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| Jo's Perfect Slipper Socks by Cozy Up Knits |
LAST YEAR...
Last year, although they weren't goals, I learned to knit using the magic loop method, and along with that I learned how to do toe-up socks.
The slippers above are one pair of several I knit for Christmas gifts. They're super quick and easy. I used 100% organic cotton by Blue Sky Fibers. The pattern is Jo's Perfect Slipper Socks, by Cozy Up Knits.
2019: THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN
I want to learn brioche this year. I first learned about that style of knitting on a Fruity Knitting Podcast. Mr. Fruity was slowly and patiently working on a brioche project, but I couldn't tell much about it from what was on his needles. For a couple of years now, Stephen West's shawls have been all about brioche, so I've seen the finished product. I like the stitch when it's used with two contrasting colors.
The shawl above is Sarah's Shawl by Cozy Up Knits, and it seems like a good starter project for me, with a nice (not overwhelming) amount of brioche on the border.
Here are the yarns I'm using. I bought the pink skein yesterday, to go with the Black Country by Copper Corgi that I bought last year in Savannah.
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| New yarn! |
The new yarn is Emma's Yarn Practically Perfect Sock in Cactus Flower. It's hand dyed in Florida, yay! 80% superwash merino and 20% nylon, 100 grams and 400 yards. The dark yarn (Copper Corgi's Savannah Sock 100% superwash merino, in Black Country) will be the main color and the pink will be the contrast color.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
Well, since you asked, I did buy a few skeins of yarn yesterday. My friend Bunny and I drove up to Cocoa Village to shop at Knit & Stitch. I had Christmas money to spend.
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| Goodies for Purl Soho's Criss Cross Top |
In June I'll be attending the Blue Ridge Fiber Festival in North Carolina, and I need to knit something to wear. Since it'll be summer, I thought this tank top by Purl Soho (the Criss Cross Top, a free pattern!) would be nice. I can layer a pretty shawl over it if it's cool, and show off two things at once! The pattern calls for worsted but I didn't want a heavy wool sweater, so I sought out lighter fibers to make this garment.
I already had a sweater's quantity of the Knit Picks CotLin yarn -- 70% Tanguis cotton, 30% linen -- but it's DK weight. I decided to create a marled effect by knitting with a strand of Daisy Knit One Crochet Too in Snow. I bought five skeins of that. This fingering weight yarn looks amazing, with the 32% silk providing a softness and sheen to the 38% linen and 30% hemp. Can't wait to swatch this combo!
BUT THERE'S MORE!
Bunny gifted me the Leftie Shawl pattern by Martina Behm. Everyone loves Martina's patterns! I've done her Hitchhiker and it went so fast. This shawl has a similar construction so I'm looking forward to getting it on the needles and flying through it!
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| Christmas Colors for Leftie. |
I completely stole the colors from a project that my knitting friend Lisa is working on. Hers is a stocking cap kit, and I love how adding pink to the traditional red, green and white mix softens and updates the Christmas theme. So, my Leftie shawl will be my Christmas garment!
Yarns, from left to right: Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk, 85% merino superwash wool, 15% mulberry silk; Anzula Lunaris in Au Natural (the white skeins), 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% stellina; Cascade Yarns Heritage, 75% superwash Merino wool, 25% nylon, in Jasmine Green; and finally, the pink skein is Baah Platinum, 75% merino, 10% chasmere, 1% silk, and 5% stellina, in Framboise.
The stellina will give this shawl some sparkle, and did you notice the cashmere? Mmmm...
WHAT ABOUT CHRISTMAS SOCKS?
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| Cascade's Heritage Prints sock yarn. |
During lunch in Cocoa Village, at Ossorio's, we thought of another project or two that needed yarn, and we realized that we weren't done shopping! So, back to the yarn store we went. I was looking for a particular colorway in this Heritage Prints yarn. The woman who waited on me had to stand on a step stool with a long-arm grabber in order to empty the very top two bins! We never did find the colorway I was after but this rogue skein tumbled to the ground and I knew I'd found my Christmas socks.
FINAL PURCHASE
This lovely skein is Malabrigo Sock in the Diana colorway. It's hand dyed pure superwash merino wool. I don't have specific plans for it, but I loved the colors so much I couldn't leave it behind.
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| Malabrigo Sock in Diana. All of the colors! |
A COUPLE OF WORKS IN PROGRESS
Everyone needs a sock on the needles. Mainly because it's a small, therefore portable, project, but also because there can be many rows of mindless knitting, depending on the pattern. Here's my current sock project:
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| Vanilla Latte socks. |
These are the Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes. The heel is a new one to me, it's called Eye of Partridge. I'm ready to start the heel of my second sock.
My only other WIP is the Katie's Shawl by Cozy Up Knits:
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| Katie's shawl, blowin' in the wind. |
This is a fun, super-hackable shawl. Since I'm only using three colors I've hacked it considerably. In this picture it's about halfway done. I've since added a few rows of the white speckle.
♕ ♕ ♕
That's it for this week! Don't forget to check out my Ravelry page for all the details about my projects and stash. (See link on left.)
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