Outlander Socks, Mittens and More Mittens!

So....it would work out that Camden has the first pair of Outlander socks, right???  That's a darn shame - something I will need to rectify at some point (maybe in a couple years, aha!).

I don't know WHY I had to make them for her, but it worked out that way - something about not liking the pooling on size 00 needles with 60 or 64 stitches...or maybe I'd tried 000 needles and hadn't like the pooling.  I can't recall at ALL, as I knit them between August and September, but I LOVE them, even though Camden is the one to enjoy them on her feet!

I just knit a vanilla sock, 56 stitches and size 00 needles, using lovely Voolenvine yarn (dyed by Kristin of the Yarngasm podcast!) on the Lush base, which she no longer carries, as she has a new version of MCN, not as high-twist.  The color is her signature Outlander colorway, and it really is so pretty, though the photos don't do it justice, of course.

I am still trying to decide how to fine-tune my sock knitting.  I have gone up from using 000 needles at this point, which is fine, but my row gauge is still pretty tight, though I love the fabric I am getting.  You can see above, also, that I did knit ribbing at the lower cuff/behind the ankle, as I like how it cinches in a bit.  I knit my heel flaps pretty long, but it is a SQUEEZE to get them up over Camden's instep.  Her last three pairs have been this way, and I don't think knitting a mile-long heel flap is the permanent answer, LOL.  They fit great, when on, so, who knows.  She wears a size 1.5 shoe at this point, and she can still squeeze into her awesome green Hue Loco socks and her pink Cyborg's Craft Room socks, though I think we're retiring the pink socks...for the first time, I accidentally machine-washed a sock (because SOME children I know leave their socks all over their beds), and it did shrink up a tiny bit, so, I need to machine-wash the other so they are the same - then squirrel them away.

As for my next two projects, they are just wee pairs of mittens for Camden and Tiberius!  I made sure to use stash scraps or whatnot.  Pictured below is what the purple yarn was used for the first time (and which is now stored away in a bag somewhere, aha).  And below that is Tiberius's Bad Bunny (I didn't use actual Gnome Acres Bad Bunny yarn, but this was close enough, and I again realize I never took any great photos of the poor bunny, as with a certain book report dress).  Anyway, I use the Stars or Stripes mitten pattern, and it has worked well for me so far!  I tend to like cuffs super long, as they are then tucked nicely away under coats and shirts, keeping their wrists warm!  I will say that because of how densely I knit them, Tiberius's pair came out with non-ideal pooling, so, I really should have sized up a needle.  I used 1.5s and 2.5s on his pair - and maybe Camden's, too.  I have a feeling I'll have to re-knit mittens for Tiberius before this winter is out.  At least they're quick!

And...days in the life!

Someone doesn't want to bring a hat or shawl, so, he steals my things...

Ahahaha!!!!

Jotting down the 12 uses of dragon's blood.  Of course.

Sing Me a Song of a Finished Skye Boat Shawl

An easy shawl....a slow knitter.

I cast this sucker on for our family road trip to Michigan back toward the end of June.  I finally bound off last week.  I can't even recall what took me so long to finish it - other than all the traveling we've been doing over the past several weeks.  Summer is just a slow time.  I remember last summer as the months-long Doodler knitting, so, I shouldn't be too surprised.

The Skye Boat Shawl is clearly named after the lovely song which stands as theme song for silver screen adaptation of Outlander (my favorite books EVER!!!  Go READ them!).  Written by Judy Marples, it is a lovely, simple knit.  The repeat is easy to memorize, and Judy's instructions are easy to understand and to the point, which is always glorious.

The yarn has been in my stash for a few years....maybe even over FOUR.  It was originally meant for the Julissa sweater for myself, but, well....we see where I've gotten with sweater knitting for ME.  And seriously - that sweater is GORGEOUS.  Why have I not knit it???  Anyway, the yarn is Colour Adventures in the Dia Merino DK base.  I think part of why I hadn't knit this Georgin colorway is that I never felt it was quite MY color, though I loved it.

Clearly, though, it would work in a shawl!  And since I hadn't yet knit a heavier-weight shawl, I decided to go for it - though it DOES always make one nervous to use part of a sweater quantity of yarn, right???  :O  I have, I am guessing, two and a half skeins left, which clearly isn't enough for a sweater for Camden, which is a darn shame.  Such is life.

Also!  Reds, as we know, are hard to capture on camera - well, at least to an inexperienced photographer such as myself, though I promise it basically does look like what you see in the photos.  It maybe seem as though the photos are washing it out or brightening it, but the colorway just looks like that, aha!

And...goodness!  Days in the life of us in Michigan!!!  Omigosh - too many photos!!!

Minus two cousins

Amelia faces....

Matt has the camera, but that's a lot of people!

In which I appear nekkid!  A lovely invite to Nicole's beach house!

Giggling sisters???

                                      

Sisters and Sisters

Besties since 5th grade!

                                                       

A little fog burning off Lake Huron at Mackinaw Island

                                      

Matt being a creeper, photo ONE

Matt being a creeper, photo TWO

Matt and Willow being creepers, photo THREE

Doodle THIS!

A finished object?!  What's THAT, you ask?!  I do, indeed, have one ;)

I was knitting away on my Doodler Shawl by Stephen West of Westknits (FB page) fame when the whole move thing happened....and ate away at my LIFE.  I had some laundromat time to knit, and that was lovely, if I was on my own (not gonna lie:  there were 2-3 times I skipped down to the laundromat, conveniently located 3 minutes from my house, SANS children.  BLISS.  TRY IT.).  Then it was hot, and I was quite the negative nelly about knitting - and preferred, instead, to pick up the Harry Potter books and the Outlander books and while away the hours, LOL.

Trying to really impress you with those wrinkles!  Poor shawl!

But.  I LOVE the shawl!  Hooray to me that it's DONE (albeit after three months). I did make the process only a TEENY bit more painful, in that I'm not a huge garter stitch lover.  I wanted to see some stockinette in there.  I incorporated the stockinette on the wedges, which clearly slowed me down a bit, what with all the purling, but it was honestly not a big deal to me.  In the end, I DO see how the all-over garter stitch pulls it all together, but I like having broken it up a bit.  I was pretty tempted to knit the long cable in stockinette, also, but I said a big EFF THAT SHIZ and forged ahead with garter.  I wanted that thing off the needles.  I would have been done so much sooner, but for the move.

LOL, funny little brother

The pattern is clearly awesome.  It was super well-written, and I did just fine.  I needed to watch a quick tutorial for the cast-on, but I think that was it???  LOL.  I am a bit sad that I didn't pick up quite right for the i-cord edge in the middle of the shawl, so, there isn't a cool i-cord look.  That loveliness is more obvious on the WRONG side.  Bah humbug.  Ah, well.  

I did try to make the most of my lovely yarn, which is from The Wool Barn.  I used the Silk Sock base in the colorways Sage, Autumn Delight (Maya is way awesome and custom-dyed that colorway for me!) and Metal.  I do overall think I should have used a purple, rather than the Metal, but that was my choice and nothing doing now.  I have realized over time, though, that I'm not a fan of 50/50 wool/silk blends.  I like a bit less silk in my yarn, mostly because I want it slightly less shiny.  The yarn itself is awesome, though, and everyone who has seen the shawl has loved it and commented on it, which is nice!

Overall, it was a lovely project, and now I dream of casting on for another Stephen West design, the Exploration Station...when I have time on my hands.  For now, I work on the Across the Pond shawl by Mina Philipp.  

In life/family news, we are better organized around the house, though there is still so much to do (I know I'm a broken record, LOL).  Matt's dad helped put in the tub, which is one of the last things to be finished in the bathroom.  The clawfoot is lovely, but we are naturally experiencing some leaks, so, I hope that is remedied tomorrow.  We also hope to complete a bathroom door and cabinet doors for the hall cabinet over the next week or so.  My sister will be visiting with her husband and children (new baby, too!!), and I'd love a cleaner and neater space for them to all run around in.  I will blog about that visit and hopefully another project in just a couple of weeks!

Poor dad

Grandma's first bike ride in a million years!

Matt won a cool sharp sword!

Free pottery lesson with Lisa!

Camden actually plucked away on this that evening...WITH the band!

LOLOL

Your usual box picnic