Too stupid for socks, perhaps.

A conversation with a friend led me to re-scrutinize the sock directions, and realize I've been doing the short rows for the heel wrong. Argh. I'm already tense enough about the damned heels. At least it's only 10 rows of 30 or fewer stitches into it. (and the self-patterning yarn makes it look seriously cool.)

Maybe this one.

My mom gave me some beautiful brown handspun several years ago. I worried initially that the thickness varied. She plied it. Then I worried that it wasn't enough for a full sweater. She offered to un-ply it. I thought maybe I'd ply it or knit it every-other-row (or something) with another thick wool yarn like Reynolds Lopi. Never knew what I'd knit with it, but knew that horizontal stripes look awful on me, and that I love cables.

OK, cables are negotiable, because I think this is it. Simple but nice.

Cashmere.

Just found a cashmere blend yarn on Elann.com. OMG. Am thinking of making the Lace Leaf Shawl out of this first. Can you imagine? A soft, warm hug. In those gorgeous colors. Can hardly keep myself from ordering RIGHT THIS VERY DAMNED MINUTE. Maybe I'll make myself finish Mom's socks first. Got a really good start on the heel last night (although I think the directions are fucktarded, as You Knit What? says--they say to knit 29 [of 30] stitches, then 28, then 27, etc. It makes more sense to me to say, 1-RS: knit to last stitch, turn. 2-WS: purl to last stitch, turn. 3-RS: knit to last 2 stitches, turn. 4-WS: purl to last 2 stitches, turn. etc. NB that they do a fancy wrap stitch that I'm leaving out, but still, how can I count 28 stitches when I'm trying to concentrate on what's happening on Gray's Anatomy???).

I think she likes it!

Finally, an FO to post! I wish I'd snapped a photo of her last night. She had it pinned up with a beautiful gold pin toward her shoulder. Very classy, my mum.

Updated to add: The scarf, not the sweater, people! I may never make a Fisherman Knit (aka Aran) sweater again. Nearly drove me freaking nuts. (Talked to my stepmom about it Christmas evening. Apparently, Dad still has it. Apparently, it's still too small. Sigh.)

New sock yarn!

Eeee! I found the sock yarn I'd bought at Skein Lane (or rather, Mummy bought for me) online. Go here and scroll down to Plumlicious. Yeah!

Crum.

The lace pattern is proving harder than I thought. I've ripped back 3 times. Argh.

In good news: Mummy gave me a honkin' gift certificate to Skein Lane, so I could buy the yarn to make Bristow for myself... One nice thing about Skein Lane is that they have a 6-month return policy on yarn, so you can buy plenty of skeins for your pattern and not run out (as long as you finish in 6 months, that is!).

And she really likes her lace scarf. Wore it to dinner tonight with a lovely pin. Faboo.

Beige Lacy scarf done, another started

Finished and blocked the beige scarf. It looks great. I'm a little lost as to how to weave in the ends in lace. (I'll post a photo after I gift it.)

Mom had picked out some Filatura di Crosa yarn at the LYS in Montclair and Samantha found a killer pattern to try out with it. The yarn is Gioiello, color 10 (which is listed on sites as "multi" and "black" and it has both, plus glinty metallic stuff) and is actually quite pleasant to knit with.

Since the pattern purls every other row, it actually isn't too bad when you make a mistake and have to rip out. Think I'll get it done by Christmas? :D

How do they DO it?

Just came across yet another seemingly endless list of projects someone knit just in this past year.

My God.

Sock image

Oops--reread my entries and it was the sock I had promised to show. Well, here it is in all its unfinished glory! Mom said something like, "Jennie, its beautiful!" Excellent.

Photos of the almost FO

I just have one eyelet row and the last 5 rows to do.









Closer look at the lace:












I hope I can get the edges pretty straight when I block it.

Yay!

My favorite LYS has a website! Yarn! is a terrific store. Friendly, helpful folks; yarns to die for; incredible selection; and lots of needles & other supplies, too.

I know the site is sparse, but it contains what I was looking for: the hours, phone number, and yarnmakers.

Finally caved.

I showed Mom the pair of socks I'm knitting her, whose measurement I had stalled on ("Work even in stockinette stitch (knit every round) until foot is approximately 1.75/2.25/2.5 inches shorter than desired length of sock, measuring from beginning of toe.") as I didn't have said foot available till now.

Moment of truth: Also, slipping 1/2 the stitches onto a smooth piece of yarn, plus starting the heel shaping, was freaking me out.

She loves them, well, it, so far. I'm glad, and hoping I'll finish by the end of January. I chose the right yarn for her, I think ("Polar ice"). Socks on size 1 needles for a busy mom are... slow.

(I hope to post a UFO pic soon.)

Didn't show her the beige scarf. I'm thinking I can finish it soon and maybe it'll be for her. And if she isn't happy with the beige, I can knit the black one up and present it instead.

I bought the pattern

for the Leaf Lace Shawl. Talk about delayed gratification--you can only buy this pattern in a LYS. Mom and I were up in Montclair and I considered going to the LYS there, despite this somewhat dour woman who runs the shop (why do people who don't like people go into retail? Why?). She had single-sheet patterns in the back of the shop and found it in like 20 seconds. It comes with a color photo of 2 finished shawls, and instructions for making it with four different weights of yarns!

I was so excited, I showed it to Liz at a cookie-decorating party last night. She sweetly feigned interest.

Now, what to make it in? More Rowan Kidsilk Haze? (swoon--70/30 kid mohair/silk) A DK yarn, so it goes faster? I hope I adore it and make it like 4 times. Eeee!

I'm nearly done with the beige Kidsilk Haze simple lace scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I wish it had gone faster, but I just don't seem to get time to sit and knit (and that includes yesterday!). My hopes of finishing a version in black by Xmas are vanishing. This is lovely yarn to knit with, though, that's for damn sure. Glad I switched from plastic to wood needles; the plastic seemed to grip the yarn so much that I was fighting with it--when it wasn't slipping right out of the stitches and falling on the floor.

Oh, while we were in the LYS, I ogled some Addi Turbos... OMG, $12-16 EACH? My hopes of having a pair of 1s or 2s for sock knitting has pretty much vanished. But you can see how well they've done the joins, in stark contrast to the Boye needles I'm using, where I have to fight with the stitches to get them from the cable onto the needle. Yeah, the socks I started are nowhere near done, either. I think the heel scares me. Must pump up my confidence, as I've done a perfectly nice heel before, on the yellow sock I made Graham (promised the other one after Xmas).

Wish I were home, knitting, right now...

FO: One Skein Wonder

I finished it this morning. Hope I didn't stretch it out by modeling it for photos. It turned out great. I am so pleased. I hope Graham's K teacher is, too.

Kooky expressions on my face (the one below is, This is on time delay, right?), please ignore...

Shawl, for me

I totally want to make the Snowdrop Shawl. Yes, I am insane, it's true. Charts don't even work for my brain; I'm going to have to translate the whole thing and HELP ME GOD, not get lost.

Appealing to my ears

I'm always interested in stitch counters, and this one's name is especially appealing...

Kacha kacha!

Yet another lace scarf (YALS)

What is it with me and lace scarves these days? But I'm dying to make this one. Would pink even work for me?

Wristlets--Gifts? or for me?

These just intrigue me, and it would be my first time beading while knitting. I can imagine my stepmom liking them, but not my mom nor my sister. I wonder if it would be the kind of thing I'd just make for myself and hand over when/if they admired them.

I'm convincing myself it wouldn't be that hard because they're small. Hm.

Sweater for a geek mom

(to make)

It just tickles me that one can be a geek and a knitter at the very same time. The one thing about this pattern is that it makes my brain hurt, because all you really need is a 3-sided die, which I keep thinking isn't possible. (right?)

This may just be the first sweater I finally make for my son, now 5 1/2.

Oh, hallelujah!

I've hesitated to post anything substantial about knitting on my other blog, which is largely about my son and ice hockey. It is such a relief to have this new blog as an outlet!

For my first post, I want to mention a sweater Samantha suggested I might like. She was right, as she often is, and loves to hear. :)

The question is, what color should I make it in? The deep red the designer used? Cranberry, which isn't quite as deep and is a bit pinker? I'm kind of leaning toward the deep green they call Olive.

At least I'm realistic enough not to start the sweater till Christmas is over and I've finished all the gifts I'd meant to make.

But am I patient enough not to order the yarn?