Honey, I'm hooome!

Ok so I haven't updated in a while. Bad blogger.

The past few weeks have been odd in that I had no desire to knit. I did knit a little, but most of the time I just didn't feel like it. I still loved to look at patterns online and to read knitting blogs though. But that's why I didn't write in what, over a week now? Almost two maybe. Ouch.

I think I'm getting my knitting mojo back though. I went to Knit Night last night and I had a good time. We switched locations and went to a place called Java-U and it was great. So much better than the Second Cup we usually go to! The power went off for about 10 minutes at some point and we got to knit by candlelight which was nice.

I've been working mostly on theCable Net socks these days:



I'm telling you, they are the most complicated socks I've ever worked on. It's not that it's difficult, it just took me a long time to remember what every symbol in the chart means. Now that I do, it's going a bit quicker. Still, I don't think I'll finish them any time soon!

Tara and Needs-a-blog-Kate decided to do a Cardigan for Merry knit-along and I decided to virtually join them just because it's so damn cute! I looked through my stash and found some Bernat Softee Baby that I didn't know what to do with so I think I'll use it for this project. I'm not super crazy about acrylic but I don't mind using it once in a while. The colour is a super bright blue. I think it's even brighter than the one I used for the Cardigan of doom (I'll update you on that project in another post).

I'll end this post with a link to the spring preview of Interweave Knits. Looks like it's going to be a good issue!

The sock that was

The Cable Net sock? I realized that it was going to be a bit too big. And if I'm going to spend so much time on socks, I want them to fit like gloves. Gloves for my feet. So I frogged it and I'm going to make the small size. I'm starting to really enjoy the pattern anyways so I don't mind starting over.

Tara asked if I'm cabling without a cable needle and the answer is yes. Actually, the way this sock is written, you don't need a cable needle. (Check it out, you'll understand what I mean).

I received my Knitpicks catalog yesterday and while browsing the book section, I found this:



Details here, but the title is quite self-explanatory. Let's just say it's an interesting idea for a knitting book... :)

Weekly WIP report!

Not much to report this week, unfortunately. I feel like I've been knitting a lot since I'm all alone most days of the week, but there hasn't been much progress on anything. My Woven cable scarf is coming along nicely but there's not enough difference between the last pic and today to warrant taking a new pic. I'm almost done with the first ball of yarn and I think I'll use 3.

I've casted on and started working on the Cable Net socks. I've been working and working and working on them and here's what I have to show for it:



I'm telling you, this is NOT mindless knitting! It takes me 30 min. to finish one row!!! I hope I can stick to it, because if I do, I will have made myself some beautiful socks.

I really want to start some baby knitting. Now that the countdown to baby making has officially begun (not to mention that everyone around me seems to be pregnant), I really want to make tiny little things. I'll need to check into the "stash" to see what I have. I know I have enough for hat and booties sets, but I'd really rather make blankets and tiny sweaters. Maybe I'll have to use those gift certificates...

Mittens for my little hands!

The pink fuzzy angora mittens are finished! I now present you my first FO of 2008!



Pattern: No pattern
Yarn: Fleece Artist Peter Rabbit (a gift from my SP10)
Needles: 3.5 mm / US 4
Verdict: They are soft and warm. I love them! But I can never make a perfect thumb :(

As soon as I finished them, I wanted to start a new project. Socks. I haven't knit socks since November! It took all my willpower not to use my new Lotus Yarn, but I really want to make the 3 patterns I had planned (Cable Net, Anastasia and Annetrelac) first. So I used my super ball winder and wound a skein of Reynolds soft sea wool.



And I cast on for Cable Net. I think they're going to be beautiful socks.

*****

Ali at Skeins Her Way is having a contest! She wants us to post about a UFO that we resolve to turn into a FO by January 31st. Of course, when I saw that, I immediately thought about...



THE BLUE CARDIGAN OF DOOM!!!!

I actually finished knitting this cardigan in December... of 2006!!! It's been sitting in a plastic bin in my closet waiting to be seamed. Poor thing. I can't even explain why I have never taken the time to finish it.

So here I promise in front of all of you reader(s) that I will have this cardigan seamed by January 31st. Will it still fit me? Now that's another question...

Santa's little helper

Remember, in December, I wrote a letter to Santa asking, among other things, for some Lotus Yarn sock yarn?

Well it looks like Santa heard me! Look what I got in the mail today:



Sorry the picture doesn't do this beautiful yarn justice. It's Nirvana Superwash Merino in Hydroponic. If the yarn looks familiar, it may be because the Yarn Harlot herself posted pics of the socks she made with it. I totally fell in love with the colour, but because of the new very tight budget, I couldn't buy it. Thank you so much Melanie, you are fantastic!

I think I'm going to use the yarn with a simple sock pattern like this one (PDF file)... What do you guys think?

In other news, I have a little WIP report for you. Unfortunately, I have not yet finished my pink mittens:



The picture shows mitten #2. It's almost done, really. I should finish it in the next day or two, depending on if I'm working tomorrow or not (my boss is a bit late with the schedule this week).

The reason why the mitten isn't finished? I've been working on this:



The Woven Cable scarf (I'm too lazy to link the pattern, scroll down a post or two and you'll find it). I'm using the same yarn I was using with the now-frogged Woven Trellis scarf and let me tell you, I like this new pattern so much more! It's very easy to memorize but it's not boring like the Woven Trellis was. I have no idea if I'll finish it before spring, but I'll try!

I gotta go now but I'll be back later this week to answer some questions that were asked in comments. So if you have any question for me, comment!

Quickie!

Oooh this is my first post of 2008! Again, happy new year to everyone!

This is going to be a quick post because I have tons of stuff to do today. My mom and her boyfriend AND my boyfriend's parents are coming over for dinner. They've never met before. How exciting! But I have a lot of cleaning and cooking to do. I'm making beef in a beer sauce, with rice and steamed carrots. I'll also have bread from the bakery. Yum. And a salad. And for dessert, I'm going to make an apple crisp and a chocolate cake. I promise the diet will resume tomorrow!

Yesterday, I met a friend for brunch and gave him his belated birthday gift, the Fake Isle hat. I am SO going to knit for him again! He loved the hat and couldn't believe I made it for him and he wore it when we got out of the restaurant and he kept looking at it everytime we passed a window. It was great!

Also, I'm a little bit bored with my current projects. I need something new. I'm really liking a cardigan in the new Knit Simple magazine. You can see it here. (It's the first one, in the Over easy section). How cute.

That's all for today! I'll be back in a day or two with WIP pics... maybe even the first FO of 2008!