Lurv

I haven't been blogging because I haven't had any photos to blog. I've been TAKING them, they just never make it from the camera to the computer. Then I have to take more because the ones I just took are out of date.

I got a LOT of knitting done at the amusement park. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of it had to get ripped out and reknit. DANGIT. I did successfully finish the socks I started at MD Sheep and Wool in the car on the way to the park...only to find that somehow I had experienced a guage change and while the first sock I knit does fit, the second sock is much too big. My stitch guage went from 8.5 st/in to 7.5 st/in. I think I started knitting further down on the needle. I'm unhappy, but not about to rip and reknit.

I finished most of the toe of my soldier socks, but later had to rip it out because I didn't have the pattern with me and read the instructions wrong. So, I spent Sunday undoing that bit and reknitting it. Then I triumphantly wove in the ends, put the socks in the laundry, and triumphantly came out with...a pair of socks approximately 1/2 in different in length. ARGH. I'm nervous about unpicking reknitting now that it has been washed, but I don't see that I have much choice.

Also in the car, I cast on and knit the first couple rows of the socks I planned to knit actually at the park. I'm using the embossed stitch pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks. The yarn is the C*eye*ber Fiber merino-tencel sock blend I got at Maryland Sheep & Wool. The colorway is Periwinkle and I LOVE it. It's so shiny and pretty and it is turning into a gorgeous sock. It's pretty enough in the pattern stitch but then I started doing the heel flap and it is striping in beautiful even stripes that have me tickled so much that I am afraid there may be something wrong with me. I also switched down a needle size for these socks, since I really haven't been happy with the fit on all my previous socks, and I'm much happier with the tighter fabric I've been getting. My only sadness is that I fear these socks will wear out rather quickly since they have no nylon content. I'm not into darning.

However, it hasn't all been roses and happiness...I messed up the stitch pattern for the first few repeats. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't looking right and eventually I found the bit I had been reading incorrectly...and I had to rip out all the progress I made while standing in the 2 hour plus line for one of the rides. I was really unhappy about that since making so much sock progress was the only thing that made that line bearable (it was not my idea to stand in it). Fortunately, I was out of the line by the time I discovered the mistake, or I might have stabbed someone. By the time we got back to the car that evening, I had almost won back all that progress.

A lot of people in the line did kind of the nudge-point-whisper thing at my knitting, but by the end of the line, after passing the same people in the cattle gates fifty-bajillion times, people were starting to actually talk to me about it, to ask what I was making and voice their wish that they had something to do. It was kinda neat!

Amusement Park Knitting

I love the SO. We're going to Hershey Park this weekend, and I mentioned that I needed to pick my trip knitting, and I said something about socks, and he said, the sweetheart, "It's a long trip. Are you sure socks are enough?"

^_^ Isn't he cute?

I don't think there is really any danger of me running out of stuff to knit. First of all, I plan to take both my socks for soldiers socks and the socks I started at MD Sheep and Wool, in the hopes that I can finish both in the car. Then, I want something to knit in line, and socks are definitely on the menu for that (don't worry, I will leave them at the loading area when I get on a ride, so that I do not get punctured). I'm thinking I'm going to wind up the C*eye*ber Fyber I got at MD Sheep & Wool, and xerox the Embossed Stitch pattern from my copy of More Sensational Knitted socks. I think a 4 stitch pattern SHOULD be easy enough to not mess up.

I have the skein of Casbah in Peacock all wound up and ready to go for the Caledonian Mist socks from Pink Lemon, but I think the merino-tencel blend will be more pleasant to work with the the hot weather.

I will probably also take along a shawl project of some sort, just in case - I have all that Jojoland sitting around for a Wrapped in Comfort Shawl. I think I've decided on the Water Turtles Shawl, but "decided" is always a moving target with me.

There is, of course, always the chance that I will fall asleep or something and get no knitting done at all, but I'm hopeful.