Life has been crazy and hectic of late, but there has been a bit of knitting going on behind the scenes.  I am proud to say that I finished my July socks just under the wire with only three days to spare.  Whew!  I chose to knit the Kai-Mei pattern again [ravelry link] because I liked my April socks so well.  The yarn colors this month are a bit out of my normal wardrobe comfort zone, but they were so cheerful and summery I could not pass them up!  Also, I am meticulous obsessive freakish and made sure the stripes matched. 

Pattern: Kai-Mei from Sock Innovation by Cookie A
Yarn: Zitron Trekking, color 1000
Needles: Size 0 DPN

For my August socks, I’m finishing up a pair that has been languishing since May.  I do not have any in-progress pictures, but I finished up the first one a couple of nights ago and am starting the second sock.  The yarn is Yarn Chef’s Minestrone in Yucca – and it’s self-striping to boot! The stripes on these will also match…at least I hope they will.

So far I am doing well in the 12 Pairs in 12 Months sock challenge issued by my LYS.  My April socks are finished and the May pair has already been cast on.  I am loving the April socks and wishing it was not too warm to wear them, but I am glad that our spring has finally turned warm all at once.  The yarn is a cheerful springy green, like the colors of new leaves unfurling in the breeze.

Pattern: Kai-Mei from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.  [ravelry] This pattern is brilliantly written, and fairly simple to knit.  I am toying with the idea of knitting another version and substituting a different pattern into the lace panel.

Yarn: Yarn Chef Minestrone in Sedum.  Mmmm…like butter.  I love the way she dyes yarn, but really I only have a slight addiction.

failed socks

My March socks were less than a success.  I ended up with two wildly different sizes of socks.  Same pattern (Coming Up Roses – ravelry),  same yarn (Bambino – merino/bamboo/nylon), same needles (size 0 circs).  Same knitter.  I can only suppose that I had tension issues.  Or maybe it was the bamboo in the yarn.  Yes, that’s it, I’ll blame the bamboo.  One sock fits, the other does not…I suppose they could come in handy if I ever injure my foot and it becomes severely swollen.  I think I’ve decided to give up knitting.  It is rather depressing to spend time, energy, and money on something and not have it turn out.  And I’ve become rather bored with knitting of late.  I have become bored, and I think I’ve reached the end of the line.  I’ve decided to give up knitting and take up a new hobby instead.

a new hobby

So…welcome to my all plastic canvas, all the time, crafting blog – complete with a new look!  I plan to explore all the ways that plastic canvas can be used to create lovely items for my home – everything from tissue holders to coasters to sewing machine covers.  It will be a great way to use up the yarn in my knitting stash!

Pattern: Garter Stripe Baby Socks by Jennifer Hoel [ravelry]

Yarn: Alpaca With a Twist Socrates

Needles: Size 1 DPN

My LYS issued a sock challenge for 2009: Complete one pair of socks per month for the entire year. Of course I put my knitting game face on and got to work! I have successfully completed January (yes, I know they do not look finished in the picture, but really they are) and February, and even started my March socks. Fueled on by these successes, I am sure that Cookie A’s new sock book (due out in April – my husband preordered it for my birthday!) will help me remain motivated. My knitting goal for 2009 is to use yarn from my stash as much as possible in order to both save money and use what I already have. It is hard for me to resist impulse buying when it comes to yarn, especially sock and lace yarns (which is what comprises my stash). So I am on a yarn diet!

I know that two months of the year are over, but I welcome other knitters who want to join me in downsizing their stash this year!

It has been a cold, dark, and icy winter so far, but I have been making knitting progress. It seems that the color theme for the month of December was blue: All of my FO’s are blue. Until I pulled out my camera to take pictures, I did not even realize there was a running color theme with my projects. Since I finally had enough light today to take some photos, I thought I would do a little show and tell.

I’ll start with my favorite first: My December Shadows Shawl. It is a variation of the Sunshine and Shadows shawl from Knitting Lace Triangles. The yarn is (of course) Yarn Chef’s buttercream in Thunder Showers. Her colors are always spectacular! The geometric pattern and play of positive and negative space in this pattern, as well as the color, reminds me of the shadows tree branches make on the snow on a frosty winter afternoon. I thought this shawl would be the perfect wrap to pair with casual top and a pair of jeans. I like to wear my triangle shawls sideways, with the central seam running down one arm and a shawl pin securing the ends that are tossed over the opposite shoulder.

I also completed two pairs of socks. The first was a basic pair of stockinette socks. They were boring to knit, but look quite nice finished. I like the subtle color transitions that this Trekking yarn provides.

The other pair of socks was knitted from Cascade Heritage. I really like this yarn. It is a 70/25 merino/nylon blend and is very smooth to knit with. Though I liked the yarn, these socks were also boring to knit, and they took me 6 months from start to finish. This was not due to boredom, however. These socks were knit from the pattern I use when teaching my basic sock class, so I knit the first one as a visual aid for a class last spring and the second one was knit during the fall session. I am glad to finally have a finished pair, especially since this has been such a cold winter!

Coming soon: I spent a lot of time making baked goodies over the holidays. I will be sharing my favorite family recipes and some new ones I discovered!

Whew! Marathon olympic knitting really wore me out! I am happy to say that I finished and blocked my project by the deadline, and earned two gold medals for my efforts. The first one is the medal you see on my sidebar from the Ravelympics. The second was from my favorite LYS: Knitty Couture. Thi, the owner of Knitty Couture, and some of her loyal customers worked tirelessly last week making up cute pincushions in gold, silver, and bronze, backed with an asian-inspired butterfly print.

I had fun knitting the stole, but even up to the very end I was not confident that I would finish by the deadline. My LYS had thrown an additional challenge into the mix: In order to win gold, the item had to not only be finished, but blocked as well.

I love the ruffled edge.

And the delicate Swarovski crystals on the opposite edge.

Pattern: Hanami Stole [ravelry]
Yarn: Yarn Chef’s Buttercream in Peony, 880 yards
Needles: Addi Turbo Lace, size 3
Beads: Swarovski crystal 4 mm bicones in Padparadscha

The Spring Things shawl was a very easy knit. It took me only two weeks to actually knit, but it was on my needles for three because I had to wait for the beads to arrive. And the beads…I love the beads. I love this color yellow, but I really do not wear it very well. Beads were the perfect solution! I did make modifications with regard to needle size and pattern repeats, which are detailed on Ravelry, along with more pictures.

I enjoyed this project so much that I immediately cast on for another.

Although I have not posted much, I have been getting a lot of knitting done! From the moment I first saw this shawl, I just knew I had to knit it. I even had the perfect yarn already in my stash – a 50/50 blend of wool and silk in a lovely bottle green color. I finished up this shawl in May, but it took me a while to actually block and photograph it. It is quite a large shawl, even though I used a smaller needle than recommended. Details and more pictures can be found on Ravelry