Attempts at Car Knitting

Hello,
In the last 48 hours or so, I have been sitting in a car for about 15 of them with my family on a drive up to Canada for a wedding. This was not fun. I have a neck ache and more, and my cramped legs are still recovering. Ouch!
Thinking that this would be a perfect time to knit, and with the idea (cough, fantasy) of finishing my second sock in mind, I brought along the sock and my cowl.
I was bored out of my mind the entire time, and please remember that my view out of the window was pretty much this the entire time:

Blurry Photo #1: Trees, Trees, Trees, Trees, Trees.....

 Although for brief moments somewhere in upstate New York it was this:

Blurry Photo #2

 Considering all of these factors, you'd think that my fingers would have been itching to knit the entire time. However, I found car knitting to not only be uncomfortable, but kind of annoying. Now I wrote that word real small because I'm embarrassed of this confession. I only managed to get about a half an inch done on my sock and a bit more on my cowl. Here's the picture I managed to get of the cowl:

Blurry Photo #3: Featuring my lap and cramped knees

Anyway, I found car knitting to be difficult mainly because my normal way to knit is in the laziest position possible-lying down on my bed watching movies. I'm not used to knitting sitting up and so under the best of circumstances it tends to feel slightly awkward, but in a cramped car-forget it. 

So there you go. I am indeed ashamed. 

The 5:03

Hello,
It's been a little longer than I'd hoped since I last posted here. I don't have very much progress to show since I last posted, since I feel that my sock posts are repetitive! But, in terms of actual knitting progress, I started my second sock and I have just completed the heel turn. Tomorrow I'll hopefully pick up the stitches for the gusset (that is, when I figure out how to do it again...*cough ask my mom cough*). Anyway, this time around it's going much faster.
My only problem is that my gauge is a bit tighter than the first sock I think, which is disconcerting considering the last one was a bit too tight in the foot. UGH! Hopefully it'll be okay. Also, I think I have two different dye lots for the skeins-in this skein, the lightest purple color is lighter than the other! wtf! After years of crocheting and knitting, I now realize the importance of dye lot. Whatever, its a striped sock.
Also, I tried to start the skein at the same point to match up the striping, and while so far so good, I think it might for some reason not match up after the heel. Once again...whatever.

Anyway, So I realized that considering this blog is called everywhere knits, I haven't shown you guys pictures of me with my knitting outside of my bedroom. So here we go, here is a picture of me knitting the heel flap on my train home today. The picture is of my messy lap (feel free to snoop inside my bag, ha. Zip lock bags, btw are very good for keeping knitting clean from the sun chips crumbs that inhabit the bottom of my bag).

 And here is the proof that I was actually on the train:

As you can see, the main demographic of the 5:03 peak train is balding middle aged men. And me, apparently, knitting a sock. I fit in really well. 

Thanks!

WIP: Cowl

Hello,
Firstly, I'd like to thank anyone who has read or commented so far! I very much appreciate it and it makes me feel like I'm not talking to myself! Haha.
I attempted to start the second sock last night. One thing that threw me off-is the second skein a different dye lot? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, I'm not sure if it is or not because I don't have the ballband of the first skein. And maybe the colors look lighter because the first skein is mostly used up? I don't know, but I'm a little freaked out by it. It may just be my imagination. Either way, I'm using that one.
I got a two rows into the sock, but then on the third row i messed up the ribbing somehow and ripped it out. I hate casting on and now I have to do it again! UGH. I will though! No second sock syndrome. I promise.

In the meantime though, I started working on a cowl. I'm using Bernat Softee chunky in a dark blue. I love this yarn, it holds up well, its soft, it comes in nice colors...Anyway, I've made two scarves out of it so I figured I'd make a quick easy cowl out of the leftovers from one of them. All I did was cast on 36 stitches on size 9 needles. (Using my denise's!) The pattern is six rows each of 1x1 ribbing and then garter. Because garter is stouter than stockinette/ribbing, it creates thin bands that break up the ribbing. It also creates a wavy edge where the ribbing pulls in, which I actually like. Easy. 

Here are some pictures of it so far. Keep in mind the color is totally inaccurate, its a true navy blue.

Half an FO? SOCK

Hello!
So I have finally finished sock #1. It fits, although its kind of snug...I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the next one, I may make the next size up, or just extend the length of the foot more. Overall, I'm happy with it and it feels a little weird that i finished an actual sock!
Also, the calf part of the sock came out a bit shorter than I was expecting, but I like it. Here are pictures!

As you can see, the color sequence is mauve, deeper mauve, blue/white, grape, blue/white. I'm wondering if I'll be able to make the next one come out the same, I'm going to try to start the skein at the same part.

Here's hoping it'll take me less than a month to make the next one!

Also, I am feeling an addiction coming on...

...but that may be just a hunch. ;)

Pillow, FO' show.

Hello,
As I showed off in my last post, I have been working on squares for a pillow using Lion Brand's Thick and Quick for the past couple weeks. Its been a good side project for my socks, because its the exact opposite of the sock: super easy, mindless, big needles, big yarn.
Anyway, I finished up the last square on Friday and sewed it all together while listening to the knit happens podcast, which I'd recommend. I also watched the movie "Where The Heart Is", which might give you an idea of how long it took me...oh well. I've only ever seen a part of that movie a long time ago. Natalie Portman is probably my favorite actress, and she's adorable in that movie. I also love the movie Anywhere But Here, which she also stars in.
Anyway, my sewing skills leave something to be desired. It was the first time sewing knitted stuff together, I've only ever done it with crochet. Some parts are pretty messy, but it's okay. I ended up going with the pillow insert route which worked out really well. I got a 12 by 12 one at A.C. Moore (although I'm sure any craft store would have them) for about eight bucks. The pillow in the end is super pillow-y, versus how it would have been if I filled it with polyfil (ie, overstuffed it with polyfil). Also, it was super easy and took way less time than stuffing it with polyfil.

Here are some low-quality pictures:

Thanks!

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.