WIP Wednesday: Catching Up!

People, I'm on a mission! This summer is the summer of WIPs.
I've had a growing mountain of projects, and they have been all been vying for my attention. It's been difficult to choose what to work on! So, I'm working through them one by one, and hopefully by the autumn I'll have a lovely little pile of FOs to show for it.

I've been working on a shawl...

...which may or may not get turned into a pattern! I have a few patterns in the works at the moment, just waiting for the right time to publish them. Hopefully one or two will be out soon! :)

See these? Yep - that blanket is still in progress! These are the last circles... they need just one more round each and then they can get attached to the blanket... then some half-hexies, and a border, and the end is in sight!!

Now... I know I said I was only working on WIPs... and that I maybe wasn't going to start any more projects... but I caved. There, I said it. The sock yarn got to me. It was just so pretty and I couldn't deny it any longer...

See? It models so well!

Yarn is from Scrumptious Purl in the colourway "It's My Party". I love this yarn - it's knitting up beautifully, and the colours are divine! 
I promise I won't start anymore projects... maybe. Just depends on how well my willpower against the Stash is!! :P

Oh, and you'll remember that for Christmas I made my sister a dragon... I finally took a photo! Everyone - meet Saphira!

Not sure I'll be making any more amigurimi toys anytime soon, but I'm glad that this one is well loved :-)

WIP Wednesday: 2 FOs and Blanket Progress!

Happy Wednesday!

Feeling like I've been quite productive on the crafting front recently! It's been nice to get some of those WIPs off the needles and onto the finished pile. Although there are plenty more WIPs where they came from! I can't seem to help but have a few projects here and there to flit between :-)

So, what are these finished items? SOCKS!

First were these simple ribbed pink ones...

These were a simple project which kept me going through all my essay and dissertation writing - seems fitting that they got finished just as I finished university. I think these will forever hold a special significance because of it :-)

Next were these Rose City Rollers by Mara Catherine Bryner...

 Yes, I know I only have one sock-modelling pose!! 

I loved  knitting these! Is it possible to have a crush on a sock pattern? :-P
They were quick, they were easy, and they are oh so comfy to wear! I love ankle socks, but they don't always stay on my feet nicely, but these ones do! I can definitely see myself making more of these in the future :-)

The next WIP to try and finish is my pink charity blanket. For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you'll realise I've been working on it for quite a while!

I'm about 4 rows in, and still only on the first ball of grey! I bought quite a bit of grey, so I can see myself having more than enough for some borders.

It's moving quite slowly, slower than join as you go squares (but then again, there are more sides!). Luckily, Wimbledon is on and keeping me amused! :-)

As always, full project information can be found on Ravelry.

WIP Wednesday: Sock Edition

Hello all!
I hope you've had a wonderful week so far!

My knitting needles have hardly been out of my hands in the past few days - it's really wonderful to be able to get back to doing what I love. There is something very soothing about being able to spend whole days creating... seeing progress being made on these long-neglected projects is really making me happy!

So, what have I been up to? Several different projects are on the go... a blanket for the hospice (another one!) which I will share pictures of when a bit more progress has been made... and of course, socks!

My socks have been my main focus over the past few days... I've finished the leg and have turned the heel on my simple ribbed pink ones! Yay! Slow progress on these lovelies, but are nice and simple to knit during my local Knit and Knatter evenings.

(More project details HERE.)

A new sock project has also been cast on! After seeing Mara's awesome ankle socks, I really wanted to try making some (Hello, summer socks!) and luckily she's just released the pattern for them HERE!

Several of us are knitting them as part of the #RoseCityRollersKAL on Instagram. It's such fun being able to see everyone else's progress and yarn choices as I've been working on mine!

The heel has been turned on these too, so just feet and heels to knit on both, which is lovely and simple. I've found myself leaning towards simplicity in my knitting and crocheting projects - back to basics :-)

Have you noticed any trends in your projects?

Sock progress!

As you've probably figured out now, I always have a sock on the go. Whether I actively work on it is another matter, but I always have one on the go :-)

I am quite enjoying having these ones on the needles...

Aren't the colours fab? Nice to be working on during grey, dreary winter days. There is just something about pink that cheers everything up, don't you think?

What colours do you turn to when you need cheering up?

WIP Wednesday...

I've been in the mood for mindless knitting recently... easy work that I can enjoy in the evenings, or just knit a row or two when I have the time...

These socks have made a little progress...

My major project love at the moment though has been this shawl...

I'm using the simple shawl recipe from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Knitting Rules, and just increasing the width of the rows of brown as I go along...

I don't really have an intended size in mind... just until I run out of yarn. I'm hoping it will be quite large and cosy - something to keep me warm in the snow :-)

(Okay, so we haven't actually had any snow yet... but a girl can hope, right?)
(Also, can I just say how hard it is to photograph a shawl in progress??)

WIPs... (Or all the half projects that I've started!)

I figured it's been a while since I've actually posted any crafty content, mostly because all my projects are half-finished and I haven't really had a chance to work on any of them!
But I thought I would share what's in my knitting basket at the moment :-)

First up is a labour of love - I have finished the head, body and tail, and one of the legs for the dragon for my sister... This is a project I have to sit down and really focus on - ask any of my housemates and they'll tell you it's common to hear me say "Ssshhh! Don't talk to me! I'm COUNTING!" while working on it... not exactly the most sociable of projects! I need to really set some time aside to work on it though... with only 17 days until Christmas, I better get a move on!

Which has led to me starting this project! Little granny squares which are easy to work on during knit and knatter evenings with the girls! These are a little more sociable as they're easy and I don't really have to think about what I'm doing...

They are for a preemie blanket for the hospital... I love the pastel colours - so cute!

And of course my knitting basket wouldn't be complete without a) A knitting project - I seem to be crocheting an awful lot recently! And b) a pair of socks! I finished my last pair in the summer, so I thought it was high time I get another pair on the needles! They are just simple ribbed socks in self striping yarn - I'm thinking they'll be an easy project to work on during the holidays :-)

Hope you have a great week - it's the last week of term for me, and we have our Christmas knitting party tomorrow! Hoping I'll be able to get some pictures to show you!

No more monkeying around!

Once upon a time there was a girl who said she would never ever knit socks. Her mother kept asking for a pair, to which the girl would reply with a flat out no. She did not see the point of knitting on toothpicks, risking her sanity, all for something that would end up on her feet.
Then one day, while surfing the internet for a pattern for her next project, she found a sock pattern that didn't seem too scary after all. She purchased the relevant yarn, and got to work. (You can see the socks HERE... scroll to the bottom of the post...) They had a short row heel, and so were managable. But she still would not risk knitting the dreaded kind with a heel flap. No way. They were for those knitters only read about in yarny blogs in faraway lands...
Well. That was until the girl's knitting fairy godmother gifted her this book...

It had all the answers to her questions, all presented in an easy to understand manner. Suddenly she had the courage to try a "traditional" sock. Monkey, by Cookie A. seemed perfect.
Her first attempt was a Christmassy, sparkley achievement (The girl was proud to have even been able to complete a heel flap)...

But still, the socks were missing something. They were just that bit loose, and the heel flap did not fit just so. The girl was determined to get it right... and so started the quest for "THE PERFECT SOCK". The girl knit burgundy ones, rainbow ones, thicker ones... and although they fit well, they were not quite what she was looking for.
Well dear readers, recently that girl nearly achieved it, thanks to the encouragement of the My Sister's Knitter KAL! Tada! I have knit another pair of Monkey Socks!

I am so pleased with these socks - I have gone down a needle size from the suggested one, and I did a slip stitch heel flap to get a better fit. The fit is wonderful, and I can see these becoming a favourite pair :-)

The only thing I would change is to knit them in a more solid colour next time. I think with this yarn the pattern gets slightly lost... but apart from that, I'm very happy!!! Thank you so much to Andi for the motivation :-)

I have a few other projects on the go at the moment too, that have been started recently... I look forward to sharing them with you all soon! :-)

Getting there!

Is there anything better than an afternoon knitting outside in the garden with a lovely cup of tea?

This was my view, quickly snapped with my phone (so apologies for the low quality)...
I am a little further than this now, and should hopefully get my Knit-A-Long socks done by August 15th! They are my priority knitting at the moment, even though my stash is calling to me... I could knit a hat, or a blanket, or a skirt... choices, choices!
But for now I shall stick with my socks :-)

Hoping you're enjoying the summer weather too :-)

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...

Well according to Ravelry, I finished these a month ago! They are on my feet as I write, and are definitely a treasure. They are so soft and comfy, and cheer me up whenever I look at my feet! :-)

These are just plain vanilla socks, as I decided to let the yarn do the talking...

That first picture doesn't do the yarn justice... aren't the colours fabulous?
All the project information is here.

What about you? Do you prefer bright socks or more muted tones?

Sock Yarn KAL

Hello!
Look what I've decided to take part in!

I've been a fan of the My Sister's Knitter blog for a while, and so when I saw Andi was hosting this Knit-A-Long, and I wanted an excuse to cast on another pair of socks, I thought this would be perfect!
I've never taken part in a KAL before, and guess what? I was missing out!! It is so lovely to join a community of other knitters all working on similar things... everything from shawls to sweaters to socks, but all sharing in a love of sock yarn!

So what am I working on?
I have decided to knit another pair of Monkey Socks, by Cookie A. (Pattern info HERE), with some modifications to last time.

I knit my last pair on 2.5mm needles, and they turned out just a little bit baggy, so this time I have gone down a needle size to see if that helps. Also, the heel flap on the pattern is plain stockinette, but after knitting a few pairs with a ribbed heel, I have decided I like that better, so will be doing a ribbed heel on these socks too :-)

I am loving how these are turning out - the yarn is lovely and soft, and the pattern is fun and quick to knit!

Strawberry Stripes...

Here is another finish that was completed a while back, but I hadn't ever gotten around to taking the pictures...
Introducing... Strawberry Stripes!

 

 I really love these socks - they're striped, but the stitch pattern makes it just that little bit more interesting...

And look!!! The stripes match! If you can remember my dilemma here... It was such a kerfuffle trying to get matching stripes, but I managed!

Although I have decided that if I ever again want to make matching socks, I will knit them in plain yarn! :-P

Ravelry info here.

I can see the end of the rainbow...

So you know the bright rainbow socks from here and here?
Well... I am on to the second sock!

Of course, this picture was taken before I spent all of yesterday knitting... so I am actually quite a bit further on than this - I am in the process of turning the heel, so hopefully I should have a finished pair of socks to show you very soon! 

Ravelry info here.