Happy New Year and 2014 FO #20

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had the kind of New Year's Eve they wanted to have and enjoyed yesterday's public holiday. I managed to stay up until 10 past 12, which is fairly amazing for me, so I am quite chuffed. I was even more chuffed when I reached my FitBit step limit for the first time today, which I choose to take as a sign that this year I will meet all of my set goals and maintain my fitness. 

Of course I will!

New Years Eve was the first chance I've had to wear the final thing I finished last year: my EZ 100th Anniversary Hearts Half-Circle.

It's quite huge and very shawl-like.

But truthfully, the only way I ever wear my shawls is like this...

I think the shadows in this next picture make me look like Jack Skellington but, you know, a lot fatter!

I absolutely loved knitting this shawl. The pattern was clear and easy to follow and lace is always so satisfying when it's blocked out. 

However, there's just not that much call for them in my wardrobe, so I think it will be a while till I make another one. More's the pity :(

Look how happy Lucy was to be part of the photo shoot!

Pattern: EZ 100th Anniversary Hearts Half-circle by Mwaa Knit
Yarn: Paton's Gem 4-ply cotton, approximately 175g
Modifications: None, knit exactly as written

2014 FO#19: Rikke Hat

Australia is headed into the hottest part of the year and it has been estimated that this particular summer is going to be a scorcher. What better time, then, but to finish a 100% woollen hat?

The pattern is the Rikke Hat from Happy Knits. It is a simple slouchy garter stitch hat knit in the round. 

This is technically Rikke Number 2, as I did knit the hat using 104 stitches as specified in the pattern. That hat was a bit big, so I reknitted it on 96 stitches and now it fits perfectly.

The yarn is Mirasol Hacho, bought six or seven years ago. It's lovely to work with and the hat is gorgeous and soft.

I suspect it's going to be super warm and useful in the winter...

..I guess I'll know in six months time when I finally need to wear it!

2014 FO# 18: Go With The Flow Socks

Another pair of socks that I was very pleased to have finished is my version of Evelyn A Clark's Go With The Flow socks from my favourite sock book, Favorite Socks. This is the third sock I have made from the book.

I adapted them by knitting them toe-up and two-at-a-time. I also used a short-row heel and a four by two heel rather than the lacy one suggested in the book.

They were knitted in the divine Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Copper.  By knitting them toe up I was able to use as much of the yarn as possible.

I wish I'd taken a close-up so you could see the lace but you'll have to trust me - these are really pretty socks that are lovely to wear. A win all round.

Leftovers and (finally) a finished object (2014 FO #2014)

I've been back from overseas for a little over two weeks. My body clock has reset and I am well and truly back into the every grind. I accept that my holiday is over; nevertheless, I still occasionally open iPhoto and flick through some of my favourite shots.

A green passageway at Chatsworth House.

A Halloween soap cake at an apothecary in the Bronë village.

Having a glass of wine in front of the fire at a 500-year old inn.

Watching the soccer at a lovely local pub while eating chips covered with cheese (why, I'm not sure. They were delicious though!)

Finally, here are the socks I knitted during the World Cup, ready to be given to my dad for Christmas.

As always, the Opal yarn was a delight to knit with and the socks are fab.

I need to go on another holiday!!

FO Friday: Here's something I prepared earlier (2014 FO #11)

Ever year, on the 1 June I get a bit sad. It's the first day of winter and a fairly predictable indicator that at least the next three months will be cold, grey and wet. To cheer myself up, I cast on a pair of woollen socks for me in the brightest wool in my stash.

The yarn is Stitchjones Supersock 100% Superwash Merino in Casual Friday. The colours are lovely and bright. The yarn itself is a little bit thinner than what I'm used to working with but still nice and soft.

I did a slip stitch heel because I hoped that would work well with the variation of the hand-dyed yarn.

They are comfy and warm and they really did brighten my day. Plus, I only used 60g to make these socks, so with a contrast colour for heel and toe, I should have enough yarn to make another pair. I love it when I use all of the yarn in a skein!

Of course it wouldn't be a photoshoot if Lucy didn't try to get in on the action. She also hates winter and (apparently) also loves brightly coloured socks.

2014 FO #5: Rainy Day Socks the Second

Sometimes it's a real pleasure to come here and write for my blog. Yesterday, I spent over an  hour trying to make one paragraph look and feel right. I moved words around, replaced some words with other words, read the sentences out loud to see if I could figure out where the issue was, argued with strangers on the internet about things that don't matter, and still I wasn't able to capture to concept I wanted to using my command of the English language.

So, for inspiration, I read a paper on another topic, found a paragraph that described exactly what I wanted to say but using a sophistication that I may never be able to achieve, promptly cracked the shits, packed up all of my stuff, drove home came home, downloaded a move on to my iPad and did some knitting. Very grown-up of me. Not helping me get my thesis done at all!

In knitterly news, the parade of finished socks rolls on.

These are my second pair of Rainy Day socks made with Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette. All the details are the same as the last one.

I even found a super cute box to put them in.

The recipient seemed to like them very much, which is really the most important thing. I wholeheartedly recommend this project as a gift for when you want to make socks for someone but aren't completely sure of their size or calf width - the lace in the pattern is unbelievably forgiving.

Of course it wouldn't be a blog post if it didn't feature my (apparently not very interested) favourite two living beings in the world. 

And the zucchini plants that are slowly taking over the entire back courtyard. As the plants get older and bigger, so do the (delicious) fruit. At this rate, by the end of summer I'll have zucchinis as big as my cat is.

Five pairs of socks to go!

Merry Christmas! 2014 FO #4: I Heart Socks Socks

Last Wednesday's shocking discovery I have more than eight pairs of socks on the go at the moment shamed me into finally pulling out a darning needle and finishing the pair of socks that were 99% done.

I cast these on before Christmas so I could have easy, stress-free knitting and they were a delight to knit. They without a doubt helped through the too-many stressful situations that my December involves.

The body of the sock is in Opal Circus, with the ribbing in Opal Rainforest and the toes in Opal Petticoat left over from socks I finished in 2009. I cannot believe there are scraps of wool that I have been holding on to for five years! Possible hoarding problem? Oh well - they obviously come in useful at times.

The recipient was pretty chuffed to have a nice new pair of socks, especially since the Christmas socks I promised him didn't quite get done on time…

Six pairs of socks to go!

2014 FOs #2 & #3: Snowflake hat and bootie set

Because I love making booties more than just about anything else in the entire world, as soon as it was clear I would have wool left over from the OpArt blanket, I cast on a pair of baby socks that have been in my Ravelry queue forever.

These socks were easy, cute and used very little yarn (only 34g in total!). 

They're a bit bigger than the booties I normally make (the pattern says they're for 6 to 12-month-old babies), but I figure new mums get heaps of newborn stuff but not a lot of stuff for when the kid is older. I can say for sure that they will fit the baby at some time (hopefully winter time - these socks are very very thick and warm).

I did a short row heel but when I make these again, I'll use an afterthought heel as recommended in the pattern because I think it will look a bit more finished.

I still had a little bit of yarn left over (the case of the never-ending Bendy balls strikes again!) and so I whipped up a matching hat. It was also quick and easy - cast on 66 stitches in yellow, knit 5 rows in 1x1 rib, changed to purple, knit 1 row, increased 6 stitches following row, then continued as shown. The hat took 23 grams of yarn.

For not a lot of extra time, these little extras add a whole lot of cuteness to the package.

I hope the new parents like these as much as I do.