Hexipuffs

Another project for the never ending sock yarn leftovers which has been in progress for a couple of years but I dug out the bag of hexipuffs determined to knit more...



 
See? This is what I accomplished in a week. Not a lot but it's something. When I have time, I knit a hexipuff which I hope to have enough to sew together for some seat cushions for the kitchen. In theory, I think it will be awesome and great looking, plus functional for the hard seats. Then reality sets in and I think of how easy will it be to clean, etc.

But I will press forth since the original pattern is a blanket so I always have that to fall back on. Just add another 5 years before that will be done. That's why I decided on seat cushions in the first place.

 

Yarny bits

A quick peek at what I've accomplished in the art of knitting.....


A new pair of socks. Blenders which has to be my all time favorite leftover/monster/vanilla socks. I love knitting patterns of all sorts/styles but these seem to fit and appeal to me the best. Plus all those socks I knit I may have given away; I have their sweet sweet leftovers to make some truly epic/wild/subtle socks. I obviously don't take the time to match them up because I'm lazy/fly by the seat of my pants/unique kind of gal.




And the extra extra bits of leftovers is being knit into hexipuffs for either a blanket/seat cushion depending on how tired/bored I get. Each hexipuff tells a story of my knitting history. I actually remember most of the socks/project I used each yarn for too. See? Nice to know my memory still works for this.

Summer of socks

I slowed down on my sock knitting but I am still trying to knit when I can. I'm also test knitting a sock pattern for my very first time. It's simple enough but it involves colorwork  and I have lots of leftovers to use up . :)



Stranded Monster socks. I have lots of pinks/purples to use up so this will be a nice gift later at Christmas time. The leg portion is getting too long for my tastes so I'm sure I can convince one of my nieces to adopt them. :)

Meanwhile, I'm working a baby kimono for some friends' new baby girl which is almost complete. Then I can back to knitting some more socks...

Startitis

As the weekend approaches, here are some of the recent projects that I've started and have on the needles...



After I finished my Drip Candles socks, I was eager to cast on again to not lose that mojo. I peeked into the SKA schedule and Wendy Johnson is one of the featured designers for February. I could have waited until February to cast these on but I didn't wait since it's mostly my own personal challenge and I'm not competing for prizes this time.

So the On Hold socks were cast on mid January with Malabrigo sock yarn that people rave about and I remembered having this somewhere in my stash. Here it is in lovely plum tones and very soft.

Oh, but I got distracted easily and cast on this...



A Steampunk Mini Topper which is a jaunty little felt hat which can be embellished with ribbons, feathers or whatever one wants. Of course, I need to knit it first then the magic of felting can begin. I have another 20 rows of knitting to be done then the decreases. I really hope I have enough yarn but I might have to run to Joann's and hopefully find the same dye lot.

Which brings me to this other item I began...



A little accessory called The Age of Brass and Steam kerchief. I'm trying to pull a steampunk outfit together for Wondercon in March. I'm starting with the accessories and work from there.

I still have another project somewhere lurking around but that's it for now...Happy Knitting!

oh boy

Hockey finally started again with a roar so that occupied most of my weekend. ;) Hector and I went to the home opener game for the Kings vs Chicago to see the Stanley Cup banner ceremony. It was really cool. I have some pics on my p & s camera so the quality won't be as good and I really wanted to relish the moment. Unfortunately, the Kings lost which we have to consider shortened training camp, season and pretty much everything associated with hockey.

We get Center Ice free for the rest of the month so I spent the rest of the weekend watching lots & lots of hockey. Yes it was a bummer to see the Kings not fare as well but several other teams have it just as bad or worse so just chalk the first week as ugly, weird hockey and hope your team jells fast. :) It's sort of a sprint season with 48 games in 99 days so hold on and enjoy the ride.
Kind of like the Hunger games....may the odds be ever in your favor!! :)

Slowly adding stuff to the wall.

Each fan was given a mini banner so I just hung mine for now on the framed photo. I still need to add my pennants which are somewhere (hopefully not crushed) in our house.

I still knit a lot especially during hockey on TV so I mostly listen and glance up every so often. I do miss stuff but thats what rewind is for. ;)

I had to send my Seahorse socks to the frog pond. They're so pretty but they were not going to fit me and I wasn't about to give these away so they will be ripped back for something else. I just have to remember to pick a thicker fingering weight yarn/bigger needles to make this pattern work.



I even turned these inside out and still got some puckering from the stranded parts. Its a good thing I'm frogging them...

So that meant I only had one other pair of socks cast one and I usually need two in case my brain doesn't respond to one that particular moment, then I have another one to do.



In December, it was leftover month where I managed one pair finished. I got the book with Drip Candles in it, so I cast on last night. Pretty good progress too. They are fitting snug so I will go up a needle size to see how that goes but I don't mind giving these away if I have too.


On the side note, I signed up for our Comic Con ID badges so we can purchase tickets to Wonder Con this year. Don't know if we can tickets to the big one but this will be fun. The Wonder Con is in Anaheim so we don't have to stay in a hotel and save a little moola. The 3 day pass is an afforable $40 if we buy online so we shall keep our fingers crossed.

That means I need to work on my steampunk costume and start planning Hector's too. Fun fun fun..

Monday

First of all, I have been semi-productive today. I really need to work on some CE (continuing education) to keep my pharmacist license up to date and I managed to finish 4 hours of credits this morning. My brain is feeling the strain now but I'm happy that I started and only 26 credits to go. I have till the end of April and  I hope to work on my CE once a week to get this done.


As you see from a previous post, I finished my Shur'tugal socks this weekend. I started the Hold Your Seahorses socks for my January challenge (flora/fauna theme) that also has colorwork which can extremely slow going for me since I knit 2 at a time & that means 4 balls of yarn hangingoff these socks. It can be a lot of tangles if I don't keep on top of it. The pattern in gorgeous but more complicated than ones I have done in the past. Each sock has its own pattern which is mirrored so I have to keep up with 2 pages of charts.

Colorful in blue and orange. Lots of charts.

 I dug out my Jaywalkers which I think started somewhere in the fall or earlier because of the NHL lockout and I'm using my Kings colorway. You can tell the yarn is several years old because it has purple in it and that is not in the LA Kings color scheme anymore. This is termed my easier knitting since right now, it only has a 2 row pattern. I really like how the stripes are coming out.

Lovely manipulation of the self striping yarn.

So over the weekend, I received my Outside the Sox book from Amazon and these unusual, amazing socks caught my eye. I found some rainbow yarn and cast on for the Hexagon socks. This will be when the other 2 patterns can't hold my attention. :)

Funky hexagon socks.

I absolutely love our Netflix streaming and our latest anime is Darker Than Black. I'm usually knitting during TV so I miss a lot although I'm listening. Luckily Hector is there is fill in the gaps for me and help me identify the numerous characters that appeared in Vol. 1 then reappear in Vol. 5. :) I also queued up The Adventures of Tin Tin which I really enjoyed. Full of action and fun, I'm sure I missed lots of things so I'll probably watch it again because I really enjoyed it. Hector even has some old Tin Tin books that he dug out and what do you know, he has the book that the movie was about. How funny is that? I watched the first season of Downton Abbey which I loved and have the 2nd season in our DVD queue but I'm horribly bad at watching DVDs. I don't know why and maybe that's why I prefer streaming. I don't have to deal with putting the DVD in the player, watching it and then returning it. With streaming, I can watch whatever I want and it remembers where I left off, etc.

I saw somewhere that the 3rd season of Downton Abbey was starting last night so I set the DVR to record it but I still want to see the 2nd season beforehand. I searched online and saw that the 2nd season in available for streaming thru Amazon Prime. Yay! We have that too although it's not used as much as Netflix. So I was a very happy girl in starting season 2 last night. :)

Good programming and NHL hockey is back! 2013 is looking pretty good right now. :)

November catching up

Getting through another hectic and emotional week just in time for the holidays so hold on to your hats.

Tyler made honor roll again and last year because of scheduling I was never able to see him receive his award but for 7th grade the time slot would work out perfectly. Well, that's what I get for assuming because the school changed the times again and I would have to do some quick driving back in forth to make it. I had to drop off Tyler first so he would there for the ceremony, drive Josh to school at 8:30am then drive back to catch what I could of the ceremony.


I walked into the cafeteria to see him already standing on stage so I was able to take a few photos. Also in addition to this hectic morning, we had to bring in Tyler's science project and his potluck dessert of mini pumpkin cupcakes. He thought he would be able to drop them off in the classroom but the teachers are in their in-service meetings Tuesday mornings. Ugh. Luckily, he found his friend G to watch over it during this time. :) Phew.


I have been knitting but not as much as I like but here is the latest. I finished the Apple Core blanket which can be used for a small lap throw (believe me, I used it for this purpose while stitching it all together) or a baby carrier blanket that can convert to a security blanket. I only took one photo so I definitely need to have another photo shoot with it. It took me about 1.5 days to get the I-cord edge on there and I really like it. I can't imagine how long it would take if this was a bigger blanket.

My November MOCK (mystery sock) with the challenge as Texture. A side story with this particular yarn because it's one of the earlier sock yarns I purchased way back when so the ball band is long lost so it is really a mystery yarn.

Next this yarn is fickle...I really like to find the perfect pattern for the yarn (for the most part) and this yarn has been started, frogged and restarted numerous times.  It's very thin and when knitted up, it doesn't feel very good. Very rough and scratchy.

So this yarn has been without a purpose until this month I noticed the mystery socks were named Moody stockings ( more after Mad Eye Moody vs. being moody like me) but I thought it was perfect because this yarn is definitely moody like me and I will finish these socks with this yarn. I guess I will keep them for myself just because I went through so much trouble to even find the right pattern but they'll be a reminder of their moodiness.



Look, even the color conveys moodiness but dang it, I don't like knitting with it.



Here are the socks somewhere around Clue 1 (Clue 3 was just released) so I have some knitting to do.
The texture made with the knits and purls are hard to see but like I said before...these WILL be knitted.

Watch, when I complete them they'll turn out to be my absolute favorite pair of handknit socks. Some hair conditioner should soften them up...

Movember

It's November and another sock challenge for me. I chose this pattern called Quintessence II which uses worsted weight yarn so the knitting goes along much faster. I started on the 1st and am already past the heel and decreasing the gusset.

The pattern has a unisex look to it which is not too fussy for the man who likes things simple.

I also like how the pattern continues down the heel but I'm not sure how practical these socks will be for wearing purposes but they'll make some really nice house/slipper socks for the winter.



Our weather has been kind of weird in that it was super hot a few days ago and now we're supposed to drop about 30 degrees and possible rain.

Back to knitting after some lunch...

Stuff we've been up to

The DIY/craftiness fever continues...well, not really a fever but it's something.

Add caption

My attempt at a yarn necklace...the pattern is called Seven Sisters and uses worsted weight yarn but silly me decided to use fingering weight which dragged on and on. The pattern shows about 6-7 loops but I got bored knitting I-cord so I managed 2 loops.

Add caption

It looks just ehh-okay on my but I think some blocking will benefit the yarn and even out some of the stitches.

Add caption

I found a vintage=old button in my MIL sewing box that I thought would look really nice as the closure.

Meanwhile, Hector is onto the next step in the DIY Hylian shield. He spray painted the entire shield back/front a silver gray and let it dry for a day. Last night he masked off the next design and spray painted the area blue. I need to get a better photo of that part since the other photo is very blurry.

Add caption

I'm also finishing up a pair of socks for the October challenge which is self striping, seasonal theme patterns or designers of the month.

This is a seasonal pattern called Summer Lovin' socks.

Very bright and cheery colors.

socks and blanket

I haven't knit nearly as much as I like the last couple of weeks but picked it up again this week. I found a pair of Blender socks that I started a while back and thought I'd start with some mindless stockinette.

I finished the heels yesterday and suddenly decided to make them into short socks. That just makes them done that much faster...





Really toasty and warm. I could feel my feet heating up as I wore them a few minutes. One can never have too many socks, right?

My apple core blanket is coming along nicely. I'm not sure how big I want to make this but I want it as a baby blanket. I need to decide if it'll be a proper baby blanket (for a crib) or a snuggly kind of wubby baby blanket that a baby can use to soothe themselves. Either way I hope it will get lots of use. Even though I'm using sock yarn leftovers, the blanket is warm and light. I might have to consider making myself one someday which will take lots of leftovers.





No timeline on the blanket since I don't anyone having a baby but maybe one of my cousins will be expecting in the next year or two so it will be ready for them.



By the way: my chile rojo experiment was called successful by Hector last night. I'll have to try it again next time and see if I get the same results.

Slow going

I'm still knitting and my current project really takes my concentration. Lots of manipulation, cables and twisted stitches keeps me on my toes but I love the result so far.





Close up of the stitches. This is Clue 2.

For this pattern, gauge is very important especially row gauge. Gauge is x (number) of stitches per inch for the pattern which will ensure the proper fit. Row gauge is the same idea but applies to length. Now note: I never knit a gauge swatch...if it doesn't fit me, I'll find someone who will. But I am very excited that I am spot on gauge and see, it fits great. :)


Here is my youngest son, looking snazzy and spiffy. He really liked wearing these clothes too.

Funky

I'm finally feeling back to my normal self. I'm back to my schedule and lifestyle which has me more energetic.

I had to frog my Jaywalkers since they were too small. I did like how they were turning out so I will cast on a bigger size soon. In the meantime, I started another project just because I saw so many cool socks with this pattern so I started Harvest Dew (free on Ravelry).



No, you don't need to adjust your monitor...it really is this bright. It has a funky name to go along with the wild colors...Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I got the yarn as part of the Rocking Sock Club 2011 and I think the pattern isn't obscured by the busy yarn. I needed a great project to jumpstart my sock knitting mojo again and so far, this is a fun knit. I'm at the heel flaps now, so it's moving along nicely.

Last weekend, Tyler's kenpo group went to a tournament and it was fun. Tyler did well but didn't win any top awards.






February is almost over along with three 3-day weekends for the kids.  Two of the three weekends, we went on a little trip and on the last one, we vegged for the most part. Phew, that was exhausting but fun.

Kind of back to normal

Took a little bloggie hiatus, especially the 365 project, and I'm feeling better. Had a busy but short week helping my mom after her eye surgery and our various usual activities.



I made cookies...recipe from my Cookie A Sock club 2012. The flourless, fiery fudge cookies that I accidently added paprika instead of cayenne pepper. Oooops, but it turned out fine and still tastes really good.  :)

Another 3 day weekend for the kids and we'll plan on sticking close to home.



Jaywalker socks in progress and I think I'm finding my sock knitting mojo again. It's slow but it's coming.

Have a good weekend!!

Plodding Along

Working on the Kusha Kusha scarf is definitely not the fastest knit but so far it looks very pretty. I estimate I have about 30% knit but I could be way off.

I knit about another 2 inches and it's slow going. Just keep knitting (use Dory's voice in Finding Nemo)...

TGIF

Yay, it's Friday!! School is winding down and there are all sorts of school activities coming up especially since Tyler will soon be done with elementary school. He has a farewell program, park day and exit party coming up in the next 2 weeks.

Josh has his last big school project today; he give a presentation on Wayne Gretzky. :) We will have to work on memorizing in the future since it will be more important as time goes on. 

But on to knitting...several project OTN like usual. My SKA (sock knitters anonymous) group has a self striping sock challenge this month and I have one going already but since I've already knit this pattern it will not qualify because I've knit it before and won't be a challenge. I was looking for another striping yarn & pattern that I thought would work okay but the cotton in the yarn is not as ideal for socks IMO. Thinking cap back on, I ditched the socks idea and found a baby sweater pattern that would be perfect for the cotton sock yarn. I know one person who is due in November but I'd rather hold on to this for an actual friend who is going through in vitro and truly hope they will get pregnant.

another better photo of my artichoke socks

We have another busy weekend ahead of us and hopefully tonight we can see the grunion run. :)

Too Many Projects

I have a serious problem. I love starting new projects. There are just so many cool/beautiful items just begging to be knit. My problem is that I'm sort of slow so finishing a project takes a ton of determination and willpower to stick with it until the end.

So my resolution is to not start any more projects until I finish half of the projects that are already on the needles. You may have seen from a previous post of several projects in progress and may think, "That's not so bad." It's more, way more.

Another wrench is that I pick projects that use fine thinner yarn like fingering/laceweight so that just ups the time factor. I do like worsted weight but after a week or so, my wrists start acting up so that's no good.

Okay, enough of my being boo-hoo, poor me, I have too many things to knit. I'll show some progress pics so I have some light at the end of the tunnel.

Pomatomus socks. Reminds me of waves/ripples.

My attempt at making paper stars. I found some origami paper that matched the sock pattern exactly !

Kusha Kusha scarf still in progress. If it didn't take so long, I'd make one for all of my girlfriends.

Unique

I've had my eye on  a Kusha Kusha scarf for a while and finally decided to take the plunge. I found it online at Knit Purl who has excellent customer service btw and it arrived Wednesday.

I call it yarn although its appearance is more like thread. I showed the yarn to Hector and he replied, "That's not yarn." :) True. But the ultra cool thing is that one of the yarn is a stainless steel blend with wool.

This makes the scarf/garment malleable and it stays in the position. Knit it with another yarn then later lightly felt it to produce a unique artistic item. Remember the yarn is super thin and this is supposed to be a scarf so I have a long, long way to go.

Here are some photos to get you started.

I chose a lavender and charcoal gray.

up close view but looks shimmery silver from far away.