January roundup

What? January? Is it already over?

This is what I finished in January:

- a striped scarf out of Noro Chirimen for no purpose other than I wanted to.

- a pair of plain vanilla socks in Kroy Socks FX, clover colors

Guess that it!

Just plain vanilla

I'm not talking about this:




Or this:



(although I might need to make some chocolate sauce to go with this).

Rather, I'm talking about this:



A bunch of plain vanilla socks. That's what I've been working on this week. They are in all stages of completion. As I finish one I start another.

This is an adult pair of socks that are finished:



Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks FX in clover colors, 2 skeins
Size 1 dpns (a bit tight to knit, would be better on 2s. After looking at the ballband, the recommendation is 3s, which might be too loose. Something to keep in mind for the future, though, the whole looking at the ballband thing.)
64 sts, 7" leg, 10.25" foot. Used up all the yarn, plus some black for the toes.


Next up was another adult sized pair using more Patons Kroy. This time I learned my lesson and cast on using 2s. Much better.



Do you see the crochet hook? That dropped stitch is a result of knitting at a basketball game and forgetting to bring my reading glasses. Turns out they're an important item to have even when I'm not really looking at my knitting.


Because there were 3 Bball games this week, I got lots of knitting done. It keeps me busy at home, too, as I try to do the ribbing, heels, and toes at home (and picking up any dropped stitches).

Last night I worked on this sock during the JV game,



and switched over to this one for the Varsity game.



Keeps me from getting bored and keeps me knitting. (and look, no dropped stitches!).

These are pink toddler socks, 48 sts, sz 1 dpns. Great for using up leftovers.

More plain vanillla socks will be worked on this weekend, too, as I see a couple of soccer games in the future.

Just keep knitting

I've never been one to go on a yarn diet. I figure as long as my yarn fits into the allotted space, then I'm good to go. I've also never really counted the number of skeins that I have, but this year I'm giving a half-hearted attempt to count the sock yarn.

Not all the yarn, mind you, just the sock yarn.

These are my full skeins:



32 of them. Most are 100gr but a few are 50 gr. One pair of socks are on the needles, so if you count them (and I'm going to, since they were started after the new year), then I have 34 skeins.

Plus these are my partials:




That's all the counting I'm going to do with that. This is about 2 gal. bags full. I hope to use up some of these bits and pieces.

My goal? I suppose to go down in the amount of yarn that I own. It'll be nice to see how it looks by the end of the year. It might go up, though, if I find a good sale. And that's okay, too, as long as I keep knitting.

Check out our snow that the schools closed 2 hours early for:



We're supposed to get 2-5 inches, but nothing had come by 4:45 when this picture was taken. (Although DS looks good in his hat.) I've actually gotten to prefer it this way than waiting too long and trying to get the kids in a snowy blizzard.

In knitting news, I've still been working on several projects.

The scarf is done:



It's made with 4 skeins of Noro Chirimen which is 60% cotton, 24% silk, and 16% wool. It's soft and pretty and will go in my "save it for when I need it" bin.


I finally sewed the pillow covers from fabric that I got at Spoonflower.



They match my afghan (finally! something that matches in my living room!)


I bought some yarn on clearance (because what's a week without buying yarn, anyway?)




There's been more basketball games to attend, so the hoodie is speeding right along:



It's several inches past the armpits, time to measure it and see when to add the red circle details.


And, of course, I've been knitting on the socks. I've used up all the yarn for the first one and have started the second one.



I think I'm going to make black toes to make them long enough. (And next time, I won't make the leg as long so I have yarn for the toes.) Plain vanilla, 64 sts, sz 1 dpns.


Time to go make dinner (but not clean the house!)

Blogversary!

I totally missed my blogversary, so I'll just publish this and change the day like I remembered... Why should today be any different?

My first post was Jan. 5, 2005, so I've been blogging for 6 years! I didn't have much to say then (Hey! That's just like today!), but who knew I could keep blathering on for 6 years. Some of you have read this from the first day, and some have joined along the way, but to all of you I say a big

"Thank you!"

I appreciate the comments, and the suggestions, and the occasional pattern, (although I'm not sure what I would do with a hat with a beard!)(Wait, DS#2 might want that as he waits for his own to grow in.)(I know, TMI, don't tell him I wrote that, okay?)

The first picture was this poncho for my daughter:

Now she no longer plays with dolls. Sniff, sniff. I no longer knit and sell soakers (although my pattern is still for sale--see sidebar for Rav link), the dog is no longer around, and I rarely paint my nails. Or have nails.

Some things haven't changed, though. I'm still making socks and hats and oven mitts. I still wear my felted clogs, but not my shawl (very much). I still do a lot of knitting for me, but also do some knitting for charity. I haven't made any of these vests



for a long time, and CIC is not doing much collecting anymore, but I'm doing plenty of knitting for M4A.

I still burn dinner while writing these posts, and use them to avoid cleaning the house.

I've stopped changing the colors of the background, but still occasionally change the sidebar. (Have you checked out the Human Calendar? If you click on the daily picture, it takes you to the whole month calendar.)

I still cut and paste code and don't understand it at all, but haven't managed to ruin it beyond repair. (I also changed the month archive to list in backwards order. Don't ask me how... cut and paste, cut and paste.)

Thanks for being around and listening to my blather. (Hey, is that my dinner burning?)

What have I been working on?

Well, let me just show you...

I've been working on 4 different projects. Most days I've been knitting on at least 2 or 3.

I cast on for a new pair of socks. The middle part was done during yesterday's basketball game.





The scarf is about 3/4 done. It went to the basketball game yesterday also, so after I got ready for the heel on the sock, I switched over to the scarf.



The Mirepoix vest is one of my two last big UFOs. Here's what it looked like last February, the last time I worked on it:



Here's what it looks like today:



Enough time went by that I had a really hard time trying to remember what I was doing. Fortunately, I made a note on what sized needles to use.

And finally, here is a new hoodie that I started, appropriately enough, on New Year's Day.



It's a hoodie that will have some red detailing around the waist. The yarn is a normal black, not a shiny black like the picture suggests. It's my first Akkol grad knitting for the year.