Knitting a New Pair of Socks in Lipstick

  I was asked by another niece to knit her a pair of socks.  So, I thought about it for about a week before I came up with the perfect yarn color and then I started searching my lace books for the perfect lace pattern to put on a sock.  I found this one.  It came out of the Knitter's Bible, it is gothic lace.  I added the lace pattern to my sock pattern and this was the result. 

The yarn is a beautiful red, it is one of my own hand dyed yarns, my merino/silk sock, the color is lipstick.  I love how well it is coming out. 

I have one sock completed and I am working on the second one. 

It is a fun pattern to work on.

 

The sock leg is two pattern repeats, the heel is simple, and the foot is also 2 pattern repeats since I had to knit a size 6 for women.  Love people with small feet, their socks go quickly. 

I love this pattern so much that I am thinking of knitting it again and possibly kettle dyeing another round of yarn in another color. I am thinking emerald green for the next pair, this pattern would look gorgeous in it. 

 

Fiber of the Month Club

I joined the Fiber of the Month club with Paradise Fibers.  I received my first installment of fiber.  Love my items that I get to play with. 

From the top, merino wool top, Tussah silk, and Pygora and silk.  I am excited to have these items and I am still trying to decide what to do with the goat and the silk.  The goat fiber is amazing.  I can't believe how silky and soft it is.  I want to paint both.  I am not sure of the colors, though. 

 I want to know what February's selection is going to bring.  I can't wait.  I haven't had time to even spin lately.  I want to get out my wheel and start spinning again. 

I didn't like the way the beads and the yarn were looking so, I pulled all the beads off of the yarn and put them back into their little home.  So, I am trying to decide what to knit for someone. I owe a niece a pair of socks and I have my yarn sitting on my coffee table, I just can't decide what pattern to use for her socks.  Hmm.  I am hoping inspiration will hit sometime soon.  If not, then I will go back over my pattern choices and see what I have knit before and use one of those. 

Patience and Tedium All Rolled into One

Starting at the top, select your beads that you want to put on your yarn, I chose these because I love the funky shape and the color is going to look fabulous with my yarn.

 Next grab your dental floss, I chose the waxed extra fine since I knew my beads would have small holes. 

Pick out your yarn that you want to use, I am using Drooling Over Yarn hand painted sock yarn.  I forget what color this one is, I have had it for a long time.  I painted it a couple of years ago. 

I already started placing beads onto the yarn.

Take your dental floss, and pull out a length, cut it, then take it and make a u shape around your yarn, pull the yarn down in another u shape going the opposite direction. 

Take the dental floss and lick it to get a nice smooth end for sliding the bead onto the dental floss and then onto the yarn.  Check out the pictures to help you do this. 

When you get the bead onto the yarn, then slide it down.  You may have to keep licking your dental floss and then cutting it and replacing it as you go since it does wear out after a bit.  That is why I bought the huge container of the stuff.  I tried to find a nice beading needle but, what I used as a kid and what they are now are two different things. 

Take your time doing this, since if you try to go fast, these little slippery beads tend to shoot out of the hand. 

I found these beads at my favorite local bead store and there are online places that have them as well. 

Knitting with beads is simple...slide the bead to the stitch you are about to knit and slip the bead as close to the stitch as possible, and when you are moving the working yarn into position, simply slide the bead in and then when you are finished with that stitch pull your working yarn tight to snug up the bead and keep on going. 

It is tedious work to get the beads onto the yarn but, the finished product is amazingly beautiful!  There are some neat shapes and sizes of seed beads out there, it is just up to the knitter as to which ones they choose to go with their yarn.  I love different shapes and colors.  It is your work, you can get as funky and creative as you want. 

On a side note..the Jaegar yarn that I used to knit the mitt, I won't be making a second mitt since the yarn totally looks like crap as a mitt.  I can see it being used for cables on a sweater but, I am not a sweater knitter...like I said before I hate knitting sleeves.  Even my hubby groaned when he saw the thumb of the mitt.  It is hideous!  HIDEOUS!!! 

I might use it as a potholder or something else.  Just not as a mitt.  It will be repurposed for some other use. 

Fingerless Mitts

Top photo is the drowning in brown finished mitts.  The bottom photo is the Jaeger chunky merino wool.  It definitely shows stitches and it is very hard to hide any increases in the item.  I am thinking I am not happy with it at this point.  I guess when I finish it, I will see how it looks. 

The color is a silvery lilac. 

 

Knitter's Dilemma

I started knitting a new pair of fingerless mitts yesterday and I am hoping I have enough yarn for the said items.  I finally finished my mitts in my Shetland wool, drowning in brown and sad as it seems there is no more of that yarn.  I started out hating it, I thought it was hideous until I started working with it and then it happened, I fell in love with the colors.  So, I decided to use the last bit of the yarn for something for me.  I knit myself fingerless mitts to keep my poor hands warm.  I have been walking around my home in agony since the cold started, my knuckles have been aching and swelling.  Sigh!  It seems that my  arthritis has decided to spread to my other knuckles.  It sucks but, it has happened.  I think a lot of years knitting and age has done the deed. 
  Anyway, I finished my mitts and started a new pair.  I am in stash busting mode over here, I need to rid myself of some of my yarns...I have plenty so, this isn't a problem.  I am working on doing my charity for the year with my yarns.  I have to say that my last round of charity was greatly appreciated and I have received many letters and pictures from the children who received my items.  Makes a knitter feel absolutely wonderful to know that people actually do appreciate all the good that I am trying to do. 
  It was sweet of them to send out their hand made cards and pictures. 
So, I am working now with Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Chunky yarn to make a pair of fingerless mitts.  The yarn is a joy to work with.  I am using US 7 dpns from Knit Picks in the Caspia color.  My thoughts on this particular dpn, they have incredibly sharp points so, if you want to do lace work, I think they would do well for it.  One of them did break already via the Corgi.  He had his way with it.  So, I threw it out.  We had to have the discussion about how he is not to eat my knitting needles.  Not that he listens all that well. We actually watched a program on honey badgers and came to a realization that honey badgers and Welsh Pembroke Corgis have a lot in common.  They are fearless little doggies.  I can tell you that.  He doesn't eat snakes or insects but, he will eat everything else and then will try to steal the other dogs' food.  He doesn't care if they are upset or not, it is in his path and he will have it. 
  Back to the yarn, it only has 69 yards per skein and I am hoping that I can eek out a pair of small fingerless mitts for some child.  I have three skeins of it that I know of right now.  There might be more around here but, I am not brave enough right now to go dig in the rooms of bins to look for it.  I have about 4 roomfuls of yarn.  I am on a destash knitting project this year.  NO buying any more yarn, I have to use what I have. 
  I also have to finish crocheting that blanket for my friend.  I don't even want to work on it.  I have lost my inspiration for it.  I guess I will finish it for her one of these days.  I did manage to finish my other projects that I had been working on.  I am still working on my stole.  It is sitting on my coffee table, I can't decide if I should rip it back and start again or just keep working on it until I finish it.  I will figure it out eventually. 
  Then I have a pair of socks I need to knit for one of my nieces.  She asked me to make her a pair and she has small feet.  Love people with small feet, easy to knit socks for them. 
  Today I am feeling slightly out of sorts.  I don't know if it is the weather, or what.  It has been raining since I woke up this morning. 
  I don't mind the rain because life without it is horrible. 
  Back to my mitts.  Pictures will follow later.