Queensland socks

Here I am back again from a lovely holiday. I don't have much to show knitting wise though. I did very little knitting while we were away but I did manage to knit these socks.



The socks started life as a pair of Tuscany socks. They are toe-up socks. Once I started the pattern on the leg section I found that it didn't really grab me. Perhaps I should rephrase that because they grabbed a little too much - the legs were a touch too tight for me. I didn't want to start all over again so instead I ripped back just the legs and then knitted a simple slip stitch pattern which I borrowed from the Lava Flow pattern.



Oh and the yarn is Opal Neon. This was also my July Personal Sock Club Yarn. I'm running behind now because I haven't even looked at what August has on offer for me. I think I might have to let it lie for a while because I am eager to get my Summer Swatch Stole finished. I have some catching up to do - such a lovely prospect.

It was warm and sunny in Queensland and we managed to miss the awful weather that Victoria experienced in our absence. We have come home to definite signs of spring.




What a welcome sight!

FO: Angee

I have finished the first project in my personal sock yarn club. Angee by CookieA.



These were knitted two at a time on 2.25 circular needles and with Opal yarn in solid blue. I'm getting a bit better at moving the stitches around when knitting the gusset (something that is never a problem when knitting a Cat Bordhi pattern). I did have to redo the heels because I hadn't arranged the stitches properly and so when continuing the pattern across the top of the foot the pattern didn't align properly. Fortunately it wasn't difficult to redo the heels and rearrange the stitches correctly.



I have finished clue 4 for my Panama Shawl but there is really not much to show at this stage. I think my shawl may well be large enough by the time I get to clue 6.

I am also keenly anticipating the start of the Snow Queen KAL. BadCatDesigns has started to prepare the ground with a few tutorials on her blog. Very, very useful.

On the needles

Only two projects on the needles at the moment. On Christmas day I cast on for the Panama Shawl KAL. I zoomed through the first two clues and then a few rows into the the third clue I realised I had made a major boo-boo. I had only knitted half the shawl! That's what happens when you get over confident and think that you don't need to read the instructions closely but can just go straight to the charts and start knitting. So I had to frog the lot and start again. Now I'm back on clue 3.



The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills 3 ply and the needles are 3.5mm.

I also opened my first project in my personal sock club. The yarn is Opal solid and the pattern was CookieA's Vilai from Sock Innovation but when I sat down to cast on I realised that I would have to use TWO cable needles while knitting these socks. I was in no mood for such a fiddly pattern so I paged to the next pattern in the book and settled for Angee.



Ah this is much better. Enough of a challenge to maintain interest but not too much to become taxing.

I've been seeing quite a few Traveling Women around lately and I'm tempted to cast on. But then again I also have my eye on an Aestlight shawl and I really must try a Swallowtail........