Back in the saddle again

The first pair of socks for 2009:

Pattern: umm, no. Top down, picot cuff, eye of partridge heel, star toe, 42 stitches.
Yarn: Cascade Fixation, in a color I believe is #9398, just under one ball (100 yds).
Comments: I realized last week that my Science Geek socks were not going to be done in time for the SAM knitalong. Enter a quickie pair of socks for Devil. I started them last Thursday during an epic Barbie Fairytopia video marathon and finished sewing in the ends on the bus ride home last night. Love the stripes. She wore them to school today. With her Tomten. Win, win, win. I guess Boo needs a pair now. Good thing I picked up a bunch of this yarn on sale a couple of months ago!

And hopefully my socks will be done next month. Onward to pair #2.

Addendum: Brilliant!

Oh bugger

This is what my current pair of socks looked like while I was waiting for the bus this morning:

This is what they looked like when I got to work.

I had the sad duty of coming to terms with the fact that, although I was almost done with Chart 3 (of 4) on the leg, the sock was too big. Just too long. And if I kept going, I might not have enough yarn for sock #2. So I spent my bus ride imitating a froggie. My socks for this month might have to be some quickies for the girls instead of these bad boys.

Speaking of the girls, I did manage to get some modeled shots of Boo in her Tomten.

Last night watching TV.

I think she likes it, because she wouldn't take it off until bath time, resulting in a lovely ketchup splotch across the front from dinner.

She wore it again this morning, so I think this one is a keeper!

Please note the pink Dora Crocs, three Dora books clutched in one hand, and 'Raf under the other arm. She is prepared for the day.

Boo's sweetheart

Boo has a new favorite person. Her uncle came to visit last week, courtesy of a work trip to Houston, and she picked up right where she left off over Christmas. Her initial response to him was deep suspicion with a tinge of There's-No-Way-I'm-Hanging-Out-With-Him-Are-You-Insane-Mama? She gradually morphed into OK-He-Can-Exist-To-Read-Stories-To-Me.

But now? Now they are best buds.

Ironman likes to say that there are two types of people in the world, Mama and not-Mama. Usually the not-Mama's get the short end of the stick.

I think it must be something about my familial genes, because my brother seems to be doing OK as far as Boo is concerned. The only bigger highlight of our trip to the Science Museum was this:

A very confused (and hungry, one assumes) Rice paper butterfly.

While Boo has a new love, so do I:

Aracaunia Ranco sock yarn. This is the start of my Science Geek socks, and I am absolutely head over heels for this yarn. It's not the softest in the world, but it has something toothy about it (that's the best word I could come up with). It grips the needles well, is as totally unsplittable as yarn could be, and is knitting up into a lovely variegated fabric. It's too bad (good?) that I'm turning over a new leaf in my yarn acquiring habits, because I could see insulating my house with this stuff.

The Christmas presents

Here they are, in all their glory. Some of these have been blogged previously, but in the interests of not having a pages-long post, I've included more notes on the Flickr pages for those of you who are interested.

Ironman's socks

Crofter's Cowl #1

Brambler for Nana

Socks originally meant for Ironman, but reallocated to my lovely brother-in-law, who had no problems with the color

Diamond Waffle socks for my brother

Red Velvet handspun for my SIL

Another Crofter's Cowl for Koala

Sunflower hat for Mermaid

Not pictured are the Jacques Cousteau hat I made for my Dad (maybe someone will email me a picture perhaps?), and the super-secret project for Aquaphilic that will be going in the mail tomorrow. Just in time for her birthday. And no, it's not yarn this year.

Here's the last Christmas present, and it's not one that I made. This is one that my mother made for Ironman and me, to go with the beautiful cherry bed he made about four years ago.

This is the Mariner's Compass quilt* that she's been working on for the last while. It is absolutely gorgeous. She wanted to make us a quilt, and asked for colors. I said "blues and purples", and this is what she came back with. It is truly stunning, and I can't wait for it to arrive and get put on the bed (even if the edges aren't yet done).

So that's it for the Christmas knitting. Up next will be some thoughts about projects for 2009. 

* Many of the pictures in this post were taken with my Christmas present. Hooray for Ironman!

FO: Ironman's Christmas socks

Pattern: Spiraling Coriolis by Cat Bordhi
Yarn: Trekking XXL colorway #76, 1 skein
Needles: US 1/2.25 Harmony double points
Gauge: 9 sts/12 row per inch
Comments: I did the same pattern that I did for my July SAM socks, but widened the spiraling band to include a cable. I worked the cable over 7 stitches (p1, k2, p1, k2, p1), crossing every 8 rows. I crossed the cables towards the top of the sock, so they go in opposite directions on the two socks.

Again, lovely colors from the folks at Zitron. They looked a lot redder in the skein then in the finished socks, but the striping is pretty subtle (always a good thing with items for Himself).

I always get a smaller gauge with Trekking XXL then with other sock yarns - it's definitely on the thinner side - but it makes a nice fabric that wears well. I made a pair of entrelac socks for Ironman out of the same yarn a couple of years ago that are going strong (must write up that pattern sometime).

So this concludes this year's Sock a Month extravaganza. I think I only missed one month, and one month was a total cheater. I'm hoping to keep up the streak in 2009, but may have to resort to either knitting socks just for myself or for people with smallish feet - there's been a lot of very small stitches this year!