Thursday, February 12, 2015

On My Needles

Another week is flying by and I feel like I have been widely unproductive. Despite the fact that I really have gotten a lot done. Anyone ever feel that way?

On my needles this week I have three new projects.


Last week I talked about how I am designing all of my socks this year. The next pair has begun and I am really liking it. I settled on a mock cable pattern that I altered a bit to look like large "V's". basically giant knit stitches that have been knit. Clever right? Lately I have really liked putting the stitch motif on everything. From shoes to mugs to scarves. So why not put them IN my knitting too? I still need a name for this though, suggestions are welcomed.  :) 


At this point, you are probably thinking I am having a love affair with purple. That's kind of true, although I started the above before my socks. The sock yarn was grabbed at random from my stash. And these are the only two purple yarns I own. Go figure.

But seriously, the above is a new tee, Fire Opal Tee, from an issue of Knitscene. What I like about this project is the way it allows the yarn to really shine. It may not look like much now, but once it's done you drop some stitches and the cables suddenly appear. I wish it knitted up faster though. 


Finally I have the Gap-tastic cowl started also. This is my new "movie theater" knit. It has quite a few mistakes from my last go, but I guess that's what happens when you try seed stitch in the dark. Honestly, I don't mind. It keeps my hands busy and uses up old yarn. Win Win in my book.

Weekly Inspirations:
Knitting - I'm knitting a scrap yarn bra! Before you get any ideas, it's for a fundraiser. I hope it works out. I'll share pictures when it's done.
Art - I have a couple of pieces in the show "From Every Fiber" in College Station, TX. The whole show is amazing. Art ranges from a giant knitted portrait to homemade paper flowers to felted paintings.
Food - If you have a Trader Joe's near you, I highly recommend buying a jar of the Satay Peanut Sauce. I had some that I have been putting with veggies this week and it's been a real treat.
Life - It's been 60/70 here all week. The best weather for coffee shop patio knitting. This week's adventure took me to The Village Downtown and an amazing Sangria Sunrise (who said coffee shops had to include coffee?)

I hope that the rest of the week and the weekend brings you great joy. I am hoping for a relaxing one.

~Lisa 


Friday, February 6, 2015

Sock Stories

Since 2015 began I have been hooked on socks. I have other projects on the needles too, but it seems like the sock project is always the one I focus on. No surprise I have finished two pairs already!

I discussed my "Show off stranded socks" in the last post, and since then I have started and completed one other pair. 


When the time came for my next pair, I decided to literally reach into my stash bin and grab a skein of yarn. If it was sock yarn, it was my next pair. The lucky winner was Merino Twist DK by Sweet Fiber. This skein of 100% superwash merino was given to me in a swap last summer and has been hanging out in the bin since. 

Such a dark yarn needed a nice lacy pattern, and I just couldn't find one on Ravelry that really fit the bill. So.... I designed my own! 

Nothing goes better with lace than waves, and I found the perfect motif in my "365 stitch calendar". Sadly, it didn't translate well to working in the round, and I had to change things up a bit. I was able to find another wave pattern online and went to town swatching. After ripping out the toe (these are toe up) for the 4th time, I finally got the design down! And the rest flew off the needles. 

Good news for you all also, I decided to publish the pattern! You can find it here - "Midnight Surf Socks" And if you use you the code "2015SOX", you can have it for $1 until Friday, Feb 13th.!  It hasn't been tech edited (yea...I know...) but I read it over three times and really worked to make it perfect. 


With this pair done, I decided I wanted to keep the "Grab and knit" trend going, even though I have two other projects on my needles. I also want to keep designing the socks myself - I have decided that every pair of socks I knit this year will be my own personal design! The next pair? With the solid purple shown above. Blue Ridge Farms Subtle Shades. I am thinking something a bit more solid, since the yarn is solid it can show off design work more. Maybe cables, or twists or both or lace. Who knows.

Weekly Inspirations:
Knitting: I haven't posted mine on Ravelry yet, but one of my other projects is the Fire Opal Tee in Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton. I started it last week because I needed something new on my needles.
Art: I started teaching this week and working with the kids is giving me lots of new ideas. I actually am really enjoying coming up with fun projects like scratch art and homemade sketchbooks from envelopes.
Food: This week I tried a baked oatmeal recipe and fell in love. You will too if you check out my food blog!
Life: THREE MORE WEEKS UNTIL I GET A PAY CHECK!!!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading my adventures. Any ideas what kind of stitch would look good on that purple are happily welcomed. :)

~Lisa