FO: Isabella D'Este socks

Crafting rut begone!

I don't know if it was because it was summer, or I just have a bunch of tiny-gauge make-no-visible-progress projects on the needles, but gah. I need to get working on some woolies. It is autumn, and the chill in the air means I'm going to be needing a few wooly layers to get me through.

The fact that we have a skylight jammed open isn't helping. Oh, that skylight. It's killing me. We opened it on the first day we moved in because that is what they are for. AM I RIGHT? Yes. You move into a place with skylights, you should be able to open them because they are fantastic for ventilation when you don't have AC and you live on the top floor of an ancient walk up. It was a little alarming that once said skylight was open, we couldn't get it to close again. The problem here being that it rained all of June and most of July, then I was away for a while and now it's getting cold. We told the landlord pretty quickly about this problem. "You shouldn't have opened it", he informed us. The skylight repair people didn't get around to fixing it before they went on summer holiday, and to this day, the skylight remains jammed open. I go to bed at night fully clothed and with a hoodie up, and I generally sleep in a flannel bathrobe for good measure.

So yes. They are pretty. They are warm. I am happy. I knitted these all throughout my travels this summer, so they are also a sort of reminder of that. While I was too knackered to try to knit on the trail in Norway, I did have lots of plane and train rides to get started, and then I got to the heel at some point in Prague, and was almost finished by the time I was leaving Hungary. A travel journal of the most practical sorts.

They are the loveliest socks ever. The pattern was a wonder to knit. A picot hem on the cuff, an easy floral motif.

Then a graceful arc of twisted stitches that travel and cease the floral pattern above the heel and concentrate it at the front of the foot...

Once the heel is turned, the gusset decreases are hidden in the final touch: a pretty medallion to wear on your foot.

Voila! My new favorite pair of socks, in a bright sunshiny puckery lemon color.

Isabella D'Este socks from the Knitter's Book of Socks. Made with one skein for The Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga in the Oleander Nymph colorway.

FO: Elm Socks

Well Hello There! Remember when I used to knit, and spin, and make all sorts of crafty stuff? Yeah, I don't either.

I did take a moment to sadly mourn the last traces of my spoiled New York lifestyle.

That last little bit of red polish? My bi-weekly pedicures and manis are all just distant memories now. New York has so many nail salons. The competition that comes with having a nail salon on every block drives the prices way down. You can get a mani and a pedi for less than $20 and do so while you let the massage chair work out your knots and get caught up on the latest Cosmo and not feel the least bit guilty about it because it's cheaper than buying a sandwich for lunch. Here, not so much. Every salon I see, I run up hopefully and press my face to the window to check out the prices. Pedicures average around $60, manis $30. Sigh. I guess DIY is in right now. I won't even begin to discuss how much I miss my waxer.

Since I'm not coordinated enough to perfectly splosh my nails with jewel shades of paint and not look like I let someone in preschool do it, I am left with one option. I guess I could just cover my damn toes up!

The weather has been improving lately- we actually got a weekend where we spent time outside! I still am paler than I've ever been in July, but I do appreciate getting a little sun every now and then. Lazing around in the park is much nicer when you aren't lying in a swampy wetland of gloom or having hellfire and hail beat you down.

These are the Elm socks by Cookie A. It's from a great book called, "The Knitters Book of Socks". I only brought a couple of books with me to France, and this is one of them.

Alas, this pattern had a few issues. The undulating rib pattern was easy and fun, but as written, the cuff of the sock is incredibly long. So long, I left out the last 2 pattern repeats it calls for because I knew this sock wasn't going to fit any higher up my calf if I kept going. A quick glance at other people's projects reveal they had the same issue. It's hearbreaking to work so long on a pair of socks to not have them fit. It was also good I stopped because I almost ran out of yarn. Once I turned the heel, I realized I dodged a bullet there and by the time I kitchnered the toes up, I was down to just a couple of yards. 400 yards is not enough for this sock the way it is written!

I am loathe to put patterns on the actual sock foot. 1. You can't see it when you are wearing shoes, which is what I usually do when I put on a pair of socks and 2. Patterns with a cushier sock yarn like this will irritate the tops of my feet and I will never ever wear them, and I hate irritated feet more than I do my unpedicured toes. So I guess we can call this my Half-Assed Elm Socks.

The yarn is String Theory Caper Sock. 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon, this is very soft. I picked this up on sale when Gotham Fine Yarns in New York closed down.

Time and wear will tell, but I'm not quite impressed with the yarn. It pilled up and looked fuzzy while I was working with it. I'm hoping it's just the short cashmere fibers working their way out and not a structural issue.

I've actually had these done for more than a month now. I like to photograph things outside, in good light, and These would have wicked up a puddle if I would have done it any other time. I guess all that rain is making me appreciate this sunny day all the more.

I made socks and then I pranced around a meadow in them. The end.

Socks

I haven't had too much time or motivation to get any crafty things done, but I did start a pair of socks.

They are the Elm Socks by Cookie A, from the Knitter's Book of Socks. I love these big, slowly undulating cables. They are loads of fun to knit and actually fairly intuitive once you've gotten cozy with the pattern. It's pretty hot out this week, but I want my first winter here to be cozy. Also, all my linen and silk and lighter yarns...who knows where they are right now. I wasn't in the right mind when I was trying to pack up to figure out what to bring along and what to store. I have a feeling I'll be pleasantly surprised when I get the shipment next week. Hopefully I did remember to pack a few skeins of linen- a swingy cool top would be nice right now.

PS, the sock yarn is String Theory Caper Sock, and it's brilliant to work with.