Cookie A. Mystery Socks

Cookie A. Mystery Socks
Originally uploaded by pfeifferini
I just finished my first mystery socks! I am in a group on Ravelry called Sock Knitters Anonymous, and the May 2010 mystery/challenge was this pattern. The pattern was given to us in weekly "clues", so we only had a part of the sock each week.

The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in the color Ruby River. It is lovely to knit and gets even softer once washed. The designer is Cookie A., well known for her beautiful, complex sock patterns.

Scarves for Bears

Mickey, Patty & Malcolm
Originally uploaded by pfeifferini
It's been a long time since I made my little mohair bears. I had a few left over from the last time I made them (2003) and when the owner of our new fabric shop asked me to bring in a few things to sell, I brought them down. The first set sold within a few hours. I quickly got to work making more. These three are part of the new batch of bears.

I used to tie pretty ribbons around their necks to give them a bit of personality, but I've learned to knit and now they all get little scarves made from my leftover sock yarn.

I've been a one-woman bear factory for the last couple of weeks, working on my new bear design. I'll post a photo of the new bears in a day or two.

Startitis

John and I are remodeling the kitchen and living in chaos. Since we started, I have cast on six new projects and learned to crochet! Luckily, I am a dedicated knitter, and I have acutally finished two of the scarves. Above, you see one of two Chevron Scarves (rav link) cast on just as we started the remodel. I helped a couple of friends start this project, and of course, I had to start one too. This scarf is made of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Mediumweight sock yarn in the Backstabber and Fire on the Mountain colorways. This yarn really is ideal for the scarf - it's soft and smooth with lots of color changes.

The other is made from just one ball of yarn with lots of yardage. It is Noelle's Noodles in the colorway Colliohe; 560 yards in the ball. I went up a needle size because this yarn is a bit thicker than the Socks That Rock, and was able to break up the color pooling with this needle size change. I like this yarn too, it's a bit fuzzy and the color changes are really lovely.

Koolhaas Hats

Although John keeps insisting he has plenty of hats now, I made another one for him. This is Koolhaas by Jared Flood (rav link). I made this hat from Rowan Cotton Wool in the color Moonstone. The yarn is slightly thinner than that called for in the pattern, so I cast on an additional 16 stitches for two extra pattern repeats.

After finishing John's hat, I went stash diving and came up with some Rowan Cotton Jeans in the color Hemp. So, I decided I needed a Koolhaas for myself. Of course, I like a turn-up ribbing on all of my hats, so my ribbing is 3.5 inches. I love the color of this yarn, but it's pretty easy to split with your needles.

I've also finished the Horcrux socks by Susan Lawrence (2nd in my Harry Potter Sock Series) and I love them! The yarn is Regia Cotton Color and they are soft and comfy.

Finally, after 53 attempts, I got a photo of my other cat, Louis the shy one, doing her best impression of a lima bean with feet.

Don't be fooled by her docile appearance; she is watching every move of the needles, biding her time (shiny Addi turbos are her favorite)!

Have You Seen My Hairy Monkeys?

So I made these socks, Monkey by Cookie A. in December and somehow they weren't posted to the blog. I'm not sure how this happened because you all know how I love to show the handmade socks!

The gorgeous yarn is Bearfoot by Mountain Colors. It has some mohair in it, making my socks a little fuzzy. That's why my Monkeys are hairy. I bought this yarn in Bozeman, Montana - it was my souvenir yarn for that vacation. I wish I could remember the name of the shop I visited - it was really nice.

This pattern is terribly popular on the web (8190 projects in Ravelry) and is an easy, fast knit. The finished socks are really cozy!

I can definitely see myself doing another pair of these in the future...