Brigit Socks done!

The yarn that I used for these is Anne from Schaefer Yarn Company. It is very fine and very soft. The content is 60% merino wool, 25% mohair, 15% nylon. The mohair gives a bit of a halo effect.

The pattern is Brigit...all that info is in the previous post. Here are my notes of the tweaks I made to the pattern.

Cast on: long tail method in knit and purl combo following the stitch sequence. Here's how to long tail cast on in purl.

I ended up charting the stitch pattern which made the knitting much quicker for me. This stitch pattern is an 18 stitch/35 row repeat. A magnetic chart holder and my row counter made the job a piece of cake. Oh...and a pretty pink coated small paper clip bent into a cable needle.

Before knitting the heel flap I moved 3 sts from beg of N#2 to end of N#1 AND 7 sts from beg N#1 to end of N#2. 40 sts on instep and 32 on heel. I would do this differently on the next pair by putting 38 on the instep…one knit st on each side of the instep should be moved to the heel needle (34 sts) based on my original stitch move. This centered the stitch pattern on the instep.

I continued the rib pattern down the heel flap but not the cable.

I used “Heels by Numbers” to turn the heel. (This isn't the one I used but it's the same type of thing.)

For the toe I decreased every other round until 18 sts remained on each needle (using 2 circs). Then decreased every row until 8 sts remained on each needle. Donkey ear trick. Kitchener.

One sock done!

This sock is called Brigit. It is a pattern designed by Momma Monkey (Monkey Toes). The pattern is currently unavailable as Momma Monkey (Gigi Silva) has recently passed away. How very sad for such a young family. The Socktopia group on Ravelry is the group to watch for information of when (or if) Gigi's patterns will become available again.

Brigit is my Sock Knitters Anonymous (Ravelry link) February sockdown challenge. Good thing I have until the end of March to finish the mate. It also was my February memorial purple knitalong but I didn't make that deadline. oh well. I'm still enjoying the pattern.

Some tweaking of the pattern was done. I'll fill you in on the tweaks later.

Sorry for all the Raverly links. You need to sign up (and wait for an invite) before you can view those links. The sign up is FREE and the wait is MUCH shorter than it used to be. I waited a few months. I think the wait now is about a week.

MonthlyDishcloths for February

I joined Monthly Dishcloth yahoo group. These are the two cloths for February. Dd#1 knit the Valentine Candy box cloth. The picture is of the reverse side but I like that side better. I did the striped one. Both are larger and bulkier than I like to use. Regardless I liked both patterns and they could be tweaked for the thinner cotton I prefer.

Christmas knitting DONE!

It took about 7 days per sock but they are done!

In the previous blog entry I mentioned that these are Roza's Socks from Interweave Knit. I didn't mention that the pattern is written for knitting them cuff to toe. I did these from toe to cuff. I used the general method from Crazy Toes and Heels and just inserted the stitch pattern from the Roza's socks with some tweaking to fit the recipient. The fit is perfect.

Here are the notes (in blue) I put in my Ravelry entry. If you own the Crazy Toes and Heels book the notes will make sense. If you don't own it, I highly recommend the book for making socks that fit....any yarn, any needles.

I’m doing these toe up on 2 circs. Crazy Toe and Heel style.

Aloha cast on: 9 Inc to 35 sts. Even round. Increase round: 2 sts on each end of heel needle only. Stitches on instep: 35. On heel: 37. Total: 72. One more plain round then begin pattern st on instep.

Row 55 start gusset inc. At 15 sts start slip st heel. At 21 sts end. 4 plain rounds. (94 rows)

Heel to 11 sts.

Cuff: Row 35 add one st on knit rib #’s 2&5 (both needles) 76 sts. Row 55 add one st on knit rib #’s 3&4 (both needles) 80 sts.

Round 71: p 72: k 73: p

Increase 1 st in knit ribs 1&6 (both needles) using kf/b as increase. This is now plain 4X3 rib. 16 rows.

First sock done Feb 17th. Cast on #2 Feb 18th. Second sock done Feb 25th.

Christmas Knitting...still

Another pair of socks done. These are a Christmas (2007...yes, I know I'm late) present to my brother-in-law. They aren't much different than the pair for my dad (see two posts below) so I tried to take a picture to show the true color vs. showing the sock. I think this picture captured the color (dark charcoal) pretty well. These are off to be washed so they are ready when we see him next week.



This is my last pair of Christmas socks. They are for my mom. I'm using the Roza's sock pattern again from Interweave Knitter Spring 2007. I love this pattern. The purl stitches turn out so pretty. I've had to tweak the pattern a bit for fit. But once the math is/was done it should be a fairly quick knit.

The plan was to do a felted bag with yarn she already had in her stash. But the yarn didn't cooperate. So the back up plan was socks.

Dd#3 is purling!

Dd#3 has been knitting coaster size squares (garter st) for a several months on and off. She wasn't interested in learning how to purl.

Then I ordered Kids Learn to Knit by Lucinda Guy.

She found a cute little owl project in that book that she wanted to make. It required purling which she picked up in a flash. 2 stockinette squares later and some felt shapes cut and we've got Flapping Fred.



She now also knows how to cast on using the reverse loop method. She'll sometimes just grab yarn and needles and cast on over and over.

Polly Pocket also received a rug designed and knit by dd#3.

Happy Herbie is next in her queue.

3 pairs of socks done!

I finished the pair of Philosopher's House Socks (Nov/Jan sock class) for Cat Bordhi's sock book. They fit nicely over a pair of regular wool socks...so I've got extra warmth for these really really cold days. The yarn is Cascade 220...more leftovers from the Wonderful Wallaby sweaters. Needles: Size 4 dpns.











This purple pair is for dd#3.

Yarn: Brown Sheep Wildfoote, Columbine
Needles: Size 0 circulars
Method: Toe up, Crazy Toe & Heel style








This charcoal pair is my dad's Christmas present. It looks really black in the photo but it is a dark charcoal in real life. These were toe up - Crazy Toe & Heel style on size 0 circs. The yarn is called Pace from Universal Yarns.

I've got my brother-in-law's socks...same color, same size as these....on the needles . One foot is to the heel and the other is almost halfway to the heel.

Knitting and Reading

There has been some talk on the KnitList about knitting while reading.

I use a nifty little book holder called The Book Gem if I'm reading a printed book while knitting.

If the book is on CD...then a CD player will do.

I've recently acquired a Sony MP3 player (dd#2's old one). Today Wendy (from the KnitList) shared a link for LibriVox. This site provides free audiobooks for works in the public domain. That looks like a great resource! I'll have to learn how to download the files....not today....I've already got a book on CD and several "real" books going at the moment.

Another fun way to get a daily dose of literature is Daily Lit. They email you a small portion of a book of your choice each day at the time of your choosing. You can also omit weekends if you like. Set your mouse to slowly scroll and grab your knitting.

NB....I don't always read while knitting. Sometimes the TV is going (I don't often get control of the remote) or I'm visiting with friends or knitting in public....or sometimes everything is quiet. That doesn't happen real often in this house.

Philosopher's House Socks

This is the sock that we worked on in our sock class in November and December. December's class was snowed out so we met on the 8th of January for the final class.

We did the arch expansion to the heel turn in class. I finished the heel and cuff the next morning (way too early). It was knit in worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220...left over from my Wallaby). Fast knit. Although I'll use them more for slipper socks. They're a bit too thick for my regular shoes.

This pattern is from Cat Bordhi's newest sock book:
New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One on page 72.

I've got the toe started on its mate.

Christmas Crafting

Here are some crocheted soap bags. The pattern is from the Klutz Crochet Book. I did a twisted cord instead of a chain for the ties and also made them drawstring bags. It's about 3" wide and 5.5" high. Irish Spring or a bar of Dove fit just fine. The bag for the little one was filled with candy instead of soap.








My husband's work friends received Tribbles (scrubbies) knit by dd#1. This link doesn't seem to be working for me. Could just be my computer.






My sister got a storage case for her knitting needles.






The large plastic pockets are 3.5" x 6.75". The smaller plastic pockets that hold the needle labels are 2.5" x 1.75". I cut two pieces of coordinating fabric 30" x 28" and a piece of window screen 16.5" x 28" (to add stiffness to where the needles are stored). To fold: Flop the top down. Fold the left and right sides in toward each other 3 times and secure with ribbon and button. The button isn't really necessary but I liked it. I tie the half knot above the button and the loops of the bow below the button.

She also received the pink lacy round linen cloth (already pictured here). My mom also got one in a dark purple. I didn't take a picture of the purple one...hmmm. I also promised my mom that'd I'd knit her a bag with yarn she had been hoping would turn into a felted bag. Unfortunately the yarn didn't cooperate so she asked instead for a pair of socks in fingering weight yarn. She's got the first pair of socks I ever knit but they are in sport weight and don't fit in her shoes so well.



My dad and brother-in-law are also both getting a pair of socks. I had one toe of a sock started before Christmas for my dad. My b-i-l wants the same color as dad's...charcoal. One sock is about an inch from being complete. If it is a smidget too short for dad (and that is my only concern at the moment) it should fit my b-i-l just fine.

(This picture is from the 29th of December. The heel is done but with dental floss as a life line in case it didn't fit and I had to reknit the heel.)

My mother-in-law received the Truly Tasha Shawl...previous pictures here. We tried to get a picture on Christmas Eve of her wearing it (at least long enough to get a picture) but before I had it over her shoulders she had it off. Hope she comes to love the warmth it will provide her as she reads her books and/or surfs the webTV.

Friends at church and our next door neighbor received crocheted diagonal potholders, knit cloths, and tribbles.

Truly Tasha's Shawl

Blocked....


Posed for a picture....


or two....


Folded neatly to be wrapped and delivered to recipient December 24th. Hope she likes it....or not....I wouldn't mind keeping it!

Christmas Stockings

I've been lured by all the pretty knit Christmas stocking patterns but this is the reason why I won't be knitting any for us....

















I really like these. I like that they have the Luke account of the Jesus' birth on them. Mine is the first on the left (Luke 2: 4, 5, 6). Then dd#1 (vs 7). Dd#3 (vs 8). Dd#2 (vs 9). Daddy (vs 11).

I cross stitched these back in 1994, 1997, and 3 in 1998. I had dd#3's stocking done before she was born...all except the name. (There are names on them under the top border. I've airbrushed them out to protect the innocent.)

My sister did the sewing part of the project. That part made me too nervous.


Edited Jan 10th: Having not attended the award ceremony, I had no idea that I won a Golden Aardvark Award. I went to the list of awards to read the posts of friends who won and ended up finding this blog post of mine on the list of winners. Wow! Very unexpected! Thank you Aardvark Alley!

Socks for dd#2

Yarn: Trekking XXL
Needles: 0 circulars
Method: Crazy Toes and Heels
CO: 9
Inc. to 35
Rib: 3 x 2

This color reminds me of watermelon.

Ready for some Cat Bordhi Mindbending

Attended the first class....got the New Pathways for Sock Knitters book....got my beaded markers done....then it snowed....second class postponed until January....which is good since December is always so busy.

Beaded markers made with things in my basement....DMC floss, jump rings, leftover beads.

Truly Tasha's Shawl

I was wanting to knit a Christmas present for someone to keep warm while she is surfing online or reading a book. I decided on the Truly Tasha's Shawl because it was a little heavier (although I didn't want it as dense...pattern recommended size 4/3.50mm needles), looked quick to knit, and I liked the lace edging (esp. turned to be a collar around the neck).

Next was the run to the yarn store (Dec 4th)...I wanted pink because the recipient looks very nice in pink. There was a pretty mauvy pink with brown that would have self striped but I decided on this brighter pink because I wanted a cheerier color to brighten the recipient's mood.

This is Cascade's Eco (478 yds/250 gms/8.75 oz). I used 10.5 (6.5mm) needles. I knit until it measured from tip to the top edge, allowing for the future border lace, the finished measurement...28". I maybe should have gone a bit more. The "across the top" measurement is a little smaller than 60" and the diagonal edge is the most off the mark. But I'm hoping that blocking will get those measurements more in the ballpark.

I made a second run to the yarn store on Dec 5th to pick up a second skein of yarn. I had knit about half of the first skein and it looked to me like it was going to be close. And this picture shows just how close it was. The little tail of yarn is all that is left of the first skein. I had about 6-7" left of the lace border to finish. And I finished off that little bit last night (Dec 9th)...right off my swift so I wouldn't have to wind the 478 yd skein. I probably have 468 yds left.

I neatly tied a few spots around the skein, retwisted and relabeled it...it's all set to take back to my yarn store like it's never been used. LOL...just teasing you, Michele! I've already got plans for it for next Christmas...a possible cabled fingerless mitts/scarf combo...unless it calls out to be something else in the meantime. Although I really should get a head start for next Christmas!

Oh yeah! You'd probably like to see the whole shawl finished? Well...I'm not ready for that yet. I'll be washing and blocking it first...then a finished picture. So stay tuned!

Knitted Lacy Round Dishcloth

This Knitted Lacy Round Dishcloth is a free pattern from Knitting Knonsense.

It is a fairly fast knit and looks beautiful.

I decided to use Euroflax Linen for this cloth so it wouldn't get too big. I knit this on size 3 needles. It's about 9 1/2" in diameter.

I did the kitchener stitch incorrectly. I used the reverse stockinette method on this cloth. But I've already made another cloth and used the garter stitch kitchener. (That link is a PDF download)

It really needed to be blocked. Here's a picture of it blocked on my 0000 needles:


Blogger wouldn't download that picture (having hiccups or something) so this picture is downloaded from flickr. You can see a larger picture if you click on this and then the "all sizes" link above the flickr picture.

Elfin Lace Scarf

This scarf has been finished for some time...the knitting anyway.

I finally blocked it yesterday! I used blocking wires for the first time. Wow! They worked great!

It is about 10 1/4" wide and about 5 feet long (or so).

The pattern (for the cloth) is here.

I made it the same width as the cloth just kept on knitting the length.

The cashmere is from Belisa Cashmere, Bundanoon, NSW, Australia. This was purchased at Stitches Midwest 2006. (I used size 5 needles.)

I decided not to add a border on the bottom/top edges. I like it as it is. I was also going to try to reverse the pattern so the hearts would go the same direction but I didn't do that either. So now it is hearts on one side and spades down the other. Just need some diamonds and clubs...

Scrumptious Shagged Slipper Socks

The girls have outgrown the felted slippers my dsis made for them. (Actually dd#1 wore her slippers so much that she's worn the bottom through...several times...she keeps needle felting over the holes.) So this time was my turn. They decided they want slippers like daddy.

This is a fast easy knit with two strands of Cascade 220 held together throughout. The shagging is easy peasy and makes a very soft cushion to walk on. I've got some inside of the slipper pictures here in case you don't know what shagging is...besides the slang meaning! :blush:

And speaking of slippers...I am sporting a very lovely purple pair of Fiber Trends Felted Clogs that my dsis so kindly knit for me. Thank you so much! They really keep my feet warm!

Another Tribble

Here's another Tribble I made with leftover purple Sugar'n Cream and some 1" strips of purple tulle held together.

The tulle isn't called for in the pattern but it does add some scrubbie-ness to it.

The first and last stitch is knit without the tulle. This kept the edge stitches from being too thick when gathering to close.

I also used separate lengths of yarn to pull the holes shut tightly. Then tied a knot and hid the ends inside.

Sugar'n Cream Stripes - Potholders

Thought I'd give the Sugar'n Cream Strips a try with the diagonally crocheted potholders. Yeah...looks nice I think!

I think I'll make them a set with the dishcloths a few blog entries below.