time for a WIP and FO dump
Now miiight be a good time to make a round-up post of what’s been on(and freshly off!) the needles lately. A hell of a lot's happened in my knitting world!
One bit of bad news is that a friend with good intentions put some of our knits in the dryer and shrunk them. Not fun stuff. Thankfully my wool-blend socks weren’t ruined. In fact, I felt a little better about putting those blended socks in the dryer now that I see how well they hold up, so it’s not all bad. My mourning time was short and replacement knitting time had to happen immediately, what with freezing winter cold on the horizon for Jason and me. So..an FO first!
pattern : Hunter Socks by Freshisle Fibers
yarn : Lion Brand Wool-Ease Worsted in Oxford Grey and Mustard
needle : US 3[3.25 mm]
size : 10
(I have a feeling the Hunter Socks pattern is becoming a favorite, do you?) This pair of socks was a much needed gift for Jason--my plan was to create some easy-care socks that he can keep in rotation for the everyday. Given the accident with the dryer it was awesome that I finished these when I did!
I'm sure you other knitters understand the difficulty of knitting for the more color-reserved types. I didn't think he'd be convinced when I said I was going to make him something yellow, but my little strategy of working color into the toe and high up on the cuff-edge worked out. Grey works beautifully with simple color accents and I'm so in love with this FO that I might just make it a part of a series of 'rainbow' socks.
That is, right after I repair these. It's clear he loves them just as much, so I know any new additions to the series will be much appreciated.
This WIP is part of my brand new effort to replace what shrunk in the dryer before. I'm planning to make two or three pairs from this MASSIVE skein of Hayfield Bonus Aran ordered from Wool Warehouse. The pattern used is, you guessed it, Fresh-Isle Fibers' Hunter socks. It's been a really therapeutic thing to work on while reading or watching shows, so I'll just go ahead and embrace the Hunters as a staple-pattern instead of feeling my knee-jerk embarassment for crowding the project section of this pattern's ravelry page. haha.
By the way! It's been a real wild ride figuring out yarn weight equivalents and coping with yarn price differences (*sob*, no knitpicks here..)! I'm giving myself one hard pat on the back for making it this far without accidentally ordering a fingering weight when I want bulky or something worse! Huge thanks to Ravelry and people like Megan Goodacre for making it simpler for me!
This next one's kind of a surprise, but I don't think the recipient reads my blog so why the hell not, here it is. It's a Pebble pullover for a special little baby girl who's due any day now! I still can't wrap my mind around how something so small and precious is going to fit on a real life human being. How weird. If I play my cards right with international postage, this juuuust might arrive at the new family's house in time for, oh, a day of it fitting their rapidly growing baby. If it fits for a week, I'll be satisfied, really.
I’ve also just finished some sock designing recently~ These were made using a toe-up method similar to Rachel Roue's TDTU Socks, with a simple flap heel along the back as well. There’s still a lot of ironing out left for the pattern itself but I’m hoping to release it soon. The world of pattern-writing seems really daunting but I’m taking the challenge on a little at a time.
Ha! Now that I've caught up with you all, do share what you've been up to! I'd love to hear any tips or advice you have in way of knitwear design and pattern-writing if you've got any.