Gift Knitting

I've been working on a few gift projects lately.  My mom loves hand knit socks and I always make her a pair for Christmas.  This year, I decided to make her a pair of footies for her birthday.

Harpa Socks

This was a pattern available as a free Ravelry download.  It's called Harpa, and it was a pretty quick and simple knit.  The yarn was something that I dyed with Kool-Aid.

I made this infinity scarf for a friend who recently moved from the San Francisco area to Minneapolis.  The pattern is the Purl Ridge Scarf, designed by Stephen West.  It's an insanely simple pattern and I was able to get it done in a weekend.  The photo shows the scarf before blocking.

I used some Noro Cash Island that I had in my stash, adding a couple of pattern repeats because, as written, the scarf was narrower than I usually like.  The yarn is a soft blend of wool, cashmere, and nylon.  There's even enough yarn left over for me to make another scarf.

After finishing the cowl, I thought it might be nice to make something else for my friend.  I pulled some charcoal grey and red sock yarn from my stash and started in on this Graphic Kerchief.

Since I'm not sure whether I have enough of the grey yarn to complete the pattern, I may work the bottom border of the scarf in the red.  We'll see how it goes when I get to that point.

Once I finish this I really need to complete the Amy Pond scarf that's been going off and on for the past two years.

Sockapalooza!

There's nothing quite like a nice pair of hand knit socks.  They just feel so much better on the feet than their commercially manufactured counterparts.  They're also great knitting projects for so many reasons:

• They don't use much yarn, so you can splurge on something nice if your budget allows
• It's a small project that's easy to carry around with you
• Since it's a small project, it doesn't take months to complete
• Ever try to work on a cardigan or a blanket in the middle of summer?
• They're socks!

Here are a few that I've made lately, with the most recent project first.

These are from a Doctor Who-themed pattern called Bowties Are Cool and were designed by Mandie Harrington.

Bowties Are Cool.  So are fezzes

I had originally hand dyed some yarn for these, but the tonal changes got in the way of the teensy bow tie pattern so I opted for a couple of skeins of Premier Yarns Serenity Sock (on sale, natch).  The stitch repeat was easy to memorize, and was simple without being tedious.  I didn't do as many repeats as called for in the pattern and they're still a bit longer than I like, but they're really comfy and bow ties are cool! 


The next pair was made with some hand dyed yarn, which I wrote about here.  I made them for Pat, who dyed the yarn and promptly handed it off to me.  The pattern is Eunice, from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.  It was a challenging (in a good way) pattern, including a 7 stitch cable that had stitches going every which way, but I think the result is gorgeous.  I might just have to make a pair of these for myself at some point.

Eunice Socks for Pat

These were made for my mom.  She picked out the Malabrigo sock yarn in Rayon Vert.  I adore working with this yarn!  The pattern is another Ravelry download.  The designer is Kristi Geraci, and the pattern is called Belle Vitini.

Mom's Belle Vitini Socks

Finally, here is another pair of socks with a Doctor Who theme.  These are mine all mine.  Yay!

Don't Blink!

Raveler Maire Martin designed these Weeping Angel socks.  I made a couple of modifications, starting with a twisted rib for the cuff.  I also extended the feather pattern down the foot to the point where the toe decreases begin.  I really like how the toes echo the heel motif, which you can kind of see here: 

This pattern had an interesting heel construction, employing a series of increases rather than knitting a heel flap and then picking up stitches for the gusset.

I'm really pleased with this pair.  They're soft and comfortable, the color works with lots of my wardrobe, and the lace pattern is lovely. 

Best part?  They're DOCTOR WHO themed!

My preferred method for knitting socks is two at a time on two circulars (saves me from the dreaded second sock syndrome).  It seems I usually select top down patterns, although that's not a conscious decision. 

How do you like to knit your socks?

WIPs and FOs

As I'm trying to discipline myself to post more regularly, here are a few recent projects.

I picked up this gorgeous Malabrigo Sock yarn from the Twist: Yarns of Intrigue booth at the Southern California Handweavers' Guild Weaving and Fiber Festival a couple of years ago.

The colorway is Persia, and it's a soft, squooshy variegated yarn with colors that range from sidewalk grey, through several shades of blue, to black.

I finally used it to make a pair of gloves - and I have enough yarn left over to make something else!  The pattern is Julia Mueller's Knotty, which is available free on Ravelry. 

I made a second pair of gloves for my cousin:

These are made with Sensations Bamboo & Ewe, a wool, nylon, bamboo blend from Jo-Ann.

After gradient dyeing some Lion Brand Sock-Ease with food coloring,

I made a Glam Shells shawl.

This is actually my second Glam Shells.  The designer is Marisa Hernandez, and the pattern is also available as a Ravelry download.  I love this pattern.  It's mostly mindless knitting - perfect for TV or movie watching - but when it's blocked it becomes a light, lacy wrap perfect for a summer evening.

Silk Scarf Dyeing Project

I spent the day with my mom and friends dyeing silk scarves with Lanaset dyes.  I always have so much fun during our dyeing sessions.  Often I'll have an idea of colors I want to work with but usually end up doing something completely different.

I ove the bamboo scarf my mom painted - it's the second from the left in the first photo.  I did the one on the far left and the green one, second from the right.

These came out looking so beautiful.  My mom's is on the right, mine's on the left.  The floral pattern is rayon, so it doesn't take up the dye like the silk.  Love the effect.

Lots of pretty colors on the line.

Happy Mother's Day!

I finished my mom's Jeweled Cowl just in time.  Washed and blocked it yesterday and will give it to her this afternoon.  I love this pattern - it's so simple to make yet it looks so elegant.

I know I've mentioned repeatedly how much I adore Malabrigo Lace yarn, but here I go again...
This yarn is so soft and the subtle color variations are sublime.  Can't get enough of this stuff!

Neither of these photos reproduces the color accurately; it's actually somewhere between the two.  The second photo shows off the variegation nicely, though.

Hope mom likes it!

Handspun Hat Update

It's been a busy time at work lately, so I never got around to posting a photo of the finished hat.  I ended up changing the pattern to the Lock & Key Dreadlock Tam.

I really liked the cabled rib brim.  Wish I could have been there when it was given to the recipient so I could've gotten some photos of him wearing it.  Oh well!

Another one off the needles

At the public radio station where I work we have a wonderful volunteer who comes in help us once a week.  She complimented me on an infinity scarf I made so I thought I'd make one for her as a way of thanking her for all she does for us.

The yarn is Vickie Howell Sheep(ish) in the Plum(ish) colorway.  I used a bit less than 2 skeins of yarn.  Since Sheep(ish) is a machine washable acrylic-wool blend I figure it's suitable for gift giving.  I try to give easy-to-care-for items to my non-knitting/crocheting friends.  

I found the triple diamond stitch pattern in a collection of stitch pattern cards that belongs to a friend.  It's reversible so it looks nice when doubled around the neck.

The recipient was thrilled, and I have another go-to pattern for quick projects. 

I'm in love

I'm madly in love with Malabrigo lace yarn.  Yes, it's a pain to rip it back if you make a mistake (as I learned when I forgot a row of beads and didn't discover the error 'til a few rows later).  But the yarn is so soft and the subtle color variations are lovely.

I'm also in love with this pattern.  It's the Jeweled Cowl by Sachiko Uemura, available as a free download on Ravelry.  I think I'll be coming back to this pattern again and again.

I purchased the yarn over 18 months ago at Abuelita's Knitting & Needlepoint in South Pasadena and think it's a perfect match for the Jeweled Cowl.  I love the contrast between the soft-as-a-cloud baby merino Malabrigo and the Japanese glass seed beads, which I bought online from Fusion Beads.

This infinity scarf has become my new favorite.