Ugg....

Not much progress yesterday.  Spent too much time away from home.  BUT - the weather was unseasonably warm (6C) so I was able to get out and clean up dog stuff and play with the dogs for a while.  Got them so used to me being outside with them, and having a daily play session when the weather was nice in the summer...Now that it is colder out, they don't understand that it isn't fun for me to stand shivering while they play "keep away" with the ball between tosses... I don't blame them, they both want to be the one to bring the ball back and get the praise.  Sometimes, they get smart, and each one has their own ball - that really keeps me busy (and warmer, lol)

Anyway - I did finish off the complete clue for the mystery sock (will take a picture, but not today) and decided that I'm going to rip out that little toe for the Six Sox sock, and redo it without the knot.  The directions said to start with a slip knot, but then I have that nasty little lump - and putting it on (I know it is really tiny, but I got a pretty good idea which part of my toes it would cover) told me that I would have that little lump in the tip of my big toe - Not a pleasant thought.  And too much "work", especially doing two at once, to make sure I did a "left and right" sock (by changing the side I do the heel on) to make sure the lump never goes at the big toe side.  So, I'll just rip out, consider the first attempt a learning experience (which it definitely was) and restart them tonight.  About the mystery sock - I pulled it on, and discovered, that while the cast on number was what I normally would use, the style made it a bit tight.... I can still get the sock on and over my heel, but it will make for a pair of socks that I'll have to ensure I never let shrink even a tiny tiny bit, and they probably will be ones I don't wear as often as others.  I have a couple pair like that - I need to sort of stretch them a bit before pulling them all the way on.  Sometimes caused by the nature of the cast on/pattern, as with these socks, others because I was a little tense when I started knitting them, or had slippery needles so tightened up my knitting. 

Tonight I hope to make some more progress on a few of the projects.  Oh, and I have to start another new one - Turns out I have a week to whip up a baby gift again.... DH apologized - he first heard in November, but forgot again until a couple days ago, when discussion turned to inventory and overtime with a co-worker.  I want to do something a little more than the usual let the yarn do the work project, so thought I'd go with a crocheted blanket I've made before - but of course, misplaced the pattern and even though I've made several, I just can't quite recall exactly how.... But, yesterday, I went ahead and bought yarn for it, and was able to go to the bookstore to pick up a book I'd special ordered - Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet - and found a stitch in there that is pretty much the same as the one I couldn't recall!  The original is in a pattern leaflet from Leisure Arts with four baby layettes that I bought several years back, and is called "bubbles" or "baby bubbles" or something similar - bubble for sure in the title.  The one in the book is "granule".  I'm going to hybrid them  - I remember a treble and I think a three stitch one row repeat, but the book uses a chain picot and two stitch two row repeat.  I'll use the treble and two stitch two row repeat.  I'll also dig out the link to my blog where I showed the last time I made a blanket using the pattern - it has been a few years....  But that will be tomorrow or the next day.  I'm now a day behind in what I want to accomplish (well, part of what I want to do) so - on to the housework and special project!

(oh, and notice how I'm keeping up with another of my personal goals?  I've been posting here every day since  January 1)