Socks, about to be put on hold

For some reason, I'm having trouble feeling motivated to work on these socks. The first one is finished, I love to work on corrugated ribbing, and the prospect of 2 row stockinette stripes is usually really compelling. You would think I'd be chomping at the bit to get going on sock number 2. I don't know what's wrong with me!

That last sentence is a lie. What's wrong with me is that I don't like either orange or brown, but I made the choice to put the two colors together in an attempt to use up sock yarn scraps. My thrifty "don't buy new sock yarn when you've got a storage tub full of the stuff" attitude has officially backfired in the form of these socks. Someone is certain to love them, but it isn't me, and that means I'm going to start working on a different project instead of finishing up the second sock of this pair.

Do you ever get halfway through a project and realize it's just not your jam? What's your strategy? For me, for now, it's goodbye, little fall-themed socks, and hello to my Beekeeper's Quilt!

reminders

Working on this project is reminding me just how much I love working with handspun and just how much I love spinning! I took a little bit of time last week to finish up some more new yarn, too; it still needs to be set before I will show you pictures, though. There's also more fiber in reserve in my studio, a beautiful brown alpaca that is just gorgeous and which I am looking forward to spinning up now that I've been reminded how satisfying it is to spin and create new yarn.

On the theme of reminders, Lent started this past Wednesday, and instead of just giving things up (the classic "no dessert for 40 days" kind of thing), I'm also trying to take seriously the idea that giving up vices or distractions means creating more space for developing a relationship with God.
For me this year, that mostly means making time to enjoy the small things in life (like spinning and other creative pursuits) and remembering all the things I'm passionate about.  I'm not going to lie, the last several months have been great in terms of productivity and friendships and career-type stuff, but I've felt drained and bored quite a bit of the time when I'm not actively doing work, and I know my life doesn't need to be that way. So I'm taking time this Lent to pursue the everyday practices that help me remember that life is actually full of opportunities and things to enjoy.
This morning, it meant not going out and buying a coffee, but making myself a latte at home, working on my shawl, grading some quizzes and thinking about how I can make my class better for students. It means taking time in the evenings for some spiritual reading - I'm going to start some works by St. John of the Cross later this week.  It means having a gift knitting project on the needles, making something nice for someone else who will use and enjoy it.  Basically it means lots of things, and every Sunday during Lent, I'd like to take a few moments here to share my practices and my reminders here.
Plus there will be knitting pictures.

Anyone else doing any spiritual practices right now, for Lent or any other reason? Care to share in the comments?

I stole this yarn...

... from Lauren's yarn cabinet. She knows about it, so there's no need to go rat me out. I went over for dinner and hanging out, but I didn't bring knitting, which as you all know is just totally unacceptable. She kindly offered me pretty much total freedom to rifle through her collection of fingering weight yarn and start a project. This triangle shawl is the result.

The main green is Dream in Color, and it's squishy and marvelous.  The contrasting stripes are random wool selections from my massive tub o' sock yarn leftover. That tub is still ridiculously full, even with all the stashbusting projects I've been working on lately.

As you can see from these photos, I've included some garter eyelet rows in the sea of stockinette for more interest, and I've reached the bottom border, which is just a block of garter stitch that will hopefully prevent the material from rolling.  A quick and satisfying project using someone else's yarn? Very, very satisfying.

More socks? Why, yes!

Happy holiday weekend! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving and are enjoying the last day of this restful weekend. I am certainly giving thanks for the chance to catch up on sleep, catch up on knitting, and catch up with some very good friends over meals, movies, and glasses of wine.

This whole process of using up sock leftovers with skinny stripes and interesting color combinations is pretty fun.  I'm currently staving off second sock syndrome and my annoyance with all the dangly, tangling ends by alternating between pairs.  That means more works in progress and fewer FOs, since I'm still working on the socks from last post and I've started a pair in this new green-orange colorway.  I've got one of each and a start on the cuff of the second primary color sock.

By the way, because of my limited budget and my ridiculous stash, if you're a member of my family, you're probably getting socks or something else knitted for Christmas. Just to warn you...

How do you bust your stash?

FO: Opus Spicatum

Pattern: Kate Gagnon Osborn's Opus Spicatum hat
Yarn: Cascade 220 heathers in Galaxy (purple) and Olive Heather (green). I used the purple as the MC or background color. There is a ton of yarn left over.
Needles: The pattern calls for US 9 needles, but I used US 8s in the hope that I'd end up with something more fitted than slouchy. Seems to have worked.

As you can tell, I was having some trouble capturing the colors of these yarns accurately in my apartment living room. The shots where it's actually on my head are closest to how the yarn actually appears.

Verdict: This was a pretty quick knit, finished up over the course of a week without much time to dedicate to the knitting. I love having a new hat just in time for the really cold weather, and these muted, low-contrast shades are pretty flattering with my eye color, if I do say so myself.

My knitter-friend Julia helped me choose the color combo during a stop by our favorite Chicago yarn joint, Loopy.  Her advice about finding a green to go with the purple was spot on.

Ravelry project page here.

Surprise! More stripey socks

Yeah, this project probably is not a surprise. I love stripes, and I love socks: what could be better for knitting down the sock yarn stash than a pair of tri-colored stripey socks?

These are two-row alternating stripes in plain stockinette stitch.  Yarn details (sort of) are on my Ravelry project page. I'm alternating between 6 stripes of white and 6 stripes of marigold, all against a background of variegated trekking. I originally thought I might incorporate another yarn in a tonal cerulean shade, but I think it was a better choice to stick with solids as contrast colors.

One major upside of my ongoing stashbusting mission is that I have not purchased any new sock yarn since February. That's right, February. The plastic tub's worth of sock scraps is... not noticeably depleted.  Socks really don't use up as much yarn as I thought! I may be forced to start one of these...

Wool socks and other signs of autumn

In a somewhat silly attempt to use up sock yarn leftovers, I've cast on for a pair of stripey socks. As you will see below, there are so many sock yarn leftovers that this project hardly makes a dent.  Also, I fail at being random in my color ordering choices, but I am willing to own my controlling tendencies.

These socks are the perfect project to celebrate the start of autumn.  Some other things around my house are marking the change of season, too.  For example, mini pumpkins. I was so excited to see a giant bin of them at the grocery store this morning!

Also at the grocery store:

Goes well with the pumpkins, right?  Also goes well with pumpkin cream cheese muffins. Who knew you could make these things at home? I am so going to weigh about 8 million pounds by the time fall is over.

Maybe if I try to eat a balanced diet with plenty of veggies (oh my gosh, SQUASH!!!), I will only weigh 7 million pounds.

Then I will still be able to wear my cozy vest and autumnal scarves.

 And my new socks, seen here perched atop the neverending stash of leftovers. I need to come up with some more project ideas, and fast.

FO: XOX Fall

Is it really Fall? It sure feels like it outside, and I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Almost time for sweaters, hot chocolate, and crunching in the leaves!!!  The cravings for tomato soup and grilled cheese have also started to set in.

In celebration (well, really in a state of optimistic anticipation, because it was pretty hot last week), I made an effort to finish these socks that have been languishing in a project bag since... wait for it... October 2010. Oh yeah. Vintage socks right here.

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks Stripes in colorway Sienna - I quite like this yarn. It's very firm, and the color changes are fantastic.
Pattern: XOX Socks - Hugs & Kisses by Wollhuhn. The cable pattern is both simple and, after one repeat, fairly intuitive.  The ribbing along the back is pretty and stretchy, and I am starting to see the merits of a plain stockinette heel flap.

Mods: None. I might have gone my own way when it came to the toe, but I don't think that really counts as a change to the pattern.
Verdict: Yes, yes, yes. I heart these socks. Hugs & Kisses for everyone! My Ravelry project page is here.

In other news, my apartment is being demolished so that all the plumbing can be replaced. Everything is covered in a fine layer of plaster dust, and there is no hot water for washing the dishes that have been so coated. I am trying to look on the bright side and convince myself that this means a free pass to order takeout and immediately change out of fancy clothes into pajama pants whenever I walk in the door. Right? Right.

On the needles: workhorse socks

A simple pattern in a self-striping yarn

Slow progress during short breaks from reading

Knitting Very Important Facts into each row

By the time exams get here, I'm going to have to wear about 10 pairs of socks and 4 or 5 hats and probably a sweater in order to make sure I've got all my knit-stored memories within easy reach.  Maybe I can change halfway through each of the five exams to get the most out of every handknit?

On the needles, plus Gus

Today I get to grade papers and do some class prep - busy day ahead! Here's wishing you (and me) some time for crafting and relaxing.