The Happy Dance

I couldn't help but do the happy dance. I am so pleased with this project thus far.


I have until July 15th to have the back and front finished so I'm taking a brief hiatus to knit a pair of socks.

I belong to several kal's but it seems that I have a hard time completing or even starting projects for most of them. These socks are for the Solid Socks KAL on Ravelry. They are the Cubist Socks by Cookie A.


This month the color is orange so I'm using Kona Superwash Merino Fingering dyed cantaloupe from the stash. The color is really loud in person and not the lovely orange you see on the screen. I may overdye it to tone them down a little once they are finished.

It's that time of the year when I debate whether or not I'll enter anything in the fair. I have some projects in mind if I do decide to enter but they'll be stealth knitting this year. There are several baby and toddler projects that I need to make and that will have to figure in my time scheme.

I also need to decide if I'm going to do any major Christmas knitting. I really enjoyed making the fingerless gloves for my mom and in the event that I do decide to make gifts they will be at the top of the list. I plan to do some more handpaint dyeing and would like to dye specifically for these. Another project that I would like to dye for is a sweater. I have to figure out a method for making repeatable colors because this will take a lot more dye than I usually mix. I hope to have some interesting projects to show in the future.

Too Much of a Good Thing

I find it fascinating that every pair of socks I make for my mom I end up wishing I had made them for myself. I'm loving this pair of Rick socks from Sock Innovation. I've completed the first foot and finally got the second started. The "Always a Bridesmaid" knitalong due date is looming on the horizon.

If you click to enlarge the photos you can see the awesome detail in these socks.



The pictures are of each side of the same foot. The left sock will be a mirror image of the right. At first I had to keep undoing one of the k2tog in the left foot because I was unable to anticipate it coming from a different direction. My brain has finally made the adjustment and I'm moving right along.

My Knit Picks book order arrived yesterday and I am totally fascinated by Double Knitting by M'Lou Baber. I'm going to have to take some time to wrap my brain around the techniques in the book, but I am chomping at the bit to knit the Crop Circles coat. I plan to make a couple of the practice projects and maybe a hat or two before I tackle a large project.

I'm a little overwhelmed with all the great projects I've come across lately. It's getting harder and harder to decide what to do next. I've been trying to prioritize my lists but they just keep getting longer and longer. The next move is going to involve some type of process of elimination. The only thing in my favor is that they are very organized lists. I hope in the coming weeks to kick up the knitting progress a notch and make a dent in the stash. There aren't any holiday knitting plans just lots of stress and guilt free knitting.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

I finished my first pair of Cookie A socks on Thursday. If her Monkey socks pattern is indicative of her other patterns then I'm in for a treat. I found it well written and easy to execute. I love patterns that repeats that are easy to memorize, but not boring. By the way, this is the first top-down sock I've made since I can't remember. Most of her patterns are written for top-down socks and I plan to make them as written with exception of adjustments for size and length.


Specs:

Pattern: Monkey Socks from Knitty by Cookie A
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino Champlain Sunset
Needles: Knit Picks 1/2.5 mm 6
Started: April 1, 2009 Finished: April 9, 2009

I've casted on my second pair of Cookie socks. They are the Rick socks from her new book Sock Innovation. I'm not ready to dive back into sock design at the moment, but when I am this will be the first book I consult. One of my goals is to knit 1-2 pairs of socks a month and a significant portion of them will come from her patterns.

I started my CPAP therapy for sleep apnea on Tuesday. I also discovered that my legs are moving most of the time when I am asleep. I don't have this problem during my waking hours and the doctor said it also probably contributed to my tiredness. After almost a week I feel more rested than I have in a long time. I was told by the respiratory therapist that it may take 3-4 weeks for me to feel the full effects. Here's to better health, clearer thinking and getting more accomplished.

Winners and Losers

Have you ever purchased a book only to discover that it's not what it promised? I received my copy of Mother-Daughter Knits by Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter and it is very disappointing. I love Sally Melville's books. Her knitting experience series is the bomb.

I looked forward to this one with the same excitement. I should have taken it as a sign when I kept getting javascript errors on the Knit Picks website and couldn't preview the book. First off, a significant number of the 'designs' aren't clothing therefore they can't fit or flatter. There are patterns for a headband, shopping bag and legwarmers to name a few. If either of these fall in the "fit & flatter" category please tell me where.

This book proposes to tell us how to fit our "hourglass" figure even if we don't have one. It's interesting that none of the models deviate from this hourglass norm. Don't get me wrong there are a couple of designs I would knit from this book, but I am extremely glad that I did not pay full price. I'll keep my hopes up that the next Melville book in the Knitting Experience series will be a winner.

On the bright side, I also received my copy of Sock Innovation by Cookie A. I've spent a significant part of today reading, re-reading and admiring the sock patterns. Besides being inspiring, Sock Innovation provides explanation and insight into the processes CookieA uses to create her fabulous designs. The cost of the book is worth it just for the patterns alone.

I've purchased several of CookieA's individual patterns and haven't knitted any. This is the extra little push that I need. After I finish the gray socks one of her designs will be my next sock project.

I gave the book to Mom to peruse. She doesn't like patterning on the feet, but after seeing this book she's willing to make an exception. I couldn't do anything but laugh.

So at the moment I'm batting 50/50. Could be worse.