Emptyknitster

This year Stash Dash was extended to the end of the Olympics, and although the closing ceremony will be this evening it is time to declare myself. I'd thought with the "Never Ending Blanket of Doom" I was a sure winner of the 10k. However, that pain in the neck only netted me 6,800 meters. With other items completed this summer I was able to cross the finishline this afternoon with a 9,354 meter or 9.35K and am now a self declared winner of the 7K! When I finished the Down The Rabbit Hole Blanket I knew it would be a LONG TIME before I made another… but I still had bits and pieces of beautiful yarn on hand. I loved doing Pure Joy and needed a little joy after the never ending nightmare…..So out came the leftover hand dyed yarn the family have been dying every time they visit and I started this scarf/shawl. LOVE the results! Pattern: Pure Joy Yarn: Leftovers, Knit Picks Bare Fingering Colorway: Indie Dyed Greens and Blues, Off white Amount: 2 skeins Needles:...

I almost can't believe it..... The Down The Rabbit Hole Blanket is complete!!!   This blanket weighed 1,700 grams and there are 400 meters of yarn is each 100 grams so I knit 6,800 meters of yarn which is 6.8 kilometers. (Think I've aced the 5k Stash Dash!) I started this blanket three years ago and have been working on it ever since. It took approximately 4,230 hours to knit the 721 squares (Not counting weaving in ends or knitting the i-cord) at $10 per hour this is a $42,300 blanket. Am I crazy to be thinking about starting another? Hmmm, I still have leftover scrap yarn...

Another pair of socks... Pattern: Basic Ribbed Socks by Kate Atherley Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Tweed Colorway: Marine Heather Needle size: Us Size 1

I'm still knitting but it's been quite a long time since I've posted my completed projects. I continue to knit socks. Frankly, I'm not sure I'll ever get tired of knitting them. Small and colorful!   Pattern: Pure Joy Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Hand Painted and Knit Picks Stroll Tonal Colorway: Thunderhead Tonal and Thunderhead Needle Size: Us Size 6 Even though I had more yarn than called for in the main color, I ran out but it wasn't heard to adjust. This was a fun and quick knit. Daughter liked it and I think she'll wear it off and on. Pattern: Petty Harbor by Rayna Curtis Yarn: Patons Kroy Docks FX Colorway: Clover Colors Needle Size: Us Size 1 Pattern: Rose City Rollers, incorporating Petty Harbor by Rayna Curtis Pattern: Rose City Rollers, incorporating Petunia Dursley's Double Eyelet Pattern Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Stroll Fingering Sock Colorway: Easter Egg Dyed By Sadie Needle Size: US Size 1  Pattern: Blueberry Waffl...

I finished the third and fourth pairs of the April Fools' Socks. They continue to be a fun knit and are quickly completed because you think you'll knit to "the next color" but like potato chips you just can't stop with one! Pattern: Vanilla Socks with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Oh My Everything 80-20 in sock yarn Colorway: Just Take A Look! Needle Size: US Size 1

About a month ago I bought a stash of yarn from Knit Picks for a screaming deal. When choosing sock yarn you can buy it just because you love the color or colorway name - it's only one skein - and that's exactly what I did.  I chose all the yarn because of it's splash of color or splashy name. Just out of production is the first pair of socks "Hollywood" and like a Hollywood production, "stay tuned" there are some more beautiful socks just waiting for their premiere. Pattern: Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted, and Cascade Heritage Sock Colorway: Hollywood, and Black Needle Size: US Size 1 (5" double points!)

Although I have a pair of "traditional" socks on double pointed needles, (Yes, I'm giving those tiny chopsticks a try) my traveling purse socks continue to be the Frankensocks. I finished a pair while in North Dakota and even started a third pair! Pattern: Vanilla Socks with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Oh My, Everything Colorway: Just take a look Needle Size: US Size 1

At Christmas I knit The NorDak Purl Gurl a scarf. She loved it and said she's like more so I knit her a cowl for her birthday. I've had this Crazy Zauberball for quite a while, in fact, earlier I'd knit it into a Hitchhiker which I later frogged. It's a bright red and purple non repeating colorway but in this pattern, I think it's great. Pattern: Father Time Cowl by Steven Fergert Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball Colorway: Indischrosa Needle Size: US Size 6

The blanket continues to be coming along quite nicely. This month I knit 47 squares for a total of 684.  I've added the final big black square on the right hand side and am slowly making my way across the top of the blanket. I didn't complete all the i-chord on the top edge but can quickly be knit next month when there is more i-chord to knit.  I'm not sure how many squares are left to do - my estimate is 30.  I will still have about four gallon sacks of sock yarn remnants leftover from this project so I'm very glad I discovered the "Frankensocks" pattern.

Recently, while watching a podcast the hosts began talking about "Frankensocks". These are socks made of leftover sock yarn with no regard for color! Sue, the podcaster, said she loved the socks BUT working in all the ends was for the birds. Silently, I agreed. Then, about a week ago, it came to me... Russian Joins!! I joined the bits and pieces of sock yarn - all 80% wool and 20% nylon - with a Russian join to form a ball. Making the ball before I started allowed me to knit without interruption. (As I knit the sock if I thought one yarn color section was to long, I ‘d cut part of the length of yarn and join it to the next color. But don’t throw it out! Start another ball with the short length!) What a fun knit, I am sending them to my sock loving brother to wear on April Fool’s Day and I know he’ll get a chuckle out of them.  Pattern: Vanilla Socks with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Oh My, Everything! Colorway: Just take a look Needle Size: US Size 1 I pref...

While we were all on vacation The Tiger confided that his “Lucky Socks” were to small and he couldn’t wear them anymore. I just HAD to get another pair on the needles and completed because these socks help him succeed each and every Spelling Test Day! The socks were completed on Saint Patrick's Day - they just have to be dusted with a bit of Irish Luck don't they? Just sayin’ a Gramma’s gotta do what a Gramma’s gotta do!  Pattern: Basic Ribbed Socks with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Patons North America Kroy Socks Stripes, Cascade Yarns Heritage Solid Colorway: Eclipse Stripes, and Turquoise toe, heel and cuff Needle Size: US Size 1 (I knit these, as always, toe up. Cast on 30 stitches total - 15 on each side and then increased every other row until there were 27 stitches on each needle for a total of 54.)

While we were in Hawaii I managed to knit five pairs of socks on the beach. - Ahhh, YES "Socks by the Ocean." Kate's birthday socks 2016 Pattern: Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Stroll Fingering Sock, Schachenmayr Fluormania Color Colorway: Hand dyed by me - Apple Green, Neon Flower Needle Size: US Size 1 Sarah's birthday socks 2016 Pattern: Blueberry Waffle Socks Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Stroll Fingering Sock, Schachenmayr Fluormania Color Colorway: Neon Beach Color Needle Size: US Size 1 not sure who will be gifted these Pattern: Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Stroll Fingering Sock, Schachenmayr Fluormania Color Colorway: Hand dyed by me - Apple Green, Neon Rainbow Needle Size: US Size 1 Steve's birthday socks 2016 Pattern: Vanilla Latte with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock, and Paton's Kroy Socks Stripe Colorway: Burgandy and Eclipse stripes Needle Size: US Siz...

I've continued to work on the "Never-ending Blanket of Doom" meeting my New Year's Resolution for two months now! February was a busy month (more on that another post) but I was able to knit  51 squares for a total of 649 squares!! All ends are worked in and surprisingly there was no I-chord to be knit around edges. I had planned a total of ten black squares and so the square one the left row is the final one. There is just one square above it - THE TOP OF THE BLANKET IS NOW IN COMPLETION MODE!! My plan is to finish the estimated twenty squares on the left top edge during the month of May and then attack the last black square on the right side row. Since the beginning of this endeavor I've been able to take the square knitting time down from 45 minutes a square to 25 minutes a square, great news but it's made it difficult to estimate the total hours put into this project. If I average the time to say 35 minutes a square I've put in approximately 380...

These socks were knit for The Chick's birthday. They are bright socks that were easy to match and make into identical pairs. I'm hoping they will wear well. Pattern: Vanilla Socks with a Fishlips Kiss Heel Yarn: Schachenmayr Regia Fluormania, Bare Stroll hand dyed Color way: Neon Flower, and Apple Green Needle Size: US Size 1 I've since knit three more pairs of socks out of this Fluomania yarn and heard the bright colors bleed. I treated the other sock to a citric acid bath. (1 teaspoon and 4 cups water, soak 30 minutes) I just hope The Chick didn't have any trouble...Oh my!

Today is February 1st so I thought I'd do an update on the Neverending Blanket of Doom (AKA: Down the Rabbit Hole Sock Yarn Blanket... Cozy Memories Blanket) January was a stellar month for the blanket. One hundred mitered squares knit (a current total of 588), all ends worked in and the i-chord knit as far as possible. I worked up and around one side until I could complete the ninth of the ten black big squares - worth four regular squares. This black square will only have one mitered square above it when the blanket is complete. the end is getting closer! There is a down side to this great progress however... only one pair of socks, a right footed half sock and a hat were completed this month. February will not be as productive for the Neverending Blanket of Doom. It's going to be a rather busy month and my hope is to just stick to the original one square a day or 29 squares this month.

I'm always on the lookout for yarn suitable for the male foot and hope this new Patons Kroy yarn isn't to "out there" for the men in this family! The body of the socks are identical matches. I used the other end of each of the skeins to do the heels. You will notice that neither one matches the other but I'm alright with that. Pattern: Vanilla socks with Fishlips Kiss Heel Yarn: Patons Kroy Jacquard Colorway: Route 66 Needle size: US Size 1

In the beginning of November I knit a pair of socks - I thought.... No lie, as I was working in the last loose end of the socks I looked down and saw not a pair of socks BUT two left feet! I was so angry at myself I swore off socks - for a few weeks... But now, the California Dreamin' Son-In-Law is soon to have a birthday and he does love his handknit socks - so I pulled out matching yarn to the original pair of left footed socks and knit the right, right sock.  Now, I have an odd left sock but plan on buying some matching yarn in the near future and then strangely, I think I'll be ahead somehow....

I have plenty of sock stash but can never seem to turn down a sock yarn sale. Cascade is a favorite yarn brand of mine but I'd never tried their striped yarn before. So, when it went on sale I bought yarn for three pairs of socks. The stripes are very busy and I live by the saying "You can have pattern (print), or you can have texture (cables) but you can't have both",  I knit a very vanilla pair of socks. They turned out great and were a quick knit. Pattern: Vanilla Socks, with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Prints Colorway: Phoenix Needle size:US Size 1

I'm not much for New Year's Resolutions. I seem to follow my bliss not only in life but my knitting as well. This year, however, I vow to complete my Down the Rabbit Hole Sock Blanket. This blanket is really catching on in the knitting world, probably for the same reason I started it - the blanket uses up all your leftover bits and bobs of sock yarn. Many podcasters are lovingly calling the very same blanket their "cozy memories blanket." However, as I look at their completed blankets, they seem quite small and some are even changing their minds about three months into the project and making pillows. My saga began almost three years ago and can't be over soon enough to suit me. The family has been watching this blanket steadily grow and have offered much encouragement over the years. During this holiday I told the daughters 2016 was the year it would be completed AND I was going to use the blanket to cross the finishline for the 10K Stash Dash! The girls we...

I’m a little disappointed in this yarn. I KNOW, I KNOW…. the industry standard states a knot of two in the skein is acceptable but these socks needed to be tall. About two thirds of the way through the first sock there was a knot then in the next color stripe a major flaw - solid turquoise instead of flecks. I cut the yarn and finished a perfect sock. But then at the same spot on the second sock I realized there wasn’t enough yarn. Thankfully I had saved the reject yarn and The Chick was there to give input saying she wanted the length over the perfection. So, two slightly mismatched socks were the result. bought several of this type of yarn in different colors, I hope I don’t run into this problem again! Pattern: Vanilla Bean Striped Socks Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Prints Colorway: 12 Spring Bouquet Amount: 1 skein Needle Size: Us Size 1