First there was the Jayne hat that I knit from Knitting Ninja’s pattern for friend Otel. This was a quick project. I had to borrow needles for it, which have since been returned. Although I probably have enough yarn for a second hat, I need to get the right size needles before I can knit it up. Not that I know anyone who wants a Jayne hat… I already have one, and Otel is the brownest browncoat of all my friends.

Then a Baby Surprise Jacket for friend Gwen’s second baby, a little girl. I loved the 100purewool yarn I used for this project; it is so soft and easy to work with! The pattern got tricky a few times, but with help from Ravelers I worked through it. I finished knitting only minutes before my deadline, but Gwen loved the sweater. It should fit on her daughter right about now; I’d love to get an ‘action shot’ from her to post.

Something for myself, a pair of Garter Rib socks! The pattern is from Charlene Schurch’s “Sensational Knitted Socks”. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get the basics of sock knitting. These socks were knit up in Blue Moon Fiber Arts’ Socks that Rock lightweight, and I was short by about ten yards. Fortunately a kind Raveler had some extra in the same colorway that she was able to send me.

Something for the house, a quick and easy Swiffer mop cover from Noelle’s pattern. This project took about six hours, which is about my tolerance for knitting with cotton. I plan to make several more of these, with an additional pattern repeat so that when the cover curls, it goes over the edges of the mop instead of under. Pirate-Husband mopped the floors this past weekend and was disappointed to find that the cover I’d made had been used but not yet washed; he used one of the disposables instead and afterwards said that mine worked a lot better!

I’d promised Pirate-Husband a pair of socks last November, and in July of this year I finally delivered. He has very wide feet and I was concerned that I’d run out of yarn, after my experience with the Socks that Rock, so I didn’t make the socks very tall. I had a few yards left over at the end, so I guess it worked out just right! He wears them often, especially now that it’s cold out, and I know he’d love to have another pair.

After I finished Pirate-Husband’s socks, I cast on for the second baby knit of the year. This one was for friend Asa’s second child, but as she hadn’t chosen to find out the sex of the baby, I had to knit a gender-neutral blanket. Feather and Fan seemed fitting, as did these muted colors. Once again, I finished knitting the night before I needed to give the gift. Once of these days I’ll break that habit.

I sure didn’t break the habit with the Bloo Socks, knit in Trekking XXL for friend Michael. I finished these in the afternoon and gave them to him that very evening. I also didn’t learn the lesson of splitting the yarn in half before beginning; I used more than half of the 100g ball on the first sock and had to frantically call yarn stores all over the country to find another ball in the same dye lot. I’ll be writing this pattern up in the near future, as soon as I work out the heel and toe numbers in other sizes. There is a shortage of fine-gauge sock patterns out there. These were knit up at 45 stitches to 4″ on US size 0 DPNs.

Mom’s gloves will probably be the last completed project of the year. Her birthday present is knit up of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silkie Socks that Rock in Ravenscroft. She’d requested a colorway that would go well with both her black wool dress coat, and her green winter jacket, so what better than a black yarn with subtle greens that glow in the sunlight? I am using Marnie MacLean’s Hooray for Me pattern, just making full fingers instead of partial. I’m sure she’ll love them; I just hope they fit!

Eight projects in 2008, not a bad tally! In other accomplishments, I read 23 books in the past year, and I learned to spin on a wheel. Pirate-Husband commented that I should knit more for myself, and I want to commit more time to spinning as well. Those will be my goals in 2009!

I couldn’t be more pleased! “I’m so glad you like them,” I said to him.

“How could I not?” he kvelled. “They’re awesome!”

“Maybe what I should say,” I said, “is that I’m glad they fit you so well. I was a little worried about that. If they didn’t fit you, you wouldn’t like them so much. There are some tweaks I’d make if I knit you another pair–”

He interrupted, “If? IF you knit me another pair?”

“Yeah, IF,” I laughed, “after the Bloo Socks, the colorwork bag, the sweater for myself, the sweater for you, all the other socks I have queued up, the other swiffer cover, the hats, the baby blanket… IF I feel like knitting anything after that, I MIGHT make you another pair of socks.” (Of course I’ll make him another pair eventually, but now that I know his measurements it can be a surprise!)

Then we started talking about the yarn he owns, with which he’d planned to knit himself a hat. I asked if he was going to bring it on vacation but he said no, he’s waiting until one of those winter days when we’re snowed in, and then we can sit together on the couch, light a fire for warmth, and I can show him how. He says he doesn’t see himself ever being a crazy addicted all-the-time knitter like I am, but he does want to knit his own hat just to prove that he can. I think that’s fantastic.

They fit him fairly well, though I think next time I’ll measure and make the heel flap higher to avoid some of that rippling over his ankle. I didn’t consider that his feet are not just proportionately bigger than mine; they’re actually shaped differently as well! They’ll go down in the book as experimental socks. Now that I know his size, I can start playing around with different stitch patterns. (I do have lots of other socks in my queue, so it may be a while before he gets a second pair… but you never know!)

I’m going to keep these (size 1) needles free until the sock class I’m taking with Cookie A. in September. They’re holding up pretty well; one of them is starting to curve but it’s not significant enough to warrant replacement just yet. So that leaves me with the Pomatomus and the Ostrich Plumes scarf in progress, a commission for another Swiffer mop cover, and a simple pair of socks in Trekking XXL on size 0 needles coming up as my vacation knitting for which I’ve yet to swatch. I have to remember to print out some notes and instructions before I go, or I’ll forget which side of the gusset gets which kind of decrease again. You’d think I’d remember that by now!

Pirate-Husband’s socks are coming along as well. I’m a couple of inches past the gusset decreases and can knit in the car again since I don’t have to look so closely. I’d like to have them done before I go on vacation next weekend.

And, someone on an IRC channel I frequent has commissioned me to make a Swiffer cover for her! That seems like it will be good vacation knitting along with the next sock.

I love casting on for new projects, and I love finishing projects, but between 75% and 95% of a project always seems so slow. That’s why I’m only working on this sock right now, never mind the other two projects on the needles, the tempting roving, or the as-yet-undetermined baby gift that needs to be done by early October. I just want it done with – not only because it’s a relatively quick project, but because I can’t wait to see the socks on Pirate-Husband’s feet!

And because I want something else to write about.

Inevitably I end up picking up one more stitch on the second side of the heel flap. I figure it’s no big deal; the last decrease round will only decrease on that one side. I wonder why it happens, though. I pick up stitches through every slipped heel flap stitch, and always there’s one extra. Maybe that’s a natural extension of knitting in the round, the second side has to be one row taller than the first.

While I really want to get this sock done (so I can start on the next one) I’ve also been wanting to spin lately. I spun up half the BFL roving that I bought at MD Sheep and Wool this year, and I should probably do the other half in a similar weight. …and then both skeins will go on the Etsy store, I think. That is my eventual goal – to spin sock yarn for myself, and other yarn to sell. I don’t expect to get rich, but if I can make the hobby pay for itself, that’ll be enough for me.

I went through all the new sock patterns I’ve queued up and assigned most of my sock yarns to the future projects. There are a few I left unassigned, so I can do whatever I like with them, muahaha! Okay, it’s the short-yardage multi-colored yarns that I love but have no plans for yet, other than being sure to weigh and split the skein before starting, and working toe-up.

I spent quite some time yesterday searching for the perfect sock pattern for the next pair, which are going to be a gift to my best friend. Originally I’d wanted to surprise him, since our feet are the same size, but then I felt the need to ask how long a cuff he’d want. Once the surprise was ruined, I started asking him all sorts of questions from the exact height of his heel to what sort of sock he might like to wear. I think we’ve settled on Mr. Pitt’s Socks from Kaitlyn Wong at Sassy Stitchess. They’re simple, easy, and subtle – just the thing! I’ll be using Trekking XXL in colorway 71, which is shades of blue.

While I was going through sock patterns, I added eight (!) more to my Ravelry queue. I don’t have the yarn to knit all of them yet, but I will eventually! There are so many things I want to make and not nearly enough time to make them all.

I also added this reusable Swiffer cover from Noelle at Strange Yarns ;; Skull Charms. After years of wanting one, I finally got a Swiffer WetJet last weekend, but the disposable pads annoyed me. Why use disposable if it’s not necessary? I’m going to break my yarn diet just for the cotton yarn that I’ll need for this pattern. It’s cheap and also I plan to use it right away, so it won’t be taking up space in the stash-basket. (Not to mention, I mopped the floors with one of the disposable pads that came with the Swiffer, and they look so good that I’m tempted to mop again sooner rather than later.)

The unfortunate thing is that there are no conveniently-located Michael’s or Joann’s stores near me where I could get the Sugar & Cream yarn. I’m debating ordering it online; even if I pay for shipping on it, it might come out to less frustration than trying to drive into town. There’s a Michael’s “coming soon” to a shopping center relatively near me, but even that’s still ten or twelve miles away, and it’ll probably be another year before the store is open.

I’m planning the next sock, to be made with blue Trekking XXL (colorway 71). It’s a gift for someone else, and I’m not sure if I’m going to make it with any stitch pattern or just do ribbing on the cuff and stockinette the rest of the way down. I guess it’s really up to him, since it’s not a surprise sock.

And then there’s Cookie’s sock class that I’m taking in September! I have an idea for a stitch pattern but I need to swatch it out before the class. Since the stitch pattern I have written down is for flat knitting, I’ll have to convert it for in-the-round and then see how it looks, as well as taking gauge measurements. I’m thinking of using either the Tess Super Socks & Baby in amber (450 yards) or the Ellen’s Half Pint Farm in very green (500 yards) for this design. Either way, I plan to weigh the yarn out in advance and wind it into two even balls. I recently got a kitchen scale and I’m thrilled to think that never again will I have to wait until the toe of my second sock to discover that I’ve not got enough yarn.

First, an older woman who said, “That’s lovely wool. Is it wool, or something else? It looks very soft.” I explained that it was 75% wool and 25% nylon, and offered her the ball of yarn, but she declined to pet it. Shortly thereafter she and her husband went in search of someone who could tell them why the flight was so late.

Then, a couple of girls, I’d guess in their late teens or early 20s, who had never seen anyone knitting in real life before. They were amazed that I could make socks from string. So much so, in fact, that when a friend joined them, they pointed him at what I was doing and told him how cool it was.

A lonely thirteen-year-old waiting by herself for an hours-late plane said wistfully, “I wish I had something like that to do while I wait.”

I had no trouble with security or with dropped stitches either – which makes it a good flight, even if it was so late.

Tonight I’ll take a picture of the first sock and cast on for the second. If I make another pair for him, I will remember to make the heel flap longer to reduce the wrinkling across the top of his ankle. I understand why that happened now, so I can fix it for next time.

I have so many plans and projects lined up; I just have to keep reminding myself to take ‘em one stitch at a time. Eventually they’ll all get done somehow!

Fortunately, with the air conditioning in my house now working, and the breeze that comes off the mountain, it hasn’t been too terrible. I’ve been keeping up with exercising, even if it does take time away from knitting and spinning.

So there are about five inches left to go on this sock, which means that if I really put my mind to it, it can be done in the next week or so. Yes, I could drop out of life and finish in two days, but that’s not really an option!

Plus, the Pomatomus sock has been glaring at me lately. I’m hiding from it.

Now it’s just knit, knit, knit again down to the toe. I’m rotating the work by five stitches every few rows to prevent laddering. I put a safety pin in the work before doing any rotating, so I know where I started. Since there are twenty stitches on each needle, it will be easy to tell if I’ve got the sock properly aligned before I start the toe.

Hope it fits him… *fingers crossed*

There was a semi-local SnB today that I wanted to go to, but thought it would be better for me to stay here and work on the house. We have guests next weekend, a wedding to attend the weekend after, and Pirate-Husband’s mother and younger brother are coming to visit the weekend after that! Still, I really would have liked to have gotten the chance to meet some of the people who were planning to be there today. Ah well, I know it’ll happen eventually.

Cookie A. will be teaching a sock design workshop in September at Nature’s Yarns in Fairfax, and I got the last spot on the sign-up sheet! I’m so excited. It’s a 6-8 hour class, and includes lunch. I’d already been pondering some ideas for designs, but I’m sure this class will give me the kickstart I need to put my ideas together into an actual sock!

I want to knit now.

Knitting was put on hold for a week while out-of-town friends came to visit. We spent two days visiting local wineries and three working on the rebuilding of our koi pond. It’s going to look so good when it’s done! Overall it was a wonderful time, even if it was mostly yarn-free. (One of the wineries was selling alpaca yarns. I didn’t buy any.) I got to show off the new drum carder and spun up half a bobbin of some pepto-pink practice wool to demonstrate the wheel. One friend even commented that the BFL I spun up looks “store-bought”!

I did get a little more done on the first of Pirate-Husband’s socks and I’m almost up to the heel flap (he keeps saying I should make the leg a little longer) and I’m already thinking about what the next socks will be! Too many projects, not enough time.

Besides, I have all these non-yarn hobbies. I got a mountain bike and I need to start riding, I miss playing guitar, and I haven’t drawn anything in a long time. There’s a computer to rebuild and I’d like to start work on a story that’s been brewing in my head for a while. The house is a constant project. Lest anyone think I’m complaining, I’m not! I love my life. It’s everything I’ve been wanting forever. Good job, good house, good husband, good friends, good hobbies. I just wish I could do everything at once!

I shouldn’t be working on these at home; they should be my traveling sock. I should be working on the Pomatomuseses or the Ostrich Plumes scarf. But I’m tired, and they’re easy, and I want to give Pirate-Husband his socks sooner rather than later. My feet can wait for Pomatomii and that scarf may be done before I’m 40, but at this rate I’m not sure!

Someone else offered to wind off some Pirate’s Booty for me. Knitters are the nicest people! I let her know that I’d already spoken to someone and expected the yarn next week, and thanked her profusely. I can’t wait for those socks to be done. It’s like they’re taunting me with their unfinishedness – just a few rounds to go, and they sit on my desk glaring at me for abandoning them. It’s not their fault. They don’t know that I’m waiting for their toe-yarn to arrive.

Also, I am getting started on Pirate-Husband’s Plain Socks. I’m using Regia 4-ply in a marled brown/brown/black colorway, and just doing plain top-down socks with a flap heel and gusset. I measured his feet yesterday and took a gauge swatch off some other Regia socks I made. 9 stitches to the inch, times 10 inches around his feet, minus 10% for ease, gives me 80 stitches (okay, 81, but 80 is a nice round number). These should go pretty fast! I’ll take pictures when there’s something to show.

Janis, I love you, but have you seen my stash lately? I so don’t need any more self-striping sock yarn! I do love the plain stockinette sock, and I’ll be making a pair for Pirate-Husband out of some brown non-striping yarn, but then I have six balls of stripy stuff, three balls of Trekking which may or may not be considered stripy, and three skeins of variegated stuff. That’ll keep me busy for a while, don’t you think?

Last night I sat down and put a couple of rows onto Pomatomus. I’m almost done with the second pattern repeat on the leg. One more to go, then the heel, then three and a half pattern repeats for the foot. Once again, I regret having such long feet!

I’d like to think that I’ll spend my lunch break putting the heel flap onto the Garter Rib Sock, but I know it’s just not going to happen that way. Ah well, there’s always post-work time.

I do plan to finish the four projects I have on the needles first, of course.

Then I’d also like to do some work on the progress bars that appear in the right column. There’s lots of help available and some wonderful examples of what can be done. I just haven’t had the time to work on them yet.

Tonight I’m going to SnB for the first time in a while. I’m meeting another knitter who also recently moved to Haymarket, and I’m quite excited to be seeing everyone again! It’ll also be nice to get some work done on the Garter Rib Sock. I’ve not touched it since I started the Baby Surprise Jacket, which has taken priority for knitting at home. The Sock-in-Progress, whatever it is, is always my traveling project.

There’s been so much going on lately that it’s keeping me from making significant progress on any of the knitting or spinning projects. I did get a lazy kate but I haven’t even taken it out of the box yet. Now that the bedroom is finished (with paint, if not with furniture) I think I’m going to haul the spinning wheel up there. It will make the room seem less empty, and I’m much more likely to spin if it’s upstairs, rather than hiding in the basement!

Pirate-Husband gets the *next* pair of socks I make, out of two 50g balls of brown Regia. I measured his feet (geez, 10.5 inches around? that’s a lot of sock!) and I think I’m going to go for the toe-up, short-row-heel thing. I know there’s a way to do a flap heel on a toe-up sock, but it would probably be easier and quicker for me to just do a short row heel. Unless someone wants to give me a pattern for a toe-up flap-heel on an 84-stitch sock…

The yarn from the failed sock is wound into a hank, ready for a wash and de-kinking. I’m still kicking myself for not taking a gauge measurement before ripping it out, so I’m going to be smart and do a swatch before I try to make socks out of this stuff again!