Return to Normalcy

Thank you for your thoughts. I've found knitting to be immensely therapeutic through the whole grieving process, not to mention the support from Mr. Batty, my parents, professionals, and friends.

I'm moving forward in the healing process. It will take a while until I return to normal, but I'm trying to look forward, not back, and to imagine a future that has beautiful things in it. Knitting helps with that. Knitting for my family helps even more. If I posted everything I've been working on over the past two weeks, this post would be incredibly long, so I'll start out with a few pictures and work my way through the WIP pile.

The Hyacinth socks I'm knitting for my mother are coming along -- look, I'm on sock 2! They were in hibernation for a month or so, and I really wish I'd taken notes on things like foot length while I was working on sock 1. Oh, well, lesson learned. Sticky notes are your friend.


Next, my Dad's socks. Here they are, on my Dad. Having him and my mom here during this difficult time has been a godsend. They both deserve socks, gratitude, and so much more than I could ever give for that one.


Gory Details:
Yarn: Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Tweed 4-ply
Needles: US #1/2.25 mm
Size: European 42/43
Pattern: Ganz viel Struktur
Comments: Knit as written, with a star toe and Boomerang heel. I'm now decent at short rows, but it's taken a good long time -- and I still have to look up how to knit stitches together with their wraps in any given direction.

And so you don't think I've been knitting nothing but socks: my sister's Luscious cowl. It's done, I just need to seam it. It's so soft and squishy, I'm sure it'll be warm.


As I said, there's more. Much more. And... some new fiber happened. I've been really good with my yarn diet (5 skeins of yarn in 2010, 1 souvenir yarn, 4 Christmas gift yarn), but I'm starting to think this will have to include fiber for 2011. The yarn stash is shrinking, but the fiber stash? Oy, she has grown!

Towards the Light

After a terrible, sad loss, I am moving back towards the light. Knitting is helping me through my grief, but I haven't had the energy to take pictures of any projects yet -- it's surprisingly hard to replace dead batteries and find just the right light for a shot when nothing seems to matter.
I'll be back with lots of pretty things to show you once the pain subsides.

It's October and the Holidays are Approaching

It's not just the holidays, either. There is at least one birthday between now and December, and let's not forget the... uh... slightly delayed birthday knits that still need to be completed. But on the bright side, it would appear that my knitting mojo is back.

The Dad socks are coming along nicely. This is a German pattern, and my first attempt at a "Bumerang-Ferse" -- whatever you call that in English. Essentially, it's two sets of short rows, first from the outside in to form the heel, two rows of knitting, then more short rows from the inside out to get you out of the heel. It's pretty nifty.


Oh, and if anybody knows a good tutorial for how to fix a dropped wrap & turn, please let me know... I had already knit together the stitch and its wrap on a previous row, but then accidentally dropped it and could not figure out how to fix the unraveled wrap & turn. I fudged it, but I'd like to know how to really fix it.

And... here is my second yarn purchase in 2010: Classic Elite Renaissance. It's time for Christmas knitting, hence the bright, Christmassy color. I actually didn't have any yarn in an appropriate color, hence the purchase; otherwise, I'm sticking with my yarn diet.


And this is the Luscious Cowl by SweaterBabe -- having a great time so far, it's very clearly written, and Ariosa is a soft and squishy yarn to work with. This may take a while, though, because bulky yarn hurts my hands. Oh, and I may run out. I have less than the pattern calls for, so I'm living dangerously.


It's crazy caston month, so stay tuned for more. Baby knits for a friend's daughter (born in August, so I better start knitting if she's supposed to get anything before she gets a driver's license), a birthday sweater, and a cardigan for me.
After months of no knitting, my mojo has returned in full force!