I finished my baudelaires. I love them madly so far. I haven't actually worn them in shoes, but if tomorrow is like today, I will. They feel really good on.
The only downside to this experience is that the combination of the the short yardage of the Panda Cotton (170 yards) and my large feet (size 10 with a high instep) means that I don't get very much leg on the socks. It's not a big deal, it just means I'll probably stick to toe-up with Panda Cotton to make sure I have enough.
Cookie just can't keep it to herself when there is All Seasons Cotton on sale. I got some of the Dusk color to make a Rogue for my mom. My mom should thank Cookie.
I looked around for other yarns but the things I was interested in (Alchemy Bamboo and Artyarns Regal Silk) were sold out of any colors that I liked in the quantities I'd want. That's probably a good thing, in the long run.
Niels asked for popcorn this afternoon, but I only had olive oil and coconut oil in the house. I didn't really want the olive flavor so I decided to try the coconut oil. Oh my god, it's so good! I don't think I'll ever make popcorn with canola or safflower oil again!
I have turned the heel, done the cable increase (which I found challenging on both socks) and am now in the home stretch with my second Baudelaire. Just knitting up the leg! This time I know exactly how many repeats to do before the ribbing too, which will make finishing easier and faster.
I also picked up two more balls of Panda Cotton in "Painted Iris" that I want to use for Janice's Early Spring sock. I hope this yarn wears well. It feels better than Fixation already but Fixation is at least nice and hardy. Speaking of Fixation, one of my Fixation socks has gone missing. I would say that they dryer ate it, but I don't put them in the dryer.
I finished my first Baudelaire sock last night. I only had to knit the top three times. The first time I thought I had too much yarn left and so I ripped back to do one more pattern repeat. I foolishly decided that I had enough for two more repeats. Eight rows into the 11 row ribbed cuff I realized that I didn't. So I ripped out the ribbing and the last pattern repeat, redid the ribbing, did a sewn cast-off and was left with fewer than two yards of yarn! I feel like a knitting daredevil, making it by the skin of my teeth!
Here are a couple pictures of my first mosaic sock complete with afterthought heel. It's not great, honestly, but it will do. This project is dragging on way too long for a simple pair of socks. My dad raves about how much he loves the design whenever he sees them, though, so I think they will be worth it in the end. Also, he tried on the one completed one and said that it felt really good. It looks sort of Dr. Seuss-ish on my foot because my dad's foot is longer.
I've made quite a bit of progress on Baudelaire also. I think it's turning out really well. This is in the Panda Cotton which is bamboo/cotton/elastic. It feels so good on my feet! It's not very warm, like Fixation tends to be but is nicely stretchy. Other than being splitty, I think it is my new favorite sock yarn. Once this pair is done I might have to go back to Purlescence and get some more!
We went up to the mountains for a few days this week to play in the snow. It was fairly warm, in the high 40s, low 50s and I was very comfortable in just Rogue over my long-sleeved shirt. It is surprisingly warm. I don't know if it's the thickness of the yarn or the acrylic content or what, but it's quite comfy.
I did have one problem with it, some of the backstitching on the zipper got caught on the edge of a counter or something and has been pulled out. I also realized that I should have backstitched at the edge away from the zipper rather than right next to it. I'm going to redo the backstitching and take out the old. I'm tempted to redo the whole thing because the edge of the sweater doesn't quite cover the bottom of the zipper but that is just too painful to contemplate.
With all the wear I got out of it, there aren't any pictures of me in it. Ah well!
Any recommendations for a good afterthought heel?
Rogue is done! I am very excited. It fits very well, it's not longer in the back, like most sweaters I wear. Also, it's actually fairly warm considering that it's cotton. My mom asked me to make one for her and said that she'd sew in the zipper so I might just do that. Not immediately, though. Thanks to Cookie, I have plenty of All Season Cotton to knit one for her.
Rogue is blocking away peacefully on my dining room table. I am excited by every step of this project. I'm not sure why. Perhaps because I think it is turning out so well and I am thrilled to see it coming together. Tomorrow: seaming! After that, a finished object picture (or two) of Rogue and then I promise to stop posting pictures of it.
the sheep free knitter 
