Knitting Some Socks

Socks

Can't get this photo to rotate, but here is a photo of some socks I've made up.  The stripped ones are from my very favorite pattern - Briggs Little Fine Socks - they are ribbed right down to the tip of the toe so do take some time to make up.  Also - this pattern has a "reinforced" heel that wears extremely well.  But - they have a pointy toe, which is fine for toddler's, but not bigger feet.  I have some waiting time tomorrow for appointments so I will unpick the toes, pull them back to 10 stitches and graft them together.  I am not even sure when I made these - I found them in the bottom of my knitting basket the other day when I was rummaging around for something.  

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The 2nd pair - well, I don't really have a pattern.  Cast on 52, k2, p2 for 2"", knit around for 6", blah, blah, blah.  But obviously, I forgot the blah, blah, blah part because the toes are a bit different from each other (1 still needs to be grafted).  I made the 1st sock in Austria this spring and the 2nd sock over the past 3 days - it went fast once I actually sat down and finished it - I have a big incentive because I need my needles for another project.

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I always make socks for my son, but never for myself.  But tomorrow I am starting a pair for myself, I am so excited.  My friend's Mom showed me her knee socks and it is a pattern I have never seen before.  When I asked about the pattern - well - they had never seen it written down before but have been making this type of sock for years (my friend has a drawer full and is lending me a pair of hers to use to look at for the pattern).  

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It has been busy around here - I have tons of things going on believe me, and hopefully soon I will get a chance to blog about some of them, but for right now I am right out straight.  I had to put all my sewing away - no time for a sewing mess right now (that is a good thing about knitting socks - small, mess free and portable).  I had hoped to make many Christmas gifts this year, but I think that my pre-sewing Christmas time has come to an end so I will have to call this year good.  At least I did get a few cute things made up.

Sewing Fleece Hats and Mittens - McCall's 4985

Here is a new pattern I tried out today - McCall's 4985.  I like it -so am hoping it fits the little great-nephew it is for.  NOT sure about the mittens, although they are cute.  I just don't think they will stay on with the wide cuff so I might add a bit of elastic to the inside.  I think the hat sizes run a bit small and the mittens a bit large!  So, adjust accordingly - I actually e-mailed a niece for her son's head measurements for a different hat I am making for him - always handy to have measurements in hand, although I know that is not always possible.

This is my son's standard hat - not sure what is up this year because I have that bubble up top, but I may be able to fix that yet. It is actually a combination of several different patterns, redrawn, retraced, redone - so really I can't even refer you to a pattern for this one because it is really my own pattern at this point.  But he likes these hats and they keep his ears and back of neck warm.  He likes a matching neck warmer.  I blogged about how to make the neck warmers in 2007 here Neck Warmer - just click on that blue link and you will see the post.  I am hoping to make 2 more sets for older cousin's of his.

And for a baby in the family!  OK - he is just learning to walk so not an infant anymore.  I have to add tassles to the tops and also velcro to the bottom tabs.  This is a pattern I made up for my son when he was younger and he loved this hat!  But looking at McCall's 4985 you can come up with something very similar using those pieces as a basis - just extend the ear flaps to come down under the chin - also I cut my hat band straight across the back of the neck for extra coverage.  I still have to make matching mittens - 1 side maroon the other side yellow.  I will be making the tried and true mittens I have made so many times for my own son - not warm enough for snow play but just perfect for cold days at the playground, getting into a cold car, etc.  I blogged about that mitten pattern in 2006 here  -Mitten Post .  They are sooo easy to make with no set in thumb and perfect for the little ones.  I just zig zag a thin elastic to the inside to help them stay on.  *Edited to add - on my newer mitten pattern version I have made the thumb point up a bit more and added a bit of a thumb gusset - photos for another post!
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So that is what I got sewn today! All these projects were made with scraps from all the pants I have made my son - so I am busting scrap stash at the same time!  Took the day off from paperwork, my carpenter is off on weekends and my season is winding down so I actually had the day off.  It was nice to just putter around and play with my Christmas list a bit - there are 20 kids in my family under the age of 12 and I do hope to be able to make a little something for each and every one of them this year.  A big undertaking, I know, but at least I am working on it!  The weather up the Eastern Seaside has been windy & rainy so this was a nice project for today.
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I enjoyed a nice tea out with my next door neighbor - lots of yummy desserts and I picked a few small bites to try out.  Always nice to get out and have a change of scenery.  Better than staying home and missing my Mom whose birthday is today - she lost her battle with cancer in 1999.  But it does make me happy to be making things for the younger kids and remembering how very much my Mom loved all children.  Half the town called her Nana!

Scrappy Quilt Blocks

Do you ever make piles and piles of scrappy quilt blocks and then forget where you were going with the project?  Usually I write my thoughts, notes, design ideas down on a piece of paper... color in my design idea even - and include it in the box with the project.  Not this time!  Just a few vague notes about having to make X more segments, blocks, etc.  Hummm.  So, I laid them out like this - doesn't look right.   Well, you have to start somewhere in the figuring out process!

Maybe I was thinking they should go something like this?  If I were making this layout for a bed though I would have the dark lines running up and down.  But I know that wasn't what I was thinking either.  Still, it is very cool and maybe I will use this idea at a later date - just wondering if I set them zig zaggy if the lines will create an interesting pattern - must try that thought out before I sew these ones together!

The layout above looks great - actually I will make a quilt just like this layout, but instead of cutting that background fabric into squares, it would be much faster/cleaner looking to cut sashing rectangles with 4 patch cornerstones.  Click to enlarge the photo and you will see what I am talking about.  So, knowing me - this was not my original plan for these blocks either.  But I do like it!

Maybe I was thinking something along these lines?  Thin sashing in between each block with a scrappy square corner stone?  Or maybe my plan was to set it with an alternate block?  I can't remember!  But I have plenty of that pink background left, so I know my original plan called for using more of it!  I think I will do the sashing/corner stone idea.  This week I made 2 more of these blocks and have been playing with the layout.  Not a whole lot of progress, but at least I am thinking about it!