All About Socks (WIP Wednesday!)

I've been quite excited all week for today's post. There has been some serious progress on the knitting front. Four projects this week…the three socks from last week and yet another new one! Without further ado…it's sock time!

My Purple Sock

Heel flap? Done. Heel Turned? Check. Gusset? Done! Currently on row 9/50 for the foot before I do my toe. Love this sock, love this yarn and not gonna lie, pretty stoked that it is actually going to be for me because my mom decided the leg was too short when I had her try on the finished mate (yes, sock number 1 of the pair is done…minus needing some ends sewn in…). This has taken a bit of a back burner though to the other socks I've been working on.

Alligator Baby Sock

The first is done! I absolutely am in love how this little bugger came out! I can't wait to bust the second one out…only problem is that I'm using the needles for another sock. I wish I could call this an FO, but it won't truly be done until I have it's mate…

My Vanilla Latte Stripes

I added another five stripes to this sock since I last showed it to you. Love how this is coming out…and I'm having fun with the jog-less stripes for sure. This too has taken a backseat to my other pair of socks (I'm just a little obsessed, no?).

Front and Center Socks (aka the socks I've been trying to bust out and ignore all other projects in the meantime)

This is sock number (once again using the vanilla latte pattern) of a pair I hope to have done by Mother's Day. When my mom said she wanted longer socks than the basic ribbed ones, I knew I had to go back to the drawing board. I really wanted to try a new sock pattern and Vanilla Latte has only been absolutely wonderful! The sock is in Cascade Heritage Hand Paints (Colorway: Seattle Blues) with heel and toe in MadelineTosh Tosh Merino Light (Colorway: Oceana). I did 2x2 twisted rib for the cuff and the slip stitch rib heel flap. I'm still trying to decide if I want to use the Rounded Wedge Toe or the Star Toe. Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite, ya? I am hoping to finish sock number one either today or tomorrow so I can started right away on sock number two. 

Hope you're having an awesome (and constructive Wednesday!). Check back in for more swimming talk tomorrow!

YAY!!!

I just got an email from another swimmer inviting me to come and swim in the local lagoon (you gotta know someone who lives there to get in unfortunately). This is a mega yay because:
A) it's open water practice
B) lagoon/lake currents are more similar to river currents than the bay currents are
C) its a whole host warmer than the bay
D) I've always wanted to go swimming in the lagoon but didn't know people who lived out there

I am super, super stoked! I also officially signed up for the swim this weekend which means I am officially a crazy person who should probably get her head checked out. It also means that I need to get down to business and stop using excuses…no more skipping swims cause I don't feel like it or cause I've been in the pool for awhile already! I'm pretty stoked for at least one of my swims this week as i have a written workout from another group that's training for the swim. I love it when I don't have to figure out what I'm going to do. I'll probably save their workout for Wednesday or Friday and just shoot for a nice 4000 today.

Lots of WIPs to look forward to tomorrow…I don't know about you, but those are some of my favorite posts!

Fear...

…is a great motivator. Currently, my fear is running out of time to finish a project before Mother's Day! Check back on Wednesday to see and read all about it!

Stretch it out!

I've been having a tricky time figuring out what today's stretch would be…there are just so many that I love! Today's will be a simple one…hopefully, I'll be able to include pictures for more complicated ones in the future.

Basic Neck Stretch: Tuck the chin to chest. Interlace fingers and press against back of head to deepen the stretch. Release fingers and slowly rotate head to the right. Return to center and rotate left. Return to center and left up-you're done! I wasn't kidding about the simple bit!  This is a great one if you've been typing all day or Netflixing or just not really moving your neck around. I also love it when I first wake up.

Stitchin'

The sock obsession continues. I've been busy working on all three of the WIPs I showed you yesterday, but I'm finishing up my night with my striped sock.

I am just absolutely in love with this sock and pattern. I'm pretty excited to be filling my drawer with lots of homemade socks! That's all for this (belated) Stitchin' Saturday…I'll be back later today with Stretchin' Sunday. Till then...

Combo Day

Yikes! Sorry for not posting Wednesday or Thursday…today will just be a combo day with WIPs, Training and FOs!

WIPs

We'll start with the one you've already met…on the bottom right is Mom's sock! This week I finished the leg and got started on the heel flap, yay! The leg is probably the hardest part of any sock for me. Also, these socks are maybe not going to be for my mom as she tried the finished one on and said she likes her socks a tad longer. So these may end up as my socks.
On the bottom left, we have a new pair of socks, probably for me as well. It's my first time actually striping socks (instead of using self-striping/self-patterning) so that's been interesting. Jog-less stripes while simultaneously carrying yarns is tricky. These socks will have a third yarn added for the heel and toe…I'm just going crazy with them apparently! The pattern is Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes. I did my cuff in 2x2 twisted rib; I absolutely love how it looks! I'm planning on doing a new heel I learned this week and I'm still undecided about the toe.
The very top sock is Alligator Baby Socks by Hélène Rush. These were my practice round for magic looping socks (which I adopted for the striped socks I'm making). However, the pattern is written for DPNs and my ability to adjust patterns is not overwhelmingly incredible so I'm making looping in three parts. It's actually working quite well and if your needles are long enough, I would definitely recommend it for anyone magic looping a DPN pattern. I learned a great slip-stitch heel in this pattern and I'm getting to use a mini-skein I've had stashed for a few months now.

Training
Not so hot this week. Allergies are totally kicking my butt and it's a bit hard to swim when you really can't breathe and have some serious pressure issues putting your face in the water. I did get some good squats and dancing on Wednesday and a bit of swimming today. I am starting to feel better so hopefully I can go back to increasing my yardage soon.

FOs
Two FOs this week (might be a new record!)!

After posting on Sunday, I went ahead and finished the ten-stitch baby bib. Definitely not my favorite piece of knitting ever, but hopefully a new military mom and baby will like it and be able to use it.

I finished the Southwest one plus late Tuesday night. I decided to get a little fancy and try out the picot bind-off. It did take some extra time, but I think it looks pretty cute! This little sweater, along with the baby bib will be headed out in a shipment to Marine Corps Kids hopefully sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'd like to try and pack a few more items in though before I send it out!

That's all for now, folks! I'd love to hear from you…comments are ready and waiting for you! Have a lovely rest of your Friday!

Tuesday Training

This week has just been all about getting back into the swing of things since I didn't swim at all last week or the week before due to Splash. It's been a little rough, but I'm feeling better today than I did yesterday. Monday only got a 1300 yards while today I bumped it up to 2500 yards (which is a bit over a mile). No swimming tomorrow, but I'm hoping for a bit of dry land (leaning towards some planks, maybe some pushups and sit ups, definitely some jumps and maybe a little dancing?). I plan to be back in the pool on Thursday for at least 1000 yards and will probably start weights up either Sunday or Monday. I'd really like all my swims next week to be over 1800 yards but I'd rather come in under versus not swimming at all.
My goal for this month is to get in somewhere between 11-14 miles; currently, I'm sitting at 8.07 Overall, February had the best mileage at 22.95; January had a nice showing at 16.53; March was not so hot 9.77. I still have a goal of 650 miles this year…but that goal is creeping further and further away from me on a daily basis.
I would love to try a TRX class. They seem like an amazing workout but also like a lot of fun. A lot of me is just nervous though…I'm only so-so about exercising on land in front of other people. In the pool, I feel pretty confident, but I'm kinda klutzy on land. I like as few people to be around as possible when I workout. I've done group exercise classes on occasion in the past, but overall they kind of intimidate me. So maybe I'll to do a few that seem a little intense and try and work my way up?
That's all I have for tonight. Lots of knitting going on this week…check in tomorrow for the projects I've worked on this week!

Monday, Monday

Thanks for coming back/ welcome if this is your first time here! I know last post I said I'd have an FO for you and some swimming talk. I have both of those things…but I'm going to be talking about neither one today! Instead, I'm just going to present my planned line-up for the week (and weeks to come, hopefully). Without further ado, here's my post plan-

Miscellaneous Monday: On Mondays, it's just going to be a random conglomerate of writing. It may be about swimming or knitting or it may be about some other aspect of my life.

Training Tuesday: Tuesdays will be all about my training. Probably some odd combination of what I've done the past week and what I plan to do in the upcoming days. 11 miles is a lot of swimming, yo!

WIP Wednesday: Wednesdays will be all about what I've been working on the past week. You've seen all my current UFOs so I'll only post about what I've actively been working on. And of course, since I am prone to start-iris, there will probably be many new UFOs before all my old ones are complete.

Training Thursday: Just like Tuesdays. What I've done for training and what I plan on doing next. Another reason for this blog is to help me stay on track with my workouts. And maybe even inspire you to try something new! The possibility of whining exists…yes I know I'm doing this to myself and there is good reason for it and overall it is a lot of fun and I'm super excited for the swim…but that doesn't mean that it's all sunshine and roses.

FO Friday: Show off my finished project(s) from the week! There's a great possibility that I won't have an FO every week, but I'm hoping this might help to inspire me to get my butt in gear!

Stitchin' Saturday: Whatever I currently have on the needles in front of me when I go to post. Kinda like WIP Wednesday except it will only be one project…unless I'm doing serious jumping in which case it might be two…

Stretch it Sunday: Part of my training is to work on yoga and hopefully, strengthen my core/back a bit. Each Sunday, I hope to post a new stretching idea…and hopefully try some new ones out alongside y'all!

So that's the general plan for posting…I have no idea how long I'll stick to it. And the possibility definitely exists that I might skip days.
Since it is Monday, my miscellaneousness (other than the layout plan) is going to be a random fact about myself. There is more in fact to me than just knitting and swimming so my random fact for the day is that I absolutely love to eat ice cream for breakfast, especially if I'm stressed. I did it about 3x last week during Splash. I should probably give it up, but hey, when you're 22, you're allowed to eat whatever you want for breakfast.
I think that's all for now. Please, let me know what you think! Or vote in the poll on the upper right side…
Till tomorrow...

All About…UFOs!!

I have a lot of UFOs. Some of them haven't been on the needles for very long…others have been languishing for awhile. I have pictures though!
First up, a group shot! I thoroughly apologize for the mess and the only so-so picture. But I'm going for full honesty and these are all the UFOs that I know of in California. There may be some in storage in Oregon…not 100% sure either way.

I'm not exactly sure the best way to go through these…I'll start with everything that is (eventually) going to be knit and then talk about the things to frog.

To Be Finished

Block and Tackle Baby Blanket

This bad boy has been hanging on my needles since September 2012. The pattern is a scarf pattern that I thought would be pretty sweet for a baby blanket. Unfortunately, this is just really, really slow going. I love how this looks (and I've spent a ton of time on it!) so I refuse to frog. Maybe I can finish it before September 2014 rolls around?

Beekeeper's Quilt (aka Hexipuffs)

I got started puffing in December 2011. I'm up to over 100…though they're spread out between California and Oregon. I'm in no rush on this project. I just work on puffs when I feel inspired. These four will eventually be stuffed and bound off…I've just got other things I'm more interested in right now!

Noah Baby Sweater

I got started on the Noah baby sweater in March 2014. It's from an absolutely adorable book called What to Knit When You're Expecting by Nikki Van De Car. I just wanted to make something fun and cute (and I'm trying to learn a bit more about sweater construction before attempting to make one for myself!). This has been going pretty smoothly and I think I should be able to finish it before the book is due back to the library.

One Plus (Hiroshige) 

The first One Plus started in March 2014. I brought this yarn home from the yarn shop and immediately cast-on; I couldn't help myself. The yarn is so beautiful and yummy. I think I'm having a hard time finishing it though because I don't exactly have a home for it…and as long as it's on the needles, I don't really have to think about where it is going to end up!

One Plus (Southwest)

This One Plus was started April 2014 because I was so sure I would totally have time to knit in between classes during Splash Week and I didn't want to bring the wool one to the pool in case it got wet and I couldn't possibly bring any of my other projects as most of them do require counting and/or some level of attention. Plus, since it was stash-busting it really was a win for me…I have a lot of excuses. But I love this pattern and this yarn is fun so whatever! I imagine I'll finish this up pretty soon.

Mom's Socks

These socks have been on the needles since March 2014. Sock number 1 was finished on March 28 and then sock number 2 wasn't started till April 11. My mom has really been wanting a pair of socks so my plan is to finish these and have them ready to go for Mother's Day. Once I get through the leg, the rest of the sock isn't too bad. The leg can just get a bit tedious at times...

Business Casual for Me

Oh goodness, these socks have been on the needle since October 2013. At the time, I didn't really know much about sock knitting so I had cast these on, then decided I wanted to learn a more basic sock first before trying to figure out cables and everything. Maybe when I finish my mom's socks, I'll come back and finish these for me.

Falling Leaves

This sweet baby has been on the needles since October 2013. I love this yarn and I love this design, but it's a charted pattern and I absolutely loathe charts. I'd like to finish it, but the option to frog remains a possibility. Basically, this just sits on my bookcase and looks at me wistfully.

Ten Stitch baby bib

This has been on my needles since about December 2013 (I think? I never made a Rav project page for it so I'm not 100% sure). This was supposed to be one of those big, super awesome looking blankets. Overall though, I'm not crazy about the pattern (especially picking up stitches) so I think I'm going to finish the square, add a strap and call it a baby bib.

Hurricane Hat

Of course, while typing this all up and going through Rav, I cam across another UFO. This little hat has been on the needles since November 2013 and I'm not exactly sure why I haven't finished it other than that I've found more interesting things to do. I think I also got a little tired of the pattern (right before I cast this one, I finished one in a grey merl).

To Be Frogged

Sometimes, a project just has to be frogged. There really is no way around it. I however hate frogging, so these two projects just sit, hidden in the closet where I can more easily ignore them. 

Sweet Pea Baby Blanket

I love this yarn and I love this design. It is just way to small to ever be a useful anything. I will frog it…it just makes me sad because it is in fact, quite lovely.

Gallatin Scarf

Again, totally love this yarn and pattern…just ridiculously smaller than I ever thought it would be. I ever cast this on off, dreaming that I could make it work. Unfortunately, it would take more than a blocking miracle to make this to the size I want it to be…

Okay, I think that is everything. I thoroughly apologize for the less then stellar photographs, I'm still learning how to photograph knits and edit the photos. Part of my reason for starting this blog is to motivate myself to finish projects in a somewhat timely manner and homely, decrease my random infections of start-itis. Fingers crossed, the next time I post, I'll have an FO or two to show off…or at least some awesome progress on all these projects! The next post will also probably include something about my swimming/training. That's all for tonight! Thanks for reading and please, leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

All about the fresh start

Hi Guys!
Honestly- I have no idea how many people will ever look at this. Heck, I don't even know how long I'll keep this up…but I've recently started watching the Knitting in Circles podcast by Aimee and Darren and they seem to have so much fun so I thought it might be fun to do a blog in the same nature. I dunno, we'll see.
I'm hoping to post pictures on a semi-regular basis, hopefully starting with my next post. This entry is just more of a general hello! And a chance for me to look at how a post appears and think and edit and customize till I like the way everything looks!
I think that's about all I'm going to put down for now. I may be up with another post either later today or sometime tomorrow…we shall see!
Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated! I'll do my best to respond to any and everything that comes in!
Happy Easter!