Absorba the Great!!!

Ever since I opened the pages of Mason Dixon Knitting, I wanted to do this project. I just recently moved and wanted some zip to an almost all white bathroom. 

This was made with three strands of Peaches and Cream Double Worsted cotton yarn on Size 15 needles. I used my Denise Circulars and it made it very easy to maneuver. It worked up very quickly and I have already received comments during the working up. 

Because it was a "log cabin design," you don't have a lot of ends to weave in. I will warn you, though, that it can be hard on your fingers during the cast on of the next strip. I considered using a large crochet needle, but didn't want to have to "finagle" the loops from one needle to another. I can definitely see myself doing another, but not for a while. I know that when my friends see this, they will definitely want one.

Fancy, Fancy

Moving into the new place gives a lot of opportunity to knit lots of new stuff. This is the "Moss Grid Towel" from Mason Dixon Knitting. 

I used some DK weight cotton yarn from Takhi Stacy Charles. My goal was to keet the color scheme of sage, blue, and yellow from our shower curtain. I plan on knitting two more in that theme. 

The pattern was easy to follow and eventually memorize and I love knitting it up. It makes a great addition to our new bathroom. The Mason Dixon Knitting series of books also gives a lot of ideas for the new home. There will be more postings to this blog from this series of books. Can't wait to show you.

Mystic Meadow KAL

I finally got around to working on the Mystic Meadow KAL which I signed up for last year. This is my first attempt at lace knitting and knitting from a chart. Needless to say, I had to do alot of frogging. I think I have the hang of it now. This is the progress up to row 100. In order to keep from getting lost, I use a lot of colored pencils, stitch markers, sharpies, notes and the ever so important lifeline.

The photo doesn't show the colors well. The yarn is a beautiful sport weight silk blend yarn in a periwinkle colorway. I imagined wearing it with a nice sundress on Easter Sunday.

This by far has been my most challenging project yet, but it's not going to deter me from doing another lace knitting project.

Summer of Sock Innovation

I have absolutely fallen in love with Cookie A's Sock Innovation book. Because I haven't been able to decide which sock to do first, I have decided to do all the patterns from the beginning. I will blog about the progress of each sock. This is also a great way to "stash bust" my sock yarn.

The first sock I'm starting with is "Glynis." It's a very easy to follow lace pattern. I'm confident that I can do these with no difficulty. I plan on using some nice green, white and black Opal yarn. I think the tweedy look will highlight the lace pattern. I'm also going to be knitting two socks on one needle which raises the "swear factor" up a few points. Will be highlighting progress so stay tuned.

Monkey Socks

I have always wanted to knit up some "Monkey Socks" from knitty.com. I have fallen in love with all of the patterns designed by Cookie A. I also wanted to knit up something with Noro Sock Yarn. This is the best of both worlds. 

I found the colorway was perfect for the recipient of these socks. I loved working with the Noro, but beware of certain disadvantages. First of all, the yarn can be very tangling. Be careful when you are balling it up. 

Secondly, the yarn has thick and thin slubby spots. Some people like this, but I don't, especially when some of the thin spots were in the heel. The thick slubby spots also showed up when I was finishing up the toe. While sewing up using the Kitchener Stitch, the thick, underspun part came undone. I had to take out the entire toe and start all over again. 

All in all, the project was a success. I love the colors, and the color graduation. The yarn was a little coarse when I started knitting up the socks, but I hear that the more you wash these socks, the softer they get. Even with the thick and thin spots, the yarn made a sturdy fabric. I hope that my friend likes her gift.

Warm Wishes

The mitered square scarf was very easy and fun to knit up. It has been very popular, especially with the recipient. 

Here is my sister, Lisa, modeling her gift from me. She loved it and said that it was very warm. I have one for myself and one wip (work in progress) which will be for another special someone.

All American Thorpe

Ear flap hats seem to be all the rage these days and I was anxious to get on the bandwagon and maybe knit some up for gifts. The "Thorpe" hat is a free pattern listed on ravelry that is very versatile. You can knit it up as shown or add the braids and tassels if you are doing it for a girl. The pattern comes with three sizes.

Unlike any other hats I've made, this was knitted from the top down. This was very helpful in the area of sizing. It was knit with Paton's Shetland Chunky Yarn on size 9 dpns. Once I stopped increasing, I switched to circular. As I went along, I would thread a lifeline though the stitches and check the size to make sure the length was good. 


I was going to do the edging as an applied I cord, but being an impatient person, I did the listed half double crochet the pattern called for.

The recipient of this hat was my 18 year old son, Eric who is also the model. He had been bugging me for a knitted hat for a while. He picked out the exact design and color of the hat and it turned it really well.

It's Hip to Be Square

I'm always looking for interesting scarf patterns and have been intrigued by the mitered square pattern. When I saw this group in Ravelry, I wanted to try this out right away. I purchased the pattern and began. 

I was amazed at how easily it worked up. It only takes 400 yards of sock yarn. The pattern is easy to follow and memorize. The variegated yarn gives the pattern a nice textured look and I have gotten many compliments on these. 

The scarf on the right is a gift for my sister and the left is one for me. I am currently working on a third in a lavender colorway that is for my best friend. I can see using the same pattern in a heaver weight yarn if you want something chunkier.

Knitty Gritty

I love the browsing through knitty.com, an "ezine."  When I saw this pattern, I couldn't wait to start. It's "Pomatamus" from Cookie A. I went through three different colors and two different needle sizes to get it right.

The pattern wasn't difficult, but you REALLY had to pay attention to what you were doing. I think that I have pretty much broken the record on frogging and starting over.

The photo never does the sock justice, but this project was made from Claudia Hand Painted Yarn in a red, pink, purple and navy blue colorway. It knitted up very nicely.

Hopefully you can see the fan motif on the socks. I continued the heel stitches with the motif by knitting into the back of the stitch and giving it that raised look. I also did the toe the same way. I'm not sure if the pattern called for it or not, as I never read heel or toe directions in any sock. I look forward to knitting another couple of pairs soon. At least one pair will be for me.

Kaya Cropped Shrug

The yarn for this project was originally to knit up "My So Called Scarf.  However, I was so frustrated with how it was turning out with the thicker yarn I pulled it all out and started this shrug which I found on Ravelry for free.

It was very easy to work up Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky on size 10 1/2 and 11 needles. I love the Redwood Forest colorway. This was my first attempt at a top down construction and I now have a new interest in the top down ragland style.

 I'm looking for more top down sweaters to knit and want to do more with different weights of yarn.

Grande Finale - Hot Sox Part VI

The last installment of the Tofutsies "Hot Sox" club is finally finished. I love the way the colors were themed with the season we were knitting in. I followed all the patterns that were provided to us, even though we didn't have too.

Some of the folks in the club didn't even use the yarn to make socks. I really loved working up this pattern. It is another variation on a zig zag pattern I've done several times. Even though I'm a fan of the short row heel, I liked working this heel with a flap and gusset. It gave a sturdier heel.

 The ruffled cuff was another new thing that was neat to do. Although I would never picked out this color for myself, I stepped out of my comfort zone and ended up loving it. It will always remind me of the different colors of the spring. I hope that the Southwestern Trading Company and Tofutsies decided to do this again. I will definitely participate. After knitting the socks, I even had yarn left over to either make a pair of baby socks or even for a mitered square scarf.

Kew (Whew!!)

Another knitty.com pattern that I've been wanting to try for a long time. This had to be done on four needles, which I had to get used to again after using the Magic Loop Method for so long.

I really enjoyed making these, even though I had to do much frogging for the first sock. Although the photo doesn't really show the colors, but the sock is made from Koigu Merino in a blue, green and purple colorway. The lucky recipient is my mom as a surprise.

Hot Sox Part V

I think that of all the colors and patterns, this is my favorite. It has an alternating lace and cable pattern running up from the toe to the leg. The different blues, pinks and a hint of orange makes everything really pop. 

The pattern is a great one to do for Valentine's Day. I do plan on making this again for a special someone, but in a myriad of pink colors. I have to finish the Hot Sox Part VI before I start this.

Hot Sox Part IV

I really enjoyed this latest edition. It was the first time that I tried knitting with beads. It was quite easy as I didn't have to string the beads beforehand. I had more success on the short row heel this time also. 

The camera doesn't do the pattern justice; it's a honeycomb type of pattern with a bead in the middle. 

I've worn them already and have received lots of compliments. The color goes great with a pair of jeans.

From Handspun to Finished Product

Here is the project made from my first handspun. As the yarn was very bulky, there wasn't enough yardage to work with. However, with the use of size eleven needles, I was able to create a simple hat. It was originally to be a gaitor, but as I progressed, I tried it on and saw that I could continue on. I didn't follow any particular pattern and "winged it" on the decrease and bind off. I just wish I hadn't waited so long to ply and knit this up considering that winter is almost over.