Languidly Knitting

Socktober’s not over for another 45 minutes according to my clock (Central Daylight Time). I’m sliding in under the wire here…

Scrunched Monkeys! It’s very ’80s, I think.

This is how the sock starts off when I put it on.

I actually finished these about two weeks ago, but put them through the wash before pictures because I wore them for nearly two days. Love these socks!

Monkey by Cookie A
Source: Knitty
Yarn: Zen String Serendipity Fingering in “Reflection” (September 2007 Sock Club color)
Needles: KnitPicks 32″ 2.25mm (US 1) circular
Notes/Thoughts: I love, love, love them. The color is not one I would normally have picked for myself (like cotton candy, according to Devon), but that’s what a sock club is for. The yarn itself is fantastic: beautifully soft, yet sturdy.

Oh, and I said I was going to give these to my boyfriend’s mom? I changed my mind. Hee, hee. It turns out she doesn’t like all pastels (only certain peaches and yellows), so they’re mine, all mine! I’ll churn out a different pair for her in December, with more appropriate colors.

Ingredients: $3 fitted sheet from Wal-Mart, mattress we haven’t yet had hauled away, a plastic bin, towels, 2-24″ wires, 100 T-pins, Eucalan, warm water, and an knitted lace shawl

The rest speaks for itself, pretty much.

Excuse me while I dry (excuse the flash, too).

Icarus, in its finished glory.

Details, details.

The funny thing is that I probably could’ve gotten away without blocking it, since this is how I wear it:

Head cropped out because I look like I have a double chin in pictures…ugh.

Here are the stats, if you’d like to know–
Icarus by Miriam Felton
Source: Interweave Knits Summer 2006 or The Best of Interweave Knits
Yarn: Lane Borgosesia Baruffa Cashwool in medium gray #41142
Needles: KnitPicks 32″ circular 3.0mm (US 2.5)
Notes/Thoughts: I knit it on slightly smaller needles and made it smaller than called for in the pattern. It is quite clear in telling you how to do so, should you wish to. Mim rocks! I’d knit another of her patterns anytime.

It’s a lovely pattern, and perfect for the weather right now–it’s not cold enough to bust out the heavy duty stuff.

Here’s the actual start of my Christmas knitting: (The Monkey socks are staying in my possession, but more on that in a different post.)

One half done.

I’ve noticed that I tend to knit things in pairs. No hats or normal scarves for me. Instead it’s two socks, two fingerless mittens…two halves of a scarf. This is the Backyard Leaves Scarf from Scarf Style. It’s the perfect color for my dad’s girlfriend (found after much searching). Unfortunately my brother said, discouragingly, “She’ll like it, but she’ll never use it.” Meh.

I have a couple more FOs to post in the next couple of days, and after that, it’ll be down to business: I’m doing NaKniSweMo. If I survive that, I plan to knit two pairs of socks and a neckwarmer as Christmas gifts. Oh, and no more yarn until 2008, even if it’s on super sale. So, those are my knitting plans for the rest of the year. Anybody else have high aspirations for the next two months?

It’s Socktober. Got socks?

Monkey number two.

I haven’t been too active online, lately. But I’ve definitely been knitting. This pair of socks is my official kick-off to Christmas 2007 gifts.  How is your Socktober and/or Christmas knitting going?

It took me far too long to finish these, but finished they finally are:

Just in time for fall.

River Rapids Socks by Sock Bug
Source: Sock Bug site (check the right sidebar)
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in #27 “Black Purl”
Needles: Knit Picks 32″ circular 2.0mm (US 0)
Notes/Thoughts: The pattern was easy enough. The yarn was pleasant enough (and didn’t pool too horribly). All in all, these were good enough, they just didn’t blow me away (which is why I took a month and a half to complete them). It might just be that the yarn stripes work towards obscuring the pattern, thereby canceling out my extra work in executing it. But hey, another pair of socks for winter!

Yeah, pooling…