Rainbow Striped Socks

Let's be real: rainbows are awesome.  When I found out that Knit Picks had started making a rainbow colorway for Felici, I instantly ordered some.  It's taken a while for me to use the yarn because it is just so perfect.  Any knitter, sewer, spinner, or other crafter knows the type: something that is just so awesome that you don't want to use it.  You just want to take it out every once in awhile and pet it, then put it back where it belongs.

I finally used this yarn last November, when I started these socks.  Usually, I am a monogamous knitter.  If I start another project, the first probably won't get finished.  These are an exception!

I started them around Thanksgiving of last year and knit on them off and on through December.  Christmas presents took priority, so I stopped for a couple weeks to finish them.  I even took these socks on the Most-Terrifying-Plane-Ride-of-My-Life, but didn't knit because I was busy holding on to the armrest like it would save me in the event of falling out of the sky. 

When doing a Stash Reorganization a couple weeks ago, I found the half-finished first sock and started knitting on it again.  Yesterday, the final stitch was knit, and final end woven in.

The pattern is Skew, which is free from Knitty (here's the Ravelry link).  I knit the pattern once before with a beautiful hand-painted yarn.  This time around, I wanted to do stripes of some sort.  If you've seen the beautiful Noro scarves, you know that a striped yarn looks fantastic when paired with a solid.
 

I wrote about these socks on their Ravelry page, which you can see here.  Ravelry is great for keeping track of progress, especially if you happen to put a project down for a long time. 

Above, you can see that they are almost perfectly identical.  Yay!  I commend the knitters who can make not-quite-identical socks, but I simply can't muster the will-power!  Each time I knit a pair of something, I make sure to start at the exact same spot in the yarn and compare throughout.  

Here's a picture of the first sock being blocked.  Blocking really gets these socks into the correct shape.  I had two problems with this pattern, however:

1. A little too tight across the heel/ankle.  This isn't noticeable once they are on, but getting into and removing them is a major task.  I'm really hoping they stretch out a little with wear.
2. On both socks, I had the incorrect number of stitches after the heel was formed, when it came to the mini gusset.  I know it wasn't an issue with the pattern because there was a difference in stitches between the two socks.  I need to work on keeping track of what row I'm on, apparently!

 Today I started my next pair of socks, and am hoping that it will take less than 10 months to complete this time around!

Marshmallow Fondant

I recently made my first fondant-covered cake and have been itching to try again.  At first I was going to buy some fondant, but then I learned that you can make your own from marshmallows.  I saw the recipe over at The Chaplains Wife and just had to try it.

Well, the first attempt was horrific!  I only had a cup or so of marshmallows and decided to just wing the recipe.  BAD IDEA.  I ended up with green marshmallow goo all over my hands because I thought I was at the point of kneading it before there was enough powdered sugar.  I wanted to get a picture of it, but didn't want to risk my technology being forever marshmallow-ed.

Luckily, when I actually got around to using all the correct amounts, the fondant turned out!  I don't have a cake to decorate, but it keeps for 3-6 months.  One batch makes about 3 pounds of fondant, which is a good amount.

Fondant all wrapped up.  No food coloring yet!

 Be warned... the clean-up can be pretty overwhelming.  I made sure to soak the bowls as soon as I finished the fondant.  Also, do listen to the recipe when it says to grease the bowl and your hands with Crisco. That may have been my mistake in the first try.

Oh, no, look at those messy bowls!

Soon, I'll be posting a picture of my first at-home fondant-covered cake!  I just need an occasion...

Camping is a Skill

This weekend, I learned about a new skill: camping. You see, I worked as a camp counselor these past two years, so I thought I'd be able to easily plan my own camping trip.

Wrong!

Sure, I packed all the important things like a tent, sleeping bag, and food.  I even remembered to bring a lighter!  But, apparently, there's a lot of little things that you need, too.  Here's a list of everything that I forgot:

• Can opener
• Plates
• Silverware
• Sandals
• Tarp  

It's really difficult to eat a can of beans if you don't have a can opener, spoon, or plate! 

Also important: tent size.  I was worried that the small tent I had wouldn't fit two people, so I set it up the day before to check.  It seemed pretty roomy in there, with enough room for another person.  Here's where I went wrong: I didn't take into account that I am a lot smaller than that person.

Other than those few mishaps, the camping trip was a ton of fun!  We got to walk on the beach and climb some big rocks (and I found out that I get really nervous about heights when I'm on a tall rock!).  Sometimes you just have to get away from the indoor-crafty-life and visit some nature.