In the nick of time

I am a fan of the whole "pair of socks" plan so I went ahead and finished a second woolly brown sock. I'll probably go ahead and give them even though I look at them and think only a smallish, elfin type person could wear them. I think my grandmother counts.

And Darcy says, "If you're finally finished, can I pleeease have a Milkbone now?"

Woolly sock, the first

Since the Razorback basketball game last night was as exciting as watching paint dry, I did get some knitting done (after I bailed out the car again).
I finished the first sock of the set I was planning to make and give to my grandmother. They are wool. I think they make my eyes itch. They are also small because she is a very small person. Now I'm worried they won't fit.
Handmade gifts are a little stressful for me, have you noticed?

What I did on my Christmas vacation

I always have such amazing plans for the vacation time that I take off around Christmas. Unfortunately, I spend the first 2 days frantically cooking, cleaning, and wrapping for Christmas. And then there's the whole turkey issue and my gag reflex. And then I have to take down the tree and clean all over again to get back to normal. And I have to shop a little, you know, just to get all the excellent deals.

This year, I added to that buying and using a ladder to reattach loose siding. Which apparently made me angry enough (I hate ladders, heights, and do-it-yourself repairs. A lot.) to snap because I also did some digging up of ugly bushes in the front of my house. And my brother brought over the power washer that I've been asking to borrow since October on Christmas so I power washed my house. I...power...washed...my...house. And parts of me, the ones required to crank the thing, will probably never be the same (and no, I didn't do it alone and that's a very good thing because that power washer would have sailed over the fence at one point and my house would still be a nice shade of mold green in some places). And I went to get my license renewed where I was forced to guess on my weight. Out loud. In front of people. Thank God I did that before I stepped on a scale to see how much I actually do weigh.

So all that to say...I left large swaths of cross stitch undone. Many projects with beautiful fabrics remain in stacks on the cutting table. That book I was going to write over Christmas break (sure)...unwritten, although I do have new inspiration now.

I knitted. This is all I have to show for my time off. Just the second, unfinished sock too. I had already finished one sock. But at least it looks like I'll have a pair. Someday.

How many days is it until Christmas? Maybe I'll do better in 2009.

Sock, the first of the cable pair

Complete. And it fits perfectly. I find it hard to believe as well. I've determined that I don't really like cables. Sure, they're impressive. At least, to me, but maybe you don't need them on your socks. Still, I have one. One that fits perfectly. I'll have to make the other, right? And now that I've actually made socks with cables, I'll never have to do that again.

I've determined over the past weekend spent cleaning that I need to ban buying more craft-related items until I actually finish some things. The fabric and yarn piles are getting a little out of hand. We'll see how that goes!

A second post...to make up for the first one.

Because I'm pretty sure the NKOTB appeal to my loyal blog readers is fairly low, I'm following up with a sock update. I'm sure you were just dying to know how well THAT's going!

If you look closely at the second shot, you'll see what I believe is called a "ladder" in knitterly circles.

I am unhappy about it.

But I soldier on.

Note to self: next time, stick with 5 needles.

One Solitary Sock

So I finished it...my very first sock! It's a little loose and floppy but I think I'm OK with that. It was good enough to mess with Darcy a little. So I gotta get the mate cast on quick before I succumb to the lure of a new yarn and a new pattern...and the possibility of perfection.

Sock beginnings

Do you know what you call this?
1. the power of peer pressure
2. the first 4 1/2" of my very first sock and so far, so good
3. Syncopated Rib Socks from I Can't Believe I'm Knitting

Yes, there are, in fact, 5 double-pointed needles here.

Oddly enough, I feel the need to get more sock yarn...