My First Sock!

It's done! I finished Amber's sock! And it fits! I should have made it a little bit longer at the cuff, but it works very well as an anklet for her. The darling's birthday is tomorrow, so I'm hoping to have the other one done quickly!

Speed Sticks vs. US2 DPN and package!

Speed Sticks vs. US2 DPN
Originally uploaded by mswebchik.

I got my speed sticks in the mail today, along with 7 skeins of yarn. 2 of them were self-striping/patterning moda-dea sassy stripes (lucky), and 5 were various colors of Lion Brand Wool Ease.

I got a kick out of the size difference. I'm making some socks with size 2 DPN's right now, so I put them next to each other. Wow. As one person put it, it's like a toothpick next to a broomstick.

For those of you wondering - the speed sticks are going to be used for an afghan I'm going to make out of all the fun fur/novelty yarn I have around here now. I figured it would be fun for the kids to use on the floor (lots of textures) and warm and fuzzy to curl up with.

FO's

First we have the "5-hr-baby-sweater" that I'm sending to Stephanie of recycledsilk.com. I made a bunch of these last year for various children who appeared in my life around the same time.

Next is "Twiggy Tweed". I received a lovely red long wool coat with black trim, and my old purse was just disgusting. I couldn't find one I liked to replace it, so when I saw this pattern I decided it made more sense to make my own. It turned out quite well, I think.

After that, I bought the kit for "Unbiased" and made that. I think it came out pretty well. I did a smaller version, but it's just the right size to hold a WIP and my necessities (including a diaper or two for the baby). So I can take my knitting with me and my hubby doesn't complain about it. Yay!

I'll have pictures of Calorimetry and the toddler socks again tomorrow, so I can show the progress I've made.

Random food picture

For those of you who were with me in Knitty chat last night, while I was making dinner, I felt obligated to share this picture of the Turkey. I made it based on an Allrecipes.com recipe. It turned out so nice and golden and moist, it was lovely. And of course there's lots left over, so we'll be having turkey in various forms over the next week or so.

It is very cold right now, so I'm going to work on Calorimetry for a bit. I'm also getting ready to take pictures of the completed Unbiased and Twiggy Tweed bags I made, as well as the mini baby blanket I made for my daughter, and finished in time for my son. Actually, it wasn't quite finished - I got sick of knitting and made it short. That way, I could use it to tuck around the baby while in the infant carrier without having a TON of blanket hanging over the edge. I pretend I planned it that way.

New Year's Resolution

In the year 2007 I resolve to: Start smuggling contraband in baby diapers. Get your resolution here.

Finally... pictures!

This morning I was so proud of my progress on the socks I'm making that I braved the wilderness that I call my bedroom and dug out my webcam! So here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
First we have the darling who will be getting the socks... Amber will be a great big 3 year old on Thursday! Isn't she darling? I apologize for the color quality of my pics, it is a webcam after all. I will get a real digital camera of these days.

And here are some shots of the sock. I should have done the ribbing longer, I was aiming for an anklet, but would have liked it slightly longer. Ah well. We'll see how it works out.



Notice the holes in the heel. I did short row heel without wrapping. I knew there would be resulting holes, but I just wanted to get the basic technique down first. I'll work on wrapping the rows on the next pair I make.





And finally, Amber modeling the sock as it is now...

There! Later today I'll take pics of the bags and other things I've made so you can see my body of work. LOL!

My Pretties...

I was naughty today. I went to my LYS and made a purchase. But they were soooo pretty and inviting and I really did need them...

I purchased a set of 6" Crystal Palace Bamboo DPN's. Size US2 - 2.75mm. They are beautiful. They're warm to the touch, and smooth, and simply lovely. I'm so happy. They're amost making me forget that I have a house full of loud children.

On the advice of April, I opted to start with Voodo. I'm working them with some basic acrylic Bernat Super Value worsted. Nothing fancy, obviously. It's just something for me to get used to knitting in the round on DPN's. But it should work out well. So far it looks nice. And I'm remembering what it's like to work with tiny needles going round and round. It's soothing, in a way. I will definitely become majorly addicted to sock knitting once I start. Even on teeny tiny needles it doesn't take a whole lot of time to work out.

My 9yo kitty cat opted to sit on my lap and nose the knitting off it, so I'm taking a mandatory break now. How could you say no to this face? He's so sweet and soft, and just getting over being horribly ill so I'm happy to have him sit here.

Okay, after I get my kids to give up and go to bed, I'll dig the webcam out and do a photo shoot of my various projects, completed and otherwise. For now, I'm cuddling with the kitty.

Realizations

It just occurred to me that I have a webcam somewhere around here. So I shall find it andd use it for taking pics of my knitting works to be posted here. I'm still pushing for donations for a digital camera, tho. That info is on my Livejournal site at http://mrswebchik.livejournal.com.

Unbiased is now sewn, and the creator of the pattern, Stephanie Shiman of http://www.recycledsilk.com is pregnant and due any day now. I'm sending her a 5-hour-baby-sweater. I made mine from the "original" pattern. I love making it in different yarns, like eyelash yarn and other fun-fur type yarns. I made one in an eyelash yarn for a baby in SoCal - she was the talk of the town! My friend's friends kept asking her where she got the sweater - and she was thrilled to tell them that it was a one-of-a-kind specially made for her baby.

I think that's what I like most about knitting. Aside from the therepeutic nature of knitting, and the accomplished feeling you get when you finish a pesky new pattern successfully, there's the sheer uniqueness of hand-knit items. I have a purse made with the Twiggy Tweed pattern, my new Unbiased bag, many 5-hr-sweaters, a few little blankets, and other things I've knit. And no matter which one I make, there is not going to be another item exactly like the one I made. After all, depending on my mood, the needles used, the weather, the yarn, and any other minor factor, my stitches will come out differently every time. So it's completely original.

Yeah, I like that.

Wheee!!! I have a knitting blog!

I just made my first knitting blog! Once I actually get a camera, I will be able to post pics of my stuff, but for now, I can at least type about my knitting. Which will be nice, considering I'm getting ready to jump into the realm of sock knitting. Okay, time to finish my Unbiased bag so I can start using it to store my WIP.