11.09.2009

So What Else is New?

Blathering last week about My Beloved's LYS adventures and the week before about the Fair Isle steeking and completion it feels like ages since I've posted about actual "in progress" knitting.

I've been stealing moments when I'm out and about to work on this...
Yet another pattern from from Interweave Knits "Favorite Socks", the Eesti Trail Hiking Socks. I'm making them for My Beloved as ski socks and plan to give them to him for Christmas. The yarn is Cascade 220 and I am unspeakably thrilled with the red and white colour scheme which is quite a departure from the Oatmeal and soft Rust colours shown in the book.
I'm saving the socks for knitting on the road as the Eyelet Lace Cardigan isn't ideal for travelling. Its not even really ideal for knitting with distractions. The shaping eats into the sides of the pattern so that beyond a certain point you can't just blindly follow the chart because you don't have enough stitches any more for a complete line of the chart.
The back of the sweater features three vertical eyelet cables. The centre cable starts on row 15 of the chart, the two side cables on row 1. Hence on each row of knitting you alternate between the two different lines of the same chart. I tried to tote that around with me one day and the sticky notes I was using to keep track of where I was fell off. I thought I had sorted out where I was, put the stickies back in place and worked on it for an evening only discovering in the morning I'd placed them incorrectly. I ripped it back and now I'm faced with again figuring out where I am on the chart for each cable. All squished together on the needle this proved impossible so now its off the needles and on a length of yarn ready to be deciphered again. Argh!

I'm going to take some time today while the house is quiet to do that. Tonight I think I might go to a local Knit Night. If I do I'll take along the Eesti Socks. Not only am I keen to see how they look competed in my colour scheme, I'd like to knit a little Christmas something for each of the kids so I need to get the socks to the FO list and get going on those projects.
Over the weekend I put the fruit for my Christmas Cakes into their week long cognac and honey bath. Beautiful weather outside notwithstanding, the Holiday Season is bearing down quickly. Eeeek!

Thanks for dropping by today!


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the stocking so far! BUT I have used Cascade 220 before, and the dark colors tend to bleed if you aren't careful! I'd suggest maybe a very cold vinegar bath once the stocking is done.

Barb

Brenda said...

Week long cognac and honey bath??? No wonder your fruit cake is a hit.