nikatayknits

Socks and More Socks???

Ok, I finally finished my first pair of socks and after I finished grafting the toe I vowed to never knit another pair again!  I may have to eat those words.  Why?  Because after several wears - I just luv my socks!  I luv how toasty they keep my feet and I luv the funky colors in the Koigu PPPM.

I attempted to knit my first pair over two years ago when I spent a winter in mighty cold Minnesota!  The kind folks at Needlework Unlimited hooked me up with the Koigu and a pattern.  The pattern was a toe up one and I did fine until I had to turn for the heel and then I just gave up and put the socks in my basket along with all the other UFOs.  Poor things!  Then out of nowhere everyone was on a sock crave.  Sockpalooza etc.  So I decided to dive into that UFO basket and save my forgotten Sock!  Only problem was I misplaced the pattern and I lost one of the dp needles.  I decided this was not going to stop me and I started fresh.  I bought the book Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles which I think was an absolute waste of the $16.95 price. It's a good thing that I am an experienced knitter and someone who can interpret patterns quite well.  This book is not for those who need visuals to learn a technique - it does not spell anything out for you.  I suggest saving your moola for two skeins of Kiogu and posting to a "stitch and bitch" group or going to your LYS to see if anyone is willing to take a few seconds to show you how.  Because the technique is rather simple and very slick.  Your joins will be tight and fluid.  I actually am so happy I learned this, that I use it for alot of other items I need to knit in the round. I used the pattern in the book for the simple sock.  It's a fully ribbed sock so it's nice to use if you don't know the exact measurement of someones foot or for those who might have wide feet and large calfs (not that there is anything wrong with that - I would fall into that category!).

Here's what the sock looks like on the two needles as it is being worked.

It takes a long time to knit socks using the simple sock pattern because the whole thing is ribbed.  K2, P2 I swear I was like man I am never going to finish these things!!
But now - I am contemplating giving it another go - maybe attempting with another pattern.  Stay tuned for further developments......

Bow Wow

Here is Davis in her Bow Wow Sweater I made for her at Christmas. She is growing like a weed and will probably just get a few more months out of it - so my sister is having her wear it a lot.  She requested that I make her another one in a larger size because she just adores the sweater.  I will probably make her and my nephew Will matching sweaters for next Christmas because the pattern and construction of the piece is like "a piece of cake".

One very bitter cold weekend I stayed in and fought a pending cold with hot tea and Zicam (I hate getting a cold!!) and whipped up several pairs of mittens for my Will and Davis.  I used the pattern from Melanie Falick's Knitting for Baby.  They were quick and simple to make. Plus the more I made the better the thumbs came out.  Last year I knit my first pair of mittens for Will using a free pattern I found on the internet.  I loved how they came out and the thumb gusset was perfect.  But alas, I lost the pattern and can't for the life of me re-located the web site I got it from.  So I decided to use Falick's pattern using Lopi Lite for Will's pairs and I used a cotton for Davis' pair. 371 Butterfly Cotton from Greece, 100% Mercerized Cotton.  This is the same cotton I used to make her a Bucket Hat this past summer.  I love the colors and it's very fitting for the upcoming Valentine Month.

Ok Mum - What's on my hands?

Look at my new mittens!!!

Close Ups for the folks in BlogLand...

Sorry no pics of Will's mittens - the feisty three year old wouldn't cooperate!

Here's a picture of the mitten I made for Will last year - I am so bummed I lost the pattern!

I love how the style of this mitten and how the shaping and thumb comes out.  I think I will need to examine it more closely and try to replicate it on my own.  Do I dare?