Scattered

Since finishing the wedding shawl I've been feeling a bit at a loss for what to knit. I have a number of WIPs, but without a real deadline to finish any of them, I've been working a few rows here and there on each one for a time and then tossing it aside for another UFO. I did manage to finish these:

Pattern: Saartje's Bootees (available as a PDF here)
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK (55% nylon, 45% acrylic), color 0356, portion of one skein
Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) dpns
Started/Completed: August 21/August 23 (approximately 4 hours total knitting time, including finishing)
Recipient: TBD
Mods: I used only one color of yarn

This is a great little pattern and one I will definitely be using again. I found it through the wonders of Ravelry, which is really an incredible resource for finding pattern ideas. (Those of you still waiting to get in will be well rewarded for your wait!) Many who have knit this pattern commented that there were a lot of ends to weave in for such a small knit, and I certainly found this to be the case: I had no fewer than six ends to weave in for each bootee. But I used two of those on each to seam up the back and sole and one on each strap to make the button loop. The cuteness factor makes it completely worth it in the end.

Because I chose such a plain, neutral color for the knitting, I decided to jazz these up a bit with some handmade polymer clay buttons. I am thinking of going out and buying some Fimo just to make some more that are the right size.

On the night in between knitting the two bootees, I swatched for my Central Park Hoodie and for J's Seamless Hybrid. The latter was really the easier endeavor, as I was more swatching to get a fabric I (and J) liked instead of a proscribed stitch gauge. I did a square with sections knit with a US 7, a US 6, and a US5; we both decided we like the fabric best with a US 5, which works out best with the math anyway as it gives me a gauge of about five stitches per inch. The CPH swatch was more critical. Although I'd swapped out yarns (Cascade 220 Tweed), I did this first swatch with the recommended US 8 needle. Right off the needles it didn't measure up, but I diligently washed it and lay it out to block overnight. When I measured the dried swatch, I had a moment of utter shock: my gauge was spot-on perfect -- and not only stitch gauge but row gauge as well! We'll see if this swatch turns out to be a dirty little liar, but for now I'm diving in head first with the recommended needles.

The wedding is now a little more than a week away, so as it gets closer I expect more and more frantic and stressed, so don't be surprised if I'm not blogging as regularly as I normally do (or at all, for that matter). I am sure I will still be knitting -- I'll need to, if only to keep my sanity -- but I highly doubt I'll be accomplishing anything of note fiber-wise. I will be doing my best to keep up to date on your blogs, so don't be surprised if I'm leaving you comments at odd times (again, gotta do what I can to keep myself from a nervous breakdown!).

ETA: At least one thing I don't have to stress about this week is chasing the mail carrier for my August STR package -- it came on Thursday! And it is GOR-geous! I won't post any spoilers here, but if you want to see it, I'm sure you can find it easily enough.