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.

Go Greased Lightening

I was too lazy to take photos for this post. The only thing interesting is the center motif anyway - which I did finish this weekend. I finished off chart 1, motored through chart 2, and got halfway through chart 3. Clearly, I didn't do much other than knit this weekend.

I did make another visit to With Yarn in Front, since I'd been told they were getting in more yarn this week, and I totally only meant to look but - well, you know how that goes. I left with 4 skeins of Jojoland Melody in a colorway made of purlples and blues and reds that were so me that I could not possibly pass them up. I plan to use them for a Wrapped in Comfort shawl, though I'm not sure which one. I really like Michelle's shawl, it's my favorite in the book, but the drape is part of what I love about it so I'm thinking it might be better to do it in a different yarn. I will have to spend some time with the book before I decide.

I'm working on this stole with absolute determination, though. I've worked on it almost exlusively. Last night after I went upstairs to go to bed, I did work on a garter stitch scarf because I was tired and troubled and needed to be soothed, but other than that, I'm so longing for this shawl to be complete that I really haven't worked on much else.

I need to turn the heel on my sock in progress, and I have to work the toe for my socks for soldiers socks, so even my thoughtless projects are stalled for the moment. I have to find the pattern for the soldier socks because I'm pretty sure the instructions for the toe are somehow different from the instructions I usually use, and I think I followed the pattern instructions on the first sock, so I should do that on this one as well. I just have to get the pattern and the sock in the same place for five minutes to figure it out, and then I will be able to (finally) finish off that pair and start on the next one (which will, mercifully, not be black nor quite so large as this pair).

I have to look up the eye of partridge heel instructions I used on the first sock of my pair so that I can do that heel. I'm pretty sure I can figure out what I did, but I'd like to look back just to make sure.

To be honest, I'm kind of ready to be done with all those projects. Not that I don't love them, but a) I haven't finished anyting for a while and I need a finishing fix b) so many other things have come up that I want to try!

One thing I fear - I may be so addicted to lace knitting after this stole that I kind of don't want to knit anything else. I could start a hat or something but really, I just want to knit more lace! This can't happen! I have plans for many other non-lace things! What about those projects? I want those things!

...but I really want to knit lace.

Done, done, donnidy done done

The Urban Necessity tam is finished! But due to the late hour at which I finished it I do not have a picture yet. I will post one because when I was considering the pattern I really wanted to see what it looked like and I had trouble finding it.

I made a mistake in one panel in the cable pattern so there's one single line that's kind of broken, but I decided not to go back and fix it since I was several rounds past it when I found it, and very close to being done. I am vexed, but...too bad. It won't be noticeable when worn and you'd really have to look for it to see it anyway. So I keep telling myself, anyhow.

Next up are the gloves, which I am unreasonably afraid of. I don't know what it is that makes me so nervous - fear that they won't fit? I really have no idea. My friend's hands appear to be about the same size as mine based on the trace she sent me. Her fingers are longer, but in width and palm length we are basically the same, so I think if I aim to make it fit me, it should be okay for her. I'll just make the gussets a teeny bit longer than they would be for me.

This weekend I took a break from the hat knitting and cast on a sock from Sensational Knitted socks. This will be my first real sock-sock (as opposed to a worsted weight pedicure sock). I chose the garter rib 4-stitch pattern since I wanted to keep it simple for my first sock. The sock itself went well right up until the gusset decreases, where I screwed up something rather badly and ended up tinking back round after round trying to figure out why I had more stitches on one needle than the other (I work on 2 circs). In the end I decided in frustration that I must not have picked up enough stitches on one side, which explained both why I had a gap on one side at the top of the gusset and not on the other, and why my stitch count was wrong. I grabbed the stitch and laddered it up, and continued on my merry way. I got through the gusset decreases and now I'm on the foot.

I hate the yarn. Not the yarn itself (Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock), but the colorway, the Yarn Market exclusive colorway "Irises" from their impressionist collection. It looked so pretty in the skein, but knit up in this pattern it looks like something your kid would throw up the day after a trip to the circus. :oP

I don't really care. I liked this skein the least of all the ones I purchased, which is why I chose to use it for my first sock. I figured it would bother me less if I messed up.

The plain stockinette section looks better than the garter rib section, but the colors are still too riotous for me. It is just a personal taste thing I think - someone else might love this yarn.

I am really looking forward to knitting the Starry Night pair; I think that color will be very pretty.

I got a shipment from KnitPicks yesterday that included Wrapped in Comfort. I looked through it and I love it. I love the way the shawls are displayed - each one is shown on a person and spread out, so that you can see both the drape and the lace pattern. There is a story for each pattern, some touching and some humorous. I'm excited and looking forward to working something out of that book.