Recent Sock Knitting

I’ve been knitting a pair of socks and have a few other projects on my needles. I haven’t done a lot of knitting because I just came off a hard (and wonderful and final!) year of teaching! Suffice it to say that students are wonderful but the climate in education, sadly, is all about test scores. Enough of that!

I love to buy a mini skein to use for cuff, heel, and toe. The mini-skein is called Emma’s Yarn Sock Smalls, Drops of Jupiter. The main color is Miss Babs Estrellita, Jubilee, an exclusive color for Simply Socks Yarn Company. I made my own simple pattern, 64 stitches, a simple cable down the leg, classic flap heel, and modified rib for the lower part of the sock (no sense in feeling those cable lumps in my shoes!)

Oh, and we are moving. To Kansas City. Here in Salt Lake City, we are on our “second tour of duty in Utah,” and it’s time to move closer to family. We have our reason: she’s two and grand! I’m hoping (as I always do) that I will now have more time to blog—haha.

Finally, I’ve used a few new tools, some needles and some yarn holders. The needles are from Addi called Crasy Snake. Yes, I spelled it correctly! They are shaped and not straight, meant to battle fatigue while knitting. I think my left hand liked the shape, but since I’m a thrower as opposed to a picker, my right hand was just ok with having to regrab after every stitch.
As for the yarn holders, I ordered more! These come in different sizes and are snug on center-pull balls, keeping the yarn from tangling. I love these!

Addi Crasy Snake needles and some yarn holders from Buffy Ann and Binkwaffle

That’s all for now! Stay sane and keep knitting. These two things go together, sanity and knitting!

My Knitting Life

Miles of Yarn

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I had a wind-a-thon today with yarn that has been staring me in the face for a while. School has been overwhelming yet fulfilling: great kids and lots of work. (I’m convinced that politicians have no idea what they ask teachers to do every day, but that is a topic for someone else’s blog!)

I wound over 1.6 miles of yarn. That sounds ridiculous, but I will knit this yarn in the remainder of winter and spring! (If you go to the bottom of your Ravelry projects, you can see how many miles of yarn you’ve knit—hilarious!)

My little wall of choices! These skeins are always staring at me!

Here’s what I wound:
Magpie Fibers Nest, a 100% Corriedale Sport weight in a dusky lavender (from handworkslc.com )
Miss Babs Estrellita Sparkled Sock yarn, part of the SSYC Joyful Jubilee Knit Kit, purchased at Simply Socks Yarn Company.
Several mini-skeins to use for cuffs, heels, and toes, including the colorway “Jupiter.” All 3 of these mini-skeins are from Emma’s Yarn Practically Perfect Sock Smalls.

Next I wound some Lichen and Lace Sock (no link, but check out the shop on Etsy) along with some Mirasol Hachito.

Finally, I wound some BackCountry Knitter Sock Yarn called Magpie (local dyer, not currently in production), Greenwood Fiberworks Gold Dust Yarn in Natural, along with a skein of Malabrigo’s Mecha Thereza.

Final photo is all the wound balls, ready to grab and become a new project! Much of what I purchased is from small, local yarn shops or local dyers. They are my go-to choice for spending money. I appreciate their hustle and dedication to fiber arts!

My Knitting Life

February to May

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I bought these yarns (Malabrigo Ultimate Sock, 3 skeins in Whole Grain, and Louisa Harding Amitola, 2 skeins in Tick Tock) in December 2023 to make stranded yoke sweater. After my rough start to 2024, I decided to begin knitting this in mid February for Bang Out a Sweater. Clearly I didn’t finish by March 1 so I took my time finishing it in Me Made May.
I only bought one skein of the Amitola yarn, knew I was going to run out because of the pattern I chose (stranded knitting not only at the yoke, but also at the sleeve and hem bottoms), and went on a furious internet search for another ball. I don’t remember where I bought that second ball, but I am always happy that small LYSs keep their inventory up to date online.
It’s mid May, and not quite cold enough to wear this. But I will remember this sweater when autumn rolls around!

My Knitting Life

Coorie In Poncho Reknit

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Problem 1: I bought yarn with some alpaca content. I think I’m allergic to knitting it (but apparently not so allergic that I can’t wear alpaca?) Maybe fibers flying here and there, causing a runny and stuff nose? The yarn is City Tweed DK from Knit Picks in Porpoise, Great yarn!

Problem 2: I had mostly knit the “Easy Folded Poncho” with this yarn and just wasn’t feeling too happy about the size and the look. So, I tinked the whole thing and started to look for a solution.

Solution: Enter the Coorie in Poncho which I just finished this and I love the result! I’m a little on the short side, so it’s so nice to knit this to my height specifications!

Uncategorized

Merry Christmas: Events of 2024

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Becoming grandparents

This was 100% fun, some lost sleep, and a few airplane trips. What a joy to watch the new parents figure things out! Everything is new and different with a growing and thriving baby. She is a true miracle! Of course I have knitted a few things: two hats pictured below

Bathrooms remodeled

We went from weeks of jackhammer dust and a tile saw on our balcony to smooth, clean surfaces. Pictured below: the demo and the finished product. At times we wondered if it was worth it; the answer is yes!

New shoulder

At the end of February I (Nancy) was riding my bike when a dog on a retractable leash ran in front of me. I went over my handlebars and got a titanium shoulder! Lots of pain and physical therapy, but I’m mostly mended. I’d show pictures of my black eyes, broken nose, shoulder x-ray & broken ribs but I think you get the picture. My advice: hit the dog next time haha!

Work

Mike is enjoying managing retirement counselors for the state retirement system. He also meets with state members to help them understand and plan their retirement. Talking for a living agrees with him!

I (Nancy) bring home many funny stories from students. Laughing for a living agrees with me! They ask if my pants are on backwards (patch pockets on the front confused them). They ask why I wore my pajamas (they were plaid wool pants and not flannel)! I’m handed beautiful drawings to display. Turns out, drawing Christmas capybaras is on trend!

Fun

We still travel around Utah, visiting the beautiful places here again and again. We never get tired of seeing a beautiful view!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My Knitting Life

An Interruption to the Knitting

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I should have blogged long before now. In fact, I had every intention of publishing a hat pattern in two different yarn weights, going as far as taking the hats on a late-winter get-away for some scenic photo ops.

But life took a painful turn five days after the trip. It was the first nice day of the year so DH and I went for a bike ride. I went over my handlebars and my bike landed on me as I tried to dodge a lady’s dog, not under control and on a retractable leash. As I was on the ground, the lady and her friends slipped away (heaven forbid people take responsibility grr…) Broken ribs and nose, ambulance ride, X-rays, MRIs, surgery to replace my shattered left shoulder, missed a month of work. Worst of all, no KNITTING!

Now, three months on, I’m on the mend, faithfully doing my PT, and slowly knitting. Here’s a little something I just finished for a new special someone who was born recently!

This sweet little sweater is almost done (button and blocking to go). It is called Simply The Best Cardigan For Babies + Toddlers. I added the little I-cord decoration because flowers are sweet!

Has your knitting life ever been interrupted? If so, how did you get back on track?

My Knitting Life

Christmas Knitting + Bonus Free Pattern

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I made several people quite happy with my knitting needles this Christmas. Probably my most popular gifts were some Harry Potter house mascot hats for Son, DIL, AND SIL. These were a big hit, a HOMERUN, especially when my son called a few days later and said how much he loved his hat! I changed up the background charts for the Slytherin and Ravenclaw hats because knitting those tiny squares was tedious.

Also, over the next few years I am going to make my knitting patterns free instead of selling them. So for starters, here’s the pattern, Sofa Support!

sofa-support.pdf Download

My Knitting Life

Knitting lately:

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The top row of pictures are projects (all hats!) that I knit from my stash. My stash is dwindling!

Barley hat knit from Baah Yarn LaJolla “Singin’ the Blues”

The bottom row projects are all items I’ve finished from recent yarn purchases. With a dwindling stash and a few projects on long-term hold, maybe I should do some more yarn shopping?!

My Knitting Life

Helical Knitted Socks

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I have partial yarn skeins, like, many partial yarn skeins (truth be told, a small tub of sock yarn). Do you have this problem too? I think about donating those partial skeins, selling them on eBay, or knitting another scrappy blanket (see this post: End of an Era), but I just keep telling myself that I can find something to do with them. Here’s one option I’ve come up with: Helical Socks.

Kind of a mess but gonna be a sweet pair of shortie socks!

Here’s what I started with: 25 grams of red Cascade Heritage Sock yarn, and 17 grams of Beach Bunny Yarns World Traveler (leftover from this project: Vacation Knitting). I am using the red for the cuff and heel (and maybe the toe if there is enough?)

I started sock #1 and knit through mid-instep. Then I decided to start sock #2 by knitting from the other end of the balls because I’m not sure I’ve got quite enough for two entire socks. (Don’t worry…I have other yarn that can finish the toes of these socks!) It’s kind of messy knitting from two ends of two balls so I can’t take it to meetings or knit in the car, etc. As I take knitting breaks, I carefully lay it out so I can pick it back up again without many tangles.

See where the white yarn starts just below the heel? That’s where I started the “Helical” knitting.

Not sure what Helical knitting is? Need a tutorial? Click here: Helical Knitting Video and thank Jen of Arnall-Culliford Knitwear for her great Year of Techniques Tutorial!

My Knitting Life

Currently knitting…

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Work, work, work…it’s so busy. Some days I don’t knit at all when I get home. BUT, I have been working on a few things.

What’s up? Right now I am knitting the Waterrock Vest in the Pantone 2023 Color of the Year using Knit One Crochet Too’s Sebago in Magenta. This color choice was just a happy accident, lest you think I am in-the-know about such things; I bought the yarn a few days before the color was announced. Below shows my progress; I’m almost to the armholes.

Vests are under-utilized in wardrobes, especially by knitters. They’re fast because they are sleeveless, and they work with lots of clothing we already possess. More vests, please!

The next object I’ve been knitting is the Easy Folded Poncho except I have a problem, which is, I bought the wrong yarn. It’s Knit Picks City Tweed DK, a nice mix of fibers, but 25% Alpaca. The problem is that I think I’m allergic to alpaca. I can wear it, but when I knit with it, I get congested and sneezy. Even this 25% is bothering me. Does this happen to anyone else? So, I’m going to finish but can only knit about 30 rows per week. Totally my bad for not remembering!

The colorway is “Porpoise” which is a little more blue than the photos show.

For those of us in the north (or Rocky Mountains, as the case may be), this is the best time for knitting all year! It’s freezing outside, snow is falling and blowing, and here we all sit, happily knitting and relaxing!

Free Knitting Patterns · Free Sock Patterns · My Knitting Life

48 Stitch Sock Pattern

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Two posts ago, I wrote about my brother requesting five pairs of socks this year. I made fun of him a little, because, seriously, he doesn’t know the time and effort put into just one pair of socks, let alone multiple pairs! I knitted one pair of fingering weight socks for him (thumbnail photo below) and delivered them to him after a day spent on planes. Oh, we also raided our snowbird dad’s sock drawer (with permission!) because Dad spends winters in Florida–brother gained about 6 pairs of handknit socks in this fashion.

Then, THEN, my brother told me a few important details about the socks that he wants. He said he only wears the socks to bed, making me think I could get away with knitting sport weight socks for him since he won’t have to worry about fitting thicker socks and his feet into his shoes. He also said he doesn’t need the legs of the socks to be as long. Bingo! Now I can knit a few more pairs for him at a larger gauge and almost fulfill his wish of 5 new pairs this year.

48 Stitch Sock Pattern

48 Stitch Sock Pattern Download

BONUS PAIR! I had two skeins—slightly different colorways—of this sport weight yarn, realized if I combined the leftovers, I would have enough for another pair of socks. Yes, I did! I used a helical knitting technique with the socks below. Maybe one day I’ll write up a pattern for a helical sock.

My Knitting Life · Non-Knitting Projects

Sewing and Knitting: A Happy Combo

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I wanted an eyelet-style dress, but not in white which seems to be the predominant color of eyelet, especially during the summer. So off I went on a fabric-hunting expedition, but with gas at $5.00/gallon, I only went virtually. I shopped online at Fashion Fabrics Club and bought an excellent burgundy eyelet, more geometric in design than floral. For the dress I used McCall’s M7948; at about $7.00/yard multiplied by 3.5 yards, I got a great deal! (It never ceases to amaze me how expensive Joann’s sub-par fabric is.)

About this fabric:

Thing 1: it’s dry clean only, but I’m confident that I can carefully wash it.

Thing 2: It frayed very easily as I was sewing it. It’s a good thing I’m an experienced seamstress!

The fabric is lightweight, and the dress is billowy and comfortable. But because sometimes air conditioning in the summer is a little aggressive, I knit a simple shawl to go along with the dress. The shawl is the Souvenir Shawl by Maria Samuelsson on Ravelry. It’s a great pattern to use up a skein of yarn that just had to be purchased on vacation (better a skein of yarn than a t-shirt, right?)

It’s a 100% self-made outfit! I love it when people say, “I like your dress!” or, “I like your scarf!” At which point I say, “Thanks, I made it!”

What yarn is this, you might ask? It is Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere in the February 2020 Pop Up colorway. I bought this when The Loopy Ewe lady was retiring and had a big sale. But don’t worry because The Loopy Ewe lives on! Visit their site, help a new owner of a previously loved LYS by grabbing some yarn!

My Knitting Life

Vacation Knitting

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We flew the coop for Spring Break in a desperate attempt to feel more normal. We boarded a plane and went to visit kid #1 and hubby (and 2 doggies)…for once I only packed two knitting projects, a shawl and a pair of socks.

Souvenir Shawl knit with World Traveler by Beach Bunny Yarns

This shawl was a great traveling companion, easy and fast, especially on a size 6 (US) needle. It’s a great reminder of our family trip to Florida last summer! I dropped the kids off at the jet ski place (don’t worry, they’re adults LOL) and drove about 7 minutes to an awesome LYS in Ormond Beach, Florida, called She Sells Yarn. I’m always pleasantly surprised to find yarn shops in warm places. It was an hour well-spent—“spent” being the operative word!

The other project I brought was sock knitting for my brother. The last time I spoke with him on the phone he offhandedly said, “Hey, I need 5 more pairs of socks.” Ah, the uninformed comments and requests of non-knitters. I told him he could expect exactly two pairs this year, nothing fancy, no cables, twisted stitches, etc. So he’s getting (with love) plain pairs of socks.

Cascade Heritage Sock Yarn and a 68 stitch leg, very similar to my Free on Ravelry 72-Stitch Sock Pattern

This is always my go-to sock yarn, lots of colors and long-wearing.

My Knitting Life

Travel Knitting

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The most ridiculous thing happened while I was trying to bang out a sweater before Spring Break. I ran out of yarn with only about 23 rows to go at the bottom of the last sleeve. I quickly ordered more, but the package came more slowly than normal. The postman was pulling up to deliver the yarn as we were wheeling our suitcases to the airport train about two blocks away.

At this point, I thought I had enough yarn. (oh, and banging out a sweater is a thing in knitting circles LOL)

I had a brainiac idea that I should check with my LYS to see if they actually carried the yarn, Berroco Ultra Wool, and yup, they did (egg on face). Would you believe that the yarn I got here at my LYS was the same dye lot as the one I ordered from a shop one state away! But the dye lot wasn’t critical because I was combining it with a strand of mohair type yarn, Berroco Aerial Color. I finished the sweater two days before the other yarn arrived. I guess the joke is on me! I’ll use the excess yarn to knit some hats or something. Here’s the finished cardigan:

It’s cropped, neutral yet slightly variegated and it was oh, so warm for when we traveled back to the cold humidity of the Midwest. Is Kansas City considered the Midwest? Not sure…

Have you ever banged out a sweater? Suggestion: use big needles!

Home Projects Patterns · Knitting Patterns For Sale · My Knitting Life

Sofa Support

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New furniture needs a pillow refresh. Handmade? Store-bought? I looked at the normal places and found pillows ranging from $50-$90 (ok, so it was Pottery Barn). I saw nothing that I loved, and at that price, it better be something that I love! Being pretty sure I could knit with better yarn and come up with a design that is more to my liking, I developed a pattern!

Click the link to buy the pattern–it’s only a buck!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sofa-support

For this pattern you’ll need some bulky yarn, big needles, and some pillow forms.

This pattern is actually three pillow patterns in one. Pillow 1 (pictured right) starts from the narrow edge and the stripes of the yarn are a little wider.

Pillow #2 starts the knitting on the long edge to create thinner stripes.

Pillow #3 is a slightly smaller rectangle, knit from the short side.

All three…bright and pillowy!

All of the pillows are knit with a little bit of negative ease so they stretch nicely over the pillow forms.

I finished by adding those spicy little corner tassels! See the pattern for more instructions!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sofa-support

Free Knitting Patterns · Knitting Patterns

Lost Crocus Cowl

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One skein of sock yarn to make this super squishy cowl.

Late winter and early spring weather brings warm days and storm days. One day the crocuses are peeking through the ground. The next day the ground is covered in snow. The snow melts and those hardly little crocuses are still thriving with their tiny pop of color. Before the really hot weather sets in, check your stash and find some sock yarn that you’ve been saving for a special project. The yarn I used has tiny and larger flecks of color which remind me of early spring flowers growing in the soil.

lost-crocus-cowl Download

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