On My Needles – theknitpicky

Category: On My Needles

18
Mar
2018

finally fading + #knitlifesurvey

categories: Inspiration, On My Needles, Uncategorized

finally fading!

Guys! I think I’m the last knitter in the world to start a Find Your Fade, but I’ve finally done it! I bought the pattern way back when it was released in December 2016, but I had a hard time finding my perfect fade. During madelinetosh’s annual sale in January, I spotted the Lamplighter Fade set on Tosh Merino Light and snatched it up! It’s only 5 colors, so I’m modifying the pattern a bit to accommodate this and also make it a bit smaller. It’s not turning out as “fade-y” as I was hoping, but I still really like it so far! Here’s what I’ve completed!

The colorways don’t have names as far as I can tell, so I can’t list them. Here are the next 3 color I’ll be melting into:

I’m finding this knit to be very meditative, which I’ve needed lately. I have a laundry list of things I want to make, but for some reason I wasn’t feeling anything but this. So I put needles to yarn and I’m really happy I did! You can see my notes and follow my progress on my project page!

#knitlifesurvey

I’m not into watching all the podcasts like a lot of knitters seem to be. Nothing against them, I just get a bit overloaded with content. But I do watch a few, and wool needles hands is one of them! I just love Tayler’s laid back style, the amazing info she gives, and the gorgeous yarn she dyes! Tayler recently did a Knit Life Survey vlog, which I loved, and I really wanted to fill one out myself! So here goes!

What sparked your interest in knitting? My Nana knit beautiful afghans for her 3 grandchildren when we were babies. I used to watch her knit and became fascinated!
How and when did you learn to knit? I was somewhere in the range of 7 to 9 years old when my Nana first handed me a set of (huge, awkward, metal) needles and some acrylic yarn. I knit a few lumpy, hole-riddled squares before putting it down until sometime in college (8 or so years ago), when I picked it back up… the rest is history!
What is your favorite cast on method? Long-tail!
What is your favorite type of knitting design element? Is garter stitch a design element? 😉 Brioche for sure!
What is your favorite project you have ever knit? The sweater I knit my husband because I am so proud of it!
How many projects are in your Ravelry queue? 63, but I try to keep it under 50.
What is your favorite weight of yarn to work with? Worsted!
What was your first knitting project? Some type of scarf, but I don’t remember exactly which one.
What is the longest time you have had a half-finished project in hibernation? What is it and when did you cast on? Do you still want to finish it? My longest project in hibernation is a tie for my husband. I cast it on in April 2016 and yes, I actually do want to finish it! Maybe for our anniversary in May! Fingers crossed 🙂
What is the largest project you have ever knit? The sweater mentioned above.
What is the worst and just overall bad, didn’t work out thing you ever knit? I don’t finish things that are that bad, but there were some iffy hats back when I started knitting hats (there is no longer evidence! haha)
What is your favorite kind of project to make (socks, sweaters, shawls… etc)? Hats for sure!
What is your favorite type of fiber to work with? Wool. I love BFL and merino most!
Are you a self proclaimed yarn snob? Nope, I don’t mind a little acrylic mixed in. And I’m very conscious that not everyone can afford quality yarns and that’s okay. Knit what you like!
What is your dream knitting retreat or fiber festival to attend? Edin Yarn Fest!
What is the oldest yarn in your stash? Some Noro I bought probably 7-8 years ago.
Are you a gifty knitter or a selfish knitter? Mostly selfish but I love knitting gifts if I want to!
What do you like to watch or listen to while you knit? True crime or knitting podcasts or binge Netflix (Grey’s, Friends, The Office…)
0Do you prefer wood or metal needles? Metal for socks, wood for everything else!
Is there a pattern or project that you have knit more than one time? Garter Ear Flap Hat by Purl Soho 🙂
Do you have any other hobbies? Yes! Weaving, sewing, cooking, hiking, and I just love making in general.
What is your favorite snack? Chocolate or anything sweet!
What is your favorite color? Grey
Do you have pets? If so tell us about them… Two sweet pups – Molly & Louise! They’re both mutts from the shelter. Yin and Yang. We love them!
Last but not least……coffee or tea? Both! I love a good latte or a cup of English breakfast tea with lots of milk & sugar. Also sweet tea, cause I’m from the South 😉

27
Feb
2018

bitten by the sock bug | sock journal no. 1

categories: boxosox, On My Needles

I can’t believe I’m typing this… I’ve been bitten by the sock bug! If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, this should surprise you. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not happy with how I look in garments right now (ugh), the fact that I have too many hats (if that’s even a thing), or because I have a bunch of sock yarn… but I totally want to knit all. the. socks. this year! Even more, I want to learn all different techniques – heels, toes, two-at-a-time, toe-up, 9 inch circulars… I could go on. But I won’t for your sake. You’re welcome 🙂

I always keep notes of what I’m doing on Ravelry, but I’ll be journaling more detailed notes here.

I recently wrote about frogging a sock and I’ve already knit a vanilla sock using that Candy Skein yarn! Here are all the details:
Pattern: N/A.. “Vanilla Sock” – C/O 60 sts using twisted German cast-on on size 1 needles. 2×2 rib for 20 rounds. Stockinette til leg is 7″.
Yarn: Candy Skein Tempting Sock (discontinued) in Blue Shave Ice
Heel: Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist
Toe: Rounded toe from Smooth Operator Socks by Susan B Anderson. Decreased to 24, then k2tog around, then k1, k2tog around. Kitchener the remaining 8 stitches closed.
Thoughts: I really enjoy 2×2 rib more than 1×1 for socks. 60 stitches seems to be the perfect number for my feet. I liked the FLK heel a lot! I need to work on tightening up the last stitch, but it fits very well. I also ripped out the toe and reknit to add more length. I’m learning that it’s better to rip back and be happy with what you knit! I measured my foot and it is 8.5″ (size US 5), so knitting the foot to 6.75″ from back of heel and doing the rounded toe described above makes the perfect length sock! I learned so much with this one and I think it will make knitting future socks so much easier.

I just love those speckles! I’ll make the second sock soon, but I got a serious case of castonitis and started completely different one! #sorrynotsorry

This time I decided to follow the Smooth Operator Socks pattern.
Pattern: Smooth Operator Socks. Mods: C/O 60 sts, 2×2 rib for 20 rounds. Stockinette til leg is 7″.
Yarn: madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Hippity Hop; Contrast heel/toe/cuff: Plucky Knitter Feet in Before You Go Go
Heel: Smooth Operator (afterthought) heel – 20 stitches before kitchener
Toe: Rounded toe from pattern, except I forgot the last 2 rounds of decreases, so I decreased to 6 stitches before kitchenering them.
Special Techniques: Contrasting heel/toe/cuff
Thoughts: This isn’t my first afterthought heel and I’m never a big fan of the fit. This one is no exception, unfortunately. I’m going to try something different on the second sock to try to fix the fit. Any tips?! I wasn’t happy with the toe either, but I think forgetting those decreases is the problem – I will remember them next time! Loved doing the contrast heel/toe/cuff! The colorway is out of my comfort zone, but the socks are so fun!

The second sock is already cast on and I anticipate it will go even faster than the first! The skein above is my newest acquisition – Peach Pit on Gilded from Fiber for the People. Isn’t it dreamy?! I’m trying to pick a pattern, as I want it to be my next pair of socks. What pattern would you knit with this gorgeous skein?!

This will be my first year participating in the #boxosoxkal and I’m really excited! Socks have become by companion while waiting at the allergist and they seem to fly off my needles! The thought of 12 hand-knit pairs of socks is so appealing to me right now. Now if only I can avoid second sock syndrome!

31
Jan
2018

the one with the weaving & the knitting | january roundup

categories: On My Needles

One of my New Year goals is to blog more! I thought it might be fun to write up a monthly roundup of what I’ve started and finished!

Honestly, there’s a lot I can’t share yet – tiny knits for new little ones are consuming my knitting life at the moment. But I’ve still managed to finish a few things between baby things!

First up is Boho Style Mosaic Shawl by Irene Lin. Have you all tried mosaic knitting? I swear it’s like magic. I tried some flat stranded colorwork last year and it’s just not for me. But mosaic knitting doesn’t involve any purling (when knitted flat) or holding two strands of yarn at a time – it’s amazing. So after a laid-back stockinette section with garter ridges, you work three fun mosaic charts, then bind off and add tassels! I enjoyed it so much, I knit it in under a month! Irene’s new cardigan design is also at the top of my knit list! I knit this for the Self Indulgent Knit Along hosted by the Yarniacs on Ravelry, which is such a fun and encouraging group! The trusty Cascade 220 made this project both beautiful and affordable.

Also this month I knit several Garter Ear Flap Hats by Purl Soho. In fact, I think I knit a total of five and had a request for a sixth! I don’t often knit the same thing more than once, let alone six times (I knit my first one last year), so I clearly love this little pattern! I haven’t tried any size except newborn, but as evidenced from a recipient, they seem to fit well! Yarn info can be found in my Ravelry projects!

Of the things I can share, that’s all I finished this month! It doesn’t seem like much, but hopefully I’ll make up for it in March when I can spill the beans on all the baby things!

In the meantime, I cast on a selfish hat with gorgeous Plucky yarns! The pattern is called Bean, a freebie from Plucky Knitter Design! It uses one strand of sport weight and one strand of fingering weight held together to knit the brim (shown here). Then you alternate the yarns, creating a stripe effect that can be subtle, like mine, or high-contrast and bold! I ordered a mystery kit and they sent a skein of Nifty (yummy merino/cashmere/nettle fingering) and Primo Sport (a nice, bouncy MCN blend). They rarely disappoint me with their mysteries, and these turquoise blues are no exception!

The other thing I started this month is a woven scarf using these beautiful skeins from Martin’s Lab! I’ve wanted to try this brand for awhile, and finally broke down and ordered 2 skeins of Bouncy Merino and a skein of Silky Mohair, both in the colorway Bilberry Stains. How gorgeous are these?! I love Martin’s story, too, so if you haven’t heard of the brand, you should check it out! The prices are reasonable, even including shipping from the UK, though it did take several weeks to arrive. I’m using my 10″ Cricket loom and can’t wait to finish it up!

By the way… do you weave? Or are you interested in posts about weaving?

What projects have you been working on? After the holidays, does your crafting pick up, slow down, or stay the same? I’d love to hear! Happy knitting!

12
Sep
2015