I hope you all have enjoyed the holidays. I was still tired after my hospital visit, so I decided to take it easy this year. I wanted to knit socks for mom, so I started the Pomatomus socks with Fleece Artist merino in the colourway Burgundy. It's a wonderful pattern, now I know what all the excitement is about.
I got this far with the first sock when I began to worry that it might not be ideal for mom. You see, she had a bad allergic reaction to a dressing on her leg and it's still bothering her, so the long cuff might irritate the wound. I was also afraid that I might run out of yarn (again!).
I knew she liked the Fuzzyfeet slippers I gave her last Christmas, so much so that she had darned them several times. Being my boring, repetitive self I decided to make her new ones. The floors are quite chilly at her place, so she wears slippers all the time.
Last time they felted almost too much, so I made the cuff 6 inches long (the pattern suggests 3 inches) and the instep even longer this time. Despite all this I giggled hysterically when I took the slippers out of the washing machine: they looked like they would fit a five year old. Severe stretching and tugging ensued, and they turned out quite nice after I'd let them dry on my feet.
The yarn is from stash, some leftover Alaska in green and red.
Back in October Twig asked what my mom was going to do with the Fleece Artist yarn I gave her. Well, now we know :)
I had to use a flash, so the colours are a bit off. The feel of this yarn is wonderful, and the socks are surprisingly warm despite the thinness of the yarn. Thanks, mom!
Here's a long story. Back in summer I bought some cotton-acrylic yarn although I normally wouldn't touch it (I prefer wool). But it was cheap and it reminded me of linen, so I decided to give it a try.
I finished the body of the sweater and it looked okay. The neckline was even stylish. (The pattern can be found here.) So far so good, although the shiny yarn was beginning to get on my nerves. And it always got snagged on my nails and needles.
When I started the sleeves, I began to doubt.
Roadkill octopuses. What on earth was I thinking when I bought this yarn? Still I plugged along. I finished the sleeves and sewed the seams. This is how they looked like.
Nice holes, baby. I got furious and frogged the whole thing.
Here it is in its shiny fugly glory.
But I wasn't done with this yarn just yet. I wanted my revenge. And what's a knitter's revenge? Crochet.
I decided to crochet a thick blanket and toss it on the bathroom floor. That would be my sweet revenge, poetic justice. Because, frankly speaking, this yarn was so horrible that it was only fitting to have it under your feet. No-one would like it. No-one would even touch this thing.
Oh... I see.
Let's just say she got to pick her Christmas present this year.
I also got myself a Christmas present, a swift and a ball winder.
It may be second-hand and old, but boy is this thing fast!
I may have gotten a bit carried away with my new toy.
Tee-hee.