2 Ktogs

It's been quite a knitting week -- two knitting nights in a row! Thrilling, but also tough on the hands (I've had some hand cramping, and that never happens, so I must be knitting a lot).

Most of the knitting this week has been on Seraphim, and I've even joined the Seraphim KAL. At the moment I have two more rows to knit and then I get to start the lace charts, which I'm anxious to do (my eyes, however, aren't very happy about my progress). Here's the obligatory progress shot, although there's not much to see other than some YOs amidst two spans of stockinette:

Seraphim's first public outing was to knit night at my new LYS, Yarns By Design in Oakmont. It took me quite a while to find the shop, as it's rather out of the way (for anyone planning on making a visit, it's in a small business park off an alley behind Hoffstot's restaurant). It's an adorable little shop with a good start on its yarn selection (lots of Cascade and Debbie Bliss, a decent baby yarn section). There ended up being a pretty big crowd of lovely ladies there to knit. Jen made me wear my Adamas shawl the whole time I was there, and I got quite a few compliments. Of course, I could not leave the store empty handed, especially as the prices were so reasonable. Here's a shot of the haul:

Here are three skeins of Cascade 220, two in a heathered emerald shade and one in a deep charcoal gray. These are destined to be another French Market Bag, which I will probably start next week to take on our road trip to Ann Arbor next weeks. I also decided to try some Cascade Fixation; although I haven't picked out a pattern for this yarn yet, I'm already calling them my Jailbird socks (look at the colorway and you'll see why -- I have a feeling they'll wind up being black and white stripes). I was also gifted with a sample of Eucalan and a fun measuring tape, the type that zaps back into the case when you press the button in the center.

Last night was the regular third-Wednesday-of-the-month knit night at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. The usual suspects were there (myself included), but we were also joined by Marsha, a prolific lace shawl knitter who we hope will bring some show-and-tell next month! Our record of spotting, well, characters, let's say, at this meeting spot stands for another month. We not only saw our favorite 40-toting superhero fan, who arrived right on schedule, we actually spotted a man walking a pig. Yes, you read that correctly, A MAN WALKING A PIG. Don't believe me? See the pictures. I kid you not. All the more reason to come out and join us next month!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

As promised, here's a quick recap of Stitch 'n Pitch at PNC Park yesterday.

J and I arrived plenty early and made our way over to the Southwest Flight Deck to pick up our goodie bags. J didn't really want his (are you shocked?) so I got twice the goodies. I'll direct you over to Holly's blog for a better picture of the goods.

We settled in to our upgraded seats (one section up behind the Pirates' dugout) just in time for all the pregame festivities, including a chance to get a glimpse of a local celebrity:
No, I don't mean the Pirate Parrot (although he's pretty well known around these parts, too). I'm referring to that guy in the blue suit, David Newell, better known to most Western Pennsylvanians -- and most Americans of a certain age, for that matter -- as Mr. McFeely from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Our seats were fantastic for the game (a 7-0 shutout!), but not particularly conducive to knitting. Aside from the fact that I brought wool socks, I didn't want to sweat on the fabric and risk felting or just plain dirtiness/smelliness. I managed to get just a few rows done:
These will be my game-day socks for Steelers season, but the black and gold worked just fine for the Buccos, too. You can see from this picture just what a great view we had for the game, but you can also see just how sunny it was. Let me assure you, it was hot. I was sweaty and gross. I got right in the shower when we got home.

Here's a shot of the two of us during the seventh inning stretch, taken by a very friendly Pirate fan sitting behind us (obviously a talented photographer -- look at how nicely she framed the shot!):
(Note to self: must find a cute Pirates tank top or other cool clothing to complete game-day apparel.)

In knitting news, I did indeed start Seraphim last night and made pretty good progress. I won't show you a picture because there's not much to see at this point; I have roughly 66 rows still to knit before I start the lace charts (right now I'm just increasing by yarning over at the edges and around the center stitch on right-side rows). I'm using the new Gloss from Knit Picks for this, and I'm really enjoying it. The knitting goes much faster with fingering weight (as opposed to lace weight) yarn, for one thing, but the silk content also gives the yarn a beautiful sheen to it. I just know this'll be a gorgeous shawl when it's done.

This is going to be a big knitting week. Tomorrow evening I am going to try to meet up with Jen at Yarns by Design for their knit night (6-8 p.m.), and then Wednesday is knitting night at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. The usual crew will be there; will you?

Finis.

Pattern: Adamas Shawl by Miriam
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow in colorway Lost Lake
Needles: Addi Turbo 24" circular, US 5
Started/Finished: late June?/August 11
Mods: none

I am so pleased with the way this shawl turned out. This was my first attempt at lace almost a year ago, but I had to rip it out twice because I kept having issues with stitch count. As it turns out, the culprit was incorrect yarn overs, which I learned to do correctly for my mom's shawl. Once I restarted this shawl (sometime before I moved; I can't pinpoint an exact date) it was all smooth sailing.

This is a great pattern. Miriam is not only a very talented designer, she's also super friendly and helpful if you have problems. I have patterns for two more of her shawls, and I'll be starting Seraphim next, likely tonight (I wound my yarn for it last night).

Today was Stitch 'n Pitch at PNC Park and was it ever a perfect day. We upgraded our seats -- my parents had two tickets behind the Pirates' dugout -- so we had a great view, and we got all sorts of goodies. Plus, I think it was the first game I'd been to in a couple years where I got to see the Buccos actually win! And completing a sweep, no less! But more details on that tomorrow. Tonight, I have some more lace shots for you to admire (and please excuse the casual duds. They're what we wear around here when we come home all sweaty from the ball game and have to shower off.)

Play Ball!

We finally received our Stitch 'n Pitch tickets on Tuesday, which is a lucky thing for the Pirates, let me tell you. Little do they know that I was planning on calling them up first thing yesterday morning to harass them until they told me where my tickets were and what was taking them so gosh-darn long to cash my check!

(The funny thing is, yesterday afternoon I checked the mail and found an envelope from the Buccos. I couldn't imagine what else they were sending me. Would you believe they're doing a wedding expo along with a game later this month? Oy.)

Is anyone else planning on going to the game on Sunday for the Stitch 'n Pitch festivities? I will be pulling out my Lorna's Laces Bee Stripe (purchased on the trip to D.C. in April) to get started on my black and gold socks, the goal being to have them done in time for football season.

I am so close to being done with Adamas that it's killing me. I have five more rows to knit -- five more, people! I am going to try to get them done tonight. Blocking party this weekend!

Sorry no pictures. Not much to show you right now anyway. I promise something better over the weekend.

Seduced by cotton?

I made very little progress on Adamas this weekend (a measly seven rows), in part because it was an incredibly hectic weekend and I was barely at home, but also because (and I blame trek for this) I found myself compelled to knit one of these:

Pattern: Garterlac Dishcloth by Dave
Yarn: Sugar & Cream, one ball
Needles: US 7 straights
Started/Completed: August 5/August 6
Mods: none

I am not a huge fan of knitting with cotton, mostly because it's so tough on my hands, but this was a quick, nearly instant gratification project. This was my first foray into entrelac of any kind, which also helps explain the appeal. I found it to be very easy to pick up and I'm eager to try traditional (i.e., stockinette) entrelac.

My new, more realistic goal for Adamas is to finish it by the end of the week (doable, I think, as I have only 15 rows plus the bind off left) and have it blocked by the end of the weekend. I hope to have the FO to show you soon!

Oh, and before I leave you, check out the booty awaiting me at home this evening:


(In retrospect, the black couch probably wasn't the most ideal background for this shot, but too late now.) Here are three skeins of Essential (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon) for socks for my future FIL, six skeins of Shine (60% Pima cotton, 40% Modal), and five hanks of the new Gloss (70% merino, 30% silk). Must. Finish. Adamas.

Quick Update

Happy Friday morning. Lord, do I wish it were the weekend. Ever have one of those weeks that seem a day longer than usual? I'm having one of those.

Last night I finally got in a solid knitting night of the type I used to have when I lived alone (I love living with J, but darn it if he isn't cute and distracting!). He was busy working on his computer most of the evening, so I got about three hours of time in on Adamas. Somehow I managed to get in an entire pattern repeat, 10 whole rows! That means I have one more body chart repeat to get through, followed by the 12 edging rows and the bind off. I'm hoping to have time to get it done this weekend.

Why am I so anxious to finish the shawl? Well for one thing, I feel like I've been working on it forever -- those of you who've been reading this blog for a while will remember that I started this shawl twice before (as in, before I learned how to YO correctly). For another, my Sizzle pattern finally arrived yesterday afternoon, so I'm anxious to get started on that, hoping that by the time I finish it, it will have cooled off enough to actually wear it. Plus, I was reminded by all the commercials on TV last night that football season is coming up, so I'll need to get started on my Steelers socks.

If you're looking for something to do today/this weekend, go check out the Weekly Photo Scavenger Hunt, and please vote on your favorite photo once they've all been posted and the poll is up!

It must be the heat.

Why else would I be ordering more yarn? Yes, that's right, even though my last Knit Picks order hasn't fully been completed (my blocking wires seem to have finally left Leetsdale but aren't expected to be delivered until tomorrow), I placed yet another order today. (Shhh, don't tell J!) In my defense, everything I ordered was for a specific project: some Essential sock yarn for socks for J's stepfather; hanks of the new merino/silk blend sock yarn, Gloss, for my Seraphim; and some Shine Sport to finally make a Picovoli. And I ordered just enough to get the free shipping. See? I'm being economical!

Meanwhile, progress continues slowly on Adamas. Last night I finished a whopping six rows while watching Mad Hot Ballroom. Granted, I may have been a tad bit distracted by how cute the kids were, but I'm also at the point where the rows are so long that they each take me roughly 15 minutes to complete. (I'm starting to see the appeal in shawl patterns that start at the outside edge and work their way up and in.) I'm now two rows into my 12th pattern repeat, which means 28 more rows of the body to go. Since she's expressed so much interest, here's a little peek/progress shot just for Donna (foot again provided for scale):

We're still waiting for our Pirates tickets for Stitch 'n Pitch, and I'm starting to get a little nervous since it's coming up next weekend. The last time I looked they hadn't cashed my check yet. I'm giving them a few more days.

I am so looking forward to this weekend. We have dinner plans Friday night and I'm working Saturday, but other than that I am planning on being as much of a couch potato as I possibly can. I feel like I haven't had a real weekend in a month, and let me tell you, I could use the sleep, not to mention the knitting time. Perhaps I'll start some new socks ...

*Edited to add: Hooray, my blocking wires are here! Now I just need to finish the darn shawl so I can test 'em out and give you my full review.

Weekend Wrap-up

It was another busy weekend chez J/SJ, but at least this weekend had some knitting-related content to it. To start off with, when I got home from work on Saturday afternoon, I found a box on the front stoop that was finally what I was expecting:

Well, at least half of what I was expecting. This is the yarn for my Sizzle, which I'll be able to get started on once my e-check clears and I get the pattern (PayPal tells me that will be Wednesday). Unfortunately my package didn't contain my blocking wires. The Knit Picks site says that the wires were shipped separately, but on the same day as the yarn, and now they're inexplicably stopped in Leetsdale. I guess someone there had a shawl ready for blocking. No real emergency, since I'm still four body repeats, the edging chart, and a bind off away from blocking on Adamas.

Last night J's parents came over for dinner and to see the place with all the furniture in, and I was finally able to give J's mom her Mother's Day gift. As you can see, she was very excited to get them, so much so that she put them on right away.

How perfectly do these fit? And I was right about the cast on not being too tight on her skinny little legs.

As long as they were here, I took the opportunity to measure J's stepfather's feet for Socks to Be Named Later. He amused all of us when, upon being asked his color preferences for socks, he announced he really likes a nice heathered blue. (I might add that the man is a big Land's End fan, so I assume that's where he's learning his shades and hues.)

Finally last night, during Entourage, I finished Mata Hari #1:

Okay, I'm stretching the truth a little. This isn't officially done. I still need to weave in ends and sew up a poorly placed yarn over on the side of the heel. I cast on for the second sock during my lunch today, but tonight's knitting is all Adamas.

What's that they say about Fridays?

I am so glad that today is Friday; it's been a ridiculously busy week. I actually woke up yesterday convinced that it was Friday, only to be rudely awakened to the fact that it was only Thursday when I hit the shower and really woke up. I have to wake up moderately early tomorrow morning to go to work, but I am putting a ban on the alarm clock on Sunday morning. I need to sleep in.

As tired as I am, I found a reward for getting out of bed in my e-mail inbox this morning: my MimKnits patterns! I am simply itching to start one of the shawls, but I'm forcing myself to finish Adamas first (I'm through 10 repeats of the body chart -- four more to go! -- and the rows are starting to get really long). I also placed my order this morning for Knit and Tonic Wendy's Sizzle, for which I've already order yarn I hope will work from Knit Picks.

Last night I got home from work and saw a package on the front stoop. I got all excited, thinking that my Knit Picks shipment had arrived in record time. Unfortunately, it was not my yarn, but it was a very nice surprise: a professional series blender! J's uncle works for Waring, and this was what we'd requested as an engagement present. I'll have to get to the market this weekend to get smoothie ingredients to try it out.

Well, folks, I did it. I caved and signed up for Sock Wars. I have no doubt that I'll be "assassinated" very early on, which is just fine with me. I'll get just enough of a challenge to be exciting without having to knit socks for people all over the world (as the ultimate champion of the competition will have to). As I'm in a joining mood, I'm also contemplating joining Knit the Classics, which is basically a book club with a knitting element (all the members read the same book each month and complete a knitting project that goes along with the book at the same time). I'm especially tempted because the August selection is Lolita, which I've always wanted to read but never gotten around to. I'm a tad bit concerned I might be over-extending myself. Your thoughts?

I'm off to spend the rest of my lunch hour working on Mata Hari #1 (it's nearing completion). Have a great weekend, all!

In a galaxy far, far away ...

Have you heard about Sock Wars? I'm so there. (I'll probably be eliminated right away, but at least I'll get a pair of socks out of the deal!)

All back to normal

Tonight J and I had our first "official" dinner at home (we were out at a charity event last night), so I decided to finally break out my big, heavy Le Creuset pot that I got from my aunt and uncle in December to make a home-cooked meal.

I call this Country French Chicken, my own concoction with Coq au Vin as an inspiration. Very simple "recipe": I browned boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a little bit of olive oil with a couple cloves of garlic, then added two coarsely chopped Spanish onions, a small can of tomato paste, some red wine, chopped carrots and celery, two cans of diced tomatoes, and some haricots verts (known in this country as green beans). Just let it simmer for about 25-30 minutes, then served over some plain couscous. I thought it was a little lacking in flavor/seasoning, but J really liked it and practically cleaned his plate -- something he never, ever does. The best compliment, if you ask me!

Although there was not too much done over the weekend, for obvious reasons, there has been some knitting progress here at our house. My first Mata Hari has rounded the heel and is into the leg portion. Here's the obligatory progess shot:

The color's not quite right here; it looks more purple than the pale pink it actually is. The colorway of the yarn is called Strawberry Milkshake, and that's pretty much what it looks like.

At home, I've been making steady progress on my Adamas shawl; I'm now well into my ninth repeat of the body chart. I'm hoping to be able to put in some good blocks of time on it this week, and I put in a Knit Picks order yesterday for some lace blocking wires for when it's done.

Speaking of Adamas, I think that the Yarn Harlot may be copying me. Did you see today's post? Did you happen to notice what she's knitting? (second picture) She's not only knitting the same shawl, she's using the same yarn, Knit Picks Shadow! Don't you just hate it when famous knitters are always doing the same thing as you?

Of course, the Yarn Harlot isn't copying me, she's just as taken with Miriam's patterns as I am. Mim happens to be having a little sale on her patterns over on her blog. Today I purchased the patterns for her Seraphim and Mountain Peaks shawls and her Eleanora socks, and I can hardly wait to start them. If you haven't seen any of her patterns before, Mim is a really talented designer, and she's super friendly and helpful if you have problems or questions.

Finally, did you see those pretty new thumbnails, over there in the sidebar? J did those for me Sunday night. It had been a while -- the last time he updated them was sometime in March, I think. I appreciated it so much that I decided to buy him a ticket to Stitch 'n Pitch (we'll be there at PNC Park on 8/13).

Home Sweet Home!

Well, I am officially moved in to our house. The movers showed up promptly yesterday morning, started moving at 7:30 a.m., and were done by around 10 a.m. (which means I officially made it under the four hour minimum, hooray!). I was pretty much unpacked and settled by about 4:30 or so, in plenty of time to take a shower and go out to dinner with my parents and brother. J and I did a quick trip to the market on the way home and then passed out before 10:30. It was a long day, but highly successful, and truly much less stressful than I had thought it would be (especially after being woken up at 5:30 by a thunderstorm!).

Today we went back to my apartment to do a final cleaning, and now all that's left to be done is drop off the keys.

Now that the stash is settled, I'll probably be starting up some additional projects soon. I think my first priority is probably the mate to my original Pomatomus; I think I'll hold off on starting Forecast until it cools down a bit, since the stash lives on the third floor of the house and it gets really hot up there most days.

Is it Friday yet?

Nope, still Thursday. Oh well.

Last night I met up with Jen and Jenn at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble for our monthly knitting night. It was just the three of us for the second month in a row and although we were a tad disappointed that no other knitters showed up, we had a fantabulous time. I'll direct you over to Jen's blog for more details on the fun.

Believe it or not, I still have only two (yes, TWO) WIPs right now. My Mata Haris are coming along very slowly, since I've only been working on them a few rows at a time during lunch a few days at work (unfortunately, although I like driving to work, I am missing out on the bus knitting time I used to have). At home I've been making better progress on my Adamas shawl. Take a look:

I've included my freshly pedicured foot for scale here, but keep in mind it's all scrunched up. Want a detail shot of the lace? Sure you do!

Yep, looks a lot better than the last time I tried to knit this shawl. It's amazing what a proper yarn over can do.

This weekend is the final stage of the move: the furniture comes! The movers are supposed to be at the apartment between 7 and 8 on Saturday morning, so I'm hoping everything will be in and done by early afternoon. Then it's just a matter of putting everything away (but if you ask me, that's a heck of a lot easier than packing it up!) Perhaps if we're really productive, I'll finally break down and start a third project.

In the meantime, off to work on the shawl...

Stash Relocation and Other Adventures in Moving

Well, I am officially moved into J's place -- only now I can call it our place. Need proof? Here's the stash, resting comfortably in its new home:

This may not be exactly its final resting place, since the furniture has yet to be moved in (that's coming this weekend), but you get the general idea. I think that J has gotten used to having the stash around; notice he's made his own addition of golf balls (or perhaps that's just a not-so-subtle hint that he'd like some hand-knit golf club covers?)

Very little knitting was accomplished this weekend, what with all moving and sweating and showering four times in two days. I completed about a repeat and a half on my lace shawl, and I did manage to finish this little item up earlier this evening:

I think blue was the right choice. Can't wait to see little Finn in it!

I'll end this post with a short public service announcement/reminder: this Wednesday is knitting night at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. I'll find some interesting project to show and tell. Hope to see some new faces there (and of course some familiar faces as well)!

Block(ing) Party

Last night we had a little blocking party chez Knit/Wit, amid a flurry of packing, throwing stuff out, and watching Capote. (Pardon all the crap in the background. I'm moving, you know what it's like. This is one of the tidier spots in the apartment, believe it or not.) Here are my future MIL's socks and the baby sweater for Finn, after finally getting themselves a good bath and a good spot to lie out.

(See, I told you there'd be FO pictures!)
















Granted, the sweater isn't officially finished, but rest assured the buttons will be sewn on and it will be nicely wrapped up this weekend. We may actually hand deliver it to baby Finn in the next week, so I'll see if I can manage an action shot of him wearing it (weather permitting, of course. I'm not going to force a baby into a sweater in 90 degree heat with no air conditioning present.)

Now for the run-down on the socks (I know it's just what you've all been waiting for).
Pattern: Madder Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks (Nancy Bush)
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, in colorway Cool
Needles: US 1 Addi Turbo circs (with the assistance of a dpn for the heels) and dpns for the toes
Mods: none

These were a quick and enjoyable knit, and I really didn't have an issue with Second Sock Syndrome with this pair. The simple rib went really quickly on my two circs and was essentially mindless (we're ignoring, of course, the incident during the screening of Superman Returns, during which the purl stitches kept messing me up). I would definitely knit this pattern again, although I'd also like the try the other ribs in the book.

These socks are a little snug on me (don't worry, I did wash them after I tried them on!) but should fit my future MIL just fine, as she is an itty-bitty thing and doesn't have the largish mid-legs/calves that I do.

To update the other WIPs, my Mata Haris are coming along nicely, and I've completed two repeats of the main chart on my Adamas shawl. It occurred to me that I should probably also cast on for my second Pomatomus (i.e., the second one of the original pair, the one I said I'd do when I signed up for the Pomatomus KAL way back when) so that I can finally have that pair completed. Plus, I'd really like to get back to Forecast, but I may let that wait until the weather cools off a bit -- nothing like a lapful of wool on a hot, humid day in Western Pennsylvania, eh?

This weekend I am working and also hopefully moving in the rest of my stuff (at least the stuff I'm moving on my own) to J's. The "official" move -- of furniture and heavy stuff -- is next Saturday, but the plan is for me to be in and relatively settled by Sunday. It'll be interesting to see if we're able to fit all of our stuff in J's townhouse. (Lord help us when the wedding gifts start coming in!)

Anyone else interested in going to Stitch & Pitch? I think I can manage to convince J to come, for those who want to meet him, although he'll be sans stitching.

The votes are in

And the winner is (drumroll, please) .... BLUE! Seems most of you liked the monochromatic look. To be perfectly honest, I was torn between the blue and the gray, so I've let you make the tough decision for me. Thanks for voicing your opinions!

Unfortunately, last night I realized that I'd already moved my sewing basket to J's place, so I will have to wait until this weekend to sew on the button and take a final shot for all of you to see.

Last night, after registering for wedding gifts at William-Sonoma with J (who was such a good sport), I managed to finish up my future MIL's socks. (Yes, I will have to take a picture of those tonight and post them tomorrow.) Suddenly I found myself with only two WIPs! Shocking, I know. So now my cotton/lycra Mata Haris are my travel sock project and my Adamas shawl will be my home/couch project. Or at least until the entire stash is moved to J's and is at my fingertips ...

FO pictures tomorrow, I promise.

ALMOST Done

Pattern: Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys
Yarn: Lion Brand Baby Soft (sport weight)
Needles: Addi Turbo US 7 circs
Mods: I omitted the decorative stitches around the bottom of the sweater and the wrist of the sleeves. I also did paired decreases down the arm to create a more tapered sleeve.

This is almost done. It just needs to be blocked and (here's where you come in) it needs buttons. Here are the options (turns out I had more than I remembered):

Apologies for the fact that this photo is upside down; for some reason I can't get it to flip. So here are the choices, top to bottom: dark gray, dark blue, pearly white, pearly white with hole in back. Which one gets your vote?

Sweater Update

By now I should really know better than to predict when I'll finish a project, because inevitably I wind up making little or no progress at all after making such a prediction. Here is Finn's baby sweater, and as you can see, it's not finished. In fact, this is the sweater after only about a half-hour's worth of knitting time since I finished the first sleeve. I only managed to pick it up at about 10 p.m. last night, after I spent all weekend working, moving stuff to J's place, and visiting with my parents. I am hoping to spend some sustained time on it this evening, once my bathroom is clean and laundry is done (don't I have just the most exciting Monday night planned?!).

Now here is where I need your advice, dear Readers. I am unsure what buttons to use once this is done (if ever it is). I have two options that I've narrowed it down to (and my apologies for not having taken pictures; if there's enough demand for it I'll take a shot of both with the sweater this evening): one is a pearlized white button, the other is a somewhat pearly dark blue. Both are very plain, round, four-hole buttons, very similar to each other, in fact. Because of the stitch pattern on the yoke of the sweater, I wanted to keep the buttons relatively simple so that the sweater as a whole doesn't get too fussy. Your thoughts? White or blue -- or something else entirely?

Oh, and by the way, I'm doing the sleeves using the magic loop method, my first time using it, and I can't say I absolutely love it. Maybe it has to do with the cord of my Addis, which I normally love for being so sturdy, but here seems to fight with me when I try to "bend" it to work the loop.

New Knitty

It's up and, okay, so maybe it's not that exciting. But you know me, I'm nuts for the socks. And oh drool, must immediately knit up Cookie's latest design!

Just one question, though: what exactly does one do with knitted angel wings?

I took the day off of work yesterday and did a lot of knitting on Finn's baby sweater. The body and one sleeve are done. I should be able to finish the rest of the knitting by the end of the weekend, and then I'll need your opinion on buttons. Pictures to come!

More Pomatomi

Here' s another set:

Now before you go and start thinking, "Man, that SJ is one fast knitter, she already finished another pair of Pomatomi!" let me stop you right there. These two socks may appear to be a pair, but except for the fact that they're the same yarn, they're really not. These two were my prototype socks for my pattern reversal work. The one on the left was the original; the one on the right was knit using the mods I published in my last post. For some unknown reason, the sock on the left is also significantly longer and taller (well, the leg is longer) than the one on the right. Like my artistic posing to hide this fact? I never really intended this to be a functional pair, and with one sock visibly shorter than the other I'm not sure that it will ever be one.

Since I finished these up a few days ago I've been working pretty much exclusively on a pair of socks for my future mother-in-law. I'm doing the Madder Ribbed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks, in a really pretty Lorna's Laces colorway with shades of blue (she specifically requested something that would look good with jeans). I thought I had finished one of the socks:

But, alas, this picture is also misleading. Shortly after I finished weaving in the ends I realized that I had completely screwed up the toe (due to my apparent inability to correctly read directions!), so this morning I snipped off the end of the toe and frogged back to the beginning of the toe decreases. Now I think I've read the directions correctly, so we are a go for socks that will be long enough!

Still on the needles: baby sweater for baby Finn, Adamas shawl, and toe-up Mata Haris

Currently reading: The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World (are you surprised?)

Oh, and by the way, according to Jenn, I am now officially Queen of the Popos. Thanks, Jenn, I've always dreamed of being Sock Royalty!