skein

Opal Rainforest Snake socks

Sound interesting, don't they?

In fact they're plain socks, finished just in time for another Christmas present for Mr. C.

Pattern: Top down, 68 stitches.  Normally I'd do a 1x1 ribbing for an inch, then change to 3x1 ribbing, but in this instance I accidently started with 2x2 ribbing. (I like the transition better if it's 1x1, then 3x1).

Needles: 2.25mm

Started: 2nd December

Finished: 15th December

 

Very much his colours, orange and yellow.  I even managed to get the stripes to match, even down to the toe!

What's on the needles now?  Another Forest Canopy cowl, in Handmaiden cashmere. Absolutely delicious stuff.  The colours in the skein are pretty similar, or so I thought, but they're separating into stripes on the cowl.  Don't care.  Love it!

This was taken at 2.25pm, it is dark and dismal outside, and with flash (the non flash was really dark!).  The colours aren't as different as this.

Nothing else on the go, but I expect I'll be casting something on over the next few days. I still don't like having so few things on the needles.

Oh, and I'm thinking of next year.  2009 was the year of the garment, and 2010 might be the year of lace!  I've joined the ravelry group 10 shawls in 2010.   Not as scary as it sounds, eight can be 250m and the other two have to be over 500m.  Once I start looking through the message threads I'll make up my mind...

Harmonia's Rings Cowl

Pattern: Harmonia's Rings Cowl (ravelry link here)

Started: 28th November

Finished: 1st December

Yarn: Malabrigo worsted, a lovely red colour with pink bits (very difficult to photograph.

Needles: 5mm

I love it!  Love the smooshiness of Malabrigo and love having a large comfy cowl to keep me warm.

 

We've spent the past two Saturdays trying to take photos, for some reason a lot are blurred! 

It's cast on with a moebius cast on, which I also love. A bit more complicated than joining in a ring and deliberately twisting, but it makes it interesting. 

Back view:

 

And if it's really cold I can pull it right up to cover the back of my head!

 

I had some beads left over from my Mystery Blanket, big gold and purple ones, which I used for the cast off edge which goes around your neck.

 

I used under two skeins - about 11/2 I think.

I see more of these in my future!

More Christmas knitting

but this time it's for me.

This is a kit from a few years ago, and I had high hopes of finishing them in time for Christmas - but of course I didn't. Finding them again I realised that they might be a little too tight, and I frogged them on Sunday evening. 
This is the result of the last three evenings!  (Mind you, I was out last night and only knitted about 10 rows).

The pattern is Red Bird Knits Reindeer Games. Despite it looking otherwise, I can assure you that the white squares are all the same length!  I snapped the photo in a hurry, didn't bother trying to lay it out evenly!

 

I rarely knit stranded socks, purely because I need to get more stretch into the leg to fit over my instep. This time I'm knitting with 2.5mm needles and trying to loosen up a bit. I am determined to wear these on Christmas day!  I'm hoping to finish the foot by Sunday, and the second sock for Chris (which I've barely started!)

Oh, another thing - Happy Birthday Chris!  We shall go out for a meal tonight but do the usual birthday treat - cinema and meal with lots of alcohol 0 over the weekend.  He's getting the scarf and socks this afternoon!

Lorna's Laces Hula Kolili socks

Plain, top down with heel flap and gusset, 60 sts using 2.5mm needles.

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Hula Kolili, a shade specific to last year's Get Knitted sock clulb.

Started: November 26th

Finished: December 6th.

 

I still think the colour is horrible.  I usually do short row heels with Lorna's Laces, so the striping doesn't change over the sock, but as I didn't much care for the colour I went with a heel flap this time. 

The colours are a little more vibrant than shown here - it's very overcast here in London. Not much better in this photo, either!

 

At least with these off the needles I can concentrate on Christmas socks for Chris!  One sock is very nearly finished.

 

I  have a few more inches of foot, then the toe, to do.  As this is stealth knitting, I need another project for evening knitting.  I frogged that Christmas sock kit and have cast on with larger needles. I measured my tension with 2mm needles, and instead of 8.5sts/inch I had 10sts/inch!

Now do I knit on the Christmas sock for me, or do I cast on something else tonight? Although this is yet another sock it's patterned, so it won't be like knitting a plain sock.  I have plenty of choice though and I wound up most of the chosen skeins yesterday too!

Sod the December knitting plans

Today I had a little tidy up.  I keep a few big bags of current knitting supplies next to me, but these were overflowing, as I dump newly acquired yarn in there too, so off the bedroom, get out the boxes of stash and put away new stuff, old stuff which won't be used for a while, and whilst I'm there spend several hours emptying boxes on bed and having a play with the stash.  Note, this is the boxed stash only - laceweight, odd luxury skeins, sock yarns. All other stash is in vacuum packs and I chose not to disturb it.

Despite saying to myself that I'm fed up with small items, this is what I've pulled out to play with in December:

Sock yarns 

 

Eknits Dublin Doors and Smooshy Shiny Moss

Sock yarn for Chris

 

Yes, its Mexiko, and he loves this pattern. Note the already knitted section.  I've been knitting him just two pairs each year, as he has so many socks, but now that he keeps some over on the boat, he doesn't mind another pair. Little does he know he's already getting two pairs, so this will be the third pair.

A seasonal sock kit, already started, but I think that I'll restart it on bigger needles, as it's a bit snug.

 

Another sock kit which has been in stash for years.  It's dk weight, but will do nicely as oversocks on cold evenings.

 

These will have to be restarted too, as the needles aren't in the knitting and I have no idea which ones I used!

Sock yarns which won't be knitted into socks

 

Fyberspates alpaca/nylon and Natural Dye Studio Alpaca/Silk

And finally, odd luxury skeins

 

From left, Knitwitches Seriously Gorgeous Cashmere & Silk, Handmaiden 4ply Cashmere, Handmaiden Camelspin and Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb. 

Now if I manage to knit all of this yarn (and the two pairs of socks already on the needles) that will be ... 7 pairs of socks, 2 small cowls and 4 small shawls.  Yeah...