Wordless Finished Projects

What's that thing you do with two sticks and a string?

Knitting... that's right... I used to do a lot of it... and I'm getting back into the habit...

I finished my daughter in law's sister's Birthday Socks (easier just to say Chessa's Socks). She got to choose the yarn from my unending stash.

Just for the fun of it, I made a contrast facing with a picot edge. Easy Peasy: CO an even number of sts- whatever your pattern calls for- in the contrast, K 12 rnds. Next Rnd: *YO, K 2 tog*, rep around, Next Rnd: K. Change colors and knit sock as per usual. Tack the facing down and in loosely (so it stretches).

I bought this yarn at the '09 Sock Summit. I love how the socks came out.

And I finished the Caribbean Bobble hat that I started on the cruise. It's knit from one skein of Malabrigo Rios, on size 8 needles. I'll post the pattern whenever I get around to writing it up.

It fits! (not always a sure thing when I wing it)

I do love the colors. This colorway is called Aguas, chosen for the obvious reason.

And, for some reason, I was moved to cast on a worsted weight sock, using leftover yarns.

I had the ribbing done the evening before, but I finished the rest of the first sock last night. One of the wonderful things about worsted weight socks is that they knit up very quickly.

I divided out all of the yarns evenly, so I should be able to knit a matching mate. Specs: Size 5 needles, 48 sts, 15 rnds ribbing, 6" cuff (total), short row heel on 24 sts, 6" foot (for size 8 1/2), Star Toe (starting with *K6, K 2 tog* rep, and decreasing the number of sts between decreases by one every other row until 12 remain).

I'm remembering how much I love knitting!

The BT'oKT

Well, it's time to dig into the Big Tub 'O Knitted Things, and get them ready for distribution.

I think at least eight pairs of socks will go to new homes, and easily fifteen hats, including these two new ones:

 This hat was knitted from leftover Opal Harry Potter yarn (I think this was the Dumbledore colorway). I had just enough to make a nice, adult-sized hat.

This one is made up of leftover bits and bobs. It's smaller, for a younger person. I like how it came out as well.

I have another hat on the needles now, though it's not going to anyone specific. Yet.

 These hats are going in the mail tomorrow. The white one was a special request, and I still need to crochet a floppy flower for it. That's tonight's goal.

These socks all stay in the general vicinity, but they need wrapping. The fun part is choosing who gets which pair (though a few are size-specific and were knitted with certain persons in mind). The fact that nearly all of these socks and hats were made from leftover yarns tells you #1 that my stash was/is obscene, and #2 they were all *free* (and yes, I know that my time is worth something, but using up the leftover bits of yarn makes me feel virtuous and thrifty).

On another note altogether- take a peek at the hit counter at the lower right of the main blog page. I am awed and honored that you all put up with my blather, and (evidently) keep coming back for more. Thank you, each and every one!

Socks, and A Book Update

I finished the last pair of socks that MUST be done before Christmas. It's not that I don't have more knitting that I want to do, and it's not that there isn't more that I have to do after Christmas (we're delaying the SoCal Celebration until late January so we can have it in person), but as far as socks that I need to have finished and under the tree- this is the last pair. Woohoo!

Remember that I said I'd get back to you about whether Swan Song had a happy ending or not? Well, here's my verdict: I'm not ever going to know. I continued with the book for as long as I could, but McCammon piled on disturbing scene after disturbing scene after disturbing scene, and finally, I called it quits. I can read and enjoy dark- I mean, I love Dexter, after all. But there's a jolly sense of depraved humor about Dex and there isn't even a trace in Swan Song to help leaven the... well... I'm not going to put those scenes in your head. It's going to take me a long time to get them out of mine.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next, but you can be sure it'll have some chuckles.

Wordless Leftover Yarn Socks

Wordless Leftover Yarn Sock

Before I dive in. Again.

Well, it's time to start work on MG Fantasy V4.0. The editors who saw the manuscript universally loved it, but they also each had exactly the same complaint: they wanted more. So I'm back at it- adding material, which, odd as it might sound, is a lot harder than cutting.

But before I buckle down for the afternoon, I thought you'd like to see these:

 I took this shot a couple of days ago,

 and then finished the pair the next evening.

 And then I cast on another pair- I'm not out of variegated leftover yarns, but I am a bit limited in the yarns that I'm using on these socks because they have to be machine washable and dryable (and no matter what the labels say, some superwash yarns do felt, so I'm only using yarns that I know absolutely will hold up to vigorous wear and laundering). That said, I really like the combo of these solids with the blue and gold. Rather bold, don't you think? (And in case you wonder- the coral really is leftover yarn- I needed about 10 yds from that ball for another project, so it technically meets the requirements for Leftover Socks).

And my good friend LouAnn, one of the many wonderful people I've met at SAFF over the years, sent me this package of yarn, just because. LouAnn, aka Winter Mountain Fibers in Tennessee, has a wonderful color sense. The larger skein is 1,100 yds of fingering weight wool, perfect for a shawl. The green and yellow is sock yarn. Thank you thank you thank you LouAnn- your friendship means everything to me!

Finished and Unfinished, a Commercial Success, and a Return Trip

I met with my knitting group yesterday- as always, it was wonderful to see everyone. After the meeting, I ran errands, and then met Frog Girl for a Gramma Girl supper. We drove back home in the dark and spotted several deer in the ditch. Live deer. Live deer ready to jump out in front of the car. Luckily, none did.

 In addition to the hat and mittens from earlier this week, I had another FO to show off yesterday. Someone very dear to me said wistfully that a plain cream handspun hat would be lovely. It is a measure of how dear that person is, that I actually knit a plain cream hat for her (for Christmas- she has to wait). It turned out beautifully, but man, it was boring to knit.

Side Note; I like how my new scanner picks up stitch definition and color, but the scanner bed squooshes things- the hat isn't *ruffly* at the top, it just looks that way in the scan.

I'm down to using non-self-patterning leftover yarns for socks now (not that I don't have lots of self-patterning yarns in the stash, but none of them, at the moment, are left over). I love how these colors came together. This pair will be for Ladybug Girl, and the upside is that if she outgrows them (all of the girls have Magically Expanding Feet), she can give them back to me, since they fit me now. (Ignore the gray hair that just happened to be on the scanner bed...)

On a totally different subject- that Subaru commercial where the ex-couple spot each other at some sort of reunion, but yet do not speak to each other, bugs the hell out of me. But the background song has been in my head forever. I finally Googled it yesterday (typing: Subaru commercial song into the window) and found this:

This is now my new favorite song. You want proof? I bought it on iTunes yesterday before heading to Aberdeen, and I listened to it on steady repeat for 43 miles, and I didn't think about that stupid reunion ex-couple even once. 

Can someone who is musically knowledgeable tell me what that kind of rhythm is called (where the main beat seems to be a bit behind the rest of the song).  

And finally, I am happy to announce that I'll be teaching again at the Michigan Fiber Festival! The 2012 festival is August 18-19, and workshops run from August 15-19. I'll be teaching classes Aug 15-17. I'll announce the roster and times when registration is open. I'm thrilled to be invited back!

FOs! and Mitered Square Links

Woohoo, I finally finished a couple of things!

After 18 months of the Yarn Buying Moratorium, I'm finally almost out of self-striping sock yarn leftovers. I have lots of non-patterning leftovers but it looks like I'm going to have to dip into the stash of full skeins and balls in order to make more like the above. The stash of full skeins is still overflowing.

I didn't keep track, but I think I got 7 or 8 pairs of free socks from all of those little leftover balls of yarn. Not too shabby.

And I finished this hat, which I started last November (and I would say that this is the longest any UFO has been on my needles, except that I know better). The yarn is from Lisa Souza. I bought it at the '09 Sock Summit. The colorway is Lapland and believe it or not, it's still available (check under the Hand Dyed Sock Yarns). The short-repeat variegation worked perfectly for mitered squares. Each square is a little different from those surrounding it, so each square stands out. I love the effect. I have plenty of yarn left, so I'm also knitting a pair of matching fingerless mittens.

Friend and blog reader Jessica asked if I would make a listing of the mitered square instructions so they would be easier to find. Here you go, Jessica:

Illustrated Mitered Square Tutorial

Freebie Friday Mitered Square Fingering Weight 2-Needle Socks Pattern

Fingering Weight Mitered Square Hat Instructions

Worsted Weight Mitered Square Hat General Instructions (note: this is not an actual pattern, it's just hints on how to adapt the pattern to this size yarn)

General Instructions for Fingering Weight Mitered Square Socks worked in the Round (again, this is not an actual pattern, just hints on how to adapt the 2-needle pattern)

The pattern for mitered square socks knit with worsted weight yarn is part of my Mitered Square Cuff Workshop (along with a pattern for mittens), and therefore only available for workshop members, but all you have to do is work 3 rows of 5 mitered squares with size 5 needles for the cuff, sew the cuff into a tube (3 rows deep), then pick up 48 sts and work the rest of the sock in the normal way.

Also, my pattern for fingering weight gloves with Mitered Square Cuffs is in Storey's 101 Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders.

The yarn thing

Remember back when I used to knit all the time? And I always had new FOs to post here on the blog?

Good times.

But though I may not knit all the time now, and I don't even try to knit on planes (not enough elbow room for this prop-n-throw knitter), I did pick the needles up again this week.

 I'm nearly done with a pair of leftover yarn socks (the first socks I've had on the needles in awhile). I love how the different yarns all look so cool together- none of them match, and yet they work perfectly. These are slated for The Big Tub 'O Knitted Things, and Christmas.

 And though my Yarn Buying Moratorium is still in effect, I've never pretended to have a Yarn Winning Moratorium. I won this beautiful yarn from The Copper Corgi when I was at SAFF. I didn't even consider turning it down. I suspect it'll be the next to hit the swift and winder. I love love love the mottled peach/copper colors. I think this yarn deserves lace, or some other amazing texture. I haven't worked cables for ages- maybe it's time.

 I finished spinning this hank of Romney before I left for NC. I spun the whole thing with the long draw, and I'm very happy with how the yarn came out. Though it's still pretty heavy (183 yds and 5.7 ozs), it's much lighter, loftier, and squooshier than my usual handspun yarn.

 My guess is that the long draw works best with well prepared fiber, but I have a lot of that on hand, including another 3ozs or so of this particular colorway. By the time I get done spinning it, I'll have plenty of yarn for a pair of cushy winter socks.

 I mentioned Mercury Swings yesterday. It's a free short story that fits somewhere in the whacked out universe that Robert Kroese created. I read it last night, and it's a hoot. I don't know if it'll make much sense to anyone who is not familiar with the characters and premise, but I enjoyed it greatly.

Oh, and though I've seen some beautiful scenes in my travels, and I hope to see many, many more, there is no scene more beautiful than what I can see from my front porch.

South Dakota wins Sunsets.

The first day of the rest of the month...

... also happens to be the last day of the rest of the month. Oh well. I have a few days to do some of the things that went by the wayside while I was feverishly working on the MG rewrite, and getting a bunch of festival workshop proposals sent in, and trying to arrange classes and workshops for my March trip to Snohomish. I don't suppose this calm will last very long, but while it does, I'm going to try to rest up before we leave for SoCal. My cold is on the wane (it stayed strictly in the nasal vicinity, without settling in the chest, so it was annoying, but otherwise unremarkable)(well, I remarked a lot, but that's the way I am).

 I've also had a bit of time for knitting. I finished this pair of leftover socks, and they'll go winging their way to happy feet tomorrow.

 I decided to try the mitered square hat with heavier yarn and bigger needles. This yarn is Plymouth Boku. It's my usual mitered square hat recipe, except that I used size 8 needles, and only did 2 rows of 8 mitered squares. The crown has 80 sts. The measurements are the same. I think it turned out beautifully.

 And I still love the look of the decreases.

I cast on another with leftover Noro. Noro is a sneaky yarn- you can fall in love with a ball for the lovely peaches and golds and rusts, only to find an entire center section of chartreuse. That happened with this yarn, which looks to be soothing cool colors and oceany and all, and then suddenly, with no warning, there was this huge swath of scarlet. I looked at it for a bit, and then I snipped it out. The red just didn't belong in this hat, and it will be very happy in some other leftover hat, I'm sure.

This version of these hats knits up very very quickly. Woohoo for TBTo'KT!

Tomorrow, I'll probably have pics of some sewing projects that I'm finishing up.

I'm Baaack!

So, MG Fantasy V2.0 is off to my agent. If it needs more work, it'll come back to me. If it's ready to go, then the real nail biting starts. In the meantime, I have my days back now. Except that I don't. I have about six bazillion things to do before we leave for SoCal (and some Fearless Fair Isle booksignings- the first in Sioux Falls on Feb. 10). It's Proposal Submitting Season, and there are several festivals with looming deadlines waiting for my paperwork. And I have sewing to do before we leave, including some for a Birthday Sister. And I probably ought to clean, just a little bit.

Speaking of Fearless Fair Isle (which is shipping from online stores even as I type)...

 Look what arrived the other day! These are my freebie copies. Once they're gone (and they disappear pretty fast, I have a big family), I have to buy them, just like everyone else.

 But I keep 3 for myself. One is my reading copy, that I trot around to all of my booksignings (and to the grocery store, and the post office, and anywhere else I think anyone might possibly ask me what I'm doing carrying that book around, so I can say, "Oh this little thing? Did I bring that with me? It's just my latest book." ) And then two copies (of all of the books, the ones I wrote, and the ones where I am a contributor) go on my office shelf, where I keep every edition of every book (if I can find them)- ARCs (advance reading copies), 1st editions, multiple printings, new versions. I look at them sometimes, and think, "Wow, that's pretty cool. Why aren't I rich?"

Note some of the writers on the shelf below- Laura Lippman, Elizabeth George, Jerrilyn Farmer, and of course, Alan Beechey. The shelf below is the G.M. Ford/Dennis Lehane shelf. All of them signed, neener neener.

 And when I'm not admiring my oeuvre, I have been knitting. I'm nearly done with the latest pair of leftover socks. These will go winging to New Owner on Monday. I want her to have them before it warms up, not that that is going to happen any time soon.

 And last, but most certainly not least, Blog Reader/Facebook Friend Valerie knitted a couple of mitered-square leftover yarn hats, here modeled by Reanna (below) and Megan above. Thanks so much for sharing, Valerie. The hats and the models are all adorable!

As always, if you've made something from any of my patterns and would like to share, I love posting pics! Just e-mail them to me: kathleentaylor1952atgmaildotcom

Crazy Time

Sorry for missing yesterday's post. I'm heading into the homestretch on the MG Fantasy revisions (which have to be done and to my agent by Monday). All of the neurosis and panic that I didn't feel when I finished the first draft, I'm dealing with  now. Trust me, it's not pretty.

Ad I habe a code...

But, Ms American Idol Doofus Blogger, you say, didn't you just get over two  months of bronchitis/pneumonia? Aren't you just now getting back to a full workout? Haven't you paid your Winter Illness Dues in full?

To which I mutter, Yeah,[honk] I sure would have thought so.

The big worry is that we're leaving for SoCal in just a little over two weeks, and I do not want to travel sick again. But, this looks and feels like a regular cold. If any symptoms get worse, I will hie mysel' to a doctor.

 I did finish a pair of socks. This pair isn't made of leftover yarns, though they certainly qualify as stashbusting. This stuff is Knit Picks Parade, the sportweight superwash sock yarn that they experimented with (and discarded) a few years ago. I have a few balls of it, and it's fun to knit with because it uses slightly fewer stitches and slightly larger needles (56, 3mm) than my usual sock pattern. These aren't going in TBTO'KT because they're heading to their real home next week.

These socks (which will also go to their home next week) are sort of leftover socks. I had full balls of each of these yarns, but in the size that I'm knitting, I need 3 balls of Parade for a pair. So I'm mixing the stripes, and I'm pleased with the results. I suspect Future Owner will be happy too.

Today, more chapter revisions (just 4 left, but they're the hard ones), and tonight is American Idol... and of course, lots of sneezing and sniffling. It'll be a busy day.

Laundry Day

 For some reason, the sight of umpteen pairs of handknit socks drying on the rack, just makes me feel good.

 I finished another hat- this one is a bit bulkier and bigger than the others. I had to double up on the non-green strands. But that's okay- Taylors are known for having The Big Head, so this one won't have any problem finding a home.

 I just like the way the decreases look.

Next up, another pair of leftover socks. These are all bits and balls of yarn that I bought at the '09 Sock Summit. Seems proper that they end up together.

Otherwise, nothing new is going on. Revisions are coming along, and I'm finally back to running 2 miles at a stretch. How's the weather, you ask? Snow. Snow. And more snow. I'd take a picture, but it looks the same as every other snow picture I've taken in the last few years. Do a blog search and you'll get the drift... did you see what just I did there? Hooboy- I need to get out more.