Bubblegum Socks II

With only 46 grams left after the first pair of Bubble Gum socks, I set off to make another pair of anklets, this time toe-up in order to use every last bit. (Since the yarn is not superwash, none of it can really go in the mitered blanket, which needs its own update post soon.)

Pattern: Toe-up Socks by Spacekitty
Needles: US 1.5
Yarn: Knit Picks Memories in Hawaii (discontinued)
Yarn Supplier: Somerville Yarn Swap

Modifications: used a picot hem bind-off

Since my yarn was not quite as heavy as the Cascade Fixation that the pattern was written with, I went with a size large so that I could be working across 60 stitches total. It has been ages since I did a short-row heel, but to my surprise I really enjoyed doing these. Spacekitty's instructions make for a very tidy heel, while not being terribly fussy.

These were a little bit shorter than the first pair, especially given that I went with the picot edge. Chiquita loves them though, as she has a thing for anklets. Honestly the idea of wool anklets seems a bit like an oxymoron to me, but she seems quite pleased.

Bouncing Bunny

This morning we had a visitor to the yard. The little guy was fairly shy at first, hiding next to the compost bin. You could just see his ears peaking up.

Then he got a little braver.

Or perhaps his curiosity just got the better of him.

Fortunately Salvbard was up to doing another photo-shoot, like the one that he did for the amigurumi penguin. And before you knew it, the bunny was ready to strike a pose.

Pattern: Rabbit by Susan B. Anderson
Yarn: some random aran-weight coned rug wool from my stash
Needles: US 6s/4.0 mm

I was somewhat randomly inspired to make a rabbit yesterday. I was looking for something rabbit-themed in honor of the somewhat belated Chinese New Year, and stumbled upon this pattern. The funny thing, was that I had just been listening to back episodes of the Double Knit Podcast, which had mentioned this pattern as well.

The thing that amused me most about this pattern, is that there is an option to make the body with a tennis ball inside. I had read in a few comments on Ravelry that they still don't bounce terribly well, but I still felt like this would make the world's best dog toy. (Don't get me wrong, it would also be really cute as a baby shower gift, but fur-babies need love too.)

Bubble Gum Socks

All I have wanted to knit recently are boring stockinette socks. So I dug around in the stash until I found some self-patterning sock yarn and started knitting. I hadn't even finished the ribbing before Chiquita announced that she thought these socks should be for her. Given the brightness of the colors (lime green, pink, turquoise and teal), I had to agree that they were more her colors than anyone else's. The colors make me think of the sickly sweet bubblegum we used to like as kids.

Pattern: top-down basic socks (60 sts)
Needles: US 1.5/2.5 mm
Yarn: Knit Picks Memories in Hawaii (discontinued)
Yarn Supplier: Somerville Yarn Swap

This yarn has been discontinued for ages. In fact I think it might have even been already discontinued when I got it at the yarn swap years ago. It is actually very nice to work with and produces a nice soft, thick fabric. Unfortunately it is not machine washable though, but Chiquita takes care of her own hand-knits well. So they should be fine for her.

Sunny Skies Handspun

Here at casa de omly, I have been trying to get back into a bit of spinning. To that end, I moved the spinning wheel to the living room, which has been great. It also meant that it was time to post an old finished spinning project.

This was some fabulous drum carded merino from Mind's Eye Yarns. Since I am always a little surprised by how the roving goes to finished yarn, I even remembered to take a "before" picture for contrast. Isn't it pretty?


I wasn't sure how the little bits of yellow would work out in the finished yarn, but I don't think it worked out poorly. (Click the picture to see it more up close.) The colors make me think of sunny skies, something we have not had nearly enough of recently in the Boston area.

Yardage: ~360 yards
WPI: 11 wraps per inch (DK weight)

The 3 finished skeins are super lofty. It is lovely and soft, but it is the sort of yarn that I wouldn't use for anything that would get a lot of wear. They might make a nice scarf though. Any recommendations of scarf patterns that are fabulous for handspun out there?