All posts filed under: knitting

Ravelry Mini Yarn Haul, and some pandemic-era reflection

Published by

What I bought I placed an order in late March (or whenever Knit Picks orders re-opened after Shelter-in-Place orders took effect). Reeling from the news and wanting retail therapy, and with projects all queued up and assigned on Ravelry, I was eager to receive this new little bundle of yarn. I’m especially excited to give the Upcycle yarns a try. This line of yarns is made by spinning plushy skeins with leftover wool from their mills to reduce waste. Next to my enthusiasm about these new projects on the horizon, I felt some remorse. I’d say a call to reflect on what buying for inessential (though no less enriching) projects really means during this unique and devastating time. I am not an island Essential workers are subjected to dangerous situations every day, to create and deliver loads of items both critical and nonessential. This helps keep this interdependent machine we call society running, especially for disabled or dependent folks who need to have things delivered to their home to safely meet their needs. One can …

fo : petty harbor socks

Published by

I had in my mind an expectation to write something really profound about this sock project. But the turmoil outside my apartment brought the stress of creating the perfect blog post into perspective. What I have in front of me is so much simpler than many others during this time. I have to recognize every second in this silence is something worth celebrating. This extra space I have makes it possible to ease the burden for others where I can. pattern : Petty Harbour Socks by Rayna Curtis yarn : Knit Picks Hawthorne Fingering Kettle Dye in Conifer needle : US1 (2.25mm) size : 11” I’m not too worried anymore about revealing the recipient, since I’m confident that he doesn’t read my blog (great for documenting gifts in progress!). This pair of socks is the next of my 2019 Christmas gift plan— an earthy but interesting pair of socks for my younger brother. I hope he likes it. I’m also glad that like me, he’s a bit of an introvert, so he’s not someone I’ve …

wip, fo : petty harbor + a belated 2019 christmas sock

Published by

2019 definitely was a year of inflated expectations. I began with a roadmap for personal creative goals, a development plan for my day job, as well as a Ravelry project queue packed with deadlines for Christmas. My big plan was to make every single person in my immediate circle (and then some) feel absolutely special during the holidays, and I knew that starting in advance was doing to be the way to do it. There were 5 projects in my Ravelry queue with Christmas deadlines. Nearly all of them made with fingering weight yarn, and every one of them socks. The racing pistol went off January 1st. I finished my first pair of socks for Nick in just over two months. It’s adorable. A lovely and meaningful pair of socks made with yarn bought on our 6th month trip to Solvang. I stashed that away before weaving the ends in, intending to pull that out around the holidays. Still feeling motivated, I got started on my second gift pair, Petty Harbour socks, using Rayna Curtis’s …

fo : zimtschnecke socks

Published by

I finished this project in 2018, but am still so in love with it that I have to give it the attention it deserves. This was my second go at Campbell’s pattern. I adored it the first time, but was frustrated with the yarn I used. This sock pattern deserved another chance. pattern : Show-off Stranded Socks by Anne Campbell yarn : Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball® Crazy in Zimtschnecke needle : US1 / 2.25mm size : 10” Show-off Stranded Socks is available for free on Ravelry. The slipped stitchwork makes variegated yarn blend well without looking garish. A fantastic choice for skeins that look great as skeins but…not reliably great when knit up. My favorite part of the pattern would have to be the gusset stitches, by far. Campbell offers several options for patterns here, like garter, stockinette or reverse stockinette. I went with the seed stitch, which for its tedium gets a lovely result. Besides, it’s just a gusset. I didn’t mind the alternating K1P1 at all. The yarn for this was much more comfortable to …

fo : slide socks

Published by

Slide was a treat to knit. The non-identical but symmetrical pattern was knit using dpns, which offered a nice change of pace from my usual TAAT magic loop method. The easy flow from section to section in Cookie A’s pattern kept second sock syndrome at bay. pattern : Slide by Cookie Ayarn : Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 in an OOAK colorwayneedle : US 1 [2.25mm]
size : M, 10” These long lines were what drew me in. I was curious about what made Cookie A such a popular knitwear designer, especially for socks. The pattern was concise, with a clear and lovely layout. As a very visual person, layout is most of a pattern PDF’s value. Little things like the inclusion of special stitch descriptions in the pattern were much appreciated for moments where I needed to remember how the hell to pull off a m1pR. Thanks to cookie’s conscientious design, I suffered no confusion or discomfort…except of course for that time that my needle just snapped in half and i had to move projects…but …