There: I fixed it.

Oh, Friends, I fixed that damned sock! I undid the messed up part, re-did it, undid it again, and finally re-did it correctly. Once I took a good look at the photos of the sample and wrapped my head around how the foot of the sock would come together, the knitting went pretty quickly.

I think I might have gotten back on the right track on Friday or Saturday, and by yesterday afternoon I'd finished the toe. The foot section ended up being a little longer than I'd expected, so I had to graft the toe closed a little sooner than I would usually have done. It's not a big deal though; I have a pretty wide foot.

There were what felt like a million ends to weave in, as the sock is constructed from 12 triangles that are knit from the outside in to the center. So that's 27 ends, if you're counting the cuff and the toe in that number, and that's before you close up all the gaps where the corners of the triangles meet.

Now, the thing is, right now I've only got one complete sock. I'm not going to start its mate just yet because the yarn for my State Fair socks just arrived, and I've been dying to start these. I took last year off from Fair knitting, as I'd won the points total the year before. Last year, my thinking was that it wouldn't be as much fun entering if I couldn't win the big prize again. This year, I've decided that I like seeing how my work does compared to my peers across the state. I have a couple friends who have a category that they consistently win, and I kind of feel that the socks category is mine. I don't want to get a big head or anything (maybe it's too late?), but I did win the last two times I entered and the socks that won last year placed behind mine the two previous years. I want my ribbon back, y'all.

I'm not going to reveal the pattern until I've submitted the socks to the Fair, so this might be the last time I mention them for a couple months. I will, however, show you the yarn, which is freaking gorgeous. It's Dream in Color Smooshy, in the Melon Bomb colorway. I think it a little more coral in real life, rather than the slightly muted hue in the photo. I only ordered it on Friday, so I'm really pleased that it was waiting for me when I got home from work today.

So that's it for this evening, Friends. I have new socks to start! Until next time, then.

Well, THERE'S your problem.

I am currently knitting a sock that isn't foot-shaped. It's so not-foot-shaped, it practically has two heels. That curve toward each other. The blue arrow above? It's pointing to a part that's supposed to curve that way. The red arrow? Yeah, it's supposed to curve the other way.

It's my own mistake. I'm sure it has something to do with overconfidence and/or skimming through the pattern. Actually, it has everything to do with overconfidence and skimming through the pattern. You'd think I'd know to carefully read the instructions by now, especially with this project and its unusual construction. But, no, I just wanted to get going again on these socks and so I have to pay for my folly.

While I was knitting this incorrect bit, it was impossible to tell that it was going to be wrong, as the way the stitches were mounted on the needles, it looked like it would be just fine. Once I finished that triangle and got it off the needles, the truth of my situation was clear. It was wrong.

See, in this picture, with my foot in the sock, there's some egregious bunching in that place where the front of my leg meets the top of my foot. Socks will do that a little bit, even when they're done right, but what's going on here is way beyond the ordinary. I'm going to have to undo it, then redo it, and I'll have to wait until I've gotten a little sleep so that I don't make a bad situation worse. I guess it's good that I like knitting.

Anyway, that's all I've got for tonight. Earlier in the day I was thinking how I wanted to post, but that I didn't have anything to write about. Funny how these things work out. I hope to have better news next time, Friends.

Hey! It's a WIPs Wednesday post. On Wednesday!

So I have two projects on the needles right now: a Cypri shawl and a Euclid sock. The shawl is humming right along, while the sock is kind of stalled, so it looks like I'll talk about the shawl first.

I've been working on it pretty steadily since I completed the Feminine Lace socks, getting about two rows done during my bus rides to and from work. 382 stitches is a lot! Especially when, at stitch 350 or so, you realize you've been decreasing too much and have to unknit back to stitch 12. The nice thing about this project is that the garter stitch is super-duper easy and the traveling stitches only happen every fourth row. It's really just a matter of getting through those long rows. I really like how it's knitting up and I can't wait 'til it's finished!

As for the Euclid socks, I've gotten through turning the heel, but I haven't decided if I want to knit the sole with the centered double decrease as it's written in the pattern. I love how the yarn (Knitivity Phydlbitz) is behaving in the triangles, but I'm pretty sure that the ridge from the decrease will be uncomfortable. I suppose I could try and see how I like it. It's only one sock, after all. I can make it differently without too much trouble. This sock (how long has it been since I knit a single sock? I have no earthly idea.) has been a lot of fun to knit, thanks to its interesting construction. I think the only way I'd like it better would be if I had this yarn in 4 small skeins: 3 semi-solids and 1 variegated, so that the triangles would be a little more obvious. I think this pattern would be great for stash busting, which I might consider after I complete my State Fair knitting.

Regarding the Fair, I haven't yet decided what I want to enter this year. I have a couple projects I've been  considering, but I don't want to broadcast it just yet. I'll save it for a post later in the summer.

Well, I think that's about it for tonight. Until next time, Friends.