Color Devotion

I have a little writing desk that sits next to my bed. Usually, that is where any work in progress knitting that isn't in my purse sits. Today, I noticed something. Sitting on that desk are my Jenica
which is Madelinetosh Chunky in Windowpane

A  cabled cowl I've been playing around with in Knit Picks Biggo in Calypso Heather
(Picture courtesy of Knit Picks)

and the yarn I picked out for my Pointelle socks, which  is Knit Picks Stroll Sock in  Blue Topaz
(Picture courtesy of Knit Picks)

Add to that the blue that is one of the main colors in my Clandestine Socks, and there is definitely a pattern forming!

In fact, even the next color in the gradient of my Chroma on the Wedge socks is a lovely teal. Time to spend some time with my Boxy, and get away from all this BLUE!

Sock Progress

I've been knitting away at my Clandestine Socks. I just started the foot, and I'm really enjoying the pattern, but it requires a level of focus I can't always devote these days.

So I went stash diving, and also looking for a simpler sock pattern, and I cast on Wedge which is also from Knit. Sock. Love.

The yarn is Knit Picks chroma fingering that I got on super sale at Christmas time. It's a little fuzzy, but I like the feel of it, and they will match my February Lady, when that pattern every makes its way back to the top of my list. I've done 3 of 4 repeats for the leg, and looking forward to seeing how the short row heel comes together.

Socks

I find myself wanting to knit lots of socks lately. I am making great progress on the Clandestine I started last week, but it really really requires me to focus, and focused knitting time can be hard to come by. I've been fighting the urge to order some luxury sock yarn, but my resolve is waning! My oldest wants a pair of bright green socks, and I have a $5 credit at Eat.Sleep.Knit but I am determined to use some stash first. Yesterday it was BLAZING hot here, and  I had to have my son to baseball an hour and a half before his game started. I retreated to the car to listen to the Knitmore Girls from the comfort of my air conditioned car, and I cast on a Wedge sock from Knit. Sock. Love. I think its a great pattern, and its one of the reasons I bought the ebook, so I was exctied to get started. Plus, its simple enough (no charts) to work on without having to devote a ton of focus to it. I had some Knit Picks Chroma Fingering that I bought on clearance around Christmas time. It matches the yarn I am using for my (currently hibernating) February Lady .

So far I have worked the cuff plus one full repeat of the pattern, plus the increase round again. Its quick knitting, and I like the short row shaping a lot, reminds me of how much fun I had with my Opposite Pole.

The next thing I'm going to cast on is Pointelle. I've got some great bright teal yarn that I think will be perfect, although that will be another one that really requires focus and chart reading, so I'm on the lookout for another "easy" sock, maybe Monkey.

Contrast

I finished my mom's Lemongrass this weekend. It's blocked, the lovely buttons are in place, and I got some great pictures

I'm beyond excited to give it to her... and I only have to wait until next Saturday to do it! The yarn was a dream to work with, and its going to be hard to give it away! I think I'll have to find a project for myself that uses Twist, especially now that I know my LYS carries it!

I'm still working away at my Boxy, although I don't have much new to show in terms of pictures. It's really great mindless knitting, and I do feel like I'm making progress on the miles of stockinette.

I'm planning to pull out my Jenica this week as well. It's been hibernating in favor of the other two sweaters, but I have it sitting next to my bed and the color is just calling to me, every single day.

The other thing I've been dying to do is get back to some sock knitting. I bought Knit.Sock.Love a while back, and cast on two socks, but then set them aside. I pulled out Clandestine the other day, couldn't figure out where I had left off, so I frogged it and started anew. I really like it. The pattern is a nice challenge, but very fun, and I'm sure these will be a go to pair of socks.

I do think they would have been better in a  solid color, as I think I lose some of the pattern with the color changes. The next two socks I have lined up will both be solids. I also have to say, after knitting with madelinetosh and malabrigo on my more recent projects, the KnitPicks yarn is a big change. Frankly, I'm all for affordable knitting, and I have other socks in this yarn that I wear constantly, so I know I will love these... but the contrast in terms of how it feels in my hands is pretty dramatic. Might be time for a luxury sock yarn purchase in my future! First I have to map out all the yarn in my stash to more patterns in the book!

Hope

A dear friend got bad news about her health recently. It came from the clear blue sky, and it is scary and serious. I've been trying to help in any way I can, but since I can't actually cure her disease, I'm left feeling at a real loss to contribute much more than friendship, companionship and conversation. She starts treatments next week, and has been told she will lose her hair, so on Wednesday, I sat down in the morning and knit her a hat, start to finish. Its a design of my own creation, which makes me exceedingly proud.

It starts with a cabled band

Then stitches are picked up along the top edge to make the crown, and the bottom edge for a ribbed band. Its cozy, and it's soft. I knit it from Knit Picks Organic Cotton, since it will be directly in contact with her skin. I do think it would be great in wool, just not for this recipient.

Wednesday I had some much needed time to myself, as my boys were busy with Grandma for most of the day, and I really enjoyed the process, start to finish, of designing and knitting this for my friend. I also worked on documenting the pattern, and was really happy with the result. I am still fiddling with it a bit, but my goal is to publish the pattern, which has been a goal of mine for a long time.

My hope, more than anything, is that the love comes through in the knitting, and gives my friend some comfort in the difficult days to come.

Magnolia Society

THIS just arrived in the mail (80/10/10 MCN Worsted, colorway WinterWheat) ..