Stress Reaction

...everywhere a sock, sock!

I love the de rigueur summer sock knitting. Socks are cropping up all over, just like spring flowers. Claudia has knit a lovely pair in an Easter egg colorway and has another on the needles in a textured orange (yummy enough to make me rethink my "not fond of orange" mindset). Amanda has a scrumptious pair in Opal Rodeo using the custom fit Queen Kahuna's Crazy Toes & Heels (I'm going to have to check this out. What an awesome fit)! Mary Heather has a multi-ribbed pair in luscious Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock that makes me drool. Finally, the Harlot, was lamenting the variant nature of Lorna's Laces colorways and her blotches. So, of course, I had to cast on as well.

I got swoops!

I am using a new (to me) technique that I downloaded from The Knitting Zone. Socks 2 by 2 is a pattern you can use either toe up or cuff down, and I cast on in two different colors to avoid confusion as to which sock I am working on. The blue and black is Lorna's Laces in Blackwatch, and the other is Opal Handpainted in Color 19. Oh, happy feet!! I figure I have a fifty-fifty chance of eliminating second sock syndrome. The other options are two orphan socks or an extremely mismatched pair.

Other summer knitting, in preparation for fall wear. Midwest Moonlight from Scarf Style knit with KnitPicks Merino Style in Frost.

I lurve it!! (Look, Amanda, no more errant yo's)!

This yarn has wonderful depth of color and knits up super soft. On the surface it appears a medium blue, but it has shades of much deeper blue depending on the angle from which it is viewed. The pattern is easy to memorize and the variety of stitches keep it from getting tedious.

Look at me. I have become such a joiner. As my sidebar would indicate, I have jumped on multiple bandwagons and joined the Secret Pal 5, A Gathering of Lace KAL, and the Mystery Stole KAL. Sheesh! Who needs to work, anyway? Unfortunately, I have nothing to show on either the GOL KAL or the Mystery Stole KAL, and I am not allowed to show anything for the SP5, so, no photos.

Speaking of which, I have my secret pal! It is like the week before Christmas trying to suppress the urge to blurt out my identity. I want to post photos of all the goodies I have thought of to spoil my buddy!

I am fast approaching the six-month anniversary of my blog. I have to decide if I want to stay with White Lamb, or go with my own domain. I find that I am suffering more angst in deciding on a domain name than I ever did picking a name for one of my children. How sad is that? Here's hoping that none of my children suffer irreparable harm with some identify crisis because I didn't put enough thought into naming him or her.

My Secret Pal has sent me a virtual card! I anticipate being treated like royalty for the duration of this exchange!

I can already tell she has great taste!

And my sweet husband picked me up a knitting gift. Don't you just love spur of the moment surprises? No special occasion, just because he was thinking about me!

Just perfect for my current sock-knitting obsession!

All in all, not a bad day!

And here is the proof!! In my lovely package, which was waiting for me when I got home from work today, was "an assortment of purple things. Buttons, yarn, a polar fleece scarf and lap blanket, a kerchief that we dyed ourselves, a picture frame, a bath set & hand creme set and some superwash wool roving".

This tremendously thoughtful person even offered to send me a spindle for my new roving. But look at what my husband found for me! An antique drop spindle. It originally was wound with some loosely spun, unwashed wool that practically dripped with lanolin (which was probably antique as well) but it totally grossed me out, so I unwound it and threw it away.

She cleans up real nice, doesn't she?

Now it's time to put my money where my mouth is and see if I can remember how to use the spindle. I took that fiber arts class a long time ago, after all. With roving like this to tempt me, however, I think I shall be picking it up again quite quickly!

Turn, turn, turn. I have turned my heels! This does not in any way resemble turning over a new leaf. Nor does it equate to turning the other cheek, turning the tables or turning a blind eye. But, I do have neatly turned heels. Lets hear it for short rows! Yeah!

I am ambivalent about this sock knitting method. There is tremendous appeal to knitting both socks at once. (They will, in future, be matching socks. Since this was my first attempt at Socks 2 by 2, I used two different yarns as recommended by the pattern writer to reduce the risk of knitting my two socks into one giant sock). I pride myself with having excellent spatial skills, and yet I found it challenging to get this started. Now that I am up and running, I continue to marvel at the architectural genius of knitting with two circulars at once. I especially enjoy the baffled looks I get from knitters and non-knitters alike.

There is, however, in my humble opinion, an elegance, a tradition if you will, to knitting with double points that is missing with this two circular method. Nonetheless, particularly when efficiency is an issue, I can see myself using this pattern in the future. You can download the pattern here.

I have my ticket. I have my party. I have my destination. Is it not beautiful? Who could not love it?

I am taking a five-day knitting vacation. Such an indulgence, I know! (Or maybe just lame because I have no where I particularly want to go, and how sad is it that five days of knitting, thinking about knitting, blogging about knitting, reading what others blog about knitting, and online browsing/shopping for knitting supplies satisfies me)?

Anyway.

I will also be visiting Mystery Island. This is a popular destination that I have long neglected, and others, who have gone before me, can attest to its attractive appearance.

Stay tuned for vacation photos.