Finished Objects: Baby Leg Warmers

While the baby bug hasn't hit me, it seems to be getting those around me. A friend of mine from work recently had her third daughter and I managed to finish these baby leg warmers for her before the little girl joined her family.

The legwarmers were done in a 2x2 ribbing, just under a foot long so the baby cold grow into them a little bit. There are a few mistakes in these, but overall, they came out well and they look stretchy and cozy. 

I used some of the leftover yarn to make a baby hat, and before I finished I got it into my head to make it like a gnome hat. I'm not sure if I hit the mark, but it is a cute stockinette stitch hat. I do have to weave in the ends, which I'll probably do when I get back from my trip this week. 

I have a little bit of yarn left over from this ball, and I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with it. I could make a pair of baby socks, or I could use it to make a cozy for something (iPod, eReader, phone, etc.). I'll have to think on this.

Stash Busting Like a Boss!

With four days off over Labor Day weekend, I kicked some stash busting knitting butt. A month or so back, I tried to put myself on a fiber diet and said I'd stop buying yarn until I used up some of my stash. Since I wanted to pick up something at the local Alpaca Festival and in October I want to pick up some new sock yarn when J and I pick my mom up from the airport in Kansas City, I decided to go ahead and try to get a few quick projects done to start paring down my current stash.

First, I finished this Diagonal Lace Scarf. It's acrylic, but it's actually soft and fairly pretty.

Second, I finished the socks for my mom using the THUJA pattern on Knitty.com. Because I used a thicker, stiffer wool, they're more like footies, and I've started referring to them as Mom's Warm Woolies.

Third, I finished the latest washcloth from Rachel's Knitting Room. Nicely textured, I'm adding it to my growing stash of knitted washcloths.

Fourth, I revisited my hat making days and turned out this Star Crossed Slouchy Beret using a small bit of stash yarn and the remaining wool from the Warm Woolies. The color combo came out better than I'd expected and this slouchy hat is so adorable.

Fifth and last, I did another hat, this a Chunky Cable  Pattern with some chunky stash yarn. This one is definitely warmer than the beret and maybe more my mom's speed, but I'm going to let her choose from them if she wants a hat at all. I've always hated hats, but these ones kind of make me want to start wearing them. I look silly in hats, but I can almost pull off the beret look. Almost.

My current project is the River Rapids Socks using fingering weight yarn and size 2 needles. I love the pattern and it's just complicated enough to keep me interested but not so complicated I can't still watch something on TV. I figured out something neat, too. When I download a PDF pattern or convert one into PDF from another program, I can load it onto my phone and carry it with me instead of a piece of paper. However, social knitting is going to take something easier I think, so I'm looking at a few wraps and scarves on Ravelry to work on during busy social events.

ALF

Off the Needles: Progress Socks

You may notice in the picture below that these socks don’t actually match. The colors are the same, but one looks like a nice stockinette sock while the other one looks like its mutant counterpart. I’ve named these the Progress Socks because I actually feel like I learned something from one sock to the other.

I really like magic loop sock knitting, but when I first started, I was concentrating more on getting the pattern right than I was in using my common sense. I believe the reverse stockinette in the Mutant started because I did the heel flap in the middle of a round instead of waiting to finish the round like I should have. Whether that really was the case or not, the second sock came out really well and I have no officially knitted my first pair of socks.

Despite the fact that they’re merino wool (mostly) and the weather has been warm, I wore them to work today. They’re soft and comfortable and didn’t match my outfit at all, so probably looked kind of goofy, but it’s not as if I’m the fashion guru of the office anyway.

The verdict on socks: I’ll definitely be making more and already have a new pattern to cast-on for, possibly later tonight.

ALF