And why.

One of my favorite things to do to keep knitting and blogging exciting is to create small challenges for myself and for the people around me.  Just sit me down at a knit night, start throwing ideas back and forth, and soon a new challenge is born.

So last fall it occured to me that we could do a month of only sock knitting.  A great idea since I had hoped to knit 24 socks in a year, and because I have inordinate amounts of sock yarn waiting to be knit.  Since we had a few other challenges in store, and since we also had personal goals, we decided on February 15-March 14 2009.

My intention, personally, was to knit 6 pairs of socks, at least 3 of which would be Monkey Toes patterns in order to enter them all into sock knitters anonymous February challenge.

I should have known.  I should have known that it is nearly impossible for me to knit only one thing.  I should have know that there is not enough variety in socks for me to focus on just that.  And mostly, I should have known month o’socks was doomed when Gigi Silva, designer of at least 3 of the patterns I had picked, in a zombie like manner returned from the dead.  Seriously….what could doom sock month more than a zombie designer huh?

First pair of socks went fine.  My handspun was thick enough to disguise fit problems.  Second pair went on the needles well.  I found the pattern annoying and difficult…but pretty!  Too bad I didn’t try them on.  I did 2 extra repeats and then started yet another sock.  Then I tried pair #2 on.  They couldn’t fit over my heel.  I was frustrated, such a pretty pattern, so much pain to get there, and I couldn’t even wear them.  I put them in a time out.  Worked on sock pair #3, enjoyed the cabled pattern.  Kept working on it since I assumed 72 stitches on the needle was more than 60, therefore I’d have a pair of socks that fit.  Oh…how mistaken I was.  Never underestimate the power of a zombie designer to ruin your best plans!  So I had to frog them.  I decided that size 2 needles were bigger than size 1 needles so surely a retry of this fun pattern would work just fine.  Again, I was so mistaken!  And just to add insult to injury, as I was frogging the socks, one of my needles broke.

This was the wooden stake to the heart of month o’socks for me.  *I couldn’t find an appropriate zombie reference here, just go with it* In fact, I am on a self imposed knitting break.  I’ve swatched for the Sylvi coat.  I’ve balled some yarn for upcoming projects.  But I haven’t been knitting and I am not really ready to.  I’ve decided I will start knitting again on Sunday.  March 1.  New month, new sock challenge, vast amount of patterns not created by a zombie designer.  I’ll be putting 3-4 pairs of socks on the needles right off the bat, and I’ll hit the ground running, knitting socks exclusively until March 15.  You will see focus.  You will see maturity.  You will see socks flying off the needles.  And you won’t see a zombie design among them.  In the meantime, unless Bug comes up with something truly classic, the blog may be a bit quiet.

I am officially working on the last 2 charts of my icarus shawl.  That is pretty darn close to being done!  This has been such a long term project that it is hard to believe.  I wanted to get it done before month o’ socks but I’d have to be wonder woman to manage that.

We have a month o’socks kick off tomorrow and I am setting myself some penalties for working on the shawl if I choose to do so during the sock month.

I thought I would take a picture for you, but as lace scrunched onto too small needles always looks toward the end, it is just blob like right now.

I’ve been thinking about this scarf for more than a year now.  I’ve been knitting it since October 08.  It has been set aside frequently, and picked up again for a few rows here and there.   But in this space between Month o’Socks and the Central Park Hoodie KAL, I needed to finish a long term project.

I loved the first cabled hat so much that I cast on for another one.  I used J knits dream bulky, which is a wool and mohair blend, single ply.  It is very very good for felting but I rather liked it for this hat too.  I think this one is going to J as a surprise, since I haven’t seen him in just about forever.  Colorway is Michigan which is rather appropriate considering the recipient.

I’ve got Bug modeling it since she makes the cutest model, but it does fit an adult!

I have discovered not to buy any yarn with mohair content for Bug, she thinks “It doesn’t feel that good, it feels fuzzy.”  Now, she has never complained about wool so it has to be the mohair she is objecting to.

I started yet another cabled hat out of Malabrigo chunky, I wanted to see how the cables looked with a more variegated yarn.  As is typical of me, my obsession for this hat ended abruptly when I realized I had forgotten a row of cables and I didn’t feel like fixing it.  I suspect this one is in time out for awhile!

Do not like knitting with cotton.  This is all I have to say.