FO Friday -Nephew Care Package

On August 10, 2018August 10, 2018 By FogKnitsIn cross stitch, FO Friday, Hat, Toy15 Comments

My little nephew Marcus is 4 weeks old today! Wooo! He’s such a sweet little thing. It’ll be a while before I get to meet him so I’m sending him a long distance hug, in the form of yarn, naturally.

I’m so excited about everything in this pile. A dinosaur birth announcement. An ‘only in San Francisco’ onesie. I didn’t make it but I love the tripping hippie vibe. It’s the kind of thing you can only get from your crazy California aunt!

Found on Etsy. Added the text myself.

Then there’s the cat toy mushroom rattles, such fun! The pattern is from Purl Soho’s blog. A great little stash buster project with super results. (disclaimer: my yarn and gauge is completely different, so these are actually a heavily modified version of their pattern, if ya know what I mean.)

Then, there’s the hats. Even though it’s still August, I’m sending five hats. Might as well teach him young, this is what I do. I hope you like wearing hats, kid! I’m making them regardless.

These came from the knitting Olympics back in February. It’s such a fun collection. I’ll never stop making goofy hats but now is really my time. He won’t be wearing goofy hats forever!

And finally, Baby’s Second Blanket. He got the first one before he was born, a cotton blanket for summer. This is one is the wool blanket for cooler days. It’s the true pièce de résistance…

A Honeycomb blanket, complete with fringe.

I knit it as a tube, to avoid purling and then cut it open. Using the cut edges to create fringe, I avoided the dreaded end weaving. After that, I added an applied i-cord to the top and bottom edges. and POOF! An Heirloom was born!

I hope Marcus likes it. Obviously I made something I like but I thought about him a lot too. I picked colors with high contrast and textural interest so it can help his little eyes develop. The fringe is for a tactile experience, something for his little fingers to figure out.

It’s pretty amazing to see how much he’s changed already. I can’t wait for the all the developmental challenges to come. I totally appreciate being a casual observer to the miracle of life. Human bodies…wow!

..AND, I have plenty of yarn left for all those amazing occasions. 5 Skeins of Miss Babs Yowza is gonna get me a lot of coordinating accessories. The blanket put a dent in it, but just barely. It’s time for sweaters and an army of stuffies!!

Welcome to the world, little Marcus. You have a crazy knitting aunt (and that is the best kind!!)

When it rains…

On August 9, 2018August 9, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Hat3 Comments

It’s raining FO’s here at the FogKnits headquarters. After many finish free weeks, I’m suddenly finishing everything I touch.

If you recall, back in May, I started this hat but ripped it out because the ‘apple green’ mohair I was carrying as my second strand was reading yellow and I don’t like yellow.

Ugh. Yellow? I really wanted green so I ripped it out and changed my mohair strand. Instead I used a lovely purple that became this hat. These are happy dance colors!

Purple is soooooo much better. And, now that I’m looking at this photo again, I can say with a high degree of certainty, I’ve had this color palate on my mind for a while. LOL.

Completely unintentional and yet, certainly, not?

Anyhow. Back to yellow. Yuck. Nothing good comes of yellow but I had yarn left over so, begrudgingly, why not knit the second hat. Some people don’t find yellow to be offensive. Some people even like yellow? Weirdos, to be sure but they are out there.

So, as I was running out the door to a music festival, I needed some easy knitting. This hat fit the bill perfectly for a small project, with easy stitches, no fuss, just do it. It was the no-brainer I needed and it turned out to be right choice (in spite of all that yellowness).

I cast on early in the day while I watched the Black Sheep Brass Band. And they had super cute stickers.

Meant to be, clearly. And by the end of the evening, I had a finished hat.

Giving this hat an interesting distinction, it was knit almost entirely standing up. I’ve knit hats entirely on buses, while riding in cars and even on airplanes. Always seated. This is the first FO that was mostly standing. I did sit for a bit to finish the last six rows, so maybe that was 5-10%. Still, close enough for me!

And, there’s still an FO (or two) left for tomorrow! Woo! When it rains, it pours! :)

FO Friday – Purple Haze

On May 25, 2018May 25, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Hat8 Comments

This week, Queen Elizabeth is my spirit animal! Did you guys see her outfit at the royal wedding, last weekend?? An inspired color choice, as always. I absolutely love it. Seeing it, reminded me of a skein of yarn I’d picked up a while back.

It’s a skein of Silk Cloud, from Shibui, in color Green Apple. Their mohair/silk blend. Perfect for spicing up the uninspired swatch I was working on. Off I went.

I cast on a hat and made quick progress. Unfortunately, I hated it. My lovely sour green haze was reading yellow. I hate yellow. Me and yellow will never be friends. EVER. I’m okay with that. As long as yellow stays waaaaaaaay over on the other side of the room. Across the hall is actually preferable.

Somehow though, yellow had crept into the room and hopped right up on my needles?!? WTF? I was not having it. I swatched a bit of purple but that was really a formality. I knew I was ripping that horrid yellow out.

Soon enough, I had this…

aaaahhhhh. So much better. So lovely and soothing. I’m even one of those people who enjoys a bit of pooling. This was happy place knitting, for sure. I even got to put a literal cherry on top!

I’ve been trying to put that green pom pom on something for years. Nothing every worked but finally, it was meant to be! This is what I’d been waiting for all along! It’s perfect! I’m pretty sure Queen Elizabeth approves.

I wonder, though, about that yellow. It’s kind of nagging at me…everyone else liked it? Maybe I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge? And, it turns out, I have enough yarn for another hat, easily. I haven’t been on a hat binge in a while. It’s a three day weekend. Everyone is out of town. I’m left here, all alone…things might get a little crazy?! It’s only friday…I’ve got plenty of time to destroy the evidence if it doesn’t work out!

I think I’m going to knit a yellow hat this weekend. Hope your weekend is equally as interesting!

Back in the SF groove

On May 1, 2018May 1, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Hat, Shawl, Sweater, WIP, Yarn3 Comments

Took a few days but things are just about back to normal around here. Re-entry is always harsh after vacation but it took me a few extra days. It was really nice being in New Mexico where the population density is zero. Coming back to the crowds of San Francisco has made me cranky. It’s like I forgot how to suppress the urge to slap people while saying ‘get it together, idiot’. So, it was a rough weekend but, I’ve got it under control now. Getting back to the knitting routine was imperative!

I knit in public, on several buses and even managed a few FOs. The purple hat is just a basic beanie with a little garter ridge relief kind of design. Something for the gift box because invariably when a random birthday arrives, everyone’s favorite color is purple, yes?

I put the sleeves on my nephew’s first sweater. He’s due in July, so he doesn’t even need them. They were really just a few rows of formality. I washed it and got ready to block it. Definitely didn’t need all the blocking mats for this wee sweater. It’s so tiny! They call this size 0-3 months. If it fits him on day 1, I’ll be amazed!

My current WIP is the other dotted rays. Of the two, this one is definitely my favorite. I knew it wouldn’t languish, alone, in a corner, after vacation and it hasn’t. It’s been growing at a rapid pace since I got back.

So, with all that progress, it’s definitely time to cast on something new. Here’s my pile of vacation yarn…

The first thing I grabbed to wind was the Dream in Color. I got Jilly & Smooshy both with Cashmere. Obviously. With Cashmere is always the answer.

I wanted to cast on the Local Yarn Shawl from Local Yarn Store Day but I don’t think I’ve got the right colors. At least not right here. I’ve totally got the right colors somewhere…I just need to get the yarn out and spread it all around. Any excuse, right?

Any excuse!!

Ravellenic Wrap Up

On February 26, 2018February 26, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Hat, Ravellenics, Skirt10 Comments

The Olympics are over. Phew! Finally…I don’t think I could take any more! I didn’t get 13 hats done, but I did get 12 done!

I’m okay with that. I’m still a winner. It’s just tough to stay focused on the finish line when it passes directly through the Stitches West marketplace! On the last day, I wanted to knit new yarn, not old yarn. The new yarn is soooooo good! (…More on that later.)

First, let’s see the last two hats, they’re good ones! Another Nephew hat, it started as a combo Michigan/Marcus hat. I was quite self-congratulatory when I realized the overlap between baby’s monogram and dad’s favorite team.

I tried a couple yarns for the duplicate stitch. Even tried holding them double. I never really got over the whole light stitch on a dark background to a place I liked though. I learned long ago, don’t mess with logos people love if you can’t do it right. This was not right, so I scrapped it.

Instead, I went back to the dinosaur theme and this happened…

The T.Rex applique was fun to make. It was a bit complex but the pattern is clear and has lots of pictures. Find it here, if you want to try it yourself. I’m quite pleased with my results.

And then, there’s this…

An ode to Jayne Cobb and Firefly.

As always, this hat started out as something different but once I saw the brown stripe pooling, I knew I’d have to adjust the plan. The new plan turned out to be waaaay better anyhow.

I’ve never watched Firefly but I have enough geeky friends to know, this is absolutely perfect! My Mom dyed this yarn for me and it turns out, the iconic Jayne Cobb hat from the show, was made by Jayne’s Mom. It’s so delightfully meta. I love it. It really spruced this hat up. Now to chose a fun pom-pom. This is definitely a Pom YES situation…I’m thinking the middle one in that first row, with all the green/blue/purple shades.

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about Stitches and the yarn. THE YARN! It’s sooo good! I’m in the middle of a winding frenzy but I’ve managed to get one new project on the needles. Yay for yarn sold in balls!

See you tomorrow with all the fibery details!

Stitches Weekend!

On February 23, 2018February 23, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Hat, Ravellenics8 Comments

Woooo! It’s time! Stitches is here! My tax refund was deposited yesterday! I’m ready!!

I was hoping to finish up my Ravellenic/Olympic challenge by now, 13 hats in two weeks. Here’s how it’s looking…

8 Completely finished hats, 1 waiting for embellishment, 2 on the needles. I’m so close. The Olympics aren’t over so I’m not done but I really wanted to be working on my sweater this weekend. Remember my sweater…

It’s been a while. I’m looking forward to getting back to it. I’d say next week but let’s face it, the new yarn is going to win. Baby projects galore! It’s going to be so fun!

I’ll be sure to share, in the meantime watch over on Instagram for Stitches Market pics and updates!! Miss Babs, Knitpicks, Webs, Mimi’s Needle Basket and Steven Be are at the top of the queue! I’m hoping to squeeze in some hat knitting at the bar too, so if you’re at Stitches today or tomorrow, look for me there and come say hello!!

Happy Friday, Indeed!!!!!!! (<- it really is that exciting!)

WIP Wednesday – Surprise! It’s Hats!

On February 21, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Hat, Ravellenics3 Comments

Old Business:

Medals have been claimed for the next four hats. They inadvertently had an animal theme happening. That brings the medal count to 8.

New Business: Olympic fatigue is setting in but I’m persevering.

Thank you Noro for always providing some wacky color changes. This is a single skein of Silk Garden Lite that’s been hanging around waiting for an excuse. I think I’ll pom it, the remainder of the skein echoes the green of the ribbing. I think it’ll balance that crazy pink section a bit. And then I’ll duplicate stitch something on it, maybe something new but probably just got with one of the old standbys for my Etsy shop.

This next hat is a special knit to highlight rare disease awareness.

One stitch in a project often seems insignificant. I mess up one stitch and don’t even bat on eye. Now imagine it’s one person, one person living with a rare disease. It’s not so insignificant anymore.

Rare diseases often have only 400 diagnosed cases in the entire country. That is an uphill battle for research and funding. They’re often called Orphan Diseases because no one wants to fund them. Those suffering from a rare disease need all the love they can get.

Next week, February 28th, is Rare Disease Day. A day for raising awareness about rare diseases. Find out more about Rare Disease Day and what you can do here!

I’ve added my Rare Stitch to show support & love for all the families out there dealing with rare diseases on a daily basis. It’s just a small token to let people know they aren’t alone. It’s no coincidence that one knit stitch looks like a heart either. The Rare Stitch is pure love.

The Rare Stitch project was started by Margaux at 1010_Studio. Check out her Instagram for more information. She’s been a tireless advocate for rare disease awareness since one effected her family. You can join the Rare Stitch movement to show your support on social media too…just add a single duplicate stitch to any project and share a photo using #TheRareStitch and tag 1010_Studio so it can be seen! I hope you’ll join me in sharing the love.