This is my Gwen Slouch pattern, knitted in bulky yarn (can’t remember what yarn — bought it in Blacksburg, VA February-ish while E was getting tatted). I knitted this on a size 9 circ, and just eliminated one pattern repeat.

“Vintage” Caps hat I knit for myself that E has stolen. Simple k1,p1 rib for a few rows, then stockinette all the way around, on a size 7 circ. This is knitted with Lion Brand wool-ease acrylic/wool blend. Lots of this yarn left… more Caps hats to come!

This colorful one is again simple k1,p1 rib for a few rows then stockinette all the way around until I felt like stopping. I casted on 54 stitches with a size 9 circ, then switched to size 11 when I started the stockinette. Super easy bulky beanie! I believe sometimes it’s necessary to just let beautiful yarn speak for itself in simple stockinette…. Also great for mindless TV watching. : )

Details on the pattern coming soon. I knitted a smaller one for myself as well, which I have some close-ups of. First time steeking!

I bought this lovely Koigu KPPPM when visiting Austin in June at super cute shop called Hill Country Weavers — also, it had AC which was greatly needed at the time! I wanted to knit some toe-up short socks for myself for lounging around the house.

Here is the generic sock pattern I used and the different methods for cast-on/toe/heel/bind-off:

Needle:  Size 2 36″ circular needle
Gauge:  20 st = 4″ in stockinette

Cast on 20 stitches (or half as many as the total number of stitches you want your sock to be), using Judy Becker’s Magic Cast-on method for provisional cast-on, onto 1 long circular needle. This is the best provisional cast-on method I have ever experienced!!! No crochet hook, no waste yarn needed! Love it.

Knit all stitches in the round.

Knit Increase round: k1, kfb, k to last 2 st, kfb, k1

Repeat last 2 rounds until there are 40 stitches (or total # of stitches for your personal foot size).

Knit round and round until you are ready to start your heel.

Knit heel using Priscilla Wild’s short row heel method — no wraps necessary! I made short rows until there were 8 working stitches on the needle.

Knit round and round until the sock reaches the height you want.

For mine, I did about 8 rows of moss stitch to finish. Then, I cast-off using Elizabeth Zimmermann’s sewn bind off:  * Sew forward (right to left) through two stitches as if to purl, leave the stitches on. Sew backward (left to right) through one stitch as if to knit and remove the stitch. Repeat from * until you run out of stitches. Work in tail on the inside of the sock and trim any excess.

This bind off makes the top of your sock stretchy, so you can actually get it on your foot!

Heel & Ankle:

Multicolored Infinity scarf, holding 2 strands of many different colors of worsted together. Casted on 120 stitches in the round with a size 13 needle and just did garter stitch round and round.

I gave it to my friend Lola — That’s her modeling above!

So, I have given myself a goal to knit 10 scarves similar to this one in the next month, build up an inventory, then try to etsy it up. Wish me luck!

Look! I’m weaving! My bf got me a Kromski Rigid Heddle Harp loom for Christmas. I absolutely love it. It wasn’t too bad figuring out the whole dressing thing — the New Voyager website has all sorts of videos to explain the process.

I kind of feel a bit loony with this whole weaving thing. Like, knitting… knitting is popular. Trendy, some would say. But not so many people have jumped onto weaving… or maybe they have, they are just chillin on farms in the middle of Montana and don’t have access to internet. I have to move furniture around to work with this loom, and when I finally set down with a glass of wine, watching the Bachelor and weaving away, I think if anyone came in right now (save my bf, he knows the deal) they would sure have a quizzical look.

Anyways, since I’ve got the loom, all I can think of is plaid plaid plaid. I’ve been leaning in to strangers’ plaid coats on the metro to check the color schemes. Seriously. So, this is my first plaid scarf. Kind of think it looks like a dish rag around my neck? Oh well. I need to play around more with different colors, this one was made with stuff I just had lying around.

p.s. Snomageddon 2010 has hit my neighborhood:

Some goals for 2010…

Projects:

- Dolman sweater knit from wrist to wrist (a la the Anthropologie one I die for, but could never justify purchasing) - I’m thinking Ultra Alpaca
- 2 socks at a time on one circular (this was pushed from last year’s goals)
- Bulky throw blanket (also pushed from last year)
- Hat that I will wear everywhere (something like Felicity or Ripley)
- Clapotis scarf

Skills:

- Master my weaving skills (more to come on that subject)
- Knit AND purl using continental method. Ack! This one is a long time coming… I can do it, it just feels so awkward, and I lazily always switch back to throwing. I just need to make a ton of dish towels or something to feel comfortable with it, and get my tension consistent.

Something I really want to do this year is submit a knitting design pattern to a publication. I’ve had such a amazing response to my pattern for the Gwen Slouch beret, and I would love to get something out to an even larger audience.

In general, I need to be less lazy about picture taking of my projects, and keep my Ravelry project page up to date. It seems that the more I document things, the more inspired I get, so I need to document EVerything.

Happy New Year, and here’s to another year of knitting, purling, weaving, and blogging!

Picture of me in snow wearing my Noro Striped Scarf courtesy of Lola at theshutterette.com <– an AH-mazing photo blog.

A year ago, I listed some knitting resolutions for 2009. Let’s see how I did…

Projects I’d like to complete in 2009:

• Finish the Boyfriend Pullover - Yep, done. Now, if I can get him to wear it, ha!
• Noro striped scarf - Also done, and being put to use above. I LOVE this scarf.
  
• Top-down sweater for my mom (using a pattern from Custom Knits) - OK, made it for myself instead, the Racing Stripe cardi.
• Throw blanket on super large needles with several worsted strands held together - Never got around to this, but would like to push it to 2010 goal list.
  
• Lacey sweater vest (want to create my own pattern for this one) - Maybe also pushing to 2010 goals. Eh, might be over this idea.
  
• Purple Ravens woolie cap (for next season) - Made a black hat with ear covers that I planned to edge with purple crochet, however the hat is too big and looks like an old school helmet, and I suck at crochet! This is still in the works… probably to be frogged. I probably need to add crochet skillz as a 2010 goal.
  
• Something plaid - What an odd goal…?

Techniques I’d like to learn:

• Toe-up socks - Yes, learned this, and love it! Made my sister Leyburns, but never took a picture.
  
• Steeking - Never ventured here. Still really want to learn this, but also think I may enjoy the seamless sweater the most.
  
• Cables without a cable needle - I tried this one day, but didn’t really enjoy it. Those loose stitches freak me out, and I really don’t mind using a cable needle.
  
• Jogless stripes - Yes! Very easy. I started a pair of striped mittens, but never finished them. To be continued…
  
• 2 socks at a time on 1 needle - Nope, but I still think I need to try this. I have a problem with socks not ending up the same size, and also finishing one sock and dreading the next. Wendy Bernard recently put up a great tutorial for 2 socks at a time that made it look pretty simple.
  

Up next… Knitting resolutions for 2010.

Another 2009 goal complete! I finished the Indigo Playmate, from Wendy Bernard’s Custom Knits. It was my first top-down sweater, and I loved it! Being able to try it on as I went was a huge plus. Obviously, I customized it a bit — made it longer, added stripes on the arm, and changed the collar to a 2″ rib with 8 buttons.

I knitted the size XS, but on size 8’s instead of 7’s, so it ended up more in the S measurements. The yarn is Knit Picks City Tweed Heavy Worsted. Love this yarn! So soft and cozy. And, it has a bit of a fuzz to it, which makes it super warm.

I added a couple stripes to the right arm for a little something different. The stripe yarns I just had lying around, one being my sweater that I unraveled and dyed with raspberry koolaid, so that’s a bit of a conversation starter… in certain circles, I suppose.

Button holes I did by binding off two stitches one row, then casting on two stitches on the next row. Super easy. They are a bit loose, but they do the job.

Oh, just hanging out by a dead tree on a warm November day…

I’m dying!! It looks like a cat in a costume.

… the thought of designing and knitting a dolman style sweater has taken over my mind!!

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

Seems like it would be so cozy, and also a great layering piece. A bonus: Really easy to knit, in one piece from wrist to wrist.

What do we think — Classic or too trendy?