Tuesday, January 25, 2011

cold

Last Friday the temperature here was -22 degrees F. Can you say FRI-GID?

It is no coincidence that I found time to finish up a pair of hand knit socks over the weekend. This is my 5th pair! I love hand knit socks! These are made from Alpaca yarn, which is incredibly soft. They feel wonderful on my always cold feet.
It is also no coincidence that I started knitting a pair of mittens. Easy peasy. These are so soft and smushy. I'm going to love wearing them!
I also found time last week to crochet this scarf. It went QUICK! I was done in about a day and a half. I love it! Hurray for crochet!
There was plenty of quilting going on between these projects. I had to laugh, because it occurred to me that all my hobbies involve making things to keep me warm. At least they are practical. I can't complain about that. :)

67 comments:

Dawn Hendrix said...

OO they look wonderful... wish I could knit or crochet ... just isn't in my DNA... LOL

Lisa said...

They look so warm!! I have been crocheting too, something about being cold, you need a little yarn in your hands. Stay warm.

Lynn said...

-22!!! I will stop complaining now about our temps in the 20's/30's recently.

Thimbleanna said...

WooHoo -- Congrats on another pair of socks. They're gorgeous -- there's nothing like a pair of handknit socks! I once had a guy at work ask me why on earth I would waste my time knitting socks. The mean side of me wanted to ask him why he wasted time with his stooopid-to-me hobby, but I kept my mouth shut. You have to wear them to understand. Love those mittens and scarf too!

Kelly said...

and this is why i'm glad i live in southern california! i'm a florida girl who lived in ohio for 2 winters, and that was enough for me! i thought i could handle the cold but i found out very quickly that i couldn't. :)

Anita said...

Warm is important. Those mittens look delightful, what kind of yarn are you using?

Anonymous said...

Goodness you've been busy - wonderful makes. I so want to have a go at knitting socks and yours look super snuggly. Love the scarf too. There's nothing nicer than wrapping up cosy in things you've made - it makes you feel double cosy :0)

Live a Colorful Life said...

I can both knit and crochet, but socks and mittens look so complicated to me somehow. Beautiful colors. Where do you find the TIME??

Kelly said...

oh, but your stuff looks beautiful. i would love to knit, but i can't even think of picking up something else right now! i'm impressed with how much you're able to do.

Anonymous said...

You MADE those socks??? I am soooo impressed!! I wish I could do something like that but I just don't have any coordination.

loulee said...

I have no problem with things that keep me, or you warm.
I WILL try knitting socks!

Anonymous said...

Very cute. It has been cold in Michigan too. This week we are going to have a heat wave and then cold again next week.

Sara said...

OH how I want some of those socks and I can't knit!

Anonymous said...

Loving the socks! AND the mittens!

Suzanne said...

Oh, those socks! Don't you feel just a wee bit smug every time you turn a heel? :-)

Rachel Slote-Brown said...

Love the socks. I just finished knitting my fourth pair last week and within 10 minutes I cast on my fifth pair. They are very addictive.
The mittens and scarf look nice too.

Amanda Jean said...

yes, Suzanne, I do! but just a wee bit. ;)

Jocelyn said...

Wow I love your socks! Wish I could knit something more then a scarf ;-) Your mittens look so warm a cozy. Great job.

karen @ badlandsquilts said...

Yes, it is sooo cold and looks like we have more next week! The socks look wonderful...do you wear then just around the house or like regular socks with shoes?

The Vegetarian Hunter said...

You are a machine! Good for you and good luck in keeping warm! Its supposed to be really cold this weekend in Edmonton too. Boo, I wish I had your knitting talent to keep warm!!

Amanda Jean said...

Anita,

the pattern for the mittens calls for worsted weight wool and mohair knit together as one yarn. i used some random no name yarn that i had in my stash for the mohair strand. i used eco yarn (by red heart) from joann's for the worsted weight strand. sorry, that's probably not much help.

aj

Tara said...

They rock! Can't wait to see that after thought thumb! Great talking to you yesterday! Should get my pillows finished up today and washed so I can send you pics! Yeah!! 9 days and counting!

Amanda Jean said...

badlandsquilts-

thank you! i wear them both ways. although i have heard that you aren't supposed to wear hand knit socks unprotected (without shoes) or they wear out faster. i wear house shoes or slippers almost all the time anyway, so i haven't worn through a pair yet.

aj

Kate said...

Love alpaca stuff! My husband spent a bit of time in Peru and Bolivia, and I have a soft and warm scarf/mittens/sock set for it. And also a llama blanket. Your stuff looks wonderful!

Unknown said...

Wow a day and half to crochet a scarf that would take me a year ;-)) Its lovely, and i love your socks and gloves, my mum always says if your hands and feet are warm then the rest of you will be to, i find this so true ;-)) dee x

Jo @ A life in lists said...

I ADORE handknit socks - I've more or less worn out the last batch I knitted for myself (I pretty much wear the four pairs in rotation) and I really need to find the time to knit a few more. Maybe I'll add it to my 2011 hand making list (which is already so intimidating it has it's own page on my blog).

bethanndodd said...

Seriously, I am so jealous that you can sew, knit AND crochet! All your projects are beautiful and cozy! I can only sew. I really want to learn how to one the other though...something creative that's portable would be perfect! Is one easier than the other?

Impera Magna said...

I love your socks and would like some myself! I am seriously contemplating picking up my knitting needles again after giving them up due to arthritis in my finger joints.

Denise L said...

I love those socks and although I do knit I have not yet actually tried. I was all prepared a year ago, the yarn, the pattern and the needles and I guess I gave up before I even started. Seeing yours makes me want to give it a try.

MissesStitches said...

All of your cold weather creations are beautiful, especially the socks. I have one pair of hand made socks. They are the absolute best.

ro said...

hey. do you have a pattern for your crochet scarf? i'm digging the openness of it :)

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

I'm making my fourth pair of mittens using the Knit Picks tutorial. I am going to make a pair of socks for me nest. It will be my first pair.

Linda said...

I've been knitting socks, too. LOL must be something about these cold winters up here. :)

Sara said...

Knitting socks and a hat here - it was rather cold here in New Hampshire the past few days.

Andrea, the little collector said...

So....

1. Love the ribbing in the socks. Feeling inspired.

2. Alpaca? Even MORE inspired!

3. Smushy? Hee hee! love that word to describe mittens.

4. Glad you enjoy warm hobbies. Not so glad that you -22 need them!

Bears Fan said...

I enjoy looking at your wonderfully warm creations!

Jodi said...

I heard the funniest description for cold weather the other day.

" The classified page is full of Brass monkey's looking for welders"

Her it is almost 40 Degrees Celcius at the moment so I am thinking about your cold weather and hoping cool thoughts will cool me down.
Jodi

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

All of those yarn creations of yours are in MY colors! Beautiful work. Stay warm! It was 80 degrees here in FL today!!!

Debi said...

Would you share your patern for the scarf??? Just lovely work!!

Anita said...

Socks! I love hand knit socks. I. Can't. Stop. Knitting. Them. Hope you get a heat wave above zero soon!

Annalia said...

Oh, my! I don't know how I would survive your weather! Makes me appreciate the rainy PNW weather even more. Rainy...but temperate.

tarabu said...

If I lived anywhere where it got below zero, I would make more things to keep myself warm, too. It's snowing here, but at least it's nearly thirty degrees!

Jessica Christensen said...

Uck! That temperature reminds me of my childhood and helps me to be thankful to be in Texas. I am totally impressed with your knitting skills. It has been so long since I have knitted anything, that I am not sure I remember how. I have a beanie hat halfway done, and I'll have to reteach myself to knit before I can finish it. :/ I would be afraid to attempt socks, but yours look FANtastic.

Terriaw said...

How fun to whip up a pair of socks, mittens AND scarf over the weekend! Those mittens look so warm and fluffy. I could use a new pair of mittens - what pattern are you using? Great way to spend a cooool weekend!

Renae said...

If you haven't tried it before you should try knitting your pairs of socks with circular needles--2 at a time so you don't have to count and keep track.

Try getting your hands on
"Knitting Circles Around Socks" by Antje Gillingham. Great pics and instructions. This method beats DPNs any day.

Bee said...

Wow, you are a fast knitter!

life in red shoes said...

Good grief, you also knit and crochet?
I'm such an underachiever:(

Anonymous said...

I LOVE those SOCKS!! I would love to have a pair! I can just imagine them in lovely shades of purple...

Kayse
kayse_g@yahoo.com

Clair said...

Maybe you will knit a sweater someday after all. When you run out of quilt ideas. :)

sarah, rsm said...

LOVE the socks! ever considered selling some?? i'd be interested! :-)

Anonymous said...

Hi Amanda - I have been a lurker for quite awhile here and LOVE your blog. I just finished making a full sized ragged edge quilt for my son's bed and LOVE it. Thanks so much for sharing what you have learned with us. I am loving the knitted socks. I knit dishcloths a lot and that is all I use in my kitchen.

Would you be willing to share your socks patter with us? I would love to make some just like that for my cold feet!

Thanks again and I guess I need to stop lurking and join in!

Alyssa
maa070607@yahoo.com

Lauren @ Craft My Life Away said...

I love the hand knits and hand crochets! They look fantastic!

Karyn said...

Congratulations! Love the socks!

Rhonda said...

I love all your projects! "Warm" sounds so good these days, though we're not as cold as what you described. :)

Tonya Gunn said...

I love the yarn you used for your mittens.

Liz said...

Those mittens look delicious!

Crystal@GreenMittens said...

Yep - you just cannot beat a pair of hand knit socks for warmth and comfort. it makes the little needles and hours of knitting all worth it!!

Judy said...

They all look warm and soft! I think my favorite are the mittens just because I love the yarn. Stay warm!

Anonymous said...

Amanda, could you tell us what mitten pattern you are using? The pair you made is lovely!

Austysmum said...

Love the socks! I SO need to knit some for me by winter!

Laura said...

Your socks are GORGEOUS!

JHNickodemus said...

I love that you knit AND quilt! (I do too!) I'm afraid to make socks though. It feels wrong to wear so much work on my feet....

Unknown said...

I knit socks too! And its driving me craaaaazy because we moved recently and I just finished a pair for my daughter down to the last eight stitches and I cannot for the life of me find my large needle to sew up the ends!!! And we now live in the middle of nowhere. . . no stores to visit to get new ones! Pretty yarn, I haven't used alpaca yet.

Anita D. said...

Yarn! Now this is my kind of post. I liked seeing them all in person too. There's nothing like feeling knitted and crocheted items.

(By the way, I'm going to start giving crochet lessons next week.)

Anonymous said...

Please do share what pattern you used for your socks and the pretty yarn. So pretty with jeans

Unknown said...

You should do a knitting tutorial!!! I have been trying to learn from a book and it is not going to well. Maybe I could get it if someone explained it to me!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Just wondering what pattern you use for the socks. They really look nice.