I apologize for the terrible photo, I haven’t had a proper “photo shoot” with them yet and hope to get that done this weekend!

Knitting has been fairly monogamous this past week. You’ll get to see those results on Friday. So next up are the two projects I am going to be working on the next few days.

First up we have my Wildcat Socks. These have been on the needles since Sept 1, 2011! Yes, and most of the time they have been sitting waiting for me to kitchener the heel closed. And cast on #2. I plan to do the kitchering today at lunchtime and hopefully get #2 going on the needles!

Wildcat Sock #1 - Coulrphobia Custom Dyed

These are knit out of Coulrophobia So Twizted Sista sock yarn. It is a 80/20 SW Merino/Nylong blend custom dyed for me! This is a pattern I’ve come up with for self-striping sock yarns that isn’t just a plain vanilla sock! I hope to get it written up in the next couple of months!

Second project I’ve been working on is the Dicke Decke afghan. I have a goal of 1 block a month. So far block #2 is going quite well. I’m about 75% of the way done with it! But I am running out of sock scraps at a rather increasing pace. So if you have any you don’t want/need, let me know!

Today’s WIP has been worked on so much in the last week. I had a burst of desire to work on it and so I have. Not to mention I decided to watch Season 1 of Downton Abbey in prep for the Season 2 premiere on Sunday night. 7 hours straight of knitting. A lot gets accomplished in a time frame like that.

So please stop by the shop and check it out! I will be adding new stuff all this week!

http://sparkeespud.etsy.com

I also do custom sets for people! Just PM me and we can discuss options!

Thanks!

-AMU

First up is the pair of Snapdragon Mittens by Ysolda Teague that I knit up for my SIL as a Christmas/Winter Holiday present. I used Malabrigo Rios in the Sunset colorway. The pattern I modified slightly. I didn’t like the pointy shape of the mitten top so I substituted a plain one from Ann Budd’s Book of Patterns. I love that book and I highly recommend it for your book shelf! I changed how the flip-top was held to the body of the mitten as well. Instead of a loop and button closure, I went with an icord loop at the wrist that held the top down, but didn’t require any buttons.

1. Snapdragon Flip-Top Mittens - These were knit for my SIL’s Christmas present. She is one of my more favorite people to knit for. These were knit out of Malabrigo Rios in the Sunset colorway. I modified the pattern for the flip-top portion by removing the button loop and doing a different style decrease for the mitten part. I added a loop around the wrist to hold the flip top down. I liked this better than a silly loop at the top of the mitten when it was in use.
2. Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat - This was my ski hat for our Colorado ski trip that took place over New Year’s 2011/2012! I love this hat, the pattern was not well written and left many things (including the decreases) up to your imagination. I think I made it work!
3. Surya - This was the only commissioned knit I did the entire year! I loved knitting this up and I was able to use a yarn that I had not used before, Wollemeise. The finished object was just amazing!
4. Hitchhiker Scarf - This is one of the quicker knits I managed this year. I started on the way to celebrate Thanksgiving and finished it a few days after returning. I used Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga! Super quick knit that turned out marvelous!
5. Patty Cup Cozy – This didn’t quite turn out as I expected and I honestly haven’t used it. It was a project that was part of the Harry Potter House Cup that I participated in.
6. Holland Neckwarmer – This was a project that was a rebirth of a failed project from 2010! I frogged the first item and reknit it into this lovely neckwarmer! I rather like it and use it quite often to keep out a chilly breeze!
7. Trenza Mitts – This was a podcaster challenge project and KAL. I knit this lovely pair up for my mom who requested something to keep her hands warm at the grocery store.
8. Dream Catcher Baby Blanket – This was 1 of 2 baby blankets that I knit up in 2011. It was fun to knit, but the seaming was dreadful. I learned that using provisional cast ons and bind offs would have made seaming a bit less painful in the long run.
9. Gryffindor Socks - This was 3rd pair of socks for 2011! Self-striping yarn from Three Ewes Twisted in Fiber.
10. Mitt Envy - This was a fun knit. I redid the pattern to go fingers down instead of cuff up. This allowed me to maximize my yarn use a bit more than you would get otherwise. This is one of my favorite knits of the year and I wear them almost all the time now. I see another pair in my future.
11. Pedestrian Crossing Cowl - This was knit up for a dear friend’s birthday, in JULY!!!! She is definitely using it this winter! Knitting this up made me realize that I wanted a buttoned up cowl instead of one you pulled over your head.
12. Summer Mystery Shawlette - This was a mystery KAL that I did during the summer. I really like Wendy D. Johnson’s patterns and I knew this would be a fun knit. This was the first of 3 shawlettes that I started knitting out of Malabrigo sock in 2011.
13. Moderne Baby Log Cabin Blanket – This was my favorite of the 2 baby blankets I knit up this year. The colors matched perfectly and I know there is a little one cozied up in it this winter. And boy, oh boy, was this a ton of garter stitch!
14. Girasole – This project took a looooooong time! Started in 2010 it wasn’t finished until late 2011. Part of that was due to the recipients being out of the country and not in need of a wool blanket in the sub-tropical climate they were living in. So it lived, unblocked, for most of a year in my basement. It was handed over in early December and will hopefully bring a lifetime of warmth and comfort.
15. Wanida Socks – This is the 2nd pair of socks in 2011! I love the color of these socks and the way they turned out.
16. The Perfect Sweater - My first ever sweater. Started in 2010 and finished in early 2011. It will be frogged and reknit into something else in 2012. I was never quite happy with the finished object and decided it needs to be reborn into something new.
17. Striped Socks – The first pair of socks for 2011 and the pair that made me fall in love with sock knitting. It’s the first pair that turned out the same size and actually fit my foot. From here on out I was hooked. Expect more socks in 2012!
18. Baby Booties – This was a tedious knit. Tiny feet, tiny shoes. Lots of finishing. I think my children will just have to deal with tube socks!
19. Nalgene Sweater - Made to keep my Nalgene bottle from sweating in my bag. It works like a charm!
20. Woodland Grace Moebius scarf - I’m not sure why I didn’t’ like this finished but I think it will be frogged and reknit!
21. Colorado Hat - This hat is one that I knit up to help me experience my first trek to the Rocky Mountains.

21 projects!! In 2010 I had 12! Quite the growth there! In 2012 I plan to learn how to do Double Knitting and finish a sweater that actually fits! There will be more lace and more socks. This is a definite. All in all, 2011 was a great year in my knitting. I’m feeling more comfortable with my knitting style and method. I’m better at getting gauge and adjusting or diverting from patterns. I’m currently working on 2 designs that I hope to have out in early 2012! There are a few others I have in mind. Will 2012 be the year of Sparkeespud the Designer?? We’ll  just have to wait and see!

-AMU

Berthoud Pass in Colorado Rockies

I spent the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012 down in that valley snowboarding with family.

I had some lonely Knit Picks Chroma languishing in the stash and thought that some sort of fair isle hat would be nice. I chose the Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat to knit. It’s a free pattern on Ravlery too!

This is a great pattern and I’ve learned something new with it too! I’ve never done corrugated ribbing which is the stitch featured on the edging of this hat. Once I figured it out it went quickly! I love the look!

Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat - knit picks chroma in Pool Party

I’m hopeful that today I can finish the decreases after about another inch of the main part of the hat. Then I will have a spiffy new hat for my ski trip!

Thanks for stopping by on this WIP Wednesday and for more WIPs go over to Tamis!

-AMU

She loves things that are whimsical in nature. This is one reason I chose Ysolda Teague’s Snapdragon Flip-top Mittens.  Ysolda does a great job with her patterns. I have both Whimsical Little Knits books and several other patterns by Ysolda, ironically though I’ve never knit a single one, until now.

This is a project that I haven’t talked about in nearly half a year. The last post I did was back in June I believe. The knitting was all done and it just needed to be washed and block. However the recipients were no longer in Thailand, but heading to Tanzania, Africa. I don’t think they needed a wool blanket it Tanzania so I held on to it a bit longer. It layed in the FO pile finished, but unblocked.

This week they came up for a visit since they are back in the states looking for more permanent work. I washed and blocked the blanket out on my spare bed rather creatively and LOVE the finished result.