Shawls, Shoes, Socks....

Go ahead - say it three times fast :)

Ok, shawls: Well, technically, stole I guess. But then I couldn't do the alliterative title .

I finished clue five, before clue six was up. :) I got all caught up!!! I like the twist, or turn, or different direction the stole is taking. What I don't like, I must confess, is the theme....

Ok, there is a "wing" on the end of the stole. We are knitting short rows, and connecting them to the body of the stole in the same way as a knitted on edging is done. Simple enough. And looks cool, too... I like the way it is shaping up. Sorry - no pun intended there. Anyway - progress pic:

Now, what I don't like: The theme is "Swan Lake". I know the music of the ballet, and I have some recollections of seeing the ballet - either on TV, or perhaps when I was much younger (think 5 or 6 yrs old - I remember going to watch a ballet on some school related free ticket or some such - maybe not the whole ballet, maybe just some selected dances or something). However, until Melanie discussed it as her inspiration for the design, I didn't really know the story. Now that I do - I don't like the story. Somehow, it strikes me as too depressing - too tragic. I do recall a similar story - someone else knitting the stole also mentioned it - the seven swans story - about a girl who had to spin and make shirts for her seven bewitched brothers - also a tragic story, as she couldn't quite finish. Anyway - either story is depressing. So, I'm going to think of my stole as being either a bee stole or a dragon stole. I mean, the pattern can work for those, too - the winged dragon.... or the cat's paw section could reperesent my kitties chasing a bee through a garden, and the feathered wing would be a bird....

Of course, the pattern itself is very lovely - which is why I can't bring myself to associate something so beautiful (the stole) with something so ugly (the story). I mean, I will still listen to and enjoy the music - been way too many years of that up to now to have it spoiled - but I won't really follow any of the story behind the ballet.

Shoes - well, I wanted to wax poetic about the fact that I now own more shoes than probably before in my life - all put together, even. I mean, at one time, I was content to own a pair of winter boots, and a pair of indoor shoes.

Ok.... I just deleted a bunch of what I was writing - since I discovered that I am not going to have enough time to write it all out, and still show off pictures of the socks progress.... So - I'll have to do a post again next week, and wax poetic (or babble senselessly) about shoes. Maybe... unless a bunch of people send me comments over the weekend telling me they don't want to read about my shoe collection.... that I never thought I'd ever have one of, since two or even one pair of shoes got me through most situations for a very long time....

So. On to socks....

Four pairs of socks on the needles right now. Basket weave - up to the heel flap of sock number two, and six sox knitalong group's current (Aug./Sept.) sock, I Love Gansey Socks - finished cuff and set up ready to start the patterning knitting:

Bellatrix - Yeah, I couldn't help myself. Had to start them - and they are already working up neat... :)

And Nagini. Working the gusset increases....

Ok, I've started some toe-up socks in the past. But for one reason or another, they have found their way to the UFO pile... so I've never really gotten past the toes before. This is my first true experience with toe ups.

I have been having fun with the side-benefit - the part where you can try them on as you go. I've been slipping it onto my foot every few repeats of the pattern....

I mentioned once before about how I made a little mistake - and how I wasn't going to fix it. Well, turns out -

I've made another bigger mistake. See, I was checking how many stitches I had... figuring out how many more rows to end up with the number the pattern said....trying the sock on, and thinking that I wasn't going to get where I was supposed to be.... flipped the page back... realized that I was supposed to do the toe increases until I had 36 stitches on the top and 36 stitches on the bottom.... Ooops.... I have 32 on the top, 32 on the bottom.....

Explains why the repeats of the cable pattern weren't quite working out even for me....

Now - I have options. Tear the whole thing out, and start over with the right number. Continue on with the gusset until I get the right number. Neither of these appeal to me -- Yes, restarting would mean an opportunity to fix the boo-boo. BUT - if I were to have made the sock with 36 stitches on each side, then the sock would be way too big for me - because I know that it fits "just right" right now. If I did a restart, I'd have to find smaller needles.... which I know are all busy. Besides, this is the sock I'm testing the Addi Turbo on, and I only own the one of those needles....

My other option, to continue as is, might mean ending up with a sock with a baggy ankle ... also probably will end up too long, too....

So - I'm going to continue, but I"m going to have to do some math. I'm going to stop increasing the gusset when it is "time", then I'll recalculate the heel turn numbers, and the heel flap part, and carry on. When I get to the leg, though - I'm going to have to cut out four stitches... so that the cable patterning will all line up around the leg. Otherwise... it won't look good at all!!! There is a 12 stitch repeat - so, I have to either add 8 stitches in, or take four out. 8 in will give me a baggy slouching leg part, so I'll just have to decrease four stitches out, then I'll have a slightly snug leg. But that I can live with.

*sigh*.... should have paid more attention in the first place. Oh, well... maybe I'll come across some more snake inspiring yarn one day, and make a second, correct, pair of Nagini socks!!