Clearing the Decks

Joined another sockalong, this one called Summer of Socks. It starts June 21st and runs through September 1, and only socks that are cast on and finished between those two dates are eligible. Thus, I have a lot of things to finish up, both so that I'm freed up to knit more socks during the game, and also to keep me from casting on any more socks before the date, which would disqualify them.

So, what are all these things you need to finish? I hear you cry. Come and I will show you....

First, an FO, Kate's birthday socks:


This is Cookie A's Baudelaire, and a very nice pattern it is. A little tight at the ankle when going over the heel, but fits fine once it's on. (To be fair, this may be my issue, not the pattern's; I have had this trouble in the past, particularly on my own patterns.) Knit with Knit Picks Gloss in Concord Grape, they came out very well and were a fairly quick knit. Even finished them in time for Kate's birthday, though I have yet to deliver them.

Next, we have the WIPs:

Rainbow leg warmers:


I'm really happy with the way these are turning out, if only I could finish them! The dyeing went well on 5 of the six colors, but I'm having a devil of a time getting the red to work. These are both done except for the red; less than 2 hours work left, if I could just get the right color....(Will do a post on this specifically, once I solve the problem.)

Woven Cable Eyelet Socks:


O.K., I PROMISE that I will give future patterns more creative, less pedantic names. Really. I will! In any case, I like how these are knitting up, and am LOVING Celtic Memory's merino/tencel blend yarn. Subtly variegated, it does not interfere with the pattern, and is lovely and soft to work with. Promised these socks to my mother, but have just bought more of Jo's yarn, plus some I already had, that I am keeping for ME. (Well, at least some of it....) Just at the heel turn of the first sock; really want to finish them soon.

Scarf:


Why, if I'm trying to finish things, did I just cast on for a new scarf? Especially when it was over 100 degrees here this last weekend? Why, because I can, of course! Seriously, I left my knitting at work that day and, rather than work on one of the other projects I had at home, I cast on for My So Called Scarf. I had won some bulky acrylic in pink, blue and green, and thought it would do well in that scarf. Having a little trouble with tension, which is unusual; don't know if that's due to the stitch or to the yarn, or both. A quarter to a third of the way through the scarf. I like the pattern, as it is interesting on both sides, yet simple to do.

Delayed Destruction:


Finally had someone take me up on my offer to knit socks for any who didn't get theirs in the first two Sock Wars; good for you, Ann! However, bought a new yarn for this, and am not happy with it. Luxury Merino Superwash from Elann is very thick for a dk weight, and I don't like the way this is knitting up. Will go back to one of my stand-by yarns, Knit Picks Elegance, despite the fact that there is little color choice. At least I know it knits up well in this pattern. Had hoped to be able to work on these this weekend, as I will be on the road to Baycon in San Jose, and Belle is doing the driving. But will have to wait for the order to arrive, (O.K., I guess I have to actually order it, huh?) so instead I will be working on the other thing that needs to be done soonest, the Farm Blanket, for which I have no pics, as yet. Not really happy with this one, either. Got the pattern from the magazine Living Crafts and I have several concerns: the shown squares don't match the directions, which offends my anal-retentive soul; it takes a LOT of yarn (I originally thought the amounts were for 12 blankets (it was knit by 12 people, each doing 12 copies of the same square, then sharing), and this was confirmed by an email from the magazine folks; however, I've knit two of the squares, (they're knit with two strands held together) and each one took nearly a whole skein. This means I didn't buy nearly enough yarn, and this is going to be a bit more expensive than I had planned....); there appears to be an error in the pattern. Also, I realized that there isn't a lot of direction of how to assemble the pieces, which always makes me uncomfortable; these "cook until done" types of directions just bug me.

The good news, though, is that this means I get to, I mean have to, order more yarn. And, as long as I'm ordering, there a few more things that I need and.... You get the idea. I see more Harmony dpns in my future.....

Yes, I know that I have lots more WIPs that I didn't mention. Well, these are the only ones I think I have a prayer of actually finishing in the near future.....