Fiery Puffs

This week I met my minimum requirement of 7 puffs. I had so much fun with the colour theme last week I dug around in my stash and found scraps of yellows, oranges and reds for this weeks fiery puff collection! Some more minis came in the mail yesterday so next week expect another collection of minis turned into puffs!

Yarns Used This Week:

ONline Supersocke Butterfly Colour in 1154
Knit Picks Stroll Tonal
Fleece Artist Merino 2/6
Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label (leftovers from My Vampire Boyfriend Socks!)
Mary Maxim Bamboo Soft Stripes

msi

Done in the nick of time...

I finished my My Vampire Boyfriend socks last night, just a few days ahead of schedule! I am super impressed that I managed to finish these on time and that I didn't give into second sock syndrome. So what did I think about my first month of my self-imposed sock challenge?

The pattern: A really enjoyable pattern by Kate Atherley. By the end of the first sock I had the pattern down. My chart was always near by, but the second sock went much faster and I managed to knit it in a little more than a week. It was a great pattern that you need to pay attention to and it challenged me (in a good way) the whole way along. I love the addition of the "bitemark" cable along the sides and the modified heart for the heel and toe. This pattern is available for free in the Fall 2009 issue of Knitty.

The yarn: This was a wonderful skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in a one-of-a-kind colourway. I love Tanis's yarn and it feels great to finally have a pair of socks in it! The socks are soft and sturdy and the colour variations are beautiful.

The book: As you may recall, I am also reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as my book challenge for this month. I am not quite done, but it has been a great book so far. Between the three jobs and the sock knitting I have been a busy bee this month.

I'll be back with the February sock of choice soon.

Happy Knitting!

msi

Back on the Hexi Track...

After my complete failure last week to complete a single puff, I doubled my efforts this week and managed to turn this....

Into this...

The shipment of mini-skeins definitely did its thing and inspired me to make 13 gorgeous puffs in wintery blues and whites. Glad to be on the right track again! Also, I loved trying a bunch of yarns that I had never tried before. My favourites were the Wollmeise, Bare Sheep Company and JL Vinca. I will definitely be seeking them out for future knitted socks.


Yarns Used This Week:

ONline Supersocke Butterfly Colour in 1154
JL Vinca in 806
 Koigu KPPPM in Snowdrift

            Bare Sheep Company Merino Nylon Sock in Dumbledore  

      Lazy Perry Ranch Sock in Turquoise

      Woolmeise 100% in Karnblume  

      Dream in Color Smooshy in Lunar Zazzle

      Lion Brand Sock Ease in 100 Marshmallow
 Patons Kroy Sock in Blazing Blue
Regia World Ball Color in Argentine
All Things Heather Sock in Turquoise
Araucania Ranco in Sky Blue

      Happy Knitting, 

      msi

Baby Blanket Indecisiveness

I'm in a quandary. I have friends who recently found out they are expecting. My mind is already in overdrive for all of the things I will knit for this wee one. I love knitting for babies: booties, hats, sweaters, mitts, toys, you name it. I have some time before the little one is expected to arrive, but the largest investment of time and resources will have to go into a blanket. I want this blanket to be something that the little one will grow up with so I need something classic, soft, hardwearing and beautiful. I have been scouring Ravelry and Pinterest for some time trying to decide on the perfect first project for baby.

I absolutely love this...

Hansel Blanket From The Shetland Trader (link)

But I also adore this...

Baby Chalice Blanket from Lykkefanten (link)

And this...

Zig and Zag Sock Yarn Pram Baby Blanket by Debbie Orr (link)

And then there is this...

Forever Baby Blanket from Purl Soho (link)

Sigh... and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Does anyone out there have any advice for a knitter in need of a perfect baby blanket?

msi.

Belated FO Friday

Time for another finished object Friday (well Sunday, but who's counting?)! Despite the total neglect of the "me" projects over the past week (socks, cardi, puffs) I have been knitting for my next favourite group: babies! There is nothing more satisfying that making something warm and wooly for a wee one. Last weekend I made this sweet hat for a friend's baby. The I Heart Cables pattern is in the winter issue of Petite Purls, an excellent, free online knitting magazine specializing in patterns for small humans.

One of the best things about this hat was that I got to use the pom pom maker that Kevin made me for Christmas for the first time. It is so much easier than any other tool I have made or bought before. I plan on making another pair of the Frodo booties to go with this great heat.

'til next time,

msi

Let's Not Talk About It...

So its time for a Hexi check in, but I sadly have zero puffs to show this week. I found out last Monday that I would be teaching a new class starting Wednesday nights so I have been completely swamped with trying to get caught up with that. In fact this blog post is a brief break from writing a lecture about gerontological theories. Woot!

What did arrive in the mail today was this...

12 mini skeins of yummy sock yarns that I bought on etsy from LadyDanio for puffs. Hopefully this will inspire me to double my efforts to have lots of puffs for next week.

msi.

WIP Wednesday - Startitis Strikes Again

Before I get into the knitting update I took some pictures this morning of this incredible gift I got this Holiday. The base has tiny spikes in the bottom that hold the flowers upright. I finally picked up some flowers yesterday and am loving the way they look.

A new year and another case of startitis has plagued me. I have the sudden urge to knit. all. the. things. This has resulted in me casting on much more than I can realistically handle at the moment and has slowed my progress down on all of them. In addition to my new hexipuff habit I have on the needles:

My Kara Cardigan, with 5 repeats done. Still no sleeves.
My mini Angus monster which has seen no action since last week;
My Vampire Boyfriend Socks (more about them tomorrow);
6 projects carried over from last year, including my citron shawl, a pair of garrish orange and black socks, thrummed mittens, a crocheted Noro shawl, a pair of gloves and a pair of slippers;

and this new addition, Bella's Mittens.

I had been resisting this pattern for a while, since it was a Twilight thing - I prefer my vampires to be either Byronic of Buffy-ed - but then I saw them knit up at Passionknit this weekend and I could resist no more. They are now my Wintersong Mittens and I am knitting them up in a wonderful colour of Malabrigo twist called Indiecita. I love the colours and the yarn and can't wait to wear these on the cold days ahead. Hopefully, by Friday I will have something finished other than another hexipuff!

Happy knitting, and knitting, and knitting....

msi.