More Vanilla.

I mentioned last week in my post about my Vanilla Latte Socks that I was working on another pair of Vanilla socks… and here they are! These are the Plain Vanilla Socks in Patons Kroy Sock. I really like how these turned out- the length of the leg is perfect and they fit well. The only tweak I made was to use 1×1 ribbing for the top cuff rather than 2×2- I find it doesn’t stretch out quite as much that way.
(Rav Link).

These socks are my second pair this year, so I’m on track with my goal of finishing 12 pairs this year! I’m going to start another pair this weekend, so I can get a head start on next month’s socks!
(And that book I’m reading in the background? The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. Great so far!)

I also have a quick announcement today… a bunch of designers, myself included, are doing a little donation drive during the Olympics and Ravellenic games to voice our support for those whose human rights are being oppressed in Russia. From tomorrow (Feb 7) to Feb 9, I’ll be donating 50% of my total pattern sales to Egale and for the remainder of the games (Feb 10-23) I’ll be donating 25% of my total pattern sales. Any of my patterns are eligible. If you’d like to see the other designers participating, Bristol Ivy has compiled a list on her blog. Thanks for your support!

(And I’ll see you again tomorrow for the 2014 Ravellenic Games cast-on… go Team Canada!)

I’ll be linking up (a bit late) with KCCO and Yarn-Along as usual!

Vanilla Latte Socks

This week…

Knitting :: Finished my Vanilla Latte Socks in Patons Kroy Sock (Rav link). I love how they turned out! These are my first pair of socks in my challenge to knit 12 socks in a year! I’m working on my Plain Vanilla Socks now, in the same yarn. Apparently this week is vanilla themed!

Reading :: The Penguin Book of Canadian Short Stories (selected by Jane Urquhart). This is for a Canadian Literature course that I’m taking and we’re reading selected stories from this (giant!) anthology. (Goodreads link).

Mockingjay (by Suzanne Collins). I finished Catching Fire this week so that I could see the movie, and it made sense to just finish the series. I enjoyed the first book, but the next two in the trilogy aren’t quite as good. I’ll probably finish this just to find out what happens. (Goodreads link).

Watching :: The fifth season of Community (so good now that Dan Harmon is back!) and the second season of New Girl, which was recommended to me by a friend. I am enjoying way it more than I expected… the characters are great and it’s quite funny.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week – let me know in the comments what you’re knitting, reading, and watching!

I’ll be linking up with Yarn-Along and KCCO as usual.

FO: Minecraft Creeper Hat and Mittens

Now that Christmas is over, I can finally share some of the top-secret projects I’ve been working on over the past few months! First up is this hat and mitten set I made for my little brother. He plays the game Minecraft a lot, and even though I’ve only played it once, I’ve deduced enough to put together a creeper-themed gift.

The hat pattern is here, and I used the pattern for the body of the hat but substituted in my own decreases for the crown. The mitten pattern is a vintage pattern, found here, and I think this is going to be my new go-to mitten pattern. There are instructions for a bunch of sizes and for both in the round and flat, and I’m really happy with how they turned out. The yarn for both is Vanna’s Choice (In Black and Kelley Green)- I wanted something machine washable and in a very bright green.

(Rav link for the hat and for the mittens)

As you can probably see in the pictures, both the mittens and the hat are both already well-worn… I might have to make him a new set next year if he keeps wearing them this much! I’m so glad he likes them.

I’ll post about the rest of my Christmas knits in the next week or so. Did you knit any Christmas gifts?

FO: Forest Floor

I cast off a lovely hat last week and managed to convince a friend to help me with some photos on the weekend (Thanks H!). I am in love with both the pattern and the yarn. The pattern is Forest Floor from Alana Dakos’ Botanical Knits and the yarn is Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK in the colour Sprout.

I did 1×1 rib for the edging (rather than 1×2) because I tend to like 1×1 better. I was also a bit worried about size since I have a fairly small head and Julie mentioned that her lovely version was just small enough. I’m glad I switched the ribbing because post-blocking the hat just fits. It’s actually a tiny bit bigger than I would like, so perhaps if I make it again I will go down a needle size or two.

(Rav link)

I’m headed home this weekend for Thanksgiving, so expect some cute dogs photos and lots of food photos in the next few days! I hope you’re all having a lovely week.

Linking up with KCCO and Yarn-Along as usual.

FO: Wavy Moss Stitch Hat

If you previously followed me in Google Reader, you can now follow me via Bloglovin’. Thanks!

I was recently lucky enough to get to test a new pattern from Cedar Box Knits– a chunky, slouchy hat. Not exactly in season right now but I loved it so much that I figured I could make it now and wait to wear it.

Partway through knitting it, I broke my elbow, but I managed to finish it by knitting a few rounds here and there! I have been going a bit crazy since I can’t knit much, but hopefully the splint will be off in a few weeks. Fingers crossed.

I used some Tempo Chunky (Acrylic/ wool blend) that I had in my stash. I’ll link to the pattern once it’s available!

(Rav link)

I hope you all had an amazing Canada Day (and 4th of July to my friends down south!).

I’ll be linking up with KCCO and Yarn-Along this week!

FO: Business Casual Socks

That’s right, I finished the socks! These took a long time (over a month) but now that they are done, it was worth it. I love the way that they turned out! I made the smaller size, which I was a bit worried was too small, but turns out was exactly the size I needed. I wear a women’s 9.5 and have pretty wide feet, but the smaller size fits with just a tiny bit of snugness (perfect if you hate socks that fall down… like me!).

I used Cascade Heritage Sock in the colour 5631 (charcoal). As I said when I finished my last socks in Heritage Sock, I really like this yarn- it’s soft, seems durable so far, and comes in great colours.

I knit these as part of a KAL hosted by Celtic Cast-On. If you have a few extra moments, I would encourage you to go check out some of the other finished socks so far… there are some very beautiful ones!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

I’ll be linking up with KCCO, Yarn-Along, and FO Friday as usual.

FO: Wurm

I finished my Wurm hat a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait until I was home to take the FO photos for it. My little brother actually took the photos so that I could wear the hat- I think he did a great job!

My Wurm is made from the leftover Craftsmart value yarn that I bought at Michaels with a giftcard (I made my Grey Honey Cowl out of the rest!). This is the first slouchy hat I’ve made for myself that I really like… and it’s very warm! The double-knit brim is perfect. (Rav link).

I adapted the pattern for worsted weight- my modifications are listed on my Ravelry project page.

Happy weekend!

Linking up with FO Friday.

Happy February.

I can’t believe that it’s February already… one month of 2013 done. I’ve only got 8 weeks of class until my exams begin, and then I’ll be done first year, done 25% of my degree. It’s strange to think about, especially since I haven’t a clue what I want to do after!

But there is time. Time to figure it out. And time to knit.

Which is how I finished my second Honey Cowl yesterday. I’ve been wearing it all day and it’s nice and soft after going through the wash. I love the colour and how it fits! (Rav link).

I had a bunch of yarn left after finishing the cowl (which only took 152 yards. What?) so I cast on a hat to match. What else was I supposed to do, finish one of my WIPs? Nope, that would make too much sense! I’m making Wurm with the leftover Craft Smart Yarn. I’m loving this pattern so far, especially the double-knit brim- so cosy! (Rav link)

I hope you are all enjoying your first day of February and that you also have time. Time to figure it out, but most importantly, time to knit.

Linking up today with Pinworthy Projects and FO Fridays.

FO: Kai-Mei Socks

I finished my Kai-Mei socks last week and just got around to washing and photographing them this afternoon. I love how they turned out! I also realized that despite having had multiple stashes of Cascade Heritage Sock, this is actually the first pair I have finished in this yarn. I have been wearing the socks all day and the yarn is heavenly. So nice to work with and to wear… I’m happy that I have 2 more skeins left!

(Also, I would just like to point out that it is very hard to take good photos of your own feet. Unless perhaps you’re a gymnast?)

See them on Ravelry here.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Linking up with Pinworthy Projects today.

Christmas 2012 (Catching up)

I know, I know… I’m a bit late in posting Christmas photos from this year. There are quite a few, so I’ll let the photos do the talking. I’ll share some photos of our celebration first, followed by some photos of the Christmas knitting I haven’t yet shared.

Green Hat: Take Two | Ravelry | Pattern

Hogwarts Scarf | Ravelry | Pattern

Ravenclaw Hat | Ravelry | Pattern

Mini Mania Scarf | Ravelry | Pattern

22.5 Degrees | Ravelry | Pattern

I’ll be linking up with KCCO and Yarn-Along. Have a great day!