Lots to update

I've been bad about updating. I kept forgetting to take pictures. And I have to update my character blog for the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap once a week. And this is the first week students have been back after break and I didn't remember until I was on my way to work on Monday. I was not prepared.


But I turned the heel in my first sock. Three more inches and it will be done. And I will stare at it and think "I don't want to make another one of that". Not that I don't like the process of sock knitting. I just don't want to knit that one again. Hence the reason I bought this:


2-at-a-time socks. If I can figure out how this works, I will never suffer from 2nd sock syndrome again. Plus it has some really cute patterns in it. Even if I don't end up using the method.

I spent part of the weekend working on this little dude. I am very proud of him. And I take crappy pictures. We all know Fraggle Rock, right? You remember the Doozers? Well...recognize the resemblance? There ya go, I crocheted a Doozer. Not just any Doozer, a knitting one. Why? Well at SnB last week, they were playing episodes of Fraggle Rock. During the Great Radish Famine episode there was a scene of the Doozers singing and KNITTING! So I made one. So cute.

Look, my next project. Only after I finish something I am working on right now. Crappy picture. But it is a shrug knit with lace weight wool (well I am using alpaca). You knit one giant rectangle and then button up along the edges to make "sleeves". And you use a bit of I-cord to gather up the ends so it isn't so billowy. I am making it out of Frog Tree brushed Suri in a lovely charcoal color. It will be perfect for when it starts getting warmer. I can have it at work. For some reason we keep it at like 50 degrees inside and it is like 90 outside. Makes getting dressed difficult. If I wear short sleeves, I freeze all day at work. But if I wear long sleeves I can't be outside for more than 3 minutes without melting. But it is my first lace project and I'm excited. I am skipping the sweater because by the time I finish it, it will be summer and I'll be pissed. So I am making something during winter I can wear in spring and summer. OMG! I used logic.

And this, is called an abacus bracelet. Someone told me about this magnificent creation last night and I had all my jewelry making supplies out to make stitch markers for my swap partner. How convinient. She is just lucky I found a tutorial online or I would have been up a lot later than I should have. It is a fashion accessory and a knitting tool. Cool, huh? Look at it bigger. There is a ring of beads around the middle there. One strand of the bracelet has 9 beads and one has 10. Well each time I knit a row or cast on a stitch, I move one of the beads on the 9 strand through the ring of beads towards the big blue bead. When I finish the 10th row, I move all of those 9 bead back through and push through one of the beads on the other strand. Then I start again with the small bead until I hit 20 and move another big bead. I even added a little hook that holds stitch markers (they don't stay on if you are just wearing the bracelet for fun, but while I sit and knit they should be ok). You have to admit that is cool. I think my swap partner might be getting one of these along with her stitch markers.