Knitting-a-long with Tanis and Glenna

Another fun thing I missed out on sharing this fall, was a KAL (Knit-a-long) using Glenna C patterns and Tanis Fiber Arts yarns.  I forget what started it but in the Tanis Ravelry group we started chatting about using Glenna's patterns (specifically The Urban Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) for Tanis' yarn and before we knew it we were all in for a KAL. 

For my part I managed to finish two projects for the deadline.  The first was the Armour Road Socks using TFA Yellow Label in Paprika (a OOAK color from an Etsy update in the summer) and the Charlotte Street Mitts in TFA Purple Label in Autumn Sun (a Year in Colour Club offering from September 2011).

I did finish the second sock, later that week.

They were fun knits and I LOVE making DK weight socks, I see many more pairs in my future (especially with KnitPicks Felici Sport discontinued) as they are a fun quick knit and so very warm. I knit the mitts a bit too larger (after many years of too tight gauge this was a bit of a surprise) but I don't care.  They are really soft and so comfortable so I carry on. Also, I still have a half-skein of the Purple Label so I will probably make another pair of fingerless mitts (a different pattern) because this yarn is just so darn nice.

I'm grateful for the KAL because it encouraged me to knit up patterns that had been lingering pretty far down in my queue and yarns that have been marinating in the stash for a while (well one of them ...)

There is another TFA KAL going on right now, however I don't have any projects entered.  I have too many non-TFA knitting commitments right now (including three Christmas stockings and a pair of socks for my mom, all of which are in various stages of completion) but I am really enjoying seeing the WIPs and FOs in the TFA Ravelry group. I hope my queue is cleared up so I can participate in the next KAL because they are a bunch of fun.

Check-in on Year of Socks

So back in January I committed to making 12 pairs of socks this year, now that we are in April, 1/4th of the way through the year I though I would check on my status.

With the completion of the Staked socks a week ago I have managed to finish three pairs of socks, however, not quite by the end of March.

I do have two more pairs on the needles and one of them should be done by the end of the  month. But both are nice plain socks, after the tiny twisted cables on the Staked socks I need some nice easy socks.

So I am on track, with the latest pair of purse socks and fancy socks, I should be fine, but my list of patterns have been blown completely out of the water with the release of such amazing sock patterns all winter, like The Knitter's Curiousity Cabinet by Hunter Hammersen and also discovering the trove of sock patterns hidden away in the nooks and crannies of Ravelry.

At the rate I am making socks, it would take me 4 years and 7 months to get through all the patterns I have in my queue (and not counting plain vanilla socks) .  And to knit all my superwash fingering weight yarn into socks would take about 3 years.  Yikes!  I guess I need to get knitting.