All the Zombie Vixens!

It's been a while since I updated, so I figure it's about time I poke my nose in here and talk about my knitting.  I haven't been doing as much as I would like, so that's been frustrating, but I got seriously distracted with other things.  Of course, part of that has to do with working on the same project so exclusively.  This is why I've decided I really need to have a couple of projects on the needles.

The first news, the Zombie ViXen gloves look amazing.  The colors are perfectly fall, and as I was told, they almost have a camouflage feel to them, even though they're not that at all.  I originally picked this yarn for the worn denim feel I like of expected, but it certainly didn't turn out that way at all.  It was unexpected and I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but it's really started to grow on me.

This project was a bit frustrating at start.  I had to size the needles down because it was absolutely huge on my wrist.  After a while, though, the pattern became so intuitive that I was able to do all the way to the thumb increases without having to look at the pattern so much as once on the second glove.  That's always a good sign to me.  Unless the pattern is ever changing, it's kind of nice to be able to pluck it from my brain and run with it.  It makes me feel like I don't need to be tied down to the pattern and instead can really enjoy the process of knitting.  It becomes comfortable enough that I can knit while watching television without feeling like I have to watch something I don't have to pay much attention to or I'll get lost in my knitting.

Overall the pattern was pretty simple to follow.  I don't think it would be too challenging of a knit, and I recommended it to a friend of mine that's a pretty new knitter.  It's really not all that complicated of a pattern, but it comes out incredibly well.  It also works well with a yarn that's got a little more play to it.  I tend to prefer yarn that's simple and flat, not too much variation to it.  Single color yarns and kettle dyes allow the pattern to really shine and it doesn't seem to get lost in the splashes of color.  That means it's good for more complicated knits.  I tend to stick to simpler patterns with variegated yarns and hand painted yarns.  This pattern really worked in spite of the frequent color cycles.

I have to admit, I did modify this pattern.  The ribbing at the edge of the glove didn't seem to match across the gloves.  It's unbalanced to one side through the ribbing.  For the second hand I just reversed the ribbing so that it matched in complete reverse.  I also swapped the direction of the cross of the single cables.  I know stitches, when you're talking the medical kind, are done the same way, regardless of what side they're on, but I thought this was just a more appealing look.

And in case you thought one was enough, knowing I don't tend to knit repeat patterns terribly often, I decided I have to knit another pair.  Chesh saw them and immediately said he'd love a pair.  He said he wanted something more of a blue black color.  I already made him a pair of red fingerless gloves, so having an alternate color would really be good.  Wouldn't it figure that I had just such a ball sitting with no purpose in my yarn stash?  I pulled it out and he said it would be perfect.  Then he followed it up with saying he didn't want to take the yarn I'd bought for me.  I loved that yarn, but somehow it just felt like it was right for him.  I had no idea what I was going to knit out of it for me.

Just like the first pair, these are out of Happy Feet by Plymouth Yarns.  The last set of gloves I made were out of the same thing too.  I love this yarn, and I've especially loved that you could get it in a 50g skein, though it looks like they've stopped making those.  For making socks it makes more sense to offer larger sums, but the small skeins were perfect for making a pair of fingerless gloves.  I couldn't have asked for a better choice.  Now I think I'm going to have to figure out another use for the extra yarn.  Maybe I can find some patterns that are enough for a pair of socks and a pair of gloves.

The gloves are turning out absolutely great.  I've gotten everything done on them but the thumbs at this point.  They've been put into a temporary hibernation for a while because I just haven't felt like working on the thumbs all over again.  I've been yearning for another project to get started.  I'm undoubtedly going to have them finished by the next update I post.  I'm trying to keep moving on everything, keep things going and coming off the needles.  These ones are so close to done that it seems a shame to let them sit for so long.  It just means I have to get back to them soon.

The weather's also starting to get cooler, and with Chesh walking back and forth to school, I know he would appreciate having them done.  The red ones I made for him last year are getting almost daily use, and so that's a really good sign.  I'm pretty sure he'll wear these ones all the time too.  The other ones were made of a microfiber, so these being wool should be a lot warmer.  They also come up a little longer over the fingers and thumb, making them all around a warmer glove.  I'm excited to have these done for him!

In the mean time I've decided to take a little bit of a break from working on the Zombie Vixen gloves.  This time I wanted to work on socks.  I'm really upset that a few of my hand knit socks have been missing, and Sable got me this wonderful Malabrigo Sock yarn.  It's a beautiful nutty color that seemed perfect for fall.  It needed to be something that honored that color.  Also, after working with the Happy Feet, I was quite surprised at how incredibly thin this yarn was.  I checked twice to make sure it was actually sock yarn and not a lace weight, but sure enough, it's sock.

The color was what really inspired me when I picked this yarn out.  It's got such a beautiful, rich, earthy texture.  At first I thought of it as reminding me of fall with the deep reds and earthy browns, but the more I look at it, the more I think that it reminds me of chestnuts, acorns, and walnuts in the shell.  That's one of the things I always loved about fall, finding the chestnuts that had fallen from somewhere.  I was convinced they couldn't have fallen from the trees because I never saw them in any trees.

The natural choice for socks in this yarn was a little pattern called Nutkin.  Everyone seems to be making them, or at least it seems that way.  They remind me of Squirrel Nutkin from Beatrix Potter.  That made so much sense for the yarn and how it reminded me so much of nuts.

The pattern was a pleasant surprise.  The cuff is a long tail cast on that's turned under and knit into the pattern again in the most interesting of ways.  It was an unexpected challenge, though not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  I did have to go back three times to redo it in a more smooth way.  It looks amazing and I love the thickness of it.  I can't wait to see how it wears.  From there the pattern was simple enough to be easy to remember, but it's fancy enough to catch my attention.  It works well with the play of colors in the yarn.  I absolutely love the sweeping shapes each pattern creates.  It almost strikes me as leaves, but the bottom half of one leaf is the top to the next.  The heel is a simple enough short row and the toe seems pretty standard, so I think I might just knit this pair up according to the pattern.  (Yes, you may all gasp at the fact that this is my second pair of socks that I haven't modified in any way this year.)

Too Busy To Get Much Done

It's been a crazy week in knitting.  At least I managed to get one of my pairs of gloves done.  I finished the Beverly Mitts, which turned out incredibly well.  I really liked the way they turned out.  The texture of the gloves was just amazing.  I really like the finish, and the lengths of the thumb is just perfect.  I'm thinking these may be a my favorite gloves at the moment.  They're the perfect length, both in the hand and the wrist.  Best of all, they fit in a way that I can still wear my FitBit and bracelets.  Since I feel naked without my jewelry, it really makes me fee good to know I have gloves I can wear with my jewelry.  They're also warm and wool, which makes them great to wear for fall.

On top of just being lovely, I'm pretty pleased with the pattern.  It worked up pretty quickly and was easy enough to knit.  I'm really surprised it has so few projects.  These are some pretty lovely gloves for being such a rarely found designer.  I really want to take a moment to promote how wonderful it is to work on projects that not an overwhelming number of people have knit.  It makes it feel more special.

Typically I gravitate to patterns that are pretty uncommon.  There's something about working on something a creator worked hard to make, but hasn't really been discovered yet.  It's a great way to show some real appreciation.  That's something important to me.  These designers work hard to make up patterns and when no one is interested in knitting them, it's almost like an insult.  Left to my own devices, I would gravitate towards those patterns every time.

Aside from giving attention to patterns that don't have much love, there's also something fun about going against the trend.  It's fun to pick up a project that hasn't hit the level of trendy.  I love knitting projects that have less than a hundred listed on Ravelry.  I like it even more when I can do a pattern with less than twenty.  The Beverly Mitts qualify.  There's currently sixteen projects listed, and it's in forty-five queues. They're a totally underrated pattern.  If knitting some up can help get some attention for the designer, I'm all for it.  I love the fit and everything, even though I did have to size it down a little for my tiny hands.  I'm completely satisfied with the outcome.  They're now one of my favorite pairs of gloves, even with all the other gloves I've knit over the years.

The next set of gloves I made are the zombie viXen gloves on Ravelry.  I originally decided to knit another pattern, but somehow these just came up as the gloves I wanted to make.  I'm absolutely loving the way they work out with the yarn.  At a distance, the yarn almost looks camouflage, so I think it's fitting that I knit them up in a pattern that's inspired by all things zombie.  It seemed like the best choice for the pattern, or so I hoped.

At first I wasn't in love with the pattern.  It was too much noise, I guess you'd say.  The yarn and the pattern conflicted more than I wanted them too.  It became difficult to see the pattern on the yarn because of the color splash.  I loved the colors and the way the colors were turning out.  I loved the pattern and the cabling.  I just didn't love the combination of the two together.  It didn't really work for me.  After a while, though, it started to grow on me.  I started to love the way it all worked up and I was excited to see how they would look when finished.  If it wasn't for a crazy busy weekend, I probably would have been done with them already.  It's looking to be a crazy week, as I'm already late on this week's blog post.

Unfortunately, the next concern is the fit.  I knit these gloves up as directed, I believe, but the gloves seem a bit too loose on me.  I found some of my old needles, both one and two sizes down from what I've knit these up on.  I'm going to knit through the hand and see what I think, but I think they may just be too big.  I'd hate to frog the whole thing, but if I want a fit I'll enjoy, that may be the best bet.  Bumping it down a size or two on the needles will really help get the fit I'd want to see in my gloves.  I would be really upset to put all that work into it, then have to give them away because they were too lose on me.  It would really make me sad.

As much as it would be frustrating to start again, at least I know I would be happy with the outcome.  A smaller fit would be really be better for my tiny wrists, so it would only make sense if I sized them down.  I bought this yarn to knit into something I would love, so it also makes no sense that I would give it all up because the sizing was wrong.  I want it to be something I enjoy.  Here's hoping that I can actually manage.

My Busy Week in Knits

It's been a seriously busy week in knitting.  I got a lot done.  This hasn't been the usual week where I'll go on a binge knitting thing for a day or two and then I end up getting caught up in other things in my life.  I've been on quite the kick.

The first thing I finished this week was my sister's socks.  The Nemesis Socks are finally done.  I have to admit, they weren't exactly something I would knit for myself, but they really are lovely.  I'm so glad I had an opportunity to knit some up.  Now I've been asked to knit at least two more pairs.  My daughter wants a pair, preferably in the same color.  Then Chesh wants me to make a pair in some tones of blues, or a black and red kind of tone.  I liked knitting them enough that I would be happy enough to knit up another couple pairs.

This was the first time in a long time I've knit socks exactly as they were prescribed in the pattern.  I really liked the way the heel worked out.  I never was much of a fan of pick up and knit for a traditional gusset heel, but this one worked out incredibly well.  I like the way the edge feels.  There's none of the usual ridge that seems to want to appear showing my picked up stitches to be anything but perfectly smooth.  These lie smooth and flat just like they were one solid piece of fabric instead of a piece of fabric that was stitched onto another piece of fabric.

(Sable, I know you're reading this.  You might like these enough to knit yourself a pair too!  They're delightfully enjoyable to knit!)

When I picked up my knitting basket that had been long neglected, there were two projects sitting in it where I assumed there would be only one.  My Versatility was sitting there, balled up as I had remembered leaving it, but there was also my Tuscan Sunflower Shawl, unfinished and neglected.  Before I did anything else that day, I pulled it out, stitched in all of the endless bits that were loose and unwoven.  As soon as I stitched them all in, the next step was to block it all out so the shawl could be seen in all it's beauty, straight out on my bedroom floor, not the most ideal, I suppose, but it did the trick and now it looks lovely!

Having never blocked anything before, I have to admit that I had no idea what I was even doing.  I'd heard a good deal about how it's done, but I never actually attempted it.  That's sad, given my love of shawls.  I decided to just roll with it.  I tacked out the center of the shawl, then four points for the edges.  This proved to not be a fantastic choice as I had to adjust all the points over and over until I got them to match.  Finally I pinned out the whole brown center and then worked from there.  My victory was finally to be had!  I've really enjoyed this shawl so much that I might attempt to make another in another color to match a dress.  I really love this shawl.  Now all it lacks is a pin.

Once I'd tackled one blocked out shawl, I decided it was time to work on another sadly neglected shawl.  This was my Fall/Winter seasons shawl from KnitPicks.  I'm not sure the pattern is even still available, though I know the kit isn't.  They released it once again at one point, this time with different colors, but I haven't seen it since.  It was a royal pain to knit and I honestly wouldn't want to do it again, but I did love it.  It was frequently used as an oversized scarf.  That will no longer be the case as it took up almost my whole floor to block!  This thing is absolutely enormous!  As you can tell, it's so large I couldn't even cut the clutter out of it pinned down in my bedroom.

This shawl is one of my greatest victories.  It's the first shawl I ever knit with lace weight yarn.  It's also the first shawl I'd done with any kind of color alteration such as this.  I still love the way the colors blend from one to the other.  It's such a beautiful way to flow between colors.  I'm more in love with this shawl than ever.  I don't ever want to tackle it again, but I certainly don't regret doing it.  It's one of my favorite pieces.  Now I just need a dress to go with it!

After all of those were finished, I finally finished the knitting on my Versatility!  Amazingly, it hasn't taken me a whole year yet.  I started it in January, I think.  It's finally finished, all but the buttons.  True to style, I didn't knit it exactly as prescribed.  I decided to add a couple more repeats.  As sleeves I wanted it to come down to the point of obscuring my fingers.  As a vest, I want it to come down over my bottom, because that's where I like my sweaters to sit, there or longer.  I'm not sure how often I'll wear it as a scarf or a wrap, but I can imagine I'll use it quite a good deal as sleeves and a vest before the weather starts getting cool, and I know I'll wear it as a hood once it starts getting cold enough for a jacket.  It looks cute as a hood.  Given that I intend to walk to and from the shuttle to school this winter, I'm sure it will come in useful.  It's nice to have something lovely and classy to wear on a day I want to be a little more dressed up, or if I need to be a little bit more dressed up for some reason or another.  It's certainly a lot easier than wrapping with scarves.  What girl doesn't like her accessories?  Clearly I'm not beyond that by any means.  I love them as much as the next girl!

After that I pulled out some of my favorite  sock yarn.  When Sable and I went yarn shopping I simply had to pick it up.  The colors were so perfect for fall.  It reminded me of fall leaves.  The foliage isn't likely to change any time soon as we're just starting into August, but I'm not planning to wear any kind of warm stuff until fall.  These would make perfect fingerless gloves for the season.

Happy Feet yarn always comes in such beautiful colors.  There are so many yarns that come in this pretty splatter-like coloring.  I don't even know how to describe it.  The whole yarn seems almost, I don't know, spotted seems like the best word.  They're lovely yarns.

Sadly, it looks like they're not going to be doing these smaller skeins of this yarn anymore.  It seems like they've moved on to 100g balls.  I loved my little 50g balls of yarn.  They were the perfect size for a pair of fingerless gloves, which was why I loved them so much.  They were typically right in my budget for a happy little splurge.  I know it's Happy Feet yarn, but for me it was very much Happy Hands.

If you've been reading my blog, you already know I have a love for patterns that not a lot of people have knit up.  I hopped myself on over to Ravelry and searched for patterns I could knit up using the yarn weight and needles I already have on hand.  I don't have a lot of needles around, as I keep losing them.  I don't really want to spend the money to get more needles right now.  So I picked out the Beverly Mitts, made from Creative Yarns, a little yarn shop that just so happens to be in Beverly, MA, the next town over from where I used to live.  Sadly, the yarn shop will soon be closing.

The pattern looks really cool.  Sable says it looks like dragon scales.  I didn't agree until I took a look at it from a bit of an angle.  It's much different than when you're looking at it dead on.  I really like the way it looks, and it's a great match for the pattern as well.  I absolutely adore the way it's turned out.  Plus, it falls at just the right length for wearing with other jewelry and the like.  It's going to be just the right length for just about everything,  It's going to be fantastic come winter and fall because it won't be too long to wear under sweater sleeves and the like.

So that's been my week.  I've gotten so much done.  It's totally insane how much progress I've made on everything.  I guess the weather is right to get these projects done and I'm happy with the results.

One Down on the Nemesis Socks

Making this sock has been quite the adventure.  In particular it used a technique I was not at all familiar with.  I'd only ever done a traditional heel flap once, and that was quite some time ago.  My first pair of socks was one of my earlier projects, and I hated picking up stitches so much that I looked for every excuse to never do it again.  However, with this sock, I was determined I was going to do it, if for no other reason than the pattern extends down the heel, and for once I was going to knit the sock directly as prescribed.

So here I was, knitting away down the flap when I got to the heel turn.  I noticed something really neat when I got there.  I didn't really see "watermelon" in the way my sister did while I was knitting these up, not until the heel turn.  Then it jumped out at me.  I really loved watching the way the colors pooled and the way the turn of the heel showed the colors so expressively.  The colors completely just popped, looking so much like watermelon on the rind.  The only thing it really lacked was flecks of black to be the seeds.

The heel turn itself was enjoyable.  I forgot how much I enjoyed watching knitting actually bend and form to take a physical shape.  It's not like sewing, where you have to stitch the fabric together to take the right shape.  In the case of knitting, the fabric is simply created with the right architecture.  This isn't nearly as interesting for a hat or a shawl where the shapes are pretty simplistic, but with a sock, you're now creating something with the obvious shape of a foot.  There are no seems, in spite of this complete bend to accommodate for a foot.  It's different with a traditional flap heel.  With all my short row heels it looks too commercial, too normal, but in the case of a flap heel, this is a look you only get with a handknit sock.

It wasn't long before I'd worked through the heel and the gusset.  There was something about knitting that section, watching the colors pool in ways they hadn't done throughout the rest of the sock, it just inspired me to keep going.  The heel almost seemed to have it's own coloration, it's own life as a part of the sock.  I kept going with row after row, just to see how long it would take the color splash to get back to the way it was for so much of the rest of the sock.

By the time I was done with the gusset, I was almost done with the sock.  I knew it wouldn't take me much longer to finish it through, so I started to really focus.  My early sock knitting was done while watching Penny Dreadful, then was disappointed when I finished the series while working on the sock.  I knitted while watching part of Sense8, and now I'm out of shows for the second sock, at least shows that I had been looking forward to watching.  They have to be something particular, something I can watch without necessarily watching.  I can't knit without having something in the background, not unless it's complex and needs all my attention.  I think I've just become too used to multitasking.

Now that the first sock is done, I'm really pleased with the outcome.  It's not a sock I would particularly knit for myself.  The colors aren't something I would particularly choose, and the pattern through the heel looks as though it may not be as snug of a fit as I would prefer, but I'm glad I knit them up.  I've already been asked to knit another pair in a men's size and a less feminine color.  Obviously that means these socks are a hit.  I might consider making some up for my daughter at some point.  I think she would like them, and her feet are big enough that she can get away with most adult sizes.  I know that these would last a while on her.

The best part about this, aside from getting to explore something I wouldn't necessarily do for myself, is that I get to share the joy of lovely handknit goods with someone else, someone who doesn't knit their own socks.  It's something I can do to share the joy I get out of those sorts of knits with someone I know will truly love them.  In a way, I guess this is my attempt to convert the world to handknit goods, and to show just how much better they are than store bought goods.  Sure, cheap, manufactured socks cost less in the short run, and they're so much quicker to make, but nothing beats the feel of socks such as these on your feet.  They last longer than any of the store bought socks I've ever owned.  They stand up to a beating.  Best of all, they're so much warmer in the winter because they're made with high quality wool, rather than the scratchy stuff you can get in stores or the cheap stuff you find that's mostly acrylic.  These are truly a gift of warmth, comfort, and happiness.

Another Pair Down and Project for My Nemesis

This has been a rather productive week for me, and it's only just begun!  It all started with finishing the pair of Snuggle Paw Warmers for Sable.  Those worked up quicker than I remember them being.  I guess the pattern has just become so intuitive that I can whip them out like nothing.  They seem to fly off my needles almost as soon as I cast them on.

I have to admit, this isn't my personal choice in yarn, but they didn't turn out too badly.  The only problem is the photos don't really seem true to color no matter what I do.  They're not quite so peacock in color and are a lot more ruddy.  But the important part is that Sable is happy with them.  Above all else, that's what matters, right?  And I'm not disappointed in the outcome either. They aren't my taste, but that's because I prefer solid colors and kettle dyed yarns that allow the pattern to speak, or simple patterns that really allow the yarn to speak.  For handpainted yarns like this, I tend to gravitate towards a lace pattern, if I use anything, because that allows the pattern and the colors to really pop together in a way that's unique.  Even so, it's not a bad combination in this case.  It's not my style, but I do kind of like it.  I'm glad I was able to step outside my own boundaries in color preference to do something that I wouldn't normally do.

That's how I'm feeling with the socks for my sister.  To me the color and the pattern together are rather loud.  I'm not all for loud things and originally wanted to do a simpler pattern that would allow the yarn to speak for itself, but my sister said if I'm going to do it, I might as well go all the way, right?  This is how I ended up knitting socks that are a loud color with a pattern.  The pattern isn't as bold as I originally wanted, but I think it's going to suit her just fine.  Besides, there's the comedy in knitting "Nemesis" socks for my sister.  I think the whole concept is very appropriate, even if I don't love the color and pattern combination.  Actually, in this case I don't think it's that bad.  The subtle ribbed pattern works really well with the yarn she selected.  It's really kind of a nice combination, in spite of my resistance to making something so incredibly bold.  Additionally, it's a simple enough pattern that it doesn't seem too loud when paired with the yarn.  It's almost complimentary, even though a plain colored sock would show that pattern a lot more effectively.  It's starting to grow on me in an odd sort of way.  I never expected anything like this ever would.

The pattern is so simple, in a way, that I'm able to really dig in and enjoy things while knitting.  In this case I've been watching Penny Dreadful while knitting.  It's meant I've gotten a lot of the project done in relative quick time.  I'm surprisingly already most of the way to the heel turn.  I'd considered doing an alternative heel, but I think I want to stick with the standard heel flap.  The pattern continues all the way down the back of the heel, which I think will make the sock look more interesting.  I like my short row heels and afterthought heels, but there's something about doing the pattern as prescribed that just seems right.  It's been a while since I've done exactly that, so I think it might be time I tried it again.  Besides, I haven't knit a traditional heel in years.  It would be fun to do one as an alternative to what I always do.  There's something really enjoyable about going back and doing something different.  I get so set in my ways with things like socks that I sometimes forget that there is an option other than my standard go-to.  It also provides a different challenge, something I haven't had in a while.  I'm not exactly up to doing lace shawls or anything at the moment, so having a project like this to offer me a challenge seems just about the right pace.

New Projects for People!

Now that I'm back in the swing of things with knitting, it's time to start some new projects again.  I've got a lot of work to do before the holiday season comes and I want to make sure I've got enough knits for everyone for Christmas this year.  I think my kids will likely not be getting anything because they always lose them, and they seem to grow just too quickly for it to matter, but I have other people who have been asking me for knits, so I have something to focus on.  My kids may not get knits, but at least someone will, and that's keeping me motivated.

The first new project I cast on was a pair of socks for my sister.  She picked out this pink and green yarn that was just so lovely.  It certainly wasn't my choice in colors, but it totally suited her.  The whole thing had to be balled by hand, which was quite a pain in the butt.  I have to admit, I can't ball yarn like normal people do.  I somehow always end up turning it into a cake.  I don't know anyone else who hand cakes their yarn, but I do it, because I'm weird like that.  This one took me all of watching Antman to wind up, as well as about an hour after that.  As always, the end turned into a disaster and I swore I would never do it again, but I'm undoubtedly going to do it again for the next skein of yarn that comes out of my bag.  But at least doing it this way gave me a chance to really think about the color of the yarn and how it would knit up.  That way I could consider if I really wanted to knit it up in the pattern I had been considering, or if I was going to do something else with the whole thing.  Thankfully, it looked like it would be a little loud for my tastes, but I think she'd enjoy it.

Getting the whole thing started up, I've got a pretty good idea of what it's going to look like.  The green isn't as loud as I wanted it to be, and it definitely makes me think "flower" and not "watermelon" like it reminds her of, but I think it would work.  I would consider making something out of this for my daughter, who absolutely loves pink.  The name of the colorway, Tulip, makes a lot of sense, though I think of red, yellow, and white when I think of tulips, not pink.  Still, it's a lovely color, and the way it's knit up through the cuff, I think my sister is going to enjoy it.  I can't wait to get a little further on it.  I've decided these are going to be Nemesis socks, because Sherlock Holmes' logic in the show Sherlock is that his brother is his arch-nemesis, so why wouldn't my sister be mine?  It seemed incredibly appropriate, and now it's all set up and ready to go on to the next step.  I'm excited to start it, but it's been pushed to the side for a little while I work on a project for my friend, Sable.  Priorities are sadly a thing I need to have when it comes to knitting, and the socks don't need to be finished until November.  I've got a little more free time to get back to that one.

In the mean time, I'm making another pair of snuggle paws!  Sable picked out this yarn and asked me to make some for her.  She's just learning to knit, so there's no way she would be ready to knit this complicated pattern herself, so I agreed, especially since the pattern is so simple and easy for me now that I can practically do it in my sleep.  I think it's a fair exchange.

This yarn is a yummy handpainted yarn.  I absolutely love it, though I'm not sure it's my kind of yarn.  I wouldn't personally choose it for this pattern myself, but she really loves it, so that's what matters most.  It really is a beautiful yarn, and it's not too bad with the pattern.  It's a bit loud for my tastes, but I think it really suits her personality, and the muted colors work well enough with the pattern and don't seem too out of place.  It gives it a neat appearance, so while it's not something I would particularly choose for me, I think it's a fantastic choice for her.  That's the fun part of knitting for someone else, I can break out of the limiting cycle for what I would knit for myself and can do something that's completely not my style.

The fun thing about this project, aside from the usual seeing it come together, I'm having fun with seeing how it looks in different lighting.  It seems like there's no way to have this project come out "true to color" because the colors seem to change depending on so mnay factors, like what light it's under.  Two pictures of the same project look totally different, just by changing the lighting.  The other picture was taken out in the sunshine.  This second picture was taken under a softer lighting in the evening, backed by my glass of wine.  I love this picture most of all because so many of the colors seem to coordinate.  The wine, the needles, and the yarn all seem complimentary to each other.  I'm going to have a lot of fun photographing these gloves when I'm done with them.  I'll probably take a dozen pictures under different lighting conditions, just to see what happens.  Lighting can make all the difference with things like this.  I just hope I can get one really good one where the yarn actually shows up the way it does to my eye in the real world. We'll see.  Hopefully I can fidget with it enough and it will all work out.

But at least the first one is down, so that's a start.  It took just over 24 hours, with some significant breaks and stuff like sleep to get it knocked out, which is much faster than I'd thought it would be.  I didn't anticipate getting it all knocked out quite so quickly.  It should take me no time at all (provided I can spend some serious, dedicated knitting time) to get the next one knocked out too!  Then I can get back to knitting up my sister's socks and hopefully I can slap together something for myself before the weather turns too badly.  That would be lovely.

With one project down for this summer and another fast on it's heels, I can't help but be pleased with the progress I'm making.  Maybe now I can stay motivated and get things done.  I've got a lot of knitting I want to do as the weather starts to turn, possibly even a sweater, if I get ambitious enough. This year may just be the year!  Just as long as I keep on knitting and don't let myself get lazy after a few short victories in knitting up some small, quick projects.

Finally Finished Another Pair

It's been a few months, but I'm back in the game.  I'm knitting like crazy and getting things done.  I've got a few in the works that have thoroughly been ignored, but I'm getting back on my knitting game.  I don't know what it is about heading into the end of summer.  It always makes me more productive and want to knit!  Maybe it's because I know the cold months are coming.

So what have I been working on?  I spent a lot of time working on the gloves I made from the yarn I got with my mom at the fiber festival at the farmer's market.  I had no idea there was even going to be a fiber festival that weekend, so I'm glad she was there to enjoy it too.  I'm now making socks for my sister and my mom out of some fantastic yarn I got there, but more on that later.  In the mean time, I'm so happy with the way these gloves look.  I adore the yarn.  It's so incredibly soft and the color is such a perfect denim color.  That makes me so happy.  Because of the color, I can easily wear these with so much of my wardrobe come fall, and it will look perfectly in place.  They match the only pair of jeans I seem to still have which is even better.  I've got a real thing for when my clothing coordinates like that.  It just makes me so incredibly happy.  The color, the texture, everything is just perfect for my wardrobe.  They were so soft and nice to work up in my hands on top of everything else that I just couldn't wait to have them in my hands.  At the same time, I was so sad because I was done knitting them and there was nothing left to do!  Favorite project ever!

These gloves have been a huge source of happiness for me.  Not only do they show off the pattern I absolutely love to make, but they're perfectly gushy and the color is amazing.  They're something that has me excited for cool weather to hit because they're so perfectly beautiful.  I can't wait to see them in practical, daily use along with my other cool weather gear.  Because of the fit, I could probably get away with wearing a light pair of gloves under them for added warmth when the weather gets really cold too.  My last pair were somehow a little too snug for that, and being a pretty spiced pumpkin orange, that really didn't go with everything quite so well as these.  At the end of it all, I think these ones will be so much more practical and will carry me through the weather quite well.  These are something that will do me well through school too, since I can wear them in class while taking notes.  That's going to make all the difference because some of those classrooms can be so cold.  The building isn't fantastically insulated so the place has cold spots and warm spots everywhere.  I like to sit by the windows, so that means I get all the draft.

Of course, I can't keep from taking artsy pictures of my projects.  There's something about knitting in sunlight that always appeals to me, especially where there are interesting shadows.  This kind of brings my hobbies together.  Photography and knitting go well together.  Now if only I could make photography, knitting, and cooking or music together, but it's not easy to play music or cook while knitting.  In the case of cooking, that could get quite messy.  In the case of music, I could definitely get tangled pretty easily.  Guitar and knitting at the same time would require four hands and I'm not that kind of special mutant.

I love the way this is bringing things in my life together.  This is bringing people in my life together as a crafter friend of mine has asked me to make her a pair.  Now I've gotten her into knitting too!  We've been knitting together this weekend.  To think all of this is coming about because I happened to make a pattern that now everyone loves!  I'm so excited to see what comes of all of this in the end.  Maybe I need to see about starting a fiber guild at school.  That would be fun!  Okay, maybe not, but the idea is lovely either way.  At least for now I have my own little crafting community.