Christmas Socks

I pulled off these socks with just hours to spare before the stockings were filled - a new pair of socks for my husband for Christmas.  Seems to be a tradition for me to knit him a pair each holiday.  These are particularly special, as we picked up this yarn when we were on vacation together in Oregon a couple summers ago.  I have since learned that Foothills Yarn and Fiber in Hood River, OR has closed, but this yarn will live on here in Wisconsin!

I did make a small mistake when casting on the first sock and forgot to put on a 1x1 rib at the top of the leg.  Fortunately I caught my mistake early and was able to frog a bit and knit up.  The cast off edge turned into the Italian bind-off and while not a complete match is good enough for my husband.

Drachenfels Shawl

And just in time for the really cold weather, I finished off this shawl.  It is thick, cozy and super functional.  It took a long time to knit up, but I am glad that I stuck it out.  Thanks to Craftsy for a fun kit and lovely yarn!

Longstocking Monkeys

And a cozy new pair of socks for me to welcome the cooler fall Wisconsin weather.

"Exquisite Corpse" socks

My Aunt is an artist in Sudbury, MA.  Her studio is located in the next town over and she often has shows and does other activities with her studio mates.  Last spring break I took my older girls out for a visit with her and her family, and one of the days we had a chance to visit her studio.

While we were there, she showed us a series of sketches she developed with her studio mates based off the game, "exquisite corpse".  They eventually each created an art piece based off their sketches and put on a show - it was amazing to see their pieces in the studio! 

Inspired by the collaboration, chance, and randomness of this game, my girls and I designed and knit up a pair of exquisite corpse socks for my Aunt to wear and enjoy.

I put all my sock leftovers on the couch, covered them with a towel and asked each girl to select three colors/yarns at random.  I kept their choices hid from one another until after their selections were complete too.

These are the six colors, plus unifying calf, heel, and toe gray color.

And these are the resulting socks!

We sent them out to my Aunt with a letter explaining our work and a hope that she'd at least admire them, of not wear them.  They were a huge hit!  I think that we can say objectively that they are not the most attractive socks, but they have a story and meaning.



















In thinking about this project, there are many different directions you could take it - maybe switch up the stitch patterns, but keep the same color throughout, or switch colors and stitch patterns every time.  The possibilities are endless!

WI Quilt Expo

This was my first time at the show and I was amazed.  It was HUGE and overwhelming, but I am so glad that I checked it out (and with my Mom no less!)  I came home with some fun fabrics, a pattern for a sweet zipper pouch and grand plans to sew myself an umbrella!  Stay tuned for that adventure.

Sewing + Beading

This summer I managed to get a bit of time behind the sewing machine.  Currently we are remodeling so everything is mostly packed away, but I had two kits to use and a couple of free days over the summer when I could set up my machine at the dining room table and go to town.

The quilt is Geese on the Prairie by One Canoe Two.  I purchased the kit from Caftsy.  The table runner was a kit (although I did not purchase the online classes) from Craftsy too, this one is True Colors.

Both the table runner and living room quilt are with a quilter at the moment, and I am excitedly awaiting their return to me for finishing.  I am excited to see what Heather of Blue Turtle Quilting will do with these two projects.  Per my request she will quilt and trim the projects.  She will also attach the binding strips (which I made in advance), but I will hand finish them at home.  I also get the joy and excitement of washing and drying them for the final reveal.

I have another kit in the works from Missouri Star Quilts - Merrily Christmas quilt by Gingiber for Moda.  I have many of the pieces cut and a few blocks made, but the rest will likely have to wait until Christmas 2018.  This remodeling project (which we are doing ourselves at this point) will take many more months to complete.

My other summer creative project was the necklace below.  One of my daughters loves pottery and beading and luckily we have the absolutely best pottery and beading studio just down the street from us.  My daughter took a one-week day camp at Fine Earth Studio and Gallery, and I got to come along to play, design, and make for an afternoon.  What a treat.

Hats: Flower + Moose

Somehow Daughter #3 lucked out with two new hats this summer - the first is the Wildflowers Cap.  This was made from a cute kit by Barrett Wool Co. The hat knit up small, but fits my 10yo perfectly. 

The other hat pattern was the Moose Hat by Sisu Designs that I purchased during a quick stop at Sisu Designs Yarn Shop while on vacation in Ely, MN.  What a fantastic store and owner.

The hat fits me quite well, but it was made for my 10yo (she picked it out at the store, along with the yarn and colors), so we'll block it and line it with a bit of polar fleece.  What a great trip memory and project.

(2.5) of (4) French Hens

These adorable french hens are staring to populate our house.  I've completed 2.5 and have them on hold for a bit.  I just might need to give myself until the holidays to finish the last two - wouldn't they make perfect stuffers, though?

Each of my daughters is getting one that is unique, but using the same three colors.  They are just adorable.  Yarn is from my stash; pattern is by Susan B. Anderson, published in Taproot Magazine.

Mind the Gap!

Finished up with just enough time to still wear them a couple times - a pair of fantastically colorful socks.  The pattern is the basic sock (7sts/inch) by Ann Budd.  I knit these a bit on the snug side, just because.

The yarn is a specially dyed, self-striping, fingering weight nylon/wool blend by Trailing Clouds.  It was specially ordered and delivered to me in a matter of days.  Global commerce is incredible.

The colorway is inspired by the 12 colors of the London Underground.  It reminded me of my trip there in January 2009.

Night Creatures

For my birthday my girls gave me some yarn to make these fantastic Night Creatures mittens.  I was inspired by one of the color combinations I saw in ravelry and went for it with a great red accent.

The pattern calls for a knit lining, but I've had pretty good luck with upcycled mittens and decided to make a quick cashmere lining instead.

I made a quick trace of the mittens, machine sewed them to fit my hand, pinked the edges and then hand sewed them in place. 

More Hats...

By my count, I am about three years into about 8 years of helping to sew hats as a fundraiser for our elementary schools.  The fleece selection this winter is exceptionally colorful!

Sweater Ornaments

I decided to challenge myself to make one sweater ornament per week for the next year.  I am considering participating in a small neighborhood maker fair with some friends and this would be the base of what I would offer.  I've got plenty of sock-weight yarn around the house so my supply is well-stocked.  At about 2.5 hours per sweater I am hopeful I will be able to find the time each week.

Purple Kale

 

My Mom got a gift certificate to a local yarn store for the holidays, but she doesn't really knit.  So we made an exchange of sorts and I decided to pick out some yarn she would like and knit her a pair of socks.  The colorway is 'purple kale' and they are knitting up pretty funky so far!