From Hooks to Needles Part 2

So, I have slipped (or slipp-ered) to the dark side. I finally finished the mate to my sock.

I love knitting socks! The double point needles were tricky at first, but I got the hang of it. Turning the heel was kind of touch and go. Like the first sock, the mate required lots of frogging and multiple starts. I finished around midnight last night and am so thrilled that I have a complete pair.

I also have to admit that the one pair of crocheted socks I made was not anywhere near as comfortable to wear. It was kind of like walking on coarse grain sandpaper. The knitted ones felt just like store bought socks only softer. I'm going to look into comfortable crochet patterns though. Crochet is faster for me than knitting and the knitting just isn't as relaxing as crocheting and I must say that I would far rather work with 1 hook where I can frog just to my mistake rather than 4 needles where I have to frog the whole thing when I mess up :)

From Hooks to Needles

I decided to try my hand at sock knitting. I haven't been able to do anything with a crochet hook lately. I pick up some yarn and a hook and blah! I stitch, I frog. I stitch, I frog. So I decided to try out the sock yarn that I've been looking at for the last couple of months.

I found some purple (my favorite!) self-striping sock yarn that I liked a couple of months ago for my birthday and even bought a book called Learn to Knit Socks by Edie Eckman. It has a very basic ankle sock that I thought would be perfect for my first attempt. So last weekend I sat down with my needles--yes, double point needles-- and got started. It took me three evenings to do it, but last night I completed my first sock!

I should have made it about an inch longer and I think I should have reversed the decreases since I'm working left-handed, but overall I am tickled! I started the mate to it this morning and am getting ready to work on it some more. I hope to have it done by Monday!

I would like to dedicate this pair of socks to my Great-Aunt Jane. Who I grew up hearing stories about the tick, tick, tick of her needles to outfit her babies with plenty of warm winter wear :D I hope to learn some of the finer points of knitting from her.

2010 Winding Down

Well, this year is almost over. My Christmas shopping isn't done, but is planned. I know what I'm getting, when and where. I can move on to the whole resolution making part of the December doings.

My first resolution is to post more often here. I stumble upon it occassionally and realize that it's been 4 months or more since my last post. I have more than that going on usually. Of course that's also one of the reasons I don't post more often. So, anyhoo. I'm going to start blogging more often.

My second resolution is to find some way of getting into healthier habits. I never learned to ride a bike, but I know how to roller skate, love to dance and I have a great neighborhood to walk in. Surely I'll be able to work in something even in the winter! Maybe I'll be able to actually do something besides hand out cups of water at the Thin Mint Sprint in March.

I generally don't like resolutions, but I think that if I look at it as goal-setting instead of resolution making, it won't be so bad :)

New Project. Finally!

Whew! School is done. I finished my final course needed for my associates degree in accounting. It's been way too much homework and way not enough stitching!

I'll have to admit though. I was stuck. Every time I picked up a hook and yarn to do a few stitches, I would sit with it in my hands, start a chain or a chainless row of some sort and wind up pulling it all out again and winding the yarn back up. I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I would feel better initially because of the stitching. On the other hand I would be depressed because I didn't have anything accomplished. I'm a project-oriented kind of gal and the lack of progress on a concrete item would really get me down.

The last few weeks, however I've been working on a project that has a purpose. For our annual adult volunteer training weekend for Girl Scouts we have an auction during that weekend that raises money for financial aid for new leaders who need it to take trainings and such. Well, I had planned on putting together something to donate to that auction in addition to the bath set I had already planned on. It's a kid's wilderness kit: backpack, bottle holder (both crocheted) with things in the backpack like handwarmers, a space blanket, a bandana, etc. I also have 2 more bottle holders that will be offered as a pair separately from the wilderness kit. The designing of the backpack seemed to break through the block I had.

I now have a Red Heart Bikini backpack and a Red Heart Pumpkin bottle holder. I had all this orange left over since it doesn't take that much to make the bottle holder, and I was wondering what to do with the rest of it. Well, lo and behold I came across the pattern I had gotten last year from Herrschners for an afghan called "Candy Corn". It's a Halloween-themed afghan and I had planned to make it last year but didn't have the time with school and all. So now I have yet another project going and all is well.

I hope to have the orange squares done in a couple of days and the designs on at least some of them so I can get some pictures taken and posted.

Returning to Crochet

It always amazes me how long it's been since my last post. I have got to be better about that.

I did actually get those soda tab necklaces done! I got the last one done 2 days before I needed them :) They were a huge hit I am proud to announce. I have committee members this year that tell me they still have theirs. That makes me happy. I think the proudest I am of those little things is the trefoil I designed for them. I'll post a picture soon (I hope). I still have a huge baggie full of can tabs (I don't think they all came from soda) that were donated to me by a fellow committee member -- thanks Julie! I saw a purse online using soda tabs that made circles used as the sides of the bag. I tried to duplicate it, but I didn't write anything down and wound up with 2 very different looking circles. I plan on trying again with a notebook handy so I don't make that same mistake.

My current project is to make something do donate to the Trainfest fundraising auction. They hold an auction every year to raise money for the adult learning scholarship fund. Anyway, I've seen an earmuff-type project that I could use my trefoil design for. I am going to do some bottle holders I designed last summer and I'm thinking about doing a day hike kit which would be a crocheted daypack, swap sash, bandana, etc. I haven't decided if I'll do one kit with how to put one together with patterns and all or if I'll do a set of 5 or 6 kits to be put to use immediately by a troop. Oo-oo-oo, maybe I'll do a pillowghan-type arrangement so if a girl (or grown-up for that matter) gets lost, she'll have a way to help stay warm. I'll have to think about it some more.