then insert a pipe cleaner and knit around it/push it up as I went along. I only stuffed the tip of the legs and the base.

If I were to do this again, I might twist three pipe cleaners together for each leg, to make them stronger. They are posable with just the one pipe cleaner but they're a little floppy.

The xenomorph went after Murderface:

Then it set it's sights (wait- do these things have eyes?) on Penny:

Now on to a shawl and lots of colors.

[knitting] Facehugger progress

I'm knitting a facehugger creature from the movie Alien. The pattern is free on Ravelry.

Here's the main body and one (of two) air sac attached:

I'm knitting with Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool yarn, held double, on US 8 needles.

The legs are taking forever (and I need eight!):

The legs start out with the yarn doubled on US 8s, then after the first purl round, I switch to a single strand and US 5 needles. I insert a pipe cleaner at this point and kind of push it up as the legs get longer.

I think if I devote a good chunk of time to this thing this weekend, I can finish. 

Which reminds me.... TGIFFFFFF. I think my cold is tapering off. Work is busy and stressful- I have to have a nice, relaxing weekend. Maybe I should make a list of all the nice, relaxing things I need to get done.

My weekend cooking goals are to make Maangchi's buldak and jjapaguri from the movie Parasite.

[knitting] Aramis Socks

New socks in the works:

The pattern is free on Ravelry: Aramis. I finished the D'Artagnan. There's an obvious Three Musketeers theme. The designer, Caoua Coffee, published the patterns and I'll be doing either Porthos or Athos after this pair.

The yarn is Frolicking Feet by Done Roving Yarns and it's been in my stash for a long time. I know this because the tag says I bought it at White River Yarns and that shop has been closed since October 2016. I get to all my yarn... eventually.

Speaking of socks: Sign-ups for Sock Madness close on Feb 28. Join the Sock Madness Forever group on Ravelry. I participated for a few years but March is a crazy-busy time at my work and trying to make socks in a competition is so much extra stress that I don't need. But it's an active, supportive, fun group and you get many exclusive and interesting patterns for free. If you're into knitting socks- check it out.

[knitting] D'Artagnan Socks

All done.

The yarn is Plymouth Dye for Me Happy Feet Shimmer. You can't tell in the pictures but there is lots of sparkle in the yarn.

I was pretty paranoid about knitting with white yarn but I managed to not drop them in the mud or spill pasta sauce all over them.

My only deviation from the pattern was to use my regular old slip one, knit one heel flap. I had to futz around with numbers a bit and I'm glad I had to the foresight to scribble down the turning heel numbers after the first sock.

I basically got through the legs and heel flaps during my travels. At home, I finished the gussets, feet and toes of both socks in basically one day. One frigid day. By late afternoon, I could put them on:

I will never get tired of slipping on new wool socks.

[knitting] Year of the Rat

I made a quick Year of the Rat toy for the cats:

The Lunar New Year was on Saturday, so I was a day late. But this was pretty easy to knit up on a Sunday morning.

The pattern is free on Ravelry: The Year of the Rat. I used grey Patons Classic Wool Worsted and a little bit of pink Cascade 220 superwash. I had 6mm safety eyes in my stash.

There is fiber fill in the head and body. I spread it out thin, sprinkled on some catnip and rolled it up before stuffing it in the pieces.

Penny loves this stuff:

I have to hide the toy from her when I'm not around. I'm not sure adding catnip was the best idea.

[knitting] Totally Biased #12

The recently finished Totally Biased cowl:

I checked my Ravelry projects and this is the 12th time I've knit this pattern.

I used one ball of Knitting Fever Painted Desert. I'm not exactly sure but this is probably the Salt Fish colorway. I cast on 70 stitches provisionally and knit with US 4 needles. 

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I made a lot of progress on my D'Artagnan socks at the Green Mountain Knitting Guild meeting in Saturday. The meeting was good- it was nice to meet more members and discuss/give input on programming for the coming year.

It was a good cooking weekend, too. I made some Instant Pot yogurt, which I haven't done in quite a while. I strained the whey to make it extra thick and will use the whey for a bucket of no knead dough and other things. 

The chocolate chip cookie dough didn't get mixed until yesterday- it's resting in the fridge and I'll try baking a sheet tonight. 

I got a large lamb roast at the grocery store for $12. We had a nice roast dinner last night and I'll be using up leftovers the rest of the week. Lamb gyros and (probably) shepherd's pie.

And I knit up the cutest little rat toy for the cats on Sunday, for the lunar new year.