Book stashing

I had a horrible accident last week when I was browsing the Amazon website and I fell down and managed to type in my credit card number by mistake. So far I've received two of four items that were subsequently ordered.

This

I bought because I hear raves about her classes online, and the chance that I'll ever be able to take one is practically nonexistent. So I figured this book was the next best thing.

And this one

I had been thinking about for a while. And then I looked at the patterns and realized that both of my children's names are immortalized therein. Even if one of them is spelled wrong. So I had to buy it, right? I'm not sure I would have bought it if I had known beforehand that all the patterns were top down, but after extensive perusal, I suspect that I will have to set myself the goal of knitting every single pair in the book. I've already got recipients picked out for two of them, and maybe I'll even make some for myself!

Need design input

OK, I've got a critical question for you all:

Do you see a difference between these two socks?

Let's call the one on the left A and the one on the right, B. Which do you like better?

Here's another view.

A.

B.

If you don't see any difference, let me know, as that will save me some serious reknitting time. These are the Maillot Jaune TdF socks that I'm trying to finish/write up in the next few days, so comment early and often!

Hey there stranger!

It's been a while, no? We have made it out of Houston (just ahead of a Flood of Biblical Proportions) and are comfortably ensconced in Vermont at the moment. I've taken advantage of the Grandmothers to get some knitting done. But in order to have at least a few posts over the next few days, I will not talk about all of it here.

First up: ta da! The first of the TdF socks is done in it's first incarnation (the cuff is going to be adjusted when I get to London and the rest of my yarn for this project).

Pattern: my own, to be available in late June.
Yarn: Cascade Fixation (98% cotton/2% elastic), 100 yds/50 gr. For a women's size 10 I used about a ball and a half.
Needles: US 1/2.25 mm
Gauge: 7.5 stitches/12 rows per inch.

These anklets are knit from the toe up, with an easy lace pattern reminiscent of the switchbacks on Alpe d'Huez, one of the most famous and storied climbs in the Tour de France. Easy, peasy and quite comfy for the hot days of summer, whether or not you're riding your bike!

No fiber today

It's another Friday, one week closer to our departure (exactly three weeks from today - someone please shoot me now). I know I'm getting stressed out because I'm tired all the time (sleeping only 6 hrs a night because of the fucking inventory we are doing of Everything.In.Our.House might have something to do with that too), and not really hungry ever - I'm subsisting on large amounts of The Nectar of the Gods/The Evil Bean Water* and whatever seems palatable at the moment, which is not much. I've decided that I am going to put a moratorium on knitting projects for the moment - my plan now is to take with me on the plane the projects that have been lingering for a while (aka the Sock Yarn blanket and a certain shawl that has been sitting on the shelf being ignored for the last five months or so) and commit to finishing those up. I'll send the yarn by shipping container with massive amounts of lavender, and hope that it all makes it there safely.

The wheel, however, will be going air freight. I have (some of) my priorities straight after all.

Another sign that I'm getting stressed out is that my brain is popping out design concepts galore. As of right now, in addition to the Tour de France projects I'm still hacking away on, I've got ideas for four sweaters, another pair of socks, and some mitts. The mitts have been knit in one incarnation, and I'm planning on a proposal to work up for a spin/knit combo pattern for an online magazine. The socks are pretty straightforward, but need to be written up and (gasp!) actually knitted. I've got yarn for three of the sweaters, but have no idea when I'll actually get around to them. I think it's my brain's way of aiding me in my denial of what I really need to be doing, i.e. writing a paper and getting my crap organized.

The good news is that I have three of the four TdF patterns charted and written, and one test knitter has her materials (and 82 row chart!) in hand. I'm working on the first of the two that I'm test knitting, and am rapidly proceeding up the foot. I've got two cuff treatments in mind, and I don't know if I'm going to just pick one or do both. And if I do both, I don't know which order to do them in. So it's likely that the top of this sock will have lots of ripping involved.

Can anyone identify the jersey (color has been adjusted because that's too easy)? And the specific inspiration for the instep pattern? I'll give you a prize if you can...

* My feelings and Ironman's feelings about coffee respectively.

FO: Science Geek socks

Pattern: Biological Clocks by Janel Laidman, from The Eclectic Sole
Yarn: Araucania Ranco, 1 skein
Needles: US 1/2.25 mm
Gauge: 9 sts (!)/12 rows per inch
Comments/mods: These socks have been on my list for a while now, and I finally cast on for them in January. With one thing and another, the knitting was finally done on the last day of February, but I did not get a chance to sew down the cuffs. So here they are for March.

I did change the pattern a bit from what is in the book. First off, the pattern in the book is written for a smaller foot then mine. That wasn't so bad for the circumference of the sock (62 stitches), but the number of increases for the gusset was a bit wonky. I forged ahead, continuing the increases to what I thought was a reasonable number for my foot, did the heel, got through 3 of 4 charts, and then bowed to the inevitable realization that the sock was too big. So I ripped back to the midfoot and used Cat Bordhi's Riverbend sockitecture for the rest of the foot, did an eye of partridge heel and went on with the charts. This worked much better, and they fit great!

I really enjoyed this yarn - it's got a very nice, substantial feel to it but is plenty soft enough for next-to-skin wear, and the colors are just lovely. I can't really justify any more yarn purchases (look for a dramatic update on the amount of Knit Picks Palette I own in the near future), but when I get back to that point, I'll get some more of this.

Heh heh...I have DNA on my feet...what a geek!

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Book update for Feb/March:
16. Whiskey and Water - Elizabeth Bear
15. The Alton Gift - Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross
14. Dragon Singer - Anne McCaffrey
13. The Bull from the Sea - Mary Renault
March
12. Careless in Red - Elizabeth George
11. New Amsterdam - Elizabeth Bear
10. In the Moon of Red Ponies - James Lee Burke
9. A Different Light - Elizabeth Lynn
8. Little Brother - Cory Doctorow
7. Darwinia - Robert Charles Wilson
February
6. Undertow - Elizabeth Bear (I needed some aliens to recover from the overload of teenage vampire hormonal angst and wizard vs. werewolf shenanigans)
5. Fool Moon - Jim Butcher
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer (phew!)
3. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer
New Moon - Stephanie Meyer
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Steig Larsson, translated from Swedish by Reg Keeland.
January