WIP Wednesday: Sock Yarn Again

After mixing things up with some handspun projects over these last few weeks, I find myself back to all sock yarn, all the time. I guess it was just a matter of time!

The Royals socks continue to grow; I'm starting to think about where I need to place the heel, because there are a LOT of games left still. Thankfully, Tyler has big feet, and at this point, I can calculate exactly how many stripes need to be reserved for the foot, post-heel.

The BFL socks have started to see some action in the form of a productive afternoon at the Revolution Tap Room last Sunday - I'm just doing a simple knit and purl arrow design for the leg, which was actually a stitch pattern from the Boson Cowl I knit not too long ago.

When I brought home these 2 skeins of Artyarns Merino Cloud from H+H last month, I knew they were going to be used in a project together....but of course, I had no idea what that project might be. I'm not sure where I finally got the idea to look for a two-color brioche cowl (Instagram, maybe??), but once I got that stuck in my head, I couldn't let it go. I was pretty excited when I found a free pattern on Ravelry by Emma Goulding called Brioche for Beginners, because that is exactly where I'm at - I've only knit one other project with brioche (a sweater), so I still feel pretty new to the technique. It's actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it and can adjust to all of the funky abbreviations, though. It seems like each designer uses their own version of them, too, just to add to the confusion, but luckily both patterns I've knit have had instructions that were pretty easy to pick up and memorize.

Lastly, I started another pair of socks this week. I know, I know - WHAT IS WITH ALL THE SOCKS? Last year saw hardly any sock projects started/completed, so I feel like I have a deficit to make up for in 2016. Also, this gorgeous skein of Merino/Nylon from Ancient Arts showed up on my doorstep, which was the perfect excuse for finally trying out these crazy needles I got at H+H last month. I had to start this sock project FOR SCIENCE.

Since I'll be flying down to KC tomorrow for the Ply Away retreat, I thought that a plain vanilla sock would be the perfect thing to take on the go. I'll only be there for a long weekend, but I am packing 3 of the 4 projects featured here on today's blog post (only the Royals socks and the many balls of yarn attached to that project are staying at home). That's a totally reasonably amount of WIPs to take on a short trip to visit family and attend a spinning retreat, right?!?

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b...

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a...

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n...

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