Friday, January 29, 2010

(Temporary) Sock Fail

Well, I thought I had finished my Hedgerow socks (ravlink).  So here's the details...

Pattern: Hedgerow Socks by Jane Cochran
Started on: June 26, 2009
Finished on: TBD.
Yarn: KnitPicks Essential Kettle Dyed (now Stroll), Timber
Projects left to complete: 9

Overall I thought this pattern was great, not quite sure why it took so long to finish them.  With a 2 row repeat, it's super easy to memorize the pattern & do on the go without needing the (well written) instructions for most of it. 

The socks themselves are nice and soft.  The first one fits great!  The second one (and the reason I thought they were finished) is about 1/2in short, so I need to take out the toe and add a bit.  As for mods: the only thing I did was to kitchner the last 8 sts of the to instead of pulling the yarn through, but I'm not sure it would have made a difference one way or another.

I like the yarn - hopefully it will hold up well.  At the end of the day - I would recommend this pattern as one that is fairly simple, has a great fit, and looks great too!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Too Many Projects

So, I made an agreement last week with the Hub. Actually, he made me index-finger-swear (cause I can knit without a pinky...). I need to get back down to an appropriate number of knitting projects. 10 is not an appropriate number. Per our original agreement from when I started knitting, 3 is the magic number. With the amazing (to me anyway) amount of FOs I had over Christmas (oh...hm. that post is still on my list of things to post about...), you'd think that I didn't have anything left on the needles. HA.


What are these 10 projects that have been hanging around for months (or days, in some cases...) at a time? Let me show you. Most recent to been-around-forever.


#1 - Most recent is actually a gift. It hasn't been gifted yet, so I'll have to keep quiet about that one. However, since I'm pretty sure the recipient doesn't have a ravelry account, here's the ravlink. I really just started it on the 19th, so not too bad.  No photos up yet.


#2 - Teaching Mitts - Started: Jan 7.  I started these mitts to make along with these by Hub. Yes, I'm teaching him to knit. Yes there is a reason for that. I've been asked by a couple other people (friends at work, relatives, etc) to teach them how to knit. However. I'm not a fantastic teacher. So! I had this idea that if I taught someone who teaches better than I do, they could give me feedback on what I did/didn't do well. Enter Hub. Hurrah! A fantastic student & looking to be a great knitter too! Check out this first bit of his gloves!
 


#3 - Drops 103-1 Jacket.  Started Nov. 17.  I've been trucking along on this sweater, which I HAVE to finish very soon, cause it'll soon be way too warm to wear it.  I love it so far though, and hope it fits really well.




#4 - Endpaper Hat - Started Nov. 2.  This is a gift for my mom, who received it for Christmas.  I brought it home with me to finish it.  And hauled it back to OR again, didn't finish it again, and now it's back up here with me, waiting for the fleece band to be sewn inside.  Oy.


#5 - Kimono Sweater - Started August 8.  This got put aside for #3, and cause it's cotton and hard on my hands.  It's lighter weight though, so will be good for spring.  



#6 - Hedgerow Socks - Started on: June 26
These were started as an 'I need something easy' project for a day trip. The yarn is nice to work with, the first sock is lovely & fits perfectly, the pattern is cute & practical...And the second sock is still only 2/3 done. 



#7 - Felted Needle Holder - Started on: June 28  Again, knitting is done. I need to trim the edges of the felted material, figure out how to cut the fabric to make the needle pockets I want, and...sew it together.



#8 - Windermere Scarf - Started on: April 30
I started this for our real estate agent who stuck with us through the purchase of our condo, a short sale that took 6 months to complete, and whom I would recommend to anyone on the Eastside (Seattle east side that is...not eastern WA.) The real question is...do I love this pattern (or working with lace weight) enough to continue with this project. Gifting it (or something else...) would still be fantastic.



#9 - Felted Purse - Started on: March 15
This one...hm. Well, the knitting is done. What needs to be done is to try to reblock it cause I'm not super happy with the shape. And then...there's some super cute fabric waiting to be sewn in as a liner.

#10 - Is a scarf that has been in 'hibernation' for too long.  Start date on it says Feb. 3. 2009.  I think this will get taken out.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Sunday Sunrise

These photos are from yesterday morning, right out our bedroom window (which doesn't have a screen right now...)  We no longer live by the lake, but we can now see the sunrise ;-)







Thursday, January 21, 2010

Back to the Blogosphere...


Ok, so really, I want to do better about posting. Really. Plus, I've got a LIST of ideas for blog posts. Better get started.

So, the sum-up of the last month and a half...

We're finally feeling recovered from our holidays, which included 3 states (including Texas), a graduation, an unexpected death and memorial service, a last-minute wedding, 3 family Christmas parties, a party with college friends, a breakfast with high school friends, a showing of White Christmas at the 5th Avenue Theater, 2 New Years parties, knitting 6 hats and a scarf for other people, and a partridge in a pear tree. Ok, so the last one didn't really exist.

Last weekend was the quarterly D&D event held by a group of friends in PDX, so we were down there again for that. I don't play, as I have a hard time gaming at 2am...but I do get to see friends & family. This time, I went on a hike with a friend from high school and her friend visiting from out of town. We were planning a snowshoeing trip around Mt. Hood, but since the last month has been very (VERY) mild, there's not much snow. We opted for the short hike up to the top of Multnomah Falls.

The folks at the visitor center were helpful and gave us a map of the trails in the surrounding area (great 5-6mile hikes if you've got a bit more time, they say). Going to the top is a steep 1.2mi one way trip, including 11 switchbacks. Deceiving though, cause the last 3 are downhill ;-)

I took a bunch of photos cause...well...I'm out of shape, and it's a good excuse for stopping.

Multnomah Falls is one of the places my family has always frequented, since much of our family lives in Corbett.  Outings (as did ours this weekend) often included a stop for lunch at the Charburger in Cascade Locks.  It's a funky place, has a great view of the river, and the burgers & pies are not too bad either.