WIP Wednesday - Halfway through the D-SPAKAL!

I have both knitting and spinning this week! I don't post all my spinning projects, as a lot of it is still getting the hang of things, but this one project I'm rather proud of, so I figured it deserved a mention :)
Almost 100g and 360 meters done of a single-ply yarn! The fiber is corrigale - I have no clue about the weight of the yarn though. The first skeins are probably aran or at least worsted. The latter ones might be sport or fingering! I haven't determined WPI yet (wraps per inch) which might be useful ;) I've spun it up for the D-SPAKAL hosted by Kristin Voolenvine of the YarnGasm podcast (Drop-Spin And Knit A-Long). Still have to figure out which shawl to knit though. I have about 5 different ones I'm wavering between.
But just look at this! That is the first and the last skein I spun! Just goes to show what an amazing difference practise makes.

My vanilla socks are still coming along nicely. I didn't go quite as crazy with the second one, so I'm still working on that one. Have another three stripes to go and then the ribbing. It's perfect commute-knitting though - I get about 2 stripes done each day, so should finish this week... which is great - can't wait to wear them :)

I'm almost done with my Monochromatic $5 in Paris. I had a friend over yesterday and we spent most of the evening talking and knitting, so I got a LOT done there. Finally got to try it on this morning, and while it fits nicely (as it should! considering I based it on one of my favourite sweaters), I'm not entirely sure about the colours :-/ May just be the lighting of the bathroom, but I don't know... ah well, I'll finish it up and then take it from there.

Finally I've worked a bit more on my puzzle blanket, and have sewn up several more pieces :)
I'm just over half-way now, but am actually running out of scrap yarn! Had not seen that coming! So I may have to put it on hiatus for awhile.

Year of Projects - Overdue Update

It's amazing how big a difference the right yarn makes! I've been working on the "Snakes on a Plane" socks for a couple of months by now, and just can't keep the interest long enough to get some real progress going. I think I'm about 1/3 of the way through sock 2 and have been knitting on it for 3 weeks or so.

Then yesterday I discovered I had enough left-over yarn of two skeins to make some striped socks which I really, really, really wanted to cast on right away. I decided to go with some plain vanilla socks (though with the vanilla bean variation just to spice them up a bit) and did them toe-up in order to ensure that I'd have enough yarn.

3 hours later I could take this photo. That's right, 3 hours of knitting on these socks got me as far as 3 weeks on "Socks on a Plane". Go figure!
And since yesterday was a lazy Sunday, and I had nothing better to do with my time than sit and knit while watching TV, I was able to cast off that same night! First time EVER I've managed to knit an adult sized fingering weight sock in a day!
The yarn is Candy Skein's Yummy Fingering (green) and Posh Yarn's Pamela Sock (brown). Complete adore both yarns!

It's weird - I've always thought I didn't like self-striping yarn, but I love these "manually striped" (or whatever...) socks, so I may just stand corrected...

Saturday was another lazy day - I didn't feel like knitting any of my ongoing projects (this was before I cast on the above socks), but found an interesting pattern for a mini neckwarmer that seemed appropriate. Turned out to be a really quick knit, and I like the result.
Next time I think I may make it slightly bigger though... and definitely use softer yarn. This has a tad too high nylon content to be all that soft. But it's not scratchy, so I'll take it (and it did make me realize I wanted to use the rest for socks ;) )

I've also been working on my $5 in Paris and discovered I did NOT take sufficient notes last time - not even listing the needles I used! So part of knitting it this second time is deconstructing the old one (not literally!) and taking copious notes as I go. It's coming along nicely though :)

Finally I finished the baby cardigan last weekend, and it's been blocking ever since - slow going in winter time. It turned out rather big though! The original pattern said this was a 3-6mo size... that got changed to 6-9mo along the way, and I think the end result is closer to 12-18mo! But that's what test-knitting is for, because I did get gauge, and the measurements are spot on. Ah well - it'll be a birthday present instead of a baptism present I guess ;) Still need to sew on buttons and weave in ends, but I'm calling it done for all intents and purposes.

Progress
July Sock (Braided Swirl Socks)
Stashbuster #1 (Dragonfly Elfe)
August Sock (Vanilla Socks)
September Sock (My Little Cup of Tea)
October Sock (Sunset Scales)
Stashbuster #2 (Little Pole)
November Sock (Spring Forward)
December Sock (Newborn tube socks)
Stashbuster #3 (Bubblegum Elfe)
Stashbuster #4 ($5 in Paris)
(Stashbuster #5)
(Stashbuster #6)

Startitis!

I have startitis in a big way, and want to knit on everything at once! Which of course means that each project sees very little process from week to week. I think I have 8 (semi-)active WIPs at the moment, so I will spare you from showing off all of them, and just picking out my favourites.

In order of casting on...

I absolutely adore my $5 in Paris. It was the first sweater I knit, and I love everything about it - the colours, the yarn, the fit. So I've been planning to knit myself another pretty much ever since. And last Friday I finally cast on for one :) Didn't get much past the swatching and initial caston, but at least I've started now!!! ... and bought yarn enough for two others - shhh... don't ask ;)

Next up is my second bigger crochet project. My niece's birthday is coming up, so I offered to make her something, and she ended up picking Lala the Panda by Stacey Trock. I started out on a 4.5mm needle, but thought it turned out a tad small, so I've now switched to a 5.5mm and will either rip back the smaller pieces, or see if I have yarn enough for two!
The two legs for comparison - there's quite a significant size difference even over just 12 rounds!

Earlier this week I signed up for another test-knit! The first in ages, but I simply couldn't resist this one. It's an absolutely adorable baby cardigan, and I knew just what yarn to use for it - some of the lovely Candy Skein yummy fingering that's been languishing in my stash for a couple of years :) Whenever I knit with CandySkein yarn, I feel tempted to buy more! It is SO wonderfully soft and a treat to knit with :) The cardigan is a quick knit, but I'm once again reminded that I'm really not too fond of purling :-P Guess my plans of making a full-size cardigan for myself are a tad on the optimistic side.
So cute! Love the eyelet edging especially :)

Finally I decided that since I have multiple knitting WIPs, I apparently need multiple crochet WIPs as well. In past years I have done cross-stitch projects for my nieces and nephews baptisms, but I really don't cross-stitch any longer, so I figured I'd start a new tradition and crochet something for my newest niece instead. And of course, every child needs a crocheted alien, right? Of course right! :)

So three time-sensitive items that all have to be done before April... fortunately I love them all, and my problem is more that I want to work on all of them at the same time :) The cardigan is getting most of my love these days though, as the test-knit has to be done by February 15th, so that's cutting it a bit close. But with no plans this weekend, I should be able to get quite far on it... unless the siren call of some of the other projects become too loud to ignore ;)

Year of Projects - Week... I've Lost Count

I've been neglecting my knitting posts (but not my knitting!) over the Christmas holiday, so this one will be looooong with everything that's been on my needles and off my needles since I last posted.

On the Needles
I have four active WIPs at the moment... some more actively active than others though ;)
Despite me not repeating my "12 Socks in 12 Months" challenge in 2015 I still find myself with socks on the needles. But socks make for perfect travel knitting, and I'm sure I can find people to gift them too, when I run out of space in my sock drawer ;) ... in fact, I've already promised these to Nina :)

I have it as a stated goal to finish these puzzle pieces this year - even better if I can do so as part of the Clean Slate Challenge that the Just One More Row podcast is hosting for January-February. Not terribly likely, as I'm still missing more than 30 pieces, but I'm going to give it my best shot!

Another stated goal was to finish the 30 Valentines shawl this year, so I figured I'd better get started early. I managed 10 rows in one night, so not too shabby at all!

Finally the only WIP I've actually cast on this year. I've wanted to knit Martina Behm's Leftie for ages, and finally found the yarn I want to use for it. I'm looking forward to seeing how it will turn out. So far I'm loving it! :)


Off the Needles
A LOT of stuff, fortunately! But most of this will also be to show off my gorgeous nieblings in their Christmas knitwear :)

I promised photos of how the "Little Pole" turned out, and I couldn't be happier with how it looks! It fits my niece perfectly, and I am very chuffed that she didn't take it off all night :)

Rosa loved her Princess shawl, fortunately :) It was a bit of a gamble, as she hadn't actually asked for it, but according to my sister it was very popular :) I'm glad!

And of course, there's my newest niece - born on Christmas Day. I got to visit her a couple of days later, and saw her both wearing the socks I knit her, and snuggled under her blanket :)

A pair of cozy socks for my sister. I saw this yarn in the shop and it just screamed "Nina" - so of course I had to buy it and knit her some socks :) This is the first pair of socks I've knit in DK/worsted weight yarn, and it's amazing how much faster it knits up! I did mess up the heel slightly though, so they're a tad too big, but as they're supposed to be used on top of other socks, I'm not too worried.

Finally, another Elfe for myself :) Yes, this is the third Elfe I've knit in as many years :) I just love the way it knits up and the way it fits me. Besides, it uses less than 750 meters at my size, so it's the perfect way to use up gorgeous yarn without going broke ;) This is made from CandySkein yarn in the Tardis Tart and Bubblegum Ice Cream colourways.


Stash Stories
I've been bitten by a mad spinner ;) I'd been getting increasingly frustrated by my spinning, until I happened upon some youtube videos and discovered I was drafting all wrong! Or rather - I was drafted woolen instead of worsted (or perhaps the other way round? I was letting the spin get too far into the fiber in either case). Once I got that sorted out, the spinning went a LOT better. I soon realized that the spindle I'd bought in the US was far too heavy though - my yarn kept breaking more often than I thought it ought to. So on December 23rd I decided to purchase a Christmas present for myself, and went on Etsy to get two knew spindles and a LOT of extra fiber! :D

Spindles from Turtle Made, fiber from Wool Finch Studio.Despite Christmas and New Years, shipping was surprisingly fast! The spindles arrived between Christmas and New Years, and the fiber on January 2nd! So now I have lots of stuff to practise with :) I'm considering joining Kristin Voolenvine (of the Yarngasm Podcast) in her D-SPAKAL (spinning enough yarn for a shawl), but am thinking that might be a taaad too optimistic. But a girl can dream, right? :)

Year of Projects - Week 24

Quite a bit of progress from last week to today! :-)

As mentioned last week, I finished knitting "Little Pole". I've now also blocked it and weaved in the ends. It's very cute :) I hope my niece will like it.... not to mention, that it will fit!!!

I've also finished the last two pairs of socks!! Well, I still need to kitchener the toe of the last one, but the knitting is done, so I'm going to count it :) That means I managed my goal of 12 pairs of socks in 2014! It was a bit of a push at times though, so I don't think I'll try a similar goal for 2015 ;)

But here they are - in all their glory :)
The January, March and December socks are presents - the rest I'm keeping aaaaaall for myself :D

With those out of the way, I've managed to start my third Stashbuster project - another Elfe. Yes, this is the third Elfe I make in as many years ;) What can I say - I love the pattern, and it's an awesome way to use that gorgeous fingering yarn that's too pretty to use for socks. Besides, in my size it only takes around 100g/400m of each colour, so it's an affordable top :)
I'm only 30-something rows into it, so it still has a long way to go yet. On the other hand, I started it yesterday, so pretty decent progress already :)


Progress
July Sock (Braided Swirl Socks)
Stashbuster #1 (Dragonfly Elfe)
August Sock (Vanilla Socks)
September Sock (My Little Cup of Tea)
October Sock (Sunset Scales)
Stashbuster #2 (Little Pole)
November Sock (Spring Forward)
December Sock (Newborn tube socks)
Stashbuster #3 (Bubblegum Elfe)
Stashbuster #4
(Stashbuster #5)
(Stashbuster #6)

Christmas Knitting

I've finished all my Christmas knitting! Not quite early enough for me to be able to participate in the "Grinchalong" hosted by the Knitmoregirls, but plenty early enough for it to have been stress-free just the same :) Still need to weave in the ends, but that's it.

The Princess Hitchhiker for my youngest niece is done and blocking :) It turned out just slightly bigger than expected, but hopefully she'll enjoy being able to wrap herself in it :)
Her favourite colours are pink and brown, so I knit this holding a strand of pink, brown and very light purple yarn together. The yarn used is Grignasco Extrafine (100g/1500m), so three strands held together worked perfectly.

I cast off the Little Pole for my oldest niece yesterday! So here it is in all its unblocked glory:
I decided not to do the pompoms for the belt. I'm not really a fan of pompoms, so I think it looks better without them. It's a bit of a weird construction, but I think it'll work out well. Can't wait to see it on her!

My November socks are going well - albeit a tad late ;) I finished the first one a couple of weeks ago (just forgot to take a photo) and am just over half-way on the second (having completed 7 of the 11 repeats).

However, since it IS December, I've also cast on my December socks. I decided I had been such a good girl with respect to sock-knitting, so I'd go a bit easy on myself for December, and finish up the year with a pair of tube socks for my newest niece. I still have almost 30 grams remaining of the Candy Skein Yummy Fingering in the Rainbow colourway, so there should be plenty for a pair of newborn socks.
I can't get over how cute they are! 28 stitches as compared to my usual 56-66sts! I started out with 32sts 2x2 ribbing, decreased to 28sts and 1x1 ribbing after 5 rounds and will probably switch to plain stockinette at some point... haven't decided exactly when yet.


Year of Projects Progress
July Sock (Braided Swirl Socks)
Stashbuster #1 (Dragonfly Elfe)
August Sock (Vanilla Socks)
September Sock (My Little Cup of Tea)
October Sock (Sunset Scales)
Stashbuster #2 (Little Pole)
November Sock (Spring Forward)
December Sock (Newborn Tube Socks)
Stashbuster #3
Stashbuster #4
(Stashbuster #5)
(Stashbuster #6)

WIP Wednesday

On the Needles
Almost done with the Little Pole!!! Which is a good thing, since it's supposed to be a Christmas present. I've finished one sleeve, so now I just have the other sleeve and the belt to go. The first sleeve took 2 nights of concentrated knitting, and the belt will probably be something similar, so I should be able to finish with plenty of time to spare :)

Between the Pages
I finished "Landline" by Rainbow Rowell last night. SO GOOD! I just raced through it. It completely deserves all the hype surrounding it. You can find my review here.

Stash Stories
I had my very own "Etsy-incident of 2014" a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to the ridiculously expensive shipping from the US, I didn't do as much damage as I could've, but I did get 4 very gorgeous skeins out of it.

They all arrived last Saturday (so quick!) and as luck would have it, the skein I won from The Fat Squirrel's podcast arrived the same day! So there was lots and lots of yarny goodness to be had :)
I spot a scarf, a cowl and two pairs of socks!