Garden Daze - 4th Shipment of Socks that Rock

I received the latest shipment of the 2009 Socks that Rock Club over a week ago. In that time, the pattern and yarn have not grown on me. This entire package is not something I would ever choose to knit. For my taste, the colors are too bright and a little too reminiscent of a vegetable garden. Having not finished the first pair of socks (second sock syndrome is in abundance), I won't be getting to this any time soon.

Loved this!

Winding Yarn Sunday

I busted out the ol' swift and ball winder this afternoon. That was the best $100 I ever spent. I used to wind skeins using a nostepin and it was just far too difficult after a certain point. I wound three skeins of various yarns for a list of projects in my Ravelry queue: Cascade 220, Lorna's Laces Shepard Worsted Multi, and Blue Sky Alpalca's Dyed Cotton.

I just started on a pair of Cable Footies in One Skein by Leigh Radford. I've become an increasingly big fan of this book. The patterns are cute and who can argue with using only one skein. I've looked at the One Skein Wonder books and I can't say that quantity equals quality. All of the patterns in One Skein are easily recognized for their quality and uniqueness.

I'm thinking of giving the Footies away as a gift but haven't decided.

Self-Impsed Exile

After injuring my back, it was difficult to resume knitting for hours on end. I took a week or so off after the baby hat. I've started seeing a chiropractor and have started to take longer breaks between my knitting so as not to put myself in any further discomfort. I have managed to stay busy.

In the interim of my last post, I've knit one footie and finished a lace scarf using two skeins of purple Laines du Nord Mulberry Silk I had in my stash. I bought this on clearance with no clear intention of what I would do with it. After scouring Ravelry, I settled on the FishTail scarf. The finished scarf measures 5 feet; a little short for my taste but it'll do.

I purchased 5 skeins of Noro Tidiori to add to my four skeins. I bought the first few skeins because it was on sale for $5 each. Looking back, it wasn't really the wisest decision to make but I couldn't pass up Noro or sale yarn. I saw a few examples of Clapotis (check out knitty.com) made with Tidiori on Ravelry and it reminded me of Missoni. With a lot of luck, I was able to find a retailer still selling the yarn, which became discontinued a year ago. At some point, after the footies and the mystery project, I'll start on a Clapotis. I really have to stop having incomplete projects laying around. All the UFOs I mentioned back in March are still lingering about the condo.

I'm still queued on the Queen of Beads socks, which means I have have two other Rockin' Sock Club kits sitting in wait. There's a new kit that will ship this month. I'm so terribly behind.

Umbilical Cord Hat

So even though my shoulder and neck aren't exactly functioning normally, I finished knitting another baby hat. I chose the Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch 'N Bitch for our neighbors new born. I knew she was due soon but it seemed to quickly creep up on me and low and behold her due date was last week. I hope he enjoys the simple little hat (that is when it's more appropriate weather).

Injured Knitter

Yesterday, I pinched a nerve in my back so I'm a bit incapacitated at the moment. I attempted to knit but found it to be extremely unpleasant. I can't move my head very well without experiencing pain and that puts a damper on looking at one's knitting or pattern. Also, my left arm is pretty out of whack as well.

I'm relegated to only reading about knitting. I just started reading The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club. The first 30 pages are interesting but I'm hoping the story will start to pick up. I'm not sure how far I'll get now that I'll be taking muscle relaxers to help ease the strain on my neck, shoulders and back. I imagine not very far at all.

Pepe Le Plume - 3rd Shipment of Socks that Rock

Yesterday my husband and I went to a Chicago Opera Theater performance. This totally screwed up my ability to review the third shipment of the Socks that Rock Club. Luckily, the members of the SRC Club on Ravelry were sharing photos that afternoon so I was able to get a glimpse of the pattern and yarn. I'm not someone who can wait for the big reveal. Christmas Eve is an angst-ridden day, not because I need the satisfaction of opening presents but because I can't stand a secret.

It's not a colorway I would normally choose but is very lovely. It's a mix of pink, purple, lavender and grey. I hope it knits up in a flattering manner.
















The pattern is difficult to see in the photographs. It looks almost like a wavy lace pattern, and lace is more often than not, not easy to make out in darker colors. The squiggly effect of the socks is very whimsical. Having not finished the Queen of Beads, TKGA swatches and the mysterious project, I have no idea when I will ever get to these socks.