Y’all Thready for This?

On August 1, 2018August 1, 2018 By FogKnitsIn cross stitch, Scarf, WIP6 Comments

As promised, I’ve got knitting pictures today! Woo!

I took a swing through Pacifica recently, hitting all my favorite spots. The Royal Bee yarn shop, the Tripp Distillery and a foggy beach, a perfect trifecta!

I did a bit of unnecessary yarn shopping. Those colors though! Irresistible! I’m calling this a nephew sweater. I’ve used that kid as an excuse for a lot of yarn shopping this year. He may get a sweater out of this yet. It’s Swans Island Sport, a new to me yarn…another justification.

Once my Pebble Beach scarf is finished, I’ll be ready for a new cast on! Assuming, of course, I win at yarn chicken. The pattern calls for a picot bind off and I suspect that needs to be modified. I just need to find some time to get out the scale. I’ll weigh my yarn, knit a bit, weigh the yarn again and then do some math to make a more educated guess about yarn chicken status. Current prediction: I’m losing.

I really want to get to the blocking stage phase of this project though. I also picked up a set of knit blockers at the Royal Bee.

They get universally good reviews, so I’m assuming I’ll love them too. I love them for looking like toothy little monsters. We’re off to a good start!

Also, as promised…I watched the premier episode of Making It! It’s a lot of fun. The makers are a fun group of crafters with lots of different interests…fiber, fabric, paper, wood. And Nick and Amy are great, of course. Not only did Nick demonstrate his ability identify different woods by smell, they had a great pun off! I definitely stole ‘Y’all thready for this?’ from them. So, check it out! It gets two needles up from me!

It was a perfect backdrop as I finished my Ron Swanson inspired phone case. LOL! I wish the old design hadn’t stained the plastic case. I washed, scrubbed and soaked it to no avail.

I’m hoping it’ll fade with use. If not, it’ll just linger as proof that I’m recycling my phone case and clearly not a rich woman :)

A Friday Finish!

On July 27, 2018July 27, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Scarf, Uncategorized12 Comments

I finally finished knitting something! It’s a Hitchhiker.

I could tell you (again) how the Hitchhiker is the best scarf pattern ever. I could tell you I love the color. I could tell you about manually striping a solid and variegated yarn to break up the pooling even more.

I could tell you how happy I am to have frogged this yarn from a different project to reclaim it for one. I could sing the praises of neon green. I could tell you it’s perfect timing because Fogust is arriving in style, it’s super foggy this week.

I could tell you it took me 15 movies to knit this. I could even give you reviews of those movies.

Unfortunately, I’m short on time, heading to another movie. With no knitting?!? For my next trick, I will be crocheting in the dark! I’ll let you know how it goes!

WIP Wednesday

On June 20, 2018June 20, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Casting On, Scarf, Sweater11 Comments

After months of threatening, my next sweater is, finally, on the needles! It doesn’t look like much yet but it’s gonna be perfect! I can say this with authority because it’s a nearly identical copy of my last sweater.

The pattern is Vivido by Carol Feller. It’ll be my fourth one. It’s a cardigan with raglan shaping and a shallow v-neck. Nothing fancy, just a sweater that is comfortable and looks good. It’s easy knitting and easy math when doing gauge conversions. I really couldn’t ask for more. Unless maybe someone wants to knit it for me? :)

As for the yarn, I’m keeping the same stripes (Noro Rainbow Roll) but changing the main color (unspun Icelandic Plutolopi) from brown to navy blue. I’m actually expecting it to be significantly different. You never know what’s going to happen with Noro stripes, after all. I can’t wait to see it develop…the ‘stripes make you knit faster’ phenomenon has definitely kicked in! I’m making good progress.

Of course, I am easily distracted and this also fell onto my needles yesterday…

It’s been 3 months since I knit a Hitchhiker. It’s definitely time for another one! This is my 15th Hitchhiker, one of nearly 30,000 on Ravelry. I assume you already know how awesome this pattern is but in case you don’t…it’s awesome. There are literally 29,670 Hitchhiker projects on Ravelry. Imagine the people who don’t maintain Rav Notebook pages?!? There could be 50,000 Hitchhikers in the world! It’s amazing! That’s just how perfect it is.

Here’s the pitch, just in case you need it…

It’s garter stitch, gotta love no purls! The pattern is committed to memory easily. It’s perfect for difficult yarn…that variegated skein you just couldn’t resist but turns into a horrible nightmare every time you attempt to knit with it. The Hitchhiker’s continually growing rows in combination with the garter stitch tame those hard to use yarns. From horrible pooling and clown barf to lovely scarf in no time at all. And, perhaps most important, it’s easy to wear and always looks great.

Be warned though: this is knitter’s crack. You will be hooked. Once is not enough. The addiction is real. ;)

Qiviut FO

On June 11, 2018July 30, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Casting On, Cowl, FO Friday, Scarf2 Comments

I’ve finished my qiviut cowl! It’s amazing! It’s the softest thing I’ve ever knit. It’s warm. It’s fuzzy. AND, I don’t have to feed it or clean it’s poop up! Yes, I’d say qiviut is worth it’s price. I’m not rushing out to buy more, but if anyone wants to send me some, I’m happy to give you my address!

I used a simple 18 stitch feather and fan repeat. It’s about as close to lace as I get. Given the halo of qiviut, it was the perfect choice. The one thing worse than knitting lace is knitting lace only to have it obscured by the yarn. I’m happy to have avoided that pitfall. It might be the most perfect little accessory ever.

And, of course, let’s not forget, the best part of finishing…starting the next big thing! Despite constantly threatening you with a sweater, I’ve started another accessory. This is going to be a Wonder Woman Wrap.

I’ve foregone the classic colors in favor of something more wearable. I’m not into the ketchup & mustard color scheme and I had this gorgeous Sweet Georgia Merino Silk Fine languishing in the stash. It’s a 50/50 merino/silk blend and an absolute treat to work with.

I mean, it’s not qiviut, but it’ll do…

FO Thursday – Surprise Yellow

On March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Scarf9 Comments

Who’s ready for the weekend? We’re kicking things off early here at FogKnits headquarters! There’s been so much FO’ing this week, that Friday can’t contain it all.

First off the needles this week, a new Hitchhiker.

There are over 29,000 Hitchhikers on Ravelry. That’s a staggering number. Sure, 14 of them are mine. Obviously, I get the fandom with this particular scarf. Still…29,000!! That’s incredible! Imagine how big that pile would be!! Wow!

This particular Hitchhiker is special because it’s striped…

…and I only had to weave in two ends!?! Seriouesleeeeeeeee! Love that! This is another self striping skein of shawl yarn from Gauge Dye Works. And it’s a Merino-Cashmere-Nylon (MCN) blend. It’s so soft. I just want to put my face on it and take a nap.

I don’t usually go for yellow. Actually, I never go for yellow. I hate yellow. If I had an arch nemesis, it would definitely be yellow. I didn’t pick this yarn. It came to me in a swap. I reluctantly accepted it’s yellowness. I begrudgingly knit it, only because I was unable to re-trade it for a better color.

So, of course, despite all my protests, it turns out, this Hitchhiker is just exactly what my wardrobe needs. Stupid yellow.

It’s perfect for pretty much every outfit I own. Every one. A zing of yellow really peps up my sea of blues and greens so I’m giving it a try. We’ll see how it goes. I may be won over. I mean, At least it’s not pink!

Let The Games Begin!

On February 9, 2018February 9, 2018 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Hat, Scarf5 Comments

The Olympics have begun!! Wooo! I’m excited! Before I dive into all things Olympic (or Ravellenic) though, there’s a few loose ends to tie up.

Specifically, these loose ends…

Striped Asymmetry is off the needles and ready for a blocking. That little circle is the key feature of this little wrap. It’s a keyhole to feed the other end through. Perfect if you’re prone to losing shawl pins!

It needs to be blocked. It really did not want to cooperate for pictures. The alternating garter & stockinette stripes, combined with the cinch of the keyhole really encouraged it to bunch and curl.

I couldn’t even get my usual fence shot because a big ass spider decided it was her fence.

I politely asked her to move on. She pretended like she didn’t hear me. She, finally, started to see things my way after I took down half her web. I didn’t want it to be too traumatic though so I left her alone after that. I’ll go back tomorrow, to check her progress. It’s a 30 foot fence. She can have any of the other sections. She’s a cool spider so hopefully she will stick around.

With that tangent finally over, I can get down to the real business. Olympic business! The opening ceremony isn’t until prime time but I’ve started my people watching already!

Looks at all those people in HATS!! Yes…I’m ready! I am going on a major hat binge! The goal I’ve set for the Ravellenic games is a baker’s dozen…13 hats.

I’ve scoured Ravelry for inspiration. I’ve sorted my yarn. I think I’m ready! I just need to pick a bag…

The sorting was a few weeks back so it’s a random grab at this point! Some bags contain single skeins that are brand new and ear marked for a project. Some bags contain a heap of scraps for the mixing. Some bags have patterns in them. Some bags have enough yarn for six hats. Anything could happen…

Your guess is as good as mine! Stay tuned, the Parade of Hats is about to start…

Knittus Interruptus

On February 1, 2018February 1, 2018 By FogKnitsIn Scarf, Stash Enhancement, WIP6 Comments

I made it all the way to January 31st before I broke down and bought yarn. Despite my ardent claims, we all knew it was going to happen. I really did mean it though. I thought I’d make it into February before I came up with an excuse. And, I do think I’ve got a good excuse…

This is the Striped Asymmetry wrap. I was supposed to have the exact right yarn for this project. Woolfolk Tynd, the yarn the pattern calls for.

Turns out, I didn’t. And, I’m so far off, I can’t even call this a yarn chicken fail. The stripe pattern needs to continue on, consuming the grey tail up top, as the stripes continue. That’s still a lot of tail stitches to use up. I must’ve misread the pattern. Losing the pattern page with those details on it probably didn’t help.

So you can see where this is going. I bought this yarn back in September at the Knitterly, in Petaluma. I figured it couldn’t hurt to call and see if they still had it. And sure enough, they had a dye lot match! My lucky day!

How could I not buy that? It’s the rest of the pile I probably didn’t need…

Neon green acrylic…going to be part of the bike project I’m working on. I didn’t need the yardage but the project is missing some green pops. It’s sort of justified. Also, only $6.

Price is my justification for the other two skeins as well. YOTH Little Brother, from the clearance section. It was 70% off, only $8/skein. It’s a little fuzzy from being kicked around but that’s what cashmere does. At $8/skein, it’s irresistible. I had to buy it. HAD TO.

Plus, look at all this yarn I didn’t buy…

I resisted a lot! I have no regrets! NONE! Not only that, I’m glad about it! It was a beautiful day to be traipsing across the bridge!

I stopped for bridge pics coming and going and I even managed a little trip to the beach and some knitting time.

Nope, not one single complaint about it.

I really mean it this time though…I’m not buying any yarn for the next three weeks. Then it’s Stitches. Of course I’ll buy yarn at Stitches. I’ve got a justification for that too (details to follow). Maybe a more reasonable goal is to only buy yarn once a month?? I think I could do that?!

Maybe.