Ah, broken is the golden bowl

I got my October sock club shipment, and it's the best yet. It's black lightweight STR with bits of dark blood purple. And the pattern that goes with it (Lenore) is perfect: a simple sock with columns of eyelets. The minute I opened the package, I knew that these would be the perfect socks for my sister in law. She's not quite goth, but just a little dark :)

Since these are for a gift, I'm not going to use one of Cat Bordhi's new sock patterns; I'm just going to use my standard toe up, short row heel. That way I'll know that they'll fit.

I think that I'll have to buy more of this yarn the next time I treat myself. I've enjoyed the sock club, because I love all special things, but this color has made it worthwhile.

It's been a long time...

The holidays are finally over, and I'm just starting to get back into the swing of life again.

I started the I Do shrug from knitty for a wedding this Friday, but after finishing half of it and trying it on, I realized that a handpainted yarn that makes stripes around my upper arm is just not all that flattering. I ripped it out and am trying to think of what to make of it. The yarn is two skeins of seasilk in the woodland colorway, but every lace pattern I try with it looks like garbage because of the color changes. I'm so wishing that I had bought two more skeins of the moss color instead...then I could make a nice big shawl.

I'm retooling my Children of Hurin shawl to get some more shaping into it. Faroesing it in a way.

I spun up a bunch of merino tencel roving into sockweight yarn, and I now have to find a pattern for it. It's beautiful, shimmery and soft. It may have to be another pair of Coriolis socks, to show off the colors.

I finished the silk baby doll from KLS, and I may just rip out the knitted surplice bodice. If I'm honest with myself, my figure and that top just don't go together. The yarn is so beautiful, I have to make something wearable out of it. So, when I get up the courage, I'll probably rip it out...probably.

I bought the gift issue of Interweave Knits, and I started the Koolhaus hat. The many little cables are giving me fits, but it looks really neat. Jared designs such beautiful things.

Knitting, and knitting, and knitting...

Really, I am! I just don't have time to take pics, post them, or write anything about them!

I finished my toe-up, Coriolis STR August club socks on Friday morning. I love them. Unfortunately, I wore them before taking a picture, so you can't see them until I wash them!

I also started in on the "wiggle room" socks from New Pathways for Sock Knitters (NPSK), and I have one done. The other is just a toe, but it should be done this weekend, at which point it will go to my sister as her first pair of baby booties for my niece/nephew in utero. The socks are really fun to make, and I'm using the leftover yarn from the STR August skein, so they're very groovy and wiggly.

I stalled out on what to make next from KLS, and the High Holydays kept me from whipping up a late summer/early fall shawl. I think I'll just dive back into my Children of Hurin shawl as soon as the weather cools off. Maybe this will allow me to finish all my little WIPs running around.

I did have to buy a skein of Yarn Nerd's sock yarn from The Loopy Ewe, even though I still haven't finished my "Solstice Slip" socks from the STR June shipment. The color is a lovely blend of greens and browns. I'm not even sure what I'm making out of it, but it was so beautiful, I couldn't resist.

I also heard that the 2008 sock club signups will be starting soon. I think I'll have to join again. Depending on what my job future holds, I might not be able to be buying yarn next year like I'm doing now, so getting yarny presents in the mail will be just the thing.

I'm off to finish up some sockies...wish me luck!

High Holydays aka High Horror Days

So, why didn't I take pictures of all the great stuff I've been finishing up? Why didn't I post for 10 days?

The High Holydays.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the biggest days at the synagogue, and tons of planning go into making them work. I'm the entire office staff of my synagogue, so things have been crazy since July. Add the Capital and Endowment Campaign, and it makes for one insane time period.

Rosh Hashanah begins tomorrow night, so I'll get a break until Monday. Then I have that week to get everything set up for Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur.

In my experience, people who don't work at the shul don't know how tough these days can get. For those of us that work there, it's one crisis after another until you wish you could kill yourself, but then you realize you'd be reanimated to finish your work, so it's not worth it.

Thankfully, my husband bought me a birthday present that got delivered yesterday: Moby Dick. I think I'll try to read a bit of it tonight to calm my nerves before the craziness of tomorrow.

And in knitting news...I finished the baby kimono and almost finished my STR August socks. I just have about 4 inches to go. I didn't decide which shawl to make, but the holidays made the question academic!

Finished, and begun again

I finished the autumny socks, but didn't take a picture before wearing them to work. I'm relatively happy about how they turned out; I used two different lace patterns...they don't quite fit together, but they don't look awful. It was also a good learning experience. If I make socks at that small of a gauge again, I think I'll just make them anklets!

I'm almost done with the Impossibly Cute Baby Kimono, and I hope to get it done this weekend. I feel too guilty to start a shawl until I have that finished.

I also went back to my Silk Slip from KLS and played with the seam allowances. I think I may have solved my problem...pics to follow if I'm right.

I didn't finish the babydoll yet, but I'm not sure why. Ennui, maybe.

I also found out that my younger sister is pregnant.

Plus, it's my birthday on Tuesday.

Life is insane right now!

In lieu of something new

I give you my last two shawls:



and



The first one is the Lace Garland from Shawls and Scarves. It took me a year to knit, mainly because I stopped knitting on it for 8 months! I love it, and I loved blocking it--so magical. It lives with my mother in law. Here's a closeup of the lace:



The second is the Ethereal Fichu from Heartstrings Fiber Arts. I used one skein of Schaefer Anne in an unlabeled colorway. It was an extremely quick knit. It lives with my sister in law--if her cat hasn't destroyed it yet. Here's a (slightly blurry) closeup:



I have too many shawls to decide from as my next project. The only thing I won't be able to do is use any of the Kid Silk Haze that I bought, since I'm so allergic to it. I'm trying to decide between the bee shawl or stole, the garter and lace from Shawls and Scarves slightly modified, a silk scarf from Victorian Lace Today, or just going it alone and making up a triangular pattern. I want something I can finish in a month or two, so that I have time to work on my Children of Hurin Shawl, but I need something light enough to work on when it's still warm outside (which is the reason I'm NOT working on the CoH shawl right now.) Argh...decisions.

I got my STR August shipment on Friday, and I don't know how I feel about it. The colors remind me of Mr. Freeze freezie pops, and the pattern for the cuff is vine lace (which I had a bellyfull of with the Lace Slip from KLS). I'm thinking of modifying the pattern to fit one of the new Cat Bordhi ones, but I'm not sure.

I'm also working on the Impossibly Cute Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I'm using Cotton Flamme from Crystal Palace yarns. It's a really nice slubby cotton, and I'm enjoying working with it. I hope this little kimono works out.

Sockies!

So, I've been working on my autumny socks, but they're just bus knitting. It takes a long time to make a pair of socks that are 10st/inch when you only knit on them 10 minutes a day. Sheesh.

However, I'm happily making socks from Cat Bordhi's book. To wit:



The blue socks are the Coriolis socks:



And the pink ones are the little sky socks:



I am LOVING this book!