Another one down!

I've worked on nothing else except the socks since my last post, and the dedication paid off! I finished them last night, blocked them, and they were completely dry this morning (gotta love radiators). I just love the subtle color variations in these, and while the stitch pattern became tedious, the effect is well worth it. These socks have all the stretch of ribbing, with a slightly different look. Kinda fancy, but plain enough that my boyfriend will actually wear them. I think my next project will be a drop-stitch scarf with honkin' needles. I need some instant gratification! [edited to add: I forgot to comment on the quality of the yarn after a wash! It did blossom nicely, and became very soft and squishy. I was a little worried that it would develop a serious halo while it was wet, but all fuzziness calmed down after it was dry. I do recommend this yarn, but keep in mind the string factor it has while being knit from the skein.]

I'm already thinking ahead to post-Christmas knitting. I keep finding myself squeezing my sock yarn stash, so I'm seeing some socks for myself in my future (maybe even a completed pair of Hedera). I bought some delicious sock yarn today in a pink and brown colorway, and I also have a very fun yellow/orange mix. Speaking of yellow, it's getting very cold here, so it's got to be time to get going on the yellow Malabrigo hat I've been planning. The other day, while I was at work, I found my mind wandering through the stash, and it settled on some dark red, bulky weight wool I've had for years that I bought at the Champlain Valley Fair in Vermont. It's too scratchy for a sweater to wear close to the skin, but it suddenly occurred to me that it would make an awesome jacket. I made a little sketch on my scratch paper, but I don't know if anything will come of it. I don't know much about design, and I would want this jacket to have princess seams. I'd love any recommendations on knit design books, if anyone has any. I have some basic formula books (like Ann Budd's books), but nothing that really talks about creating something in multiple sizes with specific details. Also, did I mention that my dad wants an aran sweater? This is so exciting, because he hasn't worn sweaters in years! Plus, dude! He wants an aran. He requested something heavily cabled! I'm beside myself with excitement. I'm a bit stymied on yarn requirements, though. My dad is over six feet tall, and like 200+ pounds. I know it'll be a lot of yarn, but how much is a lot? I will cross that bridge when I come to it, I guess. Christmas knitting first! (Notice how I've retained enough sanity that I refrained from adding my dad's aran to Christmas knitting? I think it'll be for his birthday. Kidding! His birthday is December 29.)

Like a broken record!

I'm about 70% finished with the second sock (woot!), but it's not very good picture fodder. I'm a little more than 50% finished with the mystery project, pictured at left. I love working on this, but I'm trying to concentrate on gift knitting right now. I don't want to drive myself crazy, but I'd really like to make a scarf, two flower washcloths and a pair of mittens before Christmas. If only I could stop working until the New Year and just knit. Sigh.

In other news, I found a fall/winter use for the fabulous Rebecca tank I made last summer. I got tons of compliments on it, which was nice. And I felt very stylish in my new vest. So stylish that I decided I want to knit a proper one. Now I just need to find the perfect pattern.

And the time!

Do men wear knee-highs?

Well, I was concerned about having enough yarn for these socks, but I oughtn't have worried. If I knit any more on these socks (excluding a 1x1 ribbed cuff), they will be knee-highs. Now, I know I've seen guys wearing kilts who wear knee-highs, but I've never seen my boyfriend wear them (neither a kilt nor knee-highs). It's been a little disconcerting at times knitting these, I keep feeling like I should be decreasing for the toe! I think my best bet will be to cast on for the second sock immediately upon finishing this one. Otherwise, I'm afraid they won't be done for Christmas! One thing I love about these socks, is that one repeat of the pattern is just about one inch. Not only does that make it easy to measure for the foot and leg, but it also makes me feel like I'm getting a lot done when I'm only doing one repeat a night. I love that!

Work continues on the mystery project. I put it aside for the most part to concentrate on finishing sock #1, but have managed to get a little more done. I might take the teensiest break in between socks one and two to get halfway through this project.

Now, a PSA. I know that for many people, myself included, the holiday seasons leads to thoughts of giving to charity and sharing personal good fortune with others who are not so fortunate. If you are in that mindset, please visit Tammy's blog. She's running a contest for The Dulaan project. The Dulaan Project asks knitters to put their skills to use making warm clothing for the needy children of Mongolia. Even if you can only manage one hat amidst all of the holiday rush, you can know that your hat helps one person be a little less cold.

Speaking of the holidays, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post in the coming week. If I don't, to all of my compatriots, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I can't think of a title today.

I realized the other day that I'd forgotten to show off my single completed Hedera. Last weekend, I finally decided to pick it up and make the toe already. It feels very comfortable on, and looks pretty (I'm glad I decided to do a few extra repeats on the leg, though), but I'm still in no rush to make the second sock. I like Knitpicks Gloss very much, and I can't wait until they introduce more colors. I'd love to have some in a brighter blue, a true red, a leaf green and maybe even some pastels. Heck, even plain white and black would do. This yarn would make wonderful, practical booties and baby hats, but I like to use more fun colors for babies.

Works continues on the toe-up socks. I finished the heel this morning, and felt a thrill when I realized I had a foot! The realization that I now have to make an entire leg in 2x2 rib let me down somewhat, but it's really not so bad. At least it's fairly mindless. The only problem with the sock project was the color of the yarn. We were having gray skies around here all last week, and coming home to gray project was sapping my strength.

So, I found the best antidote my stash had to offer, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Flames. I'm not going to reveal what this project is yet, just because it looks like it will be interesting to reveal at the end. Let me say, though. This project is not exactly mindless. I had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of it, and almost cried when my computer had a tantrum and shut itself off, erasing my (foolishly unsaved) work. I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight!

In non-knitting news, I whole heatedly recommend this recipe. It's a pork tenderloin with pomegranate sauce, and it is unbelievably delicious. I have to note my surprise that every recipe from Gourmet magazine each month is available for free on the Epicurious site. Why the hell have I been buying the magazine?

How Deep Is Your Love?

So, I've been thinking about knitting the Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush pretty much ever since I got the book. I'm not sure how I thought that neat stitch pattern worked, but it turns out that it's basically 2x2 ribbing. I know you feel my pain. I am persevering though, because I do like it. I'm really only using the stitch pattern from the book, since I've changed the gauge and decided to do them toe-up (for the first time! So fun!). I'm using Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern for the general sock part. Now that I have experienced the delirious joy of making a toe first, I don't know if I'll ever go back to cuff down. I'm also pretty excited by the idea of not wasting any yarn anymore. In fact, I decided to do these toe-up because I'm using a yarn I've never used before, and the skeins look kind of small. I'm using Spirit Trail Fiberworks superwash merino in gray. I love the color; it's slightly variegated, which adds depth and interest. It kind of feels like knitting with cotton, though. The fabric is nice, and I think it'll bloom nicely after a wash, but I really checked the tag about three times to make sure I did, indeed, buy the merino. Stay tuned to see how it looks after it gets wet. Since I took this photo this morning, I've done a few more repeats. I am now at a point where I would have started the heel for myself. But, since these are for my boyfriend, I have a ways to go. And that also explains the subject of this post. What we knitters won't do for love. I would actually love to know the most mind-numbingly boring challenging project you've made in the name of love.