Category: Elliebelly Knit Along

Soxies have gone from this

to this

to this.

And, one more view of the loveliness that is a complete Soxie.

The second Soxie is on the needle.  They are a quick knit, and I'm trying to hold back and only knit while flying and in carpool lines so they won't go by too fast.  Since I have another week of flying, followed by carpool lines, ahead of me, I think they will be done by next weekend.  They seem to have already been adopted by Ellie, who was won over by their comfiness after agreeing to be my model.  

This pattern may be the winner for the perfect, cushy, quick-to-knit gift.  I want to knit a pair for myself, but could also see doing a few more for Christmas presents.

The Self-Indulgent September KAL for the Elliebelly group on Ravelry started September 1. We picked the Soxie pattern for the KAL and there are a number of projects in the works already.

I'm having an enormous amount of fun with this! At first I wasn't sure a simple pair of slippers would hold my interest, but I love knitting this pattern and especially seeing how this yarn patterns for it.

As you can see, the colors pooled. I don't usually find this to be appealing, and considered ripping it out and starting in a different place in the skein to force the colors to break up differently. But after a few rows I began to like the color placement, and now, despite the likelihood that I won't be able to make the second slipper look the same (I can be matchy-matchy obsessive like that), I'm committed.

One of the great things about this pattern is that it's a quick knit. After the provisional cast on, you do six six row repeats and then transfer the stitches onto DPNs on round 6 of the next repeat to do the toe. Quick and happy!
I'm about to put my first slipper onto the DPNs and can't wait to get the first slipper finished. I'm hoping my love of the color pooling holds up!

Ever since the start of the Adventurous April Knitalongs I've been spending every minute I could manage knitting.  So I've made good progress on each of my projects although I haven't been blogging.

The first project I want to share is Citron, with more to come later this week.

If you've never done a garter tab start to a shawl before, it can be a bit intimidating.  You have to think about it right: to make the start look like a semi-circle, you will cast on a few stitches and knit for a few rows before picking up stitches along the edges to get your shawl off to the right start.  Don't be afraid to stick your needle into any available space between the stitches as long as you're consistent.  Doing several swatches to see what approach you like best is a life skill!  I've made it through two repeats and am pleased with the colors and the drape, so on we go.

The yarn is Elliebelly Moth & Goat, a blend of silk and cashmere that has just the right drape for Citron.  Although I didn't think about it in advance, the yellow color makes the shawl in progress look like a big slice of lemon!

This week saw the start of the Adventurous April Knitalong.  In keeping with the mood, I cast on all four of my planned projects the first day.

1-Lente: I'm knitting a Lente cowl in Elliebelly Premium British Merino.  This is a paintbrush colorway I kept a couple of skeins of for myself.  This is an easy knit and once you settle into the pattern after a few rows, you need neither look at the pattern nor use stitch markers as it's a simple repeat of two different rows.  This one is all about the colors.  I'm looking forward to wearing it.

2-Citron: I got a small start on this pattern, but won't work on it seriously until I get the others further along.  I expect this to be a long term project that I can work on over the summer.  I am in love with the yarn, Elliebelly's Moth 'n Goat, which is incredibly soft.  The Marmalade colorway is a bit lighter on this yarn than on other fibers and very pretty.

3-Canadian Summer: This pattern was written by local knitter Susan Barstein.  It's a sweet piece of shimmering froth.  It is literally shimmering, because this yarn has a beautiful, almost metallic, shine to it.  I'm going to finish the Lente Cowl before I take this one up in earnest, because the stitch patterns are just similar enough that knitting the two at once leads to confusion and mistakes.  Sadly, I know this now and I know that this yarn is very splitty when you are unknitting it.  So, Canadian Summer will wait until Lente is done.

4-Antler: I'm knitting the baby sweater version of Antler.  The yarn is a baby camel that I dyed up with dark green/black low lights, and I'm pleased with how it is knitting up.  So far, I've knit a big piece of stockinette, which will become the body of the sweater.  Next up, the sleeves.

I snuck in one extra project, and casted on a square for the Barn Raising Quilt, that you are all probably getting tired of hearing about.  This square is in Elliebelly Juliet Sock yarn in the Provence colorway.

Adventurous April has given me a good stock of Works in Progress so that there is always something to pick up and work on during a soccer game or a movie.  Combined with my other projects, I feel like I've got plenty of knitting to get me through the summer.