Ailidh Number Two

Last night when my class New Ventures in the Arts class started I was about four rows into my second Ailidh. I was using this one for the pattern to remember everything I did. I actually purchased this yarn specially for this hat. I like how it shows every twist and cable perfectly. I finished this evening and wanted to show everyone the hat in a different colour. Yes, I knit 2 of the same hats in 2 days. Kind of scary. . .
Here is the picture I took when I left class and it had begun to snow. Yep! More snow! I really love the colour of the yarn.

Here is the finished hat. I tried to take a pic of it on me, but I look really tired, so I said screw it. I put my natural light on it to show the cables better.
The pics are basically because boy has been bothering me all day about this hat. It's named after a char I made for him on World of Warcraft. I have to give him credit, he is willing to step into and try to understand the crazy, obsessive world that is knitting to me. Trying, not completely succeeding, but have to give him brownie points anyways. =P

Pattern: Ailidh
Needles: US 8 16" circular
Yarn: Cascade Tweed 220
Cast on: Jan. 30
Cast off: Jan. 31

This is what happens when you don't do your laundry for a month. Yep, hasn't happened, but will this weekend. I'm also cleaning up my apartment because for some reason a certain canine resident of the apartment seems to be getting into things he shouldn't. This included eating an entire bag of milk chocolates that were for my sock club. So I'm cleaning up so it'll stop. Plus, I haven't cleaned since Steve left because I guess I've been wallowing in my own sadness that my boy is gone. Seriously been sad. Not fun.

Last, but not least, I leave you with snow. Enjoy!

I also turned in a manifesto, which I have no idea what a manifesto really is and I'm glad classes are back in session. Life is kind of getting back to normal, whatever normal is.
Oh and I hope both the Giants and the Patriots suck on Sunday. Thanks!

Meet Ailidh (pronounced A-LEE)

Yesterday around 11am I cast on another hat. I was trying to rework the sheddy hat into a design I really like. Well, I started knitting and just continued to knit the hat all day. I knit in class like I mentioned before and was just randomly knitting a design out while talking about great dead theatre visionaries. I was amazed at how quickly I knit this up. This morning I only had a little bit left to finish, soo I basically finished it up in lecture this morning.
Here is a finished picture of the hat. The pattern will be available as soon as I am able to write it down. Hope you guys like it. =)



Here's a pic before I went to bed last night of the hat in process.


Pattern: Ailidh
Needles: US 8 16" circular
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool
Cast on: Jan. 29
Cast off: Jan. 30

Also, this morning on my way to lecture I wiped on my moped on a busy street in Iowa City. OW! Must have hit a piece of ice I didn't see. I completely smashed my left mirror, and scraped my left knee and right elbow. I amazingly went to class. Hahaha I'm dedicated. My elbow doesn't hurt much anymore, but there is a stiffness in my left armpit as I type. i hope that goes away soon. =/

Snow, hats, and sock yarn. . .

Okay, so I haven't really posted in a while and I'm sorry. Life has been very interesting since my holiday started. Funny enough my holiday officially ended yesterday. I am kind of glad that classes have started again. it gives me something to put my mind on that isn't a video game. Over the holiday I didn't get tons of knitting done, just basically chilled, watched movies and played World of Warcraft. I did get a hat finished, which I'm happy about. One can never have too many hats. I also love that it's bright orange. I made the pattern up and it's REALLY easy.

Pattern: "Hunter Cables" ( My own)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Burly Spun (1/2 of a skein)
Needles: 16" US 11 circular

Pattern in a nutshell:

Cast on 56 stitches.
Knit 4, P1, K2, P1* repeat this in the round for 4 rounds.
C4B, P1, K2, P1* Repeat until the end of this row and then repeat the first 4 rows.
Continue this until the hat reaches 6" in length, then begin decreases.
Decreases:
K4, P1, K2tog, P1* Repeat till the end of the row
K2tog, K2, P1, K1, P1* repeat till the end of the row
K1, K2tog, P1, K1, P1* repeat
K2tog, P1, K1, P1* repeat
K2tog, K1, P1* repeat
K1, K2tog* Repeat
Then after this row weave the end through the remaining stitches and pull to close opening. Weave in the ends.


Next is my first sock ever knit with a picot heel. I really love how the heel compliments the different colours in the colourway. the colourway I'm knitting this pair of socks out of is "Half Blood Prince." I'm really loving how the yarn is striping around the foot. This is by far my favourite colourway yet. Unfortunately I have decided to discontinue my Harry potter colourways and go more towards semi-solids and some variegated colours.

Yes, I have added to my stash. Sundara Yarn!!!!! yeah, it's pricey, but soft and beautiful. The "Wine" and "Green Tea" are sock weight while the blue is sport weight. Unfortunately I need a second of the blue for anything really. I'll have to keep a look out for another skein. It is sooo beautiful though!

I also gave in and am trying Dream in Colour's "Smooshy Yarn" in "Happy Forest." The pattern I am knitting is a dream in Colour pattern called "Sleepwalker Socks." The pattern is beautiful, but the yarn is dryer than I thought it would be. I don't know what it is, it just feels a little dry in my fingers. That's actually one reason I don't knit with some yarns, they dry out my hands quickly. I'll finish these socks one day, I promise. =)

I also knit a simple pair of fingerless mittens. They are quite nice when it's really cold out and my steering wheel in my car is freezing!! I hate touching it because it makes my fingers hurt. I love the yarn, it is di.Ve Autunno. Very beautiful, soft yarn.

Here is the mate to the first "Half Blood Prince" sock. I'm just about to start the heel. This lot came put extremely vibrant and I'm completely in love.

Also, the sock club yarn is dyed and waiting patiently for the pattern. The goodies included are also almost done. I'm spending Valentine's Day with Steve in New Jersey, so the packages will be sent out before the 14th. Thanks!

BTW the Packers deserved it more than the Giants, The Patriots don't deserve anything!

Below is some of the yarn that will be going up in my shop soon, once I find time this weekend. Yay!

Wonky Cable Cabin Sock Pattern

Yep, I'm knitting another pair. I love my others sooo much, I decided to give you ladies the pattern. You can download it HERE.
The yarn I'm using for my second pair is sport weight from Spunkyhats in the colourway "Penguin March." Amy doesn't sell this colourway anymore, but her other colours rock also. =) This yarn has been sitting in my stash since November. I originally purchased it because it has Hawkeye colours in it. =P It's about time I took it out and did something with it. Enjoy!

Genevieve Pattern

Here is the pattern for the Genevieve socks. If you find a problem with it, please leave a comment or e-mail me at gbutlernet@yahoo.co.uk. Thanks!

Genevieves (In this pattern i am assuming you know how to knit a standard heel flap and gusset and also know how to reduce for the toe and graft it)

Materials:

4 US 2 needles
440 Yards of Fingering Weight/Sock Weight Yarn
Tapestry Needle
Cabling Needle or 5th US 2 needle (I used the 5th needle)

Gauge: 8 Stitches per Inch

Finished Dimentions: Will fit a US Womens Size 9 to 10 (Reduce the number of cables on the foot to achieve a smaller size)

Pattern Notes:

Abbreviations:

K knit
p purl
p2tog purl 2 stitches together
SKP slip a stitch, knit a stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch
C4B Cable 4 stitches back
C2B Cable 2 stitches back
Sl 1 Slip 1 Stitch

Leg Pattern Stitch:

Row 1: *K8, P4, K8, P4, K8, K4, P2, K4, P2, K4* Repeat * to * 4 times
Row 5: K8, P4, C4B, P4, K8, *K4, P2, C2B, P2, K4* Repeat * to * Once more
Repeat Rows 1 through 5

Foot Pattern Stitch:

(Top of foot)
Row 1: *K4, P2, K4, P2, K8, P2, K4, P2, K4, K16, K16* Repeat * to * 4 more times
Row 5: K4, P2, C4B, P2, K8, P2, C4B, P2, K4, K16, K16
Repeat Rows 1 through 5

Instructions:

Cast on 64 stitches (32 on needle 1, 16 on needles 2 & 3)
Work 2x2 ribbing for 1 inch
Begin leg pattern stitch
Work 13 rounds of pattern stitch
Turn to needle 1 for working the heel

Heel Flap:

Sl 1 knit entire row
Turn work and Sl 1 purl rest of the row
Work this until heel flap measures 1 1/2 inches

Turning the Heel:

Knit side facing you
Sl 1 and knit 17 stitches, SKP, K1
Turn work, Sl 1, p6, P2Tog, p1
Continue this, slipping first stitch & working until 1 stitch before the gap, knit/purl 2 stitches together until all stitches have been worked
18 stitches remain
Pick up about 15 stitches on the side of the heel
Work gusset until back to 64 stitches

Begin working the foot pattern
Work foot pattern for 13 rounds or until an inch away from the tip of your longest toe
Begin decreases for the toe
Decrease in stockinette stitch
Decrease until 8 stitches remain on needle 1 and 4 on both needle 2 and needle 3
Graft the 16 stitches together and weave in the ends

Sock Club, Finished Washcloth and a new scarf

Sunday was the first sockclub I attended at Crazy Girl Yarns in IC. It was a lot of fun! I FINALLY met Chelsea of Very Voluble. It was funny because neither of us would shut up. hehehehe the other ladies in the "club" were sitting there listening to our very umm random ADD/ADHD conversation. We have a lot in common which is awesome and scary =P I had a great time during the 2 hours. I gave Chelsea some of my gypsy girl Hawkeye yarn because she mentioned how much her mom would like some socks and also some Koigu I handpainted. I return she brought me 2 bottles of her and her boyfriends homemade ale. It's good shit, let me tell you. I had it when I went back to Rockford (I came back today because like a dumbass I forgot my contacts and had to suffer, also got blood drawn etc.). I really hope the store gets a larger variety of hand-dyed yarns in, I hate the processed stuff, it dries out my hands. Anyways, the night before (Saturday) I finished something that has nothing to do with socks! (Can I get an oooooo and an ahhhhh?) Yep, a dishrag. Shut up! It's a soft dishrag made out of Cottontots. It's a great yarn for dishrags and I'll be making a baby blanket out of it soon also. It'll be much easier than the one I'm currently and forever will be working on. The one out of the cottontots will probably be basketweave like the dishrag.

I have also started a scarf out of Debbie Bliss soHo that has been sitting in my stash since November. I decided to finally bring it out & knit it. I made the pattern up myself. It's really easy, quick to knit and makes a great gift. The Pattern is below:

Cedar Scarf

Materials:

US 10 1/2 Straight Needles
Tapestry Needle
201 Yards of Thick Thin or Worsted Weight Yarn (shown in Debbie Bliss soHo)

Guage: 4 Stitches per inch

Cast on 18 (or any multiple of 18) stitches

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit 3 *Yo, K2Tog* Repeat * to * until 3 stitches remain Knit last 3 stitches
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: Purl
Row 7: Knit 3 *K2Tog, Yo* Repeat * to* until 3 stitches remain Knit last 3 stitches
Row 8: Purl
Row 9: Knit
Row 10: Purl
Repeat Rows 3 through 10 until desired length of scarf
When desired length Knit and Purl last two Rows, then bind off and weave in ends.
(Option to soak and block scarf, may reduce curling effect)



Below are the three pictures I took during the sock club. The one on the far left is of Chelsea & I. I kept it small because it was humid out and I look horrible!!!!! eeewww!!!