It's about time I knit something for myself.

Looking over my Ravelry projects page tonight, I saw that it's been more than 6 months since I've really knit anything for myself. I know that I recently made myself that Walnut Snood (6 days) and the Elis Cowl (2 days), but the last project that I made for myself that took a significant amount of time was my Zori Cardigan, which I finished in the middle of last September. Since then, I've knit 6 pairs of socks, 3 hats, and 15 stuffed owls, all for other people. Mind you, I'm not complaining (too much), because I love all the people I've knit for. It's the knitting on a deadline that has finally worn me out, especially since I did it to myself, and I'm the dummy who imposed those deadlines on myself.

Anyway, I finished the Tea Time socks yesterday! I promptly took photos during the beautiful sunny interlude we had between all the grey skies we've had here in Louisville lately. I'm really pleased with how these socks came out, and I'm especially pleased with how quickly they knit up. Sixteen days! I'm sure it's because the pattern was easy to memorize and there wasn't any lace or any right/left chart business to deal with on these guys. The yarn is lovely, and I can't say enough about gorgeous the color is. As I was finishing these up, I was wishing I could keep them for myself. Ah, well! Maybe the next pair, which probably won't be too soon, as I'm feeling like I'd like a project on big needles for a little while.

Which brings me to Amaya, a sweater from Rowan's Bamboo Tape Collection that came out in 2007. I'm using the yarn I reclaimed from a cardigan I made years ago that no longer fits. I'm pretty excited about it because it's going to be miles and miles of stockinette stitch on size 8 needles. These needles are roughly two and a half times bigger around than the size 0 needles I used on the Tea Time socks. They feel huge in my hands! The stitches practically knit themselves! I'm even looking forward to having seams to sew. It might sound crazy, but I'm kind of excited about having to look up how to do mattress stitch. I might not be singing this same song after I've done it, but for now: yay!

That's all I have for tonight, Friends. Until next time.

We talked about heroin and condoms!

And catnip cigarettes. Jenny the Bloggess and I did. See, tonight I went out to the Barnes and Noble out in the boonies to listen to her read from her book and have her sign my copy. It was such a treat to hear her words in her voice, which was, of course, different than I heard it in my head. It was also cool that everyone was having such a good time, laughing/gasping in all the right places as she read. The place was packed! It was beyond standing room only - people were spilling into other sections of the store. I'm just glad I got there early enough that I was able to get a seat where I could actually see.

Once Jenny finished the reading and the Q&A, it was time for the book signing. I came bearing a small gift: one of the alpaca condom cozies I made ages ago from some leftover sock yarn. When I grabbed it to give to her, I noticed that the condom was expired, so I threw it away because you can't go giving someone an expired condom, especially someone you just met and probably won't meet again. I told her about how the cozy was ribbed, because condoms, and that she could use it for whatever else she wanted such as storing tampons, or Lego minifigs, or as a cat toy. She thought it was just the right size for heroin storage: a nice, discreet little drug pocket that can go anywhere! I had also considered making a catnip cigarette for her Hunter S. Thomcat, but I didn't think of it in time, and it's kind of a dick move to get someone else's cat hopped up on the 'nip.

While I was there, I made plenty more progress on the Tea Time socks, which you can just see in the bottom of the photo of me & Jenny the Bloggess. As I had gotten there more than an hour before she was supposed to start, I had enough time to get through two or three rounds on the feet. I had completed the heel flap and gussets last week and with just a few more inches left to go, I hope to finish the socks entirely by the weekend. After that, I'm not sure what I'm going to feel like working on, but I'm pretty sure it won't be anything on size 0 needles.

Well, that's all I have for tonight, Friends. Until next time.

The socks are finished!

And I've started a new pair, even though I wasn't really feeling it.

But first, the socks I've finally managed to finish: I got the Rick socks off the needles and into a cold bath on Wednesday night. It seems like once I was able to get past the frustration of having had to rip out a week's work made the second time around go a whole lot faster. It also helped that I followed the freaking chart. The best thing about those socks, though, is the color. I had no idea when I bought that yarn at Sock Summit (two years ago!) that I would love the color so much. I'm sure it has to do with their being dyed with indigo and other natural dye colors. There's a softness to the colors that I find really appealing. Since I have to send these socks away, I'm determined to have something for myself in this yarn. As soon as I have a few bucks, I'll order some more from the folks at A Verb for Keeping Warm, maybe in DK-weight, and make myself a cowl or a shawl or something. I also like how squishy & soft these socks are after washing and blocking. I think my aunt is really going to love them.

The new socks are Stephanie van der Linden's It's Tea Time, knit from the skein of Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga that I purchased at Sock Summit (actually, all three pairs of socks my mom guilted me into making came from yarn I bought there). The color is Golden Orb Weaver, which I knew I had to buy as I had just seen that cool tapestry at the Art Institute of Chicago at the beginning of that trip. These socks seem to be moving along quickly due to the simple knit/purl patterning and absence of lace and left/right charts. The yarn is knitting up beautifully. One sock has a hint of pooling, but I think it will be alright. There's not much I can do about it anyway. It's not like I'm going to rip back 4" of leg if I don't have to. If I'm especially diligent, I could finish these in less than three weeks and then I can knit whatever I want with NO DEADLINES. Right now, I don't know what that would be, but I'm thinking it will be a new spring sweater for myself.

Anyway, that's all I have for now, Friends. Until next time.

Back on track!

The knitting was so much better this week! Once I got the Rick socks back on the needles (a two-hour process, btw), the gusset decreases went really quickly. It seemed like it took almost no effort at all. It might have had something to do with my having done this once already, but whatever, I'll take completed gussets over incomplete gussets anytime. I've also made pretty good progress on the feet. I'm not sure how that happened, but for me, it seems like once I can get going on the feet of the socks, my needles fly. Anyway, I've only got about three inches left on these socks before I can call them finished. I'm SO looking forward to these socks being done!

I also made a little more progress on the Columbines needlepoint, slow and steady with the background. What's nice about it is that I don't have to concentrate all that hard on it, so it's a good break from the attention that the Rick socks require. I'm getting pretty close to halfway through the field, and more and more I'm liking how it's coming along.

So that's all I have for tonight, I hope next time I'll be able to say that the Rick socks are finished and that I've moved on to my next project. I think I'm feeling like taking a little break from socks. I'm pretty sure I need a break from socks. Until next time, Friends!