Wyoming Breezes

May 2023 This month I’ve been focused on fabric scraps and stash knitting because I hope to get both under control. Since April, I’ve knit four pair of socks - all knit with Patons Kroy Socks, so that’s EIGHT balls of yarn (a pair of socks requires two 50 gram balls) out of my yarn stash.  This pair used Brown Rose Marl (#55017) and I had 28 grams remaining (13 grams for one sock and 15 grams for the other). I love the colors and of course, I love the stripes! 

Redcliffe City sock July 2022 This sock was started in June, but finishing older projects in the knitting queue was a priority. Now, the Redcliffe City socks are my lone knitting project, so they should progress much faster.  I like the Perth yarn, but I consider it a "very light fingering" weight. I'm knitting with size 2 needles, but probably should have used size 1 for a tighter fabric.

July 2022 Because I worked on the Noro scarf during the last two FaceTime calls, it inched closer and closer to completion. The last few inches were finished on Sunday evening, and the stitches were bound off Monday morning. Yesterday, I stopped at a neighborhood park and snapped a few photos.  Noro Scarf #2 is finished and ready for the gift bin. I’m happy that the knitting queue is moving.  Baby Surprise Jackets are next in line: a progress report will be released soon. 

July 2022 A quick glance in the cotton yarn bin revealed some small scrap balls of various colors, and soon after, I cast on some franken-dishcloths. I don’t mind using the cloths made with bits and pieces of various colors, and I welcomed the mindless knitting, Soon, nine dishcloths were finished.  I grabbed two variegated balls of cotton yarn and knit two, hanging kitchen towels, using the Leftover Dishtowel pattern by Stephanie Haberman. (Ravelry link) Gradually, I’m making progress in my goal of reducing my yarn stash.

Noro scarf #2 June 2022 The first Noro scarf was finished in May, and once it was off the needles, I gathered the last four balls of Silk Garden from my stash and cast on another one. Currently, I am over half way and chugging along at a steady pace.  I have no plans for these scarves, so they’ll go into a gift/giveaway bin. Slowly my yarn stash is getting to a more manageable stage. 

Noro Scarf  May 2022 I spent last week in Colorado visiting my niece and my sister and BIL. While there, I knit during the televised Avalance (Stanley Cup playoff) games and the Colorado Rockies games. Inch by inch the scarf grew until I ran out of yarn. reverse side of scarf The scarf is 72 inches long and was knit with four balls of Noro Silk Garden. Two balls were the same color (Color #221) and used throughout the scarf for the darker stripes. The other balls were different colors (Color # 341 and Color #258) and added the bright stripes.  The scarf was started in March , was stalled in my knitting bag for a few weeks, and finished in May.

close-up of color striping May 2022 While I would probably have not combined these colors on my own, I like how they work together once knit. I was not expecting the yarn to stripe but rather to have random blotches of color, but I do like the stripe effect. I think the gold stripe at the end of the gusset is the first stripe on the cuff. It will be fun to see how the rest of the foot looks. 

beginning of Noro Scarf March 2022 My knitting has slowed to barely a crawl in the last few months. I have numerous projects started and none really progressing. This Noro scarf was started in January, and it's been sitting at the bottom of my knitting bag since then. The "pattern" is credited to Jared Flood, but even he says it was someone else's idea. It uses four skeins of Noro Silk Garden (it's not an inexpensive project to knit): two skeins are the same color way (to be used throughout the scarf) and two are completely different.  I've knit the scarf before as well as turned another scarf into a cowl . I purchased several skeins of Noro Silk Garden at a shop that was going out of business, so I got the yarn at a discount.  Don't look for this project to be finished soon: at the rate I'm knitting, it might be finished in a year or more. 

January 2022 During the first months of the pandemic, I craved color and ordered the most colorful sock yarn that I could find online. This skein of Trekking XXL was one of the skeins I added to my stash. I didn’t know if the colors would pool or stripe, but I’m happy the brightly colored yarn is striping in such a fun sequence. 

Magic Stripes socks November 2021 During the long winter of 2019 when everyone was in isolation, I craved color and ordered colorful sock yarn. Now, I’m beginning to knit with the fun yarns, and the stripes are a bonus!  I’d like to purchase additional colors of this yarn, but the Magic Stripes yarn is no longer available. The ball weighs 100 grams, but only contains 330 yards - not quite enough for a pair of socks for myself, so the heels and toes will be knit with the blue yarn, a remnant from another pair of socks. 

five skeins of new sock yarn When I took my shawl into the local yarn shop for blocking, I discovered a "new to me sock yarn" and fell in love with the rich colors and the reasonable price.  Queensland Perth sock yarn  100 gr ball - 437 yards I purchased Great Barrier Reef (122), Redcliffe City (119), Gold Coast (114), Port Pirie (120), and Alpine Shire (117). Each ball was $13.50 which I thought was very reasonable for the yardage and a super wash wool with nylon. I haven't cast on a project yet, but at least one of these balls will become a pair of socks.  Have you tried Queensland Perth sock yarn?

Baby Surprise Jacket September 2020 In the evenings, while watching NCIS on Netflix, I've been working on the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman. This will be a good sweater for a toddler when it's finished.  I am using Encore and Encore Dynamo yarns - both a blend of washable wool and acrylic.  The sweater is knit in one piece and folded into the sweater shape when finished. The shoulders are the only seams.  The pattern is available online (digital or print) at Schoolhouse Press

dishtowel knitting July 2020

women's size 9 - 10 July 2020 women's size 9 - 10 July 2020 I'm still trying to reduce my sock yarn stash. I'm really surprised that the first pair (knit with Red Heart - Heart and Sole yarn) match because they are knit from two separate skeins. The Heart and Sole yarn has been discontinued, and these two skeins have been in my stash several years. The color way is Lake House.  The second pair that I finished this week is knit with one of my favorite yarns - Austermann Step. The yarn is infused with aloe and is a delight to knit.  My needles didn't stay empty long: I cast on a pair with a different color way of Heart and Sole and a pair with a Zauberball. 

close up of stitch pattern June 2020 Marilyn brought several balls of Sugar and Cream when she and my BIL stopped by a couple of weeks ago. She's been cleaning closets and storage spaces and found the yarn.  After knitting several pair of socks on size 2 needles, I needed to shake things up with larger needles for a bit.  A quick search in the pattern binders unearthed a favorite pattern with a nicely textured stitch pattern.  The project requires size 8 needles. I cast on 50 stitches and began knitting.  Here's the stitch pattern (it makes a nice towel, dishcloth, or even a blanket) if you want to make something with it:  Rows 1 and 2:   Knit  Rows 3 and 4:    Knit 2, *Knit 1, Purl 1* until the last two stitches - Knit the last two stitches Repeat these four rows until you reach the desired length.  Note: the edges do not curl or roll because of the knit edge stitches. 

women's size 10 June 2020 Yarn : Trekking (XXL) color #160 I didn't try very hard to match the stripes because I ran into a knot mid-way through the cuff on the second sock and knew at that point that it would be futile to try, especially since I found another knot while knitting the foot of the second sock. I've never found knots in Trekking before, so I'm sure this skein was given to me by a yarn sales representative. The samples are often "seconds."

women's size 10 (June 2020) This pair will definitely add some spark to my sock drawer! Yarn : Crazy Zauberball (color #2095) Stitch count :  64 stitches - ribbed cuff                         60 stitches - foot Want to see what my world looks like this morning? June 9, 2020 Laramie, WY Snow began falling about 8 PM and continued through the night and temperatures plunged into the 20s. snow-covered trees began to snap Sometime in the night, the trees began to snap. This morning broken branches litter the ground and continue to fall. Tops have been broken out of many trees, and it's still snowing! Life is never boring in Wyoming

women's size 10 I'm not one to purchase bright-colored yarn, so I think this skein was given to me. I do love how cheerful these socks are, and I know I'll enjoy wearing them. The socks were knit with Opal sock yarn, and the color way is Sweetie Rainforest.

three pair of hand-knit socks May 2020 I was thrilled to finish three pair of socks in the last week and a half.  size 10 socks This pair was started in early April   not much was needed to finish them size 10 socks I was disappointed with the pooling on this pair.  In the end, they were almost exact opposites - Yin and Yang. Heart and Sole Yarn - Jelly Bean color way size 10 socks Knit with Lion Brand - Magic Stripes (Sea Blue) Not enough yardage for socks to be all the same color, so contrasting heels and toes were added with scrap yarn.  Magic Stripes yarn has been discontinued

completed Old Fashioned Peppermint socks March 2020 I didn't attempt to match this pair because it was nearly impossible to know which section of red would produce which stripe. I just let the yarn do it's own thing, and in the end it doesn't really matter. This is the first pair of socks completed in 2020. The first pair I've knit since August 2019 - seven months! October, November and December I knit Sockhead cowls from scrap sock yarn, but for two months (January and February) my knitting needles were idle: I had zero interest in picking up the needles. Social distancing is providing ample time to knit socks, using sock yarn stash. I found a perfect "spring" yarn for the next pair of socks.