Head to Toes
In my last post I talked about hats, now it’s on to socks:
Frooty
Froot Loop from Knitty
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in a green colorway
Needles: US 2 Bamboo double points
Modifications: none
Thoughts: These fit really nicely and are so comfy. I was a little worried that the stitch pattern wouldn’t stand out very well but I think it turned out great.
Swing from the trees with the greatest of ease.
Monkey from Knitty
Yarn: Regia 4-ply (superwash) in brown
Needles: US2 Bamboo double points
Modification: none
Thoughts: Love the yarn, pretty comfy. Brown is one of my favorite colors and I’ve been wanting to make some brown socks for a while now. I did pick this pattern because most monkeys are brown, I know I’m a dork. I really like the way the toe fits on this- it’s a wider ending point than most patterns give and I think it fits my toes better. I don’t have pointy feet after all.
The next pair of socks I’m working on are Waving Lace from Interweave Knits.
I have knit a pair of these before and have been wanting to do a pair for myself ever since. They are going well but I’m a little bothered by part of the pattern. You see there is a yarn over right after a purl in one part and right before a purl in another. You can probably see the problem in this picture:
The yos after purls are so tiny that they almost aren’t even there and the ones before purls are huge. I don’t know if there’s another way to be doing these yos or if that’s just the way life and this pattern are but I guess I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing. They are cute socks anyways.
Steampunk Hat
As promised, a report about my cool Steampunk hat:
Detail view
Dragon*Con 2008
Sam and I went to Dragon*Con this year. We had tons of fun. I made us costumes but we only ended up wearing them for 1 hour on Friday night. I was totally unhappy with how mine turned out. I’m going to be working on it.
I want to make something that goes with my hat better. I’ll post about the hat soon. For now I’m going to mope about failed ideas. 
Missed Out
The following are a few projects that I failed to blog about over the past year and one that I did blog about but never put the picture up. Follow the cut for pictures!
Spinning
I wish I was talking about the exercise but I’m talking about making my own yarn. I asked my mother-in-law to get me a spinning kit for my birthday this year and she delivered most awesomely. I have a new drop spindle and three different fibers to work with. Ellen is an awesome crafter with a weaving specialty (her degree is in Fiber Arts) and she used to make her own yarns so she taught me how to use the drop spindle. I haven’t been practicing very much lately because I am easily discouraged.
The first mini skein (the white) was made with some really lanolin-y wool that she brought with her on their last visit to teach me with. I love how cute the skein looks but I put too much spin in so it’s kinked in lots of places.
The second skein I spun (green)… is not much better then the first. Eh, I just need to practice. I’m glad I didn’t give up on knitting, crocheting and sewing when my first few projects were crappy- I just need to channel that determination. Of course, I did take long breaks between the times I first learned all those skills and when I actually started to use them semi-regularly. Maybe I just need a little time to let it sink in. I see all the pretty yarns that people spin on craftster and it makes mine look like hogwash. I just have to remember that I am a novice at spinning!!! Come on Lauren- practice! 