attack of the baby knits!

More rare than UFO sightings in these parts but super fun to knit! I have a good friend who is expecting her first baby in September so I wanted to welcome the little tike with some special hand knits. For the sweater I chose the owlets pattern by Kate Davies mainly because I have always wanted to knit the owls pattern for myself. It turned out a little smaller than I had intended. It’s maybe a newborn size? Hopefully he’ll get to wear it a few times. I loved knitting those owl cables though so I might knit another one in the toddler size.

Next came the super quick baby bear hat which only took a few hours to make. I was debating whether to switch the rolled brim to a ribbed one but the rolled brim seemed like it would be more comfy for a baby.

My favorite knit of the three are the baby booties. Aren’t they so adorable? The pattern is the Baby Hausschuhe. The construction is very clever and best of all seamless. Kinda want to try knitting a pair for myself in super bulky yarn :)

The yarn that I used for all three patterns is knitpicks brava worsted in the dove heather colorway. It’s very soft and nice to knit with. Hopefully durable and easy to care for as well. I wasn’t quite sure how to block the finished knits since the yarn is 100 percent acrylic and I usually knit with natural fibers. I ended up washing and drying the knits, then hovering a steam iron over them to even out the stitches a little without killing the fabric. Please let me know if there’s a better way to block acrylic knits since I foresee more kidlet projects in the future :)

SOS :: soldotna & pavement

Today I wanted to highlight some techniques that I used to cobble together enough stash yarn to make two very different sweaters. The first one is my most recent finish:

It’s the Soldotna Crop (by the fabulous Caitlin Hunter) which is a super fun all over colorwork sweater knit with dk weight yarn. Unfortunately, my stash is on the light side when it comes to dk weight. But being a sock knitting fiend, I have tons of fingering weight yarn. The pattern calls for a small amount of four different colors so I decided to double strand the fingering weight yarns together in order to achieve the called for gauge. It worked like a charm, although I wished that I had a little bit more yardage left of the main body color to make the top less cropped. In order to compensate, I knitted the bottom ribbing a little longer and the sweater hits just at the top of my high waisted jeans. It is surprisingly wearable with both jeans and dresses/skirts. I am thinking of making a second more neutral version with varying shades of grays.

Summer of Stash sweater number two is one of my favorite finished sweaters ever. It’s the Pavement sweater by the ultra talented Veera Valimaki.

Simple designs such as this one lends itself well to color fading don’t you think? I had bought these three skeins of Hedgehog Fibres several years ago for a Stephen West mkal but ended up going with a different color scheme. Now I’m kinda glad that they were stashed because I am so thrilled with how they knitted up into this sweater! It’s a wonderfully comfy lightweight pullover.

So there you have it! Two new sweaters made entirely from The Stash! I am planning on shopping the stash for some baby knits. A good friend is expecting her first child (a boy) in September & I would love to make some special hand knits for the kiddo. Do you guys have any suggestions for baby pullovers or cardigans? Also hats & booties too :)

SOS {summer of stash}

Gosh it’s been awhile! How has your May been? I can’t believe that the end of school is coming up soon. In just a few more weeks the kid will be graduating from junior high. Right now we are busy with field trips & other end of school celebrations, plus transition meetings for high school. High school!!! I am so not ready!!! Can’t wait until summer vacation starts & we can sleep in a little. I love the slower pace of summertime here on the island.

I have already started making some fun knitting plans for the summer. This year has seen a major focus on using up the stash. I’ve been knitting up a storm on the garment front but will wait to share that with you on the next post. Today I want to talk about my newest obsession: shortie socks! They are such great projects for leftover partial skeins of fingering weight yarn. All of the following were knit on 2.25mm needles & 64 stitches:

Design line by Arne & Carlos :: summer night

The above pair was my first attempt. I wasn’t sure how long to knit the cuff/leg so I went with 10 rounds of 2x2 ribbing followed by 10 rounds of stockinette before knitting the fish lips kiss heel. Not bad for the first go round.

West Yorkshire Spinners :: peacock

I decided to increase the cuff length on the next pair: 15 rounds of 2x2 ribbing followed by 10 rounds of stockinette. Better fit but still not perfect.

Knitpicks Felici :: jamboree

Third time’s the charm! 15 rounds of 2x2 ribbing followed by 15 rounds of stockinette. The fit is just the way I like it. Now that I’ve hit on my perfect shortie formula, there’s a bunch of colorful felici sock yarn in the stash just waiting to be cast on!

Before I sign off today, I want to thank you for visiting! I really appreciate the fact that you take time out of your busy lives to read my oftentimes jumbled ramblings. Have a wonderful start to your summer!

sweater swagger

You guys! I don’t know how it’s happened but I am on a sweater finishing roll right now. The Weekender was such a joy to knit. Although I have to admit that when I first read the pattern and saw that it began with a tubular cast-on, my enthusiasm level was dialed down quite a bit. But there was a link in the pattern to a very helpful tutorial which has me now completely in love with the technique. The rest of the pattern was just as fun to knit and I love the cozy, relaxed style of the finished sweater. I honestly would be wearing this 24/7 if the darn weather here in Maryland would cooperate. At least it’s cool enough in the mornings to wear a wool sweater. The tweedy yarn is from Peace Fleece. It is very rustic and woolly but softened up a lot after a good soak. I am already dreaming of a marled version. Maybe I’ll splurge on some special farm yarn at Maryland Sheep and Wool next month.

march finishes

Hooray I actually finished a sweater!!! So incredibly excited to cast off my Edith Cardigan while it is still chilly enough to wear. Good thing that it is extremely cozy because every year when the calendar turns to March, the hubby dials down the heat to sub-zero temps. But this year I will not engage in thermostat battles :)  I love how warm & woolly this cardigan is. It was my first time knitting a dropped shoulder construction and I was a little concerned with how the finished sweater would look since I usually wear raglan sweaters. Really pleased with the relaxed fit. It was a very well written pattern and would make a great first sweater project. I am debating on whether or not to add in the big patch pockets. Maybe at some point down the line but for now, I want to finish up my Weekender and cast on for some Easter socks. Here’s the pair I made for St. Patrick’s Day:

These were fun fun fun to knit! The yarn is from Desert Vista Dyeworks in the Zombody go bragh colorway. Those green stripes have me looking forward to some fun Spring knitting. What’s currently on your knitting needles? Anything on the radar for Spring?

winter woolens

conversation hearts :: king cole zig zag :: pinks

winter’s day charade :: coopknits socks yeah! :: danburite 

spring stripes vanilla latte :: must stash yarns :: theory 

Well guys, I’m officially hitting the reset button on this year since it feels like hibernation season is almost over. It’s been a rather tough winter healthwise but we are all finally on the mend. Even my laptop got sick. But today the sun is shining brightly and I finally figured out how to blog from my phone using a new to me app for blogger so now I can share all of the winter woolens completed so far.

Of course there are plenty of socks! January’s pair was inspired by the cold winter walks that were taken when we couldn’t stand to be inside all day long. After knitting with greys and blues, the next pair was a wish for Spring. Nothing makes me happier than fun colorful stripes combined with speckles. February’s was Valentines Day themed.

It’s funny how seasonal my sock knitting is. I love choosing yarns and patterns that celebrate the different holidays that are sprinkled throughout the year. So with that in mind, I decided to start a holiday sox box. The goal is to have fun knitting socks for all of my favorite holidays throughout the year with the bonus of having finished socks to wear next year when those holidays roll around again. Feel free to join in :)

I hope that you are all staying healthy and having fun with your knitting & crafting!

here’s looking at you 2018

So here we are, the last day of 2018. New Year’s Eve is always bittersweet isn’t it? We are having a quiet night at home, munching on appetizers and chilling out. I was in the mood for the classic rock music of my childhood so there’s Boston, Rush, Queen, David Bowie & Journey playing in the background as I knit on my cozy memories blanket and reflect on this past year. It’s been a fun one knitting-wise. My box o’ sox for 2018 is filled with twenty pairs of colorful socks. Plus I surprised myself by finishing three sweaters! I am hoping to knit more sweaters in the new year because there are quite a few beautiful patterns in my queue that were set aside amidst the sock knitting frenzy that occurred during the latter half of the year.

I hope that you all have a Happy New Year. Let’s fill it to the brim with lots of fun knitting and creativity!

blogmas 2018 :: festive socks

Hello friends! It’s been a whirlwind of a holiday season! I just have a few more presents to wrap and some cookies to bake for the cookie decorating party this evening. Can’t wait to put my feet up later tonight and start a new project for the little bobbins Christmas Eve cast on. Are you joining in? I’m still not sure what yarn or pattern I will be using but it most definitely will be a sock :) The festive sock knitting mojo has been strong this season and I managed to finish last year’s Christmas socks (yarn=turtle purl, pattern=mistletoe kisses) as well as a fun stripey one (yarn=Must Stash Yarn in the bumbles bounce colorway). I am also trying to squeeze in one more pair before Christmas morning arrives (yarn=rellana flotte socke in the Christmas colorway).

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate. Otherwise enjoy this beautiful time of the year with lots of your favorite cozy things!

blogmas 2018 :: my everyday carry

I recently bought a wallet insert for my traveler’s notebook and I love it! It’s from ThreadNPrints on Etsy. Now I have everything that I need to help me stay organized at my fingertips: wallet, bullet journal, scratchpad, planner supplies and knitting notions pouch. All in one notebook the size of a passport (although much chubbier!). It feels great to finally settle into a personal planning system that works for me, especially during the busy holiday season.

I’m making a list and checking it twice....

How are you managing to stay organized around this busy time of year?

blogmas 2018 :: bright new knits

A couple of cozy projects to brighten these short days of winter. The yarn is from Must Stash Yarn in the Bumbles Bounce colorway. The pattern for the blanket is Northeasterly and it is so fun & easy. I can’t wait to start on the second column and see it grow. The kid and I are having a Friday night holiday movie marathon (hubby is on a work trip to Texas). Just watched Rudolph and Charlie Brown. Next up is my pick: Little Women. The kid will probably doze off after fifteen minutes whereby I can switch to Love Actually :) Have a wonderful weekend!

blogmas 2018 :: yarn advent calendars

Hi friends! I hope that you are having a great start to your December. Do you have any fun plans for celebrating the season? One tradition that I love is to count the days until Christmas with a yarn advent calendar. It is so fun to mark each day with a little pretty miniskein of yarn. This year, I treated myself once again to the advent calendar from Adelaide Cottage. I also bought a Christmas frankensocks kit from Havirland (thirty -  5 gram mini’s) which I put in a little mailbox. I then pull out a mini each day until Christmas. The first picture shows Days 1-3 so far. I foresee lots of cozy knitting time ahead. Planning on making some sock ornaments as well as adding to my various scrappy blankets with all this pretty yarn.

Hoping to be back soon with some more holiday fun!

autumn fade

How can it be the end of November already!?! It seemed like autumn barely arrived yesterday. We had a very quiet and peaceful Thanksgiving last week. My MIL stopped by for a whirlwind visit on her way to Florida. So we ended up eating Thanksgiving dinner twice (the other dinner was at my brother’s). I also had quite a bit of time to knit since no one trusted me with Turkey duty. Two socks have been cast off since we last spoke. Both have been my constant knitting companions this fall and were joys to knit. The other project finished was a quick Sockhead Hat using a beautiful fall mini’s set from Hue Loco. I am calling it my autumn fade hat. Quite appropriate since we are now heading into the busy holiday season. Time to cast on some festive Christmas socks!

Did you cook for Thanksgiving? Any holiday knitting/crafting plans?

color therapy

Oh November why do you have to be so moody and changeable? Sunny blue cold grey dark rainy all in one day....it’s enough to drive a knitter to wanting to cast on all the shiny things. Lucky for me I have a stash full of colorful yarns to chase away the seasonal blues. There’s even a few bright and cheerful wips hanging around requiring just a little attention before they are finished and ready to comfort with their cozy warmth, like these socks that were cast on a few months ago:



I am calling these my Sunbeams Socks because the combination of yarn (SpunRightRound in the shock star colorway) and the fun stitch pattern (from Japanese Stitches Unraveled) creates a fabric with tiny little sunbeams dancing all across it. Pure yarny happiness.



I also pulled out some pretty autumnal mini’s from hueloco for a faded Sockhead Hat:



And of course, the ultimate in woolly color therapy, blankets:



I hope that you are finding comfort in your knitting and crafting as the busy holiday season approaches.

spooky knits

Happy Halloween guys! Any fun plans for the evening? We are doing the usual: handing out candy to the trick or treaters and then going next door to my brother’s annual Halloween/birthday party. The kid decided to be Alvin the Chipmunk this year and the hubby is a chicken. I’m going as my usual angry 90’s grunge teen.

I surprised the kid with a special Halloween hat (although honestly, I plan on “borrowing” it to wear year round!) As you know, he had some strong opinions on the scrappy monster socks that I was knitting for the #monstersockkal2018. The skulls were his idea (colorwork chart from the awesome Alterknit Stitch Dictionary by Andrea Rangel). But I had my heart set on some cute Halloween cats (chart from 150 Scandinavian Motifs by Mary Jane Mucklestone) so we ended up compromising. One for him and one for me :) The yarns are a mix of mini’s from havirland and knitty and color. Both of these talented ladies know their Halloween.

For the hat, I decided to go all out on the spooky factor and used the Cake or Death chart from Alterknit. I don’t usually go for morbid things like the Grim Reaper but I thought this would be right up the kid’s alley. And boy was I right! He loves it and says it’s the coolest thing I ever made him. So a win for this knitting mama!

Now I’m off to decorate the gingerbread haunted house. I hope that you all enjoy a fun and safe night. Will you be dressing up as anything?

this and that

Wouldn’t it be lovely to start the new year with an empty wips basket? I am trying to get at least all of my lingering socks finished by then. The above pair was a fun knit. The yarn is Felici in the Spring Blooms colorway and the pattern is a free one on Ravelry called the ifthen socks. It is a simple and lovely pattern for self-striping yarns. I modified the pattern slightly by omitting the eyelets for the back of the leg.



I celebrated a birthday a few weeks ago! It was a wonderful day filled with all of my favorite things: family, food, knitting and yarny presents (of course!)



I had the hubby buy me an extra special present from MustStash yarns. Aren’t the colors gorgeous!?! Can’t wait to dive into these as a special reward for getting the sock wips finished.



We are finally experiencing proper autumn weather with the temps dropping into the 50’s. It’s been lovely getting to bundle up in handknit sweaters and socks again. Not to mention putting all of my favorite cold weather dishes back into the dinner rotation: chili’s, stews, soups and casseroles. It’s been fun choosing a different casserole to cook every Wednesday, with the added bonus of having plenty of leftovers for the following day’s lunch. My favorite recipes are the simple ones that instruct you to dump everything but the kitchen sink into your largest casserole dish, sprinkle in a ton of shredded cheese and bake for 30 minutes. It’s the comfort food of my childhood since my mom learned how to cook “American food” from old church recipe books :)

What are you guys whipping up lately? Any favorite fall dishes or casserole suggestions?