If you think I'm soxy.

I know Toronto is just a tiny speck on the map, and I know that where I (and tens of thousands more) live is but an even tinier speck, but when the power went out on Thursday night, it was big news. It became even bigger news when we were told that it'd be up to 24 hours before heat & electricity would be restored to our part of the city.

For the first 20 minutes or so of the blackout, Gord & I tried to pass the time by playing our ongoing game of Monopoly & listening to the wind-up radio. It didn't take long before trying to read the Community Chest & Chance cards by candlelight got old & we packed it in.
Power was back on by about 9:30 the next night & just in time too, since after almost 24 hours the temperature in our apartment was getting pretty crisp...or 'frigid' as I am quoted as saying in this article. Notice the bit about wearing hand knit socks? I made them promise to include that part.

And what a convenient segue!

Hot off the needles - I present to you...

BEST!

SOCKS!!

EVER!!!


Why are they the best socks ever?

Because I spun the yarn myself!

And then I knit it into these socks! That I am wearing on my feet as I type this!
Amazing!

I did run into a snag - I had only the toe decreases to do when I ran out of yarn..

So I had to spin some more up just so I could finish...and of course since I have too many projects on the go, I didn't get around to doing that until this morning - when, in an astoundingly speedy spinning & knitting session, I finished up these adorable little socks. I've been patting myself on the back ever since.

Superwash Merino roving in 'Tahiti' from Spunky Eclectic
I started spinning this in June, finished the socks in January. 7 months for a pair of socks? Totally worth it!
I used a great drop spindle from Yellow Dog Farm - also purchased from Spunky Eclectic.

And this isn't the only pair I knit during that time...

Clockwise from the top left, Socks for Gord - out of unidentified sock yarn. Monkey socks for my mom out of Regia Cotton....which, to be honest, were so very hard to give away. Socks for Gord & a pair for me - both out of dgb sock yarn from my stash.

I sometimes finish things & give them away before I realize I haven't taken any photos of them. Aside from these 4, I knit 3 pairs of socks for various men in my life. A pair for my dad, a pair for my brother in-law Scott & a pair for Kie, Gord's brother in-law. I'm still making my way through my sock yarn stash, currently chipping away at (surprise!) a pair of socks for Gord.

Okay, okay.....2009 - my year for blogging, I swear.
Let's just forget that weird lull ever happened, hm?


You know those projects that you don't remember knitting? Those ones that just all of a sudden show up, asking you to weave in their ends so it can be officially done?

My Gathered Pullover is one of them. I got this yarn in the summer & started casually knitting this on the bus on my way to & from work. When it got too big, I stuffed it in my bedside table & would throw in a row or two now & again. When I got to the cable, I did it one afternoon when I didn't feel like working on my other projects. I took a sleeve with me over Christmas holidays & finished the other one on the bus. Which brings me to Friday, when I wove in the ends & realized that I had a *fabulous* little sweater on my hands.


Pattern: Gathered Pullover by Hana Jason Ravelry link here.
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in 'Dark Natural Mix'


I'm totally smitten with this one - probably because it sort of appeared from out of nowhere - and I'm 100% happy with the fit. I had some worries before I picked up the neckline stitches - it was huge & messy. To compensate, I picked up less stitches than the pattern called for to bring in the V-neck. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out & I am incredibly proud of how neat & tidy & perfect my picked up stitches are.

I worked less rows of neckline than the pattern called for as well, since that rolley edge business is not for me. I also worked a knitted hem in the sleeves and bottom edge. I sort of regret doing this in the sleeves as I could have them about an 1 1/2" shorter, but there's no going back. At least this shows that I'm past my nasty habit of not making sleeves & bodies of sweaters long enough.

Two thumbs up for this one!

Over my break from blogging I finished a couple choice projects - I'll start sharing them soon. I'll sprinkle posts about them in between my current stuff. Current stuff lately means finishing up all my WIPs. I'm dedicated to a new project in/project out rule to help keep a cap on my compulsive project starting. So far so good, and now that this sweater is done I can put some new socks on the needles.