Mystery Socks Clue #3

* * Spoiler Alert * *


As I mentioned earlier, clue #3 was the perfect opportunity for me to catch up on these socks. This week we got the clue for the heal. Positive comment- I like how the pretty mock cable pattern continues down. Negative comment- I wonder if the texture is going to be annoying in shoes. We'll have to wait and see.

Next week is the foot. I think I will probably get a little behind again, but I am going to try my best to keep up.

P is for Parker

I am not doing so well on the "new authors" provision of my A-Z Author Challenge. I have read four books since it started (2Rs) and only the Rs were new authors. I guess I am more of a creature of habit than I thought I was. I'm waiting for a copy of the new Dan Brown book and I have several John Grisham's sitting on my bookshelf, but I am going to try to search out some new authors. For now, here is the review of my "P" book.

"Rough Weather" by Robert B. Parker
Full disclosure: Parker is one of my absolute favorite authors. His books have all the characteristics I look for in my fun books- interesting plots, characters that develop over time, a series so I don't wonder "what happened to....", just enough smut, references to places I know (in this case, Boston/Cambridge), and a readable style with some vocabulary I have to look up in a dictionary. That all being said, this particular Parker book was juvenile. My father read it first, and we both agree that it is almost as though someone else wrote the first chapter. Spenser would never say "Wow!" The plot has the requisite twists and turns, which I cannot mention here without giving away the plot, but Parker hand-fed it to the reader a little bit too much. Towards the end I had the "Duh! That's how it happened." moment, which I really do not like. I recommend this book if you are looking for a brainless read, but you would honestly be better off with one of Parker's earlier Spenser novels.

Mystery Socks Clue #2

* * Spoiler Alert * *

I got a little bit behind on the mystery sock because I was out of town last week and took a sweater instead of socks as my airplane knitting, but after a marathon session last night, I'm almost caught up. Actually, I almost did clue 3 on the second sock, forgetting that I needed to take a picture.

Clue #2 is the leg. As you can see, it is a mock cable/ribbed pattern. I have never done something like this combination before, so I am having fun. The pattern repeat is only 8 rounds though, so I have to admit it got a little boring, especially on the second sock. I think the finished sock will be worth it. These are definitely socks I want to show off, not hide in shoes.

I'm sorry for the blurry photo. The weather here is atrocious, which equals very bad lighting.

Clue #3 for next week is the heel.

Six in Six

Thanksgiving is approximately six weeks away. My goal is to finish six projects by then. I have some lingering unfinished objects that deserve to be in my wardrobe, not in my knitting bags. I know six projects sounds like a lot, but I am almost done with two, and more than halfway through two more. These are my goals and what I still have to do on each project:

1. Liesl 1- just needs finishing
2. Ballard Slouch Hat- just needs finishing
   
3. Liesl 2- finish body, sleeves, finishing
4. Mystery Sock- finished with clue 1 on one sock and clue 2 on the other
5. Dead Simple Lace Socks- finished one sock, a few inches past the toe on the second one
   
6. Katie's Beret- I need to frog my old one and make one that actually fits my best friend

Next week is midterms and I'm a little behind on my schoolwork, but my goals for the weekend are to finish the hat, one sleeve of Liesl 2, and finish clue 3 on both mystery socks. I'll let you know how it goes.

Milkweed Shawl

Pattern: Milkweed Shawl by Laura Chau
Yarn: KUAS Fingering Weight Superwash Yarn in Blizzard
Needle: size 4 circular
Date Started: August 11, 2009
Date Finished: August 29, 2009
Comments: This is a very well written pattern. It is easy to "read" the knitting. This reminds me a lot of Ishbel by Ysolda Teague. See my Ravelry notes for more information about that. I was worried that this would be too small, but it blocked out nicely, even though I just patted it into shape because I could not find my blocking pins. The yarn is soft, but a lot of the color came off when I washed it. I usually don't have that problem with KUAS yarns, so maybe it was just the dye she used this time.
A detail shot:

Mystery Socks Clue #1

* * Spoiler Alert * *
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm doing Kirsten Kapur's Through the Loops! Mystery Sock again this year. This time, I decided to try to do both socks at once so that I will have a pair at the end of October. I do not actually know how to knit two socks on one long circular or two circulars, nor do I have a scale to divide a cake of yarn into two cakes, so I'm doing the socks on DPNs, one from the center of the yarn cake, and the other from the edge. I put the yarn in a plastic bag and punched a hole through it to try to prevent tangling. So far so good.

Clue #1 was the cuff. I have never seen a cuff with a little bit of lace in the middle, but I really like it. I'm using Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solid in Mint. I've had this yarn in my stash for awhile. It was supposed to be a pair of Baudelaires by Cookie A., but who knows when I will have the time or brain power for those. The yarn seems easy to use. We will see about stitch definition, etc. once I have done more non-ribbing.

This week we get the clue for the leg. I can't wait!

Cheer Me Up Socks

Pattern: 3 x 1 Ribbed Socks
Yarn: Yarntini Self-Striping Sock in Lemon Drop
Needle: size 1.5 circular
Date Started: September 3, 2009
Date Finished: September 29, 2009
Comments: I needed a mindless knitting project for riding the Metro, so these socks were born. I love the bright colors, but I feel meh about the socks. I do not like this yarn. This is the second time I've worked with Yarntini Sock, and although I love her (their?) dying and color choices, I dislike the yarn base. It is not very soft, even after washing, and the stitches never look even. I know that I do not have perfect tension, but other yarns hide it much better. Also, I'm not very happy with the pattern at this gauge. The purls stretch out when I put on the socks so that they almost look like little holes. Next time I'd check that, maybe even (horrors!) doing a swatch. Overall, I'll wear these socks, they just are not my favorites.

Found My Camera Cord

Now if I could only remember how to make a photo collage.... Here are the yarns I've been working with lately. Teaser: I'll have finished object photos as well as Mystery Sock Clue #1 spoiler soon.