Tag / Knitting

by TechnicolorMom

Discovering Embroidery

Over the last month or so, my Instagram ads have been filled with cross stitch, modern embroidery, and punch needle kits and patterns. I clicked through a few of them and found a few that I really liked the look of, but I hesitated because do I really need a new hobby? Do I really want to order something from IG when I’ve had a bad experience in the past? While the answer is probably “no,” when I took my little one to the library for storytime and encountered a display about how March is crafting month, I decided to take that as a sign for “yes.”

My Experience & Review

I picked one of the kits that I liked the best, and I put in an order. What happened after that? Well, Amanda has fallen down the rabbit hole. My first order (there have been…a few) was for beginner kits of “Bee Happy” and “Flora the Cat” from Clever Poppy. Y’all, I cannot even overstate how incredible my beginner experience has been with modern embroidery. My Clever Poppy kit, which was packaged beautifully, included a code to download the pattern and view tutorial videos on their website.

The user interface for the tutorials is fantastic, and Julie walked me through everything from dressing my hoop and tracing my pattern to making French Knots and Lazy Daisies, with check ins after each step of the way. I did not need to look up any information to complete the piece. The tutorial videos are so good, and each one is only a few minutes. Julie included tips and common things that newbies do compared to experienced embroiderers. She maintained an energetic, positive, and encouraging vibe throughout the experience.

My in-progress “Bee Happy” project. The tutorials were incredibly detailed, and I definitely recommend this as a first kit.

Completed “Bee Happy”

I made “Bee Happy” first, and I am so happy with how it turned out. It is currently living on my wall in my bedroom, and I am well on my way to filling my home with handmade art. (We already have tons of knitted gnomes.) This was my very first attempt at learning embroidery.

My completed “Bee Happy” project. This pattern is by Julie Stuart of Clever Poppy.

I started “Bee Happy” on March 13, 2024 and finished it on March 15, 2024. I did not make any modifications to the pattern. One of the things I am loving about my embroidery experience is how quickly you can see progress in your project. With knitting, sometimes I can work on a project for hours and only see minimal progress. Embroidery keeps my mind from wandering because I need to pay attention to each stitch, whereas with my knitting, I can almost do it in my sleep, and sometimes my mind is all over the place.

Recommendations

Do I recommend one of these kits from Clever Poppy for people who are interested in learning modern embroidery? Before I give you my answer, here are the caveats: (1) this is not a sponsored review in any way; I do not benefit from you purchasing from them in any way other than getting to potentially chat with you about our new hobby, (2) I did not try out kits from other brands, and (3) while I had never tried embroidery before, I would consider myself an experienced crafter (knitting, crochet, quilting) and did not encounter any challenges or difficulties. The few emails I have exchanged with the Clever Poppy team since I began learning embroidery have been answered quickly and effectively.

So, do I recommend it? Absolutely yes. The price point ($50) is comparable to what I would pay for a skein of yarn ($30), pattern ($5), and set of knitting needles ($15), and the tutorial and interface is fantastic. Plus, they have a beautiful website.

Flora the Cat

After I finished up my “Bee Happy” kit, I immediately started on “Flora the Cat.” My daughter loves cats, but we cannot have one due to allergies, so I thought she would enjoy this piece. I am planning to include it in her Easter basket to hang in her bedroom.

My completed “Flora the Cat” project. This pattern is by Julie Stuart of Clever Poppy.

I started this project on March 16, 2024 and finished it on March 21, 2024. I did not make any modifications to the pattern. I loved making the woven roses, and I think the cranberry-colored French Knots are the most beautiful touch. I also loved learning Satin Stitch and Julie’s method for tapering your stitches to make gorgeous petals. I love how she turned out!

Want to Join Me?

Have I convinced you to try out embroidery? Of course, I do not want to push you in a direction you weren’t already going, but if this is something you’re interested in, I want to encourage you to give it a try! Have you already learned embroidery? What kinds of projects and patterns do you love making? What is your favorite piece?

by TechnicolorMom

Dragon Fairy Socks

I think it would be accurate to state that I am obsessed with my latest sock pattern. Last week, I published the Dragon Fairy Socks pattern, and I love, love, love knitting these socks. This design features a textured panel on the front of the sock, and the back of the sock is stockinette. When I say these fly off the needles, I am not kidding. I gave a sneak peak of the sock a few weeks ago when I shared the socks I made for my grandmother. I gifted them to my grandmother for her birthday, and she loved them!

The difficulty rating for the Dragon Fairy Socks pattern is EASY. This project is worked in the round from the cuff down and includes an easy textured stitch and decreases. Kitchener stitch is used to finish off the toe.

The pattern has been tech edited and test knit.

DESIGN INSPIRATION

On the way home from school one winter afternoon, as I was finishing up the second sock for this sample, my daughter was arguing that she didn’t feel cold outside because she is a “Fire Fairy.” My 3-yo piped up and declared that he is a “Dragon Fairy,” and I thought the conversation was just the cutest thing. I was struck by how the texture on the front of these socks resembles dragon scales and how the knitted bars highlight individual colors in the fabric like the sun glinting off of iridescent fairy wings. Thus, I decided to call these socks the “Dragon Fairy Socks.” The texture on these socks makes the pattern ideal for any yarn dyeing style, from solid to variegated and anything in between.

RECOMMENDED YARN

This pattern will play nicely with any fingering weight merino/merino nylon blend yarn in solid, tonal, speckled, or variegated colorways.

I used Sock by Teal Torch Knits, a 75% superwash merino wool/25% nylon, 463 yds (423 m) per 3.5 oz (100 g) base. I used Christina’s Cake by the Ocean colorway for my blue/green sample. I love how the texture stitch shows off the variations in this color, and I am loving seeing this texture in yarns that I collected long ago but wasn’t quite sure what to do with.

Below you can see the pattern in Sweet Sock by Twisted Ambitions; I used Russ’s Sweet Like Candy colorway for these beauties, and I love how they turned out. I started these on February 5, 2024 and finished them on February 12, 2024. I always knit the 64 sts size for myself.

It was a little tricky to get the lighting correct for these socks, but the color is probably closest to the cooler photo on the right.

GIFT KNITTING

My children are so incredibly knit worthy, and for Valentine’s Day this year, I made them each a pair of Dragon Fairy Socks using Sequoia Sock by Treehouse Knits. I collected Lauren’s Land of the Living colorway a couple of years ago. I love how well this design shows off the intricacies of this colorway.

This sock set came with two minis, and I used them to add a pop of color at the cuff and a contrast cuff and toe. I used the 56 sts size for my 7 year old’s pair, which I started on January 17, 2024 and finished on January 22, 2024. For my 3.5 year old child, I used the 48 sts size and started them on January 22, 2024 and finished on January 25, 2024.

I have since started three additional pairs of these socks — two for my 7 year old and one for my husband, and I can’t wait to share them when they are finished.

Do you have any collected yarn that has been hiding away, unsure of what it wants to become? What yarn would you use for these socks?

by TechnicolorMom

Pause Time Socks

I am so excited to share that the Pause Time Socks pattern is officially out in the world! This pattern is available on Ravelry, and the code PAUSE20 will get you 20% off now until Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

The Pause Time Socks are knit cuff-down, beginning with a German Twisted Cast-On and 2×2 rib. The leg and foot of the sock feature a beautiful trio of short and long cables on the front of the sock and stockinette on the back. A traditional heel flap and gusset make for a great overall fit, and a rounded toe and Kitchener stitch finish off the sock.

The difficulty rating for the Pause Time Socks pattern is INTERMEDIATE. This project is worked in the round from the cuff down and includes cables, slipped stitches, increases, and decreases. Kitchener stitch is used to finish off the toe.

The pattern has been tech edited and test knit.

Pause Time Socks in Neon Melon

DESIGN INSPIRATION

It seems as though the older I get, the faster time goes, and sometimes I wish I had the ability to pause time. My two children seem to change and grow as quickly as the smaller cables on the Pause Time Socks. As I typed up this pattern, my three-year-old sat in my lap, pretending to type and control my finger movements. He won’t be small enough to sit in my lap for long, but I will enjoy the moment for now. The larger central cable takes the shape of an hourglass with longer stretches of stockinette between the cables, reminding us to pause and breathe in the beautiful moments around us.

RECOMMENDED YARN

This pattern will play nicely with any fingering weight merino/merino nylon blend yarn in solid, tonal, or lightly speckled colorways.

I used Sock by Teal Torch Knits, a 75% superwash merino wool/25% nylon, 463 yds (423 m) per 3.5 oz (100 g) base, in the Neon Melon colorway for my sample. I love how these cables pop in this color, and I cannot wait to get these cables onto some more accessories.

GIFT KNITTING

One of my goals for this year is to knit using stash yarn, and another is to knit gift socks for my extended family members. My husband, dad, mom, Grandma, MawMaw (maternal grandmother), and mother-in-law have all been enthusiastic supporters of my knitting endeavors, and this year I want to treat them to some handmade socks.

I wrote about the Dragon Fairy Socks that I gifted my Grandma a few weeks ago, and I just finished up a pair of Pause Time Socks for my MawMaw. She wears a size 6 shoe, so I was able to finish these up in just a few days. I love how these cables look in this gorgeous tonal yarn.

Pause Time Socks in Sangria

For these beauties, I used The Lemonade Shop House Sock in Sangria, which I purchased in September 2020. My MawMaw loves bold, saturated colors, so I thought this colorway would be perfect for her. I started these socks on January 26, 2024, and I finished them on February 2, 2024. You can find more info about this pair, including when I started the toe of the sock, on my project page on Ravelry. I’ve already started working on the sunburst granny squares to use up the leftover yarn.

Do you have a beautiful tonal or solid skein that would look amazing in these cables languishing in your stash? Maybe it’s time to cast on! Have you knit cables before? If not, what is holding you back? I’d love to ease any fears you might have about cable knitting.

by TechnicolorMom

Design Process Spotlight: Dilution Cowl

I was participating in a general cowl knitalong (KAL) with my local yarn store, Eat.Sleep.Knit, in early 2023 when the idea for the Dilution Cowl came to me. I was originally choosing colors for a different cowl project by one of my favorite designers – one where you hold a strand of DK weight yarn with a strand of fingering weight yarn, but alternate out the fingering weight yarn to create a marled fade. I made several swatches and could never settle on a good fade using only stash yarn. Eventually, I realized that I needed to choose something different because I felt like I was forcing the colors.

I loved how the DK weight yarn diluted out the speckles of the fingering weight yarn, and after I found a pair of yarns from my stash that I loved together, I knew I had to make something really special with it and started sketching. An asymmetric shawl is my favorite shape to knit for a shawl, and when this yarn spoke to me, I knew it wanted to be a cowl that had that same asymmetric shape. I wanted it to have a cable that was featured on the front and to have an interesting but easy texture for the drapey part of the cowl.

The earliest sketches of this cowl just had the cable along one side, and I just started knitting. This literally flew off my needles and was only slowed down by me stopping to take photos to share with a friend and admire my work. Do you do that? Stop to gaze lovingly at your knitting or crafting? If not, you should totally try it! Be impressed with yourself! You are creating something amazing!

Now, as I approached the length that I wanted the neckline to be, I started to think about how I wanted to finish off the live edge. I considered a simple i-cord bind off, and while I think that would have looked really nice, I decided to try something crazy and attempt an applied edging, where you knit an edging perpendicular to the body of the fabric. The idea was that I’d try to make the cables meet at the corner, but if I couldn’t make it work out, I’d just overlap them and call it a day. Usually I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself to just finish and prefer to figure it out, but I was on a relatively short deadline for the cowl KAL that I wanted to submit the project for. After several hours on the floor with a notebook, a calculator, and a measuring tape (which my children call “measuring snakes”), I ended up with a tentative plan.

I did not get the corner right on the first try. I got down to where I was ready to start intertwining the cables and started taking very meticulous notes. After the first attempt failed, I realized I needed to switch to a swatch so that I wouldn’t wear out the yarn with multiple frogging and reknitting attempts. I am a problem solver, though, and I just knew that I could solve this problem if I stuck with it. It took me about three tries to get it right, and let me tell you, I was just over the moon with pride at how clever I was when I did.

Once I had a good idea of how the corner was going to go, I switched back to the main project, finished out the corner, blocked the fabric, and seamed up the back, and there it was, the Dilution Cowl! I just love how this project turned out.

The last time I had published a pattern before the Dilution Cowl was in late 2019, so I was a little nervous about putting this design out into the world, but I’m so glad I did! Once I got back into the swing of things, I managed to publish seven patterns in 2023. Some of my design processes have been much more intentional than how the Dilution Cowl design process went, and some of them have just been the kind where I start knitting and see where it takes me. I can’t say that I have a strong preference for one over the other, but the laissez faire type definitely seems magical.

If you love the texture and cables in the Dilution Cowl, check out the Concentration Shawl, the Solution Socks, and the Solvation Hat. I’m also in the process on working on a baby blanket version where the cables go all the way around the perimeter of the blanket, and let me tell you that figuring out how to do the corners and cables on that one was even more satisfying than finishing up the corner on the Dilution Cowl. (That one took about seven tries, and I ended up with a whole pile of swatches.)

Solution Socks
Concentration Shawl
Solvation Hat

What do you think? Do you ever start knitting a project with a yarn and realize that the yarn wants to be something else? In a way, I think this is very similar to an author whose characters start taking them in a different direction than the author originally intended. The yarn is a character, and sometimes it needs its own adventure!

by TechnicolorMom

No Scraps Left Behind

When I knit a pair of socks, I rarely use the entire skein. I almost always have 20 to 30 grams (80 to 120 yards) of yarn leftover. In the past, I’ve just stuffed these too-large-to-discard leftovers into a drawer, but lately, this drawer has been making me feel overwhelmed. Maybe it’s the chaos? The unknown? Not having a plan? The tangles don’t bother me too much.

There’s definitely a hesitancy to throw the leftovers away because what if I need them one day? What if I need to darn some socks? Let’s be real, I’ve never darned a pair of socks. I’m sure that I am capable and can figure it out, but I’d just rather knit a new pair of socks and enjoy some different yarn for a while. So the holey socks go into a drawer of their own. I’m sensing a pattern here.

One of my goals for this year is to leave no scraps behind, so I’ve got a plan for my leftovers! I’ve got two different types of sock yarns that I typically work with: two-ply yarns that are 400 yards/100 g and 80% superwash merino/20% nylon and four-ply yarns that are 463 yards/100 g and 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon. I’ll typically use the two-ply yarns for socks for my children and the four-ply yarns for myself, but once upon a time, I only bought two-ply sock yarns, so I’ve got tons of them around.

My most recent FO is a pair of Dragon Fairy Socks using Kim Dyes Yarn Sourdough Sock in the colorway Leaves.Drizzle.Fiber.Friends. The yarn was an exclusive colorway for Eat.Sleep.Knit back in October 2020, so this skein of yarn has been hanging out in my stash for quite a long time. The Dragon Fairy Socks pattern is one of my upcoming designs, so you’ll see a bit more about it over the next few weeks (check out the sneak peek in the photo below!). The design looks fantastic in any dye style. These socks are for my grandmother, who will be celebrating her 81st birthday next week. She wears a US Women’s 9, so I had about 72 yards of yarn leftover after finishing these socks.

To use up the rest of my yarn, I’ve got three projects going on. The first is a crochet Hygge Burst Hexie Blanket by Mallory Krall. I’m holding leftover two-ply sock yarn double for this, and I’ll make a starburst hexagon for each pair of socks that I make this year. As I’m feeling up for it, I’ll also fish a leftover skein out of the Chaos Drawer to turn into hexagons as well. Each of my hexagons uses just under 12 g or 48 yards of yarn. I think this will be a fun way to use up some leftovers and create a memory blanket using yarns that will primarily go into gift socks.

The second use of the yarn is to make crochet granny squares for my Battenburg Blanket by Sandra Paul. I’ve been making four squares for each color that I use, and I’ve got about 100 colorful squares done so far. I’ll need about 500 colorful squares total for this blanket. I started it in September 2020, so it’s been in progress for quite a while, and I’ve used mini skeins from past advent calendars and other leftovers for this project. Each square uses 6 to 7 yards of yarn, and I’m only using leftover two-ply sock yarns for this blanket.

Finally, if I have enough leftover after this, I’ll wind up about 4 g of yarn into a tiny ball to save for December this year. Instead of purchasing an advent calendar of yarn minis, my plan is to save tiny balls of yarn leftover from socks that I make this year to craft tiny socks as holiday ornaments. This will be a great way to remember and revisit all of the socks that I’ve made throughout the year, even if they’ve been gifted away or so well loved that they end up in the Darning Drawer of Doom.

What do you think? Do you have a Chaos Drawer like the one I shared? What do you do to manage leftovers? Let me know in the comments!

by TechnicolorMom

Aspiring Professional Knitter

Concentration Shawl

A few years ago, I taught a first year college seminar class to help introduce students majoring in chemistry and biochemistry to some essential skills for succeeding in college. One of our major units focused on career exploration, and I tasked the students with thinking about three career paths:

  • The career path they were on, if everything went according to plan.
  • An alternative career path, if things did not go according to plan.
  • Their path if they were unbound from societal and family pressures.

The first two paths were pretty typical for students, with many students focused on healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and chemical industry. The third path was always the most interesting, with students choosing anything from “food blogger” to “freelance artist” to “baker.” This was how I really got to know my students and what their interests were, and it was so cool to learn all of their unbound plans.

Of course, I always shared how I would have answered those questions. The career path that I was on in college was to be a college chemistry professor and involved earning not only a bachelor’s degree but also a doctorate. Following graduation with my Ph.D. in organic chemistry, I enjoyed working in that career path for almost a decade. My alternative career path, as I answered when I was starting college, was to go into banking because I loved math. Now, of course, my answer would be to work at my LYS (local yarn store).

My “choose anything” career path is to be a professional knitter, so I always say that I am an “aspiring professional knitter,” even back when I was introducing myself to my organic chemistry students.

These days, I am a very lucky stay-at-home-mom to a 7-year-old and a 3-year-old and wife to the incredibly talented TechnicoolDad, and I couldn’t be happier. I am still an “aspiring professional knitter,” and I spend just about every free moment knitting (or reading, sometimes both at the same time!). The car line to pick up my daughter from school is one of my favorite places to knit, where I’ve got about half an hour of quiet time when I can really focus on my projects. My spouse makes it a priority to be home when possible so that I can attend my local knit night and spend THREE WHOLE HOURS knitting and chatting with my friends, making me feel spoiled and refreshed.

Sometimes, inspiration strikes, and I design my own patterns. I love this creative outlet, and in 2023, I managed to design, knit, write, and publish SEVEN new patterns, including four pairs of socks, a cowl, a shawl, and a hat. I have a few designs lingering from last year and on the needles that I hope to finish up soon and get published as well, but my family is my top priority and I am a “mood knitter,” so my design process can be somewhat sporadic. All of my paid designs are professionally tech edited to ensure maximum clarity and minimum confusion, and each pattern is tested by generous fellow knitters to catch anything that my editor and I have missed.

I’m planning a series of posts to discuss the origin of each of the ideas for these designs. The design featured at the top of this post is my Concentration Shawl (yes, it’s a chemistry thing) pattern that I absolutely adored knitting and designing, so look for a post about it soon!

by TechnicolorMom

New House, Not A Lot of Knitting

The last time I posted, TechnicoolDad and I were on our last week of only one of us working from home. The next week — the third week of January, I think — he and I were both working from home, and by Tuesday, we were on the phone with Grandma begging her to come help. Because working full time while also taking care of a baby and a pre-schooler (not to mention trying to teach them things) is not really possible. For me, anyway. If you can do it without help, you’re a superhero.

Anyway, queue the cascade that was February + March + April. Our baby was almost ready to move into his own room, but we had quickly converted the nursery (that he never actually slept in) back into Grandma’s room, and we were in need of some more space. So we decided to buy a new home and sell our old home. Everything went really well and smoothly for us, but it was a lot of stress and busy-ness, and saying goodbye to the home where our little ones were born was not easy.

Fortunately, we are now in a new home, baby is in his own bedroom (AND SLEEPING 11.5 HOURS AT NIGHT WHAT WHAT), and Grandma has her own bedroom on the ground floor. Life is good. Plus there is a playground in our new neighborhood, and my daughter is loving that.

So what have I been knitting for the last three months? Not a lot, to be honest.

Jaina has a new sweater! This is the Bean & Olive sweater by Andrea Mowry. This was a collaboration with Adella from Lolabean Yarn Co. For my version, I used Hedgehog Merino DK in Crystal for the main color and Lolabean Yarn Co Soy Bean in Felted Forest for the hearts. I purchased both from Eat.Sleep.Knit. I lucked out with a recent restock of more of the gray to make myself a matching Bean & Olive Grown Up eventually. I still haven’t blocked hers. Fortunately, this should fit for a couple of years.

J modeling her fresh-off-the-needles Bean & Olive pullover.

As a side note, this photo was taken in our old home. I miss the floors already, haha. We had just finished getting them just the way we wanted them with that gorgeous gray tile. Because as it turns out, TechnicoolDad and I both love gray. Who would have thought?

As it turns out, that sweater is the only actual finished project on my Ravelry notebook since the Hug Time Bracelets that I talked about in the last post, haha. That doesn’t mean I haven’t started anything.

On the contrary, I have several pairs of vanilla socks in progress and have been practicing with the circular sock machine. Here’s an interesting one:

These sock fragments were all cranked using my circular sock machine from the same skein of yarn. This colorway is All My Love, the January club colorway from Katie at Yarn Love. The interesting thing is that gauge changes dramatically altered the pooling effect. On the left, the spiral is 7 sts/inch and goes in a clockwise direction. On the two right-hand sock fragments, the gauge is 8 sts/inch and the spiral goes in a counter-clockwise direction. The second from the left sock is 7.5 sts/inch, and the colors pool together completely differently. I also thought it was cool that the two sock fragments on the right have a different density, even though they were made at the same gauge, one right after the other. Long story, shortened: You have to make gauge swatches even on a CSM.

My inner organic chemist came out to play on this one: The far left and far right sock spirals are enantiomers. They are non-superimposable mirror images, like your hands (you can’t face them the same way and stack them on top of each other). So cool.

Anyway, after fiddling with trying to make the heels and toes on the CSM, I finally called it and am in the process of hand knitting the heels, toes, and cuffs. Both heels and cuffs are done and are just waiting on the heels.

Other things I am currently working on: a pair of socks for TechnicoolDad, a gauge swatch for a new sweater, and a new MKAL.

Now that we are settled into our new home, we have a little bit more downtime than the last few months, so hopefully I’ll actually finish some projects. Both of us were able to get our COVID-19 vaccine first doses this past weekend, so we will be fully vaccinated in just a few weeks. Woohoo!

by TechnicolorMom

Hug Time

Good evening, friends!

This was the last week with just one of us working while both kids are at home. It’s been crazy, to say the least, while I got as much work done as possible. Next week, we embark on a whole new adventure: both of us will be back to full time work from home, and now we have two children to care for and teach something!

Our tentative plan is to divide and conquer. Since our youngest’s crib is still in our room (he will be 5 months this week), we have semi-converted his room into an office. Since baby boy is learning how to roll from front to back and how to reach for toys, he will be well occupied in his room with a parent supervising.

Daughter’s flower garden.

For my daughter, I am currently planning for lots of Circle Time with Ms Monica and activities making beaded necklaces and flower gardens. She received the necklace and flower kits from her aunt and uncle for Christmas, and they have been a big hit.

I have gotten almost no knitting done this week. I don’t think I even picked up my needles until Friday afternoon. I am currently working on a The Snuggle Is Real cowl. The pattern is my Maxim Cyr, and I’m using a mishmash of yarns: Western Sky Knits Simply DK in New York for the main color and Madelinetosh Vintage in Tybee Island Inn for the contrast color. For the lining, I am planning to use Shibui Knits Cima in Tar held double.

Yarn for my The Snuggle is Real cowl. From left: Madelinetosh Vintage in Tybee Island Inn, Shibui Knits Cima in Tar, Western Sky Knits Simply DK in New York.

The New York and Tybee Island Inn colorways were exclusives for my local yarn shop, Eat.Sleep.Knit., a couple of years ago, and I am knitting this project as part of their Q1 Mosaic Colorwork Craft-Along. It’s going to be so squishy and soft!

Progress on The Snuggle is Real cowl.

For this project, I swapped the main color and contrast color in the mosaic part of the cowl so that the gray would be more prominent, and I’m also staggering the contrast color purl bumps instead of having them lined up. I used a crochet provisional cast on at the start.

My daughter’s new favorite movie is Trolls. Every morning she is up before dawn asking me to play “Get Back Up Again” on the hallway speaker so she can dance.

Today, she asked me to make her a “Hug Time” bracelet like the one Princess Poppy wears. I’m afraid I’m not clever enough to make it close and open when it’s time for Hug Time, but I was able to make a cute little bangle bracelet with a flower closure. It took less than half an hour to knit and crochet this little project, and it is so adorable. The whole family is getting Hug Time bracelets at her request.

Hug Time Bracelet. Pattern by me, yarn by LolaBean Yarn Co.

I used some leftover yarns for this little Cold Sheep project: LolaBean Yarn Co Bean Sprout in Cast Off Castle (pink) and Felted Forest (red). I held the fingering weights yarn double to get a DK gauge and used just under 3 g total of yarn. I’m very pleased with how well it turned out! What do you think? Shall I write up the pattern for this?

by TechnicolorMom

Hello, 2021!

Hello, fiber friends and readers! It’s been a bit, hasn’t it?

A lot of things have changed in the past two years, but not much has changed at all. We have a new baby boy! He is four and a half months old now, and he is just precious! He is starting to grab at things and hold toys now, and he loves rolling over onto his tummy, but he isn’t quite able to roll back to his back yet. He loves sitting in his Baby Bjorn Bouncer (totally unsolicited and unpaid: this is my favorite baby gear that I didn’t have with my daughter).

Me and my baby boy. He is wearing a Beloved bonnet. Pattern by TinCanKnits, Yarn by LolaBean Yarn Co.

My sister and my BFF also had new babies this year. My niece was born in April, and my “nephew” was born just two days before my son (how cool is that??) in August. I knitted a Beloved bonnet for each of them (and one for my daughter). I can confidently say that this is my favorite hat pattern ever, and it’s only a matter of time before I knit one for myself. The pattern is Beloved by TinCanKnits. For all of the ones I knit this year, I used LolaBean Yarn Co. Soy Bean (shown in ESK exclusive colorway “The Magic Yarnstalk.”) He is wearing the “baby” size, but this hat pattern ranges from newborn to adult.

My daughter is four years old, and she is growing and showing us how clever she is day by day. She knows all of her letters, lots of shapes, and quite a few numbers. She’s been following instructions to build Lego sets and showing us her creativity in building with her Lego bricks, artwork, dramatic play, and making up songs, stories, and characters. She will be starting Pre-K in the Fall, and I am sure she is looking forward to going back to school and being around other children.

I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with TechnicoolDad and our children over the last year, and we have been very privileged and able to work from home and keep the little ones at home with us. The last year certainly had trying moments for us, but nothing on the scale of what I know so many others are experiencing. Like so many others, we’ve avoided social gatherings, missed out on family weddings, and had birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas celebrations with just the four of us. We are eagerly awaiting the COVID-19 vaccine trial results for children, and we are waiting for when the vaccine will be rolled out to us. We are ok with it being a little while since there are so many other people who need to be a higher priority than us right now.

You can expect more frequent posts from me for the foreseeable future. I know you’ve heard that before, so I’ll have to prove it to you this time. I won’t keep you for long today, but I did want to share a couple of my favorite finished objects from 2020.

These are a Boxy sweater for me and a Little Boxy for my daughter. This is her second Little Boxy and my first Boxy, and I definitely plan on making more for both of us! Both patterns are by the super talented Joji Locatelli. I used Hedgehog Fibres Sock Yarn in the bright red “Sin” colorway. I love how these turned out. I wear mine all the time, and my daughter pulls hers out of her drawer whenever it is clean. Yes, we have run hers through the washing machine and dryer, though I know we shouldn’t. I knit the size 36/38″ for myself and the 4 yo size for her. The adult pattern goes from 28″ bust to 54″, and the child version goes from 6 months to 12 years.

Me and my daughter wearing our matching Boxy/Little Boxy sweaters. Patterns by Joji Locatelli, yarn by Hedgehog Fibres.

I started these in September 2020 as part of the Joji Fall KAL 2020 and for the Harry Potter Knit & Crochet House Cup group on Ravelry, where I play as a Ravenclaw. My yarn was purchased from Eat.Sleep.Knit, which is local to me but has the best online presence of any LYS that I’ve experienced. I finished both of these in November 2020 in time for the KALs after staying up until 3:00 in the morning on each of them…I tell myself I’m not doing that again!

Note: Links are provided in case you want to see more about any of them. They are all unaffiliated, and I don’t currently make any monies off of you reading or clicking. It’s just for funsies, but I love that you’re here with me!

by TechnicolorMom

Frog or Finish: Part 1

Pairs two and three for January! Bicycle Socks (yellow) and Creeping Kudzu (purple).

I am a process knitter. That means that when I knit, I do so for the enjoyment of the project. It also means that I end up with a few unfinished objects or works in progress that end up languishing in a project bag or my yarn dresser for a long period of time, some never to be finished. I’ve just lost the motivation, or the joy, or whatever it was that made me start knitting that project to begin with.

I’d like to change that. I’d like to either finish the project or free the yarn and needles so I can use them for something else. My husband, Technicooldad, and I have differing opinions on this — he thinks that I should just finish it so I can move on to the next thing. After all, I can always buy more yarn. I struggle with this. I want my knitting experiences to be fun, relaxing, and engaging. If I’m bored, frustrated, stressed out, or not having fun, then why am I even doing it?

My goal here is not to force myself to finish projects. Instead, I’m hoping to remember why it was that I cast on that project to begin with. Each month, I’ll select a project from my pile of WIPS and decide what to do with it. Some of them will be easy. I have a couple of pairs of socks that literally just need to have the ends woven in. Some just need photos so I can feel like my Ravelry page is complete. But some will take more work. (Here’s looking at you, Hue Shift Afghan!)

Things I’ll consider:

  • How much of the project is complete vs. not complete?
  • Am I able to finish the project? Do I still have the materials required for it? Does the project even live with me anymore?
  • What will I do with it once I’m finished?
  • Why did I start the project to begin with? What did I love about it?
  • Why did I stop? Was I frustrated with it, or did I get distracted?
Finished Bicycle Socks!

For January, I’m pulled out my Bicycle Socks. I started on these August 1, 2018 as part of the 2018 Tour De Sock, which is hosted on Ravelry. The Tour raises money for Doctors Without Borders. Designers donate patterns, knitters pay an entry fee, and everyone has a blast in the competition. My socks were over 75% complete. The first one was done, and the heel had already been turned and gusset decreased on the second.

I still had all of the materials, Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock in Cian that I had purchased from my LYS, Eat.Sleep.Knit. I’m planning to gift these socks to an aunt whose favorite color is yellow for her birthday. I love the cable details in the pattern. So why did I stop? Well, I didn’t finish them in time for that stage of the tour, and the next stage was starting, so I needed to move on to another project. That’s ok, because I picked them back up this month on January 21, 2019.

It didn’t take me long to finish these (January 24, 2019), and I’m so glad that I did. Aren’t these so cool? You can find the Bicycle Race socks by Heidi Nick pattern on Ravelry. This is definitely a focus-and-pay-attention type of knit, but the end product is worth it!

My Chiaogoo 2.25 mm 40″ fixed circulars and my green ESK bag have officially been released back into the wild! Will you join me in choosing to Frog or Finish? Do you have any languishing WIPs that need to be finished? Next month, I’ll be working on my Lagertha Socks (pattern by Melissa Beyer) and freeing up my blue ESK bag!