Loot and a finished object

In my last post I mentioned all the packages I was waiting for. Most of them (and a few more...) have now arrived. Yay! I am also waiting for a couple of new ones. Oy.

I have new books!

Charlene Schurch's new sock book. I like it for all the example socks and little stitch patterns. The actual patterns, I don't know. I like knitting toe-up, but most of her toe-ups start in the same way, with knitting a small square and then picking up stitches around all edges. And the only toe-up heel flap is an upside-down version of the top-down one. It would have been nice with more different toes and heels.

Folk Shawls. I love it! I fell in love with the first shawl, Litla Dimun, and it's on the needles now.
The colours are off in the photo, it's not that orange. The yarn is Opal Neon in colour 1934, red-pink-orange. I got three balls from Astrid.

I also really like Feather and Fan Trangle Shawl, the Highland Triangle Shawl, the Box-Lace Shawn (though I would probably make it a stole), and the Spanish Christening Shawl. I'm on the lookout for suitable yarn. Most of the patterns in the book seem to use fingering weight yarn.
Note that there are quite a lot of corrections on Interweave's website.

Favourite Socks from Interweave. Love it. There are no corrections up on this one yet but I've heard that there is an error in the chart for the Hidden Passion socks. I really like this book. I haven't got more than a handful of the magazines so most of the patterns are new to me. I want to make loads of these socks! Embossed Leaves, Hidden Passion, Uptown Boot, ...

I have also got some spinning books but I save the spinning stuff for another post.

Sheri has got the better of me again...

Left to right: Cider Moon Glacier in Juneau, J Knits Superwash in Louisiana, Cider Moon Glacier in Blue Ridge Parkway, Louet Gems in Crabapple Blossom and Linen Grey.

Left to right: Claudia Handpainted Sport in Wisteria, Seacoast Handpainted Panda (with bamboo) in Cherry Fizz, All Things Heather merino/tencel (oh my so soft) in Sunrise, and Scaeffer Lola in Raspberry Mocha.

I also got Panda Cotton in Faded Jeans. Apparently it is very shy, this was the best of four(!) photos, but it likes to become plain toe-up socks.


Me and M are going on a conference cruise the weekend after this and these are coming along for plane knitting, if nothing else. I'm usually very suspicious about cotton yarns, but this contains a little elastic and is very nice to work with.

I have a finished object! Short Millicent socks, by Cookie.

Yarn by Scout's Swag, knit on 2,5 mm Addis, magic loop.
I think I really knit three socks, because I had to rip a couple of times. Not because of the pattern but because of the pooling of the yarn. The leg spiralled nicely, but then the foot was supposed to have more stitches. Uh oh. The spirals became four solid fields of colour instead. Not nice at all, rip, rip, back to the gusset. I decreased down to the same number of sts I used for the leg and then the spirals appeared again. Phew. Then the spirals got stubborn on the foot of the second sock too. I think I relaxed too much and had to knit tighter to make them appear again.
All in all I am very happy with these socks.

Here's another pic with the socks on my new sock blockers! Also from The Loopy Ewe of course. These are the plastic ones, I am contemplating the idea of using them as a template for making wooden ones.


Finally, as a bonus for reading this very long post: a picture of how fat I am with four months of growing left!!! Apparently my uterus is right on track, and the utrasound said one baby only but oh my! am I going to have a fun hot summer...