TOTM Socks

Thank you, everyone, for your outpouring of love and congratulations. As a family, we are so delighted to be back together again. Although Greg has been home less than two weeks, we have slipped comfortably back into normal life, almost as if he'd never left. The children are bigger, and I feel some small differences in myself -- an independence and ability to make decisions in a way I never did before -- but Greg is more relaxed than he ever was, and the transition is going smoothly. From what I've heard from many other families, this reintegration is supposed to be tough stuff, but...I truly have nothing juicy to spill. We are together, and we are happy. Good times.



Moving on.

I did finally pick up my Lush and Lacy Cardi again. I snipped one stitch at the beginning of the ruffle, then carefully picked out each stitch and put it back on my needles. I then knit down in stockinette to about elbow length, knit a little 1x1 rib border, and cast-off. As you can see, I knit them flat, so that my gauge would match the rest of the sweater, and also because there was already a seam coming from the underarm, and I thought it might look a little funny if it suddenly switched to seamless mid-sleeve.


(Color in this photo entirely off, so just imagine it in it's deep forest green)

Probably no one would have ever noticed or cared. Whatever. It's now all seemed, and I'll show it to you tomorrow (or whenever I blog next).

For now, here's some socks!



This is the Show-Off Stranded Sock pattern by Anne Campbell. The stitch pattern is actually made up of slipped stitches, not stranded, as the pattern suggests. I like the way the slipped stitches pick up color from other rows -- it makes it a nice choice for multi-colored yarn. The yarn I used is Spunky Eclectic Tough Sock (?) in Time Of The Month (TOTM) colorway: Rage, Chocolate and Tears (something of a joke, birthed in the fertile/sewer-minds of the Spunky message boards).



I substituted a eye-of-the-partridge heel-flap, which is my all-time favorite way for multi yarn.



I was happy with my first sock. The leg of it was striping along evenly, but it seems that once I hit the second sock, my tension was completely different. The flashing and pooling was almost enough to make me want to rip and knit again, but really: these will be worn under pants.



And they are terribly comfortable (that slipped-stitch pattern is very elastic and cozy feeling). So really -- what's a little flashing and pooling among friends? Or something. These are going in the "gift" pile. Someone will love them, I'm sure. Just not me. (Although I'm rather crazy about the kooky colorway!)



On a different (but still completely Spunky) note, just this week, I received a "straggler" birthday gift, from my sister Hannah. She and I have birthdays only 2 weeks apart, and traditionally never get each-other gifts on time. Hannah called me a few days after my birthday this year, wondering what I wanted. I, of course, pointed her to my Amazon wishlist, and also mentioned gift certificates at The Loopy Ewe or Spunky Eclectic. Apparently, those are all boring suggestions. Then I mentioned that perhaps she could contact either Amy (Spunky) or David (Southern Cross Fibre), and, since they "know" me, could have one of them put something together for me. She liked this idea, because it could still be a surprise, of sorts.

So, a few days ago: SURPRISE!






The funniest thing was reading Hannah's (mildly sarcastic) greeting in Amy's handwriting.



Thank you THANK YOU to both Hannah and Amy for putting together such a great birthday package for me. Batt-blending fun is in my future!!

(Oh, and Hannah, I promise I'll send your birthday gift soon. As soon as I decide what it is.)