Square One

"Why, Steven," you might say. "Weren't you a lot further along on that British Checks Sweater when I last checked?"

Oh yes, I was. In fact, while knitting at the in-laws last week, I got all the way through the 9 and a half pattern repeats that took me to the point where I was to start knitting flat to form the armholes. Just to see if I was on track, I slipped it over Jeff's head when we got home to see how things were shaping up. The shape we were getting was a very slutty-looking tube top.

I knitted a gauge swatch and everything. Some point after that, my knitting must have gotten much tighter, because instead of a 24-inch wide piece, I had a 20-inch wide piece. Why I didn't check this earlier is beyond me.

So with Jeff's help, I bravely unraveled the whole thing yesterday afternoon and started over, this time using the recommended needle sizes. Ouch! Things seem a bit more drapey, although I'm still getting the flare around the bottom. Again, I can only put my faith in the miracle of blocking on that front. I'm discouraged, but I plopped down some bucks for this yarn and I want it to look nice. Jeff, patient as he is, deserves it. On the upside, I have the pattern very well-memorized at this point.

Also, while up in north Texs, I finished the Mocha Mint Latte Socks (as reported via cell phone previously), and started another pair. This is the Gentleman's Sock in Lozenge Pattern from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. I've made several pair from this book, including these and these and I've been quite happy with them. I first saw these when Kristin was working on a pair at the knitting meetup. At first I didn't think that this dark brown tweed sock yarn would work well with the pattern. It's subtle, but I think it's working. I'm modifying the pattern a bit. The original pattern makes very long socks and calls for 500-something yards of yarn. Since I have 425 yards, I left out a 9-row section in the top of the sock, and I plan to make the foot an inch or so shorter. The pattern is for a size 11-12 foot, and I wear a size 10, so I'm hoping things will work out. For all the good my planning does, hope ought to work as well.

Doesn't it look like a pineapple right now?