Is Anything More Boring Than a Gray Sock?

This morning I finished the Lacy Baktus scarf/shawlette that I had decided to lengthen. And happily wore it to work today! The photo shows it in its first finish state, made from a skein of Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn. I then acquired a 2nd skein, so ripped back a goodly way & started over, making it quite a bit longer overall. Very pleased with the result.

Knitwise I'm off to a slow start in 2011; had expected to have several things finished by now.  I have pulled out a very boring gray plain stockinette sock that I started several years ago.  It's the mate to a finished one that's been stuffed away in the stash closet.  I'm forcing myself to finish this gray one before starting anything new and colorful.  The sock pattern is "Gentleman's Plain Winter Sock (with Dutch heel)" from the Nancy Bush book entitled "Knitting Vintage Socks".  Full of great patterns & I highly recommend it, but this is the most plain, ordinary sock in the book.  Made the "Gentleman's Sock with Lozenge Pattern" for the mister & had leftover yarn which I why I started my own pair.  Boring or not, they will be extremely warm & that's a good thing! Yarn is Heirloom Argyle, discontinued, found on eBay for a great price. Pics to follow.

Most work nights have been dedicated to reading.  Just finished "No Way Down - Life and Death on K2" by Graham Bowley.  True story of a deadly 2008 climbing season on the 2nd highest mountain in the Himalayas.
Also finished "The Most They Ever Had" by a fav author, Rick Bragg.  True stories about the lives of people who worked in the cotton mills in Jacksonville, Alabama. It's heart-wrenching. And "Acres Away - A True History of NAS Mayport" by Joe Abb - a fascinating history that took me by surprise...about the woman who was a wealthy suffragette who moved from NY to Florida and founded a resort, only to eventually have it taken by eminent domain when the Navy wanted to expand its naval base. Anyone who loves the beaches in Jacksonville and/or enjoys local history should read this one! Next up on the Kindle - "Colonel Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris, 3rd of his 3 excellent books on Theodore.

So many projects, so little time! I've stitched a bit but have no noticeable progress to report.  How are YOU doing with your projects this year?

January - It's Not for Wimps!

Wow, did anyone else feel like this weekend would never arrive? Work seemed to move in slow motion and be 100 times more challenging that usual. Gah!! Guess that's what some folks call 'paying the vacation penalty.'  I missed staying in sweats all day & doing things at my own pace. Well back to reality!  And our chilly weather is back here in Northeast Florida.  Although it's nice to get a chance to wear handknits, we don't like the expensive heating bills and having to bundle up! Boo!

I did manage to finish this book - "The Warmth of Other Suns" by the very talented Isabel Wilkerson.  I won't attempt to write a book review; you can read this one:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/books/31book.html
What's on your Kindle/Nook/nightstand?  


Knitting news - I rewound 1/2 of my Lacey Baktus knitted from Jitterbug, for 2 reasons.  One, I was lacking a couple yards to finish it properly (so one end was a nub) and two, I bought a 2nd skein from a lovely Ravelry seller, allowing me to start again.  Went back to the halfway point and extended it before decreasing for the 2nd half of the scarf.  This will yield a larger scarf, which I wanted, and allow both ends to taper off to a normal point.  Unfortunately I seem to have lost my ability to count above 10 and had to rip back multiple times to have symmetrical sides.

Also managed to snap of few pix of unfinished cross-stitch projects, most long-neglected.  And I'm starting an online Merry Cox class called Tend Thy Sheep which is so exciting!

If you're interested in reading my list of 2011 project goals, please hop over to this website:
http://workingtofinishin2011.blogspot.com/
It was created by Teresa, a fellow stitcher/knitter.  Many of the stitchers in our Azalea House Guild are contributing and it's open for anyone who cares to to post.  Please join us!

Thanks for all who've left comments and read my fledgling blog!

The Enabler Strikes Again!

A BFF whose name I won't mention but her initials are Wooley Thoughts emailed me this morning to let me know that our LYS had just received 2 boxes of Madeline Tosh yarn! Woo-hoo, I was out the office door and had my hands on the laceweight in 10 minutes!  Could not resist the gorgeous Pashmina sport weight, so 2 skeins of Wren came home with me along with a skein of Lace in Graphite.  So much for my yarn diet in 2011!

I hesitate to post my other ambition for 2011 but it might help me stay on track.  Going to the gym at least 3 times a week seems do-able.  Working my way up to 2 miles/visit on the old treadmill, and some weight-type exercises as well.  So far this week I've been twice. Why is that so hard? Is it that we'd rather be home knitting?

No pictures this time but will post photos of the new yarn soon.