Second Sock Indecision

I call this project THE SOCK OF EXTREME ANGST. The yarn was a gift of friendship and I loved it so that I decided to make my first pair of "just-for-me" socks. My daughters each have at least one pair of hand knit socks and I thought it was my turn.

Though it seems like I have been working on these FOREVER, they were actually started just after the New Year. From the beginning, I had a series of mishaps. First I swatched and started knitting on size 1s but didn't like how it was turning out so I frogged it, and went down to size 0s. Ok, no problem... right? Wrong! I forgot to swatch again on the smaller needles so the sock was too small. Fortunately, I was only about an inch into the cuff when I figured this out. Rippit, rippit! Still ignoring the need to swatch again, I cast on more stitches and went for it... This time I was up to the gusset when I realized that the sock was way TOO BIG! Rippit, rippit!

Finally, I swatched and started yet again. The yarn was starting to look a little sad and abused but I charged through because by this point my frustration was at a critical level.

About this time, I had a major disagreement with the lady who runs a local knitting group, of which I had been a member for about a year. I refused to be bullied so I prepared to make my exit from that group. For the very first time in my life, a hobby was causing me a great deal of stress but I would not give up...

The sock you see here still seems a little large, especially in the heel. I have not Kitchener stiched it closed. My gauge is fine, I simply picked the wrong size. I think I may actually be in between sizes and if I sat down with all of the numbers could write up my own variation of the recipe.

Now comes the indecision... Do I knit the second sock to match the first? Do I knit a slightly smaller sock with a slightly shorter cuff in an attempt to get two more socks out of the yarn I have left? Do I put the whole thing away and look through my sock yarn stash for a change of scenery, maybe cast on a different pattern in a different yarn? For now, I think I will sleep on it...

BTW, I am now part of another local crafting group which has a completely different vibe to it, it is very refreshing (and inspirational)...

FO: Hand Warmers :)

Wow, it seems like forever since I actually finished something! I call these "Warm Simplicity" as I made them up as I went along. The yarn was a gift from my secret pal :)

My crafting group is currently running a secret pal swap and I must say that I am quite enjoying it!

Ok, now back to this project... A bit of crochet, in a bulky weight acrylic/wool blend made in Turkey by Premier Picasso. I used a little less than 50 grams (60 yards) on a size K (6.5 mm) hook. They fit nicely and are WARM!

Balance? More or Less...

I'm still streamlining my online endeavors so that I can properly ration my time while maximizing my creativity. My Ravelry groups are back down to 32 in number, which still sounds like a lot, doesn't it? As much as I adore knitting and crochet there are other facets of my creative life I need to spend more time working on, specifically, writing. Fortunately, there is an active writing group in my area which participates in the annual NaNoWriMo! I think I will be signing up soon :)

Balance!

Finally, I feel like I am achieving balance again since Ravelry came into my life! There are so many wonderful people, projects and information on this site that it can be overwhelming and time consuming... not to mention the time it takes away from actually making something! I've got my groups back down to 40 and I may actually delete a few more as I know I don't have time to actually participate in all 40 groups. My plan is to use Ravelry once a day... we'll see how that goes LOL.

I'm caught up on my podcasts and may be in the "market" for a few new subscriptions. The wonderful thing about podcasts is that they can travel with you and don't demand your full attention while listening. So multi-tasking (which is a necessity in my life) is no problem.

As for the more mundane, my front-loading washer is acting up. Without an agitator it is difficult to balance a load and I think between all of the towels and jeans this family of 5 can dirty, that I've worn the poor thing out!

With the sun beating down...

sunhat
Originally uploaded by pudmuddles.

...it was time to pull out the sun hats. Just one problem, I didn't have one that fit. Ok, so my head is a little large for a woman... Anyway, I decided that since it was very doubtful that I would take my cotton stash and make washcloths, I would crochet myself a sun hat! I think I did quite well, thank you very much! Actually, I had found an old pattern in one of those little special publication books put out by Better Homes & Gardens but as I worked it up discovered that it was just a bit bigger than I would like. I added a row of double crochet so that I could thread a ribbon through and cinch it in a bit to fit better. After that point, I switched back to single crochet and improvised the rest of the pattern based on how I wanted it to look and feel. I'm very happy with the results and wore it nearly all Easter weekend :)

Now, We're Talkin'!

This is my second variation on the popular Booga Bag. I cast on more stitches (48) than the pattern called for, knit a larger bottom panel, and picked up more stitches in the round. I knit until I ran out of yarn and I am thrilled with the results! So these are fall colors? I don't mind!

About the yarn: Patons Classic Merino in Chestnut and a red-orange (I don't know what the color was called).

Where's My Rabbit?

It's been awhile since I posted in part because I was sick with a nasty chest cold and bronchitis which lasted nearly two weeks. Due to extreme fatigue and general blahs, I stuck with less complicated projects such as this one: a felted crochet hat from the book FELTED CROCHET by Jane Davis. I am very happy with how it turned out though it is a bit tall to be practical but its very warm, slightly eccentric, and perfect to wear to my crafting group... I just haven't done it yet... I've become quite taken with felting knit or crochet projects but I must shift gears now and concentrate on crafting through other elements of my stash (such as the last of my squeaky acrylic). Going from knitting or crocheting with pure wool to crafting with acrylic is like dumping a bucket of ice water on my head!