I am, it seems, a Sock Knitter

This little fact has become apparent to me only in the last few days, I gathered up a list of my knitting for 2009 and found the following facts:

1. I knit 49 items in 2009 (more actually as 23 of those were paired items so that statistic could be inflated artificially yet truthfully to read 72 individual items)
   
2. The most common item knitted were pairs of socks, a whopping 15 Pair of socks (well one is as yet not finished ... but 14.5 sounds far less impressive, and I'm counting cast on items not completed)
   
3. The second most common item knit was Mitts (under which I'm also including wristers and mittens), a warm 8 pair
4. 5 baby things were generated, blankets, booties, and a single lace singlet
5. Hats were less common, I knit only 4, 3 for my Dad (one didn't fit - but it still counts)
6. There were/are 4 proper garments, one Gansey, one steeked Owls, one shrug, and one Whisper (still in progres).

What is clear is that I am now above all other knitterly things a Sock Knitter, plain to see, Fifteen Pairs of socks, 30 single socks in all (ok, ok 29 if we are being totally honest).

Its the first post of 2010 (so Happy New Year to you), and as a tradition at this time of the year its good to review the year in knitting and to think of the year(s) of knitting to come. What will the year bring, well right now the year is looking good, we all have our health (and a little wealth in that the adult bears in this family are still gainfully employed), and that little yet important fact means there is enough. Enough time to knit, to read, to be on line, enough space, enough peace, enough interest and enough love. Some how that last one should be first - but it needs to be last, there is love and friendship and support here and 'out-there' across the world, and it allows that the knitting can happen. By that I don't mean that I am allowed to knit, I mean that because I have family and friends and love and support and interest in what I do that means that I have comfort to knit in, I don't have to steal time, or space or money to knit, and in turn I try enable those around me to do the things that they want to do.

But knitting, and more clearly knitting in 2010 and beyond ....Well, more socks obviously, and at least 2 knit workshops, the annual KSG camp, and a knitters weekend at the end of this month. Beyond the socks, I'm working on submitting a design to somewhere ... its been designed, and knit, and is now mid way thru the test knit of the pattern and should be ready to send at the end of this month. I'm not sure what I want to knit beyond socks, well Toby will need a new jersey - he wears his Gansey daily and is a growing boy, so there will be a jersey for him ... but I know not what sort yet, Poppy has misplaced her Ziggidy-Zaggidy (and we had two name lables in it!) so she will need another warm knit. My Ravelry queue has a few non-sock items in it, a steeked colour work cardigan for me, there are a few queued, chances are I'll modify something to fit the gauge I like to work, beyond that ... well I'm open to finding and wanting to knit things as they are published or I find out about them.

And knitting now?
Well what is left is Whisper, and my not-a-mystery-any more TTL Soctober 2008 sock (Oh and that secret one I'm designing - but I can't let you see that ... yet... if its published I'll let you know and if not I'll offer it up for free - no point in all that work writing a pattern going to waste). Did you suspect at all? That I had another project on the go that was not being Blogged, or Ravelried or Flickr'd? Its been hard keeping it secret, when I solved little tricky problems, when it fitted, when the plan worked and the prototype was done - I so wanted to show you all, but none of the places I'd like to submit will look at a project if it has been made public .. so I can't.


Whisper, Yes I'm still whispering, I cast off the neck of the shrug ribb section using a 2 stitch i-cord, and then worked the back section using Fleegles short row technique. A very nice technique - I will revisit this next I need short rows, it is not invisible, no worse than any other method, but it is symmetrical.


See? Whisper has grown since this photo, the back section is now 3" long, and looking good. I'm not enamored by the rolling edges of the pattern as written, so I've continued with a little fiddle-faddle the i-cord of the cast off onto the edges of the back section. On the purl rows I'm slipping the first and last three stitches, and knitting them on the knit rows. In an effort to reduce the amount of roll that the increases every second row cause, I've cut the increases back, and am working them every 4th row, but perhaps I'll slow them down to every 6th or 8th row.

And the sock, look one sock done, toe grafted ends woven in, done, done, done. Second sock cast on, and one round of the rib worked ... its on its way. In hindsight I could have added a diamond repeat on the instep .. repeated part of the chart ... but I'm happy. This sock looks far more complex and tricky than it is .. honest, go on try it.

Take care
May this and all new years bring good things, heath, and enough, both time and love
May your yarns not be tangled, the knitting interesting when you need a challenge and smooth when you need peace. May your dpns stay as a complete set, and the Wip's not reproach you from the basket. May there be errata that is easy to find and solves the problem that sent you looking for errata. May your stash and skeins have enough yarn to knit the items you cast on, for there is nothing more frustrating than not having enough yarn to finish.

Take care
na Stella