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I’m finally taking the time to blog, fall is finally here, and I finally finished a few projects. (I know I’m behind on Anne for the podcast but I’m hoping to get in some recording time tomorrow.)

Behold, Clapotis:

It’s so beautiful and elegant, I’m not sure when I’ll ever have occasion to wear it! But doesn’t it look pretty with these flowers?

And a reminder, the yarn is La Luz Silk from Fiesta Yarns in Amethyst and the pattern is Clapotis by Kate Gilbert.

I also finished the Anniversary Socks:

I think these are beautiful and elegant too but unlike the Clapotis, I’ll wear them all the time! I think ultimately that is the greatest appeal of knitting socks to me - they are so practical.

The yarn is Regia Silk in Cream and the pattern is Anniversary Socks by Nancy Bush from the book Favorite Socks.

Here is Maia’s mystery sock through clue 2 (although I’m nearly finished with clue 3 and clue 4 should be out any day now but this is what I have a picture of):

I’m still enjoying it very much, in clue 3 the pattern wraps up the back of the leg - very creative!

I got a bunch of great sock yarn from The Loopy Ewe with birthday money and among them are a new yarn called Sockina Cotton which is wonderfully soft and self-patterning:

It’s nice and easy stockinette and the patterning keeps me amused. Also notice I’ve started knitting socks on 2 circular needles and like it very much! Of course there are still times when DPNs are more practical so I won’t be giving up on them by any means.

Well, there are a few other things in the works but the thing that’s taking up all my time is a sweater for my Dad’s birthday (which is Tuesday, 10/2). He decided he wanted a traditional Irish/Aran cable knit but in a deep red color. I happened upon a great old book at the library (and have since purchased a used copy from Amazon) called The Harmony Guide to Aran Knitting. I picked out a few cables and motifs from it that I thought would go well together and I’m quite pleased with it so far! No pics yet of course but hopefully soon.

Well, that’s plenty for now. I’m trying to get back in the habit of blogging more often but I guess when it comes down to it I’d rather be knitting!

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Holy cow, I’m behind in blogging. First off, a new chapter of Anne of Green Gables is available. Click here for Chapter 27: Vanity and Vexation of Spirit.

Now, on with the knitting! Here are Stephen’s birthday socks being modeled:

And here they are with my finished Embossed Leaves socks:

I think they are perfect.

They are even the same size!

I think the Star Toe is so elegant and comfy:

And the yarn is sooo soft.  It’s Panda Cotton in Vanilla Cream.

So, obviously I’m pleased with them. When I finished those I quickly cast on a new pair. These are “Anniversary Socks” by Nancy Bush, the pattern is in Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave. The yarn is Regia Silk in a cream color and it is lovely to work with and really shows off the beautiful stitch patterns.

Here is the beginning of a cuff up close so you can see the beautiful tiny little cables:

Here you can see the front of the sock with its lacy diamonds and cabled ribs and the back is plain stockinette:

The heel flap is the Eye of Partridge pattern and I love it so much more than the usual slip stitch:

I’m also doing a Mystery Sock called “Scherherazade’s Slippers” that Maia is designing and releasing in patterns each week for August. The yarn is Fleece Artist’s Sea Wool in Brick.

This is with Clue 1 complete and I just printed out Clue 2 and I’m excited to start on that!

I love the idea of mystery patterns, it takes a certain leap of faith in the designer. I was disappointed when I found out about the highly popular Mystery Stole 3 after it was too late to join in the fun. So I was thrilled to find out about The Secret of the Stole. Same idea, different designer, and it’s not too late to sign up if you want to join in the fun! I have my yarn and I’ve swatched (pictures coming soon), I just need to get beads. My yarn is KnitPicks Shadow (KnitPicks is my new favorite choice for affordable yarns by the way) in the colorway “Lost Lake Heather.” It is a deep green, not quite mossy, with a touch of blue in it. It is hard to photograph and capture the colors accurately and this is the best I came up with:

Isn’t it lovely? I think so. I made three swatches with three different sized needles and as soon as I block them I’ll post and let you know what needle size I’m using. The first clue goes up on October 5th.

Speaking of October, my dad’s birthday is coming up so I’m going to be making him a sweater. The yarn should be here any day and that’ll probably be about all I work on for the rest of the month (except sock breaks of course) to get it done on time!

And speaking of gift knitting, I’m working on a sweater for Stephen, details coming soon. Also, I made these two Mason-Dixon washcloths for my Aunt Kay and along with a few fancy bath soaps they made a nice birthday gift:

The yarn is Twisted Sisters Daktari. It is really a bit too lightweight for this pattern and the slubby texture also wasn’t right for this design but it was what I had on hand. I love the pattern though, a fun and quick knit.

And speaking of birthdays, mine is tomorrow! It’s also Rosh Hashanah so I’m taking the day off for some good family time. I think that is most of the knitting news. More on Clapotis and Kauni in the next update.

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