Busy days ahead

This time of year, people seem to lose all reason. Myself included! Somehow, there are fewer hours in the day and people pack more into those precious few! Prime examples. Logically, there are only 7 days until Christmas but the schedule of events is filled with 12 days worth of things. For example, there is Zoolight Safari, visiting Santa, cleaning the house before my in-laws arrive, several days of work/daycare, a little additional last minute holiday knitting, survival knitting, cooking, cleaning, experimentation, and organization. I think that's the big stuff. While I realize cleaning is on there twice, there are 2 boys under the age of 4 in this house and one much older boy. Cleaning is going need to happen until the in-laws arrive.

That may be the best seam I've ever done.

So, the important stuff; the knitting has been happening very slowly. Finally the sleeves are getting set into the Dr. Watson Sweater. (As soon as I remember to bring the pattern home, I will put all of my mods on this blog.) Nothing wrong with the pattern, just everything wrong with the knitter. Procrastination should be the knitter's middle name. With as bright as the yarn is, seaming  in the dark isn't easy. Half a sleeve was seamed Monday night and the remaining half was seamed Tuesday over the lunch break. Now, if only the sweater was for Uncle GeGe who lost an arm in his 20's. Horrible farming accident so always be careful working around moving equipment and especially if you've grown up operating the equipment. Granted, Uncle GeGe is no longer walking this earth but this sweater could have been for him with the 1 sleeve and if it was his size.

1 sleeve done

Also worked on and finished finished Monday evening was another pair of vanilla socks. The yarn is some kettle dyed yarn from Dixie Fiber Works in the plum colorway. Cast on 64 stitches on a size 0 circular needle, k2 p2 for roughly 2" the move to stockinette stitch for another 3 inches. The first sock is easy because I use things like the finger bone as an approximate inch marker. So when I was ribbing in ISO training, I went until I had 2 finger bone lengths. The leg length was knit until lunch or a break and when it was longer than the ribbing by about yay much. Grab a little waste yarn, then pick up and gogogogogo until the foot is long enough.

Perfect Sock Heel

By that time, I'm back to my tape measure and it's after dinner. Then toe decreases in your perfered method and graft the toe closed. I made it a point to pick up an extra 4 stitches when I removed the waste yarn and knit 1 addtional round before starting my decreases. For some reason, that set up gave me the perfect afterthought heel I think I've ever done.

Socks log wonderful in steel toe boots

After all this finishing work I've identifed a lack in my life. At the Zoolight Safari, Holiday lights at our nearby zoo, I noticed the Knitter in the family is lacking a warm winter hat. DH has a hat. DS1 has a hat. DS2 has a hat. Me, I have none. DH is wearing a Turn a Square hat by Jared Flood with a yarn I cannot remember. His yarn was bought at Labadie Looms in Bird-in-Hand PA. The leftovers were used to make Rib-a-Roni by Jane Tanner for DS1. DS2 is proudly wearing Speedy Cabled Beret by Paulina Chin in a bulky yarn dyed by me. The Speedy Cabled Beret was knit on the wrong needle size and I wasn't paying enough attention at the time to realize it was going to be way too small for me.

1, 2, 3, wait! Where's my hat?

The next project for me is going to be hat for a co-worker then a hat for me. I will be keeping the hat I make for me, I promise. (hope)