Let's twist again

Goodness, Sunday already! It's been a bitty week - a little bit of doing this and that but nothing really finished, so to speak. I worked a whole day on Vivian and will take some more pics to show you how the cabling is looking - very nice:-) But I had to take a break as it was taking over everything! I was getting far too absorbed with it. I think all my conversations were absentminded '..... yes' and  '.......no's' about five minutes after the question was asked - oops! And I had that kind of abstracted feeling you get from reality when you concentrate too hard on something, which took ages to go before I could rejoin the land of the living.

But I do have some progress pics of my green limone sock for you - one down and one to go. I especially like the rib pattern in little groups of three along the top cuff. And you can see what a clean gusset shaping this has at the heel too. No holes here at all and it has a very professional finish - which makes me feel all the more accomplished - thank you Karen:-)

I'm usually last to finish test knits:-) - I like to think I am being thorough rather than being slow!  - so I think this pattern will soon be released. I'll let you know as soon as I do. If you are already familiar with cables and a bit of shaping but haven't ventured into the world of socks yet, this pattern would be an ideal starting point. There are lots of visual aids and online links to technical info if needed so you feel supported all the way. And you get a lovely pair of socks as well. Now I just have to cast on sock no 2 before I fall foul of the second sock syndrome..... Which reminds me I have another cornflower sock to finish at some point, after the Vivian, the little minx socks and baby knits.

Yes, hopefully more on baby knits soon......:-) Have soft yarn, just have to decide what to knit. It's a baby pattern jungle out there!

Lemon & Lime Twist

So, I thought I'd surprise you with some more knitting! There is still stuff needing find a home that I really should be concentrating on but I'm very good at ignoring it while I knit my lovely sock:-) Ah, procrastination is my friend - well, my knitting friend anyway!

This lovely sock is a new test knit designed by Karen called Limone Twist (ravelry link). She knitted these in a gorgeous Wollmeise lemon yellow - scrummy! - so I thought I'd do a bit of lemon and lime. You know, I don't think I have a pair of green socks so I think I'll keep these ones for me - if I have any room left in my sock drawer. Well, a girl has to match her outfits and I do wear every colour under the sun so I correspondingly have a LOT of socks. But not green ones - yet:-)

The pattern is a lovely little twisted rib knitted over 4 rows and has a really clever construction.  After knitting through the chart or written instruction - it has both - you suddenly fall straight into the rhythm of it and you are off! This is the quickest I've knitted a patterned sock and I can even watch tv without losing my place at all - praise indeed;-)) I'm only halfway to the heel but I'm looking forward to another new heel to try - a gusset heel on a toe-up sock. I did try this type before, once, but it was so involved with the detailed patterning that it was difficult to appreciate the structure. In this sock I can see how elegant it looks and it will be interesting to knit and see how the shaping is formed. I know! The little things that please!

So lots more tv to watch so I can knit up a sock storm in Lemon & Lime. If the yarn looks familiar, it's the same hand-dyed sweetgrass green I used for my knotty gloves. I had quite a bit left over as well as another skein so I thought the slight stripes would work well on the sole of the sock. Gives it that little lemony feel to the lime don't you think?

Progress report:-)

So, I've got to dye some more yarns soon so I can start my new shawl, get some more sock yarns in the shop - if I don't divert them for my sock drawer:-) -  and get Vivian and some baby knits started. Nothing huge then, she says wryly!

Vivian is on hold at the moment as the lovely deep teal just isn't knitting to gauge - sigh. But I've got my eye on some chunky yarn on Ebay so hopefully I can be up and running in a week or sooner, depending on the post.

The lovely baby yarn I ordered arrived but wasn't quite as soft to the touch as I'd hoped. Lovely colours though. Maybe I can mix and match with other yarns I already have. But baby patterns have been earmarked and should be appearing soon. The good thing about baby knits is they are quick!

So thats us all up to date I think. Going into town tomorrow so I may have a hunt for some Sirdar snuggly. It is SOOO soft! But I'm not sure if the wool shop has it in stock so fingers crossed or it's back to shopping online. See you tomorrow!