Lotus Blossom Shawl, take 1!

Since I decided to hold off on Monkey sock #2, I went ahead and dive into multitasking in the form of the Lotus Blossom Shawl.

Using La Luz Multi - a silk yarn, even (In my crazy way of thinking, silk yarn makes for a gorgeous shawl!) - in Stargazer (Pastel shades of the rainbow!), I'm looking forward to having a shawl that is pretty, goes with everything (Including blue glasses!) and is soft to the touch (Which is proving well so far.) without being itchy (Yay!) is this girl's dream come true.

I'm using metal circulars this time around (The Boye needles in size 6.) and they're working quite well. My tension is spot on (For a change.), so my poor thumb won't be overworked by clenching the yarn too tight.

On top of that, I've learned three new techniques: the knit front-to-back-to-front (kfbf), the knit front-to-back (a variant of the kfb), and the make 1 increase. On top of that, this is my first charted piece. Hooray!

Now, let's see if taekwondo doesn't knock this chick to the ground (I took up TDK; class two is tomorrow. Yay!) before I get started on chart 1!

Socks, Church and Really, Really Good Food!

So far, Monkey's been a good pattern; I just started the toe decreases on sock one. Photos coming soon on that. I really liked how the lace pops out, even when the sock isn't even blocked! The yarn that I chose for it (Alpaca Sox) is really soft on my feet; that and I reversed the sole of the sock (I made the purl-side facing down so I don't have to deal with the ridges hurting my feet; yes, my feet are that sensitive. Other socks I've made I can't wear due to the purl ridges rubbing my soles raw.).

Non-knitting news: I'm slowly digesting tonight's meal, courtesy of the Harvest "Winter Banquet" (Formerly Valentine's Banquet; single Marines felt left out!). Mike's Farm definitely makes the best macaroni and cheese EVA!

I think this group o' Presbyterians got the Baptists beat when it comes to potlucks and meals; no one leaves hungry and everyone leaves happy, thanks to awesome fellowship with like-minded believers and simply delish food to boot (To be honest, I look forward to the fellowship than the meal; being around other Christians energizes my spirit.)!

Anywho, off to sleepy-time; church in the morning!

New Socks!

I'll be trying socks again; this time, it's Knitty's Monkey.

Thuja was a decent pattern and I liked it, but the yarn rubbed on the soles of the feet; unfortunately, that makes for a very uncomfortable sock most of the time. I can wear those around the house, but not much else.

Hopefully, the Alpaca Sox yarn won't be as uncomfortable as the Supermerino turned out to be (I still have two skeins of that in the marine colorway, as well as leftovers from the purples; I'm sure I can think of something that isn't a pair of socks.); so far, I'm liking the alpaca yarn. It's warm yet incredibly soft; they knit up well even with a split here and there.

The pattern doesn't look too difficult; I've done most of the stitches except twisted rib, but that wasn't difficult to master (knit through the back instead of front).

I learned something new; I found sock yarn that was comfortable through my hands as I knit and maybe I can wear these socks more than Thuja.

Thuja Socks!

Complete Thuja socks; only changes to the pattern were the shortened leg (from 6 inches to 4).

What I would have changed is the heel and toe; I would have used a different heel and toe stitch so that the wool wouldn't rub on my feet, making them sore. I still like how they turn out, though.