Progress Made!

I haven't entered any knitting in the local county fair in probably 20+ years. The group I knit with on Tuesday evenings decided that each person should enter something ... I chose my SS 2011 Shawl (blue ribbon), Recuperation Socks (blue), DH's Christmas 2010 Socks (red), and Market Bag (red). Most of us are already planning to enter again next year.

I've been working on the Summer Mystery Shawlette pattern by Wendy D Johnson for dd, Alcariel. She knit the shawlette, but I'm expanding it to a full shawl using Brooks Farm Acero yarn, purchased at Estes Park Wool Market in June.

I added 192 sts CO sts to the outer edge of the shawl, 433 sts total, which increases the repeats of Chart 3 to seven times! I'm halfway through the second repeat... each repeat decreases the sts by 48. I am under 300 sts now ... the rows are getting shorter instead of longer.
I started the above socks for Sock Summit from the striping yarn available from Three Ewes Twisted in Fiber. Before I forgot how to do it, I added the after-thought Crystal Heel from the class dd and I took at SS. I still have about 1.5 inches to knit before doing the toe ... on the first sock! I haven't knitted single socks in over three years ... always used 2AAT on magic loop after learning about the technique. At least with the striping yarn, I will be able to match the length closely.

I've finally finished kitchenering the toes of the plain vanilla socks from some Paca Ped yarn I picked up on a week's retreat last summer in the southern part of the state. I wished I had used the afterthought heel when I knitted these socks last fall, but didn't, so they pool on the instep.

Oh... I've officially retired from teaching school! I've really been enjoying my care-free summer ... not having classes, workshops, curriculum, or lesson plans to do and having the $$ I spent on classroom supplies and school clothes .... to spend at Sock Summit instead.

At the doctor's appt yesterday, the surgeon said I should be a "poster person" for total knee replacement and the importance of sticking with therapy suggestions to prevent stiffness. He couldn't believe how well I was walking ... was really delighted when I told him my physical therapist asked another one in the practice to watch my "gait" and tell which knee I had replaced ... he chose the wrong knee because I was "favoring" that one. Don't have to see the doctor until next April for the year check-up.