Work in Progress Wednesday 176

Hi everyone! I'm back! Sorry about last week. I was sick again. Can you believe it? I want to know, what in the world happened to just normal every day colds? I don't think they exist anymore, and if they do, they aren't the ones I'm catching. This was my second sickness in 3 weeks, and both times it took me out for a full week. This one was slightly different than the first, which I guess is good? Who knows. Anyway, let's hope I have that over with for the year. ::knocks on wood:: I'm feeling much better, despite having to miss not only a hockey game I got tickets for as a Christmas present, I also missed all TNNA weekend. How much does THAT suck? My husband was also sick (which is how I caught this one. He's the culprit so blame him for now WIPW and FOF last week) so the house pretty much fell apart last week. This week I get to pick up the piece of it and also catch up on the many many orders I didn't ship last week. FUN!

That said, with as sick as I was, I didn't knit for a FULL week. Not a single stitch. Can you believe that? The good news is, there is more to share with you than I had last time because I knit a TON while my husband was sick, but before I got it!

(sorry this picture is really blown out but the light was too close and it looked good on my phone!)

These are my Hermione's Everyday Socks that I started a few weeks ago. I finished the first sock in less than a week and thought I would have the pair done within two weeks. How awesome would that have been? ::sigh:: Sensing a theme here? Anyway, It's still going fast! This colorway is so fun to knit because you never know what color will come next. It's Candy Skein's January '14 colorway, Confetti Cupcake, which you can buy here as a single skein or buy the next three months as a subscription!


I got a gorgeous skein of yarn this week, breaking my 'no yarn between Stitches' rule, but I blame the ick that ran through me when I pressed the buy button. See, I had an excuse. I've always wanted to try Wollmeise and The Loopy Ewe updated JUST as I was on twitter. When does that happen? I had to click the link, right? Then I fell in love. Anyway, I'll post that next week or Friday. As a treat, I'm going to start a project with it for the Yarniacs podcast KAL going on right now, Self Indulgent knit along. Perfect timing if I do say so myself.

That's it for me today! I hope you have a great rest of the week and I'll see you on Friday!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 117

Hi everyone! Happy Friday. I hope you're all doing well and have great plans for the weekend. I was able to finish the first sock for Christmas, despite some not so fun things that happened Thursday. This is going to be quick, as it's almost midnight. Have a wonderful weekend.

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 117

Hi everyone! Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!! Today I'm going to do a duel post, and I hope you don't mind. Not only do I have a new WIP, it has to do with a new Candy Skein colorway, the November '12 Sock colorway, Pumpkin Pie. I figured it made sense to put these two posts into one.

First off, I want to hear what great things everyone is doing for Halloween! My husband will (hopefully) be coming home early so we can pass out candy and watch scary movies in our new house. We might have a few friends over, too, which is going to be a blast! We don't know what to expect as far as Trick or Treaters go so we bought a LOT of candy. Everyone in the neighborhood decked out their house with decorations so I hope we get a lot!

Before I show you my WIP, I have to show you the yarn! 

Thanksgiving in the US is one of my favorite times of year. By the end of November, it’s finally chilly where I live and family and friends find time to stop their busy schedules to spend the holiday together. As much as I love Thanksgiving dinner, to me it’s all about dessert. Each year, my husband and I make gluten free pumpkin pie from scratch (yes, we use real pie pumpkins AND make the crust from scratch) and I love making them as much as I love eating them.

That’s why I picked Pumpkin Pie as the November 2012 colorway! This awesome yarn is kettle dyed in three different layers of light beige, light copper brown and deep copper to give it a modeled look when knit/crocheted. It would be perfect for any project!

Colorway: Pumpkin Pie
Fiber content: 75% Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low
Price: $20
Available here now!




Okay, now that we got that out of the way, I can show you what I started with the colorway!

I decided to do 2x2 ribbed socks, since I have a lot of other projects on the go. This needs no thought and is a great project to work on while I'm waiting for the yarn to dye during the day. I'm making the pair for my husband, but SHHHhhhh he doesn't know! I'm going to carry the ribbing down into the instep. Isn't the colorway pretty knitted up!!?? I'm loving the modeled look so far!

That's it for me today! Please have a fun AND safe Halloween tonight!


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work in Progress Wednesday 110

Happy Wednesday! It is Wednesday, right? At least we talked, it was Friday and I happily mentioned that we would be looking at houses on Saturday. Remember that small mention? Well, here we sit just 5 days later and not only did we find the house of our dreams, we are officially in escrow TODAY! How is that for whirlwind!!?? Once all the inspections are finished and we get closer to the close date (it's only a 30 day escrow so hang on to your hats) I'll let you know more about it with maybe some pictures! Again, don't want to jinx it just yet. I will say, Candy Skein is moving up in the world with the new house! Major details on that soon. Trust me,

I'm sure you'll be getting a lot of WIPW and FO Fridays sans fiber in the next few weeks (maybe a month or two) and I apologize in advance. That doesn't mean you won't get awesome/interesting pictures though, I promise! There is exciting things afoot here that will be about a Candy Skein studio and even a yarn room!

Did I mention the escrow is only 30 days and that the day we close is the DAY BEFORE A FIBER SHOW I HAVE A BOOTH AT????? Umm, yeah. How's THAT for timing!!??

Enough of that insanity, onto WIPW!!!!

I don't have too much to share today, as you can see, but I think I do have a good excuse. Last night (well, okay, I won't lie. I'm writing this on Tuesday night obviously, so really tonight) I finished the pattern and started the toe of this sock. I'm sure by the time you read this, I will have finished it! I think I'm going to quickly start the second sock, so I don't lose momentum. My original plan was to have both done by Friday, but obviously that won't happen. I will happily share this finished sock with you on Friday though, and will count it toward my FO Friday streak if you don't think that's cheating. It will be 4 weeks in a row with some kind of object finished!

Just to remind you, this is the Devil Snare sock.

That's it for me today! Hope you have a great day and an awesome rest of the week!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 102

HAPPY FRIDAY! This week has seemed like an eternity to me! On Wednesday it felt as if it should be Friday. I'm guessing it's because of the holiday weekend (Labor Day) this weekend, as well as having a bunch of stuff I had to do this week (like the horrid dentist). My husband is also working crunch hours, so it's a lot of time with me, myself and I. Now you probably know why I have another FO right after last week's!

Speaking of that FO, I actually finished them before you saw them (recently) on WIPW, so to remind you, here's a picture of me balancing on a tree stump VERY carefully while taking a picture of my own foot. I had my other foot on another part of the tree that hadn't been cut down.

Here's a picture of me completely balancing on the stump so that you can see there are actually two socks finished! This pattern is Horcrux Socks. I actually started them on May 15th, 2012, hence why they are knit in Candy Skein Monthly Sock May colorway, Candy Skein 1st Birthday. You may notice that one of the socks looks a little smaller than the other in the above picture...

That's why I keep showing you the right one, because it's the sock that actually fits the way it should. Well, that and I'm left handed/footed so I have better balance standing on my left leg. You see, I knit the first one (make that, the left one) as the pattern said for the heel turn/gusset/toe (the heel flap I changed, as the pattern calls for a stockinette stitch heel and I wanted to continue the ribbing down). I should have gone with my gut and knit the heel turn and gusset how I normally do. Unfortunately, it's a little tight. Wearable, but tight. Due to that fact, despite loving the way the right sock fits, I'll probably keep these in the drawer until all other pairs are dirty. They are pretty though!

And one last picture because I was having fun! These were taken in my back yard, which overlooks a public pond! I'm sure my neighbors now think I'm insane (if they didn't already) as I climbed all over the tree trying to get good angles while bending down and taking the pictures of my stocking feet.

And yes, the tattoo is all heeled now! YAY!


Materials used:

Candy Skein Yummy fingering in May '12 colorway, Candy Skein 1st Birthday

Size US 0 needles w/ 32" cable

Horcrux Socks

Darning needle

Notes: As mentioned, I knit the heel flap different from the pattern. I carried the ribbing down instead of doing straight stockinette. I also added 5 more rows of ribbing before starting the heel flap as these are pretty short socks. The first one, I followed the pattern for the heel turn and gusset, but for the second sock I just used my favorite method so that the sock would fit better.


Also, if you haven't seen it yet, I had a Candy Skein update yesterday, including the September '12 colorway reveal and a few new colorways!

That's it for me today! I hope you have a great (and safe) holiday weekend if you're in the States!

Share your FOs!

Candy Skein Update!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know about a few updates I have to Candy Skein today! Not only did I add skeins of already existing Yummy fingering colorways, I've added new ones! Also, today I revealed the September '12 Sock colorway, Honey Crisp Apple.

The seasons are changing and Autumn is in the air. The leaves will start to fall and the apple orchards will be bursting with gorgeous red and green apples. That’s why I picked Honey Crisp Apple as the September 2012 colorway! This awesome yarn is kettle dyed with a pink red over a pale green undercoat and would be perfect for any Fall project! Available for purchase here!

 

Don't forget, there's only two more days left to purchase August's colorway, Strawberry Lemonade! Also available for purchase here!

As mentioned above, I've added a few new colorways to the permanent collection, dyed in Yummy fingering. To see all updated, see below!

 All can be purchased here!

FO Friday 101

Oh my gosh guys...I FINISHED SOMETHING! It feels like it's been forever since I could actually say that. Isn't it amazing how rewarding a FO is?! Unfortunately, it's still too hot to use a shawlette here (though it was a LOT cooler and overcast yesterday), but that won't stop me for long.

Despite only working on this for a few days total probably, it feels like I started it forever ago, due to not working on it during my cardigan (yes, the cardigan. I haven't finished that yet unfortunately).

It's ALMOST dry, but I don't want to pull it too early, so you get an off color blocking shot. Again, just like the Trillian, it practically doubled in size! I promise to take better pics with me wearing it this weekend when my husband can help out. :) This was taken in weird artificial lighting in my dining room with my iPhone. Colors are more accurate in previous pictures.

Materials used:

Pattern:  Hitchhiker shawl
Yarn: Candy Skein Yummy fingering in Rainbow Fruit Chews
Needles: US size 4


That's it for me today! I hope you all have a great weekend. :)

Share your FOs!

FO Friday 94

Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week and a great holiday if you are in the US. As mentioned in my post yesterday, we just hung around the house but it was nice and relaxing.

I've been busy with updates to Candy Skein Yummy fingering, which was posted yesterday including a new colorway, Rainbow Fruit Chews! Be sure to check it out. :)

As promised on Wednesday, I'm going to share my Trillian shawl! I love how it turned out and can't wait to make another one. I think it's a perfect pattern for variegated yarns. The way this yarn pooled, it makes me think of either a marble, or when I used to use Silly Putty to copy Sunday comics from the news paper and then would stretch it!

 I was SOOO excited to block it, I forgot to measure it and take a picture of it after it was finished but before it was soaking. I used T pins to block it, as I don't have blocking wires. I have to say, due to the garter stitch, this thing GREW. It just about tripled in size.

And here I am wearing it. Excuse the none matching, but my husband took this on 4th of July so I was wearing red, white and blue! The shawl doesn't exactly match, but I didn't want to change just for the picture. LOL



Materials:
Pattern: Trillian shawl
Yarn: Candy Skein Yummy fingering in Sock Club June '12  colorway Lemongrass Sour
Needles: US 4 (3.5MM) Knit Picks Harmony



Have a great weekend!

Share your FOs!

Candy Skein- July '12 Sock Colorway Bomb Pop!

It's that time again! It's time to reveal the new Candy Skein monthly sock colorway!

I've been waiting for the calendar to turn to July since I started the sock club just for this one colorway. I have great summer memories as a kid running through sprinklers, swimming until my fingers were wrinkled and enjoying one of my favorite cold summer treats, a Bomb Pop Popsicle. That's why I picked Bomb Pop as the July 2012 colorway! This yarn would be perfect for a shawl, socks, hat, gloves and more!



Colorway: Bomb Pop
Fiber content: 75% Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low
Price: $20
BUY


And still available through July 1st, Lemongrass Sour!

Candy Skein: New Yummy Fingering In Stock!

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! We had a perfect few days as we hung around the house, ate good food (including S'mores over an outside fire!) and re-landscaped our deck for the summer. It's always so refreshing to get new plants and to clean up after the winter and spring season, isn't it?

I thought I would let you all know that I've added some new colorways and a few classics to the Candy Skein Yummy fingering selection for the shop! To see all the skeins in full view, as well as purchase them, you can go here.

Here's a sneak peak of a few of them just added!

Also, don't forget that the June colorway is still available, Lemongrass Sour!!! It's perfect for summer! To learn more about the Candy Skein Sock Club or this specific colorway or to purchase, click here!

Work in Progress Wednesday 97

Hi everyone! I know this isn't knitting related but I have to get it out of my system. I've been a Los Angeles Kings fan since I was 10 years old, the 1990-91 season. When I say I've been a "fan", that doesn't explain half of it. I don't miss a game on tv, I had season seats when I lived in LA for 12 years and even in the off season, I'm on the hockey forums following my team, the players, etc. I LIVE hockey, almost as much as I live the fiber arts and that's saying something. I've waited a long time to say this.....

THE LOS ANGELES KINGS ARE THE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!!

::SIGH:: I can now die happy. I never thought I'd be able to say that.

Now onto the reason you came here, WIPW!!!!!

If you don't see a picture above (other than the WIPW pic), it's because I couldn't get my phone to upload a picture from blogger. I'm currently at my mom's house in Los Angeles, who has dial up and I'm without a car. My car is in the shop, as it decided to crap out yesterday. I'm going to try and get to a Starbucks to post a pic of I don't before then.

Anyway, I'm working on my Horcrux socks out of the May '12 colorway, Candy Skein 1st Birthday. I finished the first one (coming on FO Friday) and am at the heel flap of the second. I hope the second fits a little better than the first, but I think they'll both be wearable, luckily. I hope to have this pair done soon as I'm starting to feel all of my WIPs starting to cave in on me.

I've also worked a little on my Multnomah shawl. I'm almost to the lace pattern repeat which I'm very excited about. The garter stitch is getting a little boring if I'm honest! LOL

Basically I guess I'm just ready for all of my current WIPs to be finished so that I can start on new ones. Do you ever feel that? I wish I could just wave a magic wand and have them all complete. I feel like I'm drowning in them, and I'm guessing with all the traveling I've done lately, that's where some of the unsettled feeling come in. I feel like they will never be complete. Please, do NOT let me start anything new anytime soon until I finish at least 3 projects I have on the go. LOL

That's it for me today. Like I said, if you don't see pictures above it's because I'm having issues and my phone and blogger don't like each other. I'll get them up at some point Wednesday, that I promise. Thanks for sticking by me lately when I haven't been posting a lot. I promise to bring you new yarn (including another new mini skein set), Life as an Indie Dyer posts, etc soon.

Have a great day!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work-in-Progress 95

 

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a fabulous day today! I must admit, my days are so mixed up from not only the holiday but my husband's travel schedule. He's been traveling a lot for work, so I have been living my life based on when he's home and when he's away. There's no real ebb or flow to it, so I feel like I'm living in this fake world right now. To make matters worse, I have been traveling a bit myself, and will be leaving again on Thursday (tomorrow). I will not be home for FO Friday, but will try and remember to schedule a post so everyone can participate. If it does not post, it's because Blogger sucks. I won't be around for the next WIPW either, as I get home very late Tuesday night. Again, I will try and schedule a post for you all, but I won't have anything to share. Well, I'm sure I'll have a lot to share, but just won't get around to it.

That being said, I DO have stuff to share with you today for WIPW!

This is the pair of socks I started with the May '12 Candy Skein colorway, Candy Skein 1st Birthday. I think they're going to be too small for me unfortunately, but we'll see in the end. They're 70 sts, so I used a size 0 needle which I never do, but the size 1 needle was too big. Oh well, I'm sure I'll figure it out and if not they'll make a nice gift for someone I'm sure. I'm really happy with how the yarn is knitting up! Don't forget, this yarn is only available until the end of this month (so basically today), so if you're interested in a skein, be sure to purchase one now! I haven't gotten too far on these, as I had to stop knitting on them while my wrist was hurting. Carpel Tunnel mixed with fingering weight yarn and size 0 needles is a recipe for disaster. Oh, I almost forgot! The pattern is Horcrux socks.

This is the shawl I started recently (I think I shared a picture of it last week for the first time). It's using 50% merino/50% tencel yarn from Alexandra's Crafts. I really like the yarn which I purchased at the fiber festival I had a booth at in Oregon last month. I'm hoping to take this on my trip so that I can get to the feather and fan portion of the pattern. The pattern is Multnomah.

That's it for me on WIPW! I'll be posting the Candy Skein June colorway later today! I can't wait to show you as it's one of my favorites! Also, I only have a few more sets of the Ice Cream series minis left! If you're interested in one, you should grab one soon!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Hunger Games Effie Sock Pattern Featuring Butter Mints!

As some of you already know, I've been working with designer Yavanna Reynolds (datenshi on Ravelry) on a Hunger Games inspired Effie pattern featuring Candy Skein April colorway of the month, Butter Mints! The pattern is still in test knitting, but you can see her beautiful work on the project page, Effie Socks.

I hope you love the pattern and the yarn as much as I do! I'm currently knitting it, and it's a joy to work on! Make sure you also check out Yavanna's other great Hunger Games inspired sock patterns on Ravelry! I have a feeling more and more people are going to be talking about her wonderful, imaginative designs very soon!

The pattern should be available toward the end of this month, beginning of next and I plan to hold a KAL on the Candy Skein Addicts group for those interested in knitting the pattern with Candy Skein yarn! A few of our test knitters are using different colors, so you can see how the pattern knits up in semi-solid and variegated colorways.

Here are a few of her pictures (again, these are not my pictures but belong to the designer, Yavanna) that are featured on the project page!

Front:



Side:



3/4 view:



Aren't they gorgeous!!?? I can't wait to continue knitting them and also for the May/June KAL!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 88

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great week. A week from today, I'll be in the car driving 10 hours to the top of California, before continuing into Oregon the next day for the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival. Don't worry, while I'm gone I'll schedule Mr Linky posts, there just won't be much from me in them. :)

Now onto this week's WIPW as I have exciting things to share!:

This might not look like much yet, but I'm test knitting the Effie Hunger Games pattern that goes with this yarn, Candy Skein Yummy fingering in Butter Mints! I'm showing you this side, because there's not much to look at yet, as it's just twisted rib. We should be releasing pictures sometime this week (hopefully Thursday!) of the whole sock, but the pattern won't be released until it's finished through test knits. I will say, it's a gorgeous pattern, and though I only assisted in designing it, I'm super proud of it. I can't wait for you all to see the pictures. The designer, Yavanna, will be setting up a project page for it when we do release pictures so that those interested can favorite it for when it is released. I'm hoping to plan a KAL on the Candy Skein Addicts Ravelry group for May/June and will be keeping the Butter Mints colorway around through the end of May. One of the test knitters is knitting it in a kettle dyed Candy Skein colorway (Grape Fizz) and it looks awesome in that, too! Can you tell I'm excited?




I started my second All I Need is a TARDIS (Knit Picks Felici in the Time Traveler colorway) sock. It's great movie/tv/car knitting, as it's just around and around until I close the toe (and of course I'll need to add the waste yarn for the afterthought heel). I tried to get the stripes to match, but I believe it's 2 rows off. Oh well, that stuff doesn't bother me. :)


That's it for me today! I hope to have pictures of the Effie sock pattern to share Thursday, but if not, I'll have another installment of Life as an Indie Dyer!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Candy Skein- April '12 Sock of the Month Club Colorway!

Spring is here and Easter is right around the corner. When I see the pastel colors of the Easter candies adorn the shelves, I know the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and warmer weather is on it’s way. April is one of my favorite months and I’m excited to share the colorway for this month, Butter Mints.

This gorgeous skein is one of my favorites in the Candy Skein Sock Club, with it’s soft rainbow of colors. Named after those creamy, melt in your mouth pastel pillow mints, this colorway would make a perfect pair of fun sock or a spring shawl for your Easter festivities.

Colorway: Butter Mints
Series: Yummy- Candy Skein Monthly Sock Club April 2012
Fiber content: 75% Falkland British Merino Wool, 25% Nylon Superwash
Weight: Fingering Weight
Yardage: 465 yards
Unit Weight: 100 grams
Care: Machine wash/Tumble dry low

Price: $16.00 US

Limited time only!
Available April 1 -April 30 (if pre-ordered, will ship before or on April 1)

BUY

And don’t forget, for a few more days, Leprechaun Lollipop is still available before it disappears forever!