FOs: Off My Needles/Wheel

 
 
Off My Needles/Hooks:

I finished my first Hitchhiker Shawl (design by Martina Behm) on Christmas evening.  It wasn't a gift so that's ok.  This is a really easy pattern to memorize making it great travel or Craft Night Group knitting.  And it works well with handspun yarn.
  
I ran out of my handspun at 34 points, so it's more of a Shawlette (or odd-shaped scarf) than a true Shawl.  I'll probably use it as a scarf.   I'd like to try this pattern again with sufficient handspun yardage to make 42 points.


 
  
    
 
Off My Spindles/Wheel:
 
 
  This lovely skein is approximately 690 yds of fingering weight worsted spun and Navajo/chain ply yarn.  It was spun on both spindles and my wheel from my first Loop Bullseye batt in the Seafoam gradient colorway.
 

 
 

Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:  
  Audiobooks:    Parker Pyne Investigates by Agatha Christie;  Soulless by Gail Carriger;    
  DVDs etc:   Castle S4; Moonlight;    
  Pod/VideoCasts:   Round The Twist; Cast On;      

 

FO's: Socks

  
 
Off My Needles/Hooks:
This week I have two pair of socks finished.  

First up are the "Woolgathering" socks, striped socks in the Woolgathering colorway from Three Ewes Twisted in Fiber.  These cuff-down socks have two different heels.  The righthand sock has an afterthought heel in the round heel style.  The lefthand sock has a Sweet Tomato heel.  Both heels were first times for me and I like them, but I still haven't found a favorite go-to heel. I will keep looking.  

 
 

The second pair of socks is Mom's Christmas present.   These are toe-up socks done in Berroco Sox color 1476 with sweet tomato heels.  
  

  
 
 
  
Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:    
  Audiobooks:    Blood Lance by Jeri Westerson; The Black Echo by Michael Connelly;    
  DVDs etc:   Castle S4;    
  Pod/VideoCasts:   The Knit Girllls; Round The Twist; Subway Knits; The Pagan Knitter; The Knitmore Girls;    
 

December WIPs/SWIPs

  
  There's no mad holiday knitting rush for me this year. Only person I'm knitting for is Mom (socks and mitts), but, sadly, as she won't really remember if she gets them on or after Christmas, I don't have to kill my hands rushing to finish them. The socks will be done by Christmas; I doubt if the mitts will even be started by Christmas.
  
  
  I would like to finish as many knitting and spinning WIPs as I can by the end of the year, especially these projects:
  
On My Needles
  
  Hitchhiker Shawl - I started this a week or so ago and am about halfway through and liking muchly (both pattern and yarn). I'm using my brown and white Shetland handspun from last month called DA3, and size 5 (3.75mm) needles. As of this (Thursday) evening, I'd reached 24 points. I think I have enough yarn to reach or come close to the 42 points called for in the pattern.
  
Apologies for the picture quality. This is from last weekend when I was out and about. 
 
  
   Mom's Socks - the socks I messed up last week are progressing nicely. The first sock is done and I'm motoring up the foot of the second sock. I'm using size 1 (2.25mm) dpns on Berroco Sox yarn.
  
I need to put the afterthought heel on the first "Woolgathering" sock (the second sock is finished), but it seems it's fallen into a black hole or is hiding somewhere.
  
  
  On My Spindles
  
Spinning Seafoam - The Loop Bullseye batt in the Seafoam colorway is going slowly. After what seems like forever spinning I'm just really hitting the first color change. So I'm hoping changing from spindles to the e-spinner will speed things up a little. I love the Bullseye batts, the prep is wonderful, as is the blending. I just wish it wasn't Merino. Note to self: stop buying Merino fiber! You know you don't like spinning it!
  
There are a number of other WIPs/SWIPs I'd like to finish by yearend, but I'll be happy if what I've listed above is all I get done.
  
  Off My Spindles:

Spinning Itty Bitty Bits - this is a catchall project/name I'm using for the little fiber samples I've been spindle spinning. Some are from Phat Fiber boxes and some are leftover samples from the Wool Breeds Challenge. (This is an ongoing project that won't be finished for a few years at least and doesn't count in the year-end completions.) Here are a few little skeins:
  
  
 
  
  
  Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:    
  Audiobooks:  These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer; Blood Lance by Jeri Westerson;            
  DVDs etc:   Castle S4;    
  Pod/VideoCasts:   The Knit Girllls; Round The Twist; Knitting Pipeline, The Knitmore Girls, Subway Knits  
 

What's Wrong With This Picture

This is the first of Mom's Christmas socks. What's wrong with this picture?



It's subtle, and I didn't notice it until I'd started up the leg. Did you catch it?
Yes, indeed! I worked the heel on the side (half instep/half sole) instead of just the sole. And I even know why I did that. It's because I automatically center the in-the-round join in the middle of the heel flap on Cuff Down socks, which is what I normally knit. Problem is, these are Toe-Up Socks (why? I don't know, I just felt like it). Also, I was turning the heel while chatting at our weekly Craft Night, so add in distracted and on autopilot and we have this week's recipe for a knitting boo-boo.

At 3AM when I discovered this I thought about ripping out the toe and redoing that instead of the heel (less stitches in toe), but ripping back from a cast on is always a major pain in the butt. I even considered (for just a second or two) leaving it as is on the chance my Mom might not notice, but decided even she'd likely notice a heel on her ankle bone. In the glaring light of day, however, I realize it's time to firmly grasp my knitting and dip my toe, or rather my heel, in the frog pond and RiiiiipIt.