Quicky

I still have not finished the second hat for Scott, nor have I finished his socks. Then today, I thought it would be fun to try rollerskating, and promptly fell on my ass (twice) messing up my left elbow something fierce. I haven't actually tried knitting yet, but I think I will be able to only in short bursts. Also, the yarn for Scott's scarf has been chosen- Ella Rae Classic, in Chocolate Heather (#111). Photos soon, once I've got a few inches done. I asked Scott to pick from a few stitch patterns, and he liked Mistake Rib the best. That's it for now. More later this week!

I Need a Nap!

It turns out that I was so over-confident in my ability to churn out a pair of men's socks in a short period of time, that I thought I'd have time to make a couple of hats as well. Yeah. That didn't quite work out, as Scott's socks are still not done. But he does have a hat that he loves:

And the mail lady got this hat:

Sorry that's such a crappy picture. It's ribbed with cables, in Patons Shetland Chunky. It came out okay for a last minute hat, but I wish I had done the decreases differently- they look a little too obvious in a couple places.

The biggest problem with the socks was that I ran out of yarn. I had two 50g balls of Patons Kroy Sock yarn, and the first sock still has about two inches (including the toe) to go. Of course, this all came to light yesterday afternoon- while Scott had our only car and wasn't due to be home until exactly when the stores closed. So I can't get another ball until tomorrow, but in the meantime I can knit the other sock (which is just past the gusset) until that one runs out. The socks are no longer a surprise, so I can knit them in his presence, and have him try them on to check for length.

If you're planning on knitting men's socks on size 1 needles (I cast on 72 st.) with the Kroy sock, be aware that you may need a third ball!

Now I am also working on a second tam for Scott. The first one (above) was knit up with Patons Classic Wool for the winter, and the next will be cotton for warmer weather. He also requested a scarf, and hopefully I can get the yarn for that this weekend.

Yeesh. I have been knitting nonstop since Friday night. I was so desperate to finish the socks that I pulled all-nighters Sunday and Tuesday. Yesterday I had ice packs and warm packs laying about, and my stomach lining was not thrilled with my diet of coffee and painkillers. Hopefully a few days of extreme knitting won't cause any irreparable damage. I did take a few breaks and stretched often, so I think my hands will be fine after some rest!

There Are Two Sides to Everything

Tonight was knit night, and I grabbed the opportunity to get some work done on Scott's socks. I had to start them over, because the original version was much too big. I did manage to cast one back on and knit a row, but that's as far as I got (due to a combination of working overtime and major slacking). So I showed up at knit night at about 6:30 with one row of one sock. By the time I left at 9:30, I had 2.5 inches of ribbed cuff done on BOTH socks. That's right. Five freaking inches of sock, total, in three hours. That's over 1.5 inches per hour. That means I can be done with the leg in about another 3 hours, which is encouraging. But I think I've also underestimated the amount of time it takes to knit a pair (I had guessed about 15 earlier this evening).

This also means that I am a total slacker every time I knit anywhere other than knit night. Why can't I be that focused at home? Maybe it has something to do with coffee? Or maybe I'm just too easily distracted at home. Oh, who knows. It could be anyth

My New Friend

Yesterday I had to venture out to the mall to get an outfit to wear to the office Christmas party. I had all but given up and was on my way back to the car when I saw a store with a bunch of balloons and signs all over the place. It was a B. Moss, which I had never heard of. Apparently the company is going out of business, so everything was 50% off. I went in, and found they have oodles of stuff that would be perfect for the occasion. I picked out plaid pants and a matching green sweater, and was still poking around a bit when I realized that one of the signs on an empty fixture was for the fixture itself. Looking around, they also had shelves, wooden boxes, small chalkboards, and this:



She was for sale for $20. How perfect would she be for my knitting room? I was stoked and dragged her over to the counter. Now she is mine. The store employees called her "Mossy" so that will be her name. It turns out that her measurements are remarkably similar to mine: her bust is actually a smidge bigger, waist is the exact same, and her hips are a smidge smaller. It also turns out that discovering your measurements are similar to a store mannequin does a lot for your self esteem. So does switching from junior's sizes to women's (the number drops by like 3 or 4). I try not to get hung up on stuff like that, but I'm only human and bombarded with the same advertising as everyone else.

I had loads of fun dressing her up in my clothes. Here she is with my shawl:

I absolutely love her, and hope she will come in handy, but even if she just sits there and adds to the ambiance it will be worth the $20.

I'm putting Cass's sweater on hold and decided it will likely be a birthday gift instead. With all the overtime I've been putting in I don't think I'd have time to finish a sweater in just a couple weeks. But I might be able to handle a pair of socks for Scott, so that's what I'm planning. I picked up some "Scott colored" Paton's Kroy Sock by accident when I went to Joann's for cookie tins. I think I can get a fair amount done (hopefully both cuffs) by the 24th. I have that day off, Scott does not. So my plan is to get up as soon as he leaves and finish them in one day. I'll have nearly 12 hours, unless they let him leave early (a very real, and frightening possibility). I think I can do it as long as they are plain, basic socks.

I started a pair of socks for myself with the Zoe sock yarn. I like it bunches, and wish I had more time to dedicate to another project. This whole "work" thing is putting a serious crimp in my knitting.

And if you're curious, I've swatched for the Bohus but that's it. It's just going to have to wait until I have some real time to work on it. Plus (and I swear this isn't just me procrastinating) I really want to finish up some of my WIPs before I start new things. Specifically, Cass's sweater, the Zoe socks, and that cotton Clapotis from way back. I've also got a sweater that only needs arms, and my peach sweater. Hopefully I can power through some of those during my time off over Christmas. Which is also probably going to be the next time I have a chance to update this blog! Until then...