Amost Finished!

Oh, the story of my life. I get nearly finished and move on to the next thing. Bad me.

So I ended up knitting the toe of one of the pair of socks no less than three times. What's left to do? Weeeeellll, the graft needs to be fiddled with, then I need to make the ends disappear. I can't seem to figure out how to keep my tension consistent on a kitchner stitch, so I did about 1/3 way too tight, 1/3 way too loose and 1/3 about right.

Next toe's gonna be the "basic" toe. I think I could stand to kitchner 8-12 stitches, but no more. Absolutely never again am I going to kitchner 30 stitches.

At least not all in a row.

And instead of working on the waist band of my skirt, I finished dropping the stitches on a clapotis-style scarf. I need to weave the ends in on that and block it. That's a gift I'll be giving in two weeks, since I didn't give it today. I probably should have given it last week. Well, I guess I'll have time to photograph it before I give it away, eh?

I started another pair of socks. It turns out this is being called "the year of the sock" in some knitting circles. I can see why. I'm going to participate in the 2000 socks project, even though I can't count my first January sock, since I found the blog on ... January 21, one day too late for the January deadline. Hah! Figures.

I also visited a friend this afternoon who has knitted a scarf with a yarn that I've been unable to decide what to do with. Berocco's Softy, color 2943. I am fighting the temptation to start a scarf. Um, that's another scarf.

Sockapalooza signups are Tuesday only. Don't forget.

Oh, good. I forgot what I was going to whine about. Very good.

Socks!

Well, it turns out he has bigger feet than I thought.

My first socks are for my sweetheart, and this is the first time I've managed to get them sized so he can get them over his heel. So far, so good. But I was surprised to discover just how long his foot is! Ok, he's not a Sasquatch, but those aren't tiny little feet, either! (They hold him up; they're the right size, right?)

Anyhow, I'm about half done with the feet, and I'll have to do another of the heel to make the toe. To be honest, I didn't enjoy that heel very much, even though I was thrilled that it was successful. I've just found a bunch of heels and toes, all in one place, so I'll probably do some experimentation on my next pair (since they're for me).

And next Tuesday I'm going to sign up for Sockapalooza! In preparation, I joined socknitters and I'm reading sock knitter's blogs. Alison says if you've knitted socks before, you're not a beginner. I want to have another pair under my belt before I start on a pair for a complete stranger, though.

Nope, I haven't touched my skirt since the last post about it. But I've got the elastic, so as soon as I'm between socks, I'll take a break and work on that. I'm just really anxious to finish these socks, and I should always give in to those urges, since I have them so rarely.

Yes, I owe the blog some photos. Yep, I'm procrastinating. Could you tell?

First Real Post

Previous posts where I whine about my mother being impossible to understand (before her new doctor explains to us that she's got some "vascular problems" in her brain) have been deleted, and this post begins my blog's attempt to have a purpose. - edited 2/22/2006

Maybe I'll blog about staying sane myself. I accomplish this by knitting, programming, reading and most especially sharing my life with my sweetheart.

Last night I finally got to a JoAnn Fabrics and got the waistband for my first ever knitted skirt. I'm at the point where I have to finish the waistband so that I can decide if I like the length. I don't remember if I bought 10 or 12 skeins of yarn, but I do know I've got 2 left. Mind you, I call this the bologna-skin skirt, because it's a ribbed pattern and clings to every bump. For everyone who has been kind enough to notice that I've lost 10 pounds in the last year, this skirt proves I've got plenty more I could lose! However, if I wear a top that covers me over my rear, it looks good.

Also, I think this time I'm going to be able to finish a pair of socks. I've started before, but this time I think I can follow the directions. Major thanks to the friend at the local SNB who told me to use larger needles! Don't ask me why I was convinced I had to use 000 and 0 needles, but I'm now using size 1 needles, I'm getting 8 stitches to the inch, and it's going comfortably. I'm using a surprisingly expensive pattern, and I'm not following it exactly. But all I'm really changing is the pattern on the cuff. The heel and toe, and strategy of knitting two socks at one time on one circular needle are coming from that book. You can find it here, if you like.

There's a new Sockapalooza starting soon, and I'm planning to join it. You can watch the blue blog with me to see when it opens!

Maybe this is going to become a knitting blog.

Maybe not. We'll see.