Ignoring Gauge

I'm having some gauge issues with my socks at the moment. I think this is mostly down to ignoring gauge. I get in a bit of a hurry and a gauge swatch seems too time consuming. Of course knitting most of a sock only to discover it needs about an inch more circumference is not exactly a time saving procedure.

Instead of ripping out and reknitting my waterfall sock I started a new pair. I'm still not sure if I am going to reknit the waterfall using the same yarn or switch to another yarn so that it doesn't feel quite so much like knitting a sock three times. In the mean time I'll knit away at this new mystery sock:

Quick progress update

It seems that even when I have many projects on the go I tend to focus on one until it is finished (or frogged). Today I've been working away at the sock I showed yesterday. I had a bit of a set back when I screwed up my modification of the heel but I'm all caught up again. With any luck this sock will be done tomorrow night and I'll be able to get started on its pair.

You know, I might just finish all of my early Christmas knitting. Huzzah.

R.I.P.

I started these mittens (Selbuvotter's #13) yesterday. It looked like they were going to be a bit big but I convinced myself that I would either give them a bit of a felting/fulling or add in a lining. I finally took a good look at how the thumb is added and decided that I really wasn't crazy about them. The mitten will be frogged.

This is a wise decision, I think, since this yarn is new to me (it is a fingering weight romney wool that reminds me a lot of the shetland spindrift) and I'm not sure hoe much it is going to change when I wash it. So I will be actually knitting a gauge swatch to test the wool's reaction to a good washing. I know I should have done this first but I was caught up in the excitement of casting on a new project.

my other mystery project is on hold because I managed to loose of of my DPNs and I'm waiting for a new package to be delivered. Luckily the socks I cast on yesterday are working out well. The yarn is Louet Gems super fine and the pattern is Waterfall socks. This will be my third pair of socks in this pattern; I love these socks because they are a great combination of ribbing and lacyness.

Done

My brother's Christmas gift is now all done. It still needs a wash and a block but it is otherwise ready to go. This is a good day to finish it too since it is his birthday today. I'd wish him a happy birthday but I'm pretty sure (and I certainly hope) that he doesn't read the blog.
Pattern: Jackyll & Hide
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran. 3 balls of white.
Needles: 5mm addi circular (I used a version of the magic loop method because I didn't have any double pointed needles in the right size)
Modifications: I changed the decreases along the top and made them paired decreases with a couple of stitches between. The only other change I made was to the distance between the end of the ribbing and the beginning of the eyes; since the pattern says it should be 4 inches but the diagram says 5 inches I took the average and did 4.5.

Ken helped me get a modeled shot:

So close

For the last couple of hours I have been knitting madly trying to get this present finished so I could show it off before I went to bed. It was close but I failed so all I have is another work in progress shot. Tomorrow I should be able to not only finish the knitting but also finish all the finishing (I love that knitting lets me say that). I'm really happy with how this is turning out; it is lovely and soft and squishy and a bit creepy.

Another gift

The last gift knitting I posted on is still in progress but I've now cast on for a completely different project. This one is for my brother (who I don't think reads this blog). I love working with really fine yarns but it is a nice break to work with some aran weight yarn for a change.

So much knitting to do and so little time; my trip home this year is a t the beginning of December rather than Christmas proper so I'm rushing a bit at this point. Expect to see lots of projects cast on, and hopefully completed, int eh next couple of weeks.

Cat and wet wool

In the last few days I washed some of my knit wear and my cat has helped me dry and block it. I'm not sure what it is about wet wool but the cat likes to lay on it. In the last two days she has slept on a wet Autumn Rose and a damp shawl I was blocking. She would have also slept on my green hoodie but the wet wooden buttons were driving her crazy and she couldn't leave them alone so I set the sweater out of her reach. Oh helpful cats what would we do without them.

Christmas knitting continues unabated but repetitively so no new pictures tonight.