Alles Fertig!

C'est Fini! Stick a fork in them - these socks are done!

Pattern: Tumbling Shells
Source: me
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino, Tropical Storm
Needles: US 1, bamboo dpns

Pattern notes and lessons learned: I designed and knit these socks for my Knitty Sock Swap pal, Stephie26. They were toe-up (short row), with a Widdershins-style heel. Leg pattern based on "Shell Lace" in Barbara Walker's "A Treasury of Knitting Patterns", Schoolhouse Press 1998, p. 209. Modifications: all knit stitches are ktbl, except into yo from row below, which is knit into the front of the loop. To knit in round instead of flat, every odd row is knit, not purled.

This pattern ended up not having a lot of lateral stretch. Pretty, but I will have to wait for Stephanie's report as to how well they stay up (and if they fit!) Our feet being different diameters, there was not much point trying them on as I went, except to confirm that our feet really are different sizes.

Kicking and Screaming

That's how I feel about being "forced" to switch to the new Blogger tonight. Yes, OK, it said I could bypass the upgrade and log into old Blogger "one more time", but I'm just not in the mood tonight.

First real blizzard of the year here. Hubby is in Vermont on travel week 3 out of 3. Daycare closed at noon today. Forgot to ask my employer if there is a number I could call tomorrow morning to find out if they are open BEFORE I drive an hour to get there. Cold, tired, stressed about being in the house alone when the wind is howling. What if the roof blows off? Then what do I do?

Hands are too cold to knit tonight, even though I've got the furnace cranked. I've turned the corner on the second sock for my SockPal (the heel, I think, is the correct terminology) last night, and heading for home with the leg pattern! Woot! I hope she likes them.

What to cast on next? I can't decide. I've got the pattern and yarn for Knitpicks Northern Lights mittens, which I love. Also enough Kureyon to knit a vest that's bouncing around in my head. But then, I think, it's mid February. Spring should be here any day now. (Yes, as the blizzard howls around me, I know that is slightly delusional thinking.) If I cast on those mittens at 10 spi, will I finish them before the daffodils come up? On the other hand, they would be ready and waiting next winter in my cedar chest. There's 4 skeins of lace-weight in my stash too. I think I'm all socked out for now though. So far all of my 2007 FOs and WIPs are socks. (OK, all two of them)

But spring is calling in the magazines and yarn catalogs. Bamboo! Linen! Cotton! I want new, fresh yarn. Breezy tops and short sleeves. Why oh why can't I finish a project in the season it's meant to be worn?