Sock Swap Sign-ups Close Tonight!

sock swap goodies, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Just a reminder that the sock swaps close tonight! If you are on the fence, go check out the group. It is such an amazing group of women, and I'm more than a little sad to be sitting this swap out... but thesis-duty calls! I'm leaving it in more than capable hands, and I know they would love to have you along for the ride.

Details: Sign-ups end tonight. Partners will be assigned in the next day or two. Socks will be knit out of worsted weight yarn for this round. Packages must be mailed by Dec 31, 2011.

somehow I always miss Wednesdays

glorious garter, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Wednesday tends to be the day I go in to the library and so I also tend to forget to post about WIPs. So, even though it's Thursday, and some might consider that sacrilegious, here's what I've got on the needles right now.

Above is the garter stitch swingy sweater I posted about a few days ago.

Also on the needles, of course, is the other garter project I'm currently loving, my rae scarf. (It hasn't grown notably since you last saw it, though, so I won't bother with new pictures.)

And finally:



Yellow socks for DH. I actually have a full one done, but I think I might be off socks for a while, or maybe it's just that I don't really love cotton yarns (yarn here is Cascade Fixation), but I haven't brought myself to cast on for the second one yet.

So that's pretty much it for me, what's on your needles right now?

if you knit it, fall will come

fall sweater, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

It's practically inevitable that once I cast on one garter stitch project, more are to follow.

In defiance of the 85 degree (that's almost 30 celsius for my canuck friends) weather yesterday, I cast on for a fall sweater in the warmest, wooliest yarn I have. Because it has to be fall soon, right? I mean it will be October by the end of the week, for pete's sake!

The sweater will eventually be a garter stitch swingy sweater in a combo of this Noro that was handed down to me (sans tags, but my best guess is that it is Kueryon, and, having dug through some stash pictures on ravelry, colourway 233) and some Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a charcoal colour that was picked up earlier this summer for this exact purpose. The MadridKnits girls were having a KAL over July and August for this sweater, but I just couldn't get in gear to do it... moving + heat will make you want to do fewer things... who knew?

Anyway, I know my plan is already working as the temp has dropped to 69 (aka 20) today. By the time I finish it should be perfect weather for such a cosy sweater.

FOs all over the place

handsome husband, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Also finished up Friday night, my Oh, handsome boyfriend sweater (except, for a husband!).

I like that they offer the first size free, especially since it was the right size for me to cast on! I did do some major modifications, however, including cutting the length of the sleeves and body (they must have some really tall, skinny dudes wearing size S in Norway...).

Other Mods: worsted weight instead of doubled fingering, cut out portion of the colourwork chart due to body length issues and, perhaps most notably, garter stitch cuffs and hem, as opposed to ribbing, to match the collar.
Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Worsted in Cobblestone Heather (8+ balls... bought 10, used a few yards of the 9th to finish up collar and sew together sleeves, etc), and Black (approx. .75 of a skein).
Needles: US 8 for sleeves and most of body, US 10 for colourwork section and bind-off.

I can understand now why they call it the sweater curse. We've already had a few issues with seams coming loose, and... disagreements about how to treat/use handknits. Not that he's like, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it... boys just aren't as delicate with how they put on/take off clothing sometimes. Also, I had issues with the armholes and sleeves matching up perfectly, so I think part of the problem stems from there. I'm sure once those glitches are worked out this sweater will live a long and happy life!

FO and MSF

after blocking, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I still don't love the look of the knit up Flat Feet, even after blocking, but I must admit that it wasn't as aggressive a block as it could have been...

I finished up the mittens for my SMIL (that would be step-mother-in-law) and blocked them (a bit) last night. As you can see on the stockinette side, they're still a little wonky, but since I made these to get a jump start on my christmas knitting, I might block them a little more aggressively right before I gift them.

I wrote up the pattern and decided to offer it on ravelry as a donation, from now until the end of October, to MSF/Doctors Without Borders. You can click here to go to the pattern page, good for queuing and favoriting, or buy now for only $2.99!!

just what the doctor[ate] ordered

pretty pretty pirates, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

I always need a simple-ish project on hand for when I'm reading (and oh boy, it's crunch time for reading for this final chapter), and I've been looking for something that will show-off some of my newly acquired, too pretty for sticking into shoes, sock yarns... so when I saw wool durham's latest project the other day and that there was a KAL for the pattern going on, I knew I had to cast on, asap.

The pattern is Rae by Jane Richmond (whom I have admired a long time, in spite of not having had the chance to cast on any of her designs before). If you join the kal group on ravelry and go sign up on Jane's blog here, she'll send you a coupon for a dollar off the pattern!

I contacted her via ravelry to find out how long the deal is going on for, and she said she thought people could join in at any time up to the end of the KAL, which is Oct 31, aka Hallowe'en. It's a simple pattern (seriously, even the most beginner of beginners could figure it out) but it makes a beautifully simple scarf (it being well documented how much I loves me some garter stitch) and a great way to show off some of your more precious sock yarns.

charlie brown-ish

charlie brown-ish, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

ok, so it's not the ubiquitous yellow and black zigzag stripe, but it's probably as close as we're getting.

DH has been waiting for this sweater for some time (I believe the yarn was purchased about a year ago) and the sleeves are already done...

The pattern is oh, handsome boyfriend (rav link) and the yarn is knitpicks swish worsted (100% superwash merino, 'cause I'm smart like that... I figure it's just easier to make DH a washable sweater, at least for the first one).

Mods are many... some you can probably tell just by glancing at the above picture and then at the pattern. I'll list 'em all when I'm done.

the truth, and a mitt

the truth, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

So, as anyone who looked at my blog yesterday might have ascertained, this weekend was a bit of a stash-enhancer. So I decided to rearrange things a bit and ended up on my couch, surrounded by yarn. In fact, the above photo doesn't even do my stash justice, but that's probably for the best...

I also finished one of the mitts I was working on from the "flat feet" yarn:



They aren't kidding when they say you have to block 'em... that's unblocked, and you probably can't tell from the picture but the underside, which is stockinette, looks awful, and I think the rest of it would be greatly improved by a good blocking, as well.

The idea behind flat feet—machine knitting the yarn flat so that one could hand-paint it in an interesting design and then knit it while frogging at the same time—is intriguing, but, as one would know if one has ever decided to frog a long knit (or unfinished) piece and re-use the yarn, already knit yarn has a lot of kinks in it. Many people re-skein their yarn and then attempt to wash it/steam it/whatever to get the kinks out. In this case, however, this will be achieved by blocking the final product... we'll see. I'll keep you updated once that happens.

PLY: Peace, Love, Yarn... oh, the yarn

ply goodies, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

warning: photo heavy post!

This past weekend I went to the PLY party at Lovelyarns.. A good time was had by all... and I brought home a super stash!

Not only did I pick and choose my faves from the amazing local artists, but I also won a door prize! Everything is sort of mashed together up top, so let's look at some of the goodies one at a time:


Neighborhood fiber co's Studio Sock in color "Thomas Circle" (a subtly changing grey). I got two skeins because I plan to combo it with the madeline tosh from my swap buddy for either a Paulie Cardi or dahila cardigan.


Threeravens.net's "kitchen sink" yarn, colourway "into the groove". I have been coveting this stuff FOREVER. I saw it at a craft show and told her to talk to the owner of Lovelyarns immediately and take her stuff over to the shop. She did and this skein made it into the shop. I cannot believe it was still there for the ply party and I had to have it. It was meant to be. And no, I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, other than love it and pet it and call it George.


SpaceCadet Creations' "Pirate" colourway. Unfortunately my tag fell off and I know it's sock weight but I cannot remember which of her base yarns it is. If I find out, I'll let you know... but they're all awesome.


Abstract Fiber's Mighty Sock in "Birch". This will become a very special pair of socks with a very special destination. TBA.

OK, those were MY picks... now check out my awesome door prize!:


Yarn Chef's Minestrone Sock in "Straw Hat". I think I might just make a straw coloured hat for myself...


Flat Feet Sock yarn. Unironically being made into gloves...


Two colours of "Wrapunzel" from Knit One Crochet Too... would make great baby stuff, as it is superwash.


Cherub Aran by Cascade... not sure what to do with this although it would mix well with the wrapunzel...

As well, (as can be seen in the first picture) there were other bits and bobs in the door prize: a needle felting kit, a copy of Interweave Knits Summer 2011 (Fall 2011, also pictured, was purchased by myself), an adorable project bag and a set of size US2 dpns (always useful!).

It was a whirlwind week of seeing friends, gorging on yarn and meeting with advisors. Today I'm going to do some laundry (pesky thing can't seem to figure it out for itself...) and go to a yoga class and then get back to the grind tomorrow...

monkeys and cupcakes

monkeys and cupcakes, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

The title pretty much sums up my weekend. I finished my pair of monkeys and ate a lot of cupcakes. This weekend was the annual ply (Peace, Love, Yarn) party and I flew back just for the party. Ok, and to meet with advisors about my dissertation... but guess which one I was more excited about?!

The owner's daughter made over 200 cupcakes for the party and there was So. Much. Yarn. Where's my goodies? Oh, don't worry, I will show them off soon... I even won a door prize!

ode to a monkey

monkey, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Oh, Monkey how do I love thee? Let me count the pairs...

This is pair four. I've had monkeys on my mind for a while and decided when I pulled a skein of Knitpicks Gloss Sock Yarn dyed for me by evilmichelle during one of the earlier sock swaps for September's SIAC that it was time for another pair.

It's only Sept 6 and I'm already half way through...

holy spoiled rotten, batman!

sock swap goodies, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Yesterday the postman dropped off my package from my amazing swap buddy, sockalicious. She really went overboard and spoiled me rotten!!

Above is all my goodies: an adorable project bag (I think possibly made by her... ), socks, several skeins of yarn (will get to those shortly) a chibi, euclan wash, a mitten form key chain, a sheep key fob, hiya hiya stitch markers and case, rosewood cable needles, and a circular needle case (which I could really use... my circs are in bad need of organizing)!

Let's get some closeups, shall we?



The socks: gorgeous! Love the colour and the fit is PERFECT. The pattern is called "central air".


Knitpicks Stroll in Princess Multi. I'm a recent convert to the greatness that is knitpicks sock yarns so I'm sure I'll find something fun for this yarn!


Madelintosh Tosh Sock in Logwood. The colour is not done justice by photographs. It's a gorgeous lavender colour with subtle variegations. I have wanted to get my hands on some for so long and now I finally get to try it out! Squee!!


Double Squee!! SOCKS THAT ROCK! It's the lightweight and the colourway is My Wild Irish Girlie. I LOVE IT. This is another yarn that has been on my WANT list for a long time and I might have to put down everything to find the perfect pattern for this.

I feel totally spoilt, not just by this AMAZING, above and beyond package, but by my wonderful swappers in general. They're really a great group and everyone seems to get really into the spirit of it. I decided to sit the next swap out for professional (read: must finish dissertation and apply for jobs) reasons but there will be a new swap starting next month with sign-ups going on right now. If you want to join in, just click here to check out the group. Sign ups will be open until the end of Sept, so you have plenty of time!