WIP Wednesday - 6/21/2017

Driving through the rain with True Colors playing on the radio, I snapped this picture of one of the two WIPs I'm concentrating on this week:

The yarn is Lake Dillon on BMFA Socks That Rock Lightweight. Lake Dillon is an exclusive colorway that Tina dyed for TLE last summer. The picture is not a good representation of the colors in this yarn, which is a shame, because it really is a beautiful colorway. It really reminds me of a Colorado mountain lake in the middle of summer. 

In case you are wondering...the current WIP count is eight, but shh! Don't tell. Four of them are longtime WIPs that I really need to finish or frog. I won't think about that today.

MK out.

Party in My Mailbox!

A few weeks ago, I ordered some yarn that was dyed in honor of Kevin the Skank, The Yarn Hoarder's dog, who was ill. Kevin has sadly passed since, but I'm happy to have this reminder of him. The yarn came this week.

Dyer: KarrieLynn at The Freckled Whimsy on etsy.
Yarn Info: The stripey is called Just Kevin and the green skein is called Kevin's Favorite. Both are on her Brawny base which is 75% SW Blue Faced Leicester/20% Nylon.

Yum! 

I am thinking I will make a pair of socks...likely for me, because I'm the only one who actually wears handknitted socks around here. I just finished a pair of socks for The Kid this last week (which you will be seeing on Friday) and The Husb remarked that he'd love a pair in the same colorway. Have either of them worn the pairs of socks I've made for them in the past? Nope. I will probably make The Husb another pair, but Dang! Wear your handknit socks People!

Today is Father's Day. I hope you are having a good one.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 5/22/2017

(Tap-tap-tap) Hello? Anybody out there? I've been watching movies, but I haven't been talking about them.

In Mother's Day, four women come to terms with their relationships with their mothers. Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson and Jason Sudeikis star in this movie. It was alright.

Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) joins the fight for women's voting rights in Suffragette. The film is set in England  in 1912. Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep and Natalie Press also star. It was alright.

It's Christmas Eve. Susan Sarrandon, Penelope Cruz, Paul Walker, Alan Arkin, Marcus Thomas and Robin Williams are a group of strangers who are interconnected in Noel. It was good.

Free held is based on a true story about Ocean County, New Jersey police woman Laurel Hester who was diagnosed with end-stage cancer. She fights to have her pension benefits transferred to her same sex domestic partner. Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Steve Carell, Luke Grimes and Michael Shannon star in this film. It's pretty good. 

In Calvary, a troubled man informs his priest in the confessional that he will kill the priest in one week. The film chronicles what transpires from that point on. Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd and Kelly Reilly also star. It was very good.

That's all for now.

MK out.

FO Friday - 5/5/2017

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Pattern: Gramps by Tin Can Knits.
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Gray and Really Red. 
Comments: I think this pattern is so cute and so well written. It was worth the dollars. I decided to leave off the pockets and the elbow patches because I think the pups should take center stage. This project fulfills the button/buttonhole assignment for Loopy Academy.

I love the buttons.

And the grumpy grandpa-ish shawl collar is pretty cute too.

Pattern:  Basic Norwegian Star Hat by Cara Jo Miller
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Army Green and Daffodil
Comments: Yes, this hat is huge! I rolled the ribbing over twice!

There's a 250-yd minimum requirement for Loopy Academy projects; so, I knitted 40 rows of ribbing at the beginning. It did the trick - I used up plenty of yarn!

I don't think I did too bad of a job with the fair isle.

MK out.

FO Friday - 4/28/2017

Sorry for the crappy photo, but it's night and the lighting is poor and if I didn't post today, it be a whole week again before I could show you.

Pattern: Geek Socks I also used the Fish Lips Kiss Heel again.
Yarn: Tumbleweed Yarn Aurora Fingering Weight in BOI (stripey) and Beach (mini)
Comments: I love this colorway. The name refers to what people born on the G are called - we are BOIs (Born On the Island). I may have mentioned it before when I purchased the yarn last year. Regardless, I had to have a skein. 

I like this pattern and may use it again. Next time, I may cast on a few more stitches. OR, I guess I could have worked them inside out as I have done on a pair of socks in the past. The floats tighten the sock up a bit and it's a little hard to put them on. I did not work the slip stitch rows on the sole, but some people do. I like it both ways.

I would've had another FO to show you, but Wednesday, I decided I didn't like how splitting the olive stripe looked and I frogged them back to the teal stripe before starting the heel. I worked like mad to finish them today.

I probably should have ripped out the teal stripe and continued with the mini next to the Beach stripe, but it doesn't look too bad as it is now. 

I was working on them earlier today and snapped a pic in natural light.

The colors look closer to the actual in the shot.

So....until next week.

MK out.

FO Friday - 4/21/2017

I had hoped to have an additional something to show y'all, but I'm still doing a little finish work on it. Hopefully, the two things I have to show will suffice for now.

Pattern:  Plain vanillas with contrasting cuffs, heels and toes; Fish Lips Kiss Heel
Yarn: Must Stash Yarn & Fiber Ritz Sock in the Dark Side of the Moon color-way and Must Stash Yarn & Fiber Mondo Mini
Comments: I only used half of the 435-yd skein of this lovely yarn to make these socks. I may make another pair! 

I forgot that I never showed the box bags I made. I finished this one before I made the others and realized that I wasn't going to be able to complete all the assignments for Loopy Academy last fall.

Recently, I made two more.

Pattern: I used this tutorial.

Fabric:  Two fabrics from the Riley Blake Fancy Free collection.

That's this week's offerings. I should have one or two things next time.

MK out.

FO Friday - 4/7/2017

Well, here's a couple of things off the needles...

Pattern: I improvised this design.
Yarn: Cascade Heritage Sock in Christmas Red
Comments: I made these socks for someone who won the prize...the prize being I would make one pair of ladies socks for the highest bidder in a silent auction at church. They are a little big for my sock blockers because they aren't my size.

Pattern: The Lost Diadem by Heidi Nick
Yarn: Nerd String Merino Nylon Fingering in Airy
Comments: I love this pattern, even though it is kind of slow going. I did not use the lace pattern on the back, as you might remember from a previous post. The yarn is a little splitty, but not enough to stand in my way. This project is the bead assignment for Loopy Academy and Loopy Monthly Mixer for March (Knit something that reminds you of where you would like to spend Spring  Break).

There's two more pairs for my #boxosox and a couple of sock KALs around the net.

MK out.