Azkaban Reopened

What do you mean, I haven't written lately? Neither has Shakespeare. Um. Yeah. So there.

First order of business: I've finished Sheherezade. Now it is off my plate, the agenda, and the sidebar! Looking at it, I think it could have had another border, but... feh! It's done. And I like it.

Second in line: the Peeps Bedsocks are finished! Knitting on it was like eating popcorn: a few stitches and--before you know it--the bowl is empty! Aren't they cute? Slightly goofy, I know, but sweet in their special way. As always, there was some yarn left over so I decided to make mirror booties with what's left. I've read about, heard about, and thought about a new technique: knitting two socks at a time on one circular needle. So I gave it a shot. I like it. This way, the socks have a chance to be nearly identical.

Lastly, Playtime at Azkaban has returned. I wasn't completely satisfied with 'em. They kept falling down--not really desirable in a pair of socks. I determined that the cuff was done in a twisted rib and that's not very stretchy, albeit pretty. That needed to be re-knit. But--and it's a big BUT--you can't just unknit ribbing from the top if it was knit top-down. It requires... surgery. That's right. Cutting. Warning: The following pictures may be too explicit for some knitters. To prep, I used Jasmin's advice: slip a smaller guage needle into all the stitches in a row.Then take a deep breath and (I know it's scary) CUT a stitch. Just one. From that stitch, pull out the following stitches all around that row. The needles in place should keep your beautiful work from unravelling. Now that you've got your work stable, you can work on your project peacefully. (And I am!)

Full Bloom

Spring has officially sprung! The cowbirds are scouring the parking lots, the surfers are shucking their wetsuits, the poison oak is budding, the skies are clear, and... wait, what was that last one? The skies are clear. No, further back. That crack about poison oak? Yup, that's the one. Let's just say that spring is in full bloom and... so am I.
You know what an itchy rash is good for? Projects! It gives me something to focus on besides NOT SCRATCHING. I mean, come on. If we're told to not do something, isn't that the only thing we want to do? Instead, put a lace pattern in front of me and knitting supplies and say, "Go!" Then my focus is much better channelled. I've been mostly knitting. Riding in the car with The Man of the Place, standing in line at Soup Plantation in between scooping gobs of broccoli onto my tray, waiting for a pan of mushrooms to cook... whenever I need something to do. For a heavy duty attention grabbing project, I've been working on my lacey Gasp of Spring socks. (It's actually a much darker, richer purple but the camera wanted to show it to you in a less intimidating color.) For sheer fun, we have these silly bedsocks. The pattern is Emma Bedsocks, from the Jane Austen Yarn Club, but I call 'em Peep Socks because they look just like that Easter marshmallow candy. Well, at least the yellow and purple look Peep-ish. Because they are knitted with DK weight and size 4 needles, they are fairly flying off the needles.

Then there's another pair of my own design I won't show you right now because I'm hoping to sell that pattern to a knitting publication. Right now that's only in plain stockinette, so it's perfect for zombie knitting. (Just knit and knit and knit.) And I've finished a pair of blue baby booties for a friend who's preggers with a little blue one.