I bought sweater yarn.

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Happy Memorial Day!

We visited Yosemite!

What an incredibly stunning place. It was my first time visiting and I have so many mixed feelings. I personally find my spirituality outdoors, Yosemite is truly awe inspiring. But so many of the things I saw broke my heart & we cut our trip short. If we go again, it'll be in the fall or winter for sure!

Yesterday we hopped back into the car and ran down to Roseville to run some errands. I look forward to visits to that area because I can stop at Babetta's! I finished the first part of Life on Sunday's, I still have no idea what color to do my stripes! My yarn is Plucky Feet in Grady's Grouse, I am so smitten with this color. It's like an oatmeal-y gray. Her colors are so inspired. I saw this skein of tosh sock in pop rocks and I had to buy it. I've used pop rocks before and it's one of my FAVORITES. The only thing is...as much as I *love* pink, I don't really wear it. I do love how they look together sooo much though! Also, how pretty is this one?

Hey! Socks! Oh this yarn, how I love thee! It's Lynai sparkle sock in Goblin. I am soooooo obsessed with this. Halloween! Sparkle! YES! I started a pair of Bavarian Cable Socks, I did one full chart repeat but I was struggling with the all the purling, I feel like I can never get it to look nice & neat. So I pulled them out but now I have 66 stitches and it feels a little tricky finding a pair of socks that works with 66 stitches, so I think I'll pull back to either 64 or 62. Plus 66 feels a teeny bit big on size 2 needles. I got another skein of Lynai in a color called Frankenstein and I saw this shawl and totally fell in love. It has to happen!

And then I did something crazy.

I bought enough yarn (sort of) for a sweater. Tosh DK in glazed pecan. I really want a cardigan but the more I look at ravelry, the more I realize it's a bit out of my reach. Seeing how many changes people make, how to edit patterns, gauge, math, omg. I love small projects and a cardigan isn't. I was having MAJOR buyers remorse last night but Chop was like "it's not like the yarn is going to expire, just hang onto it until you want to knit with it!" True, but I like to have a plan for everything and this was a lot of money for me! I'm a pretty monogamous knitter and I finish or frog everything I start, I sort of feel bad working on socks and a shawl at the same time, plus I want to do this knit-a-long in June. The thought of knitting a pair of socks, two shawls and a sweater at the same time feels...scary? overwhelming? overly indulgent?

Am I crazy for wanting to knit a cardigan for this fall? Plus knitting some socks and shawls?! Did you start any new projects this weekend?

Finished: Harvest Dew Socks

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I have no idea what is going on with our weather but I am so not complaining. Tonight seriously felt like Fall. I was totally in heaven!

I finished my Harvest Dew Socks last night & I'm smitten.

I made them toe up and was helped by these notes. They came together really fast, the pattern was easy to memorize. It certainly helped that Chop & I did nothing but hang out all weekend watching movies. (Side note: I struggled with the Hunger Games series- I read the first two but couldn't get into the third. Surprisingly I *loved* the movie!)

The yarn! Oh! The yarn! It really makes these socks. I used Miss Bab's Northumbria BFL fingering and I think it's one of my new favorites. I bought it originally thinking that it was the same base as Hedgehog Fibres sock yarn, wrong! I truly have no clue why I thought this! I loved how wool-y this yarn feels. My last pair of socks had cashmere and I think my hands got used to that. But please don't read this as the yarn was scratchy because it's not at all, it's just unique feeling to me. I loved how the yarn has soft fuzzy halo to it, truly beautiful. I really enjoyed taking these photos as the sun was setting, the last photo shows the yarn in all it's glory. My skein didn't have a bunch of darks in it and I'm totally a-ok with that. At the same time I bought this skein I got deep sea jelly fish and I can't wait to knit with it. I'd like to try the Tart base next! One more thing! Their customer service is *so* good. I had a silly question and emailed them late on a Thursday night, I had a reply Friday morning, I bought my yarn Friday at noon and by 2 pm it had shipped. <3!!!

Naturally I did what anyone does when they finish something...I started something new!

Ashleigh & I are gearing up to start pre-sale for Summer Sampler and this is a huge deal. Like crazy huge. We've been working like maniacs on it and I would go as far as saying that it is our best and most legit chart yet. I'm kind of freaking out about how neat it is. Our testers, our stitcher and our friends who've seen it think it's the bees knees!

So today we met in Chico, I twisted her arm into going to the yarn store with me before we got to work and I got this cute little Della Q bag. It says "Knit With Love", so sweet! The yarn I'm using is Plucky Feet in Grady's Grouse. I have no clue what I'll use for a second color yet. It was an impulse cast on, Ashleigh does a *ton* of computer work during our meetings and I sort of feel lame just sitting there, so I always bring a project that doesn't require focus.

I'm waiting for some very special sock yarn to arrive this week, once it does I might tuck this away. I realized I have just ONE shawl left out of all the ones I made last fall, I gave them all away! Whenever a good friend compliments me on something I've been known to just give it to them. I guess I sort of feel like I can always knit it again? But I never do! Do you do this too?

So my goal this summer is to boost my shawl collection but also knit more socks. And to knit from my stash. Which is so funny to type after I just said I was waiting for new sock yarn to arrive, lol!

I hope you are having a nice week so far, today we finally got to try The Hunter & The Farmer food truck. I had a donut. A paleo donut. The first time in years I ate a donut and didn't want to die afterwards. It was glorious. But I still haven't determined  when I'm going to get my sewing machine tuned up!

:):)

Works in Progress: May Edition

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I thought I'd share with you all my current WIPs (works in progress). Some of these are long term, some are instant gratification, some are work related and some are just silly.

I took my photos this morning before the sun was fully risen in our bedroom so they are a little dark but that's ok right?! ;)

I'll start with my most recent sewing:

Amanda from Westwood Acres very sweetly sent me some Briar Rose scraps! I knew instantly that I wanted to make the same pouch that Amy did. I made it my goal to use JUST scraps and NOT cut them. Oh and improv piece it. Those are all things I'm quite terrible at but I wanted to branch out. I'm not sure I *love* it but that's ok! Unfortunately my sewing machine started to act funny during the quilting (ok-let's be honest, it's been cranky all winter). I did all the normal things: clean, oil, replace needles/bobbins/etc. Still no luck. By the time I attached the piping the machine wasn't holding it's tension at all anymore SO! To the dealer I will go and get a tune-up. And I think the timing is slightly off. No sewing for a little while!

Two weeks ago I got it into my head that I *needed* a new Halloween quilt. I decided to make a new Donut Quilt from my stash. I have the blocks partly done. It'll be a fast finish once I get my machine fixed. I haven't decided on a border fabric yet though. All I know is, that donut quilt gets SO much love around here, it's the perfect size for me to drag everywhere. I think this might be the first time I've ever made a pattern twice?!

Oh these blocks! They kill me! (in a very good way of course!) They are from the Forest QAL and quite possibly my favorite things ever. However, I need at least a full day of complete quiet for each block. Not because they are hard, they are really straight forward but because I am *really* slow at paper piecing and these blocks have a ton of pieces in them. I have the feather and the woodpecker done, I'm using just scraps which is fun. It's a little tricky to pick fabrics for them though. This is definitely my long term project- it's special and I'm not into rushing it. I'd love to finish it by July and enter it into the fair but that's probably wishful thinking. Also: They are crunchy & wrinkled looking because...I haven't removed the paper yet! LOL! ;)

I've needed to apply the binding to this quilt since March. Eep! Lindsay did an amazing quilting job on it! But literally that's the only corner bound. It doesn't stop me from using it all the time though.

It's not all sewing though...I cast on for a new pair of socks this week! I happily knit outside in Chico yesterday while Ashleigh worked on our shop! It got a facelift! And we re-released Fruit of the Month Club! Somehow in my excitement to be hanging out, I started doing the size large chart on my size medium sock! Doh! But I tried them on and somehow the pattern is still pretty centered. Maybe my feet are strange shaped? IDK! But I'm going to keep going. They also got the nickname "Cinnamon Toast Crunch Socks" from Chop?!

Speaking of work! Here is my Woodland Sampler! Even though we've had the full chart done & tested last year, I cross stitch along with everyone. It's just more fun that way. Plus I can share sneak peeks leading up to the first of each month!

That's everything! All my current WIPs! How about you? What are you working on?

FO: Zombie Girl Socks

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Last week I found myself with a spare half hour while waiting for a file to download.

I did what any normal girl does...search for sock knitting blogs! ;) No but seriously, I don't have a lot of spare internet time and I was curious if there are a lot of sock blogs out there!

A google search for "sock knitting blog" turned up My Sister's Knitter which I happily spent my half hour reading more like 2 hours of reading but I don't want to be a creepy girl. The prettiest photos and yarns! And then she mentions Must Stash Podcast  and bam! I was hooked!

I spent each morning watching an episode and knitting while having breakfast. I love it, it's the cutest little pod cast, the girls are super sweet and...ok...this might be weird but I totally found myself cheering them on! Steph was making a sweater for her husband and I loved watching it grow each week, when it was done I was like YEAH GO STEPH. I know, that's sort of strange.

But then I realized I love when I scroll through someones instagram and see the beginning, the middle and the end of the project. I want to hug that person. I think right now there is so much technology surrounding us with very little time to create something with our own two hands so each finished good should totally be celebrated. It also made me more excited to share WIPs, for some reason I always think I bore everyone with..."welp this is my 9 millionth in progress photo". But now I don't really care. Hahaha. I think once a week I'm going to check in and share some WIPs.

So! Hey! I finished a pair of socks! Yeah! I put all the details on ravelry, I'm the worst ravelry user ever. I started using it in 2007 but I really only started using it FOR REAL this past year. I actually have projects and part of my yarn stash on there now. Gold star!

Next socks!

I was thinking about knitting a color affection, then I saw Andi's post about Cameo and I decided I want to knit that with my skein of Weenie! I did a little stash searching and found a skein of Plucky Hayride so I'm going to use those two together for a Halloween shawl. Soooo that meant my skein of Biker Chick was free to become socks! I think I want to make Harvest Dew because they are so pretty! The only thing is...it's charted for cuff down! I emailed this gal to ask if I had her notes correct, she knit her pair toe up and they are BEAUTIFUL. 

Ok! That's it! Tons of Pumpkin work to do. <3

VIDEO: Sock Knitting Needle Review!

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Hi guys! Soooo I'm pretty sure this is the most silly video ever but I really wanted to share with you a few of my sock knitting needles and my thoughts on them!

 

http://vimeo.com/65681942

 

Here are some links to things I mention in the video:

I hope this helps and answers some questions :):)

Real Life Talk: What's Your Style?

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I've been thinking a lot about personal style lately.

Chop & I have a huge goal to be homeowners next year and we started a pinterest board of things that we both like. It's been a lot of conversations such as:

"Can I put neon pom pom garland on your bear head?'

"Will you help me glue my mini figs onto magnets?"

"Wanna wrap some yarn around these antlers and spray paint them gold so we can put them on a coffee table we don't own yet?"

"I saw this on pinterest- let's build it" "Of course I know that aged wood that big is expensive"

"Our front door should be mustard colored!!!!"

"We need stars on our bedroom ceiling. No, not the glow in the dark sticker kind."

"Let's get a small marlin and hang it in the bathroom!"

"Basil Grimm Jennings is the best cat name ever right!? Can we afford adopt a grumpy little fatty within the first year? Wait...you want a dog? And ducks? Are we starting a farm?"

"I'm going to want to hang my pots & pans from the ceiling. Can you buy me a drill as a housewarming gift? Oh...I guess I'll need a stud finder then. BUT I ALREADY MARRIED YOUUUU so clearly....!!!"

How do you blend your love of ridiculously cute and your husbands love of hunting? With patience of course. And good sense of humor. And trying to figure out what your TRUE style is. Like the stuff you actually LOVE LOVE. Not like, only kinda sorta like on Tuesdays but LOVELOVE.

My TRUE style is a whole lot of:

  • kawaii
  • cat tshirts
  • leggings
  • pink fabric (but I won't ever wear pink. unless it's blush.)
  • halloween! gimme the orange, the black and a million apple cider candles. and candy.
  • fruity scented body wash in the summer only
  • glitter EVERYWHERE.
  • cozy

Sooooo these are things I love...WHY DO I HAVE THINGS THAT ARE THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE IN MY LIFE?! For example, I only wear gray tshirts and cat tshirts...why does my wardrobe consist of a million dresses? Dumb! I purged my closet and donated a ton. Then I started thinking about:

CRAFT STYLE!

Do you have one? You know you do! I know you do. When I look at instagram or pinterest, I can immediately pick out the majority of my friends without looking because their style is SO THEM.

Here's my craft style:

  • I DON'T KNOW!

No. But seriously. I like to knit socks and make little patchwork. I've been sorting through fabric and yarn and I realized my taste is alllll over the place!

But now I'm trying to figure out what I actually like making and what I actually just like looking at. Do you do that? Have things you like to look at but when you think about actually creating them you kind of gag a little bit because the process is so uninspiring to you?

I want my crafting time to be super joyful and I want my future home to be filled with creations that are totally rad and us. For example: this week I cut out a Halloween Donut Quilt. That's both fun & glorious because it's Halloween AND donuts.

So yarn photos...I decided I obviously NEED a giant color affection shawl. I've given away almost all the shawls I knit last year and I want something halloween-y autumn-y squishy! But I can't decide on my third color. Last year my big birthday long term project was a pair of mittens that I only wear when I need to find something at the bottom of the freezer. SO! This year it has to be something I'll actually use a ton. Oh AND my next pair of socks will be these pirate ones. Because I've had the pattern for a while and I found a good gray for them in my stash. And because they look tricky awesome!

How's this for the most random blog post ever! What is your style? Does it transfer to your crafting? What color should I use to go with the orange and the gray?

 

ps: the winner of the embroidery book is Denica! Shoot me an email so I can forward your info to Lark Books! :):)

Sock Sack Sewing Pattern Giveaway! CLOSED. THANK YOU!

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It's Monday! It's the last week of my & Ashleigh's small business finance class-our brains are exploding from ratios, quickbooks and cost analysis. It's already over 90 degrees here-omg. I have a million hours of work to do this week (I'm looking at you mailchimp!) and it's a little overwhelming so let's do something fun k?

How about a pattern giveaway?

Last week I cast on for a new pair of socks (I went with a toe up version of these) and posted a little photo on instagram. Libby saw it and commented that I needed a sock sack. My first response was HEH? WHAT? But then I learned it's a pretty dang cute sewing pattern by Ramona, I bought it off Craftsy and a half hour later I had a new little bag. No joke. 30 minutes. Instant gratification which is totally right up my alley lately!

I've already made three (one was mailed as a secret present for a friend this morning) and I've cut out a Halloween and a Christmas one. Yeah. I *love* project bags. I have easily a dozen box bags, several drawstring bags, etc but this is just for two at a time sock knitting which is my favorite way to knit socks. It has little snaps so you can move your yarn and a neat little divider that helps give the bag structure.

These little bags are sort of like candy, once you make one suddenly you want a dozen. I already made one for a friend but I think I'm going to make a bunch for Christmas gifts and include a skein of yarn for my knitting friends. So act surprised if you get one in the mail from me k?! ;)

Leave me a comment telling me about either your very favorite skein of yarn or pair of socks by Wednesday and I'll randomly pick a person to win a copy of Ramona's pattern! On Thursday I'll announce the winner & post an embroidery book review! (but I pinkie promise that I won't do a million giveaways-that's not my style.)(pss: this quilt I'm taking photos on? Still not bound! I get an F ;))

FO: Tardis Dish Cloth, Lady Rainicorn Socks and WIPs

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A little knitting has been happening lately! Woo hoo! Clearly...pink love is continuing!

I knit my first dish cloth! That's sort of exciting I think?! I used Cascade Pima cotton in a pretty hot pink, the pattern used to be available on Ravelry & I'd downloaded it ages ago but the designer took it down. It was a fast and fun knit! Tardis = LOVE!

This is the first pair of socks I've finished since my Pheasants! Sock knitting hasn't agreed with me lately which is a bummer because I made a grand goal of knitting 12 pairs of socks this year, I think it'll be more like...6 pairs. And that's fine! Even just ONE pair of hand knit socks is special and an accomplishment! There is no greater pleasure than a pair of cute socks!

Details:

I cast on yesterday for some new socks. These are called...nothing yet! Haha! I can't decide on a pattern! I LOVE these ribbed ones, I haven't knit a pair of plain ribbed socks yet and they just look so squishy and soft!

  • Yarn- Becoming Art Agave Fingering in Hummingbird...it reminds me of zombies & halloween! IDK why!
  • Needles- Quite possibly my new favorites! The *new* Kollage Squares! They are pointy...like SHARP. And I looooove them. I'm using a size 1 with a 40 inch cord...two at a time. Dreamy!

Have you made a pair of ribbed socks? Which pattern did you use? I'm working with 64 stitches! :):)

Weekend Plans

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Hey!

TGIF! TGIF! TGIF!!!!

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I don't have anything giant planned but there is something about a Friday that makes me super excited. My only plan so far is to visit Kittle's & look at shot guns. I heard a rumor of an early birthday gift. Not something that I normally do on a weekends but it'll be fun. My dream right now is to own this. ;)

I got something fun in the mail, new sock yarn and new knitting needles. I saw this review of carbon needles, I wanted to give them a try in the future. I ordered the needles and the yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool on Wednesday with my JBWBucks and I was super excited that they came this morning. That's speedy! The yarn is called Colinette Jitterbug in Paintbox, doesn't it remind you of one of those sprinkle birthday cakes with all the bits of colored sugar inside? I sort of want to make one now! (ps: this cookbook has my favorite sprinkle cake recipe: Milk)

Isn't that donkey knitting bag incredible? I received the most amazing pink themed package from the sweetest blog reader (Beth) who sent me things so perfect that I almost died. It was like she was in my brain. I only got a cell phone photo of the treats but I think I need to do a blog post of all the presents I've received lately because I have incredibly kind and generous friends. I need to figure out some things I can sew as thank you gifts. Any ideas?!

I've been cross stitching non stop but I'm still not any neater or faster, haha! I've been listening to The Discovery of Witches for the zillionth time and working on Woodland Sampler! That's a pretty big sneak peek for April. I've also been working on Springtime Sampler for a few hours each morning. I'm thankful for the library's selection of audiobooks for sure!

Actually, has anyone read Iced? I've recently been re-reading the Faefever series from start to finish and I'd purchased Iced when it first came out but I forgot how annoying I found Dani and only got a chapter in. Now I'm not sure if I should give it a second chance?! What did you think of it?

I found a new little storage bin at Target for my cross stitch supplies. Every Wednesday Ashleigh & I take a small business class, then afterwards sit at a local coffee shop & cross stitch. I'd been using a little gingerbread man tin I got from JoAnns but it kept exploding open in my bag. This plastic one has a lid that clamps in place. Not too shabby for $2.99! I right now carry floss for Springtime Sampler and Woodland Sampler, plus needles, scissors, highlighter tape, yada yada yada. It's thinner than my gingerbread man tin too! If you cross stitch or craft on the go, check out Target for these. They came in gray, aqua and green. But they aren't on Target.com :( I'd love to finish stitching week 2 of Springtime Sampler this weekend and April's Woodland sampler this weekend!

I sadly lost my Smashbook this fall. I have no idea where it went. In February I got a new one, I went with hot pink this time. I'm hoping to add some things I've been collecting to it soon. Agnes sent me some Studio Calico wood veneer stars that are quite possibly the cutest things ever. Also: I love glue.

Do you notice anything pretty in these photos? A new quilt! Now I have my finished Farmer's Wife, a scrap quilt (who's name I can't decide. Shoofly? Churn Dash? IDK) and now this quilt to show you! It's not bound yet and I probably won't bind it for a little bit, I managed to make the fun of binding a scrap quilt last over a week so I'm hoping to do the same with this one. Lindsay quilted for it and omggg. I took it out of the box and seriously almost died. I posted a photo on instagram but it doesn't do her quilting job justice. She basically took a boring quilt and made it SING. It has this shiny pink thread that I can't stop looking at. The wool batting is making it look extra sweet. I know, I know, all my quilts are starting to look the same. Lots of pink and neutrals. I don't even care. As soon as I pulled it out of the box my second thought was...I WANT ANOTHER PINK QUILT FOR HER TO QUILT FOR ME. It's an obsession.

Soooo what are you doing this weekend? Hanging out at home? Wearing leggings as pants? Eating candy? Cross stitching a new Ireland pattern? Drinking green beer? Reading a book? Gardening?!

February Socks: Pigeonroof Studios

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February socks!!!

I highly doubt I'll be able to finish these this month but that's ok! I'm totally smitten with them. I had a few false starts, I've knit the toes up to the increases on two other pairs before I frogged them. I'm the *worst* at being indecisive! Also, I've had to cut back my knitting time so I want to only work on a pair that I *love xten*!

Do you like my pig timer? I'm using him to keep track of knitting time. He cracks me up!!!! I got him at our local hardware store, I was using my phone but I sort of like the sound of the kitchen timer more. Plus it stops me from checking my phone every few minutes!

Pattern: Hermoine's Everyday Socks + Gussett Heel Toe Up Socks + two at a time

Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios in Blossom

Needles: Signature Needle Arts- Size 1

Stitch Marker: Bacon & Eggs from Sweet & Savory Trinkets

Yarn Bowl: Heartstrings Yarn Studio

Also, today I put my Farmer's Wife quilt on our bed, that's it in the background of these photos. I'm pretty keen on how it looks, at first I'd planned on just putting it in my hope chest and not using it at all but it matches my duvet nicely. I'm so in love with how traditional it looks, because it obviously is a traditional quilt! I'm hoping to finish up a Civil War quilt I'm working on soon-ish to add to my traditional quilt collection.

:):)

FO: Pheasant Socks

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I finished my first knitting project of 2013!

Pheasant Socks! Woo!

These are one of my very favorite pairs of socks, soooo soft and they fit great! I've already washed them twice!

I plugged in the Skyp to my favorite toe up pattern, used a size 1 needle and knit them two at a time.

The yarn is Hedgehog Fibres Sock Yarn in Pheasant, I decided my 2013 goal is to save up and join their sock yarn club. I've never joined a club before but I am *so* obsessed with this yarn that the thought of receiving mystery skeins from them is crazy exciting to me!

I had super mixed feelings about my Signature Needle Arts size one circular needles. I absolutely adore the points and the needles themselves, seriously DREAMY. Towards the end of the socks I felt like I was knitting so smoothly and kind of fast, which isn't like me at all, I'm a very slow and thoughtful knitter (cross stitcher too). But the joins! Oi! They were driving me crazy! BUT!!! I've called them on the phone, emailed them photos and they are sending me a new pair! Hey! That is GREAT customer service!!! High 5 Signature Needle Arts!!!

I'm not sure if I can count these socks as my January socks since I technically started them on December 22nd with a finish date of January 3rd but that's ok, I've already cast and have two repeats of a pattern done on my FOR REAL January socks.

Also, this weekend I shot a pretty nice rooster pheasant. I'm going to make General Tso's Pheasant with it, I made it twice last week and it's *totally* addictive. On Sunday it was SO cold here, only 34 degrees at 10 am! brrr! Chop bought me a pair of Smart Wool Leggings a few years ago from Cabela's, I wore them, regular leggings, jeans, wool hunting socks, a thermal, a hoodie, a Carhartt coat and my favorite cowl! I was COZY! I sat on the back of the quad while Chop whipped us around and I was pretty sure my nose was going to fall off, I think I no longer have New England blood. ;)

Tomorrow I'm going to post a sneak peek of our Valentine's Day patterns. I just finished cross stitching a pinata because I saw this on pinterest and seriously died. Adorable!!!!

:)

Pink Projects EVERYWHERE.

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A few weeks ago I woke up and decided pink was my new favorite color.

My previous favorite color was gray...it's been gray for years. Porkchop teases me because of the frightening amount of gray tank tops and teeshirts I own. I just love gray.

But now I love pink too.

So the most logical thing for me to do was start a Valentine's Day quilt!

I have a bunch of cute Japanese and older Moda fabrics that I've been hiding for a sweet project like this. I picked a gray/cream background fabric that you can see on a few of the blocks but it was leaning a little too sickeningly sweet. I wanted tough sweet. Like the grouchy country boy who hunts all day and gets muddy but then comes home and peels your oranges all cute because you can't. Or squishes and cuts your sandwiches in 1/4's because that's how you like them. Tough Sweet!.So I'm making it a little different by adding black essex yarn dyed linen as the background of all these pinks. And then I'm backing the quilt with velveteen which is luxurious. xten.

Camille, who is adorable and clever designed this pattern and it's super easy & fun. The pattern is called Double Take and it's two patterns in one, I love that! I'm making the checkerboard one. I think it's for jelly rolls but I don't own any (I just lost my key card to the cool quilter club house by admitting that) so I'm just using scraps and favorite little bits from my stash.

And then this gloriousness came in the mail! PKM sent me these fat quarters because she's AMAZING! I'm working on a bear paw quilt (pink! are you surprised?!) and she sent me the hot pink dots for that but then included the extras! What a gem she is! After she sent them I decided I need to get more of those dots, they work so well in everything! And I think I need a Valentine's Day knitting bag...

For these new socks!!!! As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm trying to knit a pair of socks each month in 2013. My January socks are HOT PINK! So hot pink that my camera has issues capturing it. And don't get my started on how my phone pretty much falls over and dies when I try to take photos of them. The color is called POP ROCKS! and it's by Madelinetosh.

AND THENNNN! I was buying tapestry needles and a cat needle minder (a needle minder is a little cute magnetic thing that you put on your hoop to keep track of your needles) from the workroom when I spotted this pattern for a DONUT QUILT. Um what? A donut quilt?? Yes please. I pulled fabrics for it last night. Big shock...pinks.

The background fabric will be Lizzy's constellation stars because they are adorable. And then it has bottom and top borders...I can't decide if I should hunt down more of these cream metallic dots that Lindsay sent me a scrap of?! Or maybe use one of Lizzy's new pearl bracelet colors? I don't know! Either way I have to save up to buy the background, border and backing fabric so I have some time to mull it over.

Also, today is the veryyyyy last day of the Woodland Sampler sale!!! Tonight at midnight it goes up to $16.95! I hope you'll join us this year stitching it up!

:):)

2012: Year of the...Sock?!

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2012 is over! 2013 is here!

Did you make any goals?

I have a handful, one of which is to knit 12 pairs of socks in 2013!

I learned how to knit socks last December with the encouragement of Kayanna, Amy & Angela. Most people think I learned how to knit last winter but nope! I learned how to knit in 2002 when I first started blogging but I never did more than ugly scarves for my moms cat Simon and lumpy hats for myself. Plus, the internet knitting world was incredibly inspiring but also intimidating/not super friendly to newbs.

Fast forward to me spending each winter knitting a handful of hats, scarves..lots of little things to keep myself warm.

One thing I always wanted to try. SOCKS. Now I'd tried socks three times before, epic fail. The most recent time was the first summer Chop & I started dating he took me to Reno for the first time in my life. I won $75 on a penny machine at one of the casinos. I decided I was going to Truckee (where Jimmy Beans Wool used to have a shop!) and buying sock needles and yarn and I was going to knit a pair of Jaywalker Socks that summer. I got to the heel flap and gave up. I'm pretty sure those teeny tiny bamboo DPNs and tangled yarn are in a box still. I remember it was Lorna's Laces and it was sort of hot pink & gray?!

So when I decided I wanted to do socks again, I hemmed and hawed for a few weeks. I researched. I bought yarn. I visited the library. I polled twitter. I stalked ravelry. I talked myself out of it a million times. My knitting confidence wasn't super high. Then those girls were basically like, BUCK UP! YOU CAN DO THIS YOU WEENIE!. So I made a Monkey Sock. Exactly as the pattern was written. And it fit! It was neat! But it wasn't exactly fun & I felt like I was missing something other than a second sock. So I decided I wanted to really, really, FOR REAL learn how to knit socks. So I took a Saturday afternoon class at Heartstrings in Chico.  Each Saturday they have a drop in time where you can ask a teacher questions for $10.  The gal next to me was using Wendy Johnson's Socks from the Toe Up book and knitting two Valentine's Day red heart socks for her daughter. She had two circular needles with one sock on each one and kept them in two separate zip lock bags. I took one look at her and said "I WANT TO LEARN THAT!"

One skein of Tosh Sock divided into two balls and I was ON MY WAY! I learned so, so, so, much! Magic loop, Judy's Magic Cast On, etc! I was EXCITED! I made a pair of socks that FIT! I went back and finished that pair of Monkey's, this time toe up and it was GREAT!

Since then, I haven't been able to STOP knitting socks. I knit in the car. I knit while watching t.v. I knit with friends. I'm by no means a pro but this year I knit 12 pairs of socks in the photo plus I have one pair on my needles right now, I knit a pair for my mom, I have a secret pair I can't share until the pattern is released, I frogged a pair and I was commissioned to knit a pair! So a total of 15.75 pairs. The .75 is because I only have an inch of ribbing on my current socks left to do ;)

I am *not* a hip knitter, I don't knit the most complicated patterns, I don't belong to any clubs & I'm not super active on ravelry. I knit for warmth, to keep my hands busy and to support my yarn dyeing friends. I found a sock "recipe" that works for me and I love that. I might knit nothing but plain socks all year and smile the entire time. The main thing for me is I love wearing hand knit socks. I see that stack of socks I made and I'm filled with a crazy amount of pride. They have mistakes, they aren't even remotely perfect but they are MINE! High 5! Things like quilting & cooking I am obsessive about and make sure everything is as perfect as I can possibly make it but knitting? Not so much. I just want them to fit, be warm and cute. I wear these socks daily in the winter and I like showing my friends the socks I'm wearing that day. I love buying sock yarn and have a basket full of the prettiest yarns ever. It's sort of like my therapy. Bad day? Knit socks. Tons of housework? Clean for an hour, knit for an hour. ;)

Here are my favorite sock-y things in list form:

Favorite Sock Knitting Pattern. I take this pattern and pop cuff down designs into it. It just fits my foot the nicest!

Favorite Sock Knitting Books. I had both books spiral bound together at Staples for $4.95. Now all my patterns are in one place. I can't say enough about these books, they help me so much! I think Wendy is amazing. They are just written in a way that clicks for me!

Favorite Sock Needles: Budget Friendly & Indulgence. I like point-y needles in either a size 0, 1 or 1.5 with a 32 inch cord. I can't use DPNs successfully. I like the 32 inch cord for both one at a time and two at a time.

Favorite Sock Yarns: Cakewalk, Hedgehog Fibres, Plucky Knitter, Phydeaux Designs, Pigeonroof Studios,  Madelinetosh (It drives me nuts that some yarns discharge color like crazytown, but when I contacted them about it, they were nice, so I can't complain too much!), Cephalopod Yarns!, The Woolen Rabbit

Sock yarns I'm dying to try in 2013: A Verb for Keeping Warm, Sunshine Yarns, idk what else...leave me some new folks to try!

Adorable Stitch Markers! I'd love that little heart shaped sugar cookie for Valentine's Day!

I bought myself a yarn bowl on Christmas Eve. I got it at my local yarn store and I'm not quite sure who makes them but I know they are in the Chico-ish area. I'm crazy in love with it. It's clean & simple, in my favorite speckled gray color. I know the yarn store ships things, if you wanted to be my twin you could order one over the phone. I'm pretty sure I got the large size and it held a skein of sock yarn divided in half beautifully.

I think that's it about socks! I'm hoping to finish my pheasant socks this week and share them with you. I'm crushing on these socks FIERCE and I'm pretty sure I'm going to knit all my socks this year 2 at a time, it just feels rad!

Also, don't forget, the sale on Woodland Sampler ends soon!

ps: seriously, let me know some sock yarn dyers I should try! I love new stuff! <3!

WIP: Pheasant Socks & Signature Needles: First Thoughts.

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I'm a car knitter.

Most people ask me "how do you knit so fast?!", which I think is hilarious because I'm *not* fast at all...but I do have a lot of blah time in the car. My mom lives two hours away. Chop's family lives an hour away. JoAnn's, Target, etc are all 45 minutes away. This means lots & lots of car knitting time.

Fine with me. ;)

My Signature Needle Arts needles arrived yesterday! Very fast shipping which was awesome. In case you haven't been following along I got a size 1, 5 inch length on a 32 inch cord. I cast on for these socks this morning, I've knit a solid 6 hours with them today, here are a few of my initial thoughts:

  • Sharp sharp SHARP! And I *love* that. Incredibly pointy. If you are the type of knitter who moves the tip of the needle with your finger, you'll end up with a little divot in your fingertip.
  • The join...not in love. I definitely have to help the yarn over which is kind of a bummer. I do sort of worry about the cord snapping away from the needle. I'm not quite sure why but it seems like the join isn't super sturdy. Later on I think I'll take a photo to show you what I mean. I could just be paranoid. BUT! I can imagine it would be tricky to have a super smooth join on a size 1 needle.
  • I like the cords! I'm doing two socks at a time and while the cord isn't as slick as addi turbo lace (my standard sock needle) it is very flexible, which I really like. My favorite pair of addi's have a crease in the cord, I doubt these will ever crease. That's pretty neat.

The yarn I'm using is so dreamy. Last week I was browsing pinterest & saw this pin. I followed links around until I found Fly Along, Hedgehog Fibre's blog! I spent an hour reading older posts, I very rarely have time to sit on the computer, clicking around & looking at new things to be inspired by so this was a real treat. Once I saw their studio space, I was in love. LOVE. I knew I had to try their yarn.

I found a destash on ravelry & a skein of Pheasant Sock landed in my hands. (Her shop sells out super fast, otherwise I would have purchased directly from her.) Wowzas. Can we talk about how incredibly SOFT this is?! I finished the socks I started this weekend and while they had cashmere, they aren't nearly as soft as this (remind me to tell you the story about why I shouldn't knit socks while taking theraflu ;)). As I was knitting today I'd stop and pet my knitting. Weird but true. I love the depth of the color in this yarn, I hope my photos can share with you how truly pretty it is!

I'm using the Simple Skyp pattern that I just plugged into the basic top up formula I like. It's interesting enough to be fun but not so hard that I have to pay attention. It seems like it's doing the yarn justice too!

I made myself a new knitting bag yesterday evening. I was looking on etsy a few nights ago & came across Timber and Leaf by Sarah Watts. I purchased 3 fat quarters: the bears, the foxes and the deer. I very rarely buy fabric anymore, I'm out of the "hip fabric" loop but this is really neat stuff. Totally pretty. I had a few bits of shape flex, various scraps, a little alphabet fabric that I cut & pieced to spell out YARN & voila. New knitting bag. Woo!

I managed to snap a few photos right before it started to rain again. I'm planning on spending the evening in front of the fire with my Woodland Sampler, I have 9 months of frames stitched up! High 5!

:):):)

WIP: Candy Cane Socks

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As part of my "let's try to enjoy December" plan, I cast on last week for some new socks! New socks make everyone happy right?!

I bought this yarn last winter, it was the second skein of sock yarn I ever bought. It feels so weird to type that. I've only been knitting socks for a year but it's such a big part of my life now! I can't imagine sitting in the car without sock knitting!

The yarn is called Peppermint Bark and it's from Cakewalk Yarns.  This is my fourth pair of socks knit with Cakewalk & I seriously *love* it. You can view my other pairs on ravelry.

I'm using size 1 Addi Turbo Lace which are my favorite sock needles, I'm dying to try Signature Needle Arts needles...they offer monogramming which makes my heart skip a beat, plus they look crazy point-y which I'd LOVE. Anyways. ;)

The pattern is from Wendy Johnson, who is basically my sock knitting hero. I have both of her books & had Staples spiral bind them together (best $5 I've ever spent!). If you want to learn how to knit socks, I really suggest Socks From the Toe Up! It has lots of good cast on methods, different toes and heels, plenty of pretty patterns and clear diagrams.

These are technically her On Hold pattern that I've modified. I've simply ignored the side details and the extra yo/ssk on row 7. They look like candy canes now! Fun right?! She has directions in the book for a picot bind off that I might try on these. I'm doing the slip stitch heel which is fun but I always forget how long it takes compared to the simple gusset-y heel.

I saw that Rose is updating etsy regularly with Peppermint Bark, I totally love it & hope you can snag a skein. She also has a cute ravelry group! I want another skein, mine is a little bit more of a darker beige/gray tint to the base and the newer ones look more white, either way, it's super pretty speckled yarn. She also has one that is fruitcake inspired. omg. adorbs! I really don't *need* anymore sock yarn, I have a pretty healthy stash but it's not like yarn has an expiration date ;)

Happy knitting :):):)

September: an instagram wrap up

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It's October 1st today. Amazing! October is my very favorite month and I just want to relish every single second of it.

Something I'm bad at is blogging all the things I create in a month. I'm not sure why, I guess I just finish a project and start another, by the time I'm ready to blog about it, I've forgotten about the previous project or something?! IDK! Also, I realized I don't even have a blog banner! Clearly I am NOT a professional blogger. And half of the time I can't even find my camera or cord or my computer is being grouchy (which more often than not this is the case!)

Can I share with you guys some highlights of September?!

 

  • I did a lot of sewing! I finished up two quilts and started two more!
  • I made another weekender! And I have cut out a third but this time patchwork ala Oh Fransson & One Shabby Chick! Do I travel enough to warrant three weekenders? Nope, but they make AMAZING knitting bags! Here is mine in the car!
  • I got my Harvest Quilt back from Lindsay, who quilted the most beautiful pumpkins on my quilt! I'm going to do a photo shoot of this gem soon for SURE.
  • Prune season finally ended and I get to have Porkchop back! I'll write about this more when I blog the Harvest Quilt!
  • I knit myself a pair of bunny slippers! I'm so obsessed with these cuties!!!
  • I finished knitting Marin. I haven't had a chance to add this to ravelry because I took actual photos of it that need to be edited. Man, this was a FUN knit. Like, I want another one BADLY. I ended up having to buy a second skein of tosh sock but only because I accidentally used a size 6 needle. I think if I didn't go up a size I wouldn't have had to buy a second skein. Either way, this is definitely a FAVORITE and very FUN knit. Even just typing this I'm thinking I might want one in this skein of Plucky Oatmeal I got ;)
  • It wasn't ALL finishes though. This month I cast on for 4 projects and frogged them ALL! So now on my needles I currently have a pair of leaf socks which I tried on last night and they are not fitting well BUT I'm 3/4 of an inch above the ankle and I'm not sure I could bear to frog them this far in. And! I'm test knitting some color work for a friend! So two projects. I'd love a hat and a pair of fingerless gloves this month!

Speaking of frogging, I took apart my sweater! I just wasn't enjoying knitting it. As a result I have 5 skeins of well matched Tosh Sock in Firewood for sale! $120 which includes flat rate shipping in the US! If your interested, shoot me an email: frenchtoastcake AT gmail DOT com. (I'm keeping the 6th skein which is the one I'd knit with for a shawl, maybe Brandywine again?, so the skeins I'm selling are hanked and brand new!)

  • I did a lot of reading this month, my favorites were The Diviners, Lux Series and The Raven Boys!
  • I spent a TON of time in the kitchen. I refilled my pantry with staples like tomato sauce, salsa and sausages. I've become slightly obsessed with coming up with the perfect breakfast sausage recipe. I did two types this weekend, patties and sausages in casings. Today I smell like maple syrup. I love when breakfast sausage is maple-y, slightly sweet and has a nice texture. I even made curry for the first time using Shutterbean's amazingly simple recipe! DELISH!
  • I also participated in a project called 30 Days of Lists which I finished and now have a crazy cute little book! I think I might scan it and share it with you? If you'd be interested that is! ;)
  • I saw two movies, ParaNorman & Hotel Transylvania both I LOVED. And we went and saw Jason Aldean & Luke Bryan last Thursday. OMG. Great concert but I might be biased because Jason is my very, very, very, very FAVORITE! Total babe ;)

 

I guess I had a lot more to say than I thought! My goal for October is definitely to share more and use my camera a ton. And I'll have an embroidery pattern available from Aurifil Threads that I'm excited to show you! And The Pumpkin's are releasing a new sewing pattern and KAWAII WINTER SAMPLER CLUB! Yup! AMAZING right?!

:D:D:D

Squirrel Sampler Mittens

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Phew!

This was my long term summer project and I can't believe I'm done! I kind of didn't want to finish these. I kept them in a basket next to the couch and I'd pick it up during the week, knit a few rows here & there in between other projects. They were incredibly satisfying to knit, it was fun watching the acorns grow and the squirrel have a face.

I learned a lot with these mittens:

How to do colorwork How to hem a knit How to picot edge How to Latvian braid How to weave in as I knit

The pattern has long floats of yarn, it's meant to be lined but realistically, I'll rarely have a chance to even wear them, it's just never that cold here! So I wove my floats about every inch or so, when I put them on they don't snag or anything. But I did buy a skein of hot pink kidsilk haze so if I ever change my mind or move somewhere cold! I loved seeing the photos on ravelry of the linings so there is a strong chance I'll line them just because it looks so nice!

I struggled with the thumbs and the outer edges. It's hard to tell from the photos but there is a yellow stitch that runs along the entire mitten, mine looks a little sloppy, no matter what I did. The thumbs were tricky, I'm not sure why but I just felt like they were hard!

Pattern Details:

Squirrel Sampler Mittens by Hello Yarn Gray sock yarn: hand dyed by me! Honey Wilkes Plucky Feet by The Plucky Knitter (absolutely dreamy!) Size 1 needles- 34 inch cord- I used magic loop for these I ended up with 53 grams of gray yarn left and 79 grams of honey wilkes left. I'm crossing my fingers I have enough left for some fingerless mitts!

This project REALLY inspired me. I want The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery to start designing colorwork charts so badly. I want to knit cute kawaii colorwork patterns!!!!

:):):)

Happy Shawl Knitting: Traveling Woman

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I'm mad at myself for not taking notes during this project. I love it so so so so much, I wish I had another. I used two skeins of Tosh DK in Port. I bought onsies from Jimmy Beans Wool and I'm not quite sure why these were onesies, they matched beautifully and are gorgeous!

The pattern is Traveling Woman and it's super easy and FAST. I've pretty much only been knitting with fingering weight yarn since the first of the year so DK felt HUGE and FAST. I loved watching the tiny bits of hot pink happen. The color is really beautiful. I'd knit this again, the pattern comes with different sizes and whatnot, I love that!

Here is an instagram photo of me wearing it to starbucks in the morning. It's WAY too hot here to wear it right now but if I get up first thing in the morning I can toss it over my shoulders and it feels perfect!

:):)

PS: This post is scheduled to display on August 7th...I turn 30 on the 8th!!! eek!

Sad Shawl Knitting

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Kayanna & I decided to join WendyKnit's Mystery Shawl-a-Long this summer. It was super fun and a really challenging knit for me. Lots of stitches on the needles, 200+ which is a LOT for me. I'd say this was my first *real* lace project. I used beads for the first time which was really fun too!

The yarn is Swan's Island Fingering and it is DREAMY. It is one of my all time favorite yarns, it's so soft, it seriously felt like knitting with a cloud. I love the color too, it's called Oatmeal and it was just PERFECT. I looked forward to picking it up each time.

So why is it sad? It's tiny! It just isn't a shawl I'd actually wear, it falls firmly into the shawlette category, I think I like shawls that I can snuggle into. It's not the patterns fault, it's just something I didn't know until I knit it! The pattern was written perfectly and it was a fun knit. You can tell by the photos I didn't even weave in the ends, I blocked it to take photos of, tried it on and then frogged it. It was kind of painful to frog but the yarn was too pretty to just sit around in a project that I wasn't sure I'd ever wear!

I realized I'm kind of fearless when it comes to knitting things, if I don't like it, I don't hesitate to take things apart. Porkchop thinks I'm crazy and he HATES watching me take things apart. But at $30 a skein, shouldn't it be something special that I'll wear a ton?!

Are you a frogger? Do you take things apart?

ps: I'll share with you a shawl that is a happy shawl next!

Things I've been doing: Brandywine Shawl, Books & Guising Needlebook

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I knit a shawl called Brandywine which is I *think* the hardest thing I've knit to date. It took me about 3 days and it was SO satisfying. Totally a boost of confidence.

I need to get more blocking pins, I accidently blocked the center point incorrectly and I want to re-do it so it doesn't look crooked.

I'm so obsessed with historical books right now. Like, I can't even contain how much I love love love love them. Here's what I've read so far:

Shadow of Night The Dark Monk The Lady Julia Grey Bundle (I totally loved this so so so so much!) Ravishing in Red

These ladies are ALWAYS talking about grabbing a shawl, their woolen shawl, sitting around the fire with a shawl, walking outside with a shawl. I was going shawl crazy. Ignore that it's 100 degrees here, I decided I HAD to have a shawl. Haha.

Lizzy very, very, very, very sweetly sent me some Guising.

Can we talk for a minute about how much I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloween? In case you missed it, I'm addicted to Halloween. It's my very favorite time of year and it's just so much FUN.

And then my head & little heart exploded when Lizzy designed this line. It's like she took all the things I ADORE about the holiday and turned it into fabric I could have and love forever & always. It's that good. Halloween fabric is either hit or miss for me, there are some lines that recently came out that are a definite miss for me but this is the hugest HIT! Even if you aren't into Halloween, the jewels and tiny little stars are so great, I'm going to save up and buy a yard of them because I think they are GREAT classic basics in fresh colors. I'm not just saying this because Lizzy is my friend, I genuinely ADORE this line. Phew.

I accidentally lost two pairs of Addi Turbos (cue crying fit) last week and I decided ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I'm getting my sock needles under control. I made this little case last Monday but I didn't bind it until yesterday, the Porkchop's are a little under the weather and some couch time and binding was necessary. I love the sparkly numbers and that binding fabric is my favorite.

Can we talk about these nifty things?

My friend Audrie, who's pretty much the cutest ever, sent me these Clover Binding Clips! These are a DREAM COME TRUE! Soooo clever and amazing! Thanks pal! <3

:D