Sadly, Miss Mags has stopped blogging, and as hers was one of the blogs I really enjoyed, I’m a bit down about it. Probably that has something to do with why I’m thinking about shutting down my own blog. Still, we’ll see. I’m focusing on writing this year, and I think that might mean I’ll write more to the blog! Perhaps.

Shall we wrap up my 2011 finished projects?

Nine projects in 2011. And, as it turns out, that seems to be my limit for knitting in a year. Granted, I knit two sweaters in that year, two sweaters that I am insanely proud of. I’m getting there, it looks like.

Do I have any knitting goals for this year? Yes. Try not to go weeks without knitting. It really helps me relax, and I’d love to have more lovely handknit things in my life. My brother would like real fingerless gloves, and my aunt has commissioned a sweater from me (which is coming along! I’d like to finish the first sleeve soon, then I’ll be able to say I finished a sleeve in less than two weeks and that’s an accomplishment, right?). I would like to knit up more of my yarn for sweaters.

Hopefully knitting will keep keeping me sane.

The unfortunate part is how easily sock yarn stash accumulates. I think I have enough for three pairs right now, and what exactly am I supposed to do with all of that? I guess I’ll get creative.

On the bright side, I already asked Becky months ago if she’d be all right with me sending her some pink socks. She seemed to think it was a risk she’ll be willing to take.

So many tiny cables! No wonder this project took me months. I think I started these socks out of boredom and heat exhaustion sometime in July.

I’m a fan of the way these cables take over the entire sock. They took forever, but it’s so worth it when someone makes a sock pattern that isn’t just “here’s this stitch pattern, input it into your normal sock structure”. Something that plays with the structure so that it’s fresh and new. These socks definitely hit that spot.

I mean, the cables even go all the way to the tip of the toe! Thank you for not being a standard sock pattern, Java socks. Thank you very very much.

boredom socks (Ravelry):
Pattern: Java by Cailyn Meyer.
Yarn: Austermann Step? I forgot to put these details into Ravelry, and I am not sure where the ballband went! Oh no! It was definitely the one that has aloe very in the yarn, though.
Needles: US 1 – 2.5mm

I have got to finish the things that are on the needles right now. I’m a bit tired of my projects and ready to go on to something new. Just finished these yesterday, so I’m doing pretty well at documenting right away at least!

Socks:

I have always wanted to try this pattern. I’m sorry you can’t see it as well without a model, but I really do not need any more socks so I’ve taken to knitting socks for dear friends like my roommate. Therefore I feel weird either modelling them or asking the friends to model for me. I’m pretty pleased with how the socks turned out, though. The colors turned out great and the yarn is so squishy.

A close up—does that help at all?

buzz (Ravelry):
Pattern: Drunken Bees by Domesticat.
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet, who knows the colorway
Needles: 2.5mm

Firefox 4 is also pretty shiny.

While waiting for the computers to transfer I threw some of my nervous energy into finishing a shawl I’d been working on over the semester.

Aaaand I knew I was going to run out of yarn at the bind off. I had about a quarter or maybe a bit more of the stitches left when I thought about melting and ranting and raving and putting this project away never to see the light of day. Then I calmly walked to the corner of my closet in which yarn leftovers make their home and found this storm purple/grey yarn. I had a quick argument with myself: am I the type of person who will finish the bind off in another color? Am I the type of person who will rip back and take out a row or two in order to have enough yarn? Am I the type of person who will blog about this first and ask other people’s opinions before doing something drastic?

Before fully committing myself to the realization that I just needed something off the needles, I asked myself if I wanted to rip back a row and knit two rows in storm grey so that there’s a cool border of light purple. And do I want to give this to someone. No, it didn’t work out that way. This knit was solely for my comfort in a time I was grieving. Therefore it needed to be off the needles, and it couldn’t belong to anyone else, and I am totally okay with the fact that part of the bind-off is in a different color. Surprisingly, it fades in fairly well. Watch this space for FO posts, hopefully coming this week!

At the end of April I was searching for a temp agency in a confusing area with a friend and we found a yarn store as we were on our way out. We were sooo excited that we practically ran to the store, which had this lovely yarn. This lovely, inexpensive, squishy, variegated yarn, which is Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet. Oh yeah, these socks are going to make someone’s feet happy. As I knit this I realize that I’ve missed variegated yarns lately! Good variegation, that is, which this most certainly is. Happy stripes of color. This sock is knitting up far too quickly for my enjoyment.

I decided that I have more than enough socks, so any pair I knit from now on will have to go to friends and family. This pair is going to my roommate, who has been a great person to have around, and she hasn’t gotten anything knitted in the last year since living with me. It’s time! ;) It’s funny to me that I think of myself as primarily a sock knitter, but in the last year I’ve stopped knitting socks so much to the point that I almost forget what my favorite methods of knitting socks are. I guess life really does go in stages.

But sock yarn is still a good yarn to get me as a present. Because as the first picture reveals, I am not above making more shawls… At one of my knitting club meetings last semester they said they attributed shawl knitting with me. Must be my current knitting phase!

Without further ado:

Mystery Socks! By now it’s just tradition to do these every year. I do really like the cuff and heel details, although the main pattern isn’t something that would have caught my eye otherwise.

‘Course, they’re still some of my favorite socks to wear. I think the color has a lot to do with that, too.

Well, not much to say about these except that my sock mojo has waned. I have too many socks in my drawer and not a lot of other people to knit them for, so I’ve turned to shawls. Tune in sometime the week of May 16th. ;)

mystery socks, part 3 (Ravelry):
Pattern: TTL Mystery Sock 2010 by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select Semi Solids in Burgundy
Needles: 2.5mm

On May 14th I’ll walk across the stage and receive my diploma. What a ride it’s been to get here. I’m both looking forward to the future and freaking out a bit about it. After all, most of my friends are moving away (to other countries, even), no plans to see them again. Yesterday, to celebrate being done with finals, a friend and I went out and spent the day shopping and walking and having a girls’ day. It was lovely: great weather, sunny and warm, and I got my hair chopped off for Locks of Love. I’m ready to embrace the future, whatever it holds.

As soon as the ends were woven in, these socks ended up on feet. I got called evil for wanting to take them off to block them. Ahhh, just the reaction a knitter likes. ;)

A close-up of the stitch pattern:

Habsburg Royal (Ravelry):
Pattern: Knotty or Knice by Chrissy Gardiner
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Jewels. I love CTH.
Needles: 2.5mm
Modifications: I hate short-row heels so I used the gusset heel from Baudelaire. I could have just made them top-down, but a knitter needs to switch it up sometimes.

And now I need to cast on something new. It’s been a busy week. It’s been a busy life. It’s probably going to keep being busy for a long time yet. And you know what? Keeping busy makes me happy, so I’m good over here.