endeavor to persevere!

i find that when i am planning a vacation or get away, my first concern is always the knitting project that will accompany me on the journey - i know, somewhat obsessive but remember, 'idle hands are the devil's workshop'!

so, on a recent trip to kauai, my knitting consisted of wip's (works in progress) that needed completion, including a hat, a sock and a scarf.

first up was the hat: pattern - sockhead hat by kelly mcclure

 

this is my 'go to' hat pattern for 2014, which i am using as a stash buster with plans to knit one per month! we'll see if i can stick to that plan!

the yarn is a mill end skein of blue moon fiber arts mediumweight 'socks that rock'. i knit this particular hat twice. first time, i knit it 'straight up' from the skein - not such a good idea as the yarn pooled horribly and it was butt-ugly! really, really butt-ugly and i just could not stomach it so...... frog it, i did, and recaked the yarn in two equal weight cakes and began, again, alternating each row between the cakes. much, much, much improved!!! 

since this was a mediumweight yarn, i cast on less stitches (96 instead of 144) but used the same 16" circular needles in size 3.00 mm. it might be a tad tight on my head but i have a pretty big head so it should be perfect on a child. next time i use a mediumweight, i'll try casting on 108 stitches.

next up: a pair of two-up socks in lanna grossa meilenweit cotton fun & strips, a mix of cotton, wool and polyamid (whatever that might be!). i have no idea when or where i acquired this yarn but there must have been two skeins on a sale table somewhere, perfect in my mind for a pair of everyday socks. knit from the toe-up with my favorite gusset heel, i tried a new toe.

i started each sock by provisionally casting on 4 stitches and knitting 10 rows in stockinette stitch. i then turned the work 90 degrees and picked up 8 stitches along one side, turned another 90 and picked up the 4 provisionally cast-on stitches, turned again and picked up another 8 stitches on the final side for a total of 24 stitches. i added stitches on the short ends on every other round until i reached 64 stitches.

this produced a wider, rounder toe which was great. i completed the first sock in no time! i had started the second sock and i was about half way through the foot when this happened!

i accidentally sat on my knitting bag and heard a crack - a crack that i knew did not sound good! i was sure that i had broken one needle and i reasoned that that would be fine as i had 5 needles and i could get by with 4. imagine my surprise when i dug out the socks and discovered that i had broken not one, but two needles! argh! and here i was on vacation in a tropical paradise where knitting and knitting shops aren't popular like they are back in the northwest! needleless to say, i was forced to punt - where there's a will, there's a way! i couldn't knit a circular sock easily with only three needles so i slipped six stitches on one of the broken needles and endeavored to persevere - it was a slow slog to completion but i did complete the mission and wrapped up sock number two! phew! i was glad when that ordeal ended!

i guess the lesson i learned from this experience was perhaps i should bring some extra needles with me on my next adventure, just for safety's sake!

only time will tell!

these sweet little mitts.....

kicked my arse! 

and i really don't know why! could it be that the pattern write-up was poorly done (true!) or that i didn't totally zone in and take proper notes (true!) but, my gosh, there were no fancy or unfamiliar stitches! should have been a piece of cake, right? wrong!!!

i knit this mitt five times before i got a pair that i was somewhat satisfied with but they still have a way to go! i think my next go round, and there WILL be a next go round as i have no plans of letting this little number beat me, i will produce a pair that i am totally happy to call my own! i downloaded the pattern (circle mitts - free on ravelry) in goodreader so i was able to make notes right on the pattern which really helped with stitch counts and such.

now that i've finished this diversion, i've got to get back on task and get some positive mojo goin'!! yeehaw!

happy vd!

yah! yah! yah! so i'm a day late and a dollar short! the story of my life!
but it was finished before and i took the pictures on valentine's day so that should count in my book!

 i got the idea for this hat when i was grocery shopping and saw a young gal with a similar cabled hat. i caught a glimpse of her several times throughout the store but the clincher was when i was in my car and she pushed her cart right past me so i got a good look! i thought 'i can do that!'. i could hardly contain myself until i could get home and get on it! her hat was a bright pink but with the holiday fast approaching i thought this wonderful tonal red in 'cherry splash' by brown sheep lanaloft worsted weight would be perfect!

and it is! i started with an inch edging of k2,p2 and then combined an eight stitch cable and a four stitch cable for the body with three purl stitches between each cable.

i finished the top with a ssk/k2tog, beginning in the middle of the four stitch cables which decreased the top by twelve stitches each round.

i stayed with the pattern throughout and ended with six stitches which i finished by threading a yarn through and finishing off on the inside. i used size 7 needles and cast on 108 stitches. when i knit it again, i think i will use a size 5 or 6 needle for the k2/p2 band at the beginning so it is just a tad tighter! all in all, i'm very happy with the results and it will be perfect for our next snowpocalypse which i hope is a long, long, long way off! 

deux!

here they are! the other two hats that i knit in january.

this little number is the sockhead hat by kelly mcclure which is a freebie on ravelry and uses one skein of sock yarn. i used blue moon fiber arts socks that rock in the colorway 'knitters without borders' which has been occupying my stash for way too long (i shudder to think of how many years!). love the slouchey look and the fact that it uses up an entire skein of sock yarn as i have declared 2014 the year of sock yarn reduction!

speaking of slouchey, here is the rikke hat by sarah young, who is the owner of happy knits in portland. it is completely knit in garter stitch in the round which actually involves knitting a row of knit stitches followed by a row of purl stitches. this wonderful madelinetosh aran yarn in the colorway 'vanilla bean' made it just perfect for the cold, snowy days we've had this week! brrrrrrrr!

hats off!

january - come and gone!
and, and, and
what do i have to show for it?
well, not much, i'm sorry to say - just a couple of hats!

and a couple more that i haven't photoed yet (i promise i'll get on that sooner than later!)

supposedly january is 'selfish knit' month with the holidaze finished and such, this is our (knitters in general) opportunity to knit for ourselves. since i don't seem to have a problem doing that most of the time, i decided that bustin' stash with some hats was the ticket for me!

the first pic is of a hat designed by erica jackofsky entitled: southmoor and is knit from blue moon fiber arts 'socks that rock heavyweight'. it is a delicious combo of green, brown and blue and i used size 3 and 5 needles for this adventure.

the second hat is designed by linda shelhamer and is entitled: xenocryst. this was knit on #6 needles out of cascade yarns '220 heathers'. along the way i got to try out a new cast-on and a new lace stitch - always a plus when you learn a new technique!

and stepping back in time just a tad, i'll share a couple of pictures of holidaze knitting.

i knit four scarves out of cascade yarns 'indulgence' with lots of cables and a keyhole opening for securing around ones neck.

four pairs of fingerless mitts, baby cable handwarmers by linda kirschner out of debbie bliss 'cashmerino aran'.

and a burnished leaves cowl by chrissy prange out of cascade yarns 'indulgence'.  looking back, i guess i do deserve a little break during january as i did do a lot of knitting in december! whew!

      

smitten with mittens!

not just any mittens but mini-mittens! 

knitted repeatedly until there were 25! 

finished just in time to create the perfect advent calendar!

an excellent way to count down the days 

until the reason for the season arrives with an extra bonus, 

a little hiding place for a special treat!

each mitten is approximately 3 1/2 inches in length.

each mitten took approximately an hour to knit

each mitten used up one of those small bits of worsted weight yarn that remains after completing a project - you know, the bits that are just too big to just toss!

also the perfect opportunity to once again experience those yarns that you just loved to needle, like malabrigo - yum! yum!

i used size 3 dpn's and found the pattern on ravelry, it is called 'smitten' - duh!

the pattern called for an i-cord loop for hanging but i eliminated said cord as i wanted to hang my mittens with a mini-clothespin on a clothesline!

i made the tags on the computer and tied them on with perle cotton thread! 

and then i stuffed them with lots of chocolate goodies!

so festive and the clear ticket to get one excited about upcoming events!

no matter what ones age!

now, on to holiday knitting - 25 days but who's counting?

welcome to our world!

goodie, goodie gumdrops! i've got a new great niece!

let me introduce to you Callidora Daphne Nackos, born thursday, november 21st at around 3:15 pm, weighing 7 lbs. 9 ozs., and measuring 19 1/2 inches from head to toe! 

truly a bundle of joy!

and life would not be complete for a new bambino without the following accoutrements:

a 'snuggle bug' quilt, slippers and a newborn hat!

the quilt is made of flannel, perfect for keeping baby warm while napping

 and so washable in case of accidents!

the slippers are knit from leftover bits of sock yarn. this yarn is shepherd sock by lorna's laces in the colorway 'flamingo stripes'. the pattern is 'magic slippers' and is a freebie on ravelry. a quick and easy knit to keep those little toes warm!

and to keep the little 'noggin' warm, a 'newborn hat', knit from the pattern i shared last year. once again, knit in the same leftover sock yarn as the slippers. 

sooooo pink - sooooo perfect for a perfect little lady!

sooooo happy to be able to cover her from head to toe!

welcome to our world, callie!