On the Needles - 8/22/14

First off, allow me to show off my finished Happy Dance Socks!!!

My husband has a problem with the fact that the color bands don't match -
but I actually think I love them more because of it!
And don't even get him started on those little stray dots of color!!!!

They are comfortable ....

They fit perfectly .... 

And these colors just make me HAPPY!!!

I LOVE THESE SOCKS!!!!

Okay, I'll stop screaming at you now LOL!!!  Unless, you didn't quite get my message that I really, really love these socks?  Oh, you got it?  Great!  Then moving on..... *very big grin!*

Next up on my needles for a quick, easy, portable project is actually not a pair of socks.  I know, you're wondering if the world is getting ready to come to an end, right?  No ... well, I suppose it could be, considering everything that is going on in the news right now!  But just sayin' it won't happen because I put something else on my needles LOL!!!

As you know, I am working on my Rocio sweater, but that project takes complete concentration -  not very portable.  And because of that, it has received absolutely NO LOVE this week!  However, a knitting friend of mine let me know that the Haus of Yarn Bus would be in my town last Saturday - and I had to go check it out!!!  (And I got in a lot of trouble for going without Joanne who was at the beach!)

This bus arrives in the parking lot of a business on Main Street - about 5 minutes max from me - every first Saturday of the month.  Yep, real temptation here folks .... now the yarn is coming to me!!!

Haus of Yarn is located all the way on the other side of Nashville so I've never visited there before.  

Photo credit of Haus of Yarn website

But let me tell you, if the bus is any indication, this is one brick-and-mortar shop I need to go visit for real!

Well, not too soon, mind you, because I dropped a pretty penny just visiting the Bus!!!  Look at all these pretties!  So many samples, of just about any project you might want to play with!  And samples are my downfall because once I see with my eyes what my needles can make - not just that hank of yarn, right? - then I am doomed  .... Doomed, I tell you!!!!

I managed to restrain myself somewhat, but I did come home with TWO skeins of yarn for socks.... and the very sweet & friendly Meg offered to wind them into balls for me too!  I went with a specific idea to get some aqua for socks and found it!

Left is Smooshy in Raspberry, and the right is Frolicking Feet in Aquas
YUM!!!!

 I even splurged on a new pair of Addi needles for the cuffs since I didn't have a long-cord #3 (remember my short cord in the last post HERE?)  Well, these are called "Rocket" Turbo needles and are especially designed for socks and lacework .... and just look at the long, sharp points on these little boogers!!!!

Yes, my friends, these needles slice through a row of stitches like butter .... or something like that ... you know what I mean, right?

My only other purchase was a set of 5 different yarns in a kit that I just couldn't resist!

Aren't these just DELISH????
They have a very slight sheen to them, and so soft!!!

These are small, 1 oz skeins, and I wish I had taken a picture of all the different color options that were available!  I almost came home with a group of bright rainbow colors, but then I decided on these colors for Fall instead.  Meg was making a Diagonal Cowl out of these very colors (yep, I saw it and was doomed!) from her own simple pattern, which she very generously shared with me and a couple of the others who were interested.  It will make just a simple, continuous cowl.... doing a stockinette stitch with increases and decreases at the beginning and end, and working in each color until it is gone.  Here is my start....

Meg cast on 79 stitches, but I only cast on 65 because of my short stature.  I think this will be a very pretty accessory this Fall :)  For now, it will be my portable take-along project instead of a pair of socks.  I'm sure I will be refreshed and excited about starting a new pair of socks when this is done.

This means of course that I now have to add these yarn totals to my Knit the Stash report on the right side of the blog over there....  1,230 yards in and 400 yards used.  So my 2014 totals are now:

Yards stashed:  3,430
Yards used:  1,500
Net Yards stashed:  1,930

So what's On Your Needles???  

Share with us at Judy's Patchwork Times today!

Judy has a beautiful sweater finish she's sharing with us today :)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On The Needles Tip!

This morning I was happily enjoying my coffee on the side porch .... do you like my newest cup from Goodwill :*)

.... and working on my Happy Dance Socks - they are coming along very nicely now that I've unknitted back several inches to correct a mistake and begun again.....

..... and I had just decided that I was ready to begin the ribbed cuff, when I noticed a torn strand of yarn coming up!

Now, I don't know about you, but I am prone to say nasty things when this happens in the middle of a ball of yarn!!!  I must tell you though, (virtuously shining the chip on my shoulder) the air did not turn blue and I kept my lips tightly sealed - but only because I had a trick up my sleeve :)



Several months ago, I had watched a YouTube video by Lorraine L - you can find it HERE if the video doesn't come through on your device - that showed how to do an invisible braided join.  I had tried it out and it worked!  So I was pretty hopeful that it should work nicely here too.  First, I cut the yarn in two in the middle of the break.....

Then I split one of the ends back about 2 inches and laid the unsplit end up against it, securing it with a clip....

Then I tightly braided all three strands in the conventional way until the ends were too short to hold anymore.  Notice that the finished braid is pretty much the same width as the original strand of yarn :)  The braiding is pretty obvious, but I think that is because of the type of yarn I am using.  My earlier experiment was with a woollier thread and it was barely noticeable.

The ends did not unravel when I turned loose because they were pretty tightly braided, but I must admit I really babied them until they were worked in!

I very gently knitted that section into the sock, making sure the little fuzzy ends ended up on the inside of the sock.

The video says to not cut those until the sock has been washed and blocked, but then you can just snip them off - no weaving ends in - whoohoo!!!!  Once I had knitted the repaired strand in, I had to really look to find it - it was only noticeable when closely examined!  Can you find it?  And I'm pretty sure it will be virtually invisible when I wash them :*)

I also decided to change to try changing to a size larger needles for the ribbing to give me extra stretch there....

Like the kitty in the background?  That's my pj's!
Perfect to wear when drinking from my new-to-me cup, wouldn't you say???

.... I didn't have a size 3 circular with a cord longer than 24" - which really wasn't long enough, but I made do by using that trusty clip once again ... you know what they say about necessity being the mother of invention LOL!!!

I couldn't go out and buy a new set of circulars so I made do!  These fun socks will be off my needles probably by tomorrow.  Then I'll have to decide which pair to start next.... oh, the decisions we much make in life, right?

Check out all the fun Needles projects over at Judy's Patchwork Times today :*)

Hugs & Blessings

Teresa

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On the Needles - 8/8/14

I've been getting a few stitches in here and there on my Rocio Sweater....

It's not looking like much yet, and the going is very slow with all we have going on with Sara's visit.  I usually just put a few rows in during my morning quiet times.  But once I get the second front side done, I will join all the pieces and knit down to the bottom, which I think will go much faster.

I don't have much further to go!  Yay!!!  

Now, if it just fits I'll be a happy girl :)

Can you see the pretty lacy design each added stitch makes on the front edge?

On the socks front, I've hit a little roadblock.  The Happy Dance Socks are definitely not "Happy," nor are they "Dancing"! ....

Somehow, I managed to get a purl stitch in there on the turn, and I didn't realize it until I'd knitted quite a few rows past it!  I was advised by everyone who saw it to just leave it there, that no one will ever know.... but I just couldn't!  I would know!  And I'd always be self-conscious that it was showing somehow.  Oh well.....I've already un-knitted at least 10 rows and still have a few to go before I can start back knitting :(  At least I noticed it when I did rather than after they were finished!

And one day last week, I came home to a VERY interesting and totally unexpected squishy package in my mail!  Ooooooo - don't you just LOVE unexpected squishy packages???  Me too!!!!  It looks like something from outer space, doesn't it????

This fun package was from my friend Lynn in Seattle, who apparently thought it looked like fun to make socks and bought all the stuff to make a pair, only to decide that it wasn't for her - oops!!!

So she packed up the whole kit-and-kaboodle and shipped the project to me :)  I think this yarn will make a really lovely pair of socks - especially with jeans this winter, don't you?  They will go on the socks needles next :)  Thanks Lynn!!!  I have officially named them my Opal Lynnie Lou Socks, and of course I will think of you with a smile every time I wear these :)

What's on your needles?  

Check out all the lovely projects at Judy's Patchwork Times :)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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On the Needles - 6/13/14

I've been giving some love to my needles this past week!

My Happy Dance Socks are moving right along!

I admit it - I'm addicted to this colorway!!!!

Before you know it, they are going to be done and it will be time to load a new pair on the needles.  I like having a pair going at all times because they are the perfect "take-along" project when last-minute things pop up.  And they are perfect for late-night knitting along with my TV shows because by now they require very little thought except at the heels :)

I've also decided to knit along with Amy Herzog's Summer Sweater KAL - check it out on her blog HERE.  All the way back in February, I blogged that I wanted to start this sweater.....



Rocio is a summer sweater knitted with a very lightweight fingering yarn - perfect for the KAL.  You can find the pattern HERE in Ravelry.  You can follow my knitting adventures HERE, but I have to admit I don't keep my Projects Page as updated as I'd like.

Here is my very humble start for this sweater....

It's worked top down and starts with the back section.  The red yarn stitches are provisional stitches which will come out when it is time to join the front and the back.

I'm hoping this project will be challenging enough to grow my knitting skills, without being such a challenge that I hate it before I'm done!  And of course I'm hoping I've calculated correctly and it fits when I'm done!!!

The first thing I've learned is that I can read the chart for that lace pattern in the back much more easily than a list of stitches - who knew????

What's on your needles?  

I hope it's as fun as my projects are proving to be :*D

You can see more projects on needles at Judy's Patchwork Times today!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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