It’s been a few days of plugging away at existing wips. First I knit up the bands and neck of the Squares Jacket:

Then I started a sleeve:

And when I had a moment where I could dedicate my entire attention to it, Pomatomus:

I’ve finished the first repeat of the pattern. Now that I’ve done it once, I reckon I can probably do it mostly by memory now. The yarn is a little thinner than most sock yarn I’ve used, and I’m using larger needles than I’m used to, so it’s a very open knit fabric. The varigated colours are behaving themselves so far – no flashing or pooling.

It fits around my calf okay, but I suspect is a bit big for my ankles, so I’m thinking I might go down a needle size after a few pattern repeats, then up again for the heel/gusset, then back down for the foot and toe.

The beau’s socks are going slowly. All my sock attention has been on Pomatomus. I was pleased to find his Miracle Socks went through the wash okay. Tomorrow is washing day, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for them in the wash basket. That would mean he wore them again!

And speaking of items knitted for others, Dad’s birthday is coming up in just over a week, so I can finally give him his Liquorish Allsorts jumper. I do hope it fits!

I’ve had my Secret Pal recipient’s package sitting here, waiting for me to get well enough to leave the house, for a week or two. After I wrote this morning’s post I decided that time had come. So I headed off to the post office and what did I find waiting for me…?

My Secret Pal’s second parcel had arrived!

(Didn’t this happen last time? Do my Secret Pal and I have some kind of psychic link?)

Inside were three intriguing objects:

1) a knitted block of chocolate. I laughed out loud at this one.
2) a ball of Filatura di Crossa ‘127 Print’. For some reason when I look at this I want to knit a dictionary cosy. You see, in my line of work I have the dictionary and thesaurus close by most of the time. The paper covers died long ago and I’ve been thinking the boring blue cloth covers could be wrapped in something more attractive. Like beautiful knitting yarn. But this yarn would also be nice for one of those lovely head wrap/earwarmer/hair band thingys that have turned up in magazines this year. Decisions decisions.
3) a cd! I haven’t listened to it yet. When I knock off for the day later on I’ll get myself some knitting and settle in to see what surprises my Secret Pal has in store for me.

Thankyou Secret Pal! I’m still giggling at the knitted chocolate bar!

Because the yarn is called ‘Neopolitan’ and the fish scale pattern suggests scoops of ice cream to me.

Because I’ve just knit two plain pairs of stocking stitch socks and want something a bit more challenging

Because the next bit on the Squares Jacket involves sewing, and I hate sewing.

Because two of my craft night friends are knitting it, and after being too sick to go out for weeks I’m craving some sort of social interaction – even just knitting what others are knitting. (Pathetic, isn’t it?)

Because I’m nuts.

It’s varigated yarn and a textured pattern – I usually avoid this combo like the plague. It’s a top-down sock pattern – I haven’t knit one since my first pair of socks. It uses a lace chart – I’ve never used a lace chart before. Knitty rates it as ‘piquant’ and the pattern begins with: ‘Step up the difficulty level of your socks…’ – have I forgotten how much the Jaywalker pattern drove me insane?

But I have a delusion that if I stick exactly to the pattern it’ll work. Which accounts for knitting them top-down. And using 2.75mm dpns. I can’t believe how thick these needles feel after using 2mm dpns.

I’ve already encountered chart-reading frustration. First I missed the line saying “Work Rounds 2-22 of Chart A.”. It took me hours to work out that one. Then I spend a while working out that I’d started Chart B instead. Fortunately that didn’t result in any frogging.

In the last few weeks the only work I’ve managed to do on the Squares Jacket was to join the shoulder seams with a three-needle bind off, and sew in some of the ends.

My head’s still a little too done in to attempt picking up stitches for the sleeves, so I thought I might try the button band. Turns out it’s not one of those pick up stitches and knit sideways ones, but a cast on 8 stitches and knit a long strip to be sewn on later kind. That sounds do-able.

It also got me thinking about buttons. I think a little button shopping is in order.

Now, here’s something you don’t see every day (I hope). The beau cut a cross section off the beams that used to hold the roof of our garage up. I think we’re gonna frame it.

Termites don’t make good house guests.

My latest amazon order arrived this morning. Goodies included episodes of Classic Albums, which are perfect little docos to knit to, and a cd: “Elusive” by Adrina Thorpe. The cd is by an artist that I first encountered on Brenda Dayne’s podcast, Cast-On. In fact, the first song Brenda played on her first podcast is what sold the album to me. I have pretty eclectic tastes when it comes to music, and this one fits into the singer-songwriter piano ballady corner.

I started the next pair of socks yesterday. It seems the gratification of knitting beautiful hand-dyed expensive sock yarn fades in comparison to the gratification of getting the beau hooked on hand knit socks. I’m knitting them out of Heirloom Argyle, in a rather delicious black with a finer red thread running through. They feel fantastic – soft and sturdy.

It might seem the perfect scenario would be knitting the beau socks out of hand-dyed expensive sock yarn, but I’m not too disappointed at him turning his nose up at them. His socks will be cheaper to make. And I can keep all the pretty stuff for myself. Mine! All mine!

(It occured to me that this yarn isn’t dissimilar to the Mega Boots Stretch in appearance. I wondered if there was a black and white version. If there was, I could dye it in slow changing colours. The white would pick up the colour and I’d have something like the MBS. But a quick google revealed that there isn’t a black and white version, or any colour combo that would suit. Oh well. It was an interesting idea while it lasted.)

Yesterday my temp had come down and the associated fever-headache and need to sleep was gone, so I rugged up on the couch with podcasts and Pirates of the Caribbean, and got lots of knitting done.

I finished the Mega Boots Socks:

I love these socks. They go on like a dream. They fit wonderfully. And they’re beautiful. Want to see more pics? I do:

I dragged myself from the couch long enough to do an internet search. I found an Ebay seller in the UK selling some relatively cheaply. But I didn’t place an order. I’m always cautious about buying anything when I’m sick or enchanted by something. I’ll wait and see if I’m still keen in a few day’s time. If it sells in the meantime then it just wasn’t meant to be.

(There’s a voice going ‘blah blah blah. You’ve waited a day. Go on. Buy it. Buuuuy iiiiit’.)

After the socks were done, I considered the baby shower gift dilemma. During the week I rustled up some patterns to consider. I also remembered that the shower wasn’t this weekend, but next weekend, so I have more time. I found the baby bathing mitt pattern in last year’s Knitting Pattern-A-Day calendar. I also found a few hats, socks and even a jacket pattern I might have been able to persuade myself to try. But that voice kept muttering ‘you promised!’ in the back of my head. And it reminded me that the recipient was pretty fussy. If I knit clothes I was sure to make something she’d hate. Mind you, if I knit a blanket I was facing the same probable fate, too.

Baby washing mitts. That was the solution. They weren’t meant to be pretty, just practical. The recipient only had to try them once, and could discard them without guilt if they didn’t like them. It seemed a waste to knit them up out of the Katia Jamaica, so I dragged out my stash box of cotton yarns.

The pattern uses worsted weight, which was clearly thicker than the 8ply I used. The resulting mitt is a bit small and meshy, but usable. I might try knitting a much larger ‘man-sized’ one for the hubby. If the couple like the mitts, I’ll start knitting them up in the Jamaica. They’ll be the brightest, cutest wash mitts around.

After that I decided to try out two new things: knitted dishcloths and continental knitting. I’d read and heard (in podcasts) enough people waxing lyrical about how great knitted dishcloths were that I’d made my mind up to try them. Last night I tried a simple pattern in this year’s Knitting Pattern-A-Day calendar.

My hands and arms had began to hurt from all the knitting, so halfway through I switched to continental style. I’d tried continental a few times out of curiosity, but only for a few stitches. This was the first time I’d done a substantial amount of it. The dishcloth is knit on the diagnal. The bottom half is ‘english’ style knitting, the top half continental. At first I was a little tight, but as I sped up I became very loose. It’s very obvious.

I haven’t decided whether to frog and reknit. The pedant in me wants to, but the lazy slob in me says ‘heck, it’s just a dishcloth. Who cares?’.

You know, when I said, last week, that I’d rather have the flu than cystitis I didn’t need to then get the flu so I could check the validity of my statement. I can remember well enough what the flu is like.

Still, though I feel so utterly, utterly revolting I stand by what I said. I’m able to knit, though I only get a few rows in before I fall unconscious again. With the cystitis I couldn’t knit at all.

(though it might just be the flu)

The first Mega Boots Stretch Sock.

It turned out that while the point I cut the yarn to finish the socks might have returned to light blue it progressed to green. That wasn’t going to match the first sock. Then it turned out that the section I’d cut out of the first sock was exactly the right progression of colours so I’ve started the new sock using that. It’ll probably take me to the instep increases. From there we’ll have to see if I can continue matching the socks.

I love these socks. I want more Mega Boots Stretch!

Yesterday I took this photo:

Never underestimate a cat’s ability to find the only cat-sized square of winter sunlight coming into the house.

The Miracle Socks are done. Here they are on the beau’s feet. He’s very pleased with them. (Though he told me, with a straight face, that they needed to be one row longer, and for a second he had me.)

I discovered that while the Mega Boot Stretch yarn changes colour gradually, it doesn’t change gradually enough that you can knit a heel then return to knitting in the round and not notice a colour change. So I’m going to cut the yarn, wind it out until I get to the same place in the next colour repeat, then continue on.

Today I found myself in Lindcraft and had a slightly unplanned yarn purchase:

Not long after I took up knitting again I made a vow that I would never knit toys or children’s clothes. I’m afraid I may be about to break that vow. A friend of mine is having a baby shower this weekend. Somehow this ended up in my possession. The colours are so her.

I may be able to circumvent the no baby clothes vow by not knitting baby clothes as such. I don’t have time or enough cotton to make a blanket, but I seem to remember there was a cute glove for washing babies with in last year’s 365 days knitting calendar. Or I could make a bag.

Last night I poured a glass of wine and recorded a podcast. I don’t know how I managed to make it last a whole 20 mins. On the other hand, I don’t know how it managed to take 2 hours to record 20 mins either. It’ll probably need a bit of editing. Or a lot. I haven’t had the courage to listen to it in the cold hard, wine-free light of day yet. There’s no music yet, either. Clearly this involves as much work and time as I feared it would!

I forgot to mention that I made a short attempt to podcast last Friday. I didn’t get much beyond the intro, because I kept rejecting and rerecording. Firstly because it kept coming out all hesitant and messy (but then, my brain was still mush from being sick), then I kept getting the hum of my computer in the background, and then the cat decided to contribute by demanding dinner. Then the beau came home and I was too embarrassed to continue.

Next attempt I’ll make sure the cat is asleep and I’ve had a glass of wine.

As for knitting itself, I’d like to take a photo of the Squares Jacket but it’s very dark this morning. The house is surrounded by fog. I haven’t touched the jacket in days, as my brain has been too mushy to do much more than straight, uncomplicated stocking stitch.

So I’ve worked on my socks. The Miracle Socks are nearly done. Just a bit more ribbing on the second sock and the beau can have them. In the meantime, another pair of socks somehow ended up on the needles, too. I couldn’t resist the Mega Boots Stretch any longer. I’m using bamboo needles, so when the metal needles I’m using for the beau’s socks get a bit hard on the hands I swap to the Mega Boots socks.

The yarn is so georgous – soft and the gradual change of colour is quite beautiful. The bamboo needles are 2.5mm wheras I usually knit with 2mms, and the yarn is a little thicker than usual. This means less stitches around the foot which means faster knitting. I love it!

Thankyou again, Secret Pal!