WIPs

"Works in Progress" or WIPs, or I guess correctly WsIP but that's awkward, are distinguished from UFOs or UnFinished Objects by being, nominally, still being worked on as opposed to buried in the stash and blocked from sight and mind out of frustration.

Lemme tell you, the Grasshopper socks were getting close to the UFO transition. However, I finally got my groove on, and we're continuing.



While I am normally a "process" knitter - one who knits for the act of knitting - I think for this particular project I'm leaning towards becoming a "product" knitter - one who knits for the end result. Simply because, with all the frogging and fiddling already, these socks have gone on too long, and now that I've FINALLY got a reasonable gauge going - they're getting boring because they're going to go on a lot longer because I'm determined after all that, I want the knee-high model, dagnabbit.

It's a good thing I love everything about this pair, assembly aside. I love the STR Silkie yarn. I love the colours, and I love the way it was knitting up with kindof an impressionist-watercolour look to it. I like the lacey stitch, now that I've got the trick of it. I just want to get 'em done now, though!

To take the edge off, I started something completely different:


and was pleasantly surprised. This is the first 10 rows of Megan Jackson's Beach pattern from the May PickUpSticks Sock Club. I was intimidated by the pattern, which includes two very complex looking charts, but it's written out row by row and I got through the first 10 rows of the first chart without a mistake. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, and it was the perfect foil to the two-stitch Grasshopper, and strangely, easier to manipulate.

And finally, faithfully providing my couple-of-rows-before-bed distraction:



The Seasilk Stormwater is slowly growing. The trick to making this piece livable is threading in a pre-emptive "lifeline" EVERY repeat of the pattern, or actually I'm doing it every half repeat. The pattern is the perfect mix of a variety of stitches but with a short enough repeat interval that it's now been committed to memory and is manageable. But if I drop one stitch - it's gone, and it's being ripped. So, I just run a length of cotton yarn through every 8th row and the most I'll lose is 8. So progress is steady.



So those, along with my still-neglected homework, are my weekend plans. Happy Canada Day!

Gratuitous cat photo.

Absolutely nothing else I feel like blogging. Off to be mad at all my crafty projects and fumble around with my new point'n'shooty camera I don't know how to use.

Next!

For a brief hour this evening, there were no socks in progress. Since the universe abhors a vacuum, I've corrected that, and Grasshoppers attempt #4 are now both cast on to a magic loop to try my next take on how to make them not so floppy.

In the meantime, here's what's been finished:



Parrot Puree (cat not included) will be on their way to their new feet shortly.

Here's a close-up:



I guess I didn't update the blog after I threatened to rip them out, but as you can see they survived. Their new feet said they would like them very much. So they are done.

And, for a wee little peanut who I will be meeting for the first time this weekend:



Teeny Trellises! This is a slightly reworked version of the Trellis pattern from the April Pick Up Sticks Sock club. When I first got this first kit of the series, I was a mite disappointed. Not that is wasn't nice and all, but it was baby-coloured pastels which are the farthest thing from "my thing", and a fussy, lacey pattern - ditto, or so I thought. But then when I kinda clued in that I have two neices, my friend's little girlie, and now a coworker who has just had a baby girl - WELL -this is going to go to very good use. This pair took up about 10% of the yarn from the kit, so there will be at least a couple more!

More Bike for your Buck - Thank You!

Well, we did it. Spousal euphemism and I managed to ride about 45 km (Rode to the Bike and Hike event, rode the 25 km route, rode home), cold, with no real training up so far this season.

I raised $705, thanks to all who contributed. Each of your dollars is worth two for hospital, as my employer doubles all the team funds. I don't have final numbers yet, but as of this morning, with counting still going on, the hospital had over $185,000, so likely once all funds are in we will have again beat $200,000 raised for Cardiac Care in Waterloo region.

I am now off to soak my screaming quadriceps in the whirlpool tub.