Fish Lips Kiss Heel "Review"

Well, now that I have finally finished my sock, (Note: Sock, not socks) I am ready to talk a little bit about the Fish Lips Kiss Heel. Like I mentioned, I had a lot to say about it, and I decided in the end that making a short video would probably be easier as well as less difficult to organize than a blog post. Unfortunately it came out longer than I'd hoped, mostly because I apparently don't shut up.

So that's that.

And I'll show you some pictures:
The completed sock.

This is the reverse side of the heel, demonstrating the bumpy bit.

And also completely unrelated, but I also made a cute little baby hat out of this yarn and never posted a picture on the blog.

And I guess since now I have turned the subject to hats, I'll share a couple of chunky hats I worked on recently.

Other than the green one that is on the needles, I'm not really sure what yarn I used for these. I know it is chunky, and I know it is acrylic. No pattern for these three hats. The green is actually Red Heart's "Reflective" style yarn. It's a little itchier than I expected, because the reflective threads feel sort of like tinsel, but my son picked the yarn and requested a hat. I believe the other two are Bernat Softee Chunky, the new kind which has 11 stitches per 4 inches. The old Bernat Softee Chunky was not as heavy and I actually used it to make my very first sweater. I liked the old stuff better. But I made one other hat as well out of the Bernat, which I actually did use a pattern for.

This pattern came off of the ball-band and is available for free. But I don't really recommend knitting it as directed: I converted the flat pattern to work in the round.

I have been finding myself missing having a complex project to work on. Even with school, work, pregnancy and parenting- or perhaps BECAUSE of all that together- I feel like I need something to work on that might challenge and interest me. The baby blanket I was working on was a great project, and I really miss working on it. I think I might take up a sweater, and so I frogged my old Vine Yoke Cardigan (which may have been under the bed for 4 years now in its unfrogged state) and washed and hung the yarn up to get the kinks out. I'm not sure what it will become yet, but it wasn't doing anybody any good sitting under my bed.

FO Friday: Little Riding Hood Slippers

These slippers were so fun, easy and quick! They are a free drops pattern and have been in my Ravelry favorites for a sinfully long time, and when my husband picked me up some Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky on a whim (yes, I have an awesome husband who randomly buys me yarn) I thought no better time than today!
They took a very short period of time- I think the cabled portion took me about a movie (Carrie, the new one) and the slipper bits took another hour or two. So maybe a total of four hours per slipper, and eight hours for the pair. I definitely can see myself making more of these for the holidays! They are so cute, and I didn't even add buttons to them. The pattern itself is pretty self-explanatory but if you wanted extra help while knitting them, there is also a youtube video available that goes through how to do each step.

Life not changed

I have a lot to say about this heel.
But not until after I try it on.

Fish Lips

So apparently in July 2013, a new type of sock heel took the knitting world by surprise. I'm referring, of course, to the Fish Lips Kiss Heel. This sock heel has been the topic of much discussion and many people have simply raved about it. Somehow I missed the memo, and have continued along making my heel and gusset socks and then passing them along to my mom when I found that, once again, I don't like the way they fit. I've tried short row heels, I've tried afterthought heels, and I've even made tube socks. But the fact remains: I like me some store-bought socks. I just like the way they fit, and I also don't like socks unless they sit at my ankle. Making ankle socks, I figure, would be a waste of sock yarn and so I just end up making socks for family and friends and that has been fine and dandy for me up until now...
I've been watching the Knitting Expat Podcast and after 24 episodes during which Mina has churned out something like 14 pairs of socks, of which more than half incorporate the Fish Lips Kiss Heel. As a result my curiosity has gotten the best of me. I bought the pattern (even though I feel like selling a HEEL pattern is a little...I don't know. I don't want to say greedy because of course I understand the work that went into developing this heel. But at the same time, every other heel pattern has been passed down for generations and therefore have been free. If it wasn't for the internet this pattern would similarly be passed down. But if it wasn't for the internet I wouldn't have access to it, so I can see it both ways!) and after almost fainting when 16 pages printed out, cast on my newest pair of socks.

I'm using my favorite sock yarn, Knit One Crochet Too's Crock-O-Dye. I plan on doing a contrasting heel and toe with the lighter color. The reason for that is that I don't have enough of the dark blue to do the complete pair because I used some of it to make a wee hat a few weeks ago. And I don't have enough of the light blue to do the complete pair because, well, once upon a time I knitted a sock. It was a beautiful sock, it was a self-designed pattern with a horseshoe cable down the front, and it was completely done and I just had to knit the second one. Then, second sock syndrome kicked in, and before I was able to overcome it I actually LOST the single sock and this light blue ball of yarn has been sitting in the stash depressed for like two years just waiting for its mate to pop up so I could knit it. Since it still hasn't popped up, I'm going to use the dang yarn and be done with it.
Of course, that means that once I finish these socks, that first sock is going to pop up.
Anyways, these socks are going to be for my mom, because well 1) I love my mom as anyone reading this blog can probably tell because so many of my FOs go to her and 2) she loves handknit socks!! She wears them until they have holes, and I truly appreciate that. I don't think I've knit her any socks since shhhh 2012. (I feel ashamed.)
So that's what I'm working on. The vest is still in its bag, but actually those are the only two works' in progress I have at the moment so I'm pretty happy about that.
Happy Knitting!

And another one bites the dust

Every once in a while I get the desire to work on something specific: Cables. Lace. Chunky yarn. So it was when I realized that I desperately wanted to work up a vest, with texture, with color-work, and with acrylic. Well, I guess the "acrylic" part of the decision was influenced more by the fact that I don't know anybody who likes vests as much as my mom and my mom and wool don't get along. Well, I guess they do get along, but only up until she destroys the wool in the wash.

Anyway, that is how this "design" came to be.

From this primitive doodle grew a swatch

And the swatch was just the right size so it became the right front, and then the left front was cast on, and it is nearly done as well.

And then, just as suddenly as the urge to make a textured, slip stitch color-work, acrylic vest appeared, so it disappeared. And now that working on it no longer scratches that itch and no longer makes me happy, I have placed it in a bag. Doomed, along with many of my other works in progress.


...


And I think I want to make a sweater.

FO Friday: Revere House Cardigan

This is one of those projects that has been "in the making" for way too long. First I had to save up for the yarn. Then I was honestly too afraid to cast on because I wanted this sweater to be perfect. PERFECT! And I know perfection is a lot to ask, especially when seams, cables, and hand dyed yarn comes along. But I'm glad to say that I finally finished my Revere House Cardigan.

Unfortunately I am 6 months pregnant and can't actually model it for you, so instead I've got a picture of my beautiful mother wearing it. And yes, she wants one too now!!

Knitted with Malabrigo Twist in colorway sealing wax.

There were some mistakes in the pattern...I wish I had written down exactly where they were so I could be more helpful to others, but alas, I just worked through them.

It is warm, snuggly, and will be a perfect fit come winter. I bought a cute little belt buckle from etsy and I might end up knitting a belt to put on the back, but I might not. It's perfect, after all.

The buttons, by the way, don't match. My son picked them out.

 Instead of balking I just sewed them alternatively and it really looks fine.
This is one of those projects that make me so happy to be a knitter! I just can't wait until I have the baby so that I can finally try it on!

A few finished objects and a work in progress....

Baby Cardigan
Ravelry Page Here

Eco Baby Booties
Ravelry Page Here

Baby bonnet
ravelry page here

Baby Jacket
Ravelry Page Here

Baby Blanket
Ravelry Page Here

And.... The work in progress!