Knits for company

Lately I’ve been housebound with an injury. I’ve been borderline immobile for over a month, having a physiotherapist visit I’m working from home but still have more time for knitting as well as more of a drive to feel productive given my limited abilities.

In the past month, I’ve finished two pairs of socks, and started a pair of Folk Mittens for my mom, a cardigan for Lucy, and another pair of socks. The ones above are knit from Fortissima Cotton Stretch Mexiko yarn to buy at Webs yarn, using the only sock pattern I ever use from Susan B. Anderson.  I really liked this yarn, especially for knitting in the summer. It’s cool in the hand and fun because of the bouncy elastic. As with other striping yarns it keeps you interested while knitting and it’s cheery. I find with wool socks that I only wear them on the coldest, dreariest days so I’m happy to have a pair of 3 or, dare I say it, 4 season socks.

So, if you ever injure yourself horribly but can still knit I recommend this yarn. It will cheer you up. I also recommend Beyoncé. And Uber Eats. But please, don’t injure yourself.

 

“Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn’t hurt the untroubled spirit either.”
― Elizabeth Zimmerman

Two socks!

I did it! I finished the second sock thanks to some completely bogus “sleepy time” tea that kept me up half the night last night. But hey, it made for some quality late-night knitting time.

I’ll take some proper photos and write up all the details after I’ve given them a soak. Wow was this yarn a dream to work with. Soooooo luxurious. I just want to knit myself a unitard with it and wear nothing else ever. Okay, maybe that’s taking it a bit far but it’s seriously dreamy.

In the meantime I get to start a new project, right?

Evening out

I knew this morning, by the time I’d reached work that I’d used up all my luck for the week. It was a rainy morning, and I left my umbrella at work over the weekend. No matter, it was only drizzling a bit on the walk to my bus stop. Once I got on the bus, though, it started to pour! Mentally, I planned my dash to the library and though about how soaked I would be, and how big or not big a deal it would be given the meetings in my calendar. When the bus got to my stop, however, the rain stopped!

Miraculous luck!

This kind of thing never happens to me.
I knew that sooner or later the universe Would get back at me.

On the way home from work I missed my bus. No big deal, the next one would come in 15 minutes and in the meantime maybe I could get a little walk in. On the walk up the road, heading a few stops closer to home, I was just hitting my stride when SPLASH! Some jackass in a BMW completely soaked me.

And, so, everything evens out.

Now, back to sock knitting.

Sock progress!

Okay, so until I finish this blasted second sock I’m going to post a picture of it every day. Sounds exciting, huh?
So, yesterday evening I turned the heel and now I’ve got almost 3 inches of the foot done.
Woot woot!
Can you even wait too see how much I’ve gotten done by tomorrow?!?!?

A second sock and my ever growing queue.

Hey all. I’m in the midst of some directionless knitting at the moment. I’ve got more projects on the go than I’m comfortable with, and there’s some little problem that’s keeping me from finishing most of them.

Take these socks, for example. I got the yarn at Purl Soho while in New York last fall and knit up the first one lickety split. And then I got to the second one…. and the cuff seemed to take forever … and then Christmas was coming … and there were so many more pressing projects to finish up for that deadline. So the second sock languished until this past May when I figured it was the perfect project to take with me on a work trip out west. I packed it in my carry on and once I was all settled in the plane with my movie picked and everything I pulled it out and realized one of my needles was broken in half. Damn it! So I was knit-less the whole trip, somehow never finding the time to pick up replacement needles. When I got back, other projects wooed me away and I’ve only just this weekend sat down with a new set of needles to finish it off.

Since I took these pictures yesterday I’ve turned the heel of the second sock, and after another few days of tedious foot knitting I’ll be done. One project down, two other troublesome ones to go. As long as I don’t get distracted by any of the new fall patterns, this should be doable.

For curious ravelry users – currently on my needles are this sweater and this sweater. And for this fall/winter I want to make a Lopapeysa with yarn purchased on my trip to Iceland in October. This would be a hilarious knit.

I’d also really like to make a layering sweater – something bulky and long, but with shorter sleeves to wear with slim layers underneath. This one is a serious condender.

Also, my friend Sue and I are planning a crochet-along of this shawl, made bigger a-la-Alicia Paulson.

That’s about it for now. Oh shoot! And I just bought some Rowan fine tween to make a pair of Dala mitts! I might make those next, actually… Good grief, I’d better get back to knitting those socks.

See you next time!

washcloths in paradise

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit the cottage of some family friends. A place where I’ve been going since, well, before I can remember. Since before I was actually born. It is heavenly, and the company was comforting and comfortable and fun. The least I could do in return for all this was provide my hostess with a little something.

Crocheted washcloths, from The Purl Bee.
Knitted in Blue Sky Skinny Cotton in Organic Birch and Habu Textiles Natural Cover Cotton in green.
Ravelry link

This was a great little pattern. I LOVED the Habu yarn. If I didn’t have a pile of unfinished objects so large it almost reaches the moon already, I’d love to make this.  I knew washcloths would become a thing. If you’re worried that it will be all washcloths all the time over here now, rest assured I’m currently working on two sweaters, one pair of socks, and NO washcloths.

field trip

So I’m making stuff here as usual, but let’s take a break from all that. Let’s take a trip to the Toronto islands on the Sam McBride.

Bye-bye Toronto!

Hello ducks!

And eccentrically built houses

Shipbuilders?

Fun mailboxes,

fun things mailboxes are sitting on,

and a tiny mailtruck.

Also, a farm, of sorts.  Ahhhh, it’s good to get away.

Next time, back to crafts.

the humble dishcloth

Double bump dishcloth, from My JewelThief Knits.
Knitted in Rowan Denim in Nashville
Ravelry link

Like the garter-stitch scarf, dishcloths are usually one of the first projects a knitter tackles. At 16 or so, with my typical level of ambition and recklessness, I skipped these steps and instead started with a sweater. A big blue cardigan with a shawl collar. There were lots of mistakes that I fixed intuitively rather than expertly. I had someone block it for me and sew in a zipper since once the knitting and seaming was done I’d lost interest. I don’t think I wore it much. Maybe over my pyjamas on cool mornings, but not outside. The imperfections of hand-knits hadn’t yet become charming to me. I’m not even sure what became of that first sweater in the end.

Anyways, lately I’m in a mood to step back, slow down, and cool my ambitions. How fitting, then, to make some dishcloths? I used a lone ball of Rowan Denim that had been stored in my sock drawer of all places. It pleases me to think that the colour will gradually fade as the cloths are used, but after I machine washed them the bleed shouldn’t be problematic.

I’m working on more washcloths now using a different pattern. This could become a thing.

birthday sweater for little Jane

Frilled edge crossover jacket, designed by Debbie Bliss, published in Baby Style.
Knitted in mystery Swedish wool
Ravelry link

The tiny knits are getting bigger! My little niece is turning two in August, and I am ready! Debbie Bliss is an ace at knitting patterns for kids, and this one’s no exception.

The ruffle trim turned out to be less ruffly for me, but I think I know why. I was worried about running out of yarn so I shortened the torso by 20 rows, but then forgot and stretched it vertically while blocking. I did re-wash it, but it didn’t quite go back to the original length. I think little Jane can live with this, though!

The yarn I used has been in my stash for 3 years now. I bought it on our honeymoon in Stockholm, from a fantastic shop on Gamla Stan called Garn & Hantverk, or Yarn & Handcrafts. Unfortunately I don’t have their address or know if they’ve got a website but it was a fantastic shop, and the woman who owns it is also a designer (her designs reminded me a lot of Hanne Falkenberg).

She didn’t speak much English and I REALLY didn’t speak much Swedish, but the international language of knitting was enough to get me a few skeins of gorgeous, gorgeous wool. I still have some variegated wool in my stash from there as well.