Why I Haven't Posted Recently

I haven't been knitting much lately. My DD rented an apartment nearby and is moving out this weekend, plus I have been packing up books so I can move the bookcases and paint the living room next weekend. I also got my invitation to Ravelry almost 2 weeks ago and I've been busy scanning projects, listing yarn stash and chronicling my knitting odyssey over the last few years. It's been good for me to have everything in one place, and the way you can see what other knitters are making with yarn you might have in your stash is really great. If you aren't on the waiting list I'd advise you to sign up and be patient: it was worth the wait for me. The program has crashed my computer a few times, emphasizing the need to purchase a new one. Mine is almost 6 years old, and was already telling me it needed to be replaced before I got into Ravelry, so it's not Ravelry's fault. It's good to have a system that tells you what pattern you are using to knit a particular yarn with, in case you forget and misplace the pattern but still have the half finished project in a bag. I also like the feature that lets you queue up your dream projects, along with yarn you might already have. I like having things organized, so this is right up my alley.

I did get inspired to knit a feather and fan alpaca neckwarmer from seeing someone else's project on Ravelry. I got 2 skeins of incredibly beautiful turquoise heather Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky yarn in December and was going to make a long scarf, but I saw this cute collar and cast on immediately. I finished it the next night, luxuriating in the softness of the alpaca yarn as I knit. However, as soon as I put the thing on my neck it started to itch me ever so slightly. Alpaca has guard hairs which bother me, even though the yarn feels so soft, but I thought the baby alpaca would be free of them. This may wind up being a gift. The neckwarmer took one skein, so I have enough yarn for a hat or some mitts. The pattern is in Knit Two Together by Tracey Ullman, a book I passed on buying originally but couldn't pass up when it was only $5.50 on Amazon. There are several other projects in the book that are really nice too.

I had to frog my solstice socks. I made the toe too big and then tried to decrease it away. Alas, this resulted in a rather large bump on each side of the toe, which would have rubbed in my shoes and caused blisters. The foot of the sock was still slightly too big as well. I had knit about 4 inches, but I wasn't happy with the look of the toe. Last night, after trying it on one more time at my knitting group and getting the same opinion from my co conspirator in the Rockin Socks Club (her sock is past the toe and halfway up the foot!) I frogged the sock. I did not take a picture--it was too sad.

This is what the sock looked like right after I made the fateful decreases and began knitting in the slipped cable rib pattern. I cast on again but this time I am knitting top down. The pattern allows you to do it either way. I've got about an inch knitted again, but no picture yet.

Edited to add: I've almost knitted as much yarn as I frogged, and here's the proof. The top of the slipped cable ribbing curls out a little, making the sock flare, but it's okay.