A Little Yarn On The Side

....sock yarn in hand and was just about to cast on for a new pair of socks, when my small, rational self--who never usually speaks up in regards to knitting--said, "Hold on a minute....isn't this sort of behavior how we became the WIP Legend in the online knitting community???" She's not a talkative part of my personality, but she has a really annoying habit of usually having a point & being right and all of that, so..... To show I really have grown as a knitter, I dug out the Kimono Shawl which had been busily tangling itself up with all the other projects in the WIP bin (cobweb yarn always being a bit of a troublemaker). So far it's only gotten about 6 rows, but those are 6 rows I didn't have, so that was something. Then, because I still really wanted to make those socks but was desperately trying to prove that I have SOME willpower, I finished another block for the Warm Up America afghan which actually brings me to 4, but one has already been turned ...

The "reward" yarn I ordered for myself on January 1 arrived yesterday and.... I haven't yet cast on. I know--I am shocked as well. I thought I'd probably have the first loop on the needles before the UPS truck even pulled away! I don't know what has gotten into me! Instead, I worked on the January aran blocked the moss scarf, which I am actually pleased with--and I think this is my favorite stitch pattern variation so far but I am not sure everyone would love a variegated yarn scarf. Then I spent some time working on a block for my friend's Warm Up America project only to discover my gauge goes to hell when I'm bored. The blocks are supposed to be 7 by 9 inches. This one is 8 by 9, so to the frog pond it goes. That will teach me--I did a seed stitch block at the correct gauge, so I didn't bother to recheck with garter. I dared smugness and was smote by the knitting gods! And over a garter stitch block of all things! My new block is my own variat...

Ramona has asked me to test knit a pattern she has written as a way to help raise money for a good friend. I'd like to think I would have agreed to help with such a great cause even if it didn't give me a whopping good excuse to avoid the swoopies for a few days, but let's just say that it might have helped her cause a bit . In Knitting Land (unlike the Real World), good deeds are generally rewarded. Not only do I get to help someone who is helping a friend, getting a pair of great socks, getting away from the swoopies, I learned a fabulous new cast on for toe-up socks. Look at this: OK, it might be really hard to see this, but you can't see the cast on AT ALL. I generally only make toe-up socks, but the pattern I have been using leaves a really rough line across the toe. I love this cast on! There is a video of it here , though I will admit that I cannot make it through the entire video. I am not really a "cutesy" person, so when Cat pretends that the...