Tag Archives: socks

Design Series: Inspirations

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All right, knitters!  The votes have been tallied and it looks like socks are the big winner!

When I’m working on my own designs, the next thing I decide on is the inspiration behind my project.  This isn’t anything technical; I’m not doing any math, or even picking out any stitch patterns yet.  This step simply lets me figure out what the feel of the project will be.  Once I decide on an inspiration, the rest of the design will start to fall into place.

So, here are a few options for the inspiration of our socks:

Option 1:  Fun and silly, like this little goat.

funny-animal-pictures-of-the-week-039-001[1]Option 2:  Sleek and sophisticated, like the Singapore skyline.singapore_skyline[1]Option 3: Delicate and feminine, like these forget-me-not flowers.Forget-Me-Not-[1]Option 4: Warm and cozy, like this mountain cabin.cozy-cabins[1]Option 5: Light and breezy, like this tropical beach.Tropical-Beach-2[1]Option 6: Natural and outdoorsy, like this mountain range.yellow-stone-national-park-mountains[1]Option 7: Cool and practical, like the Pacific Northwest coastline.

Rialto-Beach-Olympic-Peninsula-WA[1]Let me know what you’re into, and next week, we’ll start narrowing down the design.

Patterns: Dahlia Shawl and Puddle Jumper Socks AND a Giveaway!

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Holy crap, you guys!  It’s finally here!  Today’s the day I can FINALLY tell you about not one, but TWO patterns that I’ve been working on since May!  AND, I get to hold my first ever On the Needles giveaway!

(I was going to try to play it cool, but I’m so excited, I can’t even pretend that I’m not freaking out.)

I have two patterns in the new KnitPicks Spring Collection.  It’s a book.  An actual, real-life book, and my patterns are printed in it.

For real.  Here’s the cover (It’s not my pattern on the cover, but it’s still super cute!):

32490Want to see my patterns?

I’m totally in love with my Dahlia Shawl.  I wear the prototype one all the time.  It’s the perfect size to wear as a scarf, tucked into my coat, or as a shawl, wrapped around my shoulders.  The modern lace edging is super easy to knit because it’s worked at the same time as the main body of the shawl.  (And the yarn is merino and silk, and is totally gorgeous and drapes wonderfully.)

51851220_5 51851220My second pattern in the collection are my super-cheerful Puddle Jumper Socks.  They’re knit from the top down, with an afterthought heel, so they work up in no time.  I love the stripe pattern, especially the way the third contrasting color really pops on the toe and heel.

51850220 51850220_10So, I bet you’ve guessed what the giveaway is.

I’ve got two copies of the 2015 Spring Accessories Collection (one paper book and one ebook) to give away to two lucky readers.  (It really is a great collection-there are lots of fabulous patters, not just mine.  I particularly like the Pyra Mitts, the Modular Triangle Shawl and the Charm City Socks.)

If you want to try and win a copy, comment below and tell me what you’d knit first if you won the book!  (Don’t post your address or anything-we’ll figure that all out later.)  I’ll pick the winner at random in one week (on 2/25).

Good luck!  (Now I need to go drink a nice, calming cup of tea.)

Adventure Time Again!

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I told you that Adventure Time had a lot of knitting in it.  Although, I think that this episode (Everything’s Jake, which aired on November 24th), is the first one to actually show a character knitting.

It’s not an important plot point, and unless you were a weird-o knitter, like me, you probably wouldn’t even have noticed it.

But, the episode begins with Jake sitting on the couch, listening to his Victrola and knitting away at… something.

UntitledHe then puts down his knitting, and you get to see the rest of his WIP, where it sits on the coffee table:

Untitled1Then, if you’re a big nerd like me, you squeal in delight, because you realize that Jake is making an entire outfit for his buddy BMO, the sentient robot/gaming system.

thCASP0UENSure, he’s a robot, and probably doesn’t get cold, but, he would be so cute in his new little outfit!  (I’m pretty they show this in the episode, but, for the life of me I can’t find it, so maybe it was all a beautiful, adorable dream.  Who knows.)  And he’s such a sweetie, you know that he’ll wear the sweater just to make Jake happy.

Inspiration: It’s Way Too *#^@ing Cold

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We are firmly in the SECOND cold snap of the winter, here in Seattle.  Seattle, where I was promised damp, cloudy, and 40s for most of the  year.  Seattle, where I moved to get away from the excessive cold of the Midwest, and the ridiculous hot of the South.  Seattle, where I expected to wear nothing but wool sweaters and flannel shirts for 90% of the year.

It is currently (at 11:30 in the morning) 27 degrees.  27!

And, there’s snow and ice all over outside.  (In November!)

It’s not right.  It’s not fair.  And I don’t like it.

All I want to do is roll myself up in a big wad of roving and go into hibernation until the temperature is back in the 40s.

Unfortunately, that’s not really approved of by society in general, so I suppose I must make do with the next closest thing.  Thrummed knitting.

Thrummed knitting involves working little tufts of roving into your knitting (traditionally mittens, but right now I would consider murder if it meant I could get my hands on a thrummed sweater).  It’s a little futzy, but not terribly so.  And, you end up with knitting that’s completely lined with glorious, fluffy wool (think of shearling, but knitted, not leather), and dotted with cute little heart-shaped stitches.  I can’t think of anything better than walking around with my hands (and feet) swaddled with woolen goodness.

Try these mittens, for some traditional thrummed action:

Yarn Harlot Thrummed Mittens by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Outside:

2895409293_91de82094a_z[1]Inside (I know, right?!):

2873388824_e07708cb94_z[1]Or, if you’re like me and have ice cubes instead of toes, these slippers would be fantastic:

Cadeautje by Ysolda Teague

cadeautje_medium2[1]Now, I’m off to go see if I can fit another sweater over the one I’m already wearing… Wish me luck!

Inspiration: Cheap Candy Day

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It’s the day after Easter, and that can only mean one thing:

Cheap. Easter. Candy.

But, since I don’t have the metabolism of a sixteen-year-old anymore (alas), let’s celebrate Cheap Candy Day with some candy-inspired knitwear.

Munch on some (imaginary) jellybeans with these colorful beaded socks:

Mixed Jelly Beans Socks by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer

2266121239_c1a9dbc8b1_z[1]Instead of the sticky yellow bird-shaped variety of marshmallows, try these super-cozy-looking mitts:

Marshmallow by tincanknits

GWN-marshmallow-01_medium2[1]And, if you really want to indulge, wrap yourself up in chocolate with this stole:

Chocolate Mousse Stole by Dagmara

il_fullxfull.171146902_medium2[1]OK, all this talk of candy has made me hungry.  I might just have to stop by the grocery store sale bin anyway.  So much for self-control.

With a Bow on Top

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It seems like everyone I know is having a birthday this month.  (Except for me.  Wah wah.)  And a rash of birthdays means one thing for knitters like me and you; lots of gift knitting.  My go-to knit gift for anyone over the age of 15 is a pair of hand-knit socks.  They’re (relatively) quick, small enough that you don’t have to spend your entire food budget on the yarn, and totally customizable.   And, of course, they’re fun to make, and always well-received.

Now, you could just wrap up your socks in wrapping paper, or stuff them in a gift bag, but where’s the DIY spirit in that?

My favorite way to package hand knit socks is in one of those little half-pint berry containers that you get from the grocery store.  Have you ever realized that they’re the perfect size to fit a pair of socks*.  These are made from recycled paper, but you can find plastic ones, too, sometimes.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI roll up a pair of socks, and put them in the berry container, and take a little bit of pretty contrasting ribbon or yarn and tie a nice bow.  It’s that easy to make a perfect little gift charming enough that even Martha Stewart would approve.

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*They would fit a pair of mittens, a hat, washcloth or other small accessory well, too.  I just have a thing for socks.

Pattern: Sunday Morning Slipper Socks

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPour yourself a cup of tea, pull out a favorite book, and slip on these thick and cozy socks for the perfect lazy Sunday morning.  Delicate lace flows from the leg to the top of the foot, making these super-warm slippers surprisingly girly and flattering.  They’re thick enough to be extra-cozy, but thin enough to leave on when you slip on your clogs and run to the store for some fresh doughnuts.  Worked in wooly DK-weight yarn and larger-than-normal needles, these socks knit up in a snap, so you have time to make a pair for yourself, your mother, your sister and your best friend.

See the pattern details on Ravelry.

Or, get the pattern here for $3: 

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What’s on Your Needles?

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It’s that time again!  Time for me to be a nosey so-and-so, and for you to tell me what you’re working on.

But fair is fair, so here’s what I’ve been working on.  I’m on a bit of a sock kick these days.  I just finished blocking a pair of socks (made with KnitPick’s Stroll in Tree Fort).  I absolutely love the colorway when it is in a ball, but I don’t love how it knit up.  I definitely picked the wrong pattern for variegated yarn.  It’s all weird and pool-y, and the shell texture I knit in isn’t really visible when they’re worn.  Oh well.  At least they’re warm and cozy.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And, yesterday I cast on for a belated birthday gift for my friend Shirley.  She wanted slipper-socks in grey.  Ask and ye shall receive!  These are knitting up thick and super-cozy looking with Patons Classic Wool DK Superwash in Dark Gray Heather on size 5 needles.  It’s weird, knitting socks for someone with little feet at such a big gauge.  My typical socks use 60 stitches, but these only use 40.  I’m flying through!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve shown you mine, so now you show me yours!  What do you have on your needles?  Send me a photo, and I’ll put it up on the blog next week!

Through the Grapevine Socks

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These are socks worth gossiping about!  Their simple structure is offset by two panels of ladylike texture on either side of the leg.  Two grapey cables run between trellises of delicate openwork, making a sock that looks intricate, but is very simple to work up.  A delight to knit, and a pleasure to wear, the grapevine will be talking about these socks for years to come!

The Through the Grapevine Socks are knit on size 2 double-point needles using Knit Picks Stroll yarn (or your favorite brand of sock-weight yarn), in women’s size Small-Medium or Medium-Large.  They are worked from the 1×1 ribbed cuff down to the toe.  The heel is made using standard heel-flap construction, and the toe is created with sets of decreases on either side of the foot and closed up with the Kitchener stitch.  If you have difficulty with sock construction, please see my pattern “Socks by the Numbers” for more information.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAKnit up a pair of Through the Grapevine Socks for yourself.  The pattern is available through my Ravelry store for three dollars:

Always Be Prepared

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I was never a boy scout (because of rather obvious genetic reasons), but I would like to think that I would have been a good one.  After all, I am great with knots, I look damn good in a neckerchief, and I am always prepared.

I’m especially prepared when it comes to my knitting.  I always (always always) have a little stash of emergency knitting.  You never know when it will come in handy,  Maybe you’ve just finished that big sweater you’ve been working on, and you don’t know what to work on next.  Maybe you are halfway through that unending afghan for your cousin Sue’s wedding, and unless you put it down for a little while, you’re going to cut it in half with a pair of kitchen shears out of frustration.  Or maybe you’re stuck inside your parent’s condo, hiding from the stupid cold weather for a week straight after your plane ride home was canceled because of a Polar Vortex freezing the entire contiguous United States (except, for some reason, Seattle).

My emergency knitting project is always socks.  Socks are portable, and require minimal futzing.  No seams to sew, no buttons to mess with, nothing to measure (once you know your sock number).  At home, I have a whole box of sock yarn, ready to be knit up whenever I need a small, useful project.  And, when I travel, I always throw a skein or two of sock yarn into my bag, just in case.

WP_20140108_006(Sorry about the picture quality.  While I was prepared enough to bring extra knitting, I neglected to bring my good camera.  So, you get a photo taken by a potato.)

And lucky I did, too!  I finished the sweater I was working on more than a week before the end of my vacation.  The last few days, I’ve been busy, knitting away on my emergency socks and watching way too much Portlandia with my Mom.   Not a bad way to spend  the Great Snowpocalypse, if I say so myself.

What’s your emergency knitting project?