Whiskey And Rye

I'm pleased to present my latest offering, the Whiskey And Rye socks.

The socks are knit top down and feature a slipped stitch chevron pattern.

This pair is knit in Miss Babs' Yummy 2-ply in the Biker Chick color. My test knitters all happened to have wild skeins of Miss Babs hanging around and chose to knit with them. I'm am pleased to say that every pair looked good. I'm pretty sure that even the wildest colors can be tamed by this pattern.

If you're interested in the pattern, it can be found on ravelry, craftsy, and my own bear-ears website. I've also set up a hashtag on instagram: #whiskeyandryesocks

Bear-ears-tagram

Two years ago I started an instagram account, and for two years I've had "Make instagram logo for blog" on the list. I don't know why it took me so long to do it. I'm certain I've spent more time thinking about it than it took me to finish. Such is life, right? The logo is now in the side bar. And while I was at it, I removed some social media buttons to places I don't really use.

Fun fact: My father is pretty awesome. He developed the Qwikcards app. I use it to keep my to-do lists in order.

I've found myself wanting to put more time into my Instagram account recently. I started becoming more inspired after reading Angela's 2016 goal list on her blog Pans and Needles. #8 on the list resonated with me. I find myself working to take pictures of my projects in progress, but I don't get around to putting up a blog post because I want to write more than, "This is how far I am in my sock." Then I knit more and the photo feels like it is irrelevant. This led to a cascade effect where I found myself not wanting to work so hard to take nice knit pictures because I wouldn't get around to writing a blog post on it. And because I felt most images wouldn't be used, I stopped challenging myself to take better pictures. Instagram seems like the better place to put up the images that would otherwise not make it to the blog and I hope that helps me to challenge myself. Although, there may be the odd repeat between the blog and the instagram account... especially because I'm fond of the Mr. Bear Ears photos.

My account can be found at bear_ears for those who are curious.

On a slightly different topic, I'd like to call attention to the sock in the top left corner of the above picture. It is my newest pattern and I'll be releasing it on Friday. Keep an eye out for the Whiskey And Rye socks.

Fern Canyon: The Socks

I've been sitting on this pattern for quite some time, but thanks to good knitting friends who insisted that I was only imagining that it was impolite to ask them to test it out, Fern Canyon socks are now out in the world.

Fern Canyon is a favorite place to visit. (Insider tip, the fern display is better in summer, but there can be some amazing log debris seen in winter.) It is otherworldly, and I knew I needed to make socks that represented it to the best of my knitterly ability. Teaming the pattern up with Socks The Rock in the Enchanted Forest color way seemed like a no-brainer as well.

The socks themselves are written for both sport and fingering weight yarn. Knit from the top down, they feature a heel flap but that and the recommended toe can be replaced without affecting the pattern negatively. The fern patterning is knit only on the outside of the leg, but can be knit on both sides if desired.

Of course once you've knit the socks, you'll need to take them out on an adventure.

The Fern Canyon socks can be found on bear-ears.com, ravelry, and craftsy.

Elven Hero

Going on an adventure? Are you in need of a proper adventuring hat? Never fear, the Elven Hero hat is here. 

It will keep your hat nice and cozy when you are off on a quest, beating up bad guys and saving princesses. If you are in more of a marauding mood, the hat can be made with brown yarn. Or if the Santa look is more your style, you can knit the hat in red with a white brim and pom pom.

The hat is $5 and can be purchased on ravelry or on the bear-ears site.

The hat is constructed by provisionally casting on the brim edge. The brim is grafted together, then folded over to make it double thick and well fitted. Stitches are picked up along the edge of the brim to complete the rest of the hat body.

My pattern testers have told me that they found the pattern easy to follow and easy to execute despite it being an unusual construction. 

Bear Ears Website Launch

The day has finally come. The Bear Ears website, bear-ears.com, has been launched! Many thanks to Team Bear Ears: aka, Mum and Dad.

Each pattern page has an in depth description of final measurements, yarn requirements, and the like. And if you feel so inclined, you can also purchase the patterns through the site. The patterns are still available through Ravelry, but if you are not part of ravelry, this is an easy way to gain access to the patterns.