Author: Chauntel Ensey

I started the lace fan & feather shawl from Meg Swanson’s A Gathering of Lace.

It’s circular, started from the center out. Laceweight merino wool pot surprise yarn from www.handpaintedyarn.com, 2200 yards. I actually won it from their ebay store about 2 years ago & have tried a number of projects with it. None have been the right project for this yarn. This project is!!

I am using size 5 needles, as suggested in the pattern. Bryspun dpn’s for now, then I will move up to a circular 20″ boye needle probably. Depends on what I have free. The denise needles may be a bit more easily handled with the wool. Boye tend to get so slick with thin wool yarns. The last thing I want is to have stitches come flying off one needle end! Especially once they are packed on there tightly!

This is defenitely not a travel project. This baby is getting it’s own home right next to my chair.

Here are a few short row heels that I like. I prefer a wrapped method but this is a great all around sock pattern. Techguy Socks

This is my favorite short row heel pattern, Pom Squad, & cute, fast socks.

Magknits seems to have some of the better short row heel patterns. Have fun! I am going to cast on for a lace shawl I decided. We’ll see just how far I get on the thing before getting too bored with it ;o)

I finished the green socks last night.

Now onto the next pair. I want to finish the two toe up on two circ’s because the two circ’s method drives me nuts & I would prefer just to be done with them. I think it’s the mix of the two circs, this particular yarn & the fact that I am making them up as I go, no real plan happening.

I thought it was time for something a bit more light & fun on the color scheme. Who knows, I may change my blog color to a different color a week. I like the thought….

I suppose it should be blue for the project spectrum color of the month. But since I am just today finishing the green May socks I am a bit behind. blue, blue, blue. What can I do that is blue? Well the Carla is blue. It’s an mesh sweater pattern so it’s apropos for summer, that may be the next finished project, after the socks, we see!

 This yarn is the only real reason I want a spinning wheel. I know, it’s probably an impossible spin for a beginner but I LOVE IT!

You can find it here to purchase. I am too cheap to pay for it but good Lord how I want it! Lust & coveting all in one.

I really couldn’t control myself when I found theknitter.com with free shipping.

Trekking xxl was calling my name, not only do they have a very good price and free shipping but the color selection is phenomenal!

Color 05 pink & yellow thin stripes

 

 

 

 

Color 107 greens, reds & pinks

 

 

 

 

I also joined their sock club. For $16.95 you get the yarn & pattern for that month. Lately I have enjoyed socks so much that I really think I will enjoy it. Plus that means there will be plenty of sock pairs done for christmas time. Whew, thinkin’ ahead!

I also am whipping right through the green toe up parade socks. Technically the color is daffodil but whatever, I call it green. I am turning the heel. I am thinking I will go until I run out of the ball of yarn. Keeping them simple stockinette until the last 2 inches then decrease & switch to 2×2 rib.

 

I only want to make socks. Don’t ask why, I just do. So simple or so complicated. Just so easy.

Toe up, top down, knee high, anklets, crew, lace, cables, stockinette, fair isle. Take your pick!

The socks for my secret pal are done. I won’t be mailing them off until the beginning of July due to her travel plans but at least they are done & I don’t have to worry about them any longer! They are drying now but here is a picture of them finished.

When I finished them I realized I had yet another pair of unfinished socks. I pulled them out & started working on them.

I do think once I get to the ankle with these socks I will add a pattern of some kind. I am not sure if I will do lace or cables. The color says lace to me but we’ll just have to see!

I am feeling the need to finish some of my unfinished projects that are just lying around. Here’s the list of what’s on needles:

*toe up circ socks above

*tulip socks

*tropicana socks have been frogged for the time being. I just couldn’t get them to fit.

*brown cherries yoke s/s sweater

*pistachio yoke l/s sweater

*multi pattern top Vogue

*Jefferson sweater for George

*Rebecca skirt

*legwarmers

*Carla rowan cotton tape sweater

*Brocade rowan sweater

For now that is all I am coming up with. Sad that the list is that long. I am going to re-order it in order of importance/wearability for the upcoming season. That list doesn’t even include plans of projects, yarns, patterns. sigh. There just isn’t enough time to make it all. Let’s start with some finished projects, yeah?

Tracy & I had another dyeing moment yesterday. She had a plan, we didn’t know how to acheive the goal so we just whinged it! Yeah, it didn’t work out AT ALL! Food coloring isn’t the best to try to make the dye stay in one certain place without spreading all through the pan & coloring it all. 4 colors=muddy mess. I only got a picture of the first color going in the pan, not all 4. By the way, we know we did the technique pretty much all wrong. Back to the way we normally do it!

Now here is the hank after the muddy mess. We thought to just overdye the red with some blue to get some nice purple sections. Right!

And sadly here is the end ball.

I don’t even care that it is out of focus. You see the colors right? That is a first let me tell you! Never have we gotten pastels from these food dyes. So, we’ll see how funky it knits up into socks.

I have a sinus infection. My BAD allergies started up on Thursday & within 2 days they’ve progressed into my most hated bodily reaction. About 3 years ago I had the same problem with allergies & for 8 months I sounded like a man, sneezed & itched constantly, had severe sinus infections one right after the other. Finally my brother in law that is a doctor prescribed me some flonase. Within a week I was fixed! Well once the refills ran out I found my bad allergies didn’t come back. For 2 years I have been fine, until this past week. NOthing changed with the weather, we have never been able to figure out what exactly it is that is causing this particular reaction but if I don’t fix it now it will last all through summer & winter. Springtime is the only time I don’t have allergies living here, go figure!

SO this afternoon may entail a trip to the Urgent Care to get me some meds! Thank God I know what works! My teeth feel like they are going to fall out of my head & my cheeks next to my nose are actually inflamed due to the sinus’ underneath. My ears are crackling & I go partially deaf after I swallow. I had to sleep on my back because if I laid on my side my sinus’ would pool all to one side & the pain is unbelievable! This pain is the third worst pain I have had to bear ( I can’t believe I lived with it for 8 months the last time, shows you how much I don’t feel the need to go to the doctor). First, childbirth 3 times no meds. Second, tattoos. Third, my damn sinus’!! Fourth would be pelvic floor pain but you all don’t really need to know that. ;o)

 

I decided to make my sp some socks with some leftover sock yarn from Over the Rainbow Yarns. Who knew that one hank of Twinkletoes would get me 2 pair of women’s socks? That is a sweet deal if I have ever had one!

The ankle needs to be blocked but overall I am very pleased with this simple sock. Now onto the second one! I cast on last night & got about 10 rows of the ankle done. I love anklets, they go so fast!

Now I want to get some MamaE sock yarn (partially because she is my sp8 hostess, partially because she left me a rockin’ comment on my funky tulip socks and partially because I want to figure out how she dyes her yarns so damn beautifully!) but I must finish at least the 3 pair of socks I have going now before I add to my ridiculously large sock yarn stash. I don’t know how it happened that it got so big! It’s a good thing then that I am making so many socks! I just love them so.

I went through my needle stash & found 2 size 2 circ’s so now I have a free pair of needles that NEED to have some toe up socks on them. That will happen once I finish one of the pairs that I have going. I have a ball of trekking xxl in color 100 that is just yelling at me from it’s bin. Eagles flight was a great sock pattern for the trekking but I am thinking that I will use something more angular/modular. Once I find the stitch pattern I will let you all know. Just thinkin’ out loud!