More Shawl Yarn

Hey Everyone!

The knitpicks order of worsted and bulky weight yarns I had ordered for shawls arrived today!

I got four hanks of simply wool worsted yarn in Wordsworth, as well as six hanks of the simply wool bulky yarn in Wanda.

The worsted weight is the brown and the bulky yarn is the off white:

This winter, between working on knitting up socks, and other projects I am hoping to get two more shawls knit up before next summer.

As someone who loves making my own socks and cold weather wear and accessories, I love trying and using different yarns and seeing how projects turn out.

I am definitely more of a diy kind of girl, especially when it comes to hats, scarves, shawls and socks. I do wear store bought socks for day to day still (especially socks that are made to wear with athletic shoes as well as shoes like Toms and Vans), I do love my hand knit socks for when I wear boots. With the exception of hiking in the summer, mid autumn – early spring is typically boots and wool socks weather around here.

Falling in Love with Color

Hey Everyone!

A few months ago I went a bit crazy shopping for sock yarn, and bought a whole bunch of the KnitPicks Palette yarn in many different colors. Most of which have either been in the earthy – natural range that remind you of being outdoors, and remind me of hiking in the woods. Most of the rest of the yarn are jewel tones, which are some of my favorites.

I am currently working on a pair of socks, for myself, using the KnitPicks Palette Yarn in Larch Heather, and I am loving the color. To me this green reminds me of being out hiking in the woods, and the color of the moss and other plants that I have seen growing in the woods.

While I am not usually one to pick out the earth tones to wear, especially since they are not the colors that look the best on me, I am having fun with colors. I am picking out ones I like that I wouldn’t normally wear, for socks. Beings that I intend for most of these to be Boot Socks to wear with hiking boots, and in the cooler weather, they will be covered up anyone. I figure, who cares if they don’t go with what I am wearing, they are just socks, and if no-one likes them, that is their problem. Though I do own a tank top that is a similar color to the Larch Heather, that I typically wear under cranberry colored tops.

I may have mentioned this in other posts, but I used to like to wear a lot of pink when I was younger, before I really was able to embrace the outdoorsy girl thing. Now that I have gotten older, and have been buying most of my clothes myself, as well as the yarn to knit up items for myself. There are still some pink things here and there, but they aren’t pastel pink, or hot pink, they are more of a darker pink, tending more toward cranberry or raspberry. I also like to wear a lot of blue, dark teal, and turquoise. I also prefer the natural colors (off white, tan, and brown), in addition to the greens and blues for accessories, beings that they go with pretty much anything. They are also a bit of color without being all like “look at me, look at me”.

I also like using the Palette yarn for socks, it knits up so well, and quickly. Beings that it is what I have gotten onto for Socks, I can buy any color I want, and use the pattern I came up with for any of the colors and I get consistent results. I like that I know I will get consistent results with this yarn. When I had been working at the knitting studio, we had some yarns, that were the same brand and same line, but different colors would knit up differently. I like knowing that I can go into my stash of Palette yarn, grab any color I want, and it will knit up the same way as the first pair I knit up. I can combine colors and one won’t be thicker than the other, or looser than the other when using the same needles, and that the stitches and gauge will be even across all the colors, no matter which one I use.

Oh for the love of sock yarn

Hey Everyone!

I got my last KnitPicks package for the time being in the mail today. In it were 8 balls of KnitPicks Palette Yarn. I had ordered 2 balls of 4 different shades of green beings that they were on sale before St Patrick’s Day. The four colors I had purchased are: Ivy, Larch Heather, Douglas Fir, and aurora heather. All four are darker more natural shades of green, which is what I was going for since I am wanting most of my wool hiking socks to be of either jewel tones or more natural colors. 

Now that the weather is warming up, is the perfect time to be working on hiking socks, so I will have a stash knit up for when the weather cools off again, or if I get to go hiking in a cooler climate.  I am definitely wanting to get more hiking and time in outdoors this year. 

If the sock yarns I have worked with so far, I am definitely liking the Palette Yarn the best for working with. 

As I stash bust my Palette Yarn, and after I find a new job, I also want to get some more acrylic sock yarn so I will also have more in the way of lightweight socks for warmer weather to wear hiking. I have a few skeins of acrylic sock yarn, but nothing like I do in the way of wool. Though I do have to say that the Palette Yarn is lightweight enough I could wear it as long as it’s not super hot outside anyway. Then again, I wouldn’t likely be out hiking if it is sweltering hot. I am more of a cool climate kind of person, or at least getting out and hiking in the morning before the heat of the day is at its worst. 



Another KnitPicks Package!!!

Hey Everyone! 

Today I got one of my last KnitPicks packages for a while, in the mail today. In it, were the two pattern books I had Order as well as six balls of the Palette Yarn. Two balls each of the following colors: Comfrey, Caribbean, and Sagebrush. 

The two pattern books I got were: Highland Knits and Little Luxuries. The Highland Knits is a collection of patterns based on season one of Outlander. While I am not so much a fan of the show (the books are better), I did like the scenery and the costumes. I really liked Claire’s Rent Collection Shawl, and once I learn how to do short rows, and conceal short rows, I am going to make one for myself. The Little Luxuries book is a collection of patterns by KnitPicks that they showcase in their latest catalog. I was drooling over that catalog, and wanted a lot of the patterns, so now I have them. When I am able to buy more yarn, I am going to try a few of the shawls. 

I love finding yarns and patterns that inspire me, and set my creative wheels going. Whenever I get ahold of patterns, I get inspired. 

Before I dive into shawls and stuff from my new pattern books, I want to stash bust all my sock yarn and get my sock collection complete. Well, as complete as I have sock yarn to use at the moment complete. My last box of sock yarn should be here early this next week. 

But Erica, why are you going crazy knitting socks when you really don’t even like wearing socks? It’s true, I am not a huge fan of wearing socks. I am knitting up socks, because I want a variety of quality made socks for hiking socks that will last for a while and will actually keep my feet warm in the cooler, wetter months to go hiking and do other outdoor activities. I also have some synthetic fiber yarns, and eventually want to get some more of the lightweight sock yarn, to knit up my own hiking socks for the warmer months. 

I have my knitting work cut out for me, and I am totally ok with that.