Excused from dusting

Nothing like having a cold as an excuse to forego household chores and lay in bed & knit. At least I got the laundry done this weekend.


Yarn4Socks kit from coughfall2007cough
Merlot Vine Sock by Anne Hanson
Twisted Fiber Art Arial ombre self-striping yarn
size 2.50 mm KP circs
mod: Judy's Magic Cast on for the toe

I actually finished this after the weekend 'cause I left the second sock at work. I love this relatively easy pattern, speaking as a lover of lace knitting (or knitting lace). I have half the skein (50 g)of yarn leftover. Plenty for a pair of fingerless mitts later. I won't do the matching lace pattern though as it biases.


Brioche Hat from Weekend Knitting
Crystal Palace Merino 5 Solid in Deep Forest & Chamois - 1 skein each
size 8 & 10 Boyes interchangeable needle set

Thankfully finished before the Superbowl game since it was actually a rather exciting one to watch, especially from a neutral party perspective. My DH is happy and appreciative of this hat, especially with the little hunting I had to do to find the right combination of "forest green & tan" that he specifically wanted and all the grumbling he overheard as I worked on it. I had a doozy of a time trying to keep the 2-color Italian tubular cast on from twisting around when I joined in the round for this hat.

The only quibble I have is that because I chose a yarn based on color rather than matching the weight that was spec'd in the pattern, my stitches, especially in the crown decreases look awfully wonky. I hope that a good wash & block will smooth them out.


Bella's mittens (apologies for the craptastic shady lighting)
Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Onyx Heather (65 g from each of 2 100 g balls)
size 10 KP circs

Since I left my second Merlot sock at work, I wanted something to alternate w/DH's hat and cast on for these adorable mittens. (I can hear my sister laughing at the geekiness of this.) A very clever knitter reverse-engineered the pattern from analyzing various movie promo pics and who knows how many viewings of the movie. The pattern is super quick and easy. Love it!


Bella's hat to match!
Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Onyx Heather remainders from the mittens
size 10 KP circs

The mittens were such a quick knit I decided to knit the hat designed to match the horseshoe cable pattern in the mittens. Also quick & easy! I cast on during the Superbowl game 'cause I could barely get 2 rows of my Digitessa sock done correctly while watching.

Who said knitters never make matching knitwear?

YPF courtesy of Yarn4Socks

In celebration of Yarn4Socks 1 year anniversary, I bought their anniversary kit #2. I love Donna and Valerie's service and quick shipping.

And I have Nell to thank for helping me decide to get the Phoenix Fiberworks Briar Rose after I saw her post hers last week. (She's got a much better pic of it too.)


In a bit of AADD knitting, I started Monkey1's Cabo Hoodie in between doing the second Siren sock and Firestarter. (Yes, I did bind off the first Firestarter.) The Lanas Puras Melosa I'm using seems not quite a fluffy as the Malabrigo I used for Monkey2's Cabo Hoodie, but it still gives me a lovely soft fabric.


I'm basically going to make the same mods as the first one I knit, but Monkey1 wants me to add blue plastic beads to the cuffs and one smack in the vee of the neckline. My sense of "no bling on clothing" aesthetic is fighting my desire to give Monkey1 some creative input on her hoodie.