catching up...

after a night of knitting with the super knitters naomi and ellen a couple weeks back i was inspired to try something new and more challenging (seriously, have you seen the stuff they knit? amazing - i especially love the kauni sweater).

i had seen these socks on ravelry earlier in the week. the pair that i was drawn to (linked above) was in a yarn very similar to one i already had in my stash. taking it as a sign i printed the vinnland pattern off the anticraft site and got started.

i used judy's magic cast on after reading about it in the new cat bordhi book. i have made toe up socks once before but found the cast on too fiddly. this cast on is amazing and SUPER easy! toe up no longer scares me!

the first sock has been completed since the photo above was taken. i did an afterthought heel. i don't know how i feel about it yet. i know i need to frog it and attempt again because it is a little tight. i will add a few more rows and kitchener 16 instead of 12. the cast off was fiddly too. i think i like it, just need a little more practice. taking the k2, p2 rib and separating the knits onto one needle and the purls on another and then kitchenering it was a little hard. and as with all toe ups, the stretch at the top wasn't great. i'll have to do some research on really stretchy cast off options for my next pair.

another plus is that it felt like they went really fast because i didn't have to stop and work the heel. hopefully i will get motivated to cast on the second sock in the next day or so.

i seem to want to cast on for a million projects right now. i guess the cold weather really gets me motivated to knit some winter wearables. i am almost done with my noro striped scarf and the yarn harlot's unoriginal hat done in blue moon leticia, pebble beach. i should have photos of these soon!

i'm not done yet, i do have another fo to share. early in december i picked up the last ana bandana kit at my lys. it took me awhile to get through the straight stockinette knitting and then a couple attempts at finishing (so thankful for the pictures included with the instructions!). but last week i was finally able to weave in the ends. i didn't get a great photo, but you get the idea


i can see myself knitting another one of these. mine is more fitted than the one on the website so i can't decide if i should knit the next one up a size. we'll see, i still like the fit of this size too.

ok, phew. it has been so long since my last post i have too much to share! i do want to share something i came across a couple days ago. see this post on catknits blog. this is such a great idea and i wanted to help spread the word too. when i first checked, it was up to $900, now it is $1700! i won't go into detail, but how the aftermath of katrina was handled is so heartbreaking to me. although it is sad that we have had to rely on celebrities to raise awareness, i am thankful they continue to do so.

so i still have lots to blog about. another post will be coming soon. there has been snow, car troubles, strep throat and stash enhancements. and lots of entourage watching (i have to say that i am in love with jeremy piven). with the lack of new tv out there, i upgraded my netflix account to 3 movies at a time. :)

there will also be more project bags for sale on the shop blog monday. this round will include several hard to find amy butler fabrics and the introduction of the medium size project bag (which came from me not being able to cram my scarf into the small one! - thanks mom!). i just love these bags and my mom is nice enough to let me keep adding to my collection. thanks for everyone who has already purchased them and sent nice emails. my mom is really enjoying working on these so as long as she wants to keep sewing there will be bags for sale :)

talk soon!