tentenknits

notting hill socks

My wonderful brother Andrew is coming home for Christmas this year.  He's had a pretty hectic year with the financial chaos (I guess who hasn't) and has had some wonderful achievements with him running the NYC marathon- so what better present than a pair of cozy comfy socks to wear around a cold London flat.

Notting Hill Socks
Pattern: A combo of Thuja and a sock pattern from the Knitting Vintage Socks book from Nancy  Bush
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 wool. 4 balls (I used a smidgen of the 4th for the toe of the 2nd sock)
Size US6 circs

I'm actually so happy with how they came out. Talk about a quick knit too! Super fast dude socks.

I also made a Christmas stocking for my friend's nephew who's seriously the cutest boy ever.  His name is Charlie.

I made an I cord for the curly C.  I hope lots of fun presents get filled in it for him this year.

If I don't post again before the 25th - I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! And Happy Holidays!

Ho Ho Ho!

m

Saved by Evangeline

Moving can be such a therapeutic process.  It can reveal so many parts of ourselves that we've let hid in the back of closets or in boxes that have been collecting dust.   It's in the moving that these pieces emerge and one has to then reconcile with them.  Should I hold on or let go of what I've found?  I learned a lot about how my tastes and interests have changed.  What I loved a year ago I just kind of like now and apparently I won't ever need to buy another PEN for the rest of my natural life.

While in this process I also (not suprsingly) came across so many different stashes of yarn.  A full brown bag here, a plastic bag there, a huge Tupperware bin right smack dab in the middle of it all.  I don't think J even realized I had so much yarn (and yet I've seen the mother load... if he only knew.)

What I loved about finding my yarn was that I was being re-introduced to so much of it.  I sat there in the middle of my emptying apartment surround by new skeins, half skeins and full-of-knot skeins.  What on earth would I do with it all. Some was set aside for a stash sale (coming one of these days...) and the other were marked for some larger projects.  But most were smaller skeins just with no knit home.  The wheels started to turn on what numerous knits I could make with such finds! Enter Tiennie's Evangeline. The Queen of Mulitiple Knits had the answer.  I carefully packed all my yarns to bring to the new apartment.  I emailed few of my girlfriends asking them what their favorite color was because it's quite possible I had it in the stash. 

Pattern: Evangeline, Ravelry Link
Yarn: Everything from Malabrigo, Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Worsted, Cascade 220, You Name it.
Needles: Size 7 circs

Two pairs down. 3 to go, and one for myself. It's all about the knit therapy.

the knits resume...

well actually, they've been on going but I just haven't been able to show you!!

The fiance had been bugging asking me for a while now to make him some new socks.  He had been the recipient of one of the first socks I ever made which was actually from the Holiday Knits book.  (I recently resurrected this book from a dark corner of my closet and forgot how charming some of those knits are!)  At the time I was all about making sure I had the EXACT type of yarn for the project and remember scouring the internet for Classic Elite Lush!  And LUSH it was... angora is SO soft and fuzzy - a lovely yarn to have against ones skin but perhaps not the best for socks when I think back on it - especially for a boy.  I mean yes, they will pamper your feet, should you wear them On Occasion. J wore those socks ALL the time around his house and with his favorite Adidas sandals. (You know the ones with the little massage-y bits on the foot??)

 I never really did see them though. Then one day he answered his door wearing them and it looked like he had two fluffy bunnies on his feet because the yarn just felted and fluffed EVERYWHERE and in All Directions.

It was a moment of pride and horror.  I was SO happy and endeared to know that he wore them so much but at the same time it hurt to see those socks in such a condition.  Those socks were abused.

So here we are, J's 2nd pair of socks.  I had pulled out some yarn from my stash, Knit Picks Merino Style which I had purchased a LONG time ago for a scarf.  Inexpensive, durable wool.  Good for a boy.  Check!

Details:
Pattern: Thuja from Knitty.com
Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style, Moss Green
Needles: Size 6 circs, using magic loop
Raveled Here

Thuja is just such a simple and great pattern! A nice seed stitch rib makes a really great masculine sock.  I enjoyed making these and actually started them during Socktoberfest!  I managed to finish them JUST before we began moving.   They're a bit slippery on our new parquet floors but I think J will manage.

next up... more holiday knits!

some wedding bling

I know, I know. I said knitting content would return, and it will, but I couldn't help showing you all my new shoes!

These Cynthia Vincent shoes are surprisingly comfortable and yes I have much time to break them in before the nup's in April.  I got them off of this great website called Gilt - they offere designer items for crazy discounted prices.  Originally around $400, I bought these for $100! Woot!  Anyway it's a members only kind of site so here's where I get to be the enabler I love to be:

http://www.gilt.com/invite/margauxpena

Go forth and get some bling for yourself!

And yes I promise, next post... KNITTING!