Some of these things have actually been off the needles for months, but I would set up stupid "efficiency" tasks for myself like: "Oh, I'll darn in the ends on these when I finish that other pair of socks I have on the needles," and then I would go off and work on something else, and both projects would languish. But here's the latest this week:
These are from the Fall 2008 issue of Interweave Knits and are the first socks knitted from the toe up that I've ever got to fit a human foot. I like the idea of having a full toolkit of methods for knitting, but I really don't get why people are fanatical about toe-up socks. Then again, I still don't get why people are fanatical about knitting in the round, even though I'm knitting in the round a lot myself lately (although expecting that to change somewhat this fall when I start making sweaters and jackets again).
I'm not the biggest fan of making bobbles, but these were no more than two bobbles per round, so it was fine. I like the use of ribbing to make the whole sock a bit more shapely. I had to make these wider and longer than what the pattern called for, but everything worked out in the end.
The back gusset adds some nice shaping to the jacket and makes it a bit more difficult to see where the graft line is that joins the two halves at the back (it's along one side of the gusset and up the centre back).
The collar is made from the twisted edge up and then joined with a gathered three-needle cast-off. I'm finding French Girl Knits has some great construction ideas that make you think "Hey, I could use that for..."
I'm also working on another French Girl constructed-in-two-halves jacket. I need more jackets, and since I am sitting down in a cubicle most of the day, I prefer knitted ones. It would be loved to post finished photos of both of these soon, because that means they're getting used!
Bacchus socks
These are from the Fall 2008 issue of Interweave Knits and are the first socks knitted from the toe up that I've ever got to fit a human foot. I like the idea of having a full toolkit of methods for knitting, but I really don't get why people are fanatical about toe-up socks. Then again, I still don't get why people are fanatical about knitting in the round, even though I'm knitting in the round a lot myself lately (although expecting that to change somewhat this fall when I start making sweaters and jackets again).
I'm not the biggest fan of making bobbles, but these were no more than two bobbles per round, so it was fine. I like the use of ribbing to make the whole sock a bit more shapely. I had to make these wider and longer than what the pattern called for, but everything worked out in the end.
Celtic knot socks
These are from the same issue of Interweave Knits as the Bacchus socks — lots of great patterns in this issue! These were also written for toe-up construction, but since the texture pattern is symmetrical, I knit them cuff-down since that was easier on my brain.Beaded earrings
I bought all the beads and findings for these a couple of years ago, and they've been languishing in my bead box ever since. One night I spontaneously decided I was sick of them using up the space in the bead box, pulled out my pliers, and put them together. I had to redo them once (but only once). In the end they seemed to turn out:French Girl lace jacket
I finished this one a while ago, but (as you can see) have been having trouble photographing it. To make this one, you knit two halves —cuff to centre back, and then cuff to centre back for the other side — and then knit the collar separately, using a three-needle cast-0ff to attach it. The three-needle cast-off is what gives the jacket structure — there are absolutely no seams anywhere else. My two big modifications for this one from the original pattern were to make it long-sleeved and to add a garter stitch border to the bottom, instead of the single crochet originally called for.The back gusset adds some nice shaping to the jacket and makes it a bit more difficult to see where the graft line is that joins the two halves at the back (it's along one side of the gusset and up the centre back).
The collar is made from the twisted edge up and then joined with a gathered three-needle cast-off. I'm finding French Girl Knits has some great construction ideas that make you think "Hey, I could use that for..."Now what?
I started my first knitted doily today, and even though I took several hours out to visit some friends, I am still 60% done by the round count. The rounds are getting bigger and bigger, of course, but there are also more plain rounds, so the progress has actually been pretty linear.I'm also working on another French Girl constructed-in-two-halves jacket. I need more jackets, and since I am sitting down in a cubicle most of the day, I prefer knitted ones. It would be loved to post finished photos of both of these soon, because that means they're getting used!