A very busy week

of travel means I have socks! The first socks are made from KnitPicks Palette in Marine Blue. This all wool yarn was really nice to work with. The price is the thing though. $1.99 (plus a very small shipping fee for my large order) and this pair of shortie socks used just a bit more than one ball of yarn for my pudgy toes. I will get a second set from the remainder of the yarn if I work the toes up in some leftover cream or white wool. So two pair of socks for under 5 bucks. Not too shabby and feels very good on my feet to boot. This second pair isn't finished. Its one of the two skeins of Lucy Neatby 'Cats Pajamas' colourways I received for Christmas. The yellow seems a bit stronger at the top of the completed sock, and the toe is looking quite yellow on the second sock while the yarn left on the ball is getting more and more blue. I should probably start from the other end of the ball for this second sock. A good knitter would. Me? I'll think about it.

Besides these projects, I worked up the smallest bag from 'Trendsetting Totes' in some basic kitchen cotton. I was thinking this might make a good bag for carrying a small project along to work while walking. I'd like to give that a try when I am walking outside next summer. It will be just right for those times when carrying my beer bag is not socially acceptable.

This bag is going to get a bit of blue cotton lining from the fabric stockpile (volume way, way, way beyond stash), and I already see myself making more. Patons Brilliant and some wonderful blue satin lining that simply demands the fine sparkle of that yarn to reach perfection. Its a nice quick project to work up, and would make a great bag for gift giving for next year.

Not that I am thinking that far ahead.

Along with this success, I faced the music. I ripped the shawl back to the point where my counting mistake was made. The mistake was way back. About 2/3 of the way back. I decided that since 'it' hated me, I might as well start over.

I worried about having too little yarn way back when, so I alternated rows of green and the Anne colourway. Then I realized I really only wanted a small shawl to wear in my chilly office, so I took out the green and worked with just the Anne. While ripping back today, I realized that I no longer had to make it small for a chilly office (since that office is getting a new inmate), so I decided to go full bore and work the green back in. I'm playing with increases and decreases, and I hope it works out because if it does, its is going to look really really sharp. No pictures just yet, but maybe at days end tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be the D Day of knitting this shawl. I will succeed wonderfully, or I will fail utterly and will lose the war with this Anne yarn. How many times can a yarn be knit before you just have to put it away? I know in my heart of hearts I will not give up. This classy earthy colourway wants to be a shawl, even if it kills me to do it.