Some progress was made this past month as I managed to get through the first layer of my knitting basket.
Starting at the bottom of the picture: my take-along knitting bag. I always have a sock on the needles that I can take along whenever I leave the house. It takes the edge off when I need to wait with the bonus of getting a pair of socks in the bargain. I finished one sock this past month and started on the second of the pair. This little bag also comes in handy when I travel. I can tuck two more balls of sock yarn in it and have enough yarn with me to keep me busy and sane on my trip. It doesn’t take up too much of my suitcase, either. When we’re both at home, I keep it in my knitting basket because it has an extra pair of reading glasses in it too…. and you know…. I can’t always find the pair that’s perched on my head or tucked in my shirt… so….
Next up, is this lovely:
Stephen West’s Daybreak in Knit Circus yarns. Isn’t it beautiful? It’s a shop sample so you can see it person at Knit Circus or when they’re at a show. I can’t say enough wonderful about this yarn. It’s a dream to knit and to block and to wear. Love! Love! Love!
The black project on the needles became these:
Knit with vintage Brown Sheep sock wool from my stash and a fun free pattern The Dark Side. Aren’t they great? They were very well received and I’m thinking I might need another pair for me.
The tweedy ball of sock yarn became this pair of socks
I played around with texture on the leg and top of the foot for a manly looking sock.
Hidden below the first layer was a ball of striping sock yarn knit into these
where I slipped every other stitch on the round where the color changed. I like the effect but I’d like to try purling the stitch instead of slipping it next time.
I hopped out of the basket to participate in a KAL with some friends and knit up
this owl hat with stash yarn and buttons. The patterns is all in one color but I jazzed it up a bit by stranding the orange and green and using intarsia for the blue. I embroidered the pink afterwards and also embroidered the green nose. I also added 10 rounds after the owls and before the crown shaping. It was a bit tight, due to the stranding, when it was done, but after a soak and a stretch, it blocked out enough to fit on my head.
And hot off the needles,
a pair of slippers for the husband. I made Charlie’s first pair four years ago and sewed them into leather moccasin soles. I need to replace the knitted soles each year, but this year, we decided the whole slipper needed redoing. I was able to reuse the leather moccasin soles though and knit an extra sole to sandwich in between the knitted slipper and the leather sole. I always use Lion Brand Thick and Quick for these. It’s cheap and machine washable. The leather soles are machine washable too.
And now the knitting basket looks like this
A KAL sweater that I just started. A forgotten sweater. Some white sock yarn frogged from a unsatisfactory shawlette that is now destined to be a pair of owl-y socks with beady eyes. A kit for Santa socks and a kit for snowman socks that just might sift to the bottom of the basket.
Pretty good month, knit wise.
WOOL FORWARD 