FO Friday

I finally have an FO to share! I have been working on my Crevasse Socks for almost a year now, on and off (mostly off). After a long period of hibernation, these socks went with me to a conference that I attended a few weeks ago, and I managed to knit almost the entire second sock during those three days. If only every day could provide so much excellent knitting time! As a bonus, I also met several other knitters and crocheters who approached me when they saw me knitting.

I am happy with the finished product, even though it's not the best combination of pattern and yarn. The yarn is very special to me, as it was a wedding gift from my husband. Tiffany blue and chocolate brown were our wedding colors, and this colorway of J. Knits Superwash Me Sock is called "Connecticut," where we lived when we got married.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2012 everyone!

Phew! I can't believe that I've neglected my poor blog for nearly two months! Shame on me! I don't really "do" resolutions for the new year, but it is definitely a goal of mine to make blogging a more regular habit in the coming months.

Here's what I've been working on since I last blogged...
1. I finished the February Baby Sweater! I even sewed grosgrain ribbon in behind the button band. It will be going out in this week's mail.

2. I made a moose! For TMG's mom for Christmas, I made a Confused Moose. She loves him.

3. I'm not quite finished on the gift I've been working on for my best friend, who may or may not read this, so it shall remain a mystery for now.

4. I finished the Fuzzy Farm Sheep that I started making for my mom YEARS ago! All the poor thing needed was a face and some legs. He will be this month's MOM installment.

5. I made three Little Birds for my Grandma for Christmas. I only got a photo of the first two, as I finished the third whilst traveling.

6. I finished the first of my Crevasse socks, but didn't take a picture yet.
7. I worked a few rows on my Haruni shawl.
8. I sewed two pairs of fabulous flannel PJ pants with OWLS on them! Photos are pending.
9. Saved the best for last! I finally jumped on the bandwagon and started HEXIPUFFING! I'm hopelessly addicted and I have already declared 2012 the "Year of the Hexipuff." Here's a picture of my first five 'puffs... I won't say how many more I've made since I took the picture:

For those of you who may have been living under a rock, hexipuffs are little modular units that, when put together, comprise a brilliant pattern called the Beekeeper's Quilt. Don't worry... more on that to come!

Happy New Year, and happy knitting!

WIP Wednesday!

I have several works in progress to showcase today for WIP Wednesday! Without further ado, here are the aforementioned vacation projects in their current varying stages of completion:

Project #1: Crevasse Socks
These were the socks that I furiously cast on in preparation for vacation. I didn't end up working on them during the trip, but I did put in some time with them this weekend while watching movies and while visiting my in-laws on Sunday.

Project #2: Haruni Shawl
I started this project back in February and woke it from hibernation for the trip. I worked on it for a few hours at the hotel while watching Deadliest Catch, Cake Boss, and various baby shows on TLC. Now that I'm home, it will likely go back into hibernation until another time when I can really sit with it and focus.

Project #3: Clapotis
Most of the knitting that I did on vacation was on my Clapotis. I cast this on just before the trip and made substantial progress on it. I worked on it in the airports, on the flights, in various taxis and towncars, and outside and the hotel. TMG noticed (and texted me about) a young girl with a flip cam watching me knit at BDL while waiting for our first flight :)

Vacation Knitting!

Last night at around 6:30,  with report cards written and submitted, session reports locked, and voicemail messages changed, TMG and I set our work emails to "Out of Office" auto-responders. We are officially ON VACATION!

We are heading to LA on Monday so that TMG can attend the Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka "E3"). I am excited for our first trip to the "Left Coast," not only because we are going to Disneyland on Friday (!!!), but because I will have four days of uninterrupted knitting time while he gets his geek on at the convention center.

Today's agenda involves doing laundry, packing bags, and, most importantly, deciding on what knitting projects I will take on the trip. I got to thinking about what criteria the perfect project(s) would have.

First, I decided that I needed a project that would be simple or repetitive enough that I could pick it up and put it down from one moment to the next, without worrying about losing my place in a lace pattern or chart. Ideally, it would be something with a memorizable pattern or, at the very least, one that could be neatly summarized on a 3x5" index card. It needed to be small, so as not to take up all of the precious space in my carry-on luggage. As it is summer and we are heading to California, I also decided that a plant-based fiber would be more suitable than wool.

A quick scan of my Ravelry queue led to a serious "duh" moment when I realized that I still haven't knit the ubiquitous Clapotis by Kate Gilbert. I have a skein of Blue Heron Rayon Metallic yarn that I got in a swap some years ago that is PERFECT for the pattern. First project - check!

The second project I decided on is the Haruni Shawl pattern by Emily Ross. I cast this one on back in February as part of a KAL, but I only got a few rows into it before getting distracted and relegating it to the UFO basket. This will be a great project because it will only take one skein of sock yarn, and it is complicated enough to keep me busy during the days at the hotel. The yarn is a wool blend, but the lacy pattern and circular needles will keep it from pooling up in my lap and being too hot. Second project - check!

I decided that a sock project was necessary because, well, a sock project is always necessary. I started knitting the Farmer McGregor Socks out of a skein of J. Knits Superwash Me Sock in the Connecticut colorway two weekends ago, but ended up frogging them because the yarn and pattern just weren't playing nicely in the sandbox. I have decided that the Crevasse Socks will be my next sock project, and I am thinking about trying them with the J. Knits yarn. I saved the cuff from the other sock, so I will be trying the Crevasse pattern this weekend and seeing if it is a better match for the yarn. If not, my plan "B" is a skein of Knit Picks Bare yarn that I dyed with Easter egg dye last weekend.

Now that my knitting projects are planned (and I've printed a copy of the "Yes, knitting needles ARE allowed on airplanes" document from tsa.gov, I suppose it's time to start thinking about what else to pack, like, you know, clothes. What can I say, I have my priorities!