WIP Wednesday: Felicity and Figit Socks

We've all survived to another Wedneday. Yeah, its been feeling like one of those weeks. My medications have really screwed up my sleep cycle, so I'm waking up from a quick nap to write this post. I'm really ready for spring so I can get some really nice daylight photos again for Wednesdays.

First off is a hat for me. I believe the pattern is named Felicity in Shephard Sock Worsted. (SQUOOSHY!!) Super fun knit, if I could count. This is the third time I'm knitting up the crown increases because I apparently can't. My sleep deprived brain seems confused when counting above the number seven.

 The second of my Figit socks for work has started to come along nicely.. I'm still in love with the funky strips on this one.

And finally, I thought I would the latest pattern I've started designing.  I'm thinking about calling these Opheo socks. Its short for Opheophys, which is a genus of American green grass snakes, which is the inspiration for these socks.

 

For more WIP Wednesday goodness, make sure to check out Tami's Amis. Also check out the Keep Calm and Craft On group I'm participating in this week. And hope to see yall again soon!

Knitting Knook

When it comes to decorating or organization, I'm typically not the type of person you can call on. This makes me even extra proud of my new little knitting knook I put together today. 

Our bedroom has this strange little nook in it that had shelves installed inside. We took down those shelves when we were painting right before we moved iin. With the hussle and bussle of the move, they never got put back up. Mostly, because I really had no what to put on the shelves.

So when insomia struck me at three this morning, a great idea came to me.

And no, I don't think its weird to be putting up shelves at three in the morning.

I found a vase and filled it with miniskeins and a nice container for my nicer yarns. They had been sitting in a dresser drawer where I couldn't really enjoy them or know what I had. 

And my knitting books aren't randomly stacked around the house now either. Yay organization!

And The Winner Is...

Thank you to everyone that entered my Made With Love Giveaway. I know that everyone can't be a winner, so if you are still in love with any set of stitch markers I'll be offering 10% of this next week only in my shop. Just use the code 10OFFGIVEAWAY.

Alright, alright. I know you can't take the suspense anymore! The winning comment is #25 which is the lovely...

PrettyPinkZebra!!

I'll be in contact with you so that I can mail you your prize. Thank you to everyone that entered and I hope you stick around to share even more stitch markers and knitting fun with me. :)

FO Friday: Vivian Revealed

My second sweater of all time: Vivain! She's knit up using seven skeins of Wool of the Andes Bulky.  Took me about 3 months for the actual sweater and at least a month to get the courage to sew in the zipper. I'm definitely enjoying this one as much as I can with what little of winter I have left.



Today is also the last day to enter my giveaway to win a set of stitch markers, so make sure to enter! For more beautiful finished objects, make sure to check out Tamis Amis.

WIP Wednesday: Socks and Socks

It's been a busy, busy week for me in my knitting.  I've finished two hats. (Yes, two!!) I've almost made a good amount of progress in my two latest sock projects. I apologize for the quality of pictures. I'm back at work full time after recovering from my time in the hospital, so I'm back to artifical lighting until the days get a little longer.

My Monkeys have gotten past the heel turn and through half the gusset. The pattern for these is SO easy to memorize. Definitely a super fun knit!

My Figit socks from my work meetings has been growing steadily for the past two weeks. I'm almost ready to begin the toe on the first one. I decided to be a bit adventerous with this pair and tried out a sweet tomato heel. It's very easy, and requires absolutely no math. Its a matter of just making three wedges to account of the shape of the heel. It's very interesting, but I think for my nonstriping socks I'll stick to the heel flap and gusset for durability.

Make sure to check out Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday beauties!

Minicabled Coffee Cozy ~Free Pattern~

 

As I've mentioned before, I LOVE coffee. Here is another coffee cozy that I whipped up a few days ago using some scrap yarn that I had. I thought it was a perfect oppurtunity to practice cabling without a cable needle. I've included detailed instructions on how to make this cute little cozy with or without a cable needle.

Yarn: Scrap worsted weight yarn (at least 30 yards, more depending on wanted length). I used Berraco Lustra left over from another project.

Needles: 4 US Size 7 DPNs or needles required for gauge

Gauge: 6 stitches to 1 inch, unstretched

Fit: Any normal coffee to‐go cup

Directions:

Cast on 40 stitches.

Join in the round, careful not to twist. 

Round 1: Knit 2, Purl 2 until end of round
Round 2: Knit 2, Purl 2 until end of round
Round 3:
Without Cable Needle - Pass the first knit stitch to the right needle. Knit the second knit stitch. Drop both stitches off the needles, picking up the left stitch (already knit) on the right needle. Pick up the right stitch on the left needle, going in front of the already knit stitch. Now knit this stitch. Purl 2, repeat until to to the end.
With Cable Needle - Place first knit stich on cable needle, hold to the front. Knit second knit stitch. Knit stitch off of the cable needle. Purl 2. Repeat until end of round

Repeat Round 1‐3 until cozy is 3 inches in length, ending after Round 2.

Bind off loosely. If bind off is too tight, the cozy will not fit on the cup. Weave in ends and enjoy!

FO Friday: A reflection of a reflection

I know I teased everyone with an almost completed version of Vivian. However, I wasn't able to get some great photos in the sunlight, so I have another FO to report.

Last week I showed my first Reflection hat. I had enough yarn for a second hat, and I knew just the person who would adore it.

This is Shibani, one of my coworkers.She's a very brave woman who is battling breast cancer. She had been asking for a hat, so I whipped this one up over the weekend. I promised more hats to come, one for every season!

Make sure while you are here to enter the Made with Love Giveaway, and to check out more FO Friday with Tamis Amis and Fiber Arts Friday with Wisdom Begins in Wonder.

Presents in the Mail

I received a rather large package from Eat.Sleep.Knit yesterday. They are one of my favorite online yarn stores, and I received a gift certificate not to long ago. I used the oppurtunity to try a large amount of yarns I've never tried before.

They have SO many great sock yarns, and I've been drooling over them since I got home last night. I just had to share all the goodies I received. I've also linked each one to their website, in case my colors are a bit off with my moniter.

Lornes Laces Shepard Sock in Mt. Creek
I LOVE the color combination on this one. These are going to pool so pretty.

Next is Fleece Artist in Seafoam. This yarn is 30% "Seacell", which I believe is a fiber made from seaweed. It makes the yarn very shiny, and I'm hoping for a great stitch definition with this one.

Sweet Geogria is next in Tough Love Sock (Gotta love that name) in Autumn Flame

Another Lornas Laces in Skyway. They are like potato chips, you can't have just one.

A skein of malabrigo is Caribeno. Anyone noticing a theme in my color choices yet?

More Lornes Laces, this time in Lakeview

And they had some self-striping Cherry Tree Hill Fingerpaints that I just couldn't pass up, so I snatched up a skein of Name Your Poison.

That's all the yarn, but that wasn't all I received in my package. Eat Sleep Knit has a frequent shopper program, and I purchased enough yarn to receive their Yarnathon Welcome Packet.  ***Spoilers***
The thing I loved the most in the welcome packet was the sampler they sent. I can feel every yarn that they sell! I still have mine from last year, but its great to get the new one with the new yarns.

I also received a Yarnathon certificate welcoming me, and a BEAUTIFUL shrug pattern.  I don't wear a lot of really feminine clothes, but I really like this one. And it only takes two skeins. Yup, going into the queue.

And finally, with every purchase they include a Yarn Lotto ticket. AND I WON! I won a mitten kit! I picked a blue one and sent the ticket straight back into the mail.

I love all the extra goodies I received, and I am defintely high on yarn fumes at the moment.  I've never purchased this much yarn in one sitting before. While I feel a little bit guitly, I'm having way to much fun drooling over my new goodies.

WIP Wednesday - The Unzipped Vivian

Happy belated Valentine's Day everyone! I just had to share the flowers I received this year from my Dad. Aren't they beautiful? It's a tradition we have. He's given me a flower every year on valentines since I was two. Every year they are so gorgeous and I really still am a Daddy's girl. :)

In knitting news, Vivian has been sorely neglected since the beginning of January. Why? Because I can't sew. I've finished the knitting, the weaving in the ends, the blocking. Hell, I've even pinned the zipper in place.

And I made a total mess of the sewing. I'm hoping to give it another try this week. And if I'm REALLY lucky. Vivian might be ready for an FO Friday soon.



In an attempt not the realize that Vivian is sitting in timeout until I have time to pick out my terrible knotted attempt at what some might call "sewing", I cast on another cardigan. Ardelise is an open sweater, so there will be no sewing!

I'm finding the construction to be a bit interesting and a little different than top down sweaters I've done before. Ardelise starts in the middle of the lace collar and knits out both directions. I picked this pattern because I thought it was elegant, and simple. That little lace repeat is showing me otherwise! It's growing a little slow right now because I keep missing yarn overs and having to go back. I can't believe I'm looking forward to the miles of stockinette that will be in my future with this one.

For more WIPity goodness, see the other blogs participating in today at Tami's Amis.

Stitched By Jessalu

Wrapped in tissue paper was a little surprise in my mailbox yesterday.  It was the box bag I ordered from Stitched by Jessalu. I loved the way my bag was shipped. It was like opening a gift from a friend. The bag itself really exceeded all of my expectations. It's as if Jessalu came to my house, sat down for a cup of coffee, and asked me what I wanted out of a knitting bag for my sock projects:

I would want it to be super cute, but durable so my knitting needles don't poke through.



 I would want it to have little details and touches that make it feel like it was made just for me.

 

I would want a my sock project to fit inside with enough space that I don't have to worry about snagging the yarn and definitely enough space for two at a time socks.

And, of course, the inside would have to be as funky and fun as the outside.

Literally, the first thing I thought after opening this bag and putting my latest project inside was that I needed another one. (Maybe Dr. Who or Firefly?) I have another sock project that I keep at work that defintely needs one of these.



Day 12: A crafty gift

The next prompt in Andi's A month of craft photos is "A Crafty Gift". This prompt is perfect for the photography I have been practicing for my Etsy shop: Be a Knitwit! Designs. If you're new to the blog, I recently opened a small shop on Etsy selling handmade stitch markers. It's the perfect crafty gift for a knitter.
Here are a few of my favorite recent additions:

Turquoise Turtles

Blue Glass

Red and White Hearts

Also, if you want to enter to try to win a free set of stitch markers, make sure to enter my Made with Love Giveaway!

Day 10 & 11: My craft bag and a WIP

The latest prompts in the Month of Craft Photos Challenge are for Day 10 and 11. I always seem to forget to add these to my Wednesday and Friday posts, so yall will get two craft photos again today.


Day 10: Your craft bag
I picked up this bag while I was at the Society of Neuroscience meeting in Washington D.C. last November at a small local yarn shop. I really wish I could remember the name of the shop.  The store owner was unpacking them as I walked in the door and I just couldn't leave without one.

And yes, it does say "Panic knitting for the apocalypse". I had to get it, because it has always been an inside joke with the SO that knitting is a part of my post-apocalyptic skill set.

Day 11: A WIP

I feel like this is a special treat, because I normally only show my WIPs on Wednesdays. Here is my latest sweater. Yes, that's a cardigan, I swear.  The construction of the collar is pretty interesting, and I picked this one up thinking it would be a simple knit with a tad bit of spice.  It's like biting into a jalapeno and getting the spice of a habenero! It's been a bit tricky so far, but it's slowly growing. 

FO Friday: A new reflection

I'm really starting to enjoy stranded colorwork. It's challenging, fun, and results in the coolest projects. I only wishing it was colder here in Texas, because they're SO warm!

The pattern is His and Her Reflection Hats from the book Mastering Color Knitting: Simple Instructions for Stranded, Intarsia, and Double Knitting. If you haven't flipped through this one, I would definitely recommend it for learning colorwork. I did this version using Cascade 220, and I think I have more than enough to do a mirror image duplicate!

And while we are sharing FOs, I thought I would share some of my most recently finished stitch markers. Aren't they pretty?

For more beautiful finished objects, make sure to check out Tami's Amis! I can't wait to see what everyone  has to share. And for more Fiber Arts, visit Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom begins in Wonder.