Hello knitters. Welcome back. It has been a good two weeks. I think winter has finally arrived, which means absolutely perfect knitting weather. I have a couple of finished objects, I have made progress on my WIPs and I worked on another amazing photo shoot. Let’s dive right in.
I am sitting at a chess tournament right now. This is usually prime knitting time, but I just bound off the back of my Corrina sweater, so I am taking a little time to catch up on the blog. This week’s photo shoot was Pierre Hotel in Manhattan. What a fantastic location. It is a luxury hotel which was built in 1930. I spent some time sitting in the lobby before I headed up to the suite in which we were doing the photo shoot. The lobby has a beautiful chessboard floor that a certain little chess player would love. Unfortunately, I did not have knitting with me. I didn’t think I would have time. Believe me. I will not make that mistake again. Do not leave home without your knitting. Here is an image of the hotel lobby. When the photo shoot images are ready for publication, I will share them. I am sure they are going to be gorgeous. Think Tom Ford suits and Eton shirts. My job is pretty wonderful sometimes.
Works in Progress:
Check it out! New socks. I have cast on How I Make My Socks by Susan B. Anderson. I am using Pixie and the Fairies Imp Sock in Colorway Phoenix. It is an 80% Merino and 20% nylon/polyamide blend. I am knitting it on 6” 2.5 mm dpns. I cast on 64 stiches. So far so good. I really like the way the yarn is pooling. When it arrived from yarnbox, I thought it was more pink than red, but now that I am knitting it up, I can see that there is plenty of red. I am not sure if my knitting is getting faster because of how much I have been at it lately, or because I am getting more familiar with sock knitting, but I seem to be making much quicker progress on these socks.
The Corrina Sweater. I am still plugging along. I still think the yarn is too soft for the pattern, but I must admit that his sweater is going to feel amazing against the skin. I think I will come close to achieving my goal of finishing the sweater before the weather gets too warm. I finished the back this morning, and I have cast on a sleeve.
Firefly dishcloth. This is a sweet pattern. It is actually very easy to achieve the wings. I think this is going to be a favorite. I may actually knit it up in some other colors too, since most of these end up in BOC for random gifts anyway. I am using the cotton ease again. I am knitting on the same size 6 bamboo straight needles. They seem to be getting smoother and smoother the longer I work with them.
I have not made any progress on my other four WIPs. Everything is on hold until I finish this sweater.
Finished Objects:
Good news bad news. I finished my socks! They are too big! I was trying them on as I went, but it did not occur to me that you really want negative ease for socks. Otherwise they fall down and are generally uncomfortable. The extra good news is that they fit my husband. And he loves them! He even knows which suit he is going to wear with them. Hooray! I love that he is so supportive. He complains a bit that my passion for knitting is somewhat all-consuming, but I don’t think he really minds. He wears my knitted objects proudly. I used the Ann Budd basic sock pattern, and I knit the socks in Socks that Rock Lightweight from Blue Moon Fibers in colorway Byron Lee Tipsy. I knit it on size 1 2.25 mm dpns. I cast on 72 stitches, and that was way too many, even though I have wide feet. I had a very nice surprise after I posted the finished object on Ravelry.com. I received the nicest note from Ann Budd. She complimented my socks and invited me to join Budd’s buds. How sweet is that? I mean, it is actually more than sweet. I have been hearing about Ann Budd and her amazing pattern writing since I learned to knit 7 years ago. I currently own three of her books. She really helped me understand sock construction, and on top of that she is even nice! Mind blown. I am a fan for life.
Dr. Who The Angels Have the Blue Box.. This was a super quick knit. I love the way it turned out, and I already have the lucky recipient in mind. I used Knitpicks dishie in blue. It was knit on size 6 bamboo straight needles.
Acquisitions.
The Sock Ruler. If you ever intend to knit socks, go immediately to www.sockruler.com and order yourself a sock ruler. This is the most useful knitting tool I have seen in a along time. I had the toughest time measuring the length of my sock. This tool, with its rounded end, allows you to insert the ruler into the portion of the sock you have constructed and accurately measure the length of your project. It measures from the heel, cuff, or the toe. So, unless you are knitting your socks sideways, it is going to make your life easier. No more row counting (unless you need to count pattern repeats) and no more “fudging” it with a ruler or a tape measure from the outside of the sock. You simply insert the sock ruler, smooth out the stitches, and voila. You know exactly how long your sock is. The curved end makes it really easy to make sure your ruler is measuring exactly from the curve of the heel or toe. My friend from knit night showed me a great Sock Ruler Hack. You make a line on the sock ruler in pen for the length of your foot, or the feet of everyone in your family you knit socks for. I haven't done it yet. Mainly because I haven't found my perfect sock measurement yet.
Instant Pot. This one has nothing to do with knitting. It also has everything to with getting my healthy eating back on track. This tool is genius. It is a pressure cooker, steamer, slow cooker and sauté pan all in one. Let me back up. The kid has activities almost every day. Last year, his activities were at the school, so his school day was simply extended by an hour. Now most of them are in the evening. 4 nights out of 7, I am not at home to make dinner. Enter instant pot. I tried it out on Sunday. I made a delicious beef stew in an hour. Including chopping vegetables. Last night, I supplemented the leftovers with some steamed bok choy. 10 minutes. I am hooked. With a little planning, I can have healthy meals on the table with much less kitchen time than ever before. Instant pot, my waistline and my family thank you.
That is all for now. Have a great week, and Happy Knitting.