Gaming Update

So, both Headgames (knitting hats) and Death by Socks (Sock Wars by another name) have started, but I don't seem to be as excited by these as I was by Sock Wars. Is it because there are many fewer participants in these games (less than 50 in each, while Sock Wars had nearly 800)? Dunno. But, my first hat is in the mail, and I've turned the heel on my first sock, so I'm doing pretty well (even if I did steal the color scheme for my socks from Jan-Knit's first strike in Sock Wars). I think I'm even getting to like knitting with size 0 needles and fingering weight yarn. It's not like the lace shawl (lace weight yarn and size 5 needles); that's like knitting cotton candy. This is a little more substantial, but I've already poked myself several times, once or twice quite severely, with the darned pointy things. But I think I will make myself a pair with the extra yarn I bought (ordered online before we found out how much we needed), and try one of the reticulated patterns from _Sensational Knitted Socks_; they'd look better in fingering weight than in DK, I think.

As for Sock Madness, which starts in March, I think, I submitted three patterns, then had to retract one; I tried to knit it up and it simply wouldn't work at that gauge. (Have an idea for how to fix it, but no time to try it out. Another time, perhaps.) However, the Faux Cables and the True Cables do seem to work, so I'm hoping that one of them makes it in. Had a brainstorm, re: testing the pattern: my mom loves the socks that I knit for her, and wants another pair. (Silk and alpaca; what's not to love?) I am testing out the cable sock pattern by knitting them for her. Two birds with one stone! It seems to me that you could get a good chunk of your Christmas knitting done by knitting your Sock Madness socks for other people. We'll see how that goes.