Great Things Rest in the Stash

Periodically, I go through my stash.  Yes...I do forget what is there.  Sometimes I need something particular that I know I have and am not taking the easy way out (I have a lot of stash..) and buying it instead of looking for what I need.

This time, I was going through boxes looking for something else and two skeins of Encore Sock appeared.   Encore, in all of its weights, is a go-to workhorse yarn.   The colors are nice.  The care is easy even for the busiest of recipients.   Finding these two skeins is like finding...gold.

Encore Sock is discontinued.   It is a shame as it was done in nice colorways and it a quick and pleasant knit.   If Stashbot is correct, I may be able to get a pair of socks out of one skein.  That way, I could make two gifts with what I have. 

While I like this enough to make a pair for myself..there are only two skeins and it would be nice to get the gift socks out of the way.  Who knows?  Maybe there is more in the southern part of my stash?

Socks are such a good carry along project.  This year, I am making the Christmas and/or birthday gifts early so that I don't have to power knit to get the gift done.  Nothing like forced knitting to suck out the joy.   As I use transit, I have a lot of waiting time.   At least I can put it to very good use!

My thinking knitting is done at home.  My deep thinking knitting is done at home, with the television and the phone off so there are no distractions.  I have a couple of those projects lined up to push my brain.   In the meantime though, I am making a series of easy to knit, low stress socks.

Not All Feet Are Created Equal

Commercial socks are really not a good fit for every foot.   If one's foot or ankle is out of the norm, socks from the store just don't work.   I have a friend, Nancy, with just that problem.

Nancy sent her measurements and I pulled some yarn from the edge of the stash.  Going to the center is just too scary right now.   I chose some Encore Colorspun DK as it colors of the two skeins are like sunshine.   The "sock" gauge at which I work this yarn is five stitches to the inch (8 rows...if you are curious).   These socks are going quickly.  I want to get the first pair to Nancy to check the fit.

While this picture doesn't really show what I was doing well - if you squint you are kind of able to see it - it shows what I was doing to the back of the cuff to take the top of the cuff down to the measurement I needed at the heel flap.   No, I did not take notes but will have to look at the first sock carefully as I do the second.

I am going as quickly as I can before I forget why I did what I did.

With a little luck, I can finish the first sock quickly and do the second cuff this weekend.   I would like to get these on Nancy's feet so I can know if my numbers are correct.

From the Depths of the Stash!

Out of the depths of the stash came the kit for Bunny Slippers which I had to have from Mary Maxim when I saw it several years ago.   The kit had been languishing in a box with other baby knitting related things until the right baby came along.

The kit had yarn for three pairs of slippers....a green pair, a pink pair, and a blue pair.   With the yarn provided....a fourth pair could possibly be made. 

The yarn is Baby Kashmere which, though the kit is not, still available from Mary Maxim.   The yarn is very pleasant to knit with and not too splitty.  As I am a loose knitter, I ended up getting the gauge with Size 6 needles.

The pink pair is done and in the mail today.  The blue pair, which will go to Owen, is still in progress.   I will wait a bit to do the green pair as I don't want the booties to languish in a drawer.   The last of this yarn will wait for the next round of babies.

More sparkle...

The sparkle socks I was knitting myself are done and waiting for their world debut tucked away in my sock drawer.  

One of my friends is coming in from of town next month.   One of her favorite gifts is a pair of handknit socks.    Raggi has some nice worsted weight sparkly sock yarns.   This pair of socks will have pink sparkle on a range of cream, pink, and brown.

Raggi is currently hard to get in the US.  I am hoping that someone takes over the distributorship

Raggi Sock Yarn

from the folks who are retiring from the business.  Raggi is a truly wonderful yarn.  The colors (check out http://www.jarbo.se/en/artikel/raggi/ - this picture is from the that site) to see all that these folks do with socks....from plain to snazzy.   The colors in this version are great.  The picture doesn't show the dark pink lurex that gives this colorway a nice bit of bling.

I have made socks from this yarn for a lot of people.  It has been my go to yarn for a long time.  I will miss it when my stockpile in the stash is depleted.

There are lighter versions of Raggi also.  I have some of the finer version but have yet to knit it up.  It is resting in the stash until I get a chance to work on it.   The finer yarn will be used solely (HA!) for my feet.  I am looking forward to it.

If you can find a couple of skeins of Raggi, make yourself a pair of nice thick socks.  Your feet will bless you and your toes will sing your praises.

The Pillowghan is done...and on to the next!

The pillowghan is done and now peacefully co-existing on the couch with Dolly.

When I was working on the blanket part of the pillowghan, I measured the work against my body.   When the blanket reached the point at which, when draped over my feet, it reached my chest, I thought I was done.  Okay...so arithmetic failed me.  I thought I was at 53".  No.  I was at 46".  Did I measure it before I bound off and started the edging?  HA HA HA HA! Fortunately, the blanket works for me.  While I ended up liking this project, it is hard to fold, keep folded, and keep looking tidy.  Fortunately, that is not a problem for me.

Craftsy came out with a very nice new acrylic yarn, Sprightly.   I bought the super bulky version, at a very good price, because one of the colors as seen on the screen would look splendid in the new apartment of a friend of mine.  The color, Carribean, looked perfect.  Out of the box, it was darker than I wanted the color to be.   Out of the skein, it looks a little better.  The yarn is nice, though a little splitty.  

Fifty Four Ten Studio has to be my favorite designer of throws and blankets.   For the Sprightly, I am Boulevard Blanket pattern.  Having learned my swatching lesson with the Yak Hat, I did several swatches before I had the fabric that I wanted for this project.   It is moving along nicely and I am enjoying the ride.

I bought ten or twelve skeins and will make this a nice length for wrapping up and resting.

The Sparkle Socks are nearly done...may even finish them today.

Next...a pair of sparkly Raggi socks for a gift for a friend who will visit next month.

So much knitting, so little time!