To Blog Or Not To Blog

Recently I have lost the inspiration to blog. I just feel that I have nothing to share except FOs and I am sure it's must be boring just to read about FOs. In addition, there's Ravelry and all my projects are listed there and nowadays, most people are on Ravelry, so why am I blogging???

Anyway, here is a recent FO. Actually, it's not 100% knitted by me. Lydia (my younger daughter) knitted most of it.



I started the toe, Lydia knitted the foot, I turned the heel and she finished the leg. The socks were done in a week as she was on her Uni holidays and now she has a new pair of socks!

I also have another sock on the needles - the Rainbow Socks, a sock pattern with short rows to prevent pooling of colors in variegated yarn. Knitting short rows in a sock takes a little more time with all the turns and purling but it looks nice .....



I love how the colors looked and although I am not a fan of short rows, I managed it with Cat Bordhi's short row technique used in the Tomato Heel. It's a really simple technique and I also incorporated the Tomato Heel in this sock and it looked great together .......



I am also working on a top down raglan sweater for my daughter and I am using these tiny circular needles for the sleeves .....






These are Hiya Hiya 9" which I just bought from Purlwise. They are great for knitting sleeves in the round but it takes a while to be comfortable with the tiny tips. I love them now!

My dear blogging friends, this may be my last post but we will keep in touch on Ravelry..... see you there and thank you for your support all these years!

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Crazy over slippers

I have not blogged for a while as I have been busy with classes at Calico & Ivy. For the last 5 weeks, I was teaching 3 classes a week and this was quite tiring mentally. Anyway, the classes are over and I am getting back into routine.

Despite feeling tired, I still have the energy to knit but on small projects. So I went into a phase of knitting slippers. I found a free pattern on ravelry - Footies and it is a great pattern.



I used a strand of sock yarn and a strand of 8ply and the slippers are thick and warm. The only feature that I was not happy with is the way that the toes are done. The toes are grafted together but they looked so square.



The slipper on the left is the grafted toe which does not look right. So when I worked on the 2nd slipper, I started the toe decreases earlier and the decreases are on the top of the foot. This resulted in a more rounded shape and I ended with 14 stitches and thread them through at the end, so no grafting and I think it looks so much better.

As I was happy with this modification, I started to work on more modifications of the pattern and cast on for another pair .......



These are the 2nd pair with more modifications and I love them. This pair is knitted with Cascade 220 and only use half a skein! I had so much fun knitting these slippers and had to stop myself from casting on another pair.

I also worked on another pattern, Saki Lite and these turned out well too.



These are knitted with sock yarn and so I could wear them with my shoes.



They feel great with the shoes but not after walking as they slipped off at the back and I had to keep pulling them up. I was hoping to knit more of these slippers so that I can wear with my shoes but I am having second thoughts now.

Now I better get back to my other projects ......

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A Couple of FOs

In between the commission work, I managed to finish off these 2 projects .....



...... Featherweight Cardigan. This is my 3rd FW and I love it. It's a very versatile pattern and I can finish the cardigan with so many options. For this cardigan, I used the feather and fan stitch pattern for the sleeves and bottom of the cardigan and I finished off the edges of the fronts and back with an icord bind off.



The cardigan is knitted with 2 strands of Filatura lace yarn in dark blue and the lighter blue yarn is a single strand of Madeline Tosh Lace. I had to use a different yarn as I ran out of the Filatura yarn. I miscalculated the yardage of the yarn as I was using 2 strands instead of one. Anyway, I think it was a blessing in disguise as I like the look of the 2 colors.



I have already wore this cardigan a few times and it feels great - soft, light and warm.

The other FO is the slippers ....



..... Simple Garter Stitch Slippers. When I saw this new pattern on Ravelry, I knew that I need a pair to wear around the apartment. As we were not permitted to have wooden floor (noise issues) in our new apartment, we had to install carpet. So these slippers will keep my feet warm on the carpet.



I used 2 strands of leftover sock yarn and the knitting went fast. I don't quite like the seaming of the heels and toes which are done with 3 needle bind off as it leaves a thick seam. The crochet on the top of the foot is nice and I needed help with that as the instructions were not so clear.

Now back to my commission work again ........

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Another pair off the needles !

Back and There Again socks are done and I enjoyed this pattern so much. The colors combination is great and the fair isle pattern is quite easy.



The dark blue yarn is Skinny Bugga and this is the 1st time that I am knitting with this yarn and it's lovely. The lighter blue is Louet Gem and it's a very tightly spun yarn. I had to change needle size when knitting with the Louet Gem as it is a thinner yarn but it worked out well.

As I am now hooked on sock knitting, I immediately cast on another pair ......



I am using a self striping yarn from Knitabulous and it was a special dye batch with a small amount of plain colored yarn for the toes. Unfortunately, I did not have enough for both toes, so I only managed about 1.5 toes. Anyway, there is still a little contrast on the toes before the stripes begin.

I started with a square toe where the increases are done in the middle rather than the sides. The socks will be plain as I think the stripes are enough without any stitch pattern.

Back to knitting more socks!

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All I Can Think Of ........

..... are socks and more socks. Now that I am back to sock knitting, I just can't get enough. I decided to go through my stash and find the right yarn for my next pair of socks.

My goodness, I did not realise that there are so many gorgeous yarn in my stash and many of them would make great socks. I had such a hard time sitting there with most of my stash in front of me and I decided on .......



....... these and then .....



...... some more of these. All these yarn are going into a sock box and I will then choose the next pair of socks from this special box. I am so excited and can't wait to finish my current pair (just the leg of the 2nd sock to go), so that I can start on my next pair.

I also realise that I forgot to blog about this pair of socks that took 2.5 years to finish .......



I started these socks in July 2010 when I went to the Bendigo Show and only managed to cast off in December 2012. They are heeless socks and I used a spiral ribbed pattern. It was a easy pattern and I just keep on knitting until I have a long spiral. I knitted a spiral toe and I love the look ......



I was a little concerned that these socks without heels may not fit well but they fitted perfectly. So why are we still knitting socks with heels ? Something that I need to think about ......

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Sock Knitting

For the last few years, I sort of lost my sock knitting mojo and only knitted socks when necessary. But recently, I picked up the needles again and finished a pair for my husband (mentioned it in my last post).
While knitting those socks, my love of sock knitting re-surfaced and I was enjoying it except for one issue - the circular needles. As I was teaching sock knitting on one circular needle, I decided to practise what I preach and have been knitting socks with circular needles. My husband's socks were knitted 2 at a time on one long circular needle. I really did not enjoy the experience of pulling and pushing the needles and cord.
After finishing my husband's socks, I immediately cast on another pair. This time I am knitting with dpns and I can't describe the joy and comfort that I felt when I was zipping along with the dpns. It is so relaxing and the movements are so smooth flowing. I knew I was back to my original element of sock knitting, something that I used to enjoy and love. Everything went so smoothly and fast .......




...... I can't even believe that I am enjoying fair isle and all this was done in an evening! By the way, this pattern is Back and There Again Socks and I have already finished one sock and cast on the second one.
This really prove my love for dpns and I will use the circular needles when I am teaching. In fact, while I was knitting this sock, I was thinking of my stash and deciding on the next few pairs of socks. I will have a sock on the needles all the time!
On another matter, you will be hearing from me more frequently now as I just bought an app, BlogPress so that I can post directly from my iPad. I have been trying to do this for a while but have problems in downloading pictures from the iPad. With this app, I can insert a picture from my iPad or take a picture instantly. This makes it easier to post wips without using a camera and the hassle of transferring pictures from the camera to laptop and then to iPad. The only problem that I am having with this app is learning how to insert links.
Be back again with more photos of my finished socks. The first one looks lovely.
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Back In Action

Sorry for the long silence but I'm back now in the knitting and  blogging world. So much had happened in the last 2 months that I am still in a daze.

We bought an apartment in Nov 2012, did some renovations in Dec, went away for holidays in Jan 2013, did more renovations in Jan, started packing and moving to the apartment in Feb, prepared house for rental in Mar - I have never, ever worked this hard in my life and for the 1st time in my knitting life, I did not knit for 3 weeks as I was too tired and I also hurt my hand with all the heavy carrying.

I have moved 12 times in my marriage life of 32 years and this move, the 13th is the hardest of all. Imagine moving 4 people and belongings from a 2-storey house (500 sq m of space) to a 3-bedroom apartment (120 sq m of space). I am not going into the details of this move but I am sure that I will not do this again.

Anyway, we are now happily settled in the apartment and we love it. The apartment is near the city and right next to the river where it's the perfect place for walks. It's also near to the University where my 2 girls are attending, so travel time is greatly reduced. 

This is my favorite place in the apartment .......

...... and I am sitting right there writing this post. 

Now for some knitting content - I started 3 projects while I was on holiday and so far managed to finish 2 .....

...... a pair of socks for my husband. The yarn is Naturally Waikiki which is a mix of wool, alpaca and possum. I made a pair last year with the same yarn and my husband loved them as they are very warm. He asked for another pair in the same wool. This yarn is a little pricey as a 50 gms ball cost $27 and a pair of socks require 2 balls. Well, he is happy and I think 2 pairs will be able to see him through this coming winter.

2nd FO for this year ......

...... Cameo. I am not a fan of knitting stripes as I find color changing too troublesome but somehow this pattern caught my eye. Plus I needed an easy pattern for the holiday and this pattern is all garter stitch which I love. 

I used lace yarn for this shawl as I had lots in my stash. So I just knit with 2 strands together. The darker blue yarn is MadTosh Lace and the lighter blue is Yarn Addict's Silk Merino Lace. These 2 colors went so well together and I love the finished shawl. 

I am now picking up the 3rd project which is the Featherweight Cardigan. I am trying to decide on the stitch pattern for the band, so more of that to come ......

Royal Perth Show

I mentioned in my previous post about the Annual State Show which I have been participating in for the last few years.

Again I was invited to give a demonstration on knitting and I brought along my friend, Lisa .....

.... we were seated with a gentleman who won a few prizes in the crochet section. His crochet skills are amazing as his projects are so intricate & delicate. He had a crochet chess set on the table which caught everyone's attention. I should have taken a picture of his projects.

Anyway, here are my entries .....

..... 1st prize for these knee socks. They are the Vintage Knee Socks from the book, Wendy Knits Lace and knitted in undyed 4ply merino yarn which I purchased from Yarn and Kisses.

This is the first time that I knitted knee socks and there's a lot of knitting especially for the increases on the back to accommodate the cuff. But I love the look on the back of the socks.

Another entry is the lacy fingerless mittens which is my own design and won the 3rd prize ........

The mittens are knitted in lace weight Suri Alpaca which a friend bought from Canada. This was a challenging project as the yarn was so fine and slippery on dpns (even wooden ones). But the end result is so lovely - so light and soft, like cotton wool.

Blocking those mittens was also a challenge and I came up with this solution .....

Another entry is my Banksia Cowl and it won the 1st prize in the Own Design Section ....

I enjoyed participating in this annual event but it can be a challenge and also time consuming to plan and design the projects. Maybe next year, I will take a break .......

My 1st Pair .......

...... not for this year, in fact it's the 5th pair but it's the 1st pair that I knitted on one circular, 2 socks at the same time using magic loop !

I am happy with the socks & it was a great feeling when I cast off & I had a pair of socks instantly. I am glad that I  tried this technique & enjoyed the process. 

One sock looks darker than the other as I used both ends (one from the outside & one from the inside) of the ball.

I used the stitch pattern from the Olympian Socks. It's an easy to remember pattern & it looks great. The yarn is the Knittery merino sock yarn which is no longer available. I love this yarn as it's so soft & nice to knit with & of course, feels so great on the feet. I have another pair that was knitted with the same yarn & I have been wearing them for the last 4-5 years & they still feel great. I think I have another skein in my stash & that's it. I should have bought more before she closed her shop.

Remember my Vitamin D & the problem that I had with the short row shaping. Well, I got it right this time & everything went well. I have finished the body & also the front band ....

..... looks great. Now I am knitting the sleeves & as I have only about 500 yds of the yarn left, I decided to knit both sleeves at the same time using magic loop on one circular.

It's like knitting socks except on bigger circumferences. I pick up half of the stitches on Sleeve A & all the stitches on Sleeve B & then the other half of the stitches on Sleeve A. That orange marker is the start of my Sleeve A. Now I just have to keep knitting till I run out of yarn & hopefully, I can have long sleeves or if not, 3/4 sleeves.  Keep my fingers crossed .......

Is this the end of my DPNs?

I never dream that this day will come ..... I love sock knitting & I love knitting socks with dpns ..... it's just so therapeutic knitting with dpns, going round & round the sock. I must have at least 10 sets of 2.5mm dpns which is my favorite size & of course, a few sets each of sizes 2.25mm & 2.75mm. My favorite are Knitpro Harmony dpns but I also have Lantern Moons, Brittany, Pony Pearl,Addi & Clover. In fact I have a whole drawer full of dpns !

Then I started teaching sock knitting with the magic loop. I have never been a fan of magic loop as I find the pulling & pushing of the cord tedious & it breaks the momentum of going round & round. But I had to do it for the class.....

A few weeks ago, in one of my class, one of the ladies asked if I know the technique of knitting 2 socks on one circular. I admitted that I have not tried that as magic loop is not my favorite technique. But it got me thinking & I started researching ..... I found a few videos on youtube (this is the best video) & I decided to try it out .......

..... these are the Olympian Socks but I am knitting them toe-up. 

To my surprise, I am enjoying knitting these socks & there is not so much pulling & pushing of the cord as there are 2 socks on the needle. I am using an Addi bamboo 2.5mm with 100cm (40") cord & the needle is so smooth & lovely to knit with. So far, I am quite happy with this technique & have also acquired a few sets of circular needles with the long cord. 

But ...... I do miss my dpns. Will I use them again?

It's Getting Boring ......

....... another pair of socks. 

For the last 2 years, I can't even manage to finish a few pairs of socks & now I have just cast off my 4th pair for the year & it's only May.

These socks are knitted in King Cole Zig Zag, a wool & nylon sock yarn. The yarn is soft but feels crispy (like acrylic) as the nylon content is 50%. The colors are really bright but the stitch pattern that I used is quite effective in breaking up the colors. I love the look of this stitch.......

.... and I am naming these socks Koi as they resemble the scales of the Koi fish which are also very colorful.

I knitted the socks as a store sample for this store which I visited last month. The owner wanted to test the yarn & I was happy to do it. The yarn can be purchased online here. I will be posting the socks out on Monday, so I may have to knit myself another pair as I love that stitch pattern.

I promised all of you a picture of the vest in action ......

.... I have wearing it lots as it's so warm & soft.

3rd Pair of Socks for the Year !

Actually it's the 1st completed pair as the previous 2 pairs are wips from last year.

I am so glad that my sock mojo is back as I realised that I have missed knitting socks & that I really enjoy the whole process.

This pair was started 2 weeks ago when we went away for the weekend & I finished 1 sock during the drive there & back home. But the 2nd sock took a little longer ......

These socks are knitted in a yarn that I bought 2 years ago in Melbourne (can't remember the name of the shop, not Morris & Sons). It's a New Zealand brand, Naturally Waikiki Prints, a blend of wool, alpaca & possum. The yarn feels soft & nice to knit with. I am sure these socks will keep my husband's feet very warm.

When I cast on these socks, I took the opportunity to try the Moccasin Toe from Cat Bordhi's Pussy Willow Stockings in the Sock Knitting Master Class book. The toe turned out well & I like the shape as it fits nicely. I think I will replace my usual toe technique with this Moccasin Toe as it's just as easy - all I have to do is change the positions of the increases.

I used the stitch pattern from the Skyp Socks for the leg & it's a nice rib pattern (6x2) with a twist although the pattern is not very visible in the dark colors. Anyway, I just wanted something different from the usual 4x2 rib.

Now that I am back to sock knitting, ideas have been popping up & I can't wait to cast on another pair but I have to finished my wips - 2 pairs of socks & a vest.

I Must Be So(ck) Crazy !

In the last 2 weeks, I have cast on 3 sock projects! This is the 1st time, for a long while, that I have spent so much time knitting socks. I sort of lost my sock mojo & only managed to knit 4 pairs in 2 years.

Suddenly I had this urge to knit socks & since January, I finished off 2 pairs that were half completed & I got my mojo back. So I cast on ......

.... Vintage Kneesocks. I have always wanted to knit a pair of knee socks & I love Wendy's designs as they are all toe-ups. As they are vintage socks, I decided to use undyed sock yarn which I bought from a friend.

I have started the increases for the calf & the sock is knitting up fast. The lace pattern is easy but I still need to refer to the pattern as I can't remember the 30 row pattern. I love the look of the lace ....

The markers are there to mark each repeat of the pattern. These are my favorite markers & I don't think I can knit without them. I don't use a row counter anymore as these markers are my counters.

Last weekend, I cast on my 2nd sock project as I wanted an easy project to knit on while we drive 3 hours to the wine region, Margaret River. As it's nearing winter & my husband needs more socks, I decided to knit him a pair.

It's a plain sock with a ribbed leg. I finished one sock during the 6 hours drive (to & back) & just turned the heel of the 2nd sock. I think he should have a pair by this weekend. I used the stitch pattern for the Skyp Socks on the leg as it's a 6x2 rib pattern.

While I was in Margaret River, I visited a local yarn shop & met up with the owner. I have heard that she is looking for someone to teach a sock class. We got talking & she gave me a ball of Zig Zag sock yarn to knit with as she wanted feedback on the yarn. 

So when I got home, I cast on my 3rd sock project .....

..... I am using a stitch called Bamboo Stitch which I found in one of my books. It was hard looking for a stitch pattern for this yarn as it's so variegated. I think this stitch pattern works well with the colors & reminds me of the scales on a koi fish.

Well, I know I will be busy for a while with these 3 projects plus 2 other projects that I have been working on, so better get back to knitting !

Another 2011 KIP Done !

I am so happy to finish off this pair of socks which have been sitting around for more than a year. It's an enjoyable & fast knit but I guess I was distracted with other projects & so did not spend time on it.

Here they are ......

I used the Hedera stitch pattern which I had to re-work as I knitted my socks from the toe-up. It's an easy to remember 4 rows pattern.

The yarn is one of my own first handspun Australian Melanian wool in it's natural color which is a mix of light & dark brown. Although this was spun when I first started spinning a year ago, I enjoyed the spinning & was able to spin quite finely. But the plying was not well done & the twist is not tight. I hope this will not affect the durability of the socks. Anyway, I will be the one wearing these socks & I do take care of my socks, so it should last.

On another matter - I have knitting journals where I keep notes of all of my projects. These journals have been very helpful as reminders of what changes I made to a project & I also refer to them when I knit similar projects. The most important are my notes when I am designing a project & there many designs in there that I am not 100% happy with & need more work in the future.

These are my journals from the last 6 years & I used whatever notebooks that I can find. But as the years go on, I started to keep an eye out for pretty notebooks & have a small collection to use.

Today, the scenario is different - ever since I had the iPad (May 2011), it has been my essential knitting tool. I carry it everywhere I go & it's always at my side when I knit. All my patterns are in the iPad & I made notes directly on the pattern when I am knitting. I am not using my journal now but I miss writing on the journal. I am also concerned that if something happen to my iPad, then all my notes are gone.

So what do I do? Do I still carry on using my journal or stay with the iPad?