Woes and toes and toos

I nearly finished the first pink sock and it was far too big.  I was convinced it would be too small but somehow my measured gauge of 32 sts per 10 cm was only really 28 sts.  So that's why it was very wide and the length was too much too.  too too toottity too.

I've been working away at Percy#3 in the meantime and am now on my second run through of chart B.  I'm still enjoying it but finding each row takes a long time so I can only fit two in at lunchtime. I don't want to take it to knitting on Thursday though (dark yarn and a dark pub and patterning every row will equal a very bad knitting hangover on Friday) so I'll start some simple socks in yarn bought from Berlin.  Berlin was brilliant and deserves a post all of its own!

Pink socks

I'm really pleased with how my new pink manolo is progressing.  The pattern is a combination of simple and interesting which is what I need in a sock to make sure I finish.  I'm going to Germany for a few days so might come back with a finished pair.  and lots more sock yarn :)

New projects

I was browsing through the knitting pdfs on my computer to put Percy on my Kindle when I noticed I owned Manolo already. I knew I wanted to buy it and had lined up the yarn in readiness, but I do not remember the purchase. Happily, I was able to wind the yarn and try a new cast on method in between percy shawls.

It's a slightly fiddly but really cool way to cast on for toe up socks and can be found here.  I don't think I can remember how to do it again so will have to use the instructions but you almost do a long tail cast on but over two needles.

On Sunday, I bought yarn and needles and beads to knit a Percy for my Aunty and it all arrived on Tuesday.  Excellent service from Violet Green, Pavi Yarns and Beads Direct.

So I now have plenty of knitting and both patterns are on my Kindle.  I was excited to find that although the pdfs look a bit small on the screen (as the screen size is roughly A5 instead of A4) I can zoom in, scroll around AND make notes! So, no more losing bits of paper with measurements and gauge on, or running out of room in the margin.  Hooray! :)

Turn it up to 11

My lovely squooshy yarn arrived from the yarn yard today.  It is gorgeous! It was a bit much first thing this morning as I had a supreme tiredness hangover and my eyes were really sore.  The colours of the yarn were a lot brighter than I expected.   The pink had definitely been turned up to 11!  It is 50:50 merino and silk and has a lovely sheen. It makes me think of sweets and ballet dancers and lipstick.  The purple is 100% merino, 750m to 150grams.  It's a heavy lace weight, only a little finer than the sock yarn so seems like a good compromise for me.  I have only finished one shawl in lace weight, for my mum's 50th birthday present, and then it went AWOL.  I've started another shawl since but the pattern doesn't seem to be at all memorisable so I only seem to do a few rows at a time.  I like to knit in front of the tv and I definitely wouldn't enjoy either the program or the knitting if I tried it with that shawl. I'd like to cast on the patterns that I queued but I'll have to wait until my project for Let's Knit is finished.  It's well under way and quite relaxing which is what I need tonight. I'm watching Alfie (Jude Law) to keep me company.