Finish All The Things!

It's funny how every autumn, everyone gets really busy, including me! After getting the books, it was just event after event. I barely have had a chance to catch my breath. Anyways, I was thinking about what to write and I realized that I haven't talked much about what I've knit, much less what I've finished in quite some time. So without further ado, here is a parade of FOs starting with one from (gasp) August. I made the Free Bees pattern in 2011, but it wasn't until this year that I knit myself a pair. So here is August's FO. Free Bees knit with Tosh Sock in the Gilded color way.

In September I knit up my third pair of Velomeisters from the yarn I got during the epic yarn crawl of '13. This was the closest match of yarn I could find to match my crazy bike shoes. The orange is so loud in both the shoes and socks that there was no way to get the camera sensor to capture them correctly. Just know that it's hard to miss me when I bike by. The yarn is Alchemy Juniper in the Blue Jay Way and Tangerine color ways.

In October I knit up both a Deep Sea Wanderer, seen in an earlier post, and this Watch Cap. The hat was for a friend's birthday. He was thrilled. I had a hard time giving it up though, it fit me pretty well. The yarn is  Plymouth Worsted Superwash Merino in the Dark Gray color way. 

Then there is the Pomatomus socks. It took me from September to November to make these. And considering that I knit on them nearly everyday, that is far longer than they should have taken. Previous posts explain the multiple problems I had (because of me, not the pattern.) The socks are awesome though. The yarn is Socks That Rock Medium Weight in the Tlingit color way that Alicia destashed on me. Thanks Alicia! The socks truly rock.

So what am I left with? Well, I'm knitting my father a birthday sweater. I started in September, but I completely ignored it in favor of finishing the Pomatomus socks. However, as soon as the socks were done, I realized that I had less than a month to finish the sweater. So I have been completely monogamous with this project. It is my only WIP at the moment. That's right. I have nothing else on the needles. I have so many things I want to cast on, but I know I won't finish this on time if I do.
It is Brownstone out of Naturally Mainlander Aran in color 862. Dad was with me when I bought the yarn in New Zealand in 2010. He said, "Maybe you could make me a sweater." I laughed at him. I'd never made a sweater before and I certainly wasn't ever going to make a dad-sized sweater. I suppose the joke is on me. (The picture below isn't current. I've only got 2.25 inches left of the collar, then it is just all the finishing work.)

I don't even know what to cast on next. Everything seems exciting at this point.
What are you guys working on these days? Or are you about to have a bout of start-itus like me?

The Sock That Refused To Be Knit

So I've been working on the same sock since Sept 22nd. I've knit on it nearly every day and it still isn't a sock. The saga of the Pomatomus sock began innocently enough. I saw that Alicia was destashing yarn, so I got a skein of Socks That Rock Medium Weight in Tlingit from her. I've desired this color for some time and I liked Elfielori's project that I'd seen done with it. The sock was 72 stitches, and I already knew I'd be modifying it down to a 60 stitch. No problem. But then I got fancy...
I decided to do 2.5 repeats of the pattern down the leg. Once I got to the foot, I'd figure how to proceed. Except I couldn't figure it out. I puzzled and puzzled... and then I noticed a different problem. My decreases had been k2tog. They SHOULD have been k2tog tbl. Three little letters I didn't read. It bothered me, so I ripped back to the cuff. (Note, in the picture there is no heel. I had put the heel in and most of the gusset before discovering the additional tbl problem.)

Try #2. I decided not to get fancy, so I did the 3 full repeats of the pattern down the leg, turned the heel, started the gusset... and it was too tight. So I ripped out the gusset, extended the heel, put in the gusset again.... and although the gusset now fit, I realized that the rest of the sock was a little tight. And by "a little tight" I mean that I was nearly ripping the sock in order to get my foot in it. Once it was in, it fit. I then decided that the sock was too tall and I didn't really like how the yarn pooled.... so RIP.

Try #3. I went up a needle size and I'm only doing two repeats of the pattern down the leg. I like how the colors are lining up now.

Mum called me a bulldog for continuing on with this sock. I'm hoping that means that I'm persistent. Anyways, this sock is a prime example of why I don't do 2-at-a-time socks. Hopefully I'll have at least one sock to show for Soctober.