Just keep knitting, just keep knitting.....

So yeah, this xmas knitting thing is getting old. I am advancing however and have managed to crank out another couple FOs. I finished the pink/peach/coral socks:

Details:
Pattern: 3x3 Cable with Moss Stitch by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: louet gems fingering - soft coral 04

Needles US 1 / 2.25 mm
Made for: Nan N.
Timeline: July 7th, 2008 - Nov 25th, 2008
it didn't actually take this long, July 7th was the date I cast on with the original colourway. Sometime after that I changed colours, and did other projects between the two socks.
Modifications: Only really used the stitch pattern, did the sock over 66 sts. continued cables on heel flap.

I really love the pattern and will definitely be making myself a pair at some point.

I also made myself another hat. I realized that when I wear my hair up in a headband it makes my head bigger and non of my hats would actually stay on. I opted for a slouchier hat but not too slouchy cause I still want it to stay on by itself.

Details:

Pattern: Slouchy Copy Cat Hat by Terra Jamieson
Yarn : Susan Andrews Collection Inca Gold Marra - Dusty Rose 3995
Needles US 6 / 4.0 mm
Made for: Me!
Timeline: Nov 19th, 2008 - Nov 27th, 2008
I was working on this while working on the second sock. I wasn't really digging cabling on the metro so this was my commute knitting.
Modifications:I cast on more stitches in the beginning, I was worried about it being too tight. It worked out perfectly.

I also finally cast on my dad's sock. I said I would wait, but I saw someone at Ariadne's knit night doing a method that I found quite intriguing and I decided to try it. Two socks at once toe up, using the magic cast on. I'd wanted to do these socks toe up and two at a time, but I don't like the short row toe and I wasn't crazy about the one in Interweave. This one seemed simple and really nice. So I tried it and it's awesome. I probably should have cast on more stitches but oh well, the toes will be slightly pointy.

I'm a bit further than this, almost done the toe increases. It will be done in 2X2 rib once the toe is complete.

The last of my projects is not really knitting but I'm sure they'll get lots of knitting related use anyway. I decided to finally make myself some Placemat Sock Blockers, I've had the placemats for a while so it was just a matter of printing out the template and doing them. You can see them in the photo with the pink socks as well but here they are all nekkid:

Details:
Pattern: Sock Blocker by Maryann Wu
Made for: Me (Size 7-9 foot) maybe even more.
Timeline: Nov 30th, 2008
I really needed some sock blockers, but I'm not really able to spend $30ish on them right now so I decided to go this route. They're flimsy-ish but work really well.

I also procured some yarn this week, Ariadne got in some more Marra, and this stuff makes me weak in the knees and it's really inexpensive due to it being discontinued. I bought 15 balls of Fuchsia: The colour is not quite right, but is as close as I could get it. I figure that it might become Mr. Greenjeans but I'm still not sure.

Next is something I've been eyeing for a while. I went to a craft fair a while back to see Biscotte (shop link) and she was all out of the colourway I was really looking for. I did end up walking away with a skien of her Watermelon and one in Lavender fields. (I didnt take pictures before winding into cakes. I need to photograph the cakes). The colourway I was looking for was this one:

Biscotte & Cie's Kiss the Frog sock yarn.

I love the colours and I can wait to see how it knits up.. I just have to find a pattern.

I also cast on for the second Heavy Sock but It's such a boring knit that pictures were just not necessary. I'm still not sure I will finish.

6 down
3 in progress
9 to go (3 hats and some other optionals or at least later deadlines.)

More stash

Just an update on other random stash I've acquired in the past few months.

Robyn's Nest sock clubs:

July's kit which is a dye your own and it came with Kool-aid to dye with. I can't wait to try it
August's kit which was designed by Robyn and dyed by Tanis Fibre Arts
September's Kit.

The ladies at Ariadne decided to put my favourite yarn on clearance and I obviously couldn't resist. I only bought two colours in christmas-y colours to maybe make something for the holidays.

Earlier this summer I stopped by Les Lainages du petit mouton and found some Regia on sale as well as a very bright Noro (probably for another pair of Newfoundland mittens).

At my first visit to Effiloché since just after they opened I spotted Ranco Multy which for a 100g sock yarn was fairly inexpensive and I rather enjoyed the colours:
I made another trip to Ariadne a little more recently to aquire some yarn for my xmas knitting. Some Lang 150 merino and was also tempted by their new Koigu.

destined to be a Montreal toque for my brother

I'm contemplating the Chevron scarf in these two colours.

I visited my LYS here on the south shore Saute Mouton and fell in love with the colours of this OnLine sock yarn:

Later that same day I stopped by a Quebec chain of department stores (known for being fairly cheap in quality) just to check for something, I stumbled into their yarn section and low and behold they now carry Briggs and Little tuffy. I grabbed two colours that I hadn't seen before:

Greystone
Granite

And last but not least is some Cascade 220 superwash from Robyn's Nest also for some xmas knitting. I ordered this special from Robyn. She has a multitude of new colours of the superwash in her store now.

This will probably be the last of my stash acquisitions for a while. At least until I start getting my xmas gifts. :D

Icewine mitten and Alpaca yarn

So I started knitting the first Icewine Mitten only to discover that the green I chose didn't work at all with the purple. Too dark and barely visible when knit in fair-isle. I set out on a hunt for a better green and finally found an Ultra Alpaca supplier in Montreal. I set out to Effiloché hoping that she would have one of the lighter greens I saw online. (She had two). I chose a colour called Pea Soup mix (love the name) and while I was there I decided that I should buy another colour to go with the darker green for a future project. I settled on a colour called Winter Squash (I'm more and more attracted to oranges and more autumnal colours. I will probably make Kate Gilbert's Wintergreen mittens with these colours.

Pea Soup Mix
Winter Squash

I did restart and finish the first Icewine mitten. I really like the pattern, and once I changed one circular instead of dpns things started going much smoother. ( I was getting bumps because of fair-isle and dpns blech!) Here the first mitt:

front
back

Random New Stash

I'm really bad about blogging about my new stash purchases. I don't even think about it. I did the photography for a bunch of new stuff I had bought and I realized that I should also blog about it. Some of this stuff I've had for months.

First is some Rowan Summer Tweed, I traded this with Jessie for some of the stitch markers that I sell at Ariadne. (I do plan on getting them in an etsy shop as well, I just haven't found the time for that yet).

Colourway: Dew (it has flecks of blue, yellow and pink)

I got the June Sock Club from Robyn's Nest, and even though everyone has already seen this yarn because of the fact that the Yarn Harlot blogged about it, I will still show you it.


Next is the yarn that JF brought back from Japan for me. He really didn't know what to get and wasn't about to buy a lot cause maybe he would make a mistake on colour or fibre content so he just brought 1 ball. It is very nice though.

Munswell Merino 150 Queen. It's 40g of 100% superwash merino. It's sockweight so I will probably find another sockweight yarn in brown or white to go with it.

As is probably getting a little obvious, I'm getting a little obsessed with Dream in Color yarn. I loved the way my Monkey socks knit up and decided that I had to get myself more of the yarn. I got the following three colours.

Happy Forest - destined to be socks for me.

Pansy GoLightly - destined to be socks for my grandmother for xmas.

Some Summer Sky - already being made into a Baby sweater.

I was craving a semi-solid pink yarn and I wasn't loving either of the Dream in Color pinks and then Robyn showed me this:

Colinette Jitterbug - Whirlyfig

And last but definitly not least is some Frog Tree Alpaca singles. I wanted to try a 100% alpaca yarn after my problems with Mohair. I really hope I am not allergic because I have enough Warani (50% alpaca, 50% merino) for a sweater. This will probably become yet another pair of fair isle mittens.


It is possible that I've forgotten some things but if you want to see everything in my stash click here to see my stash (Ravelry link)