Roger That

It's my second blog post in a week ... what is going on here?!

I have yet another FO to share ... some socks for me.



Rav link

I started these way back in September -- it took me four months to knit the first one and about two and a half to knit the second. (I'm normally a pretty monogamous knitter, but my work on this second sock was interspersed with all the socks for my dad during his cancer surgery + other projects.)

These are knit in the Roger pattern from Anne Hanson. If ever you need a clear, concise, lovely, easy knitting pattern, Anne is your woman. She has patterns that cover a range of skill levels and techniques. I like socks with unisex patterns and easy-to-digest charts (this pattern is only a mix of knit and purl stitches), and I'm looking forward to knitting another pair of Roger socks. (But next up in my queue of patterned socks is her Gridiron pattern.) My only mod was starting Roger from the toe-up; I followed the chart as-is.

The yarn is (takes a breath) Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular x2. Kind of a long name. It's a local (Virginia) yarn company! The colorway is Pacific and these socks took about 90% of a skein. It is a really lofty, woolly yarn -- I almost can't believe there is nylon in it! It feels rather rustic and squishy but I have a feeling it will hold up quite well.

I have only two projects on the needles right now. The mate to this sock:



This is a progress shot from a few weeks ago on the bus home from D.C., but it's finished now. This is some Autumn House Yarns Strideaway Twist sock yarn, purchased at MDS&W last year. It is lovely and rather thin, so I'm knitting it on US 1 needles. The mate is just past the toe, so it'll be a while until I post about these being finished.

My current knitting priority is a pair of socks for my brother. I visited a new yarn store in Virginia Beach this week to purchase some cable needles. The Yarn Club is a lovely shop. I managed to avoid buying any MadelineTosh, but a skein of Wisdom Yarns Endurance sock yarn was purchased as it is gray, black and red and made me think of Ohio State colors. So I cast on for a pair of socks for my brother, whose birthday is in a few weeks, and hope to ship those off to him in time for his April 8 birthday. The last pair of socks I knit him took MORE THAN TWO YEARS. Unacceptable!

playing catch-up

Whew. Where have I been the past month and a half? Doing lots of knitting, and unfortunately, not a lot of blogging. It seems that Twitter has become the site I use to keep in touch with pals + share my newly finished knitted items. A sense of balance is always a "work in progress' (ha. ha. See what I did there?).

So without further ado, here's a round-up of everything I've been knitting lately.



Meredith's hat

This is a hat for my pal Meredith, who is soon-to-graduate from med school and become a physician assistant. She moved back to Pittsburgh already so I wanted to make her something that would keep her warm in that clime.

The pattern is Sockhead Hat. I used most of a skein of Socks that Rock mediumweight in Dilly Dilly. To account for the thicker yarn, I cast on 120 instead of 144 and I think it worked out great.



Aunt Di's socks

Knit from less than a skein of Hazel Knits Artisan Sock (colorway Purple Hazel), these are basic toe-up stockinette socks. They were given to my aunt Diane, who prepares my taxes every year (and I am so thankful for that!). I gave her a cowl in the past, and gift cards, too, but I felt like it was time for an upgrade to the best gift of all this year.

Next up is a pair of wee baby socks, knit for friends who are expecting a baby in August.



I gave the socks to them last weekend when I visited them in Washington, D.C., and I have to say that the dad-to-be's reaction was the best I've had to any knitted gift. People, there were tears. So of coursem I cried, too. It was a lovely, touching moment and I have to say that I am SO EXCITED for these two to become parents.

The wee socks are knit from Vesper Sock Yarn in colorway Lovely Lollipop Sky -- leftovers from a 2008 club kit offering, which I have knit into a pair of socks for myself.

Last (but not last) is a pair of socks for myself -- whee! This is my first time working with merino-cashmere-nylon and all I can say is oo boy. It will not be my last.



These are basic toe-up stockinette socks with a four-stitch cable thrown in along the side for some excitement. They were knit from almost an entire skein of Spirit Trail Fiberworks Frija in colorway Vintage. This color is way outta my wheelhouse but I have to say, I LOVE IT SO MUCH.



Whew! The parade of FOs is over for now, but there are some more FOs soon to follow...