Thuja Socks Completed!

These are the Thuja socks that I started for my dh early in December ..... really not intended as a Christmas gift. The pattern is one that I've put together from different patterns, but I used the seed stitch rib pattern featured on Thuja, from Knitty Winter 05. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill in the Java colorway, knitted on magic loop with Addi Turbo 2.5 mm, and fits a size 11 (US) foot. These were my January socks for the SAM 5 KAL. Finshed them just in time ...... 8 pm (CST) on 1-31!

SOTS 2 - Clue #1 Completed

When I just ordered the yarn for the SOTS 2 last Wednesday, I never expected to get the yarn so quickly ..... this Wednesday. The clue had come out last Friday, to be completed in one week .... YIKES! This is my first, hopefully completed, large lace project. I cast on Wed. evening since DH was teaching a BLS class for some area EMS people and I could just sit and knit. I did frog about two rows when I discovered I had only knitted 5 rows instead of the stated 6 ..... I am OCD about my knitting. Was able to finish through row 12, I believe. Last night, I knitted while DH snored on the sofa and completed row 39. About 3:45 this morning, some "leftover" congestion from my sinus infection awakened me. I couldn't get much relief, so I decided to sit up and why not .......KNIT! I finished the first clue before I left for my before school coffee break with friends. I have really like this pattern ..... but it does require more concentration and being care to not catch the st in the row beneath. I have the second clue printed out, but have to sell admissions for the basketball game tonight, so won't start on that until after 8:30 or so. Here's the pic taken this morning on an overcast day. ...... maybe this week-end!

I've also been working on the Thuja socks for DH ..... am about halfway out on the foot .... why isn't dh a short person with little feet? They will be finished for the Six Sox KAL January socks. TLGB

Secret of the Stole II

A couple of weeks ago, I signed up for the SOTS ii KAL. I haven't done much lace knitting, so decided that it would be a good idea. Then..... that terrible sinus infection hit. Well, .... I finally got around to ordering the yarn from KP - Shadow in the Lost Lake Heather colorway .... on Wednesday. Yesterday, I got an email that it had been shipped. Better yet, KP Options fixed circs now come in 40" and 47" for those who ml. Yes, I did order those, too! Gotta get the free shipping!

I had some KP Shadow in a blue colorway (not enough for the stole), so I decided that maybe for the first time ever, I would do a swatch. I've always started my knitting, checked my gauge and if it was okay, continued knitting. I was halfway through it last night, liked the look, and frogged it. Today after the first step was published, I decided to do the complete swatch between loads of wash and letting the dogs out. The temp have been hovering close to zero all day with windchills in the -teens degrees ..... school was first two hours late and then was cancelled when there was no relief from the bitter cold. So, as I usually do on a "snow/extreme cold" day, I decied to knit the swatch. Here's the pic ..... I used #4 KP Options .... I almost think I may use #3 for the stole to give the fabric more stability. I just wet blocked it and took a pic. I have a mistake in the center pattern, but know what I did and didn't feel like tinking two rows ..... not on a swatch!
The rest of the week-end I'm going to try to complete the Cascading Leaves socks that I've been knitting from the handspun sock yarn my daughter did for me as part of my Christmas gift. The roving was Crown Mountain Fibers in the magic carpet ride colorway. I'm knitting both socks on ml on what I thought was an Addi (had been purchased as such somewhere), but there isn't any writing on the cable that's on Addis and it was a US size. Well, the socks are looking great with me just starting the decs for the gusset. I had just read on someone's blog that there was a problem with counterfeit Addis being sold on Ebay. I haven't ever purchased from Ebay, but a couple of places where I buy do get things sometimes. That's must be what happened.

Time to head upstairs to bed. Happy knitting and TLGB!

Completed Socks & Scarf!

These two are a little late in being posted, but they were Christmas gifts for two of my coffee friends.
The socks are from the Socktopia Mystery Sock pattern with mods of adding 2 sts either side of the cable for total sts of 72 ..... if I did it again, I'd add one st either side and 2 sts to each cable. The recipient said they were great ..... really kept her feet warm.



The Chevron Scarf is from STR Silkie in the Lunesea colorway and STR mediumweight in Love In Idleness colorway. The recipient is only five feet tall so I have about 1/3 of each colorway left. Any ideas for its use? I ordered colorways for a CS for me .... can't wait to start.

Other knitting has been put on a hold since I've developed a severe bacterial sinus infection .... that apparently started with the "bug" that was passed around school that hit me during Christmas vacation. I know that I'm sick when I don't even feel an urge to pick up the needles. The prescriptions are doing their job, but I have had to stay home two days so far this week. The congestion, headache, ringing in the ears, and inability to get more than 45 minutes of sleep at a time contributed to that. Our school district has no substitutes that can teach Spanish, so I always have to be creative with the lesson plans.

Oh, I did start My So Called Scarf with the Knit and Needlepoint Merino, nugmet colorway, that dd brought me when she attended a medical conference in Boston last spring. It was something I could do while walking around the study hall of about 86 students that constantly need monitoring. They do, however, pay attention to how much I get finished between times or ...... what I don't get done.