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...

A Finished Sweater, With Cat Hair

After losing Tilly and Robin within a year of each other, I sure didn't think I'd be finding cat hair in my knitting any time soon. But the universe had other ideas. Over the winter, a white feral cat adopted us. I'd noticed her when we moved into our apartment last summer - I would see her hiding in the bushes or sunning herself in the grass when she thought no one was looking. I assumed she was someone's cat until I realized how skittish she was around humans, plus she had a tipped ear, which is a universal sign that a feral/stray cat has been spayed. Neighbors confirmed that she was a feral kitty (descended from several generations of feral cats, in fact), and that she has survived on her wits and whatever food various residents put out for her. We had some bitterly cold days over the winter, and I just felt so sorry for this poor kitty! I started offering her treats and slowly gained her trust. She didn't even want to come inside our apartment at first, much le...

Australian Superfine Merino Yarn Review & Giveaway

After more than ten years of knitting, I can still have new experiences - even with well-covered territory such as merino yarn! This recent merino experience actually took me by surprise: I've spun with it, I've dyed it, I've knit with it, and I've even crocheted with it...I was pretty sure I knew all there was to know about merino! Turns out, there are four different classifications of merino fiber, sorted by micron count range . At the bottom of the spectrum is Strong Merino , which ranges from 26-22.9 microns; above that is Fine Merino , which ranges from 20.1-23 microns; next up is Extra Fine Merino, which ranges from 20-15.6 microns; and at the very top of the heap is Superfine Merino Wool , with a micron range of 18.5-15.6. If you're into numbers and wondering how these four classes stack up against other fibers you may be familiar with, here are a few for comparison's sake: BFL (Blue-Faced Leicester) has a micron range of 24-28, Cashmere goat down ...

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