Winning Wednesday

I'm joining in Ginny's Yarn Along this week.

So far, the socks that I've been knitting have been very basic, made-up in my head and transferred to my needles.  After all, what does a sock consist of besides a toe, a foot/sole, a heel, and a leg?

During Snow Storm Nemo over the weekend, I wanted a pair of thick slipper socks. As any able knitter would do, I picked up my US6 DPNs, dove for some worsted weight yarn, and casted on. Toe-up is definitely my favorite technique as once the toe is increased and done, I don't have to think about running out of yarn or seaming.
 

 

But I also want to expand my sock knitting skills and that's where the heel can teach me a thing or two.  I've heard so much about Cat Bordhi's sweet tomato heel that I just had to try it, and oh boy, am I glad I did. I love when knitting feels like magic ... which, for me, is most of the time.

 

I finished both socks in time to wear them while being snowed in.  I'm telling you, one of the beauties of knitting is you can actually want (or even need) something and with a bit of effort, make it yourself! So, what am I reading?  I've mentioned before that I'm not a writer but I've always been fascinated by how an artist goes about her craft.  I'm reading Object Lessons: The Paris Review which is a collection of short stories previously published in the PR and introduced by other writers describing the art behind the writing. Like knitting, I'm as interested in the process as much as the product.

And now I'm happy to announce the winner of last week's Winning Wednesday giveaway:

Congratulations Ivy (aka pumpkin)!

I'm sad to say that I've been having a little difficulty with my local post offices (don't get me started), so need a little time to think about how else I can sponsor giveaways.  I'll be coming up with a new strategy by next Winning Wednesday, I'm sure!



Winning Wednesday

I'm joining in Ginny's Yarn Along this week.

I'm revisiting a project that I started in early November as part of my Jump for Fall challenge to knit sweaters for the cold months.  My Iced Coffee cardigan was also my NaNoSweaMo challenge but ah hem, November flew by without anyone warning me.

Cascade Yarn Ecological Wool

I finished this lovely cardigan a while ago but kept forgetting to photograph it so on our recent snowy Saturday, Miranda braved the cold and helped me shoot a few poses.

What I especially love about my Iced Coffee cardigan is its simplicity.  You really can't get any simpler than top-down, raglan shaping, stockinette body, shawl collar, garter stitch trim.  

The bulky yarn on US11 circulars meant that the cardigan practically knit itself and when I soaked and gently blocked it, the fiber softened and bloomed.  My only regret (and it's a minor one) is that I didn't knit the shawl collar as deep as I should have.  Choosing not to add the double-breasted detail with buttons, I wanted to keep the lines simple and decided to knit this as an open-front sweater but when I knit this again (and I will), I'm going to make the front much, much wider.

As for reading, I'm afraid I've not been keeping up this week.  Blame it on my busy days, blame it on my tiredness ... oh heck, blame it on my sock bug KAL!

And now, I'm happy to announce the winner of last week's Winning Wednesday giveaway:

Congratulations Kim!

This week I want to giveaway something a little luxurious.  It's a small skein at only 109 yards but, friends, it's a blend of alpaca and silk.  I think this little beauty can be knit up into something sweet. Ideas?  To win, leave a comment with a patten idea.  Good luck!

Deer Valley, DK weight

Winning Wednesday

I'm joining in Ginny's Yarn Along this week.

I spent part of last weekend working on my Derry Raglan pullover and am excited to say that I only have two inches left to knit on the second sleeve!  Once that's done, I'll pick up along the neckline and finish the collar.  This has been a terrific project, and I'm looking forward to having a new sweater to show off next week.

In the meantime, I've been steadily adding hexipuffs to my Skyfall quilt.  I'm now up to eight hexipuffs (that's roughly two per week), but I'd like to try and knit a few more within a month to reach that final goal.   

I'm nearing the end of Salvage the Bones and am a bit in awe of how the book is constructed.  Told over the course of 12 days, this story of four brothers and one sister in the days just prior to Hurricane Katrina is full of tough moments and tender love.

And now, I'm happy to announce the winner of last week's Winning Wednesday giveaway:

Zoey!

This week, I'm giving away two balls of Crystal Palace Biwa yarn, one in cream and one in dusty rose.  Each is 88 yards of dk mercerized pearl cotton, perfect for dish/wash cloths.  To win, let me know what is your favorite dish/washcloth pattern.  Good luck!

Winning Wednesdays

I'm joining in Ginny's Yarn Along this week.

I've been a bad knitter.  More than six months ago, I vowed to knit Mark a pair of anniversary socks, but it's now January 2013 and I've only just cast on. He's been so patient, nudging and questioning me ever so slightly, about when those socks will be finished (or even begun for that matter!).  Yesterday, I decided to redeem myself and be a good knitter. I picked up my US4 DPNs and some gorgeous sock yarn that I won from the dynamic Gerry and cast on a pair of toe-up vanilla socks although I'm calling these Burnt Sugar because the colorway reminds me of ... burnt sugar.  

Fiesta Yarns Baby Boom 100% Merino

In the same way that I love knitting top-down sweaters, my preferred sock method is toe-up, and as the variegated yarn is doing all the work, I'm not even following a pattern.  Yup, that's right ... I'm just making these socks up as I knit along. It's been a long while since I knit a proper pair of socks (no, the yoga socks don't count), and I'm enjoying myself so much that I'm already thinking about which sock pattern I'll cast on next.

As for my reading, I started Jesmyn Ward's 2011 National Book Award winning Salvage the Bones. It's been a busy week so I'm only a few pages in ... more to report next week!

And now, I'm happy to announce the winner of last week's Winning Wednesday giveaway:

Project Tara!

This week, I'm offering something a little different which is related to a yarn swap I'm hosting in the Project: Stash Ravelry Group. The giveaway this week is a knitter's magic yarn ball -- what makes the yarn ball magic is the secret little something I'll be hiding deep inside the ball. You won't discover it until you're done knitting (promise you won't peak)! I'm still deciding on which beautiful yarn I'll turn into a magic yarn ball to give away, but I assure you it will be lovely.

To win, let me know what your favorite sock pattern is and why.  Good luck ... and if you want to join us in the knitter's magic yarn ball swap, we'd love to have you.

Winning Wednesdays

I'm joining in Ginny's Yarn Along this week.

Sometimes you start a project with one idea in mind and then someone introduces a twist and you go in a completely different direction.  This happened with my beekeeper's quilt after I read Jen's lovely post about the sky scarf. You might remember that I began knitting my hexipuffs in a purple/red self-striping sock yarn, but I'm not thrilled with the thinness of the yarn for this project, and I couldn't stop thinking about Jen's sky scarf.  Then a lightbulb went on over my head.  

I should knit a sky-color inspired beekeeper's quilt! I clicked on my Ravelry stash page, searched by color (I didn't even know I could do that!), and voila, I discovered that I have a fair number of yarns in the blue family.  Not only that, these yarns are dk and worsted weight which I prefer for the quilt. The purple/red hexipuffs will be put away for now (perhaps I'll use these towards a hexipuff pillow one day), and my Long Journey quilt will now be nick-named Skyfall. 

What I'm reading:  I'm sad to say that I just finished Luisa Weiss' food memoir, My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes). Sad because I really didn't want it to end.  The writer of The Wednesday Chef blog, Weiss has a beautiful writing style that draws her reader in. Throughout her telling of heartache, homesickness, love, and joy, Weiss shares recipes that are irresistible.  I'm not sure which one I want to try first:  the silky buttermilk panna cotta, the oh-so-pretty poppy seed whirligig buns, or the savory meatballs in chipotle sauce. This is another must-read for any of you, even if you're not a huge reader of food memoirs ... My Berlin Kitchen will take you around the world.

And now, I'm happy to announce the winner of last week's Winning Wednesday giveaway:  

Tracey!  

Thanks to all who commented.  This week, I'm offering one skein of S. Charles' Diamante in a lovely smokey grey.  At 104 yards, this skein can easily be knit up into a sweet beanie or a pair of fingerless mitts.  Other suggestions anyone?

Winning Wednesdays

I'm joining in Ginny's Yarn Along this week.

It might be different where you live, but for some reason (which I really can't explain), I don't have many knitting friends. I mean in-the-flesh knitting friends.  My circle of fiber friends exist in the virtual world and with the ease of technology today, I have no complaints.  It's a rich and sincere and joyful circle. Still, sometimes it would be nice to actually knit with someone and chat over patterns and yarn and projects.

Much to my absolute delight and surprise, the other day, as I left my house for a walk in the sunshine, I passed my neighbor, Jess, as she arrived home.  I couldn't help but notice the stack of library books in her arms, with one in particular that caught my eye.  On its spine was the word KNITTING and after a quick chat, I learned that Jess was teaching herself to knit.  Fast foward, Jess came over the other night and I taught her how to cast on and knit garter stitch. Now that I'm an intermediate knitter, it was eye-opening to step back in time and teach the basics, making sure to use the right language and include the right steps. I wanted to make sure I didn't assume too much (or too little) and I wanted to focus on good habits.  I gifted Jess my pair of US9 wood needles so that she could have a better grip -- both in her hands and with her yarn.  It was lovely to chat about her aspirations with knitting and my huge passion for it.

Our visit reminded me how much I enjoy sharing and with this in mind, I'm starting a weekly giveaway which I'm calling Winning Wednesdays. Every Wednesday, I'll have a little something to offer which I hope you'll like.  All you have to do is comment on the post or answer a question I may pose. I'll draw and announce the winner on the following Wednesday. Hope you'll play....and hope you'll win!

This week, the giveaway is two skeins of Fiesta Rayon Boucle, one in lilac and the other in clematis. This is worsted weight, each with 240 yards.  Imagine the beautiful spring-inspired shawl or shrug you can knit with these! Leave a comment below for a chance to win.

Now to my reading: I finished A.M. Homes May We Be Forgiven and was pretty speechless when I was done. How do writers do it?  How do they create characters who are so real, so complicated, with entire lives that they inhabit?  I'm a really slow reader and at 480 pages, I wondered at first just how long this novel would take me to finish.  I was riveted and polished off this book in a mere two weeks!  That may not be impressive to some of you super fast readers, but for me, it was like winning silver in a marathon.  Go read this book!