FO socks!

*photo credit: Jen at Wool & Company*

As mentioned in today's podcast, I finished some projects this week. Most significant would be these damn socks. I still love the combination of colors and the knitting was entertaining and something new. But just past the halfway point of the second sock, I lost interest and found the two-handed knitting was cumbersome and took too much concentration for thoughtless summer knitting. So they had been put aside until this past week. When it was all said and done, I only had about two pattern repeats to complete before the toe. Details about how I messed them up on the second sock can be read on the Wool & Co blog today.

The reason I picked them back up was because I needed the needles they were on so I could cast on another project. Little E had picked out some sock yarn at the Midwest Fiber Festival that she really wanted me to knit some socks for her. (Photos coming later) As of this typing, they are almost up to the heel turn. I'm knitting them using Magic Loop, two-at-a-time, toe up. They should be done by the end of the week.

Another new project on the needles is a circular shawl from Wrapped in Comfort: knitted lace shawls with the Briar Rose Fiber Angel Face that I also purchased at the Midwest Fiber Festival.
I know this is going to work up beautifully, I just have to keep myself motivated to continue knitting thread-like laceweight in an almost impossible to read pattern. When I say "read" I don't mean the written pattern or chart, I'm referring to "reading my knitting." Typically as I'm knitting a lace pattern, I can usually figure out by looking at the stitches on the needle and figure out where I am in the pattern and what line is next. After a few repeats, I can usually proceed without having to refer to the chart for the most part. But either because of the particular pattern I chose to work from this book or because of the nature of this super fine yarn, I haven't gotten to that point with this project yet. It may also be the ten row repeat that is hindering me.