KnittingNutter

Deep breath, here we go. Feet first into the Web 2.0 knitting world. I'm by no means the first and probably won't be the last knitter to join the ranks of bloggers that need to get things off their chest and hopefully connect with some of the millions of knitters out there. So, I'm doing this for both my own and my family's sanity - as I am driving them insane. That brings me nicely to the name of my blog.

I truly am a knitting nutter - in name and attitude:
1. My surname is Zanatta and if we were still living in England Asa Zanatta would turn into "Asa's a nutter".
2. My husband believes, and to some extent I have to agree with him, that my knitting obsession borders on insanity.

So my pen-name is Knitting Nutter.

Enough about me and onto my passion... And the latest one is socks - socks simply rock! I had no idea what fun they are to knit. In fact, I was one of those knitters that would snicker, quite literally with my nose in the air, when reading other blogs, patterns, yarn clubs, you name it that speak about making socks in glorious terms.

Well, I'm onto my second pair and I can't stop. So what do I love about socks:
First, you get to choose yummy soft and delicate yarn that is so gentle to knit with.
Second, you can choose multi-coloured yarns and they look great in a simple yarn pattern (beyond which I have not departed yet, simple yarn pattern that is...)
Third, there are boundless ways in which you can vary up patterns. In fact on my second pair, I started playing with colours based on the simple sock pattern.
Fourth, they're challenging enough to keep you on your toes, yet you can whip up a sock in less than a week.
Fourth, you can knit socks on two circular needles. I'm not great at double-pointed needles. In fact, the harder I try not to warp the ends, the larger the loops become. So you can imagine my thrill when I came across "Socks soar on two circular needles" by Cat Bordhi.

And here they are - halfway through the second sock. What's the yarn I hear you shout? It's Knit Picks EssentialSolid (75% superwash wool and 25% nylon) - very soft..

I'm onto my second pair of socks and they still rock. So before moving onto the second pair, here's the first pair of socks.

Destination - my brother who's turning 30 in April. I'm also going to make him a vest, as it is his 30th after all. So I've added the vest to the huge list of things I need to make this Spring.

The second pair of socks are for my dad for his Birthday in March. I'm still using the simple sock pattern and I love this yarn - the varation in colour goes really well with this pattern. The yarn's from Knitpicks.com and is called Memories, made from 100% merino wool - yum!

This pair took about half the time the previous, and my first pair ever, took me. So in a week and a half I have nearly finished another pair of socks. This is a good thing as my sister's Birthday is coming up in March as well and I've been dragging my feet on finishing off her sweater. Why is it when you're nearing the end of a project you start dragging your feet - or is it just me? More on her sweater once I've finished the socks, which I'm now going to finish off in front of the TV.

Now that I've got the initial sock knitting bug out of my system, it's back to finishing off the sweater for my sister. This has been a "forever" project and the poor thing was starting to feel neglected. I'm onto the second arm...

and then comes.... blocking and sewing. The tedious parts. I cannot fathom how I can love knitting so much, and loath blocking and sewing so much. But you can't give away a sweater in pieces, so it will get done, it will, it will.

For this project and here are all the pieces, by the way...

I used Emu Superwash doubleknit wool that I got at a bargain price of Cdn$2.00 per yarn from ramwools.com and the pattern is from Patons Classics - Indigo Days. They have the cutest child's cardigan on the front that I'd like to make for my daughter... Anyway, getting off topic here. Focus! Time to get on with finishing the second arm...

Phew! I've got the blocking done. Why is it so hard to finish off a sweater. It's like writer's block. Once I've finished the last stitch, it's like the joy of it grinds to a halt. Is the final chapter just as hard for a writer? Blocking and sewing the pieces together are such a pain!

Halfway there now. Here are the front and arms blocked and waiting to dry.

In other news, I sent off the blue socks (see below) to my dad for his Birthday. Yes, thanks Emilee for the comment, he does have very large feet. Like a good Swede he sports size 11 shoes (or size 44 European size)... it took a while to knit the feet. I'm very happy with this first attempt at socks and I am truly converted.