SomerKnits

I adore hand knit socks.  They are so comfy.  They are so pretty.  They are practical and yet a luxury.  My only problem seems to be that they come in pairs and I am prone to second sock syndrome.   That fact is the reason I was so proud of myself for whipping up the Hermione's Everyday Socks using Hedgehog Fibers so quickly last spring.  The yarn was from an exchange years ago and I was doing my best to knit with stash yarn.  I had had my eye on the pattern for a while for its simplicity and I had just finished The Weekender sweater by Andrea Mowry and I was ready to knit something smaller.  Smaller doesn't necessarily mean less stitches though.  I read somewhere that the average pair of hand knit socks is around 17,000 stitches.  If you are ever gifted a pair of hand knit socks you should appreciate a few things.  First, sock needles are tiny.  Tiny needles plus a bazillion stitches means the gift giver really really likes you.  Second, its takes a lot of willpower to mak

 For the last year I have mostly been a monogamous knitter.  I would power through one project at a time, fully completing it, weaving in ends, and blocking it before moving on to the next cast on, no matter how much I was jonesing for the next project.  This method is usually the most productive one for me personally.  Otherwise I end up with mostly finished WIPs waiting patiently for their ends to be woven in or seams to be sewn and they can languish for YEARS that way.   But after I finished the STRIPES! sweater I got cast-on-itis.  I had previously cast on a Love Note sweater by Tin Can Knits for my daughter but I didn't love the way the yarns were together and I felt like it would end up with enough itch factor that she wouldn't wear it, so it had been set aside waiting for the right fingering weight yarn to go with the silk mohair I had ready.  Once I had the * right * yarn it really began to fly but, of course, in the meantime while I looked for the right yarn I had a

Before we really get into this. I'd like to mention that if you hang around long or follow me on instagram, you'll notice I do not have a museum quality house.  I have a lived in house with people and dogs and lots of life happening.  So, as you glance around at piles of throw pillows in the corner or things tossed on the foot of the bed, realize its a balancing act and I'm going to choose to go ahead and take pictures in my not perfect bedroom and just let it be what it is.   You may remember that in the fall of 2019 I was introduced to yarn pond and really fell down that rabbit hole in January of 2020 while I was on bedrest after hip surgery.  Last spring I happened upon a test knit call for a sweater so beautiful I just had to put my name in to test knit.  I had the privilege to be selected and was able to test knit the Casagrande Sweater  by Sharon Hartley .  Its a beautiful sweater with a keyhole back, a ribbon bow, and lacey sleeves closed with a box pleat.  It was a

      A  bit more than a year ago I posted about recovering from hip surgery and renewing my love affair with knitting.  I didn't yet know about what life would suddenly be like.  I didn't know I'd be doing physical therapy over zoom and working from home while my wonderful husband managed remote school for the kids.  Amongst the home cooked meals, the bread baking, the wondering if grocery stores would have milk, flour, yeast and other necessities, at least there was knitting to help keep me sane.       From a knitting standpoint, it was a productive year.  I made sweaters for myself, gifts for family, clothing for the kids.  I connected online with more knitters than I had previously and even started listening to knitting podcasts.  The thing I am currently missing the most is the in person knitting groups of my younger days.  Before kids I spent many an evening sitting at restaurants or in people's homes, knitting, talking, and laughing.  Always a lot of laughing.  E