Memories….

Last week after I finished my Neon Socks I wasn’t sure what to work on next.  I still have my sweater that I’m working on but I needed something else.  So I stood in front of my stash closet & looked around at everything.  My eyes fell on a bag of pink & grey sock yarn.  I love this combo so I grabbed the bag & took the contents out.  Well, there were 4 skeins of Patons Stretch Socks yarn along with a pattern to make pedicure socks.

I sat back & remembered the exact day I got this, but I want to give you a little background first.

My mom taught me to knit a few years ago.  You can read about that here.  But since then every once in a while we would both work on the same project, kind of like our own little KAL.  We made socks & sweaters & afghans…   So when my mom would come across something that she thought would be good for both of us to work on she would buy everything needed.  This was one of those things.  She came over to my house with the pattern & the yarn for both of us to make this project.  Well, one thing led to another and we never actually made it.  So, this was it!  I was going to make these socks!

FO: Neon Socks!!!

Whew!  I have finally finished the Neon Socks!  I totally loved the yarn!  The colors are amazing!  So happy & bright & cheerful!  But…….  the pattern, just wasn’t feeling it!

So quick recap:  The yarn was Plymouth Yarn, Neon Now in the 002 Orange/Pink color way.  And the pattern was the one that went with this yarn, Neon Now Basic Socks by Plymouth Yarn.

I just wasn’t feeling this pattern, so I wasn’t excited when I picked it up to work on it, which is probably why it took me so long to finish.  And now after I have finished I don’t have that feeling of satisfaction!  The yarn was so pretty & so awesome I wanted the socks to be just as awesome & I feel let down.  😦

Sweater Update #2

I am almost done with the left front!  YAY!  I only have a couple more inches left on the collar & then I will start the right front.

I do have to say that it is a bit difficult to knit a sweater in pieces like this!  The last sweater I made (which was a few years ago) was done all in one piece and then you sewed up the seams.  That to me seems easier than doing it in pieces.  I’m having trouble making sure that each piece measures the same!  The back is done so I need to make sure that the left & right front pieces line up with the back & that is just super annoying to me!  LOL  I measured the back piece and measured the front piece and I kept getting different measurements.  So, I have a question.  When making a sweater like this should I measure the pieces while they are laying flat on the table or floor or while I’m holding it up?   I’m not sure which is the right way.

Neon Sock Update

Wow, I can’t believe it has been almost a month since I started knitting the Neon Socks!  eek!  My knitting has slowed down a little the last month.  I’ve been working on my sweater as well.  And we have been super busy on the weekends, so not much time to knit.

But I do have an update on my socks this week!  I finished sock #1 about a week ago.  I’m really not crazy about this pattern.  The leg of the sock is fine, its just the foot of the sock that I’m not particularly crazy about.  And the heel was my first attempt at a short row heel & I wasn’t crazy on how it came out.  And the fact that knitting the heel was stressful!  LOL

So first up is the heel:

Change of Plans…I’ve been given The Liebster Award

I was ready to do my blog post today when I noticed I was nominated for an award!  I know!!!  It’s crazy!  LOL  I’m very honored to have been nominated for this or any award for that matter!

The award I was nominated for is the Liebster Award.  From what I have read it is given to blogs that have less than 1,000 followers to help promote and support them.

I’m truly honored!  I started my blog almost a year ago with really no expectations & I’m thrilled at how much I love it!  I have connected with other fabulous bloggers!  I have learned a lot & expanded my horizons because of my blog!  I’m always grateful to everyone who stops by to read my little blog and always excited when someone comments or likes my posts!  It is such a fascinating thing to me to be able to connect with others with the same interests & that are from all over the world!

Sweater Update

I finished the back piece of my Ragg Jacket sweater!!  yay!

Now the question is, this is 100% acrylic yarn.  I have heard that you can’t block acrylic.  And I have heard that you can.  So which is it?  The research that I’ve done says you can block it if you use steam.  I guess I will try to block it with a steamer.  I don’t have one so my experiment will have to wait until I go out and buy one.  LOL  I wonder if I can use my iron, it has a steam setting…. Anyways, I hope I can block it because it seems to me like it needs to be blocked.

Here is question number 2:  Do you block each piece as you finish or do you wait until the whole sweater is completed & finished and then block the whole thing?  I again have heard both on this.  To me it seems like it would be easier to put the pieces together if each one has been blocked.

For now I will just continue working on the left front since I don’t have a steamer just yet.

Neon Socks

Since my last post  I recieved 2 requests for socks in the beautiful Neon yarn I purchased.  So I decided to start working on the first pair.  I’m using the pattern that I found on Plymouth yarns website that actually is for these socks.  It is their basic sock pattern.  This actually worked out because I was wanting to knit a basic rib sock anyways.  But the thing is, this pattern has the heel done in short rows.  I’ve never done short rows.  I’ve heard them mentioned in blogs & pod casts, even while I was in my LYS.  And I knew I would eventually come across a pattern that calls for short rows.  So, here I am, ready to start the heel & I am sooooo scared!  LOL  well, not really scared, but just worried that I will not do it correctly & have to rip everything out.

I read the pattern over & over and I kept asking myself where is the heel flap!  Am I missing something?  Did they forget to put it into the pattern?  Oh boy!  I’m telling you, last night I just put my little sock down & started working on something else.

Socks, Socks and hmmmm…. Socks…

Last Saturday I went back to my LYS, Raging Wool,  for my second class on knitting 2 socks at the same time.  I felt like I pretty much got it but since the class I signed up for included 3 sessions I wanted to go.  And I must say I really enjoyed going.  It was so peaceful to be sitting there knitting with all that beautiful yarn around me & just chit chatting with everyone.  I truly lost track of time while I was there, I think I was there for over 2 hours.  LOL  Oh, And while I was there Alice, the owner, was talking about some yarn samples that she just got in for socks.  Of course my curiosity got the best of me & I asked if I could see it.  And it was beautiful!!!  I absolutely loved it and asked if it was for sale & if I could buy one skein!  LOL  It was Plymouth Yarn Neon.  And though I wanted one of each I bought the Orange/Pink one.  My eyes just kept falling on that one.  I love it!!  It just looked so happy & cheery that I couldn’t resist buying it!!  I can’t wait to use it!!

Learning Something New…2 Socks at the Same Time…

This week I finally decided to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time!  Learn how to knit 2 socks at the same time!!!  I went to my LYS, Raging Wool, and took the class.  We are starting with a pair of knitted slippers.  It should be a fast project because the yarn we are using is super bulky.  It is called Lorna’s Laces, Shepherd Bulky.  I love it!!!  It is super soft!  The color way I picked is called Mineshaft.  Its a pretty mix of greys, browns & purple.

I also bought new needles.  I needed size 10, 40 inch circulars.  I love these needles.  They are Knitters Pride, Symfonie Cubics.  I’ve never had needles like this.  They are square!!!  There were others to choose from, but since I was learning something new, I figured I would also use needles I have never had before.  I didn’t ever know they made square needles.  And you know what….  I totally love them!  I think I may get more!  LOL

1 Sock Done…Or Is It Half a Sock…

The Socks with Sarah KAL starts today!  This is going to be a fun KAL & the best part is I’m going to knit a bunch of socks this year because of it!  YAY!!  The official start date is today however, I started this pair of socks in December, did a few rows & then put it down until the beginning of January when I finally finished with holiday gifts & was able to sit & knit something that I wanted.  🙂  And when I saw this KAL being mentioned by some of the other blogs that I follow, I decided to join in.  I love-love-love to knit socks, so this now gives me an excuse to knit socks every day!

I just finished sock #1 last night.  I’m very happy with the way it came out.  I’m knitting the November Socks and it is a 12 row repeat.  I’m using Patons Kroy socks Jacquard.  I love the yarn & the combination of colors.  I don’t know if it is the yarn or the pattern but the sock seems like a nice thick sock!  Good & sturdy…LOL

The toe of the sock was done differently than I’ve done before.  I was decreasing at the end of each needle, where normally I decrease at the end of one needle & then at the beginning of the next one.  I wasn’t sure how this would look and for a minute I thought I was not understanding the pattern correctly.  I had to go back and look at pictures.  LOL  I was afraid that the decrease in the middle of the toe would be bothersome, but it isn’t.  And the way it ended up looking is pretty.

looking at the top of the finished toe