Simple SKYP Socks

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I enjoyed knitting the Simple SKYP Socks for Laura so much I decided to make my own pair. These flew off the needles, probably because I used size 2 needles instead of my usual size 1 for socks.

I always start my socks at the same part of the yarn colorway repeat, but I decided to live on the edge and not worry about that. This was a good pair to try that with, as I didn’t love the colorway to begin with. Even if their mismatched repeats bother me I would be more bothered by the 70s afghan portion.

After knitting these socks I have confirmed that I much prefer matching socks. I still like these though, the yarn is smooshy and they have a nice halo.

I need to branch out from making socks as they are getting kind of boring. I keep making them because I have a large sock yarn stash and they are so easy to pick up when I have 5 minutes to knit.

WIP Wednesday

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I’ve been knitting more than I expected. Audrey hasn’t been napping, so I’ve been spending nap time sitting as quietly as possible in hopes that the quiet will lull her to sleep. I haven’t had luck with that yet, but I have been productive with knitting.

Currently I have a pair of Simple SKYP socks in progress. I just sewed in the ends on sock one and plan to cast on sock two later this evening. It looks like I’m using two clashing balls of yarn for these socks, but it is actually one ball of Chroma in Confetti, a colorway I wouldn’t have picked out. The leg looks like a 70s afghan and the foot looks like it was inspired by a My Little Pony.  Despite the colors I kind of love this sock. It’s super cozy and colorful, two traits I like in socks. I’m going to live on the edge when I start the second sock – I’m not going to find the spot in the color repeat where I started the first sock. I always make my socks matching, but I’ve decided to go a little crazy with this pair. I’ll let you know next week how I’m feeling about it.

I haven’t gotten the cardigan out to seam this week because I’ve been busy in the evenings. I’m trying to be more social instead of staying at home drinking tea and watching HGTV alone. Don’t worry – by the time it is cold enough to wear the cardigan and cozy Chroma socks I will have finished both and I’ll be back to watching HGTV and sipping tea in my pajamas by 7:30 pm.

Have you been busy knitting? Do you usually make your socks match? What do you make, other than socks, that are mindless enough to pick up and put down several times throughout the day?

John’s socks

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After 5 years of marriage and 2 kids together I finally made John a pair of socks. He is already a fan and wearing them even though it is ridiculously hot out. 

I love how the stripes turned out. I went with a ribbed leg, and the socks actually stay up on John’s chicken legs. 

WIP Wednesday

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Happy Wednesday! I feel like so much has happened knit-wise for me to discuss with you this week, but that might be because I met a running buddy for wine so I am super chatty.

The cardigan is mid seaming! I’ve done the shoulder seams, sewn the arms in, and sewn one side seam. I really thought I would get it out and seam it and it would feel great and I would just get it all done in one evening. HA! It turns out the cardigan is not like the dorky girl in a teen comedy where you take her glasses off and she’s stunning. Nope. I still hate working on the cardigan.

The really annoying thing is I can now see that it is going to be great next winter and I’ll wear it a lot. I’m sorry if I see you IRL while wearing the cardigan and tell you about how much I hated working on it. In fact, if you mention that you understand how I hated the color, or you can see how ugly it was to work on I will immediately hate you. Just tell me it’s pretty, OK?

I’m pretty close to finishing John’s first sock. I need him to try it on, because I think it is long enough to start decreasing for the toe. He insists on finishing dinner before trying it on, and I think that if you are a grown man eating Kraft Mac & Cheese at 9:30 at night you can pause a moment to try on a flipping sock.

But if he forgets to try on the sock tonight I still have a project to work on, as I cast on a pair of simple skyp socks with some Knit Picks Chroma I got in a $10 grab bag. They are fun, and look great in the yarn. I have better sock yarn to work with in my stash, but I didn’t need to wind the Chroma. I don’t plan on spending a lot of time working on these socks until John’s socks are done.

I mentioned last week that I was hesitant to cast on a new pair of socks until I started Audrey’s Owl Sweater. Well, I started it this week, and worked the yoke until the sleeves are put on waste yarn. I would love to be working on it instead of the Chroma socks, but I didn’t realize until I was cast on that I do not own a 16″ size 8 needle. I ordered one and it has shipped, but will not arrive until the end of the month.

This week I hope to finish sock 1 for John and be at the heel of sock 2. I hope to finish the seaming of the cardigan. I do not expect to pick up all of the stitches for the collar for a week or two. As soon as my new size 8 arrives I plan on getting Audrey’s cardigan finished.

I hope you’re having a great week and are getting things done!

WIP Wednesday

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Happy Wednesday! John and I are headed to a movie tonight, so I am writing this update earlier in the day than usual. It feels weird to write when the sun is still up.

This week I got much more progress done than I anticipated. I actually finished Audrey’s socks. Socks for a 2-year-old are such a quick knit I regret not making her socks before now. I hated the yarn in the skein, but love how it knit up.

After I finished Audrey’s socks I started on a slouchy sparkly hat for my sister Kathleen and a pair of socks for John.

I’m almost done with the hat. I hated how the yarn looked in the skein, and questioned using it, but I really like how it looks knit. Maybe the phrase should be don’t judge a yarn by its skein instead of don’t judge a book by its cover.

I’ve only finished about 3/4 of an inch of John’s socks. I had about an inch and a half done before I made him try them on for the second time because I just kept feeling there was something off. He said they fit, but he really had to work to put them on. I gave him a lecture about sock fit (what can I say, I’m super helpful), frogged it, and started again. I’m working with Regia for the first time, and I really like the yarn. It feels rugged, which will be perfect for him.

The biggest news on the knitting front is the cardigan. I actually finished the second sleeve. Now I need to seam it and pick up the collar and bottom ribbing. Every night that I’m home (not often this week) I plan to work on it for an hour. I think that if I put a time limit on it I’ll be more likely to work on it. It’s such a big, clunky project I think I would avoid it if I knew I was going to work on it all night.

I’m debating casting on a pair of Simply SKYP socks for me in some Knit Picks Chroma. I think it would be good to have a project in my car in case an emergency knitting situation arises. My concern is that I would just knit on those socks, make no progress on my cardigan, and not start to make the next sweater in queue for Audrey until she is too big for it. Sigh. The life of a knitter is so hard.

Have a great week!

WIP Wednesday

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I have big news: we finished the dishcloth project! My friends and I made over 140 dishcloths for the Des Moines YMCA Supportive Housing Complex. I’m so happy to be done with the project, as a lot of people are about to get some handmade goodness and I’m able to work on knitting projects that aren’t cotton based. I’m going to continue to knit one dishcloth a week for them, so there are always dishcloths available as new residents move in. 20170528_140905

After my Crafternoon meeting on Sunday where we met our goal, I felt a rush of joy thinking about how much knitting I was going to get done. I finished Mary-Claire’s socks, which I had not anticipated doing this week. I love the pattern (school pick up line socks), but I’m not a fan of the yarn – it is not sparkly enough.

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Last night I actually picked up my cardigan and worked on it for a bit. I finished the increases on the second sleeve. I should be able to finish the sleeve this week if I actually sit down and knit on it.

I’m about to cast on another pair of toddler socks for Audrey, this time in Knit Picks Felici in Soft Serve. I don’t really like the colorway, but I am bound and determined to work through some stash, and toddler socks are an instant gratification way to do that.

This week I hope to finish the second sleeve on the cardigan and finish one toddler sock. I am trying to get more done around the house now that the kids are old enough to play a bit without screaming too much, so my knitting will probably slow down a little for now (for the next week or so until I give up on having a clean house).

I hope you have a productive week. If you have any good excuses for not cleaning your house and knitting instead please let me know.

It Gets Easier

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Today I checked Timehop and was greeted with a photo that on the surface looks similar to what I did today. It is a picture of the kids in the stroller. It might not look like a big deal, but it was a huge reminder to me of how much things have changed.

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Last year we were in the midst of living with 2 under 2. Audrey was only 19 months old and Elliot was only six weeks old. It was so hard.

Audrey only had a few words at that point. She was used to being the center of our lives and was not happy to have to wait. Elliot was screaming from about 7-9 each night. He napped very little. He would ride in the stroller for 20 minutes (on a good day) until he started screaming. Elliot wanted to eat constantly, which meant I was feeding a toddler and a newborn at the same time, 3 times a day. I was exhausted.

It is so much better now. Audrey can now express her needs (usually with words, sometimes with screams). Elliot usually cries for a minute or two when he goes down for the night, but once he falls asleep he is down for 12 hours. His naps still aren’t great, but they continue to get better. As for walks, we can go much longer than 20 minutes. We head out for an hour-long walk when the weather is nice. 20170526_161434

My life is better because the kids are older and can do more. It is better because we are better at parenting two kids after a year of practice. It’s also better because I’ve changed my expectations. Before Elliot we got out of the house at least once a day. That doesn’t happen anymore. My kids don’t nap on the go, so we are at home until the last nap of the day ends, often at 3:30. At first I was frustrated because I wanted to be on the go, but I’ve settled into routine. I would rather have happy, well rested kids than get to the gym or the grocery store.

I love our new normal. I love being able to play with the kids. I love our little family and can’t wait to have many more sun and water-soaked afternoons with them.

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I suspect I’ll be able to write a post just like this one in a year. I can’t imagine how much fun we will have.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend! Get out and enjoy the sunshine.