Self-Striping Socks

I'm sure I can't be the only one who takes a little break from knitting and then suddenly gets an insatiable urge to create something NOW! That feeling took over my brain recently but I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to make. Luckily, a pretty yarn (and, let's be real, the cheap price tag) caught my eye and there was a pattern for basic socks on the label. The yarn is Premier Yarns Wool-Free Sock in Grand Canyon and it's a really cool combo of colors and patterns. I love the turquoise and purple mixed in with yellows and orangey browns and the changes in color made knitting the simple pattern more interesting.

As much as I like the colors and the end result, there were a few annoying things about the yarn and pattern. Some strands of the yarn kept getting bunched up and it was a real pain to readjust the tension every few stitches. There's also an error on the pattern printed on the yarn wrapper in the first row of turning the heel (It looks okay in the online version). I tried turning the heel about five times before using a different pattern and realizing it was the pattern that was wrong, not me. Even after these frustrations I'm happy with the end result, and I'm sure my sister will be even happier to wear them!

Hot Dog Princess Amigurumi

I've seen a few episodes of Adventure Time and it's the type of show I know I'd be into but never get around to actually watching. I love the style and color palette so when my sister requested a Hot Dog Princess amigurumi I started crocheting, freehanding the pattern as I went. I know the colors are a bit off (she's more orange in the cartoon) but she turned out pretty darn cute! I can foresee an Adventure Time crochet collection in the future...

Rhubarb doesn't know what to think

Hot Dog Princess in her new home

River Rapids Socks

After knitting my first simple pair of socks last time, I was looking forward to trying a more complex pattern. I went with the River Rapids pattern by Sockbug on Ravelry. It's not hard, but the faux-cabled lacy pattern looks fancy. I made the socks shorter than the pattern calls for since I was worried about them being too tight on my calves, but I don't think they would be. Overall, it's a really nice pattern that's not too difficult!

My First Socks!

My grandma taught me how to knit over 15 years ago, but I've never quite had the patience for intricate projects. I usually tend towards small, quick projects and I've whipped up a lot of iPod cases, doll clothes, and thick, lacy scarves over the years. But I recently happened upon some really nice variegated orange/red/purple Fortissima sock yarn for $1 a skein (it had a sticker giving the original price as $20.95!) so I decided it was time to knit my first socks.

This yarn is a washable wool/polyamide nylon blend and it has a really nice feel to it.

I picked the simplest pattern I could find, but even that gave me a run for my money. I probably could have knit a pair of socks in the time I spent messing up and ripping stitches out of the first sock. After that the second sock was a breeze and I feel like any future sock knitting endeavors shouldn't give me too much trouble.

Done! And (almost) the same size to boot!