Sensing Spring

Spring is coming! Can you feel it? Here in Nashville we are looking forward to temperatures in the 70's. I know it's only a fleeting warmth and they are talking about a chance of snow later this week, but for a few days I can pretend we are well on our way to warmer weather.

Cold weather makes me want to knit - there's something about bundling up on the couch with that warm wooly project in my lap. But thoughts of spring make me think of bright colors. I got the bug in my head to dye some brightly colored yarn and I couldn't let it go. So I stocked up on Kool-Aid and got to work. I dyed two skeins of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes and one superwash wool blend sock yarn from Joann's. I love the way they turned out - all those speckled colors like the first signs of spring poking out from the ground.

I don't know what I'm going to knit with these yet, but they will probably turn into something for the baby. I tried to keep the colors relatively neutral, but who doesn't love a baby boy or girl in bright colors? I can't wait to see how these knit up and I will definitely be attempting this speckling technique again. Until I find the proper projects I will just continue looking at the yarns and dreaming of warmer weather and all the pretty colors it brings.

All of Them

In an attempt to get control of, and use up, my yarn stash, I took all those odd bits of leftover cotton yarn and wound them into new assorted balls. Some people in the knitting community call it a magic cake, I think it's more of a magic onion because each layer brings a new surprise color. Some of the balls were completely random - I just reached over and blindly grabbed the next color. Others, like some above, were selected with a bit more thought, combining like colors or themes - ie, all muted colors, or all bright colors together. 

I knitted and crocheted a few dishcloths from these surprise balls and I love the fun, scrappy feel they bring to my kitchen. Some are hideous and some are pretty, but they all wash dishes just the same and they all used up a small part of my overflowing stash. I can knit a whole dishcloth out of a little less than one of these balls, so I just tie those leftovers on to the next ball and start all over again. I plan to keep going until I completely run out of cotton yarn and then comes the real fun - restocking! 

As I knit each new color section, I remember the original recipient of many of the original dishcloths - specific colors for specific people - moms, aunts, grandmas, cousins, friends... It's nice to think a little part of their kitchen is also in my home. These scrappy versions are very much like a scrappy quilt made with all the cherished leftovers and memories, which also happen to be some of my favorite quilts. 

I plan to spend my weekend knitting some more scrappy dishcloths while watching the Olympics. We caught a bit of the snowboarding qualifiers last night and it was so exciting to see the patriotism and competitive spirit in the athletes! I hope you have a great weekend and Go Team USA! 

Summer Socks

I have been knitting up a storm this summer, and I have a few new pairs of socks to show for it.

This pair was a very long work in progress. The socks are made from the little remnant balls of yarn left from other sock projects. I knit two different yarns at a time, alternating rows, then swapping out one color for another, creating a blend of colors. It was a huge pain the bun, what with carrying around umpteen tiny balls of yarn and weaving in all those ends, but I think it was worth it. The Scrap Vomit of socks, if you will.

The pattern I used is called Charade, which I modified to work toe-up in a narrower size.

Next up was a very quick pair of toe-less, heel-less socks, perfect for those nights when I want something on my feet but it's just too hot to wear full-on socks.

I modified these Yoga Socks so it's just a straight knit throughout and smaller fit.

The yarn is Knit Picks Palette in Semolina *I think*

The yoga socks were really just a stash project to tide me over until a package arrived with new yarn. Included in the package was a couple skeins of Imagination - one of my favorite soft & squishy yarns. I have another pair in the Frog Prince colorway from years ago (now discontinued), and I couldn't wait to start knitting with this gorgeous Unicorn colorway.

I dove right into some late night bed knitting, as well as a few unusual spots.

The toes and feet were knit while waiting in line to see Ed Sheeran perform in Nashville. We waited outside in 90+ heat for about four hours. Needless to say, I got a lot of knitting done and the show was a-mah-zing.

The last half of these socks were knit in the car on our way to Gatlinburg, as well as while driving and hiking through the Smoky Mountains. The pattern in my own design - a simple lace in toe-up. I kept these anklets because I only had 219 yards of yarn :)

That brings me to my latest project, which is still on the needles:

The yarn is Stroll Hand Painted in Watermelon and the 462 yards goes a long way on my tiny feet. My plan was to knit until I ran out of yarn, but I think I might end up with weird knee socks if I do that.

I think I'm about ready to start the cuff, which will give the socks another inch or two and then I'll call it good.  

Congratulations! You made it to the end of this post about socks! Go pour yourself a cold one and get someone to pat you on the back.