The State of Things

Sock Summit is less than a month away and things are surprisingly calm around here. I'm hoping (fingers, toes crossed) that this is because things are on track with preparations - not the calm before the storm.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to show snippets of some of the various planning methods and also some of the new products that will be at Sock Summit and beyond. For now, I'm simply trying to remember to feed myself and hydrate (besides tea!) Speaking of which, I'll leave you with the scene that played out at HK headquarters last night.

Mr HK: BABYBEAR!! What's for dinner?

Me: We nave NO food in the house. Nothing. Nada. We'll starve if I don't go grocery shopping. We'll starve if I don't dye yarn. I'm freaking out!

Mr HK: (with a slight smirk - he's heard this all before... :) OK, you go do your thing. I'll make dinner.

Now, here's where I have to confess, Mr. HK does most of the cooking around here. Not only is he quite experienced in a professional kitchen, he's creative and can make a meal from seemingly nothing. As long as I keep food in the fridge, we'll eat well.

Drumroll...



Frozen burritos (cooked, then slightly browned in oil), fried egg, sauteed spinach, artisan goat cheese and a little Crystal hot sauce for good measure.

Strange? Yes! Inspired? Yes! Healthy? I'll give it a 6 (organic spinach and goat cheese, free range, organic eggs). Delicious? Oh yes!! More please!!

Who knew?? Yet now, we really have no groceries. I better not keep pushing the envelope :)

What the HK is on your Needles? Vol. 9

Today, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Hazel Knits Artisan Sock isn't just for socks. It is also fabulous for mittens, mitts and gloves!

And, to prove my point, I'm going to show you a few recently completed projects.

First up, we have Sandra (ravname:Sandygale) with her Fallberry Mitts in the recent club colour, Lilypad. She made this as part of the Anne Hanson/Hazel Knits knitalong currently finishing up on Ravelry and as a companion piece for her Hydrangea Neckwarmer. What a lovely set!



Courtney (ravname: courtneyshannon) knit this colourful pair of Prickly mitts in Rick's Cognac and Hoppy Blond. A great combination and I love the name she chose for her project: Liar, Liar, Hands on Fire.



Marlene (ravname:Constantmac) knit up a pair of Basic Gloves in Blueberry. Since we live in the same city I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for these hands of blue next Fall.



Check out this elegant pair of Blackrose Wristlet's in Chocoberry knit by K (ravname: nightbird). Just stunning!



And finally, I was so lucky to get my friend Dorie (ravname: sweetbeej) to knit a sample of my latest pattern, Wintry. Look for it in the Hazel Knits booth at the upcoming Sock Summit.



I also took a little look back in my project archive and found two projects I'd like to share. The first is my Mock Cable Gloves in Daphne.



And the second is a Basic Mitten in Greenlake.



Thanks to everyone for allowing me to share their projects.

I am nearing the finish line for my Miss Doolittle scarf just as the Ravelry KAL is wrapping up. I should have pictures of my latest HK projects for you soon.

What the HK is on your Needles? Vol.8

Today, let's take a look at some of the many projects of another Hazel Knut, Melissa (ravname: mom2legomaniacs). Melissa has knit a lot of socks in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock and tells me it is her favourite yarn because she can count on the consistency of it.

Let's have a look at some of my favourites!

First up is the very interesting Skew. The unique construction of this pattern really highlights the beauty of variegated yarns. Melissa knit hers in the club colour Aloha in Artisan Sock.



Melissa used HK Entice in Cherry Fizz to knit up this wonderful pair of Sakura. Cashmere socks - how decadent!



Another club colour, Impulse, in Artisan sock was used to knit this amazing pair of Hedera. I knit a pair of Hedera in HK a couple of yarns ago and agree with Melissa that this simple pattern has a lot of impact.



Melissa is a talented and adventurous knitter as you can see in this next pair of socks. She knit this pair of Nordic Inspiration in Hi-OcTang and Jay Blue. Some day I hope to be brave enough to cast on a pair of colourwork socks.



And look at the cables on the next pair. Melissa knit this pair of Blattwerk in the club colour, Mango Smoothie. Such detail!



And while Melissa does seem to be a lover of sock knitting, she does not limit herself to just socks. The final project I want to show you today is her Meliae in yet another club colour, Surf.



Lately, I have had the pleasure of working with Melissa on a secret project for Wendee that will debut at Sock Summit. We've been having a lot of fun with a lot of different colours of HK. A dream come true for this knitter.

Thanks, Melissa, for letting me feature your handywork.

What the HK is on your Needles? Vol. 7

This week let's have a look at some beautiful projects completed with Hazel Knits DK Lively.

First up, we have Thao's (ravname: Thao713) absolutely stunning version of Manu, which she calls Beurre. This sweater is knit in Stick o'Butter and I adore the orange buttons! I really need to get more creative with my button selections. These really finish the piece.



Lively is obviously a fantastic sweater yarn as can be seen in the next project as well. Jennifer (ravname: Pipp) knit up a gorgeous February Lady Sweater, which she calls Lady of Laguna knit in, of course, Laguna.



But Lively isn't just for sweaters. Check out Kathy's (ravname: ginersnapxii) Sport Weight Toe-Up socks knit in The Red Carpet. Kathy's sons love their HK socks so much they have requested more. Apparently they are hooked on HK too. And what a great idea to knit man socks in DK weight. Much faster.



And finally, Sherri (ravname: merrysherri) knit a beautiful hat called Vega What? using the pattern Vegamot in Terrywinkle. I obviously need to buy myself a mannequin head to go with my mannequin feet. Maybe my husband will go for it if I promise not to display them in the dining room anymore. Apparently some people find that weird.



I thought it would be fun to take a little look through my own archives and see what I've knit with Lively. I only found a couple of projects. Seems like I need to work on that!

I knit the outer mitten of my Dimorphous mittens in Euphorbia (the inner mitten is Chuckanut in Artisan Sock).




And here's my daughter's Helena in Laguna. Too bad she's outgrown it.



Thanks to everyone for allowing me to highlight their projects. Now I'm off to check out some DK patterns.

What the HK is on Your Needles? Vol. 6

This week's "What the HK is on Your Needles?" is focusing on one particular knitter, Dorie (ravname: Sweetbeej). I think it is safe to say she is a real Hazel Knut.

Dorie has been a Hazel Knits fan pretty much since the beginning and has knit an overwhelming number of projects of all types in all of the HK base yarns.

So let's take a look at some of Dorie's most impressive projects.

First up we have Tangy Marlenes in Artisan Sock in Hi OcTANG. This Cookie A pattern is full of twisted rib stitches and I know from experience how hard on the hands this type of pattern can be. But the results are impressive.



Not content with small sock projects, Dorie also likes to take on sweaters. She recently completed this Vampy Audry in DK Lively in Vamp. What an amazing fit. And a perfect button choice (one of the hardest parts of sweater making for me).



But Dorie also likes to have fun with her projects. Check out her Beaded Tea Cozy in Artisan Sock in Jubilee (with a touch of Red Carpet). So cute! I need to make one of these.



Next up, is Dorie's Violeta's in Artisan Sock Red Carpet. A fantastic pattern/colour matchup.



But I have to say, probably Dorie's most impressive project is her Haruni in Merino-Soy Violeta. Look at all the detail on that edging. I can only imagine all the pins involved in blocking this masterpiece.



Now, as if all this knitting weren't enough, Dorie has also recently started designing and her first design, Greel, featured Artisan sock.

It looks smashing in both Jay Blue ...



... and Tulip. I love this pattern and have already knit them up myself in Wheatberry.



But I think Dorie summed it up best when I asked her for a few words about why she chooses to knit with Hazel Knits. Here's what she wrote: "I knit a lot and I love to wear knits. Nothing frustrates me more than using yarns of inconsistant quality or having precious knitted garments look old before their time. I put tons of hard work and love into every item I knit, so I want them to last. That's what I love the most about Hazel Knits. The yarn is always a joy to knit and my projects stay looking beautiful and new. No pilling, no fading, no felting. When you combine that with all of Wendee's amazing colours, you get gorgeous knitted garments that even non-knitters comment on.

Now that I'm starting to design my own patterns, I really appreciate the quality of Hazel Knits. Even when I find myself swatching and ripping out over and over again, the yarn still looks great so my designs look great too. My latest design is a hat the features five colours of Artisan Sock. I designed it to reflect my vegetarian lifestyle in a humorous way but it's totally appropriate for omnivores too."

Dorie's new pattern will be available later this summer, but for now she has given us a sneak peak.



Thanks to Dorie for sharing her projects with us this week. If you want to check out more of her handiwork visit her Ravelry project page. And we'll be sure to keep an eye on her future designs.