There's Logic There Somewhere

For some reason I am still not entirely clear on, I decided that I needed to have a new knitting project for my weekend trip.  I couldn't work on the Crabby Socks, perhaps because I was over halfway through the second sock and I wouldn't want to finish it, leaving myself with no project for an indeterminate amount of time.  I couldn't take the new Pi shawl, because it would be too complicated for airplane knitting or knitting while talking to people. The green cardi sleeve would likely get too big for comfortable portable knitting, not to mention I'd have to keep the magazine with me (because I couldn't possibly have made a copy of the pattern for traveling purposes).

So I started a new pair of socks, of course.  These are knit in Shibui Knits Sock, in a colorway that reminds me of parrots.  Bright tropical colors: orange, fuchsia, turquoise, lime green.  I'm using the Fawkes pattern by the late Monkey Toes, from the now defunct Socktopia site.  Yes, I know that Fawkes was a phoenix in the Harry Potter books, not a parrot. They're both birds, right? I figure that's close enough.  Technically Fawkes is a top-down pattern, but I want to use up every last bit of this yarn, so decided to turn everything upside down and knit from the toe up.  On my trip I got up to the heel turn on the first sock. I'm now one or two pattern repeats up the leg.  I might have a completed pair of socks by the end of next week!

Starting My Pi Shawl

I initially started the WendyKnits Pi Shawl with size six needles. I knit about four rounds and decided that wasn't going to work. I started over again tonight using size four needles.  I've unvented a new circular shawl start.  Having recently been knitting socks from the toe up, it occurred to me that Judy's Magic Cast On might work for a circular start for a shawl.  I started by casting on just four stitches, knit two rounds plain, then increased evenly to nine stitches and began following Wendy's pattern as written.  I'm up to the second increase round now and things are going quite well.  In another half dozen rounds, I should be able to see how the start looks.

The body of the green cardigan is currently drying on my living room floor.  I decided to block it now.  It's a bit longer than I really wanted it to be and I'm a bit worried that it'll stretch even longer.  This is after knitting it shorter than the pattern called for (except for the armscye shaping).  We'll see how it goes after it's all done.  It may not be as long as I think it is once it's sewn up and on my body.  And if it is too long, I can give it to my sister or I can rip back the top and redo it.

I'm traveling again this weekend. I've started a new pair of socks for the occasion. I'm knitting the Fawkes socks again, using some parrot-colored Shibui Sock yarn.  I'm going to knit this pair from the toe up so I can use every last bit of the yarn.  With any luck, I might have a first sock finished by the end of the weekend.

Closer to cardigan

The green cardigan is progressing. The body is done and I'm now working on the first sleeve.  I started knitting it flat, but am considering ripping it out to knit it in the round.  If the body hasn't got any seams in it, why should the sleeves?

I've nearly finished the first of the Magic Mirror socks too. I think they look pretty good.  I'm curious if the biasing will chill out a bit after I wash them. It doesn't affect the fit of the socks in any way, but it does make them look funny when they're flat.

Am about four rounds into the latest KAL by WendyKnits--a Pi shawl in honor of Elizabeth Zimmermann's 100th birthday.  I don't really need a new project but something lacy was appealing.  (Don't ask me why the already in progress cobweb weight Errold's Grove shawl didn't count.)  I'm using some Misti Alpaca lace yarn in a dark burgundy colorway.  I declined to make a gauge swatch, in favor of just getting started.  Of course since I chose to do that, I'm not sure I like the fabric I'm getting with size 6 needles.  May drop it back to size 4 or 5.  Would like a bit of a lacy look to the solid portions of the shawl but not quite as lacy as I'm getting.