holiday catch-up

Look. I got a new macro lens for my camera for giftmas. SeyMo says I should stop taking very close pictures of him. You can see his eye boogers. Ick.

Also accomplished over the holidays and demonstrated with the new macro lens are some more stockings. I practiced smooth methods of circular joins and for making jog-less stripes. I am getting better. But in my excitement I forgot to measure the foot length as I went along so the stockings turned out a bit stubby.




Some close ups:




Still trying to master grafting the toe closed. This may be easier with less fuzzy yarn.


And in an exciting development I landed my first set of Knit Picks Harmony needles. My sister sent me the circular kit with an additional size 15s. I can't wait to use them. The crazy stained wood is rather psychedelic.



I was lucky enough to receive an amazing painting from my Aunt Lynn for Christmas. I can't believe she sent us her original painting of Barnegat Light House. She sent a sweet note stating that she hoped it brought back happy memories. And it did. I immediately hung it in the kitchen in the Alabama house. It is perfect right there where we can enjoy it often.

socks!

I humbly submit my first effort at knitting socks. Mini-Christmas stocking socks (This Seasons Stockings, page 30, Interweave Knits 2006 Holiday), but socks none the less. You have to make a heel flap and turn it and do a gusset. And I am trying to learn to graft the toes. So far I have learned that consuming wine or eggnog is contra-indicated while grafting.


For my next trick I will attempt a jogless color change and a smoother circular join at the top of the sock. Also to be investigated is the small hole where I picked up stitches along the heel flap and why my ssks look lumpy compared to my k2togs. I thought it might be that I slipped the stitches purl-wise rather than knit-wise.




The plan is to keep making these mini-socks until I figure it out, I get bored or Christmas is over. The yarn is leftover worsted weight Vana White acrylic crap and leftover white fluffy yarn from the first scarf I ever knit. I used size 3 dpns to keep the stockings small with the relatively thick yarn.