Progress

It's been one of those weeks.  The sweaters are longer.  The socks are visibly further along:

I'm just about halfway down the leg of the second sock, and as so often happens, the second sock seems to me to go much more quickly.  I don't know if it's because I know the pattern better, or if it's just that I have the first sock to measure progress against.   Regardless, it's chugging along.

I'm experiencing a strong desire to cast on something new, but I'm resisting in favor of not wanting to get bogged down on the current projects.

I did finally take a picture (though not a *good* picture) of the new yarn:

It's largely autumn colors, which I love.  A colorwork sweater is in there, I'm sure.  Possibly two.  But that's a matter for another time.  It's the 9th inning, the Sox are hammering...just defeated... Tampa, and I'd like to spend a little quality time with one of the sweaters before I go to bed. 

Someone...

...would like to wish you a Happy Easter.

That would be me.  Biscuit is too busy trying to eat the packaging the tulips came in.

Not to mention that he is a cat, and his only interest in holidays is that people might be around and doing Something Interesting.  In this case, Something Interesting is cleaning.  If my primary focus in life were to entertain the cat, I'd have a very clean house, because he is fascinated by it.   As it is, I'll be lucky to have it tidy enough not to be overly embarrassing when my family arrives on Sunday.  (Who can get their brain around cleaning when there's so much yarn in the world, I have to ask?)

In sock news, all non-conforming cables have had their attitudes ruthlessly adjusted.  And the sock is finally progressing again in a non-retrograde direction.

And I still haven't taken a picture of the new yarn.  Next time.  Ciao, people.  See you on the other side of the Easter egg. 

Sneak Preview

Heidi just sent me a preview photo of one of the bowls that we made in Santa Fe.

Now I'm really excited to see the rest!  They will likely ship next week, so Real Soon Now!

Status Check

1.  Snow- gone except for the dusting we got this morning.  (Cats are not pleased- they want to know what happened to the warm on the porch we had over the weekend.)
2.  Taxes for 2013- paid.
3.  Estimated quarterly taxes for 2014- paid.
4.  Wishing that quarterly taxes could be paid electronically, annual grumbling complete.
5.  Kitchen- clean-ish.
6.  Rest of house- best not thought about right now. 
7.  Afghan square, frogged three times.  Will either come out correct size this time or I will change the pattern to something easier. 
8.  Auction socks- day 3 of painstakingly fixing mis-crossed cables. 
9.  Beating self up about lack of awareness of mis-crossed cables, complete.
10.  State of mind- optimistic.  After all, the sun is shining and the days are getting longer.  That makes any day better. 

Busy

Crazy week, but at least the sunshine and warm weather have arrived at last.  Most of the snow has melted away in my yard, something I was starting to wonder if I'd ever see a couple of weeks ago! 


Being as it's been busy, the socks have been getting a lot of attention.  I've finished the Oriel Socks. 

There was only one when this picture was taken (it's a shop sample for the friend who dyed the yarn), but I found that I couldn't simply knit one sock.  Socks must have mates.  Otherwise they get lonely.  Anyway, what happens to it when it's no longer needed as a shop sample?  And what would I do with half a skein of sock yarn?  That's not even enough for my friend with the size 5 feet.   Just too many questions- it was easier to knit the second sock.  (Is there an opposite of Second Sock Syndrome?  Whatever that is, I appear to have it.)

Of course that meant I haven't been making much progress on the auction socks, but I do have a start on them, and will now turn the focus of my knitterly attention onto them.  The pattern for these is D'Artagnon.  I think they're looking very handsome and dashing in blue.

And in a spate of serious ambition last night, I swatched for the afghan squares I've promised...it seems almost funny to be swatching for squares, but they have to match the other contributors' squares in size.  So.  One deadline down, two to go.  And they back to sweaters, and the new yarn should be here by then.  Yeah...there's going to be new yarn.  But that's a story for another day.   Busy, remember?