3KCBWDAY1- Colorful Journey Through the World of Socks

Edited to add:
I am going to do something at the beginning of each of this week's post. I will be listing 5 random new blogs I found via google and the tags for the day! Here are 5 random blogs from today's theme:

Kate's Twirl

Frog Soup

Sudden Expression

Judith goes USA

Create Bella Create

Yes, I am participating in Knit and Crochet Blog Week 2012. I hope I can make it all the way to the end, as my class stress load is getting a bit intense. Also, if my grammar and spelling is a bit off this week, it's because I chopped open my finger in print today and have to leave it bandaged all week. Alas the life of an art major. :(

Anyways, the theme for today was to discuss color, and after reading several of my followed blogs this morning I realized that we all have a color we like to use, but when it comes to socks we let loose; it doesn't really matter if the color goes well with us because it's just socks! I myself am the same, and with that being said, I am going to take you guys through my history of sock knitting (which is actually close to where my knitting history starts!) and the colors I picked for each pair.

Although my ex-boyfriend is primarily to blame for getting me back into knitting, I think it's learning to knit socks that really made me interested in knitting and the things I could do with it. The first pair I ever knit was these:

This was a pair I knit in a class on how to knit socks. The yarn is Dream in Color, and although you cannot see it here, the reason I picked this yarn was the subtle use of navy, brown and teal to create a very pretty fabric. As it was my first pair, they were done worsted and are a bit big, but perfect for bedtime in the winters. I just wanted to say that if I had never taken this class I don't think I would be as an accomplished knitter as I am today, for before socks I only knew scarves and had never stepped foot in a yarn shop. Safe to say it changed my life.

The next pair is one I can't even wear, as the heals are off enough to the point where my feet hurt when I wear them .  I wish I could though, because I love the color of Mini Mochi -- I'm really attracted to purples, greens and blues, and the stripes in this were just something I couldn't resist --  that I picked out, as well as the pattern, which is one I made using my Socks ala Carte book. They were also my first non-worsted pair of socks. I have yet to knit short row heels since this incident, it just scares me to think about spending that much time and getting a pair that I can't wear!

My first wearable pair of fingering socks came in the form of Sunday Swing, and pattern that is spectacular and is completely covered up by the color vargations in this yarn. The yarn is Farmhouse, Fannie's Finger Weight, in Surf. I remember when I bought this yarn -- at the time it was the most expensive yarn I had ever purchased but I just could not resist. The color way was gorgeous and so much fun! I still have half of it left, so maybe I will make another pair with a more fitting pattern someday.

Where do you go after you master one-at-a-time fingering weight socks on dpn's? Well two-at-a-time on one long circular of course! I took a class last summer at Wildflower and learned  how to knit 2aat socks, which is where this pair came from. I had not intended to buy new yarn for this project because I had some other in my stash, but I just could not resist (again!) the colors of the Berocco Sox.  The oranges and reds and browns meshed so well together and the it was color I had yet to make socks with, so why not? In general, I love this pair to death.

Up to this point I had been focusing on cuff down socks, toe up just sounds scary and complicated, something I didn't want to get into. But this previous Christmas break I caved: I really wanted to be able to try on my socks as I went! And that leads to this pair, done in Zitron Trekking 6ply. I bought this yarn over a year ago on clearance because I wanted more worsted weight socks. It was the only color they had, so it's not like I picked it for a specific reason or anything. But after I knitted up the socks, I realized what a gem I had. The colors remind me of fire and they go so well together! The orange and yellow especially meld well. This is definitely one of my favorite pairs to wear!

That brings me to my most recent completed pair, done in scraps of Berocco Vintage that I had previously used in other projects. They were done toe-up and in creating these socks I learned how and where to increase as you go up the leg, for these are knee highs! It's funny how each yarn was intended for a different project, yet when put together they all look great!

My most current sock project is a pair of 2-at-a-time cuff downs in a really pretty orange. When I got this yarn I was really excited because it was such a pretty summer/spring color and a nice change from the blues and purples I am used to. The pattern I picked also works well with this yarn.

And here is all my stash sock yarn, waiting to become socks.I can't wait to knit with each and every one of them.

I am really glad I got to share my sock stories with you today, whether you are an old friend or a new reader. I love sharing my knitting adventures. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, I have some pretty cool ideas if I can pull them off!

~Lisa

P.S. --> I'm obsessed with cats and don't live with mine (they are back home) so I can't always get pictures. I may start posting funny cat pics at the end of my posts if that is ok with you guys :D

(Today photo courtesy of: official ultimate LOL cat thread )

First FO's of Spring

I feel like it has been forever since I have shared a finished project with you guys. But I am proud to say that today I have TWO to share!

First up is my Effortless Cardigan, which many of you probably remember me talking and blogging about. I have been working on this since November, 2011 and I probably could have had it done sooner, but I lost interest quite a bit with other projects. But, I still finished it in a decent amount of time, given that it is my first large sweater type project. 

If you look close enough, it is a little bit big on me,but the size choices were weird on the pattern and I was not about to alter it on my first big project.  Overall, I think this will be more of a lounge around the house sweater than anything else, but maybe once fall comes again I will wear it out more; the color doesn't really shout "Spring!" to me.  I wish I could show you guys better pictures, but it was hard to get good pictures with out zooming in too much.

Did I mention that I can now cross something off my 2012 Fiber Resolutions? I have finished my first full sweater successfully!

The next project I want to share is something I casted on right after I finished up the cardigan. Everything But Vintage Socks.  I have had a ton of Berroco Vintage scraps in my stash and needed to use them up. Since Vintage is my go to worsted weight sock yarn anyways, why not make socks? I decided I wanted to use it all up in one pair, so I went for it and made knee highs! They tend to fall down when I walk, but that's probably because I increased a little too much. Either way, they're very warm and are full of memories. There are 4 pairs of socks, a hat, a pair of mittens and my sweater all knitted into a striped pair of socks! Oh and I forgot to mention that my kitties like them too :)

Since I can't NOT be knitting something, I began work on my next project last night. Using some Manos del Uruguay that Ivy sent me for Christmas, I began swatching this very cute and simple cardigan, Abalone. Although the knitting will be simple, it has a bit of seaming and shaping I haven't had any experience with, so that will be a bit of a challenge when I get there. But after the last cardigan, I am up for the challenge!

I hope everyone is having a great start to Spring! The sun here has disappeared and probably won't come out for the rest of the week. It's so sad, because I really want to sit outside and knit, but I can't in the rain. 

~Lisa

Turing Scraps into Gold

 Let me start by mentioning that I finally finished my Effortless Cardigan. I will post pictures and more details after it is blocked, whenever that is.

Anyways, as you may know, I am trying to only use stash yarn all year and not buy any new yarn at all. (although that may get broken very soon because Berroco just made some new amazing colors of Vintage and I freaked out for at least 5 minutes when I found out). So in my attempts to reduce my stash, I have been working on a few projects with my scrap/lower amount yarns.

The first one was a a headband I knitted up with some handspun.  This is the handspun that I made last semester for my spindle drawings , and I didn't have very much of each color so I couldn't do too much with it. I didn't even have enough to finish the headband, as you can see. There are 3 different yarns in there, a blue/black/green 3 ply, a blue/black 2 ply, and then a green 2 ply.  It's really fun to wear because of it's changes in color and bulkyness, but I wish it would lay flat. I guess I need to find an iron and try steam blocking it.

(This photo does no justice, but I can't get a picture of me wearing it...)

Next up is a pair of socks I started last night. I have a ton of random scraps of Vintage, and after finishing my cardigan I wanted to just get them out of my stash. So I am making random stripe worsted socks from the toe up.  I sat down for 3 hours yesterday and am already at the heel cup. I was going to do them 2 at a time, but my yarn got tangled really fast so I changed my mind. Worsted socks knit up so fast though so they'll still be done in no time. I am really excited for these because I am going to make them super long, basically until I use up all my Vintage!

       

Finally, as many of my fellow knitters can attest to, Red Heart, or any cheap acrylic, is AWFUL to knit with! So then why I am finding myself making tons of little white balls with my extra Red Heart? Well that's a secret for now, but lets just say it has to do with my art!

I have so much on my plate with school right now, I can't even keep it straight. I am really surprised that I have found time to knit (and post about it on here!) but I have noticed that when I spend time knitting it makes me want to do school work more later.  Taking a few hours on a Saturday to knit is a great stress relief and prepares me for Sunday when the homework load hits.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend and is ready for the week to start! I have a very busy one ahead, so I'll be lucky if I get through it unscathed.  Take care!

~Lisa

Slowly But Surely Effortless

I just realized that it has been over a week since I updated, but I honestly have had nothing to say about my knitting/spinning/artsy life.  I've been increasingly busy with school, especially my drawing class (you can see an image of my first drawing of the semester on the "my art" page). My teacher is expecting a lot and in return it has given me next to no time to actually knit.

I did manage to get some progress on my Effortless Cardigan. In fact, even without knit nights due to Relay meetings, I managed to finish the body of it and bind it off today.  I 'tried it on' to see how it was looking and that in turn made me very excited for finishing this thing!

If I could, I'd take a picture of me wearing it, but that's difficult and it isn't done yet anyways. My only concern at the moment is that it is a bit big, especially around the sleeves. Going down a size would have led to it being too small though, so I didn't have much choice. At least I know it will fit over other things when I wear it!

I started sleeve 1, and I think I'm going to finish those fast, working in the round with stockinette always makes things go by fast. I am a bit scared to pick up the side stitches and make the ribbed bands, as I have never picked up stitches like that before.  Any pointers?

I'm sorry if this was a bland post, but I've been so busy lately that I felt like I had to post SOMETHING even if it wasn't much.  Well, time to get back to the drawing board, literally!

~Lisa

The Question of Quality

I've always been a pretty forgiving knitter, accepting that not everything comes out perfect and that mistakes make a piece more unique and "yours". However, lately I've discovered that not all mistakes our the knitter's fault. Sometimes it's the yarn.

Have you ever seen a yarn in a shop and fallen in love? Usually for me it's a yarn's colorway that draws me in. Contrary to popular belief, color is not everything. Take for example my current WIP, Pink Spiral Scarf. The yarn is Regia Hand Dye effect, something I purchased over a year ago at the yarn shop in Salina because I loved the color and thought it would make beautiful socks. I pulled the skein out a few weeks ago and looked up reviews on Ravelry. As it turns out, not a lot of people like this yarn. And I am definitely one of them. It's not very soft, really slick, and has this weird white thread that comes unwound from the ball as I go. If I had even tryed to make socks with it, they'd turn out awful. So I settled on a fairly easy, yet pretty shawl/scarf pattern. I like the pattern, but the yarn is not doing it justice. I'll probably finish it just to finish it and clear it out of my stash, but it's safe to say I will never buy this yarn again. I heard Regia makes some other great sock yarns, anyone have any experience with them?

This isn't the first time I've been worried about quality. I purchased some Mission Falls Merino a long time ago to make worsted socks for my mom. I had read on Ravelry that Mission Falls was a great worsted yarn and very luscious to work with so I figured I'd give it a try. After getting done with one whole sock I stopped. That sock is still in a bag in my drawer with the extra yarn for it's mate. I just couldn't get into the yarn; it lefts fuzzies everywhere and I heard that it doesn't wash up very well. Yet another yarn I will likely not purchase again. It's too bad too, because the socks are kinda pretty.

My final issue comes with the "Big Box Stores". I've noticed lately that stores such as Hobby Lobby have been selling yarns that contain less acrylic than they used to. Oddly enough, many LYS's are starting to carry many more acrylic blends and aren't as snobby as they once were towards acrylic yarns. This doesn't mean I will be buying any yarn from Big Box Stores any of them anytime soon. Just because the label says "wool" on it doesn't make it good quality wool. I saw some really pretty gradated Lion Brand that is mostly wool, but it was much scratchier than any wool I've ever seen at my LYS. Still, most yarns I have come to love contain at least 1/3 acrylic. My old standby has always been Berroco Vintage, which is 50% acrylic. I've made many accessories with Caron Simply Soft, my standby (yet trying to get away from) big box acrylic yarn. The biggest issue I have with Hobby Lobby and it's mates is the fact that many of their yarns lately have been clones of their companions at the LYS. I feel like this takes away from the whole LYS experience, something I'm not even going to go into right now.

(My effortless cardigan WIP, which is made from Vintage, 50% acrylic, 40% wool, 10% nylon)

This leads to my question. How does quality play into your yarn selections? Do you ever think about it when you are picking out a new yarn? What about acrylic, is there a place for it among the natural and "better" quality fibers?

Sometime I just wish I could look up the Ravelry comments right there in my LYS before I purchased a new yarn.

~Lisa

Adventures in Colorwork

Colorwork. Fair Isle. Intarsia. All three of these words used to strike fear to my heart when I heard them. Come of the most beautiful patterns involve colorwork, but this also means they are usually some of the most complicated. I always knew colorwork would be one thing I would likely not pursue in my knitting journey, as it looked complicated and also I just didn't like how you could create almost any image out of it. From animals to flowers to cartoon characters, the possibilities with colorwork are endless.So where am I going with this? Well I guess it all starts with my good friend Ivy. About a month ago she posted one of her first color work projects, this hat:

The pattern is called Opus Spicatum and it is one of the most beautiful Fair Isle patterns that I've seen in awhile, and yet so basic. Upon seeing hers I knew that I wanted one of my own. But man, it was a fair isle project! That meant I'd have to overcome my fear of colorwork once and for all. I knew I was ready to try something new, so I added "Try (and hopefully succeed) in at least color work type project, weather it be fair isle, intarsia, etc" to my Fiber Resolutions 2012 list.

The next step was finding the perfect yarn. It had to be something I loved because I wanted to be able to wear it a lot. Well on a trip to the LYS in Salina over break I came across James C. Brett Monsoon. Once again it was love at first sight, and I quickly grabbed up a skein without thinking twice.

Now one of the things I really like is putting a gradated yarn with black, so I went straight to my old standard: Berocco Vintage, in black, for the other color on this hat. There's something about rainbow yarn and black that just kinda works.

I had to make a few alterations to the pattern before I could get started. One, I only had size 8 in my 16 inch needles and magic loop would be torture for this one so I had to change the stitch count. Two, the pattern is for a slouchy hat, and I wanted a beanie (now I'm wishing I had made it slouchy though). And 3, I wanted it a little bit taller than the pattern chart showed (and it still needs to be a bit taller...).

So I set to work. I cast on 80, which was the recommended stitch count given my gauge and the size I wanted for the hat. A few rows after the the brim I realized it was way to small, so I ripped it out and tried 100, only to find that was much to big. I settled with the in between, which was 90. It's still a bit small, but the chart is in multiples of 10 so that had to do.

Oddly enough, I made very quick work of this hat. Maybe the fact that the color shifts were so close to each other helped, but I was able to get this thing done in a couple days flat. I really like how it turned out and my only problem is that I wish I could make it a bit longer still. I hate altering patterns because I never know how long to go before I start decreasing, and almost always end too soon. This hat barely goes over my ears.

In the end, I really and truely love this hat and how it turned out. Considering that both yarns are atleast 50% acrylic, it is a very thick and warm hat (probably because of the stranding going on inside!) The monsoon yarn has some stripes of blue and orange in it that I wish had come up for this one, because the pink and green is a little too repetitive, but I have over half of both skeins left, which means more hats! I went through the patterns on Ravelry and found a bunch more fair isle hats I want to try now. However, I don't have enough/a good selection of yarns in my stash for most of them, so it will have to wait. I am still keeping to my Stash Attack 2012 and plan to for as long as possible.

I am thinking for my next hat I may try something along these lines: Zig Zag Hat. I saw a kid in one of my classes wearing a similar one on Wednesday and pictured my black and rainbow looking perfect in it. What do you think?

Conquering my fear of colorwork has never been more fun, but sadly I am finally starting Spring semester here at KSU and that means less knitting and more work. I can't seem to get into this semester like I usually do, and that's a very scary thought. Maybe I just need a knitting break for awhile...

~Lisa

Well, That's a First!

I like puns :)

In case you are wondering, this post is all about the "firsts" I am acheiving this month in the world of knitting and spinning.

First on the list is a project I am making with some wool I got at K1 knitting boutique in Edinburgh, Scotland. It's going to be a set of fingerless gloves. Why a first? Well 1, I've never made fingerless gloves, and 2, I am improvising the pattern. I am taking the construction from a basic gloves pattern, using the math of another fingerless pattern to know when to cut off the fingers, and creating my own cable design to go on the outside of the hand. The cable shown in that pattern is not the design I am creating, but it is the chart I am basically working from. When they're done they should have an X across the front of them.

Second on the list is my first handspun with my new spindle. I am not sure of the weight (The owner of Wicked Stitch didn't tell me...) but it's heavier, which means thicker plys. It's also being spun with my FIRST (Sensing a pattern here?) Wilton Food Dye dyed roving, and I really love how it turned out! It's various shades of blues, greens and yellow and it looks so pretty! And the thicker plys make it softer too.

And that leads us to the next first, my FIRST sweater! Ok, it's actually a cardigan, but what's the difference? I am using this very pretty shade of Berocco Vintage (My old standby for worsted socks) and so far it really is effortless, hense the name "Effortless Cardigan". I am only 6 rows in, and it seems like it may take awhile, but I am up for the challenge.

No I did not take this picture, it's a very nice picture taken by one of my test knitters for my first published (and for sale) pattern! I'm so excited about these because they are super basic and cheap and all proceeds go to Relay For Life. Here we go again with that, but I am really passionate about that cause.

The next 5-6 weeks are going to be torture. My teachers are pushing me so hard, and I'm grateful for it, but also burned out. I don't really feel like doing anything, but I have no choice. School should come first, but I'm having a hard time lately remembering that. Wish me luck as the next weeks speed by.

~Lisa

Things to Finish Before New Years (Yea Right)

So, I've been crazy busy with studio stuff lately, spending literally every night until at least 11 (last night it was 12:30) there, trying to get stuff done. It's the only time I have to do it so I don't have much choice in the matter. None the less, I am still finding time to knit, both at Knit Nights at Wildflowers, and at home (wish more basic, non-Wildflower purchased yarns). I have come to the conclusion that there are a few things I'd love to get done before the first of the year, just so I can start fresh with new stuff in January. Here is my list:

Twilight Curls Scarf: This thing is actually knitting up really fast. It's my knit-night exclusive project, simply because it's with Wildflower purchased yarn, and I therefore want to use it at her shop. It should be done by the end of knit night tonight, and if not I'll probably finish it later this weekend so I can start...

Effortless Cardigan. Yes, I want to make a cardigan. I don't have the yarn for it yet, but I plan to purchase it this weekend. I don't know if I really have the time with school, but hopefully I can find time here and there to work on it and finish it for the new year!

Rick Socks As you've already seen on this blog, I have these socks going. I haven't picked them up in a while, so they aren't very far along, and they take awhile to get very far on. This will probably be the one project I DON'T finish before January. There's something about socks: I love making them, but can never finish a pair without stopping to do other things in between.

Lost in Transit Lustra Scarf As of the middle of December, it will have been a good year since I picked up this scarf to work on. That's a sign it needs to get finished. I want it done, but it's not high priority right now. It would have been done last year, but I had to stop to make IOU Christmas gifts.

I also have a couple of gifts on my needles right now,but I'm not going to talk about them until they are and given.

Happy November everyone! I hope life doesn't get more stressful as the weather turns colder.

~Lisa

Knitted Socks

HEY! It's OCTOBER 2nd! Which means my 20th Birthday is in 19 DAYS.

Anyways, I knitted a couple pairs of socks for my Grandma's birthday last month so I figured I'd post them.

Pair one: Basic pattern, really easy. Not a big deal :)

Pair 2: Basic pattern, but altered with cables down the sides. They look really amazing when worn.

So I'm completely obsessed with Berroco Vintage Yarn . I absolutely LOVE it, and it decently priced too :D

Well that's it. Cya soon.

~Lisa

Knitted Headband #1

Hey guys (if anyone is actually reading this).
I made an ear-warmer headband last night with some leftover yarn from my ipod arm band. It turned out well for my first attempt at circular knitting, but I am unsure how warm it will be because of the yarn I used. Below are some pics, just ignore the fact that I look like a dork in them.
Pattern found here: http://taras-knits.blogspot.com/2008/03/ear-warmers-versions-1-2.html





See you guys (if anyone is reading this) around.

~Lisa

Random Stuff I've made

Hi! I am thinking that I don't honestly have anyone reading this,but I shall post anyways :D
Below are pics of two random projects I've done recently.

MY SOCKS! I took a sock class with my aunt and enjoyed it alot, so I can't wait to make more!

Random experiment. I found the pattern online, but in the end tweeked it alot. It's an armband for my Ipod, and it actually works pretty well at the rec, so I'm happy.

If anyone wants patterns, let me know.

~Lisa