Getting there November 8, 2007
Making quick progress on this pair of socks. Very quick. Amazingly quick, even. I’m rather surprised. Maybe I’ve simply knit enough socks so far this year that they’re flowing better. Maybe that’s it. Regardless, I’ll be done before too much longer. I wrote up the pattern as I knit the first sock, and I’m testing it and tweaking it as I knit the second one. At this rate, the pattern will be up and ready not long after I’m done knitting the socks.
While knitting along I came up with a way to eliminate one of the two cable needles normally required for this little five-stitch cross maneuver. I took pictures every step of the way this morning, and will write up something quick to show how it’s done one day soon. I haven’t heard back from Susan lately about doing the maneuver without using any cable needles. Last I heard she’d sort of figured out how to do it but it crossed the opposite way. She’s still working on it. Or at least she was.
Speaking of patterns, the pattern for the South Seas Stole is almost ready to release. I’m hoping to get it out there it within the next seven days.
I have a good start in on Sizzle.
  
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As it turns out, I’m not able to use the smallest size to make up the difference in gauge. No. That would be too easy. This yarn is a lot bigger, especially after washing—and boy, am I ever glad I washed those swatches!—than the pattern calls for, so that evil math is involved at every turn. So far it seems to be working out just fine, though. I did the first dart decreases last night, and got myself set up so that I don’t need a row counter or pen and paper to keep my place. A line of safety pins to the rescue! The pretty little carnelian kitty stitch markers look great against the dusty blue yarn, don’t they?
P.S. Have you seen the surprise patterns in Knitty? They just released them. We got three of them this time. I love Mim’s scarf/shawl Juno Regina, and then there’s Véronik Avery’s Oblique. Oblique is a fabulously, cuddly-looking cardigan that I just may have to knit.
~Kristie November 8
I sure hope Susan gets back to you on how to do it w/o a cable needle at all. That would be very cool!
Glad that Sizzle is going well. It’s such a pretty blue color and you’re knitting that tank just in time for…. winter?
Thanks for the links to the surprise Knitty patterns. I love Mim’s scarf too and I like Oblique, but the buttons set on the side instead of the center look weird to me. I think maybe I’d knit it w/o the buttons and then belt it.
Robin November 8
Yep, I’m glad you washed the swatches too!!