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Squaresville

Several hours spent in various waiting rooms Wednesday gave us time to consider our sock toes. We're not completely sure about the Bosnian Square Toe from Lucy Neatby's Cool Socks Warm Feet. We're not sure we like it. But we're not sure we don't like it, either.

The basis of this toe is a garter stitch square.

Check.

It fits on my toes nicely. But it's weird-looking, and I'm not sure if it's my knitting (have I picked up the stitches in a sloppy manner?) or just the unfamiliar look of the thing that is weirding me out.

Are you knitting the "Crenellated Toe Up Socks"? Please share your experience, and tell me if my square sock toe resembles your square sock toe, or if I need to rip back and read directions more carefully. I'm using two US 0 circulars with Fortissima Colori Socka Color. I can't remember the last time I had a sock question; it must have been way back when the Socknitters list was still small, and heavens! that's been years! So toss me some answers here, knitters.

Admin

It's official. I'll definitely be away from my computer for a few days. We're posting a bit early here tonight in anticipation. We'll see you on Monday, okay?

Pups

Thursday. Little Jack says Put a Little Purpose in your Stride.

It's good to have a plan, and good to have dachhunds. Tell me about square sock toes, okay? Cheers!

Less Filling More Vest

Only seven or eight rounds of knitting, but we like giving inch-by-inch updates. With Fair Isle knitting, each view is different and there is always something new to see.

An aspect of this vest that compares in an interesting manner to Wendy's version is the background color shifts—in Wendy's update photos, I can see at least two shades of blue-green. In the 1993 version, there are three different reds working as background in the floral motif, and I doubt you can see more than one in my photos. But the different shades are there, and I think it's a brilliant effect, and an especially clever way to manifest the shimmery watercolor-feel of the Flora vest. What an artist with color that woman is.

I can't get enough of the smoky leaves; don't they look autumnal and damp?

Admin

We may have to be away from the computer for a few days. If that turns out to be the case, I'll post a note here for you.

Pups

Three dachshunds, one purpose. They're on a mission.

Wednesday! Mike, Jack, and Della say have a chat with your neighbors.

Enjoy your day!

Investment

Monday night I finished the first full repeat of my 1993 version of Flora; Wendy has pulled far ahead, but I can't help but be happy watching her progress along with mine . . . it's like seeing two different vests appear. I don't understand how the changes in colorway could make such a remarkable difference in the same garment, and can only believe that it is the artistry of Alice Starmore's color sense. The changes, btw, aren't wholesale. Wendy's vest and my vest share some common skeins.

Here's my full repeat:

I love the smudged look of the leaf motif; very mysterious how the colors blend to create the slightly blurred appearance:

Smudgy! Mysterious! Subtle! I think, from scrutinizing Wendy's VY version, that the leaf border is very similar in both vests regarding the foreground colors. But maybe not. Those those shifting and very different background colors that make both of these versions uniquely beautiful.

New Tiny BugKnits

We have email from Althea of Bugknits, who has added to the gallery that contains the tiny gloves that I covet. She writes that there are now "two Bavarian trachtenjackets, two variations on the Queen Elizabeth cardigan, a Beaded Tunic which is knit entirely in the round and has the beads (a miniscule size 22) knitted right into the design and also a semi-circular lace shawl made from the finest weight Shetland cobweb wool." You can see the tiny goodness here. Wild!

Pups

The pups had a long Monday, and so we are blogging quickly in order to spend more time with them. We were all too tired to think of firing off flash-photos in our eyes, so here's a photo of Mikey and Cousin Della from the weekend. I think they are deciding who has the right-of-way.

Happy Tuesday! Enjoy your day, have fun with your knitting, and yield the right-of-way to bigger dogs.

Monday Knit Bit

I didn't finish the first full repeat of Flora (by Alice Starmore) before quitting knitting for the day, but I'm still quite happy with the progress made. Weekends really should be longer. But! Flora is coming along beautifully, and I'm only six rounds short of the full repeat:

I waited a few minutes too long to take photos outdoors Sunday evening, but the colors are surprisingly close to The Real Thing.

Isn't it lovely? I think so. The colors seem to me to be rather smoky and old-fashioned, in a good way. So Scottish. So Garland-y. Just Lovely.

Waiting Room Knitting

Since I'm in physical therapy three times a week, I have to spend time waiting at the rehab center. (Rehab. Doesn't it sound easy? Sorta like Reupholstering furniture or something?) And since we despise idle waiting and are incredibly neurotic about handling the magazines found in doctors' offices, we need a portable project. A project that will not be affected too much by our tightening tension as we wait and wait and wait our turn for the therapist, even though we arrived not only ON TIME but professionally and politely-slightly-early and if only the place were being run like a business instead of Purgatory for people in pain, we would certainly encourage the scheduling of appointments more efficiently and why *do* the receptionists at the center wear surgical scrubs, anyway??? I mean, what is having the receptionist dressed in surgical scrubs supposed to signify to a client?? What is the point?? (Have I mentioned that the anti-inflammatants seem to be making me slightly irritable and prone to excessive punctuation??? Not so You'd notice, but I notice these things, being a sensitive type of person.) So. About the damn portable project. It's a damn sock, and I have forgotten why I wanted to tell you about it, dammit.

Oh wait! I've remembered and it's really cool. It's a toe-up design from Lucy Neatby's book Cool Socks Warm Feet (ISBN: 0-9733940-0-5), and the toe is the very interesting part: a Bosnian-style Square Garter Stitch Toe. I like it just for its name! I'm looking forward to seeing how it fits. You cast on with waste yarn, then garter-stitch a small square, and from this small square, a sock grows up to a crenellated cuff (page 30, if you are following along). Here's how it looks tonight:

That's Fortissima Colori Socka Color #9077, and it's ready to go forward into the world so that I may Knit On, as the brilliant Elizabeth Zimmermann encouraged us all, while I wait for unpunctual physical therapists to return from wherever it is that they go while the clients are waiting. If I find out they are back there watching cartoons or the Fox Channel, heads will roll!!! Not that I'm complaining. Far be it from me to complain. But what *is* the point of those scrubs?

Pups

The weather was beautiful here, and the pups enjoyed that, plus a visit from Cousin Dyna. She's a cute little pup, and has bonded strongly with Mike and Della. Little Jack is beginning to get used to not being the littlest and snuggliest pup, and after a few more Dyna-visits, all cousin-rivalry for lap time should be a thing of the past.

Monday! Mikey says Embrace Your Inner Fluffiness.

Happy day; happy knitting!