S*October

Okay, I'm not offically part of Socktober but seeing everyone else's socks in blogland I'm definitely in the spirit of things.
I'm loving this sock yarn! Cherry Tree Hill Supersock! I think the colors are perfect for the Pomatomus pattern too. Does anyone know how well this yarn holds up over time? I plan on machine washing them and laying flat to dry. This is my first experience with the magic loop method. I like it. I don't have a problem with dpns but handling the one circular seems less fiddly. It was a little slow at first but I'm finally getting into the rhythm of the stitch pattern.

And for a lack of anything else to post at the moment, here's a cute kitty pic.

Licorice Whip

Licorice Whip is done! This is such a cozy sweater! and I really love the Blue Sky Cotton even if it does pill.....and shed a bit. I'm hoping the shedding will be reduced after I wash it. I actually wore it all day on Sunday (I've been too busy to get picks and post up)!


Pattern: Licorice Whip by Jenifer Paulousky for Blue Alvarez Designs
Yarn: Blue Sky Cotton in Indigo; 4 and 1/4 skeins
Needles: #9
Mods: I went with the size xxxs (34") but that's also my actual size so I used a smaller gauge in order to have some negative ease especially since this is cotton and I knew it would probably stretch out some. I think it came out about right. I also copied Jillian in that I only did 5 out of the 7 recommended decreases for the sleeves (I didn't want them to be too tight). That's about it I think. This is really a great pattern!

I had started Knucks but I used a heavier wieght of yarn than called for and I was too lazy to properly check guage and as a result, they were coming out too big. So with that project abandoned for now I decided to start some Pomatomus. This sock pattern is awesome!! and the yarn is too! I'm using some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock and it is to die for! I couldn't get any picks because it's getting dark so early now and they were coming out terrible with the flash.

Fall is in the air!!

We've had a coldsnap! It was in the mid-40s this morning! It is disappointing that we don't get much color down here (and this year even less than usual). Of course, I am getting a little ahead of things; "peak color" doesn't usually occur until right before Thanksgiving. But anyway, we've been having many pleasant days in the 70s lately and fall is one of my favorite seasons!

First of all, may I present my mystery socks!

Pattern: Ocean Socks by Jan Moreno from Wool Works

Yarn: Hill Country Instant Gratification Sock in Bluebonnet

Needles: size #4 dpns

Yay for my second pair of socks! These were really fast and fun! Plus I really like how this yarn looks with a stitch pattern. I knew this yarn would do a weird swirly thing because I used this same yarn for my first pair of socks and I didn't really like how they look in just plain stockingette. These turned out so well that I think I will give them to my Mother-In-Law. I actually bought this yarn with her in mind in the first place because she loves Bluebonnets (the state flower of TX).

And did I mention that fall is my favorite season? Look at these darling little pumpkins!

Thanks to Jennifer from PieKnits who found the Miniture Felted Pumpkin pattern from Wool Windings. These were incredibley fun to make!! These are going to the MIL too because I think she will really love them! The bigger bighter orange (far right) one is Lamb's Pride Worsted (which didn't felt as well), the middle reddish-orange one is Classic Elite Renaissance, and the far left white one is some leftover Cascade 220 in cream that I had in the stash. Oh, and the little stems are various tweedy brown and green scraps from the stash as well. It took me a day to make these. I'm going to have to make some for myself now!!

Matching sweaters

See, they both only have half a left arm.......
I don't know what it is about sleeves that I have found to be challenging. They just seem to take forever. Actually, these are my first two sweaters that are long sleeved, Forecast on the left and Licorice Whip on the right. I have to admit, Forecast has been in this state for over a month (or two...I forget). But it's okay because I'm not nearly ready to be wearing a heavy duty wool cardigan yet....I mean, it's supposed to be 95 degrees on Tuesday for goodness sake!! That's Texas for you though.

Ella

Ella is done and I love it!

Pattern: Ella by Wendy Wonnacott from Knitty
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport in Vera; just over 3 skeins
Needles: #8s

This is a really great pattern! Once I got started it just came together very quickly. Even though the pattern called for thicker yarn and larger needles....mine came out to the correct dimentions anyway. I think I'll be using this quite a bit this winter!

Preview

Ella is done! I just have to weave in ends and give it a good blocking. I think it's going to be a bit smaller than what the pattern says but it's always so hard to tell when it's a big blob.
More to come! :)

just kidding

Okay, I guess hubby didn't take the camera, it was sitting on the desk all along!
So now I get to subject you to more yarn pics! heh, heh!

Goodies

Well, you won't get to see a pic of my new Yarn Pirate Paris sock yarn because the hubby escaped on a business trip with the camera. But let me tell you! I L.O.V.E. this stuff! The color is amazing and it's very soft too!

Luckily, I have some other goodies from kpixie to show you that came in the mail late last week.
This is some Blue Sky Cotton in the color Indigo. I've heard how soft this stuff is and it's true! Love it! I'm going to make Licorice Whip which I've been wanting to make for a while but I got some extra inspiration from Jilian when she started hers.

And the other goodie is this new yarn that kpixie has from Olympus. It's called Make Make and it's 90% wool and 10% mohair...very soft. It comes in little packets of 3...so cute. Kpixie gives you a free hat pattern when you buy the yarn. I've been looking for the perfect hat pattern to make for myself and this is it!

And the most entertaining part of the whole thing:

My big fat kitty trying to get into the box! In the picture he's just laying half in the box but it was hilarious watching him push the box around until it was wedged up under the bookcase so he could get his paws all the way to the back of the box!