Off with the toe

I've finished the blue socks accented with white I started at the beginning of the month. The first one I made had a white toe... The second one I made had a blue toe. I had to decide and the blue one was the winner.

Since then I've removed the white toe and reknitted it with the main color which is cool because it is self patterning so it's a bit more interesting than the white one.
I'm very happy that these socks both match each other. This was no easy feat (not feet :o) because the second ball seems to have been wound backwards to the first.

That meant to make them match I had to reball it and then find the correct starting spot. Not too fun, but definitely worth the effort when you put them side by side and they match so nicely. Probably only I would notice, but who else looks at my feet besides me anyway?

What a difference great needles make!

I love the new double pointed needles I bought! They are the perfect length and are such a joy to work with. Here is the first sock I've made with the hand dyed yarn from London Wul. I just love the colors, not very spring time, but still nice. They will be great to dig out next fall. I love the feel of them too; the combination of the mohair and wool gives them a soft, but strong, feeling. Pure luxory to wear!

Now I just have to get the second one made so I can wear them. This pattern is really fast and it only took about 3-4 hours of knitting to get this one completed.

Shopping at London Wul

I stole a few minutes on Saturday to stop by the London Wul shop. I had been wanting to pick up a set of bamboo double pointed 2.25mm needles for knitting up my socks. I found so much more and have been knitting like crazy since. Oh, Heidi who owns London Wul has a fabulous blog now also.

I bought two sets of double pointed needles that are shorter than most. They are working fabulously for socks.



I bought a skien of 50% mohair/50% wool yarn that was hand dyed at London Wul. My plan was to use it for making a pair of socks that I saw in the Weekend Knitting book. I saw the socks on Knitten Knots blog and just loved them. Plus they use a technique of knitting the whole sock first and then going back and knitting the heel. I'd never tried that before. Now I have the yarn... so off I go...




Then I bought two balls to make felted purses with. This is the one that I've started with first.

Two is better than one

I mentioned last time that I was on to my next project, a lace scarf. The pattern comes from my new favorite wool store, London Wul, and it's called Kim's Lace Scarf. I don't know what the yarn is by it's very fine and has mohair in it for sure. I got the huge ball of it at a yard sale for 25 cents. That was a great find. Here are some pictures of it in progress. I have it about half finished.





Of course I couldn't just have one project on the go at one time, so I started a pair of socks. I'm using an expensive self patterning yarn I found in a brand I've never used before, Schoeller Stahl Socka color. I thought it would create a pattern but if you look closely at the picture the pattern is not really a pattern.



Don't know what the problem is, I checked my guage and it seems correct according to the label. Maybe this brand doesn't create a real pattern, I don't know. Let me know if anyone has used this type before and what their results were. I'm a little disappointed because the yarn was about $7 per ball, expensive socks!

Free at last... tale of thrummed slippers comes to an end

Ever have a project that just hangs over you and you dread working on it because it's just not enjoyable but until you finish it, it's still there hanging over everything else you work on?

Well I do all the time! And I just finished one of these last night! I finished the second thrummed slipper that I was making Troy. I hate it, but he loves it, so all is good. They look horrible and I think one is bigger than the other even. But when I gave them to Troy last night he pulled his socks off and stuck his feet in the slippers and squealed with joy (well he made some sort of pleasurable noise).

He finds them very cozy and warm and comfortable... I'm just glad they are finished!

Now on to the next project... a lacy scarf...