The Infamous Heel Turn...

Hello once again, I come to you with an update on my first pair of socks. To me, socks were always what knitting was about-unforgiving, precise, challenging. This project has been an interesting adventure and I have learned a great deal about knitting from these.
Of course, there's the skills learned. I've never worked with such tiny needles or yarn before, and that in itself was an adventure. Even in crochet, I've never worked with such small yarn, and I'm decently advanced in that craft.
Secondly, in this project I have ripped out my work several times, fully dropped stitches (LADDERS AHHHH), and learned to pick it all up. A tiny little crochet hook has been at my side throughout working on these so far, and has been indispensable. I've ripped out my needle to rip back before on other projects, but never like this. Never with such tiny yarn that makes such tiny loops and which makes it ever-so-difficult to secure dropped stitches and get them back on the needles.
Thirdly, picking up stitches. I'd never done that before, and after I put down my needles for a few days because of the next learning challenge I'll discuss, I actually let this sock sit there for a week before attempting it. With a little help from my personal knitting teacher (my mom), I picked up those stitches and it wasn't a big deal.
And now ladies and gentlemen, the fourth skill learned and perhaps the most intimidating one...
*drum roll please*

The heel turn! I've read about how once you turn your first heel, it changes you. I'm still not quite sure HOW it happened, how those decreases lined up to create the heel. But it worked! Like magic. It totally worked. And it wasn't that difficult. Even though I'm only on the first sock I've even done it twice now. (*cough*...the first time I had to rip it all out because I read the directions for the wrong size, oops...) Anyway, I'm definitely much more confident about my knitting abilities and I now have greater faith in just following a pattern and watching the knitting develop without exactly knowing how it works. 

In addition to working on this sock, I'm about halfway through the pillow I mentioned in my last post. Here's a somewhat out of focus picture, my apologies:

I've finished the pink squares, and now I am up to the purple ones, as you can see. There will be two pink squares and two purple squares on each side. As you can see, I'll also be arranging them so that some squares have the ridges horizontally while others are vertical. 

These are done with wool ease thick n quick, with size 10.5 needles. I casted on 17 stitches (6 inches across) and worked for about 34-35 rows until it measured 6 inches. The pillow will be 12 by 12 inches. I'm not sure how I'm going to stuff it just yet, I don't have faith that the stitches are tight enough for stuffing to not come out of it (although 10.5 was the tightest needle size I could stand with this yarn), so I may go craft-store searching for a 12 by 12 pillow insert. Anyone know if they even make those? I'll have to google it.

Also, I just want to say once again, that I love these denise needles needles. They have become my go-to needles for projects, even ones NOT worked circularly. They are so easy to use and feel good in my hands.

However, for science's sake (okay, really, because of my knitting tools obsession), I have something else in the mail...

Works In Progress!

When I first started knitting regularly last November, I really thought I'd be a one-at-a-time project knitter. I worked on a seed stitch scarf for about three months and was totally content. For those of you who've never done seed stitch, it's probably one of the slowest of the basic stitches. And, I had casted on 37 stitches. But I was fine, totally fine!

But nowadays, when I'm mid-project I'm always ITCHING for the next one. I started working on my first pair of socks last week. I was at Michael's and saw for the first time their whole new yarn collection. I was pretty much flabbergasted (and not in a completely good way) by all the changes they made, and with my heart beating, I saw the new "Luxury" sock yarn the michael's brand loops & threads has come out with. And i thought, why not?

Here are some things you need to know about this:

A. This picture quality is completely awful and the colors are totally off

B. This picture is also outdated, because I've since completed the heel flap and turned the heel (!!!)

C. It's been really interested working on this because I've never worked with such thin yarn and such tiny needles. Also, I've barely worked with DPNs so I've definitely gotten better at managing them with this project.

D. The next thing I need to do is pick up stitches for the gusset, which I'm nervous about since I've never picked up stitches before.

Regarding the yarn:

A. I should have picked one with lighter colors, because the darkness of the purples makes it difficult to work on during the evenings when the lighting is awful in my room. 

B. Its very soft and I would recommend it, although I don't think it's going to wear well.

C. I really think that they should make this yarn in solids because if they did I would totally buy a bunch to do lace, it's that soft. 

So yes, socks. And back to what I was saying earlier, about itching for the next project-while I totally like working on these socks (although I'm currently at a standstill because I need someone to show me how to pick up stitches, ie, my mother), I'm still itching about making something else. Currently on the horizons is a wrap with Caron Spa yarn (I have 4 balls I bought for a different project, but I dont think I'm going to use it for that. UGH!) and a pillow using at least some of the massive amounts of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick I have. 

Oh and:

 

Yep, you guessed it. New washcloth, Lily Sugar n Cream.

REVIEW: Denise Interchangeable Needles Kit

Hello! Today I come to you in the form of a video. About a month ago I purchased the Denise interchangeable needle set. Other people's reviews heavily influenced my decision to buy this kit, and I'm glad I did. I thought I would add my own thoughts to the interchangeable needle debate. :)

Details Not Included in the Video:
Price: $49.95, I purchased mine from Amazon here. I highly recommend checking out the reviews other people had on this product on the Amazon page.
Availability: This kit is not available in craft stores, although I have heard that some local yarn stores carry the kit. However, with Amazon prime you can order the kit with free 2-day shipping. It's also available on the denise website.
My Rating: It's hard for me to tell because I do not own other interchangeable needle systems, however compared to the other circular needles I have tried I give these an 8.5 out of 10. (The cons are discussed in the video.) But I don't know! All I can say is that I like them!

Okay, here's the video!

Confessions of a Washcloth Knitter

Okay, so here's the thing: something that I have learned through my many hours spent browsing ravelry is that knitters fall into two categories: dishcloth knitters, and knitters who would never even think to make one.
A few months ago, I would have definitely fell into the latter category. But then, with a ball of orange lion brand organic cotton in hand, I decided to get more comfortable with making increases and decreases. As I knit along on my diagonal square, I have to say I felt...silly. Embarrassed. When my boyfriend asked me what I was making, I mumbled, "oh-nothing-just-a-square-who-knows-what-okay-bye". When I finished up my 'square', I didn't even sew in the ends, I just put it on my desk. And I always sew in the ends.
But then I figured that I didn't have much to lose by trying out this oh-so-soft square as a *washcloth*. So I did. (I still can't even imagine using these as dishcloths, I'm sorry, but no)

And then I used it for four nights in a row without even washing it. There. I admit it.

It was just...oh so soft. I loved how the color grew richer when it became wet, I loved how squishy and rich it felt.

So then I made another, with a tighter gauge this time because I realized that water stretches knitting. And then another. And another. Then I used some stash lb cotton ease doubled, which made a whole different texture that I STILL loved. I use them exclusively at night when I wash my face and take off my make-up. It’s my own private luxury, that makes me feel comforted and calm.

So now I’ve got about eight of them. I use the grandmother’s favorite pattern for the most part, found here. I love making them, because they are so quick. When I don’t know what else to knit, I knit one. When I’m bored in the middle of a project, I knit one.

Tearing the plastic off...

Hello!
Welcome to my brand spankin' new blog. We all know that the first entry is somewhat important and almost always bad, so I'm just going to get going with it.

This is me, Abby:

I am obviously looking appropriately nerdy, slightly too excited, and wearing a pink shawl I knitted and starting a blue skinny scarf that's currently wrapped around my neck.

And now that you've seen me, here are the basics (at least, the basics for knitters):

Age: 22 although others claim I'm 17.

Occupation: Graduate Student studying the noble profession of social work, I'm halfway through.

Years knitting: I knit my first horrible swatch around age 18, but actually began the knitting obsession about eight months ago.

Other crafts/hobbies: I am originally a crocheter, although I've been bitten by the knitting bug and now i *get* it. 

Favorite yarn: This has yet to be discovered, although I have discovered many least favorites... 

Favorite type of needles: For straights I like the 9-inch bamboo clovers, and I have recently purchased a lovely set of denise interchangeable circular needles that I am basically obsessed with.

Favorite colors to knit with: Recently, it has been softer colors, light blues, pinks, lavenders, purples.

Favorite type of project to knit: Something simple with a bit of a twist, something to keep me interested yet doesn't require a pattern in front of me constantly.

Project lusts: LACE. Socks. (But I'm in the midst of conquering the latter!)

Anyway, I hope to chronicle my knitting lusts and many mistakes through my lazy photography skills (iphone, photobooth...mind you, I have actual cameras) and of course, through writing.

Thanks for stopping by!