Still here, still knitting, still muddling ....

which is good, sometimes it is good to go slow and muddle about working on things that are a comfort, things that one can do and which result in small success. Today I finally have progress on Nightingale, there is nearly half two finished objects and the blanket grows, and this post I do have an image of the latest Vintage Purls sock club - and its pretty.

Nightingale is a sock that demands attention, not a sock to be knit in a weekend, not a sock to be knit whilst distracted, and not a sock that can be knit whist a subtitled movie on or knit night conversation flows around one. For the past few weeks I've needed a much simpler knit than that so Nightingale has been pushed to the side of the workbasket in favor of easier things. Yesterday was a quiet day, a Saturday at home, the weather was dull, no work came home with me, there was no urgent chores - so I sat peacefully and knit the last flying bird on the shin. Today it was much the same story, oh eldest cub needed a haircut, and there were a few errands to run .... but this afternoon I sat and watched vintage Startrek (thank you channel 2 - perfect winter Sunday viewing) and knit. Look ! Nearly done. Because I'm knitting these as knee highs if possible I've decided to eschew the pattern directions for a hemmed top and I am working mine with corrugated stripes as far as my yarn lasts. I'm hoping to score another cm or two ..... to make them full knee highs rather than almost knee highs.

The other sock on (or recently off the needles) is Embossed leaves, and sadly it is too short in the foot for me. These are knit top down and for a slightly smaller foot than mine .. still they are great fun to knit and have such a nice resolved toe that I will knit its mate. After that I'm not sure what I will do, second cubs feet are much smaller so there is little point holding them for her, I wonder about swapping them for a skein of similarly colour sock yarn .... with some one with smaller feet? As there is only one at present I don't need to make a decision right now .. and chances are an opportunity will present it self by the time I've knit the second sock. Now I have knit it I understand how to knit it with a longer foot and still have it resolve into a the neat designed toe, but I'm not so mad as to frog this one to do that.

This is the toe, Mona Schmidt the designer very cleverly worked a star toe with purl stitches that maintain the shape of the leaves. On each quarter one decrease is worked as a purl to delineate one edge of the leaf, while the other edge is marked by a single purl every other round. I'm impressed, but it means that the instep pattern has to finish at the correct point to work the toe, and for that the leg pattern has to finish at the right point to make the foot the right length ....

My pink embossed leaf sock is resting here on my huge blanket, the difference in scale between the two pieces of knitting amuses me greatly. The blanket is nearly half way there, I've got only a few rows to complete before I can say it is half worked. Of course that ignores all the work of seaming it up ... but that is fun with this blanket. It is a puzzle to fit together and this will be my third one. After that there is a growing list of things to knit - so I'm keen to finish these projects soon. And I feel that working alternatively with large and small yarn and large and small needles is good for my hands - flexing them and forcing different knit movements.

Near the top of my 'to knit next list' is two 'baby' things for people Bear works with. He very nicely asked if two pair of Hodge could be worked, which I'm happy to do. Then there is a need or a pair of Embossed leaves socks that fit me .. together with the temptation of the latest Vintage Purls sock club sock. This one looks like it could become a repeat knit-up, a pattern that would work with many many colours and shades of yarn. Next to the yarn is the cutest gridded notebook printed with a little radiator design that was part of the kit this month. But .. I've promised my self that I will not start any more new sock designs until Nightingale is done, for to leave it much longer is to risk my gauge changing, and now I'm near the end of the first one I have renewed enthusiasm for knitting it, doggedly following the chart and all. That is the killer - the dependence on the chart - but without the chart there would not be four birds on each sock ... and I like the birds, like the birds a lot.