Time Crunch

I am feeling the time crunch of the holidays already. I am still unpacking, doing laundry and generally rebooting our life from our Thanksgiving week in Florida, and already and my calendar is packed with commitments and I haven't even had time to draw up the first of many holiday to-do lists. To buy, to bake, to send, to order, to decorate, to schedule, to do....

I have a pair of finished socks to show you, but no time to plan a clever photo shoot, so you'll have to content yourself with these action shots, taken with the self-timer as I emptied the washing machine and unloaded the groceries. Luckily, they are simple stockinette socks, so they are hardly worth a post on their own anyway. They're knit with Austermann Step yarn, and yes, Ann, they are identical to the pair you made this summer.


There's not even much time to knit, but what little knitting time I do have is dedicated to these little mittens and hats for the advent calendar. Only 4 more to go, plus some sort of cord from which to hang them all. And then all 24 to embroider, to pom, to hang, to fill. By tomorrow night.



Will I make it?

A Quick Surprise

At the end of the summer I got a surprise email forwarded to me from N's school -- a friend that I had met backpacking in Spain was trying to track me down and had found my name on the RWS website. We reconnected and it has been such a wonderful time getting to know her again and learning about her family and life.

And last week her family grew a bit ... one more life has joined it. So I will send off a little surprise in the mail tomorrow ...

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by EZ (The Opinionated Knitter)
Needles: US 6s
Yarn: Louet Gems Fine/Sport Weight in Grape and Willow
Notes: I have been blessed with some mighty fine knitting projects lately and this was no exception. What an incredible pattern (my first BSJ) and what fabulous yarn (my first time with Louet Gems as well). I did not modify the pattern at all -- just wanted to knit it as it was written originally and see what happened. I am extremely happy with the results but wish my increases were a bit neater looking.

I changed colors randomly and love how the funky seaming turned out.

This yarn is just wonderful and I am going to use the remaining yarn for something for my girls (I used just about 1/2 skein of each color).

These excellent buttons are from The Yarn Lounge here in Richmond.

When I bought this yarn I had no idea it was from South Africa. Tomorrow I will be sending the BSJ to Cape Town where it will meet it's new little owner ...

Surprises all around!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be taking the week off from blogging while I celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my husband's family in sunny South Florida. Maybe by the time I post, I'll have sewed the buttons onto my Forecast sweater, finished my second New England sock, and who knows what else...

In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones, grateful for all your blessings. I know I will be.

Rockin the Holiday Bazaar

I'm feeling more than a little overwhelmed here at Holiday Bazaar Central. The big event is on Saturday (from 10 to 3 at the Richmond Waldorf School, get yer butt down here and make some holiday cheer!).

I'm the co-chair and the BackBou is cooking lunch for about 250. But just so you know, all the stress of getting ready hasn't stopped the universe from hurling other things our way -- back problems for me, a heavy work load for the BackBou, and an unexpected MRI for N tomorrow.

I like having a handle on things. I have been called a control freak before. Many times before. Many times today. We're at the point where I need to trust my coordinators and surrender to the unexpected but I find this hard to do. Really, really hard to do. So instead, I will be popping some ibuprofen, cracking open a non-alcoholic beer, and staying up late getting my s@*# together.

I am going to get the vendor check-in clipboard ready, the set-up check-lists ready, the clean-up check-lists ready. I am going to schedule when we're packaging up the daffodil bulbs and making the peanut butter sandwiches. I will double-check our table requirements. I am going to figure out how to build temporary fencing for the pony rides. I am going to tell King Winter and Jack Frost that they must help hand out free CFLs as well as announce all the story times and the raffle drawing. And I will not forget trash bag liners. I'm in the last half of the marathon and I am not going to bonk.

I can do this. This Holiday Bazaar is going to ROCK.

Here are my knitted items to add to the RWS Craft Table ...

Patterns: Giant Jester Stocking and Chubby Stocking from Christmas Stockings
Yarn: O-Wool Classic
Needles: US 8s
Pattern Mods: The Giant Jester was fine until the toe. Here is N showing the stocking after I ripped out the toe. It was too tiny and looked ridiculous.

I actually ripped out all the way back to the gusset and decreased every 4 rows until the toe and then once every 4 rows and then every other row. With my gauge and yarn, it was more in proportion.

The Chubby Stocking was modified in that I used only two colors (using up stash my friends!) and I used a garter stitch instead of reverse stockinette.

I knit some Harry Potter Sweater ornaments from Charmed Knits. So delightful!! I'll be knitting more of these for family presents. I lost the ball band for the yarn -- it deeply discounted at The Yarn Lounge. Very scratchy and the dye came off in my hands. It was just fine for the ornaments. I'm sure I'll find the ball band as soon as I hit post ...

R felted some Cherry Tree Hill wool (they have just incredible colors) into ball ornaments.


And the BackBou and N worked hard to felt this beautiful Blue Bird ornament. Although the BackBou wanted to charge $200 for this, it will be sold for $3.50.

And don't forget those stocking ornaments from September that I knit ahead of time!

I am so ready.

Holiday Knits

I am one button band and 8 buttons away from having a completed Forecast, but I am too distracted by holiday knitting to settle down and finish it up.

I love December. We're a family that celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah and my birthday is the week before Christmas too. When you're the mom of small kids, you have a lot to do to pull it all off, between the shopping, baking, decorating, but for me, Christmas is not a chore at all. I love to decorate my home and make for a festive mood. I love that sense of excitement and anticipation, as do the return of beloved holiday traditions: decorating Christmas cookies, building a gingerbread house, cutting down the tree, opening the doors of the advent calendar every night before dinner.

I love doing the advent calendar, but have been ready to dispense with the 99 cent cardboard ones with the chocolates, mostly because the chocolate sucks. So I'd been on the lookout for a permanent, reusable one, but have rejected most that I have seen as too cutesy or too country or too juvenile for my taste. Until I saw this one from Garnet Hill, which was perfect!

I actually considered buying it, but decided to make it for several reasons. Besides knitting, I am not a crafty person, and cannot sew or paint or otherwise make things, but many of my most favorite holiday decorations have been handmade - the cross-stitched hand towel from Aunt Ruth, or the peg-doll ornaments from Aunt Kathleen. So I loved the idea of making a beloved family heirloom that also represents something special about me. I can customize it for our family, making a special one for my birthday on the 17th, and can include a nod to Hanukkah, by including blue and white in the color scheme. Besides, it is the perfect thing for using up leftover bits of yarn!

I have the first eight hats finished, except for the pom poms or embroidery. I am making things up as I go along, but both hats and mittens knit up in less than a hour. It's all going so quickly that I plan on finishing up Forecast before I knit any more!

Marigold Mitts

I am determined to warm the hands of all my friends and family. This makes the fourth pair of fingerless mitts I've knit this autumn!

Pattern: Fingerless Mitts by Ann Budd from Weekend Knitting
Yarn & Needles: Vermont Fibers Handspun Alpaca, US 9
Mods: None

This yarn should look familiar to you, Ann, since it was last summer's housewarming gift from you to me! And wow, Ann, this is some amazing stuff. The rustic texture of the yarn is the perfect thing for a garter stitch, and softness of the alpaca is a treat for the hands. This was my first experience in knitting with handspun, and I am officially hooked. I loved it.

But what intrigues me the most is that these are naturally dyed using marigolds and onion. Here's what the label says:

This yarn is made of fiber from Vermont's finest farms. It is hand processed and dyed with natural plant materials using traditional dye methods involving flowers, bark, lichens, and mushrooms.

Of course! I tried to describe the color to someone once, since it isn't a sunny yellow, or a mustardy yellow, or a greenish or brownish yellow. I should have explained that it is the color you would expect if yarn was dyed with marigolds and onion skins. This is exactly the color you'd imagine. Now I want yarn dyed from lichens. And mushrooms!

The tag also reveals that the yarn comes from an alpaca named Marigold! I love that! I have furiously searched online to learn more about this yarn, (and where I could get mushroom or lichen yarn) but it appears that having serious earth-cred also means having no online presence. Fiber Festival attendees and Vermonters, keep a sharp eye for Vermont Fibers from Plainfield, VT, and buy this yarn.

The individualness of the yarn made it especially hard to give these away, but while I love them, they are even more perfect for someone else who reads this blog. If she is at all paying attention, she'll notice right away that they match the scarf I made her last fall. And that they are super-natural and Earthy and green and eco-conscious, which might tweak this certain person's enthusiasm. And that having recently acquired a job that requires a commute, she might need some help in the handwarming department.*


* They're for my sister, my Favorite Person to Knit For, new commuter and all around enviro-woman.

Angel of Darkness Finished

There is not much to say about this project except I adore this yarn and I think Evelyn Clark is brilliant. First the project specs ...

Pattern: Angel Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark
Yarn: Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette, Pewter
Needles: Knitpicks Options US6s
Finished size: 13 pattern repeats -- 63" wide and 30.5" deep
Notes: The yarn (40% Alpaca, 40% Merino, 20% Silk) is exquisite. I think it was just wonderful for this project (since I like a shawl that can provide a bit of warmth but have gorgeous drape). It was a joy to knit with, it just flowed perfectly. Wouldn't a snug fitting top knit with this be just luxurious?

The pattern is simple and fast to memorize as was my experience with the Leaf Lace Shawl. I was able to go from start to finish in 3 weeks with lots of other non-knitting things going on in my life. I think I want to knit an Evelyn Clark shawl at least once a year. It is just so gratifying.

My gauge was 6.5 spi so my finished shawl was larger than the pattern dictated. I used up about 4 skeins.

After I showed it off a bit here, I donated the shawl to Art 180 for its Art Karma Auction that happens on November 29th. Please tell your friends to come bid on this shawl! I'd love to have it bring in some money for this wonderful organization that brings art to children. I mean really, here in Virginia where standardized testing trumps all else, we need Art 180 desperately.

Prayer Quilt, Part Two

The quilt is finished. There will be a Blessing for the mother tonight where she will receive her gift from the school. She hopes to leave soon for Honduras in order to try some alternative treatments since the doctors here have nothing more to offer her. I hope that our intentions and prayers will help her in her journey.


The quilt was made with O-Wool Classic and knit on predominantly US 8s and 9s. The gauge for each square was wildly different, but adds to the dearness of the quilt.


The 1st graders (the mother's son's class), each knit a row or two in this square which is positioned so that it will rest over the mother's heart when she is wrapped in the quilt.


I do not know this woman personally, we only met once, but I was honored to be asked to work on this quilt. She is a tremendous woman and has touched so many lives in a positive way. I know that her spirit has touched mine. When I read a bit of this poem on Jen Lemen's blog, I thought of her ...

When Death Comes
by Mary Oliver

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps his purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle pox;

when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering;
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth
tending as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was a bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened
or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

Three Things

1. My brother-in-law and his family's home survived the San Diego fires in tact. Their neighborhood is messy, but still standing, making them some of the lucky ones. They wisely left town for a planned trip to Chicago to get out of the smoky air and let things settle down, but should hopefully be getting back to normal soon. Thanks so much for your messages of concern and caring.

2. I made some kind of ugly socks. I love the yarn, I love the pattern, but the pooling! Ach! The pooling! I am pretty tolerant about pooling, but these socks pooled in a pretty ugly way.

I won't be frogging them, as they are innocuous enough when worn with jeans and shoes:

Hidden under jeans, tucked into the clogs.
Maybe an occasional flash of sock when the legs are crossed...

But, and prepare yourself here, when viewed on their own, you see what I mean. The slash of green across the foot. Ewww.

Shudder!

Pattern: Undulating Ribs by Ann Budd from Favorite Socks
Yarn: Claudia's Handpainted Yarns, Donna's Favorite
Needles: Addi Lace US 1.5/2.5mm

Notes: These socks were uneventful and simple, and the yarn is just wonderful to knit, but this is the perfect example of a really pretty, autumnally neutral colorway gone bad. Luckily, the ugly part is pretty much confined to the foot, so they are totally wearable with shoes. Thanks, Claudia's, for pooling where it won't be noticed!

This is my first time using Claudia's yarn, and I am really pleased so far. Of course, I'll have to see how they hold up to wear and washing, but I am really looking forward to using the other skeins I have in the stash.

3. Nova, I don't know whether to kiss you or curse you, but my family sincerely thanks you! That's some damn good pie.

Seasonal Forecast

This week has me thinking about seasons. The weirdly warm weather. The pitiful Eagles season. Wildfire season in Southern California has seen my dear brother-in-law and his family evacuated from their home, and the fires are frighteningly close. At this point, they believe their house is still there (the answering machine picked up!) but they have no idea when they will be able to return, and what conditions they and their neighbors in Rancho Bernardo will face.

For reasons beyond my understanding, my son calls any patterned sock I make him "Season Socks." When I knit him socks, I always use these printed Regias or Jawolls, which take only one ball for a little boy's feet. I finished these a few days ago, and he was so delighted to have another pair of Season Socks.

I know the calendar only ackowledges four seasons, but in our family, we have many seasons beyond the official four. Like Vermonters with their Mud Season in the Spring, we observe Nut Season in the Fall.

Every year, my husband haunts the produce departments of the grocery store, eagerly anticipating the return of the mixed, whole, in-the-shell nuts. From the end of October through January, The World's Ugliest Nut Bowl takes up permanent residence on our coffee table, and the couch is sprinkled with the leavings of his nightly nut-cracking sessions. With every nut he jauntily tosses into his maw, he is just in pure, hog heaven.



For a long time, I fought the nut bowl. It offended my sense of style, even though it was reproduced at Restoration Hardware. The nut dust everywhere drove me nuts (sorry), and my husband, for all his wonderful qualities, is not so good about the sweeping up. I purchased lovely nut bowl alternatives, rattan trays and little hand held vacuums to address the crumbles. But Mr S was attached to his vintage, bought-at-a-yard sale nut bowl. He really loved it! So, like lots of things as our marriage endures, I let it go. I embraced The Nut Bowl in all its messy glory into the family decor. I granted him total freedom from nagging and irritation as he enjoyed this simple pleasure, and we are both happier for it.

Last night, in celebration of the first night of Nut Season, we presented my husband with gift wrapped bag of mixed nuts inside, and after dinner, we conducted a taste test of all the different nuts (everyone seems to like filberts the best) and tried using all his different crackers. It made an ordinary Monday night feel like a celebration.

I couldn't help but think of my California family, leaving their home in the early morning, having been ordered to leave and immediately drive to safety. They took their family photos, their hard drive, their passports and insurance papers, blankies, teddy bears, all those irreplaceable things. They took my two nephews and drove to safety, leaving everything else behind. We're OK, they said. We have all that really matters. The rest of it is just stuff.

But as I fished the nut bowl out of the closet, I thought of all those other things, special things that you just couldn't save, for lack of time, space, and practicality. That nut bowl is a thing, yes, but it tells a small part of our love story for our children. It tells about compromise and accepting someone's quirks. Its about enjoying your spouse enjoying themselves. The nut bowl says something about who my husband is, someone who really likes his tacky stuff and doesn't care who thinks its tasteful.

My daughter and I regularly go up to my mom's attic and just root around up there. She loves to pick out books from my old collection of paperbacks, and she loves my old dolls. Even though I could just give her the whole lot, I let her pick just one each time. I love watching her look carefully at each one, carefully weighing which one she wants this time. It lets me relive each doll and its story, and she gets to learn something new about my life story each time.

I showed her my father's collection of goofy pants this weekend. She was so young when he died. She could see his holiday cords (you know, the pants with the turkeys embroidered on them? Penguins playing golf? Red lobsters on white chinos? My dad rocked them ALL!) and now, when she imagines her grandfather, she knows what kind of pants he wore. I got to tell her a little story about my dad, and I got to relive a cherished, happy memory.

I even found a poster that CurlyPurly made for me (check out the date) and she and I had a good laugh this week.
In my house, I have the clothes my kids wore home from the hospital. I have my husband's grandfather's kippah and tallit. I have my preserved wedding bouquet. I have a beautiful note my father wrote to my husband and a letter my daughter wrote to the tooth fairy. I have a painting my husband and I bought on our honeymoon from a street artist in Montmartre.

We all joke about saving our stash, but what about all these these things we lovingly knit? Our lace shawls? Our cashmere sweaters? Our handmade quilts or our heirloom linens? Is that just stuff?

So far, the news reports from California suggest that loss of human life has been gratefully minimal. And yes, it is just stuff. But as stashers, creators and collectors, we must not trivialize the monumental loss this represents. There are countless families that have lost their irreplaceable stuff, but they are holding onto each other, knowing that despite having lost everything, what really matters is each other.

I'm just deeply sad for all of them, and still fearful for my family out there. Please keep all the firefighters and families in Southern California in your hearts and prayers until these fires have been put out.

Prayer Quilt, Part One

In two weeks, we have gone from an idea to an almost finished Prayer Quilt. I am just amazed at the RWS community! Within hours of putting yarn out in a basket in the front hall of the school, the Handwork Group received calls for more yarn -- we just couldn't keep enough balls (of the wonderful O-Wool Classic) in circulation. I thought that we could manage to get 33 squares and then last night as we sat around and counted up the squares, my jaw dropped ... 54 squares.


Students, parents, teachers, and the administrative staff all pitched in to make 6" x 6" garter stitch squares. The first graders each took turns knitting one precious square.


The sizes ranged from 5.5 inch squares to 6.5 inch squares. There is one stockinette square. Some squares have dropped stitches and yarn overs, twisted stitches and wild swings of tension. All were knit with love and reverence.

Last night we arranged and rearranged the squares trying to get the squares just right. Blocks of color or randomness? Geometrical patterns? Balanced color values? Thank goodness for the cookies, popcorn, and coffee!

Holly was our guide for the assembly and as I, the ever-uptight planner, was punching numbers into a calculator and pouring over graph paper with colored pencils, she intuitively massaged the squares into their proper places. She was brilliant!


I received my seaming assignment (V for vertical garter ridges, H for horizontal) and seamed them up this morning.


Melanie at The Yarn Lounge showed me how to execute a simple single crochet join for the assembly. It is just the right join to adjust for all the variations in sizes.


I hope to join with the other two sections tomorrow and hand the quilt off to a more accomplished crocheter for the border. I will post more pictures soon ...

Trying To Keep Afloat

There is just so much to do lately. Blogging and, quite sadly, Ravelry have not been even close to the top of my "To Do" list. But I have been knitting! Here is a WIP, FO update ...

Two FOs:

Pattern: Trellis, 6 month size
Yarn: Cotton Fleece by Brown Sheep, Wisteria; about 1.5 skeins
Needles: US6s
Notes: I liked this pattern, but wish that I had taken the time to search other knitter's mods before picking it up. I was feeling rushed and just dove in. If I had it to knit again, I would use Brooklyn Tweed's mods which I read about on Ravelry, he's knitting it as a seamless raglan (much easier) and adding seed stitch panels to the sides under the arms (the cabled twist right at the seam is not great). I would also have knit the sleeves in the round, I didn't like how they seamed up at all. I did slip the first stitch so that the button band and the buttonhole band have a nicer edge.

I was able to remember how to seed stitch graft while babysitting without my reference book. I'm so proud!

This sat waiting for small pewter buttons that I had ordered until I just couldn't take it any longer, the recipient was growing! I bought these instead and am very pleased even though they are a bit rounder than I had wanted.

Pinks and purples in the fall garden.

Pattern: Pea Pod Hat by Kate Gilbert

Really crappy picture. The color is truly the same as the Trellis ...

Yarn: Cotton Fleece, Wisteria
Needles: US5s
Mods: None. Knit up in a night. I found out last Thursday that N's teacher was going to visit her brother who is deploying to Iraq. They were also christening his baby last weekend, so I wanted to send her off with a baby hat. These pictures stink, it was really much cuter! I would love to knit the whole set at some point.

Angel Lace Shawl - WIP
Ah. Another Evelyn Clark shawl. Heaven. I've been affectionately calling this the Angel of Darkness since I am knitting with Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette in Charcoal (and I am watching Buffy Season One on DVD). This yarn, oh this yarn. This is a yarn I could knit forever. For absolutely ever. It is soft. It is the perfect weight. It is silky but not slippery. It smells good. I am happy whenever I pick this project up. I am just about done with my 13 pattern repeats but I am going to do more. It's just wonderful!

But there is a time constraint, this shawl will be donated to Art Karma, an art auction to benefit Art 180. A very worthwhile cause. My buddy Jess (you have got to check out her incredible bags now! Wouldn't they make awesome knitting bags?) asked me to donate something and as I was feeling the shawl love after Leaf Lace, I said sure. No regrets. This shawl has been a joy to knit. I hope to block it in about a week. Stay tuned for pictures!

Prayer Quilt Project - WIP
Unfortunately, we have a very sick parent at our school. A single mother of a 1st grader, she is gracefully and bravely battling very insipid cancer. The RWS community has pulled together and in the past 2 weeks knit a bajillion 6" x 6" garter stitch squares in O-Wool Classic. It was a 7th Grade homework assignment, isn't that incredible? The RWS handworkers will be coming over Saturday night to stitch it together and then we may have the 1st graders fingerknit the fringe next week.

I will share more with you next week. I feel powerless to protect this incredible woman and her son from this cancer, but I can help create a symbol of our love, compassion, and prayers.

Foundations

What joy today to see some of my released stash in use at preschool. Yarn doesn't have to be knitted to be loved, and black chenille makes the best fuzzy cat tails!

The one and only cat picture you will ever see from this blogger.
I am here to keep this blog from being only about bosoms.

Noted...

Thanks for being so nice about it, but the issue with Tree Jacket's fit across the bust wasn't just the sweater. It really was my breasts, which were, in the very kinds words of StuntMother, a little too far south. So in the spirit of my all-time favorite "stand up straight!" comment from Minty, I have since properly adjusted my bra. Note the instant improvement!

Way better, eh? I am still ripping the sweater.

But really, thanks for all your advice. Like, Tiennie, who said that I should cut and graft. Intriguing idea.

And Wendy, who suggested that I pin it up and see how I like it with the eyelets up higher. Great idea, Wendy, especially because I'm not sure its an improvement. See?

Now I am actually thinking that I might extend the garter down all the way to the end of the bust, and stop at the top of the waist. This yarn looks especially beautiful in garter stitch, and when I stretched the sweater a bit to get an idea of how it would look, it did really define the waist nicely. That, and it would require less ripping.

But I'm wondering if this is a sweater destined for loser-dom. This yarn is too beautiful to make into something I don't love and won't wear. So maybe it needs to be something else. An Hourglass Sweater? An Adult Tomten?

And really, since y'all are so generous with your opinions, please, tell me what you think.

Opinions, Please

Many recent designs in both knitwear and in RTW clothing features empire styling, but it is a tricky look to pull off if that seam is not in just the right place. Especially in knitwear, you'll see a seam right across the middle of the bustline, or worse, at the underboob area (Lotus Blossom Tank and Mirepoix Bodice, I'm looking at you).

The Tree Jacket is not an empire style, but it does have a tricky transitional part around the bust area where you switch from the garter yoke to the eyelet body. From looking at various FOs in Ravelry, I have come to understand that the key to flattering fit for this sweater is all about where that line between the garter and the stockinette lands. I think it looks best when the line is right at the top of the bustline, but I've also noticed that look is a bit more difficult to achieve on a more full-busted gal like me.

So, my honest and talented readers, forgive me the crappy bathroom mirror shot, and cast a critical eye at my bosoms. Did I get it right?

Your honest opinion, please, before I proceed. I'm just not sure if I needed to switch to the eyelet section a bit sooner. It seems like a lot of ripping for maybe two or three garter ridges, but I am prepared to do so.

Because you know, what is the point of wearing a sweater if it doesn't flatter your boobs.

PS -- I was going to call this post "Let's Talk about My Boobs" but I couldn't imagine the hits we'd get from the RVA aggregator...

Socktobering

I very deliberated made reasonable goals for Socktober: a pair of socks for each of the kids, a second New England sock, and perhaps starting an new pair of Whitbys or Firecracker socks in a nice autumnal yarn. Progress has been decidedly mixed, though, and I am am blaming my monthlong sock hiatus.

I've made a very promising start with this pair for Rosebud, cranking them out in a matter or days. However, I made these socks from the cuff down, since I could not manage to properly execute a magic-cast on to make them from the toe up. They are a perfectly serviceable pair of socks, but I have a maddening amount of leftover yarn. I struggled with gauge for this yarn, Filatura di Crosa Maxime Print, which claims to be a DK, recommending a 5spi on a US4 needle on the ball band. No freakin' way. I may be a loose knitter, but at 5spi, the fabric was way too loose. I went down to a 3.0mm and got went with 7spi to achieve a firm fabric for socks for a little girl. They could have even been knit a little firmer.

With one success under my belt, I immediately cast on for The Deal of the Century $3 Regia socks for Pepe, in a seemingly nice autumnal colorway. How did I forget that deeply discounted sock yarn generally means super fugly sock yarn? This yarn has a very weird color combination, but Pepe loves them, he is four, so who cares, right? They are the perfect simple stockinette sock for sitting at soccer practice or in the carpool lane.



From the photo above, it seems like I have made a lot of progress on completing my second New England sock, but that sock-in-progress has been completely frogged due to a wild gauge fluctuation from the first to the second sock. It seemed I forgot to use the same needle for the second sock. A 1.5mm Addi Lace is not a 1.5 mm Knit Picks Options, and it showed by a whole stitch per inch. I think these socks are going into the penalty box for a bit or two until I work up the energy to focus again on such a complex sock.

Instead, I'll focus on Pepe's sock, my growing Tree Jacket, and maybe even take Nova's advice and just recklessly wind some sock yarn.