Off the Needles!

I've been lazy about updating my blog, but I promise I haven't been lazy with my knitting! Here's a peek at the past few weeks month and a half of my life:

After I finished my Roheline Cardigan, I had some extra yarn. A lot of extra yarn. I ended up turning it into a pair of socks! I used the Looking Glass Socks pattern, and I think they came out beautifully.

Looking Glass Socks, on my new sock blockers!

I love trying new things in my knitting, and so far each of the (three) sock patterns I've used have required different techniques. There are definitely some I like more than others, and I think I know which pattern I would use as guidance to creating my own sock pattern!

You may recall that I received many knitting gifts for Christmas, and I've been putting them to good use. I especially love my blocking blocks. I used to always block my knitting on pieces of cardboard... it worked pretty well, but sometimes it was a struggle to find a piece that was the right size. And once a piece was used, it would be so full of t-pin holes that I couldn't use it again! Having foam blocks is so much more convenient. I can use as many (or as few) as I want in order to get the right size. Best of all: I can use them again and again. Currently, my Swimming Poolover is on them, waiting patiently for me to block it! I finished the sleeves a few weeks ago, and avoided the collar and ribbing because I was afraid it wouldn't fit... But it does!

You can't see the pockets in this picture, but they're there!

 In retrospect, I should have lengthened the body a little, but overall I'm happy. I did a lot of modifications to this pattern, and I'm just glad it looks like a sweater! I moved the increases and decreases, lengthened the sleeves, and completely redesigned the collar (from scratch - eek!).

I'm still working on the Parchment Paper Socks, but I finished the first sock over the weekend. It's the first toe-up pair of socks that I've done, and it was fun to learn a new technique. The creator of the pattern was amazing, and quickly responded to my email when I had a question. I just wish the pattern was a little clearer. The other sock patterns I've used were very explicit about where a row starts, and when the start of the row moves to a different space. This pattern didn't go into that detail, and it was a little confusing. The first sock looks good, so I'm just going to keep going with what I've done!

I've started doing cables without using a cable needle, and it makes the work go so much more quickly! And I already have plans for my next project... But I'm not going to tell you yet!