Bon Tricot

February began with such promise.  I cast on my Isle of Skye socks.  Week one: first sock complete.  Then a nasty case of second sock syndrome struck.  I couldn’t get past the cuff.  I’m not sure how, but I managed to finish the second sock this weekend.  But with ten more pairs to knit, I question my resolve to complete the KAL. Canon Hand Dyes, Charles, Isle of Skye   To stave off SSS, my March socks will not have stripes, nor will they be stockinette.   I’m scouring my stash for a speckled skein or a sturdy semi-solid. I’m also casting on a non-sock project.  Before the holidays, I signed up for Indie Untangled’s Where We Knit yarn club.  The first shipment, Drops of Honey, arrived in my mail box.  It. Is. Stunning!   I’ve not knit many shawls, but the golden honey hue is versatile, and the pattern seems to satisfy my “set and forget” knitting style.   Concentration need not apply. ...

I can’t believe tomorrow’s Fat Tuesday!  Growing up in Pennsylvania, we celebrated with fastnachts.  The public schools feted Doughnut Day.  Every school lunch included a powdered doughnut.  I know times have changed.  The emphasis is on fruit and healthy snacks.  But some traditions, including the Pennsylvania Dutch fastnacht, are worth continuing.  Our family recipe requires a full day of mixing, kneading, rising, punching, rolling, cutting, (more) rising, and finally, frying.  It’s a true labor of love, and the results are gluttonous.  This year’s yield: 99 doughnuts! The only thing that could make baking with my family even better is knitting.   So while we waited for the dough to rise, I dug out this skein from my stash.   Since acquiring this yarn, my plan has been to knit Mardi Gras socks, but each year, I fail to cast on.   Not this year.   I have one cuff knit.   While they won’t be ...

I was never the cool kid growing up – a jenny-come-lately.  So it’s no surprise that my DVR list is a bit light.  No "it" shows are in the queue.   Downton Abby ?  Nope.  Breaking Bad ?  Missed it.  House of Cards ?  Natch.    Walking Dead .  Nada.  And Game of Thrones ?  It shares the same fate as the character, Jon Snow.  But even though I’m not watching hit shows, I knit with yarn inspired by them…that should count for something, right?    And so it goes with these bad boys: These are being gifted to my mom for a belated birthday gift.   White Birch Fiber Arts in You Know Nothing Jon Snow Until next week, bon tricot !

There’s nothing I love more than when I have two FOs.  This week it’s a pair of socks and a book.  My new stripeys are January’s entry for the KAL I’m participating in. January Socks: Canon Hand Dyes Horse of a Different Color I also cast on my mom’s belated birthday socks.   With the Blizzard of 2016, I’ve had plenty of time to knit, so I’m hopeful I’ll have another FO to post next weekend. Besides knitting, it’s been a DIY-kind-of week.  We tried a new cookie recipe from a new-to-me-blog .  Not only are they simple to make, but they are delicious.  We will definitely keep this recipe in our cookie-making rotation. Oreo Cream Cheese Cookies I also experimented with personalizing some ceramic coffee cups and cork journals.   Stay tuned for future pics. I destashed five skeins of yarn this week, but also added another stripey.  I love the juxtaposition of these colors: terracotta, dark grey, and soft teal. String The...

I have fallen off the fingering weight wagon...again.  Despite my self-imposed kibosh on all self-striping sock yarn, I joined a three-month sock yarn club this week.  I am choosing to characterize my slip up as stash enhancement because Quaere is one of my favorite indie dyers, and I stalk her Etsy store daily.  Unlike other clubs I have participated in, where there is a blind reveal, she has opted to share inspiration photos.  Check these out. Quaere Self Striping Yarn Club January inspiration photo Quaere Self Striping Yarn Club February inspiration photo Quaere Self Striping Yarn Club March inspiration photo Needless to say, I loved them ALL.   I’ve found that yarn clubs can be a mixed bag.   While I do enjoy the surprise and anticipation around club selections, I appreciate my need for control even more.   It’s the reason I cannot knit fraternal socks or the polar opposite colorways that seem to be so popular.   My...

The first week back after a long holiday is always the hardest.  I also find it’s where I tend to lose focus of my goals…and so it went this week for journaling and the yarn diet.  While I managed to journal four nights in a row, I missed three by week’s end.  I also fell off the destash wagon visiting a charming LYS seven minutes from a conference I was attending for work.  I don’t feel as badly about that relapse since I bought a non-fingering weight yarn in a 100% marled alpaca.  They also had some knitting notions that I’ve only seen online – bamboo chunky circs and a Knit Kit. The Knitting B, Richmond, VA But how to explain the sock yarn purchase?   FOMA (fear of missing out).   One of my favorite dyers posted a 24-hour- only skein to celebrate her 6,000 th sale on Etsy.   Those exclusive speckles did me in. Canon Hand Dyes by the amyleeshow on Etsy This week has shown me that it’s easy to get off track, so before I ...

My last FO of 2015 was a pair of socks in the colorway Shades of Portland that I purchased from another Raveler’s stash.  They knit up in less than a week, and how I love the pastel hues, especially that mint green strip. Canon Hand Dyes, Charles Self Striping, Shades of Portland But three days into the new year and I’ve broken my resolution to go KAL-free.   As I set about tidying the house, I felt shamed by all the yarn staring back at me.   If I could just make one basket disappear….    So in reading through a few message boards I found a KAL that requires one pair of socks per month.   That seems more manageable than last year’s 15 in 15, plus I can still work on  expanding the knitting repertoire.  I nstead of 2016 being KAL-free, I’ve decided, in the name of stash-busting, to go KAL-lite.   Here’s my January skein in the colorway Horse of a Different Color.    Canon Hand Dyes, Charles Self Striping, Horse of ...