Red Knitting Projects: Socks, Barn Raising Quilt Square, and Love of Knitting Block

Do you ever look at your projects and realize they are all the same color? I noticed that over the past couple of weeks. I have made socks and two squares, and they are all red. I am not even a big fan of red, so it is somewhat funny. Maybe I was in a “loving mood” for February.

Let’s talk patterns and yarn, shall we?

---

First up, my socks.

These were made using Knit Picks Imagination sock yarn, and I absolutely love these colorways. I am still so sad they have discontinued this line. I was lucky enough to get several colors for Christmas from my hubby and my mom. For this pair, I used the Ruby Slipper colorway, inspired by The Wizard of Oz. It was perfect for the month of love.

I paired the yarn with a very popular pattern, Hermione’s Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hermiones-everyday-socks

For these socks, I used US 2 (2.75 mm) needles and a total of 319 yards of yarn.
• 289 yards of Knit Picks Imagination in Ruby Slipper (dye lot 12945)
• 30 yards of Universal Yarn Pace in black for the heels

Yarn thoughts: this yarn is super soft, does not split, has a great twist, and a slight halo. It is also variegated, which helps hide little imperfections in my knitting, which came in handy when I got distracted by kids mid-row.

The pattern is easy to follow and easy to memorize. I did get lost at times, but it was easy to find my way back. Best of all, it is a free pattern.

---

Next up, my Barn Raising Quilt square.

Pattern:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/barn-raising-quilt

This pattern comes from the book KnitAlong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together. The book is on Amazon for around $14 and is packed with great patterns.

For this square, I used:
• US 2 (2.75 mm) needles
• 74 yards of Knit Picks Imagination in Ruby Slipper (17 grams total)

This is one of those patterns you do once and never need to look at again. It is such a great long-term scrap project, especially using leftover sock yarn.

---

The last square I worked on for February came from Love of Knitting’s monthly block series.

Each month, they release a free square pattern along with a suggested yarn. I was lucky enough to win January’s yarn, which was Cascade Avalon, a cotton and acrylic blend.

For this Avalon Square, I used:
• US 7 (4.5 mm) needles
• 152 yards of Cascade Avalon in colorway 04 Red (dye lot 130834)

Pattern link:
http://www.loveofknitting.com/articles/Avalon

Yarn thoughts: wonderful feel, no splitting, and it holds its shape beautifully.

This pattern gave me a little trouble at first when reading the written instructions. Once I switched to the chart and added stitch markers to keep track of knits and purls, it became smooth sailing. By the second repeat, I did not even need the pattern anymore. The fabric created by this yarn and stitch combination is lovely and would make a beautiful full blanket.

---

If you would like to follow along with my squares as I complete them, you can always find them on my Ravelry page under my squares tab:
https://www.ravelry.com/people/yarning4asmile

Happy Yarning!

---

Bailey hopes you stick around for more yarn fun!