FO Friday ~ Cabled Kindle Cover

Most of January has been devoted to socks and more socks.  And I’ve been rolling right along toward my goal of 12 pair in 2012, with 2.5 pair finished so far.

This week, I took a little break to knit a cover for my Kindle.  I put together my own pattern and, after three or four revisions, here she is.

Cabled Kindle Cover by . . . me    :-)
Yarn :: Loops & Threads Impeccable, rouge
Needles :: US 7 circular

Red is so hard for me to photograph.  I never seem to get it just right.  And today is a bit dreary so natural light is pretty dull.  Neither picture gets the color quite right.  It’s a much deeper, rich red.  This yarn is really a soft acrylic and shows the stitch definition well.

Knowing that this will be pulled repeatedly in and out of my purse and knitting bag, I wanted to be sure that it was sturdy, snug and easily washed.  The claw cable was new to me and worked up easily.  I couldn’t be more pleased.

So . . . back to the socks.  Maybe I’ll have pair #3 ready to share next week.  Maybe . . .

Heading over to Tami’s FO Friday now to see what other folks have finished this week.

Enjoy the rest of your Friday and have a great weekend.

Dogs on Thursday

Sydney has her eye on Dad’s peanut butter and crackers and waits very patiently for her “share”.

Who could resist this face?

Yarn Along/WIP Wednesday

Ginny @ Small Things hosts Yarn Along every Wednesday where folks share their current knitting/crochet project and book.

The sock knitting is coming along well.  I’ve finished 2 pair since January 1st and am half-way through the first “heart” sock.  I’m rarely so focused on one project.  So it was inevitable that I was distracted last night.

After browsing through patterns and projects on Ravelry, I cast on a cover for my Kindle.  Several revisions later, I’ve decided on a design of own with a simple off-centered cable.  Not too far along, but I’m pretty pleased so far.

I made myself stop and finish Sarah’s Key last week; it just couldn’t be read in short spurts anymore.  Lovely, moving story.  Next up is a book I downloaded for free on the Kindle a little while back, Ryan’s Return by Barbara Freethy.  I’m only a short way into the story.

I’m also linking up with Tami Amis WIP Wednesday.  Between Yarn Along and WIP Wednesday, there are lots of pretty projects to be seen.  I’m heading over in a bit to see what’s going on.

Thanks for visiting me today.  Enjoy your Wednesday!

 

Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long (TUSAL) ~ January 2012

First new moon of 2012 brings the first TUSAL update of the year.  This year’s SAL is again hosted by Sharon @ It’s Daffycat.  This morning there were 296 folks stitching along.  The “rules” are simple.  Save all your “orts” (all those little thread and yarn scraps left over from finished projects) in a container and post a picture each month on the new moon.  Stitch-a-longs don’t get any easier than this one.  More information, sign-up page, dates, and list of other TUSALers can be found here.

January’s TUSAL Ort Report begins with a new monthly collection container.  The container was a Christmas gift from R.  Really a candle holder, but perfect for orts.  Stuff in all the threads and open the little door to take them out.  It looks so cute sitting on the table next to my stitching chair.  Perfect!

At the bottom of the container are

:: yarn scraps from  a couple of Christmas gifts finished at the end of December.

:: scraps from the two pair of socks knit this month, Charybdis and Simple Skyp, and the last pair of 2011.

On top are

:: threads from January Frosty Friend, in the frame, usually sitting on the craft room shelf next to the jar that hold orts all year.

:: threads from the little January piece of Sylvia’s My Little Heart SAL 2010 below.

Although I didn’t officially sign-up, I loved the idea of the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend.  So I snuggled up in the craft room this weekend and spent some time stitching up this little cutie.  I’m thinking of finishing this as a flat ornament or easel using the fabric you see as backing.

We had a very nice weekend.  How was yours?  Did you find any time to knit/crochet/stitch?

FO Friday ~ Simple Skyp Socks

As promised on Wednesday, I finished my second pair of socks for 12 Socks in 2012.

Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku
Yarn:  Kroy Socks FX, cadet colors
Needles:  2.5 mm 40″ circular
CO 1.10.12, BO 1.19.12

Knit cuff-down using magic loop, these would have been perfect socks for two-at-a-time.  The simple rib and skyp stitch make for a quick and easy knit.  I really love the shades of blue in the yarn.  J has been looking forward to having this pair finished.  I love that he loves hand knit socks!

Just have to add this silly photo.  I wanted to snap another picture this morning before J put on his shoes.  Sydney doesn’t like the camera much and must have thought I was going to take her picture.  She tried to hide behind her dad, so her little foot slid into the frame just as I took the shot.  I could/should have cropped it out, but it made me smile so I left it as is.

I was able to add a few rows to the Piece of My Heart socks last night.  Two new color bands have appeared and the hearts are more pronounced now.  It would be great to have them finished for Valentine’s Day.

I have errands to run this morning.  J and I have a standing lunch date most Fridays.  So I’d better get this posted.  I’ll be heading over to Tami’s this afternoon to check on more FO Friday posts.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I always appreciate visits and comments.  Enjoy the day and have a great weekend!

WIP Wednesday ~ More Socks

Socks, socks and more socks.  I’m on a roll, knitting along on my 12 Socks in 2012 goal.

The Simple Skyp Socks are coming along nicely.  Half-way through the foot of the second sock, it would be finished today if I didn’t have errands to run this afternoon.  Skyp will definitely be finished for FO Friday.  Yea!

When Monday night rolled around I needed a project to take to the knitting group.  I was ready to pick up stitches on the heel of the Skyp sock and knew I’d mess up if I took it to knit night, so I decided to jump ahead to . . .

Piece of My Heart Socks.  The ribbing was finished while I talked with the group and then two repeats of the pattern before I set it down to finish up the Skyp socks.  I’m determined not to have second sock syndrome this year.  Can’t wait to get back to this one.

I’m sock obsessed right now.  And enjoying every minute.  What’s on your needles or hook?

Linking to Tami’s WIP Wednesday today and ready to head over to see what other folks are working on.

Thanks for visiting me today.  Enjoy!

FO Friday ~ Charybdis Socks

It’s Friday and time to show off my first pair of socks finished for 12 Socks in 2012.

Charybdis Socks by Fiona Lucas
Yarn:  Knit Picks Stroll, berry patch hand-painted
Needles:  2.5 mm circular

The pattern was easy to follow and shows the colors of the hand-painted yarn very well.  They were knit toe-up using magic loop.  I learned Judy’s Magic Cast-On and Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off, both easy and very effective.  Love these socks!

The day the Charybdis socks were finished, I cast on Simple Skyp Socks for J.  I was worried about not having enough yarn so I ran out this afternoon to pick up another skein.  I may have done a little extra stash enhancement at the same time.  Maybe.  OK, I did.  I’ll share that later.

Sorry this is so late today.  I’m falling a little behind, so I’m going to hurry over to Tami’s to check out other FO Friday posts.

Thanks for visiting.  Enjoy the rest of your Friday and have a great weekend!

 

First Yarn Along of the Year

Ginny @ Small Things hosts Yarn Along every Wednesday where folks share their current knitting/crochet project and book.

Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay,was a Christmas gift and finally started last week.  The book has been on my TBR list for quite a while and I’m glad I’ve finally gotten to it.  I’m just under half-way through so far.

The first pair of socks for 12 Socks in 2012 was finished yesterday and will be revealed on Friday.  Pair #2 is Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku.  The yarn is Kroy Socks FX in cadet colors.  I love the subtle color changes and the skyp stitch spices up the regular rib enough to keep it interesting.  This pair is for J.

I’m also linking up with Tami Amis WIP Wednesday.  Between Yarn Along and WIP Wednesday, there are lots of pretty projects to be seen.  I’m heading over in a bit to see what’s going on.

Thanks for visiting me today.  Enjoy your Wednesday!

Dogs on Thursday

Sydney’s pouting a bit today.  T left this morning and won’t be back until summer sometime.  She loves having “her boy” home for the holidays and hates to see him leave.  So do we!

She began to get suspicious when T began to pack.

Bags starting stacking up in the hallway.

Time for hugs.  Lots of hugs because they’ll have to last her a long time.

After a nap, we took Sydney out for a special treat.  Lunch at Sonic and her favorite tater tots.

She’ll poke around in T’s room a couple of times today and tomorrow and then settle down.  It’s hard on a pup when “her boy” lives so far away.

 

 

WIP Wednesday ~ Charybdis & Frosty Friends

 

Whew!  Today has just flown by.  I kept thinking that I’d sit down and post as soon as  . . . .   Well, finally, I have a minute to sit and do just that.  I have two WIPs to share today, one knitting and one cross-stitch.

I’ve joined the 12 socks in 2012 group on Ravelry.  I’m pledging to knit 12 pairs of socks this year.  After a couple of false starts (patterns that just weren’t working with the yarn), I have my first pair under way.

Charybdis socks by Fiona Lucas
Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted – berry patch

I’m really pleased with the way this is working up.  This picture is from yesterday.  I’ve just finished the heel and ready to start the leg tonight.

January – Frosty Friends
Erica Michaels Design by Linda Stolz
free download from Rainbow Gallery

I’m embarrassed to say that this was started on the first day of the Crazy January Challenge of 2011.  Poor little thing just fell to the bottom of the stack and saw very little progress after that.  I picked it up a week ago and made several changes – ribbon scarf and snowflake buttons instead of the charted stitches and a red border to go with the red scarf.   All that’s needed now is to clip the shanks from the snowflake buttons, glue them on and pop it into the frame.  I’ll be able to show the finish at the same time I share the January TUSAL picture.

That’s it for me today.  How are your WIPs coming along?  Check out Tami’s Amis to see what other folks are sharing.

Thanks for your visits and comments.  Enjoy!