Mostly, I will be doing socks...

Since it is a new year, and there is all the psychobabble about new starts, I  am formulating a plan. It is not about a year of change, or loosing weight, or getting a job,  although all of those things would be nice. :-) I am planning on knitting a lot of socks.

I want to get better at socks. I want to decide which is my favourite heel to do- heel flap and gusset, short rows with wrap and turns, short rows  with double stitch, or any number of other options such as the  recently purchased fish lips kiss heel.

I have already finished three pairs this year. But wait! I hear you scream - It is only the 11th of January. Ah yes, I guess I shall have to point out that actually, two of those pairs were mostly finished already, and the third was for a toddler in aran weight yarn. But it is motivating me.

The nice ones were replacement socks for the dear daughter at university. They were the first proper toe ups that I have actually completed, and made using Crazy Zauberball 6 ply. I don't like the Jenny's stretchy cast off, as it means the that ribbing doesn't hold its shape very well. I will try using other cast offs, but I may just be a cuff down knitter.

I was also doing  a lovely pair of socks with some yarn from Ripples that I got at Woolfest last year. They were going to be for the Babe, but when she saw them she was adament that she wanted different ones. She picked up the first yarn she could spot which just happened to be aran from a blanket that I did for Truffle for Christmas, and she demanded stripes. This is what she ended up with. Took me two days, and she is very happy.

I shall resume work on the orange Ripples ones sometime soon. In the mean time I am very proud to have finished a pair that I started 2 and a half years ago. Before that I had made a pair of pink fluffly socks for the Meister, as she had chosen the Regia Softy. But unfortunately, they were too big and her big sister got them. So I tried again. We were camping a couple of summers ago and I cast these ones on thinking I would finish them in no time. Well when I got to the toe decreases I realized they were too narrow so I put them aside and forgot about them. A few days ago, while sorting my stash and trying to tidy the living room, I found the one that was nearly finished and thought, "These will do for the Babe." I pulled back a few rows of the long narrow thing and decreased the toes to fit a 4 year and whipped up another in a day and a half and voila. The 2 and half year long  socks are finished.

So that is two daughters with pink fluffy socks, neither of which is the daughter who originally chose the yarn. But she looks like this now, so perhaps pink and fluffy would not be her first preference. 

Happy New Year

I haven't been writing much lately, mostly because things haven't been that great, and I don't want to write about how shit things are. :-) But with the date January 1st come renewed hope and expectation. It just happens, I don't have to foster it. We had a fun evening last night playing silly games and drinking shandy and eating far too much food. It is nice to have friends.
My life is a lot different than it used to be. Funnily enough, not on the outside, because I am still at home with kids and home educating them. But things are different. And I am just getting used to that.
Arthritis is fine these days. Lots of diet and exercise. But it is such hard work that there isn't a lot of time for thoughts of jobs or classes or courses. So maybe a book group instead.

In the meantime here is the New Year's celebration...

And here is the Christmas knitting...

There is a pair of socks and a Katniss Cowl which are going to be post Christmas presents. And I have a desire to knit lots of socks. And read lots of books. And start having fun again.  :-)