She Stuck the Landing

Behold! Four pairs of socks, where a mere two weeks ago there were none.


I'm feelin' pretty pleased with myself just now.

Admittedly, I did originally enter five pairs in the competition, but as I'm sure you remember, one pair was DQ'd for being ugly. I decided I didn't actually want those socks, so I'm going to bury the first one under an oak tree in the park and never speak of it again.*

So, to recap.

Child's French Sock
Pre-Olympic: 20%
Post-Olympic: 100%











Anniversary Socks
Pre-Olympic: 25%
Post-Olympic: 100%


















Mnemosyne Socks
Pre-Olympic : 25%
Post-Olympic: 100%










(still no picture, as I am wanting to submit this pattern for publicaton)

Swirlus Interuptus
Pre-Olympic: 75%
Post-Olympic: 100%












*With all due respect to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Many Socks

I've been kicking sock-butts and takin' sock names.

Or something.


Mixed metaphors aside, I have made not inconsiderable progress on the sock knitting front. I've completed Nancy Bush's Child's French Socks, from Knitting Vintage Socks. Nancy Bush is my sock knitting hero -- so I'm pretty tickled that I've (finally) finished knitting one of her patterns. The pattern was written (or rather re-written) for size 1 needles, to fit a women's size 8 or 9. Since I am a size 9, but have rather large ankles than I'd like, I decided to size it up a bit by using a thicker sock yarn and size 2s. Long story slightly shorter: I knit them with Knitpicks Gloss in Woodland Sage, using 2s. It worked a treat, and the only other adjustment I needed to make was to knit fewer repeats of the pattern since my row gauge was also different.

Current Standings:

Swirlus Interuptus Socks: 100%
Child's French Socks: 100%
Eyelet Socks: 50%
Mnemosyne Socks: 55%
Anniversary Socks: 35%

I have just about completely decided that I am not going to finish the Eyelet socks. I just really don't like them enough. So -- this is not a "who do we kick off the island" kind of decision, made out of concern for what not to finish should I run out of time. Rather this is a "what was I thinking when I knit the first one? This looks like woolly arse!" kind of decision.

Therefore, with the Eyelet socks removed from consideration, that means that I have to knit approx. 2.5 socks in the next 6.5 days.

I guess I'd better get to it, eh?

All Socks All the Time

Remember how I just couldn't wait to start knitting my socks?

Yeah.

Bored now.

I long for a shawl or a cardigan.

I have completed the first of the Child's French Socks (go me!) and am yay-so-far into the cuff of the second one.

I have begun the gusset decreases in the first of the Mnemosyne socks, and am very, very close to the toe shaping of the second of the Riverbed/Swirlus-Interuptus socks.



Current Olympic Standings:

Swirlus Interuptus Socks: 85%
Child's French Socks: 55%
Eyelet Socks: 50%
Mnemosyne Socks: 30%
Anniversary Socks: 25%

Will she get the gold!?!?!?!

It's hard to say, Bob. She did finish the first of the C.F. socks, but that only brings her total to 3 out of 10 complete socks. This is anyone's race and we'll just have to keep watching.

Gratify Me Now, Please

Now that I've gotten pictures up of all of those socks, I want to start finishing them. I mean, I don't mind the idea of delayed gratification, I just want it NOW. Is that so wrong?

Meanwhile, I could be working on either of my Mystery Shawls, or I could be swatching for upcoming projects, or hey! I could work on the Watergarden sweater.


Or, you know... not...

Ravelympics Roll Call

I'm trying to get something like unto a real grasp of what I've set myself up for in the coming weeks.

In descending order of nearly-finishatude:

1. Child's French Sock ~20% complete. I have not yet turned the heel of the first sock.










to knit: 1.8

2. Anniversary Sock ~25% complete. I am in the process of starting the gusset of the first sock.










to knit: 1.5

3. Mnemosyne* ~25% complete. I am turning the heel of the first sock.










to knit 1.5

4. Eyelet Sock 50% complete. I have one entire sock.










to knit 1

5. Swirlus Interuptus 75% complete. I am decreasing the gusset of the second sock.










to knit 0.5


Total Olympian effort required: 6.3 socks. More or less.

Which, unless math fails me entirely (as it is wont to do), comes to a whopping 0.37 socks a day.

I can do that.

*This is a pattern that I am designing with an eye towards publishing, so I won't be posting pictures. But I've knit half a sock, I promise.

Long Summer

Very shortly after my last post, my position was terminated and I very suddenly lost my job. Since then, I have gone into business with three of my closest friends, joined two Mystery Knit-a-longs, and cleaned the heck out of my bedroom.

Sudden unemployment does odd things to the psyche.

So. In knitting news, I have been a busy bee. I've started designing a pair of socks. I am pretty excited by this, and hope to offer my pattern on Ravelry once it's finished and completely written and beta'ed.

I've also joined the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl. It is a mandala-style pattern that I'm really enjoying knitting. It's my first pi-shawl, which is groovy. My only regret is the yarn choice. I am not really loving the variegated yarn. I think it obscures the lace entirely too much. I think once it's blocked I'll decide if I can live with it (as I know blocking will greatly change the look). If the answer is "no" then I'm gonna over-dye that sucker.



The second Mystery Shawl I'm working on is MS9 (also by Goddess Knits). I'm using Knitpicks Palette in Fawn. It is going to be a wonderfully warm , cuddly and big shawl -- perfect I think for gatherings.

I have tried, with no great success, two other projects with this yarn. This time, I'm happy.


I have also joined the groups for the Mystery Stole 4, and Secret of the Stole III. Neither have started yet, and I haven't decided whether or not to cast on with the group, or just save the patterns. I do know the perils of too many projects on the needles at once, honest I do.

Speaking of which (there is a segue here, I swear), I'm co-captaining Team Marmoset for the 2008 Ravelympics. My Olympian feat will be to finish all of the pairs of socks that I currently have on needles. This means 5 (yes FIVE) pairs of socks in various stages of incompletion. o.O This is me making the big eyes.