Knitting Floats

Even though I am *super* excited about the retreat, I have been feeling a little down this last couple of days. I think I will just have to pick up the needles and push through it. And have chocolate. I should be in yoga class, but this here is a knitting blog, so let's get to it!

On the needles:

• The Rainbow Sherbet socks. Sockotta sock yarn in a lovely colorway of green, yellow, pink, white, red and raspberry. This is a self striping / faux isle yarn that is a little stiff to work with, but I think it will soften up after washing. I also am making sock #1 on one circular needle, which is a real pain (I think my circ is too long). It is good "taking places" sock, as it will live its life in plain stockinette to show off the colors.
• The Twill Socks. These are really socks with no name (yet). This is Berroco's new (cheap) sock yarn in a mild self striping colorway with lots of tweedy green, brown, gold and red. I am up to the leg of sock #1 (on DPNs *yay*) and will use a twill type pattern for the leg... I hope to figure out how to change the direction of the twill each time a new block of color begins.
• Mandy's purple sweater. The guilt is getting to me. It might be easier to just finish it than to keep worrying about it and hoping she forgets. I tried the "I only promised to knit you a sweater, not deliver you a sweater" tactic, but she saw right through me.
• Icarus (the green one). I am really, really, really ready for this to be off the needles. It seems like I have been working on it forever. I am on chart 3 of 4 and when it is done it can go on to its next life as a shop sample.

There are other items in a holding pattern, but these are the things I reach for (or should be reaching for) each day. I was not able to satisfy some start-itis last night, as the wrong yarn for the Irtfa'a shawl was in the box. Lovely sock yarn, but not the laceweight silk I was looking for. I was even moved to pick up a lonely cross stitch project and put in a few stitches the other day. Since I started spinning (2001) my poor cross stitch projects have languished. It would be nice to finish some things and get them framed and up on the wall. I think I can manage to get the ones for Halloween and Yule up this year if I drop them off at the framer's sometime soon. The Yule one only (!) needs a dozen or so beads attached to finish off the snowflakes.

Right now it is off to the grocery store. How exciting. I think part of my low mood is that I have just not been eating enough (and certainly not well) this week, as there is not enough food in the house to make any sort of complete meal. You know how it is - I have spaghetti but no sauce, milk but no cereal, bread but nothing to put on it. And eggs. A lot of eggs.

While I am off, perhaps you would enjoy a trip down Flickr lane. There are some finished sock pictures, a cat picture or two (this is a knitting blog, it seems to be compulsory), and more of the pictures-that-I-took-in-Hawaii-and-never-posted.