My first Socktoberfest 2006 socks!

   It has been a long time since I last blogged - or at least it seems like it to me.  My work schedule flipped to the other half of the week this month so my usual blogging days will be shifted slightly to the latter half of the week rather than the beginning.  The good news is that I have actual knitting news and an FO to share!

   You may notice that my Fire on the Mountain socks have moved from the work in progress list to the finished object list on the right.  The second sock is off the needles and on my feet as we speak.  I love them a lot.  The yarn is Socks that Rock mediumweight, and it feels fantastic.

   And another view:

   These may be the best fitting socks I have made to date.  Since the yarn is a little heavier I adjusted the number of cast on stitches to 54, and I didn't increase after the cuff.  The heel was worked on 27 stitches, and then I decreased through the gusset to 16 stitches.  That number should actually have been lower given the totals, but since 16 had seemed to be working so well for me I just went with it.  They hug my feet just right through the arch.  For once I didn't get too impatient and start the toe too early so they aren't pulling against my toes, which is nice.  These were knit on size 2's, and with this heavy a yarn a smaller size would not work as well.  In fact, Janice is knitting a pair of gloves in mediumweight on size 1's and she has snapped 2 needles.  Needless to say she ordered some metal ones to finish with. 

  In case  you are wondering, I don't really use a pattern for basic stockinette socks anymore.  It is a pattern in my head that is a combination of some previous patterns I have used and experience with various yarns.  Sometimes that bites my in the behind and I have to start over, but to date that has only happened once.  (Though technically there are a few pairs of handknit socks that I don't like to wear because they're too big around the leg.  lol)   I actually wrote out my pattern for Laurel at The Yarn Shoppe along with various tips and tricks I've run across for newbie knitters.  The lady I'm teaching to knit socks on dpns through TYS is using it now, so I'll learn the hard way if it isn't workable, but it should be.  I may include a link to it somewhere, but not today.

   If you actually looked in the finished objects list a minute ago you may have also noticed an item listed there that hasn't ever been mentioned here.  I actually managed to start and finish a project before I had a chance to blog about it.  Thursday Laurel asked me to look at this pattern since it was similar to my Panes bag.  She wanted to know if it looked hard or not, and suggested a possible class on it.  I volunteered to knit it up for the store and took everything I needed for it home with me.  It was started Friday afternoon and finished, felted, and blocked by Tuesday morning.  It only took 2 or three decent sessions to knit the whole thing, including the icord.  A slight modification has been made to the pattern which means it hasn't been photographed as an FO yet, but here is an in progress picture:

    I have quite a few photos to post, but since I have all week I'll save some for the next few days.  For my own reference, I intend to blog about our new fish tank - and our old one, the craft show I went to Sunday and my purchases, the new yahoo group I'm trying to join, my yarn coop dilemma, and our new deck.  Plus whatever else I can come up with in the next 4 days.

TTFN!

PS - The eyelet chemise is even closer to finished now.  I'm on the buttonhole strip which is the last 12 or so inches of the last border.  Then buttons and pictures!