Year of Projects 2025-2026: Week 3

A couple of finished things for this week and a handful of other in-progress items:

I finished my Sailing School Socks, design by Helen Stewart/Curious Handmade. I used Less Traveled Yarn’s 757 Sock in the Prickly Pear colorway. The design isn’t particularly hard – some 1/1 cables and a fake eyelet cable done without a cable needle – but I just could not keep this one in my brain for whatever reason. The socks are mirror images of each other. I added an extra pattern repeat to the legs and I used a slip-stitch heel for mine but otherwise made the 64-stitch size as written. Despite the yarn being a bit busy for a cable pattern, I actually think it worked up just fine.

I finished up my first set of skeins for Tour de Fleece. This is a combo spin with 1 ply of Oceanwind Knits merino/bamboo and 1 ply of Three Waters Farm Polwarth/silk. I wound up with 847 yards of a light fingering-weight 2-ply. My plan is to use this as the base for a summer top and then add in some other yarn for a colorwork patterned yoke. I was thinking about using a dark midnight blue roving I’ve got but now that these are plied together, I might think about a dark charcoal gray. (I probably won’t get this project knit for a while, so I will mull it over.)

I started my second spin for the Tour this week. This is the first bobbin of a set of 4 handcarded batts from Hedgehog Fibres, a tweedy combo of Corriedale, merino, camel and silk. I’ve got 2 of the 4 left to spin onto bobbin 2, and then hopefully can get this plied this week. If I can, I’d like to try to get a final spin in before the Tour is over but I’ll take it as a win if I can at least get one started.

A bit of progress on Asterie. I’m just cruising around the body right now so not a very exciting update, but I am working on this in bits and bobs.

I finished up the Citrine (yellow in the top left of the photo) hexis for my Hygge Burst Blanket. I made the first of 4 other colors, just to see what they looked like. I’ve got another 4 colors for the blanket I haven’t started yet. This one is definitely a S-L-O-W work in progress, but at least I’m making tiny steps forward.

And finally, the yarn for my 2 sample knits came. The pattern (Dyad by Kate Oates) is a reverse stockinette stitch jacket with either a cable collar or a colorwork collar. I started on the version with the cable collar but it’s not very far along, so I didn’t bother to take a photo since it’s mostly a couple of rows and the temporary cast-on. Hopefully will have more on that for next week!

22 responses to “Year of Projects 2025-2026: Week 3”

  1. Love those socks. You have accomplished quite a bit of spinning. How many more hexagons to go for the Hygge blanket?

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    1. Thank you! I’ve been trying to stick to an hour a day minimum for spinning and it definitely adds up! I think I’ve got 88 more hexis? (A lot whatever the magic number is…)

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  2. What a nice variety of projects. Love the socks.

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    1. Thank you! I always enjoy Helen’s patterns.

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  3. The socks and yarn look stunning. I’ve not heard the word combo spin, but I guess that’s what I’ve done with my latest as the light pink was fleece processed by a friend and the darker pink was commercial top she had dyed?? Is that a combo spin? No idea on either breed. The little hexies as so cheery, it’s going to be a stunning blanket one day. Will you start joining now, or wait until they are all done?

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    1. It’s definitely what I call it (and have heard others call it) – when you use different rovings to either spin or ply together. (I’ve also heard it called a Franken-spin). I think I’m going to wait and join everything at the end so I can dither about color placement. 😛

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  4. Ooh Dyad looks very nice, I look forward to seeing yours as you make progress on it!

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    1. Thank you! I’ll definitely share some photos as I work along on it. I’m making both versions so you’ll be able to see both the cabled collar and the colorwork one!

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      1. Even better!

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  5. You’ve had a nice, busy week. I love those socks!

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    1. Thank you so much – I do too!

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  6. mabt55 Avatar
    mabt55

    I have now queued those socks. Lovely. Your spinning is amazing. I really need to get to my second bobbin….maybe I ‘ll get it done by the Tour de Femme…..hope springs eternal.

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    1. I hope you enjoy making them – they’re a fun knit. Good luck with your spinning plans!

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  7. ruthspory Avatar
    ruthspory

    Beautiful work. I love Less Traveled Yarn – I still have a few skeins in my stash.

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    1. I wish she was still dyeing yarn – I also have a few skeins I’ve hoarded.

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  8. Such beautiful knitting. I love the color in the yarn you used for the Sailing School Socs, and your spun yarn is beautiful. Can’t wait to see what you decide to make with it. The yoke on the Asterie is so pretty and your Hygge Burst Blanket is a great ongoing project. It’s going to be a true reward finishing that.

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    1. Thank you so much! I’m obviously a blue-green fan. Feels like I make a lot with that color family!

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  9. Quazar Avatar
    Quazar

    The socks are very pretty. Your sweater is coming along nicely as well. I especially like the pattern on the yoke.

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  10. Everything looks great! Your finished yarn looks so smooth and even. Very nicely done! It will be lovely for whatever you decide to knit with it.

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  11. Lucy Bowen Avatar
    Lucy Bowen

    All of your projects are lovely. The socks are perfect and I really like the combination of pattern and yarn.

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  12. I really love your grey socks. Your sweater is going to be very pretty too. I’m fascinated by the yarn your spinning. It looks so smooth!

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    1. Thank you so much!!

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