Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing all of you moms, aunts, grandmas, and friends a very happy Mother's day! Hope it was a special one!

My sister and I took my mom out for lunch and then it was a family photoshoot of socks in Mom's backyard! I think my mom has become my go-to sock model! And my sister, I think she enjoyed the photoshoot setup.


Of course, Mom didn't mind modeling her Mother's Day gift.


These were finished just in the nick of time late last night! Phew!


Pattern: Merrily
Yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight, colorway Sassafras

But the favorite part of the phootshoot was my mom modeling my Grandma socks. She loved them.



"Dotty" should be available for sale this week! And I'm on a roll with the finished socks. Two socks finished in one day (both of these were finished yesterday!!)!

Happy Mother's Day!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Crazy Camp Craftiness!

It wouldn't be sock camp without the crafty! Crafty fun number one involved taking an old or wornout sock and creating a whimsical, Seussical character. I brought my first sock. It is about two sizes too wide and too short! No holes though :)

Meet Pinky Perfect Princess Who!





My fellow "Who" tribe member Ann named her in just about 2 seconds (me, I struggled for an hour to come up with a name). I think Pinky Perfect Princess Who is destined to inspire a sock design! And lil' snowboarder's response to her...."Wooooowwwww!! Is she for me!??" She sure is. We just can't mess up her feathers :)

Crafty fun Day 2 brought buttons. Who knew making buttons would be so fun?!!



Erica captured her new-found-love of Twilight while at sock camp (okay, actually, she was so sick of us telling her how close we were to Port Angeles and Forks that she caved and watched the movies.... now she sparkles in the sunlight...).



My buttons don't sparkle, but still fun! And I think I have a new motto... "Go Girlie!"

Then of course there was the "boobie" homework, being as this was Camp Cattywampus. Remember, I cast on on the plane to camp, so I think these turned out okay.





"My Wild Irish Boobies"



Then there is the Boobie 1 colorway.



My brain has been bubbling with designs since taking my fabulous classes at camp. More about that later.



There was some knitting at Sock Camp too. Mostly on my Merrily Sock. I'm loving how it is knitting up in STR Sassafras.

I think this pattern can work nicely with Socks that Rock! So, let's have a little giveaway shall we. I'll be giving away 5 free copies of Merrily in celebration of my almost 500th post! I think I'm just a few posts away but I need some ideas for anything you'd like to know or see or hear about on the blog! Leave a suggestion and you're entered in the contest!

I'll be back with lots more sock camp photos this weekend!

Happy Friday!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Merrily Cowl

When I designed my Merrily socks, I loved the simplicity and repetition of the pattern and thought it would be perfect for a cowl.

Introducing.... the Merrily Cowl.







Knit with 2 skeins of Knit Picks Andean Silk, this cowl is just so drapey! I love it! Perfect accessory for spring! This is another design I did for the Knit Picks Independent Designer's Progam (and really, if you haven't, go check out the great designs over there!).



This cowl takes just under 200 yards, so I had to try it out with my new lone skein of Madelinetosh Vintage yarn that I purchased at Stitches. Not quite as drapey as the Andean Silk, but I think the pattern holds up nicely in this yarn too!



Pattern: Merrily
Yarn: ~ 190 yards of worsted weight yarn; shown in 2 skeins of Knit Picks Andean Silk, colorway Hollyberry; also shown in 1 skein of Madelinetosh Vintage, colorway Thyme
Needles: US size 6 (4.0 mm) or size to obtain gauge, DPNs or circular needles

Gauge: 20 sts = 4" over st st
Measurements: 12 1/2" width, 8 1/2" height

You may go directly to the Knit Picks site to purchase the Merrily Cowl pattern. The pattern is only $1.99, the price of all the Independent Designer's Patterns.

You can also purchase the pattern on my ravelry pattern page here .

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

That Airplane Knitting Rocks!

I finished my Mama Blue Sport weight version of the Merrily Socks on my flights to New Orleans.



Mama Blue Troika Sport, colorway Little Rarities 138



My first finished socks for 2010!



I just love this yarn!! The color variations are so subtle and beautiful!



Another long day of work tomorrow, but then Sunday off to cheer for the Saints! More work Monday, then airplane knitting (or a nap!) home!

Geaux Saints!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Merrily

Exciting news to share! While I was flying across country today to New Orleans, my new pattern was added to the KnitPicks Independent Designer's Program. I'm so excited to be a part of this new program!






These are my Merrily Socks knit in KnitPicks Gloss Sock yarn (a gift from Zonda!).

Merrily

Ding dong merrily on high...

Merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream....

These socks define merrily. Easy, festive, lighthearted. With an easy-to-memorize 8 round repeat, these socks will merrily fly off the needles.

Notes: Instructions are written for a cuff-down sock. However, they can be easily modified to a toe-up pattern. Sizes are provided for either a fingering weight yarn or a sport/dk weight yarn. Charts are provided on the last page.

Yarn: ~350 yds of fingering weight yarn. Shown in Knit Picks Gloss Sock yarn, 220 yds/skein; 2 skeins colorway Burgundy for fingering size; or ~250 yds of sport/dk weight yarn

Needles: Size US 1.5 (2.5mm) or size to obtain gauge for fingering size; US 2.5 (3.0mm) or size to obtain gauge for sport size

Gauge: 32 sts = 4" for fingering size or 28 sts = 4" for sport size

Size: Adult women's average/medium

Finished measurements: 8" foot circumference; 5 1/2 -6 1/4" approx. leg length

You may go directly to the Knit Picks site to purchase the Merrily Socks pattern. The pattern is only $1.99, the price of all the Independent Designer's Patterns (there are some gorgeous patterns there too!).

The pattern is also available as a Ravelry download.

In addition, from now until the end of January, 50% of the sales of this pattern (along with my other patterns) will be donated to Doctors Without Borders to help Haiti (whether you purchase the pattern at Knit Picks or Ravelry).

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits