Even More Socks

Last summer I knit some socks for Michael.  He decided that these were his good luck socks, and would not board an airplane without them.  A rule such as that demands more than one option, and so the travel sock plan was hatched.

Michael got birthday socks, as is custom.  He had traveled across the world twice, and so needed two pairs of good luck airplane socks.



Then it was Christmas.  Three trips here, three good luck airplane socks.


He'll be getting on another airplane in approximately 4 weeks.  I don't have socks ready for that.  Yet.

The Thrill of Surprise

One of my coworkers is preparing to welcome his first tiny human into his family.  As is the custom, I was asked to make a baby blanket for the wee one.  They have chosen to keep the specifics as to which brand of tiny human will be joining them a surprise.  With this in mind, they have chosen yellow and gray as their colors, and requested something in a chevron.

Everyone has that Grandma, Aunt, Neighbor, etc. who keeps the chevron blanket on the back of their couch since the dawn of time.  And that blanket is almost always yellow, or orange, or brown.  I couldn't, in good conscious, do that to this new child.  I used all my knitterly knowledge to override the request for yellow and went for a gray-scale instead.  The baby will thank me one day.


Within days of being asked to make this blanket, said coworker's mother also requested a blanket, with one caveat.  This blanket had to be gender specific.  And since we don't know the gender, she was actually asking me to make TWO blankets.



So, three blankets later and this baby is covered.


I was struggling with creating the same blanket three times so close to Christmas.  The monotony was eating away my will to live.  The only thing I could do was vary color block size or order.  I got through it.  Now we just need Baby Bean to arrive and see which blanket gets used.

Chevron Baby Blanket knit with Juniper Moon Moonshine in "Dew," "Moonbeam," "Conch Shell," "Charcoal," and "Cotton Candy Blue."

UPDATE: Baby Bean made his arrival shortly after New Years, and the gender specific blanket was his "going home" accessory.  He seems to like it.

It's That Time of Year

Every year I get a few requests for these earwarmers/headbands.  They work up quickly, they're comfortable to wear, and they're durable.

I always use Patons Soy Wool Stripes.  It's discontinued now, but eBay still has plenty.



I have a few of these I've managed to keep for myself over the years.  The pattern is mostly just in my head as I've played with the number of stitches and decreases quite a bit, but the original can still be found on Knitty.



I think I have a few extras stashed away somewhere as well.  You never know when you'll need a last minute gift.

And Another One...

I have been making these laptop covers for years now.  They might be my most requested item.  They are durable, stretchy, thick, and bouncy (so I've been told).


The plethora of colors and buttons available give it just enough customization that I never have to change the pattern and I always seem to be able to make a cover perfect for its intended recipient.


As many of these as I've made over the years, I believe this is the only one living an international lifestyle.  This little number spent a few weeks in a box and made its way 11,000 miles to the other side of the globe.

From what I hear, it's enjoying itself quite nicely.

Babies Everywhere

Today my dearest friend is welcoming a son into this world.  Personally, I’d rather he wait until tomorrow, but I’m sure his Mommy hopes he comes sooner than later. 


This new tiny human will be the little brother of Mr. Nickel.  Nickel has been featured here a few times looking dapper and handsome in his knits and I can’t wait to see how they look on the new little guy. 


I wanted Baby Boy #2 (yet to be named) to have a blanket all his own, as is the tradition.  I used the same pattern with a different color yarn.  Nickel’s blanket was made long before I knew he was on his way so the colors had to be gender neutral.  This little man was different.  We knew he was coming, and we knew he was a he.  Hopefully this blanket suits Baby Boy #2 as well as Nickel’s blanket suits him.


Nickel and Baby Boy #2 have a cousin who isn’t quite ready to make his appearance.   As far as I know, he’s also known as Baby Boy #2 for the time being. 


His older brother didn’t get a blanket so I don’t have anything to compare this one to.  I chose a neutral color so it would match the nursery and a pattern that would bring out the tweed in the yarn.


I hope it warms his winter nights for many years to come.

Congratulations , Mommies.  I can’t wait to hold your little ones.

Watch What You Say

I think I've mentioned before that Mommies should be careful what they say within hearing range of me or my yarn.  One Mommy in particular made a casual comment about the striped socks on her daughter's tiny feet and how she just loved funky socks.


I told her I'd make her some and she promptly told me that it was silly because the feet on tiny humans grow at an alarming rate and she would grow out of them too quickly for it to make sense.


I firmly disagree.  The glory of hand-knit socks is a wonder that all feet, no matter the size or growing speed, should get to experience.


And I promise to make more for the little one for as long as her Mommy desires.

UPDATE:  Today I received a picture of this little one wearing her yellow socks.  As her Mommy says, they fit her perfectly, at least for now…


International Footwear

While most of the socks I make for people are birthday socks, sometimes situations arise that call for unbirthday socks.  

Australian climate doesn't often allow for woolies, but where there's a will, there's a way.  Socks are always in season.


An Aussie came to visit me this month and I couldn't let him fly home without something special made just for him.  Knit with Patons Kroy Socks in Eclipse Stripes, he seems to love them.  Considering he put them on, took a picture, and sent it to me with no prodding whatsoever.

I see more woolies in his future.  If only he needed warm knits... 

The Kindness of Strangers

Many years ago, I was moving into my apartment and rushing like mad to get everything ready before Christmas so Jack and I could be settled.  It quickly became apparent that there was no way that deadline was going to be met, but my little boy asked Santa for a new bedroom and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure he got it.  I enlisted all of my closest friends, many of whom have received baby blankets featured in this blog somewhere, and we got all the painting done and carpeting laid and furniture moved in.  But Jack was missing bedding for his new room and my bank account was hovering dangerously low.

One afternoon, a friend of mine showed up with a Christmas present for me.  She refused to say who it was from.  I was to believe in Santa and accept the gift without question.  Underneath all that wrapping paper was a complete Lightening McQueen bedding set.  It seems one night after hours of painting, she had stopped at the local pub.  A good friend of hers, and someone I barely knew at the time, asked her why she was covered in paint.  She told that friend my story and mentioned the bedding conundrum in passing.  My anonymous benefactor instructed her to purchase whatever Jack needed, even though we were mere acquaintances at best.

I did some detective work and eventually found out who my Santa was.  I knit him cabled socks that year as a thank you, cloaked in my well-known desire to knit socks for everyone.  

That was several years ago, and he recently told me that the heels were wearing thin.  And so, all this time later, these are my official Thank You socks.  I have no idea if you'll read this, and you may not think it was much, but you were integral in helping make my son's dream come true that year, and for that I will be eternally grateful.


May they warm your feet for years to come.  And know that there will always be another pair whenever you need them.

Time Must Have A Stop

I don't know how it's April already, but it is.  I'm woefully behind on the blog but I have been taking pictures of the few things I've actually managed to complete so here they are…

Back in March my little man turned 9.  He's been to my LYS several times and always ogles a skein of Cascade Jewel Hand Dyed.  He bought this with his own money and I promised to turn it into a scarf for him.  The color is "Jewel Box" and it's 100% Peruvian Highland so it's quite warm and toasty.  Hopefully he still loves it next winter because he only wore it for a few weeks this season.




And as is my custom, everyone gets birthday socks.  I bought this yarn a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away and have no idea what it is or what color.  Jack decided these are his "kinda camo" socks.  I think that's accurate enough.

And then just because he loves them so much and always wears them before his store bought socks, I made Jack a pair of Easter socks.  These are Supersocke 100 in "Emotion."  




















They didn't make it to Easter, he stalked the needles and put them on the moment the ends were woven in.  They haven't been washed or blocked but they are happily on his stinky little feet and that's the important part.

Second Sock Syndrome

I dove into the stash a few weeks ago and decided that it was time to finish some of the projects that have been living in my works-on-progress bin.  I came across a bag that contained two single socks.  Not a pair of socks.  One sock in one yarn and one sock in another yarn.  Second Sock Syndrome (SSS) seems to have struck twice.


The benefit of SSS is that you often stumble upon something that can now be completed in half the time you set aside for it.  In the time it would have taken me to make two socks, generally 1 pair, I made two socks and got 2 pair.  Voila!


I have long since discarded the yarn bands for these lovelies, but I can tell you that the first are my standard sock recipe, and the second are Circle Socks.

I should dive back into the progress bin and see what else I can finish up, but I somehow found myself at Sarah's this weekend and there is a bag of fresh new yarn on my table that is begging to be knit.

Any bets on how much of that will end up in the progress bin?

Quite a Mouthful

This latest project combines my two favorite things.  Three favorite?  A lot of favorite things.
1 - Tiny Humans
2 - Yarn
3 - Entrelac
4 - Things that Match


I don't know what is going on with my camera, but the pink is not reflected even somewhat close to the real life color.  This looks sort of red or orange and a bit plastic.  At any rate, these are entrelac blankets in a yarn that is way too hard to pronounce.  It's no longer available so there's not a link, but it's called Ornaghi Filati Punto su Punto Bla Bla Bla (yes, that's part of the name) in #601 and #606.  A Superfine Merino and Acrylic blend, it's soft and machine washable.


The yarn being a mouthful is perfectly paired with the name of these new babies.  Leonardo and Letetia  will be snuggled up together in their matching blankets by the weekend.  Just in time, too.  This polar vortex is still moving through the area.


Nickel's mommy is dutifully sending me pictures of her little guy in all his woolly goodness.  This is a tri peak hat, the pattern for which is misplaced somewhere in the depths of my stash closet.  I did manage to track down the yarn.  Knit Picks Chroma Worsted in #25258 Midwinter.  Seems fitting.


I think these colors really complement his tone.  Stay warm little man.

Speaking of staying warm, I went to a wedding in SoHo this weekend and NYC is always windy and colder.  I decided that I would want something to keep my ears warm walking to my train while not messing up my painstakingly straightened hair.  I made a little headband for myself.  Made with Patons Soy Wool Stripes it knit up in a few hours and worked like a charm against the brisk Manhattan wind.


And the wedding was beautiful.  Congratulations Carly & Ceri.  May you always be as happy as you are in this moment.


(Sorry for the blurry.  Much whiskey was had).

Small Miracles

I've mentioned several times how much I love making blankets for the tiny humans.  And with the exception of one little guy who made his appearance a bit on the early side, there hasn't been a baby born on my watch without a blanket to come home in since I started this endeavor.  

Sometimes, the blankets have more to do with the mommies than with the babies.  Such is the case with this blanket.  This mommy had a long and difficult path to mommydom, and for a very long time believed that all of her children would be of the four paws variety.  Sometimes the universe has a way of granting wishes when we least expect it.  


The leaves symbolize the coming of spring, new life, and small miracles.  With a mid-march due date this little girl is fully embracing her season.  The cables, of course, are standard Celtic symbols and she will be shooting whiskey and darts in no time I'm sure.


The pattern can be found here and is available for just a few dollars.  It was easy to follow with both charts and written line-by-line instructions.  Knit with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport in Oyster Heather, it's hand wash and dry flat which can sometimes be a no-no when it comes to babies but I decided to risk it anyway.  Next time I will use a heavier weight so it works up a bit more quickly.

Little Nickel is seen here showing off the vest that finally fits him.  I have absolutely no recollection of the fiber or pattern for this number, and frankly I have no desire to find it.


You're a dapper young man, Mr. Nickel.

Gifts For Others

A few years ago I made a quick little headband for an old high school friend.  The next year, she asked me to make her 2 for Christmas presents.  Then I noticed that I still see her wearing that original headband on her facebook page whenever the weather feels a little brisk.  Last week, she asked me to make 2 more for Christmas this year. 


These are my favorite gifts to make.  The kind I know will be worn and I know are loved and wanted.  The pattern is free from Knitty and can be found here.  I used Patons Soy Wool Stripes and it really worked well.  I hope their intended wearers like them as much as I do.


I also finished the red and white scarf I started a couple of weeks ago.  It's ridiculously long and thick and easy to care for.  It never got as annoying as I thought it would, except for the tassles on the end but those are always a bit on the finicky side.


A little Dinosaur came to visit me on Thanksgiving and even though it was intended for Christmas, I couldn't resist giving him the Dinosaur Hood.  His old dinosaur hat was very well loved and too stretched out to fit properly any more.  


He wore this for about an hour in my warm apartment and I couldn't get him to stand still for a picture.  When it was time to leave, both hats were left out and he chose this one to wear home.  Coming from a very particular 4 year old, I don't think a greater compliment exists.

Next up for him is a matching pair of mittens.

Mad Hatter

I've been on a hat jag.  A pretty serious one at that.  In my defense, they're fast and seasonally appropriate considering it's snowing as I write this.  I'm saying they're fast so as to justify that the plethora of pending baby blankets did not get pushed back at all and will still be finished on time.  Have  I mentioned that I may be delusional?

I've finished the Dinosaur Hood for a very special little dinosaur.  Modeled here on my much older dinosaur, I hope it fits the wee one for whom it was intended.  And I will never again doubt the necessity of a box full of buttons older than I am.  I managed to find a tiny little purple button.  Perfect. 


This Dinosaur's daddy also has a penchant for hats.  Unfortunately, none of his include spikes or scales of any kind.  The most I could do was change the color and the stripes.  

This one is Knit Picks Cadena in "Caspian" and "Admiral."  It is a blend of Peruvian Highland Wool and Superfine Alpaca, leaving it warm but still on the thin side.  


Next up we have another alpaca/wool blend.  This one is Reynolds Andean Alpaca Regal.  It's been discontinued for a while, and I have no idea what these colors are other than "black" and "sort of purplish."  This one is much more alpaca than wool.  It's a bit on the thick side and has a halo to it.


Lastly we have an all alpaca number.  This one is Misti Alpaca in "Natural Brown" and "Mustang."  It's thick, incredibly lightweight, and equally warm and cozy.  It also has the honor of sporting the most halo.


Considering none of these are machine washable or dryable, I'm considering taking bets on how long they manage to stay this size.  Any guesses?

It is Thanksgiving Eve.  On this day, I am thankful for the recipients of these hats, and the little boy modeling one.  I am thankful they wear my knits proudly and lovingly, rendering my desire to cloak them solely in woolies nearly impossible to resist.

I am thankful that this week alone I received 3 requests for knitted goodies from friends and family, in addition to 2 separate requests from others for help understanding how to make goodies for their own loved ones.  I am more than happy to oblige, and lucky to have you all in my life.

Bits and Pieces

I was taking stock of my Works In Progress bin and I decided that even though it's November I still have plenty of time for Christmas knitting and added a few more projects to the queue.  

First up, we have a scarf for the son of a coworker.  I used Knit Picks Brava in bulky so it moves along a little faster.  This scarf was requested to be a minimum of 8' long, preferably 10'.  I'm enjoying the mindless garter stitch for now.  Ask me if that's changed around the 5' mark.


Next up we have a Dinosaur Hood for a lovely 4-year-old who is, in fact, a dinosaur himself.  Made with Knit PIcks Swish in "Bordeaux" and "Gulfstream" I'm hoping it will be durable and comfortable for his delicate little head.

I made this much in just an afternoon and ran out of yarn.  I clearly read the pattern, noticed how much blue I would need, and promptly ordered less than I would need to finish it.  It seems the 110 yards I ordered is less than the 180 yards I actually need.  Who knew?


And now, in his blog debut, I present Eli Waites Kulik.  This would be the Canadian baby from a prior post.  Here he is looking snuggly and perfect in his swaddle blanket.  It seems it's doing its job quite well.


I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Eli in person, but I hope to do so in the very near future.  In the meantime, I'm trusting his mommy and daddy to keep the woolly pictures coming.


Stay cozy, little one.  It supposed to snow tonight.  Just a dusting, but the first snowfall always strikes a cord in knitters.  There are loved ones to keep warm.

Christmas in October

I think this might be unprecedented.  It's October 29th.  Not even Halloween.  My washcloth Christmas plan is done.  That's right, DONE.  That's approximately 20 washcloths all worked up and the ends woven in.


While in Rhinebeck, I stopped into a little homemade soap booth along the way.  I knew I needed soaps, and I knew I wanted them homemade, but I really wanted them to come from a local vendor.  Not that Rhinebeck is incredibly far, but it's not exactly local.


I decided that local wasn't the most important part.  That it was better to support any small, local vendor.  Afterall, this vendor was local to somewhere as opposed to being big-box.  I chose a variety of colors and scents and the names were simply charming.


I figured the variety would match the rainbow of washcloths perfectly and the price was just right.  As I  grabbed all the soaps I thought I would need, I happened to actually read the business cards I grabbed to include with the gifts.  As it turns out, this local soap vendor is, in fact, local to ME. 


Simpler Thyme is located in Branchville, NJ.  All of her soaps are handcrafted, cold processed, and made with olive oil, coconut and palm oils, water, and lye.  The scents come from various essential oils, herbs, spices, and grains.  And have I mentioned how lovely they are?

Storage Solutions

I have a lot of yarn.  It's hidden in every room of my tiny little apartment.  There's some in my crock pot because I rarely use it and it's mostly just a covered storage bowl under my sink.  Most of my yarn is in my bedroom.  I have a huge closet and exactly half of it contains almost all of my stash.  

I knew I needed to improve my yarn storage, and the impending trip to Rhinebeck seemed like the best time so I don't have to leave the yarn on the table while Jack tries to do his homework like I did last year.  I decided to take all my yarn out of my closet to really see what I was dealing with.  I wanted to sort, organize, take an inventory, and know exactly what I wanted to purchase next weekend.

This is what all of my yarn in my bedroom looks like.


Admittedly, it was more than I thought.

I anticipated needing a better storage solution and I happen to know someone very skilled in woodwork who offered to make me a shelving unit to combat my ever growing stash.


See that?  That's 56 cozy little cubbies for my yarn.  I was able to donate almost 2 garbage bags to charity causes and this is the yarn that I know I will eventually knit through.  The best of the best, if you will.  Now everything is organized and sorted and neat and it makes my OCD jump with joy.  

And now I have 9 single cubbies and 1 double cubby to fill with Rhinebeck yarn.

For anyone doing the math, I know there are 10 empty single spaces.  See that little guy down there on the left?  Third up from the bottom?  He might already be full...

Pending

I've entered the world of baby blanket making.  I adore making blankets for the tiny humans.  I try to make something that will end up as an heirloom.  Something that they will love at 3 and 33.  Something that will look just as fitting on a crib in a nursery as it will on a couch in their adult living room.  

The thing with blankets is they take a lot of time, which makes for long periods of nothing to post to the blog.  I'm trying to post often so it becomes a habit, and to stick to that I've decided to post the blanket as a work-in-progress.

I have no idea if the pending mommy reads this, but I'm willing to take my chances.  This blanket is quite lovely, and I can't wait to see what it looks like as a finished product.


In other news, Nickel is seen here sporting the hat portion of his football bunting.  His Mommy thinks he looks like a convict.  She's not completely wrong.  But he's a damn cute convict.


Birthday Socks

Birthday socks are my favorite socks to make.  Especially this time of year.  Giving warm birthday socks in the dead of summer seems off, but making them now seems just right.

These little numbers were knit with this yarn.  They are a virgin wool/polyamide blend which means they are superwash.



I tend to try to veer away from colorful variegated yarns because they are almost impossible to match, but I really like this yarn.  It's thick and warm and the perfect amount of soft for surfing on hard wood floors.  Exactly what a now-34-year-old man would look for in a sock.

I Have A Plan

This weekend marks the start of my favorite time of year.  I love autumn.  The leaves, the jeans and sweaters, the way the air smells.  The pumpkin pies and apple crumbs and knowing I won't be donning a bathing suit anytime soon and can fully enjoy those desserts.

This is also when I start to slowly become a one-woman Christmas Present Sweat Shop.  Too many people to knit for, and not enough time to do it.  I suppose that's a wonderful way to be burdened, though.  To have too many people in my life deserving of woollies. 

This year I have a plan... 


...and that plan is washcloths.  They are small, fly off the needles, and can be made with virtually any stitch pattern.  


I used Sugar 'n Cream.  It's cheap, 100% USA grown cotton, and machine washable and dryable.


They'll be boxed with candles and soaps.  And if I'm able to, I'll do some detective work and coordinate them to each bathroom.

For now, I'm riding my delusional high horse thinking I have a good, strong hold on Christmas this year.  You'd think I'd know better.