Blasphemy

I do not like Jaywalkers. There, I said it. I love the yarn I used for them, which was Austermann Step, and it was a minor miracle that they match exactly. But I did not enjoy knitting them nor do I like how they fit. To be fair, I will probably try them one more time, but not decrease quite so much during the gusset because I cannot for the life of me figure out why she has you decrease to fewer stitches than what you started with. If anyone knows, I'd appreciate some enlightenment. So fighting with the Jaywalkers is why it took me so long to post. Mleah!
However, I do have a few projects that I finished and enjoyed and here they are. I tried a short-row stockinette heel for the very first time. It was excruciating to work through the pattern instructions, but I made it and here is the proof. The yarn is Online Supersocke and I like it very much. My LYS doesn't have very interesting colourways of it, but I know they exist. The hat is for the DD. She chose the yarn from my stash (yay!) and designed it, and I knit it to her specifications. It is Plymouth Encore in black and off-white, basic stockinette cap. At the end, instead of drawing the yarn through the remaining loops to finish it off, I did a few inches of i-cord. DD made a pompom to go on the end, and she proudly wore it all day every day for the rest of the week. It looks incredibly cute on her and I am proud to say that I made it and she actually wears it! The short socks are made from the Regia that I bought while on my trip in Chicago. I really really love this yarn. And my new KnitPicks size true 2 needles had arrived in time for me to use them and I have found my favourite needles. I did the short-row heel again and I think it looks a bit better. I know it was easier.

And now for something completely different! Look at this wonderful yarn. My friend Val dyed and spun it and was showing it off at Fibre Night last week. Of course since it has so much pink in it, I was admiring it muchly. And she gave it to me! She is not in love with pink as much as I am, and knew that I would give it a good home. I love this yarn! Here is her post about it, you'll need to scroll down a bit because it happens to be a biggish one. She doesn't think it's spun tightly enough for socks, but I think I will try it anyway. I will get some reinforcing nylon for the heels and toes and just see what happens.

And see my ticker? It is slowly but surely counting down the days until the VIP arrives. We are both extremely excited about this event. He went looking for a LYS the other day, and found Woolbearers. He says he is bringing me a bag of squishy goodness so that's another reason to be excited!












And in case you were thinking that I was going to completely ignore the Huge Event of the week, rest assured that I am not. I pre-ordered my copy and showed up at my local Borders store about 1:15pm yesterday to get my purchase wristband. I was #123 in the silver (second) group so I only had to actually wait about 45 minutes after midnight to get my copy. I came home and read the last 2 chapters and went to bed. Now I can rest, and actually enjoy reading the whole thing. And I won't watch a movie unless I am with someone who has seen it and will tell me how it ends. Yes I am very well aware of my extreme weirdness.