New Socks!!

Holidays have been spent writing up lesson plans, studying and some knitting in between.

Spotlight had new sock yarn out so I had to try it. It is Moda Vera Noir. A little scratchy in places but hopefully it will soften up with washing. It was also very thin in one or two places but for only $12.95 ($8.95 this week on special - typical!)






I also finished my first pair of monkey socks, these seemed to take the longest time as I could not decide on a pattern, much time was lost researching patterns on Ravelry. One is bigger than the other because it got tried on a lot.



My third lot of Teaching Practicums starts on Tuesday, so I will be tired and grumpy for the next 8 weeks, I have 5 x one day per week sessions followed by a three week block.
I have prepared a unit of work containing 9 lessons on plant life cycle / germination etc.
I have decided not to do a teaching prac next semester as I feel it would be beneficial to have some more ideas for lessons by doing other fun units such as Maths and Science (oh boy) for both 2nd sememster AND Summer Semester. I need to do Summer Semester this year or my plan to finish in 2013 will not happen.

It is finally raining here and it is expected to continue for the next week, yay, lesson plans are almost done with one more to go, so that leaves the rest of the holidays for knitting. We all know how great it is to be sitting inside under a rug knitting, while outside is grey and dull and wet (or is that just me?)

So What's New?

A new look, however I now have to change and repair all my links!! Surprise, didn't know they'd disappear, and gone too are my finished items and In Progress bars.. will have to find them and stick them in.

This is not going to be done sometime soon, but I will eventually have this as I like it.


Okay, I think i like how it looks now.

Cannot get the old one back so this will have to do won't it?!

Can't see what is missing, will have to go through old template to find out...thought I could just pop old template bak in the html space if I didn't want to have to fiddle with this one but guess what? Yep updated Blogger does not work with old Blogger template :(

Off to find out what else to put in. At least I figured out the progress bars whoohoo!!

Not much knitting has been happening this week, why? Cos I'm addicted to this dam Vampire Wars game on Facebook.

It is sucking up every spare minute I have. I think it's because I have been so focussed on the real-life never-ending happenings - uni/study/work/parenting etc - that a bit of fantasy role play is very enticing.

You attack people for blood, hire minions and they give you blood, blood is the currency etc etc.

Anyway enough of that, I currently have 3 pairs of socks on the needles.

Not happy with how the Nutkins have turned out so it'll get frogged, only half of one done.

My Lorna's Laces in tickled pink are striping and I don't like it so they are awaiting a trial on larger needles to see how they'll turn out and if the striping will be more of a pooling type of effect.

My plain tiger socks are the ones I've turned to, plain, non-thinking knitting and they are the only ones I'm happy with at the moment.

No pictures, it's too late to get the camera out and find the sockies. And I need to go get some more blood mwahahahah!!

We have been messing around with the Ashford Dyes again. Now that the shed is set up it is so easy to head out there and throw some dye on some yarn.

I will never get ( well I don't think I will ) any Poison Nr 5 from Wollmeise. So I tried dying yarn with purple and black:




Wanna closer look? It's darker in person.



But wait.. were's the black? Well after it had dried I noticed some patches that I missed, and I checked during dyeing, really I did, so I threw it in a purple dyebath for a second go. Some black bits remained black and the purple went really bright. In person it looks more darkpink and dark purply black. This will be a Forest Canopy Cowl Fetching Set.

I am trying to dye the perfect *tiger* yarn. Oh wait let's look at my first go - which I used to knit my Tiger Feet socks ( yes, I did do one) emphasis on the one.



Just not happy with how they were knitting up. And I suck at duplicate stiching so I've found out. They are hibernating because I had to go and attempt tiger yarn #2:



But wait, where are the white bits? Duh forgot to leave room for white. Back to the dyepot:

This is tiger yarn #3. I'm much happier with this one but there is a bit too much grey. Alhough I like how the colours merge into each other- took care with this when dyeing it up, so that turned out as planned - which are a bit lost in the way it knits up but. Had to drop everything to see how this would knit up. Grrrr ;)

wish blogger would stop messing around with my photos looks much better the right way up.


Miss A had a go at dyeing up some balls for projects that she has requested. This we have named Rainbow Pony Spew, it has soo many colours. It is going to be her winter Fetchings.



This one she dyed up for socks, mainly has primary colours and is not as colourful as the above yarn.



This is my blue/green attempt. This one is also for a Forest Canopy Cowl/ Fetchings Set.



I have not been monogamous with my knitting lately which is not at all like me.I cast on the teal Moda Vera Socks to see how they'd knit up ( been doing that a lot lately) on 2.5mm needles. So far so good these will be put aside as an 'in between projects' project, something to grab when a small project is needed. They are more teal in person.



Still want to knit a Wisteria and a Tangled Yoke Cardi, and have the yarn ready to go for them but uni starts up March 2nd and I am having fun messing around with dyeing and socks at the moment.
I know when uni starts I won't have the time to mess about and will be back in the strict timetable cycle of work sleep study.

I knew it

Now where did I put that crown?

A few projects to update:
firstly another felted bag. This was completed at the same time as the others but I've only just found the camera charger and now feel comfortable using the camera again knowing the batteries can be charged.




Lincraft Cosy Wool, 1.5 balls. 5.5mm needles. This bag carries my sock WIPs.

Also completed Patonyle Socks #4314 from a destash in Ravelry.


Just wanted to see how they would knit up. Lucky to have the stripes match up.
2.5mm needles and my sock recipe.


Lion Brand Magic Stripes 2.5mm needles and my sock recipe. This is a bit scratchy after the Patonyle so they are hibernating for a bit.

I saw these on Ravelry and had to have a try at making them. In a coincidental twist, last night I was surfing the stash for yarn to use for my next pair of socks and decided that I am competent enough at knitting socks to use my hand dyed tiger yarn that I made ages ago (think 2 yrs ago or so it's been waiting that long) so they were already ear-marked as the next socks.

I even want to name them the same but feel it would be 'wrong' to, so I've called mine Tiger Feet Socks.
The details are duplicate stitched on which would be easier than changing yarn for such short runs of colour.




Nearly forgot....
Finished my Raspberry Cowl and had enough yarn leftover to make a pair of fetchings.








Handyed cleckheaton country 8ply beige. 4mm needles for Fetching, 4.5mm for Cowl.
Cowl pattern is Forest Canopy Cowl. Had a blast knitting these.

Pfffftttt.

That's a raspberry.
And here is some raspberry yarn which used to be beige:
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country 8ply.




Again blogger thinks this is the right way up.


This is going to be a Forest Canopy Cowl.