Overdue Update

Has it been almost a month since I updated my blog? I can't believe it. I have been traveling a lot. And getting some knitting done too.

First, Josh and Daniel's clogs are done except for the felting. I don't want to felt if they aren't here to try them on. So we'll do that the next time they are here. Now DH is hinting he might like a pair. Tough luck hon, I'm out of the clog business for a while.

We finally had Christmas with my family in OK. My sister loved her crazy clogs.

They were huge when she got them. I think she might have been worried. And, although I didn't notice it before, I can see in the picture, that the one on left is bigger then the one on the right. Fortunately, when she re-felted them, they fit fine and were the same size. She loves them.

I'm cruising right along on my Koigu socks. After some discussion with the SOWs, I decided to just do a 4 x 2 rib with this yarn. Others had attempted a pattern of some sort and it only got lost in all the varigation.

I'm not a huge fan of striping yarn and you can kind of see it in this picture, but this yarn is spiraling. It alternates between the pink and the blue. Which to me is striping. Love the yarn, love the colors, am living with the striping.

I've turned the heels and with Susan's help picked up the gusset on one of the socks. Now I need to get these finished because I need the needles for Sock Madness http://sockmadness.wordpress.com/. I join my SOWs in asking, "What did I get myself into?" This is a speed knitting contest. One need only look back to my last entry to see that I've been working on these socks for - oh - about a month.

I'm in Wendy's toe up division, which means, right off the bat I'm learning something new. I've never done toe up socks before. But I guess that's what it's all about. Stretching ourselves to try new things. I did make the switch from double points to magic loop. That was a great trade too. No more stitches falling off the needles while they are in the bag. Magic loop makes a much better traveling sock project.

I have several skeins of sock yarn so I hope the first pattern is compatible with one of them. I figure it won't be a 4 x 2 rib. Most the of the yarn I have left in stash is not overly varigated so a pattern should work fine.

Finally, while I was in MN, I went to Needlework Unlimited and rolled around in their yarn. So many choices, so little space in my bag. I fell in love with one of their finished objects and knew I had to do it. It was a lace wrap made with linen yarn and 10,500 beads. Again, I'm having one of those "What the heck was I thinking" moments, but this wrap is fantastic. http://iwpshopinfo.interweave.com/Knits/2002%20newsletters/SummerKnits2002.htm Here's a picture of the finished object, but the picture in no way does it justice. That pattern was in the Summer 2002 Interweave Knits magazine.

I know I won't actually wear a shawl, so I'm making it scarf size which means I need half the number of beads. Oh good - only 5,250 beads to string on the yarn. Now that's mindless work.

I am on a yarn diet, so this linen is a bit of a cheat, but I did finish two projects and the socks are coming along, so I decided it was OK. Plus, I don't know when I will get back to Minneapolis and the pattern was free with purchase of yarn