Monkey Off My Back!

OK, I couldn't resist the totally cheesy title after my last post about unfinished knits. Anyway, one FO down, and a bunch more to go...


Pattern: Monkey Socks from Knitty
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM

I loved knitting these socks! The pattern was so easy to remember and the eleven row repeat just seemed to fly by, which made it feel like things were progressing quickly. I never even got bored--a first for me. I highly recommend this pattern to anyone who hasn't knit it yet.

This shot is closest to the actual color.

Of course, I also loved the yarn. The colors of Koigu are just so pretty. I can see an addiction forming (I picked up a new colorway just last weekend).

My only modification was to knit only four pattern repeats on the cuff, since I was worried about running out of yarn. I ended with just enough yarn leftover that I might have had enough for another repeat, but you never know. Better safe than sorry is my sock knitting motto!


I actually finished these on Sunday--well in time for the end of the month deadline for Sock of the Month. Yeah! It's taken me since then to get some decent pictures. I've taken a crazy amount of photos, most of which turned out quite blurry. There are just not enough sunny hours in the day at this time of year. One more reason to look forward to spring!

Backlog of Knits

One of my knitting goals for 2008 is to complete some of my many UFOs. I've started a few projects in the past year or so which I've completely deserted for whatever reason. These projects are always in the back of my mind when I start something new, but for some reason I never pick them back up.

I'm at the point where I either want to finish these projects or send them to the frog pond. The guilt is getting to me! Here are a few of the oldest listed from least to most guilt-inducing...

All Season Shell

I posted about this one way back in March, and I don't think I've knit a stitch since then. There are a couple reasons for this. First, I'm not sure it's worth spending a lot of time knitting something out of this yarn which I purchased at a going-out-of-business sale (Lion Brand Microspun). Second, I converted the pattern to be knit in the round, and I made a mistake lining up the ribbing. Of course, I didn't take any notes about this! Finally, it's not warm enough to wear sleeveless here. I think this one is a definite candidate for ripping.

Flora from Knitty

It basically just needs a button! This is also knit from kind of a cruddy yarn, but I'm not sure why I never took that extra step and just bought a button. I think I need to check my button box soon!

Hourglass Sweater

This is a project that is hanging a little more heavily over me. I am this close to ripping all this work out. For one thing, my gauge is off. I'm a pretty loose knitter and generally go down at least on needle size. For some reason, I convinced myself I was getting gauge on the suggested needle size. Not quite. I'm pretty sure it would still fit, but it would be a little loose.

I really love all the finished Hourglass sweaters I've seen, but I've noticed a few other projects lately that I think would look nice in this yarn--Smoke, which is actually a cardiganized version of Hourglass, and Sayuri Sweater from Sensual Knits (the last picture on Amazon). I still need to think about this one some more, but I hate to waste this yarn (Noro Cash Iroha) on something I don't really love.

Cambridge Jacket from Interweave Knits

Of all my UFOs, this is the most guilt-inducing one! When I began this sweater for my husband well over a year ago, things were progressing really quickly. I finished the back in practically no time. By the time I got to the front though I lost steam, set it aside and haven't picked it up since.

I actually really love this pattern, so I really need to force myself to restart it. I've occasionally tried to distract Joel with other knits, but he keeps asking about it:) I'm going to start working on this one up soon.

This list does not even include a number of more recent projects (ahem... Forecast, Tree Jacket, Becoming the Bag Lady, Trellis Scarf, Snicket Socks and Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardigan) which haven't seen much action, but I'm not giving up on them yet either. The good news is that many of these projects are nearing completion. Time to start knitting!

Sock of the Month: It's a Monkey!

One of the most enjoyable parts of my recent trip (aside from visiting family and friends, of course!) was all the time I had to knit. There was plane time, car time and even a little downtime at our destinations.

I brought along a few projects, but only worked on one--a new sock. I cast on shortly before takeoff and never wanted to put it down.


This is my first Monkey sock, which I was able to finish before the end of the trip. I had high hopes of getting a good start on the other sock on the plane trip home, but that was not to be (never get sick on a plane!!!).

I have managed to finish about half of the other sock though, and hopefully, by the end of the weekend I will have a pair. I'm hoping to contribute these to the Sock A Month KAL, so that is my motivation to finish.

I joined this group with some reservations, since I have a tendency to get bored and not finishing things until much later. I think I should be OK for the first couple months though. I already have a languishing Snicket, so I should be in good shape for February at least. After that it may be all bulky slipper socks though!

Happy to Be Home!

Our trip to the Midwest was a lot of fun, and I even managed to survive the cold! I'm glad to be home though--this vacation was a major whirlwind of activity. First, we visited our friends in Chicago, which made me a little homesick. After two days there, we headed to Wisconsin to visit family for a few days. This was the most relaxing part of the trip.

From there we ventured to Iowa for my sister's wedding. I managed to find a yarn shop along the way, where I picked up a few skeins of yarn...

Alpaca with a Twist Fino -- so soft!

Louet Gems -- the color is off here

The morning after our arrival, my sister and I traveled to a local spa for Sonoma mud wraps, massages, manicures and pedicures. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It was so relaxing and also lots of fun to hang out with my sister. I'm not really a spa person, but I think I could become one after this!

The next day was the wedding...

My sister's bouquet and dress.

My husband and I pre-wedding.

The ceremony was very nice, although a bit nerve wracking. We spent 1.5 hours rehearsing the night before, but I still don't think anyone really knew what they were supposed to do. It all went very well though--no major mistakes! My favorite part of the evening was dancing at the reception.

It was all over too quickly, and the next day we headed back to Chicago for the night before flying back to San Francisco the next day. I was looking forward to a quiet flight with lots of knitting, but unfortunately, that was not to be!

I woke up the morning of the flight feeling a little queasy, and promptly threw up after my shower. Things just went downhill from there, and I spent the majority of the flight sick in the bathroom. Not a fun way to spend a 4+ hour flight! It was pure misery, and I spent half of last week home sick from work and the other half feeling only slightly better and trying to recover.

Things are finally back to normal though. On the bright side, I did manage to get a little knitting done on my days off from work. I started a new pair of socks over vacation, so I was able to work on that--more to come on the socks soon.

I also have a new FO to show, which was actually completed before we left.


Pattern: Fingerless Mitts, my own pattern
Yarn: Karabella Soft Tweed

After making Le' Slouch, I still had quite a bit of yarn left over, so I decided to make a pair of fingerless mitts. Basically, I cast on 24 stitches on size 10 needles, worked 33 rows in garter stitch and bound off. Then I seamed up the side, leaving a hole for the thumb, and voila... a finished mitt. I completed both in a few hours--a super simple and fun project.

I'm pretty sure that I still have enough yarn to make another pair--the yarn went much farther than I predicted.


Now I'm just looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to and knitting!

Looking Back... and Forward

2007 was a year of big changes for me. Moving from Chicago to San Francisco was definitely the biggest! I started a new job that I actually like--that may be a first for me. I also traveled to a lot of new places. All in all it was a great year.

I also did some knitting...

1. Buttony 2, 2. Le' Slouch, 3. Waterfall Scarf, 4. Birdy Buddy Bag, 5. Basket Weave Rib Socks, 6. Diagonal Rib Socks - Complete!, 7. A Sweater For All Ages 2, 8. Silk Lace Scarf from Stitch and Bitch Calendar, 9. Dashing Complete!, 10. Elfish Toes, 11. Two-tone Ribbed Shrug Back, 12. Yarn Detail, 13. Center Square, 14. Cupcakes, 15. Camisole Tube, 16. Cables in Chamonix--Complete!, 17. Finished Garter Scarf, 18. Sunkist Cardi, 19. Unbiased, 20. My First Socks

I learned to knit when I was in high school, and have picked it up off and on since then. It's only really been in the past couple of years though, that I've really stuck with it. I feel like I've really learned a lot in the past year, which is really exciting to me.

Over the next year, I'd like work on some knits with more complex textures--I'm loving cables right now--and also do some colorwork. I'm also hoping that I find a little more time to spend actually knitting--sometimes I think I spend more time thinking about knitting than actually doing it. That should help reduce my ever-growing stash, too!

Our trip to the Midwest is almost here. We are leaving for Chicago Saturday morning. I'm very excited to be headed back there, as I have been really homesick lately. Joel keeps telling that I won't miss it as much once I feel the cold--we shall see:)

After a couple days in Chicago we are heading to Wisconsin to visit family, and then we are going to Iowa for my sister's wedding. I can't wait to see everyone, and as you can see, I'm going to have a lot of driving/plane time for knitting. Now I just have to decide what projects to bring!

See you in a week!

Happy New Year!

There hasn't been much time for knitting in the past month, but I somehow managed to fit in two more FOs before 2007 ended!


Pattern: Buttony from OhMyStars
Yarn: GGH Savanna

I am so happy this sweater is finished. When I first began this, way back in September, I intended for it to be a quick project that would only take a few weeks to finish. The body flew by, but then I got to the sleeves. By that point, all the stockinette was getting a little dull. So it sat. I finally finished the knitting in early December, but then I was faced with all those buttons!

So I finally got my act together, and I'm very glad I did. It is warm and cozy, albeit a bit Flash Dancey in the neckline. The perfect sweater for just hanging out and relaxing in.

I think it looks cute with a few buttons open, too...


I made a couple small modifications--adding some waist shaping and length to the body, and also working fewer decreases in the sleeves for more of a straight effect. Overall, I'm very happy with it.

Last week I began a quick project in preparation for my upcoming trip to the very snowy Midwest...


Pattern: Le' Slouch by Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic (pattern is on side bar)
Yarn: Karabella Soft Tweed

This was such a quick and fun project. It only took two nights to knit--gotta love that. The yarn is very nice. I think I have enough leftover to make some fingerless mitts, too. We'll see.

Hopefully, this will help to keep me warm on our trip. I'm starting to get very worried about the cold. When I first moved to San Francisco (almost a year ago now) I thought the weather here was very mild. I saw people wearing winter coats, scarves, hats, etc. in May, and I thought they were crazy. Then I adjusted to the weather, and now I'm one of those crazy people!

So I'm not sure I can handle January in the Midwest anymore! I am looking forward to the snow though:)

Happy New Year! I'm wishing everyone has a year filled with lots of joy and peace.